School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins

School Spirits, a Hex Hall spin-off has in Izzy Brannick its leading character. Remember her?
She appears in the last Hex Hall book: She's Sophie's younger cousin.

More "grounded" on earth, Izzy's  is nothing like her demon cousin. Well for starters she tends to hunt people with magic...
The Brannicks have been fighting monsters for all their lives, and have been paying the price for that.
The most recent casualty has been Izzy's older sister, Finn, who has disappeared without a trace.

Izzy's confidence is shaken, and her mother decides to give her a small "case" in order to boast the girl's confidence.
Now, how can someone who has been raised away from the civilization know how to adapt, when faced with the prospect of having to attend High School?
.....
She buys lots and lots of teen series dvd's....
I'm serious.
*Gulp* Poor girl.

The case Izzy's mother decides to give her, involves a somewhat run of the mill...situation involving a ghost.Which according to Izzy is just plain boring.
That is, until the basic "exorcism" techniques stop working : you know, the basic stuff like going into graveyards at night to drop salt into the ghost grave.

“You can’t just go around following people,” I told Dex as I tossed the empty salt carton into my backpack. “It’s creepy. And inappropriate.”
“Says the girl pouring salt onto graves.”
I glared at him. “This is…part of my religion.”

Suddenly, teachers, and students alike seem to have been turned into a target...and not even the family "heirloom" Torin, the guy who has been stuck in a mirror for more than four hundred years, knows what to do.

In high school Izzy makes some friends and meets a potential love interest...but how can a girl less than ordinary, get to live a plain old life?

Just like the Hex Hall series, School Spirits reads itself in a blink of an eye.

Unlike Hex Hall, and despite continuing to have a very particular sense of humour, I am happy to say that Izzy doesn't try to emulate her cousin's peculiar sense of humour!
Don't get me wrong! I love Sophie...but after awhile the girl drives a person insane!

This had a strong plot. I honestly had no idea who was the guilty part up until the end, which is always a bonus.
The sidekicks were all interesting people, and of course I couldn't help but love Dex's charm! Who cares if the guy likes his coats in purple?
They look good on him! lol

“It’s just…purple suits you. Which is good since you wear so much of it.”
Preening, Dex raised his head and pushed his shoulders back. “It brings out the color of my eyes.”

The end...delivered quite a kick in the gut, and despite wishing that some things had been more developed _and questioning Aislin's ability to, lets say...receive another person in the Brannick family _ I have to admit being pretty happy with how this one turned out . *Thumbs up*
In the end, my only question is:
For when the second one? :)

Author's Official Tumblr
Oh, I just read this on the author's Tumblr:

"(..)there are no more School Spirits books coming in the near future. Never say never and all of that, but for now, those are over."

Excuse me:

 

 

Buy "School Spirits"

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Just saw this...

...on the author's Facebook page, and since both of us here on PbWonderland, loved the first book in the author's trilogy, I decided to help spread the world!
Yes, I am a fan of the series ;)

"Sherry Thomas

54 mins

The Burning Sky is on sale for $1.99 right now. Read it before its sequel, The Perilous Sea, comes out in September!"

( This was posted 54 minutes ago, and I don't know how long it is going to last!) 

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble 

Read Isa's review of The Burning Sky

And also mine:

 Susana's review

 

Pre-order " The Perilous Sea"

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Spell Bound (Hex Hall #3) by Rachel Hawkins

Oh, dear...
As much as it pains me to only give 2.5 stars to this book, considering how much I like its main character, in order to keep the rating for the two previous two books  real and accurate, two and a half will just have to do...

In case this has passed unnoticed, I love Sophie Mercer' character!
She is witty, funny, courageous, and when she was presented in the first book, well recurring to a cliché, she was a complete "breath of fresh air" in the ya genre!
I loved it!
Unfortunately a book can't live of sarcasm and snark only.

