Wolfsbane

You shall leave everything you love most dearly: this is the arrow that the bow of exile shoots first. – Dante, Paradiso

Andrea Cremer

I was exhausted; with the two of uncertain of our way, we halted on a plateau lonelier than desert paths.  – Dante, Purgatorio

This is the second book in the Nightshade series.  Calla is a wolf who is a Guardian.  She runs away from being mated to Ren and starting a new pack to save Shay, a human-turned-wolf.  In this installment of the series, Calla wakes up and finds that she is in the company of Monroe, who is a Searcher.  Searchers are the people that Calla has fought against for the Keepers, who are the rulers over her pack.  Now, she needs to make an alliance with them to rescue her pack from the Bane pack, who imprisioned and questioned them after she ran.  Some of the Searchers are as reluctant to trust Calla as she is to trust them.  This book tells of the alliance made, the quests that Calla and the Searchers make and the difficulties she faces as she comes to realization that in this war, there are casualties.

“You know.” Connor grinned at me.  “I think I kind of love you.”

The Goodreads synopsis:

When Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemies, she’s certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer—one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack—and the man—she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.

Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.  – Dante, Inferno

This book has a lot to do with feelings and how Calla deals with the fact that she left Ren and her pack behind for Shay.  There are moments in the guilt that Calla feels is overwhelming for her.  At the end of the book, it alludes to other quests that Calla, Shay, the Searchers and the pack must go on before the end of this war.  Overall, a good read and I am anticipating Bloodrose, the third and final book.

“Is there anything you’re not good at?” Adne’s smile was blinding.  I laced my fingers behind my back so I wouldn’t choke her.

“Golf,” Shay said with a grim smile.  “I have no patience for it.”

 Alternate Covers

The room we’d entered looked like all the dictionaries on the planet had come here to die grisly deaths.

Upcoming Books

Feb 21, 2012

This is the third and final book in the Nightshade series.  Goodreads only  says what it says on the cover and I couldn't find a more accurate description as of yet.  The book is slated for release on February 21, 2012.

Follow Friday

I was sick on Friday, so I'm posting this on Saturday instead.

Q. Let's step away from books for a second and get personal. What T-Shirt slogan best describes you? 

 Anything that has to do with nursing.  I know, it's not that exciting, but that is where my life is at the moment.  :)

                                   

GLOW

Amy Kathleen Ryan

A leader is a dealer in hope. 

                  – Napoleon Bonaparte

Waverly Marshall and Kieran Alden live aboard the Empyrean with their family and friends.  This is a ship that is travelling to New Earth to inhabit it.  Everything is going normal – Kieran asked Waverly to marry him, Kieran is doing his news show, Waverly checks the garden and pulls weeds.  All this changes when the New Horizon ship becomes their neighbor.  The New Horizon left a year before the Empyrean and shouldn’t have been anywhere near them, but here they were.  Everyone was interested to find out why.  The captains were in “talks” for a while and wouldn’t communicate to anybody what was happening between the two ships.

Chaos ensues and the girls, boys and adults get separated.  The girls are taken aboard the New Horizon and are treated as “survivors” and not “captives.”  Ann Mather is the captain and she attempts to coddle the girls and make them think that they were rescued from a ship that was malfunctioning.  They are put into families to try to stave off bad feelings.  Waverly with her friends Samantha Stapleton, Sarah Hodges and Felicity Wiggam go through many trials aboard the New Horizon as they try to survive this takeover.  

The adults are trying to fix the reactor leak on the Empyrean leaving the boys on the ship by themselves.  The boys go through a lot to find leadership, survive and help the adults get back into the good part of the ship.  There is a rivalry between Seth Ardvale and Kieran and at times, it puts the whole ship at risk.  All the while, they are continuously searching for the girls, the New Horizon ship and a way to maintain hope.

She cupped his jaw in her hand.  He loved her hands and the way they felt warm and soft.  He loved her long arms, her strong bones beneath olive skin, and the silken hairs that wandered up her forearms.  He lay back on the hay bale and took a deep breath.  “You know how I can’t stand you,” he said.

“I can’t stand you, either,” she whispered in his ear.
He pulled her closer.  “I was thinking of taking our contest of wills to the next level.”

“Hand-to-hand combat?”

“In a manner of speaking,” he said, his voice vulnerable and small.

The Goodreads synopsis:

What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you'd been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival—not love—the issue?

Out in the murky nebula lurks an unseen enemy: the New Horizon. On its way to populate a distant planet in the wake of Earth's collapse, the ship's crew has been unable to conceive a generation to continue its mission. They need young girls desperately, or their zealous leader's efforts will fail. Onboard their sister ship, the Empyrean, the unsuspecting families don't know an attack is being mounted that could claim the most important among them...

