Take a Ride

DragonsCapturePAX Prime. Seattle, WA. 2014.

Book Review: The One by Keira Cass

The One

Screen shot 2014-10-12 at 21.34.53The wait is finally over. The Selection is coming to a close. America is sure who Maxon will choose as his bride.

Or does he? The Selection is down to four girls, and as tensions rise within this love competition, they’re just as high outside of the palace. The war is getting worse. The enemy keeps pushing for the end of the castes and the royal family. Maxon’s caught in the middle. Between choosing a bride and learning to lead his country, all eyes are on this pretty boy prince. Who will he choose? How will the country react?

I’ve absolutely adored The Selection series. I didn’t want to, but I gave up about two chapters into the first book. There is just magic within these stories. The idea is simple: the story of a girl that doesn’t actually want to be a princess, but she cares about her family. America comes from good stock. For a teenager it’s no wonder she can’t decide what her heart wants at seventeen. She doesn’t buy into the fantasy of the future, which makes her actions more understandable. 

Also, for those that have read this book. Celeste. If anything, finishing the series alone for Celeste. 

Cass doesn’t hold back in this conclusion. I waited months before reading because I wasn’t ready for the series it end. But end it is and Cass does a wonderful job. I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

Freshly Published: November 2014

It’s November! How can the year be nearly over? Only thing that means—more books!

Stand Alone

The Walled City by Ryan Graudin

Walled

There are three rules in the Walled City: Run fast. Trust no one. Always carry your knife. Right now, my life depends completely on the first. Run, run, run.

Jin, Mei Yee, and Dai all live in the Walled City, a lawless labyrinth run by crime lords and overrun by street gangs. Teens there run drugs or work in brothels—or, like Jin, hide under the radar. But when Dai offers Jin a chance to find her lost sister, Mei Yee, she begins a breathtaking race against the clock to escape the Walled City itself.

Series Debuts

The Last Changeling by Chelsea Pitcher

(Faerie Revolutions #1)

Fairy

A Kingdom at War . . .

Elora, the young princess of the Dark Faeries, plans to overthrow her tyrannical mother, the Dark Queen, and bring equality to faeriekind. All she has to do is convince her mother’s loathed enemy, the Bright Queen, to join her cause. But the Bright Queen demands an offering first: a human boy who is a “young leader of men.”

A Dark Princess In Disguise . . .

To steal a mortal, Elora must become a mortal—at least, by all appearances. And infiltrating a high school is surprisingly easy. When Elora meets Taylor, the seventeen-year-old who’s plotting to overthrow a ruthless bully, she thinks she’s found her offering . . . until she starts to fall in love.

Stranger by Rachel Manija Brown

(The Change, #1)

Stranger

Many generations ago, a mysterious cataclysm struck the world. Governments collapsed and people scattered, to rebuild where they could. A mutation, “the Change,” arose, granting some people unique powers. Though the area once called Los Angeles retains its cultural diversity, its technological marvels have faded into legend. “Las Anclas” now resembles a Wild West frontier town… where the Sheriff possesses superhuman strength, the doctor can warp time to heal his patients, and the distant ruins of an ancient city bristle with deadly crystalline trees that take their jewel-like colors from the clothes of the people they killed.

Teenage prospector Ross Juarez’s best find ever – an ancient book he doesn’t know how to read – nearly costs him his life when a bounty hunter is set on him to kill him and steal the book. Ross barely makes it to Las Anclas, bringing with him a precious artifact, a power no one has ever had before, and a whole lot of trouble.

Stranger stands on its own, but there will be three more books in the series: Hostage, Rebel, and Traitor.

Continued Series

The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

(Mara Dyer #3)

Mara

Mara Dyer wants to believe there’s more to the lies she’s been told.
There is.

She doesn’t stop to think about where her quest for the truth might lead.
She should.

She never had to imagine how far she would go for vengeance.
She will now.

Loyalties are betrayed, guilt and innocence tangle, and fate and chance collide in this shocking conclusion to Mara Dyer’s story.
Retribution has arrived.

Captive by Aimee Carter

(The Blackcoat Rebellion #2)

Captive

For the past two months, Kitty Doe’s life has been a lie. Forced to impersonate the Prime Minister’s niece, her frustration grows as her trust in her fake fiancé cracks, her real boyfriend is forbidden and the Blackcoats keep her in the dark more than ever.