And in these last two books, it seems that the only thing that has been properly developed are Sophie's puns and witticisms....which are great..unless when they become a little too much!
Getting back to something that I just mentioned in Demon Glass' review is the fact, that everything about the plot happens too quickly!! It is like an instantaneous...soup! :/
Most things in this plot just lack basic development. Look I am all in favour of not dragging things forever, and ever...but one has to reach some sort of balance. Which Spell Bound completely skipped.
Minus one star for that...

 Then there was the unnecessary and once again, hastily resolved love triangle, that was just...lame.
When to that, one adds some cheesy soap opera scenes, it was just too much.

Bottom Line: Hex Hall, the first, will always be one of my to go books whenever I am in the mood to read something funny. Unfortunately I can't say the same thing about this one.

However I am currently reading "School Spirits" the Hex Hall "spin-off", and so far so good ;)
Of course so far, I've only read 10%.

Author's Official Tumblr


Buy (better yet borrow a friend's copy! ;) Spell Bound:
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Demonglass (Hex Hall #2) by Rachel Hawkins

                             Sophie Mercer and her wicked sense of humour are back! :)

Having just found out about her demon heritage, Sophie wants nothing more than to be rid of all her magic abilities.
Trying to achieve that, she strikes a pact with her father.
 She will spend some time with him in England, and then she will make a decision regarding her magical powers.

So...to England she goes, with her best friend Jenna, the pink loving vampire. :)
But England is full of dangers...namely one Archer Cross who keeps crossing her path!
As if that wasn't enough, she also has a ghost on her trail, and she and her father may not be the only demons alive...
Also lets not forget the complicated  subject of her... fiancée! O_O
YES! Love triangle!! Ugh :/

Which is too bad, because if the story had been properly developed, it wouldn't need any of these things!

Also one of the reasons that made me love reading Hex Hall that much (even after a re-read!), was the fact that it played and joked around, with the basic YA stereotypes!
And we know that there isn't anything more basic than a love triangle in the YA genre!

All these problems _boys vying for her...love, lol, and people trying to kill her _ means that by the end of these vacations, Sophie is definitely going to need some time off!
At least she has the necessary sense of humour to deal with all this.

Bottom Line: the author has a very addictive writing style _it helps that the stories aren't that long to begin with_ so, despite the fact that this wasn't as good as the first one, especially because everything happens too FAST, I'm still invested in this trilogy... I blame it on a long list of insane characters :) Sophie being the number one culprit!


Author's Tumblr



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The Time Of The Fireflies by Kimberly Griffiths Little

Arc provided by Scholastic through Netgalley

Normally I don't have any problem reading the so called "Middle Grade" books. In fact I have been lucky enough to have been reading some amazing  well written, and spell binding stories that could place the so called adult ones, to shame.

Now _DUE TO THAT _ I may have temporarily forgotten that middle grade books are intended for middle grade...readers. Which I am most definitely NOT.
I am currently thirty five years old. Therefore I am afraid that I'm no longer this book' intended audience. :)
The only reason I am mentioning this, is that although I can't in all honesty give this book a higher rating, I can't help admitting that its intended audience will probably like it more than I did!

This has a fluid writing, and what starts as an interesting concept.
A twelve year old girl answers a call from a disconnected phone....

However _for me _ the whole time travel....process (lol) felt a little too bland and simplistic.

The main characters could have been more developed...although I understand that due to the number of people that end up  joining the story, that could prove a little too much for the intended audience...

The plot however _despite the time travel thing _ felt nicely done. The author was able to keep all those "balls in the air"_the cursed generations thing_, and was able to perfectly interwove all the lose threads.

The mystery of the mysterious caller wasn't that much of a mystery , lol.
And although I couldn't well grasp the concept of quite a number of things_ too basic and simplistically done_ it was nice the inclusion of a cursed SPOILER!! creepy doll in the plot, and the basic idea behind the story.

Bottom Line: Don't steal...and don't make fast judgements.
A fast easy read for much younger readers.

Author's Official Site

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Unspeakable Things: Sex, Lies and Revolution by Laurie Penny

 

Arc provided by Bloomsbury USA through Netgalley

TW's: Mentions of Rape and Cutting

Ironically enough, despite the fact of considering myself a fervent feminist, this is the first actual book I've read on the subject . Growing up in our society it is difficult not to be aware of all the obstacles and sexism that women are subjected to. So, it's not as if most of what is discussed here, is something earth shattering.

What is different for me _at least _ is seeing some of those things written on paper, and the connections that the author establishes with the neoliberal market.

One thing that one gets after reading this book, is that for the author, feminism is not gender exclusive. On the contrary. The author defends a very inclusive definition of feminism:

Feminism has never just been about liberating women from men. but about freeing every human being from the straitjacket of gender oppression.

The author lets it be perfectly clear that she doesn't hate men, lol, so for all you guys reading this, let it be known that you can read a feminist book and not feel as if you're the bad buy.

Ah, it's always hard to comment on someone's else writing. It is different when you're reading a fiction work. There's things bound to be analysed: the writing style, the narrative, the flow of the story, the stupidity of the characters...

When we get a non fiction book, it's the convictions and ideas of a very real person that are on the pages....

This mean I'll try not to put my foot on my mouth...

Things that I can say....you can feel the author's enthusiasm and passion for her calling. If it was up to her, the world would be a different place. Would everyone be happy with it, and in it?

Probably not. Some of us don't have the courage to colour outside the lines, and guidelines are needed.

Then, and this is me analysing something that I probably shouldn't, but the author talks a lot about lost boys.

Lately I have been reading quite a few books on the Peter Pan "myth", and I don't know, but I couldn't help feeling that the author feels a  little like a Wendy to all this lost boys.

I couldn't help feeling as if the author romanticizes the boys of our world . Al least the nerds, the queers _as she puts it _ the misunderstood.

The girls of our world, who most see as fucked up, aren't in such a bad place, since we're used to being exploited, and used to put up with things, this means that the current world crises haven't affected us all that much. 

Because we're more used to bad things than the good ones, unlike most boys.

Hmm.

She has a bold approach to life, and the roles we play in her...but at the same time, I can't help feeling that Laurie Penny's idea of a new society, is based in nothing more than an utopia. 

She romanticizes the outcast and non conformity groups into something that one day will bring about the changes we need.

I would love to believe in that, but like she mentions in a previous chapter, even in this type of movements there's abuses and rapes.

Would we be better if there was to be a change in the powers that rules us?

Maybe in certain things...but after awhile all governments need money to govern, and talking change is all very well, but in the end someone needs to take charge of things.

Bottom line: I liked reading it, and while I was doing it I was interested in it, but as a day passed, I found myself finding the book even more utopia like, than I already did. 

But maybe that's because I fit so neatly in my small box...

Author's Official Site 

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The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco - BOOK TOUR

I make no secret of the fact that Rin Chupeco's Girl From the Well is one of my favourite books of the year so far - as you all can see from my review of it.

So, obviously, I have to join the blog tour - here we go!!!

JAPANESE LEGEND THAT INSPIRED THE RING IS RETOLD FROM MURDERED VICTIM'S PERSPECTIVE IN DEBUT HORROR THRILLER

_________________________________________________________________________

The Girl from The Well

Author: Rin Chupeco

Sourcebooks Fire ● August 5, 2014 ● ISBN: 9781402292187


Hardcover/$16.99 U.S. ● Ages 14+ 

__________________________________________________________________

Praise for The Girl From the Well:

“[A] Stephen King–like horror story…A chilling, bloody ghost story that resonates.” –Kirkus Reviews

“Chupeco makes a powerful debut with this unsettling ghost story…told in a marvelously disjointed fashion from Okiku’s numbers-obsessed point of view, this story unfolds with creepy imagery and an intimate appreciation for Japanese horror, myth, and legend.” –Publishers Weekly, STARRED

“The Girl from the Well is part The Ring, part The Grudge and part The Exorcist…A fantastically creepy story sure to keep readers up at night… Okiku is one of the most interesting YA characters to date.” RT Book Reviews, 4 ½ STARS-TOP PICK!

_________________________________________________________________________

The Ring meets The Exorcist in this haunting and lyrical reimagining of the Japanese fable.