But in the midst of discovering that her role in the Hart family may not be as coincidental as she thought, she’s accused of treason and is forced to face her greatest fear: Elsewhere. A prison where no one can escape.

As one shocking revelation leads to the next, Kitty learns the hard way that she can trust no one, not even the people she thought were on her side. With her back against the wall, Kitty wants to believe she’ll do whatever it takes to support the rebellion she believes in—but is she prepared to pay the ultimate price?

Deep in the Garden

GardenCaptureWoodland Park Zoo. Seattle, WA. 2013.

Book Review: Carrie by Stephen King

Carrie

Screen shot 2014-10-13 at 21.01.13There’s a Carrie White in every high school. A girl born into the wrong class. The butt of everyone’s joke’s. The scapegoat to everyone’s problems. Poor Carrie White. She never had a chance. 

To get your first period at 17, showering after gym, has got to be the worst. Having an overly religious mother who borders on the brink of insanity? Carrie White had the recipe for disaster. 

But Carrie White was special. As she is welcomed into womanhood, so are her truth powers freed. Carrie White just wanted to be left alone, to live her life with her mother. What started as a gesture to counterbalance the guilt from fellow high school student, Sue Snell, turns into a night of terror their little town has never seen. Who is to blame? Carrie White? Or her tormentors? 

A tight engaging tale told from Carrie’s point of view and epistolary format, this is a perfect quick Halloween read. There’s a lot of background to Carrie, and I must say I loved the ending a lot more than the movie version. Yes, it’s a bit dated, but this story is simple and pure at the same time. Even though everyone knows how it ends, you’ll race to see just what kind of destruction Carrie wrecks, and dare I say it? Cheer her on. (Maybe not the whole time, but certainly for two teens that deserved to be reckoned with Carrie.)

I love King’s first published novel. I wish I had read it earlier. He writes women so well, and although it reeks of the 70s, the story is still timeless. Most girls look forward to their senior prom. Pray yours never ends up like Carrie White’s. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books To Read Or Watch To Get In The Halloween Spirit

I know The Broke and the Bookish’s Top Ten lists are on Tuesday, but I do my posts on Wednesday, so I’m mixing it up! I love this list! I love Halloween! It’s almost here! Here are my top ten spooky books to get into the thrilling spirit of All Hallow’s Eve!

1. The Shining by Stephen King

The ShiningI want to start with an epic classic. However, I personally feel that The Shining the book is VERY different, almost completely from the movie. They’re kind of like Harry Potter, both mediums should be experienced separately. I love both of them in different ways. The frightening psychological suspense is fantastic.

2. It by Stephen King

ITRead this when I was in 7th grade. I’m also afraid of spiders. Perfect for bringing back all your childhood fears to relive them now that you’re an adult.

3. Hell House by Alison Rattle and Allison Vale

Hell HouseThis short story collection has creepy tales from all over the world! I love it! Balancing different cultures with a perfect blend of truth, this book is not to be missed if you can find it.

4. Carrie by Stephen King

CarrieYes, I have a strong affection for King. I just recently finished Carrie and it is so much better than the movie! It’s like the Titanic, you know how it ends but you keep turning the pages hoping it might be different.

5. The Greywalker novels by Kat Richardson

GreywalkerYay my city! Spooky Seattle! What’s not to love? Richardson’s research and ability to blend local history and folklore is standout! I’m so sad she’s ending the series next year, but it’s been a great run!

6. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

RansomA frighting combination of prose and real photos, Riggs is brilliant at making Wales come alive in a paranormal way. Full of mystery with a hero you pull for each page, this debut is essential for October.

7. Goosebumps by R. L. Stine

H234_SCH_GB11Haunted_0.tifSelf explanatory. I wish these were just as scary as when I first read them.

8. The Legend of Spookiley the Square Pumpkin by Joe Troiano

SpookilyFor personal reasons. A fantastic picture book that has a great moral that’s perfect for Halloween!

9. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Sharp ObjectsFlynn’s debut that is harsh, dark and looming, it’s my favorite of her books! For a traditional mystery, this book has an ending that is horrific and spine tingling!

10. Doll Bones by Holly Black

Doll BonesThis is the only book I haven’t read on the list, but I’ve heard really good things and this cover alone makes it a must read for this month. I hope to read it eventually, but for now I’ll enjoy the beautifully spooky cover!

What are your favorite reads during October? Any special books that scream Halloween??