Okiku has wandered the world for hundreds of years, setting free the spirits of murdered children. Wherever there’s a monster hurting a child, her spirit is there to deliver punishment. Such is her existence, until the day she discovers a troubled American teenager named Tark and the dangerous demon that writhes beneath his skin, trapped by a series of intricate tattoos. Tark needs to be freed, but there is one problem—if the demon dies, so does its host.

With the vigilante spirit Okiku as his guide, Tark is drawn deep into a dark world of sinister doll rituals and Shinto exorcisms that will take him far from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Japan. Can Okiku protect him from the demon within or will her presence bring more harm? The answer lies in the depths of a long-forgotten well.

_________________________________________________________________________
 

Rin Chupeco: Despite uncanny resemblances to Japanese revenants, Rin Chupeco has always maintained her sense of humor. 

Raised in Manila, Philippines, she keeps four pets: a dog, two birds, and a husband. 

She’s been a technical writer and travel blogger, but now makes things up for a living. 

The Girl from the Well is her debut novel. 

Connect with Rin at www.rinchupeco.com.

Check out the amazing Girl From the Well Book Trailer!!!

Buy The Girl From the Well 

@ The Book Depository (with free worldwide delivery!)

 

 

The House Of The Four Winds (Book #1 of The Twelve Daughters) by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory

Arc provided by Mcmillan-Tor/Forge

I've just finished reading this story, and although it ended being better than what I expected, considering the first twenty percent of it _in which I seriously doubted I would be able to finish it _ this just had a lot of issues for me to give it a full three star rating.
In the end if you ask me, if I liked it... I'll have to respond with: "parts of it..."

Here's the thing _for me_ this story worth is in its plot, because character wise _especially if we're talking about the main characters _ this crashed and burn.

This starts out as if were reading the "old fashioned" fairy tale type...the ones in which we don't get a whole lot of information besides... the point.
In this case we are summarily "introduced" to a royal family who has twelve daughters _not that we get to know them...besides the main character in this one _and who has a somewhat different view on what the royal heirs should do, when they reach majority (in this case the contemporary notion of eighteen years old).

It basically goes a little like this: So, we (the King and Queen) here in  this"insert place with the too complicated name to memorize" are a small kingdom, and since we breed like cats, we now find ourselves in the situation of not having the money to all you girls dowry's...Solution: when you reach eighteen we'll boot you out of the house (_small castle) _ in order for you girls to find your fortune!
What say you?
Daughters: Hooray!!

Okayy....lol
If the princes have been doing it all their lives ( stories), why not the princesses?
Right? Gender equality.

So, our oldest princess Clarisse turns eighteen, and there she goes, seeking adventure and wealth!
Of course certain things never change, and it is best if the girl tries to pass out as a boy...a clean shaved pretty boy.
Everyone believes in her "disguise" (dressed as a boy and wearing a hat), and "fiddle dee dee" everything turns out smooth.
Then comes the boring, boring part.
I'll confess that I am not crazy about nautical adventures, and this one, during that first part proved me right, in not changing my view of it. We basically get long descriptions of what life used to be on board of a ship. As we can well imagine, it was boring.

Luckily there's a mutiny, lol, and things get a little better, because a conspiracy is unravelled.
Like I said: The plot kept the thing afloat!

The characters, I am afraid continued to be their same boring, undeveloped selves.

All of a sudden we had a mysterious medallion, a mysterious island, and characters that couldn't be more distant from Jack Sparrow and his band of.....ah....misfits...because Sparrow has more personality in one lock of his unwashed air, than all of these together!
It was embarrassing.

Then there was the...romance. Oh, boy :/
It appeared because the authors _or author _ whoever wrote that part of the story, decided to make it appear. Just like a rabbit. Look: A rabbit!
Applause.

There was no development of a relationship between them. Nothing. And one day, Clarisse decides that she's in love with the young Captain.
Who thought she was a guy. lol

I didn't thought that the magic part of the story was all that well developed. Sure there were some nice parts with the enchanted spoiler and bewitched spoiler, but besides that, the whole thing was very undeveloped.
I keep using that word a lot.

The evil enchantress was a bit too generic, and there was a moment in which due to the outfit description, it was as if I was seeing Angelina Jolie in her evil...fairy tale...thing role. lol I guess all evil characters shop in the same place!

Towards the end, the action picks up a little, and there were some nice and creative bits added to the story, but the writing was not that great o_O. I mean I could read it, and there was a part in which I was interested in seeing what was going to happen, but it was not that memorable.
Not the writing, not the story, and definitely not the characters! Sorry.

Mercedes Lackey' Official Site

James Mallory' Official Site

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Shield Of Winter by Nalini Singh (Psy-Changeling #13)

It turns out that book #13 of this series ended up being a lucky one! Because I loved it! :)

There is quite a number of things to praise about this series: _The basic plot of it, a society which is constituted by three very different races, Changelings, Humans and Psy, with their very different characteristics, that are forced to co-exist.

The characters that are so well drawn, as are the connections established between them, from lovers, pack members, friends, all of them are basically flawless.
There may have been some things on previous stories that I wished had been done in a different way, (Hawke and Sienna relationship, Kaleb and Sahara) due to what the characters had been through in their lives, but in most cases I've loved the romances that have been created in these series. My favourite however continues to be the one between Riley and Mercy! :)
And this one between Vasic and Ivy, is going to make it into my top favourites! ;)
Very, very well done.

The plot
The psy world is collapsing on itself, and on the rest of the society.
The council has disintegrated, Silence is falling and the psy net is attacking their own minds.

The only solution seems to be in waking up the E (empaths), a psy category seen with unkind eyes by a grand percentage of the psy-world.
Now, Kaleb Kricheck, the Arrows, and the rest of Changelings are thrown in together for a battle destined to save the psy race.
I am trying to remember, but I think that so far, this is the most violent book of the series...not in a gore and blood thoroughly described kind of way, but you'll see that things are going from bad to worse in the psy-world, and a feasible solution doesn't seem to make itself known anytime soon.

The characters
Vasic who we've known from previous books, has in Shield of Winter his stage. And you know what? He completely deserves it!
I'll admit that I was a little reticent with this title because...he just seemed another pawn in the psy-changeling chessboard. And a  little too emo for my tastes....
I was wrong.

For someone who tries to be as cold as Winter, the guy has this amazing big heart. I loved the fact that he wasn't portrayed as the usual alpha _hear me growl _ type.

His relationship with Ivy was cute, tender, heart-breaking with some laughable and unforgettable moments:
the fact that his skill _being able to move as he wish to wherever he wish _ tended to manifest itself during some more...cough....delicate moments _lol_ was just hilarious!
I wouldn't have minded though if the romance between them, had taken even a  little more time to get started due to Vasic' upbringing.

All in all a great book, that paths the way for a new tomorrow for the Psy. I can't wait to read the new volume, and after thirteen books, that is quite something...especially since I wasn't crazy about the last ones!
I definitely have a problem with the more aggressive alpha...dudes! Basically I can't stand them...

Author Official Site

Buy this title:
@Bookdepository.com  (Hardback International Edition)

@Bookdepository.com (Trade Paperback Edition)

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Ocd remember? :)

Winterspell by Claire Legrand

Release Date: September 30th

Arc provided by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers through Edelweiss

TW's: Victim blaming

Some stories you casually find. Others, you anxiously wait for their release date.

Winterspell was the latter case. Since the moment I read its synopsis and _YES, I admit it! _ saw its cover, I've been eagerly anticipating its release, or as it is this case, its released arc.

This is not the first book I've read by this author. The Cavendish Home For Boys and Girls was a superb middle grade book with a wonderful assertive heroine. I think Victoria will always live in my mind. I loved it.

You can see where I am going, right?

Big expectations for this one.  Yes, this one would be directed to a older audience, but I was practically certain that I would love this... and that, definitely was not the case.

Every time a situation like this arises _loving a book, and disliking another by the same author _ I reach a point in which I question myself:

What is wrong with me?

But, as often happens, no matter how much I try to, I can't (couldn't ) get into this story. I tried to, and I forced myself to keep on reading it, but the thing never clicked with me, as a reader.

The Pace:

Awfully, awfully slow...

I understand that the author is trying to set the tone of her story. I understand that she wants us to understand each and every environment, and the consequences it would have on its characters; but long phrases, paragraphs, even pages are wasted on mind numbing details, when the plot doesn't flow!

The characters:

They had so much promise, but in the end they just felt flat and one dimensional...

The story takes place in the beginning of the twentieth century, just on the verge of the 1920 Constitutional Amendment who granted women the right to vote.

Clara who, due to the time frame and her background (wealthy and educated family), I was expecting a lot more from, ends up being a doormat of a girl, who in the first chapters intimately explores victim blaming.

Let me explain: In this story, with its mix of historical with fantasy descriptions, there's quite a number of villains. Some of them in the fantasy setting, others _lets say_ on the more realistic one. So, in this latter one there is this f******g pedophile who for years has been leering after Clara. OFF WITH HIS BALLS!

To make matters worse he is a pedophile with rank and power, and unfortunately it seems that Clara's family has been losing theirs... so, obviously, it falls to Clara to put up with this bastard's attentions, without being able to tell her father about it.

So, for long, long pages we get treated to victim blaming, because Clara _of course_ feels that the problem it's her. She must have done something to engage his attentions...

This is so wrong! I know that this happens today, and it probably will never be eradicated, so we can only imagine what it was back then.

But this is a fantasy work. If you can put fairies into a story, you should well be able to pass some assertive messages: This is never the victim fault.

This is one of the reasons why lately I've mostly been reading middle grade books: They're so less infuriating.

Nicholas

The author takes advantage of the fact that the characters supposedly already know one another to basically ignore the development of their relationship... which was a gross mistake.

The thing is, Clara and Nicholas can't really know one another, not with the type of "relationship" they had.

The guy was a statue for crying out loud!

How could they possibly truly know one another?

Anise

The Wicked Fairy Queen had so much promise!

Do you like love triangles?

Well, this story kind of has one... no matter how much it is diluted and disguised...

In our typical YA romance/dystopia/fantasy book, Anise would be the bad guy, and we all know that most of the time, our leading brainless female characters choose the bad guy over the good guy (exceptions made to Suzanne Collins awesome Peeta!). So why not here?

Maybe the author didn't wanted a lesbian/gay romance, but she sowed the seeds, and the thing got some strong roots! In fact, I think that had this character been properly developed, this could have led to a much more promising story route!

As it was, the whole time that Clara spends with Anise just feels like a huge waste of potential, and subsequent waste of time.

As for the remaining characters, I am afraid that with some exceptions, such as Bo and Clara's Godfather, the whole lot of them were just too insignificant to point out.

The whole YA or New Adult thing...

I got the feeling that the author felt that she needed to constantly reminds us that Clara as a young woman felt confined by society restrictions, and as such her femininity was always very on the surface... the descriptions of clothes, nakedness, what that made her feel... the butterflies, the heat, the feelings...

Another part of the story that made this book feel quite, quite long!

Too "Bloody" much telling, not enough showing

Patience hold on....

This happened through out ALL of the book. If a fifth of the time that was wasted on describing dresses and feelings had been used to show us what was happening, I would be giving this book another rating.

Most of the times the descriptions are clumsy. Reading them at times feels like fingernails on a blackboard.

I couldn't get into the story. Things were at times too disperse and not sufficiently explained.

The plot

I know this is fantasy we're talking, but the basic plot after a while was directed at throwing Anise out of the throne to be replaced by Nicholas. But I am afraid that it all felt too little. I am talking of the prince's army, I'm talking about his "not very convinced" allies. It was too convoluted to be seen as realistic... yes, the irony of that hasn't escaped me...

I guess the whole ordinary girl that suddenly becomes special, and the whole quest she finds didn't convince me.

But who knows, maybe you will like it.

In the end, one of my favourite things, was the last page _ and I'm not being mean here_ it was really well done, as were the parts told from Nicholas pov.

Isa's Review:
To come...

Author's Official Site

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