Fifteen-year-old Waverly is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space; she was born on the Empyrean, and the large farming vessel is all she knows. Her concerns are those of any teenager—until Kieran Alden proposes to her. The handsome captain-to-be has everything Waverly could ever want in a husband, and with the pressure to start having children, everyone is sure he's the best choice. Except for Waverly, who wants more from life than marriage—and is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.

But when the Empyrean faces sudden attack by their assumed allies, they quickly find out that the enemies aren't all from the outside.

“Sometimes in our lives we must face the great lack.  The nothing-ness of loss rears up and we have no choice but to bear it.”

I really liked this book.  The story was one that was easy to get into.  The story of the boys on the ship reminded me of Lord of the Flies by William Golding where Kieran is Ralph and Seth is Jack.  Only I like this version better.  It is a book where you don’t know who you can trust as the characters themselves change.  Usually when I read a book, I find a character that I love and stick with them throughout the whole series.  It was difficult to do in GLOW because of the depth of the characters and the changes that the experiences force them to go through.  When I finished the book, I was disappointed because now I have to wait for book #2 of the Sky Chasers series.

Always the explaining was what made him feel better, because he knew what his dad would say. The truth is powerful Kieran.  Just tell the truth the best you can and people will usually see your side.

I found the UK cover for this book and I liked that one as well.  This is one of first books that I like the US cover as well as the foreign ones.

Deviant

Adrian McKinty

“Good, OK, well, now that I’ve checked out the scene and alienated you forever, I have to go back.  This is an unofficial scouting mission on your family, unsanctioned by the rest of the street, but I must deliver my report before church.”

“What are you going to tell them?” Danny asked.

“What else?  The truth.  You’re into heavy metal, devil worship, and you have dug a portal to hell right here in the living room.”

Danny smiled.  “Don’t forget the human sacrifices.”

“Human sacrifices, check.”

Danny Lopez and his mom Juanita and step-dad Walt live in Las Vegas where his mom works at a Casino for Mr. Glynn.  They move to Colorado because Glynn is opening a new casino and wants Danny’s mom to manage it.  Danny is therefore enrolled in Cobalt Junior High where they use the system of Direct Instruction.  Direct Instruction is where the teachers and students read from a script.  They do not permit talking aka triangulation at this school and the students have to wear white gloves all the time.  This is where Danny meets Mr. Lebkuchen, the principle of the school.  The students he meets there are Charlie, Tom, Olivia, Cooper, Hector and Todd.  They are member of various secret groups within the school.  

Before Danny arrived in Cobalt, there was a “cat killing.”  There were more after he arrived and he and a neighbor and fellow student, Antonia aka Tony try to figure out who the cat killer is.   They enlist the help of one of the chain-gang at Walt’s work named Bob Randall, who is an expert in crimes.  Bob is in prison for check writing and is expected to be released on parole in the coming months.  Bob explains to them what they need to figure out in order to find out who the cat killer is.  This story tells of the process they go through to identify the killer.

Finally Cooper said, “So last night I was on Gears and I was just drifting, chatting, killing people, getting experience—“

Tom began coughing and gasping for air.

“What’s happening to you?” Cooper asked with no concern whatsoever.

“I’m feigning an asthma attack,” Tom said.

“Why?”

“So you won’t tell me any more of your Gears of War story.”

Goodreads synopsis:

Danny Lopez is new in town. He made a mistake back home in Las Vegas, and now he has landed at an experimental school in Colorado for “tough cases.” At the Cobalt Charter School, everything is scripted—what the teachers say, what the students reply—and no other speaking is allowed. This supercontrolled environment gives kids a second chance to make something of themselves. But with few freedoms, the students become sitting ducks for a killer determined to “clean up” Colorado Springs

No, bears did not wear sneakers.

I like the way the characters develop in this book.  There are so many to keep track of and it is easy to associate them with the secret groups that they are members of.  It was hard for me to put this book down once I got into the plot and they were actively trying to figure out who the cat killer was.   A good read.

Miss Benson read.  The kids read.  No one seemed engaged.  It was like a school play.  A bad, boring school play.

The Goddess Test

Aimée Carter

Before I could do just that, a pretty blonde girl attached herself to his side and gave me a once-over.  She might’ve been smiling, but with the way she was leaning against him and clutching his arm, she might as well have peed on him.  He was clearly marked territory.

Katherine Winters aka Kate returns to her mother’s home of Eden, Michigan when her mother is on her death-bed.  Kate has spent the last few years taking care of her mother while she was ill.  Now, she has to start a new high school so she can graduate.  While going to school, she meets Ava, a cheerleader who invites her to an after school party.  While they are out after school, Kate meets Henry and makes a deal with him.  At first, Kate thinks Henry is crazy until things happen and she realizes the severity of the bargain that she made with him.  With her mom in the hospital in a coma, she makes a deal with him to give her more time with her mother.  In return, she will take the goddess tests and possible become Henry’s future bride and the Queen of the Underworld.

“Kate.” His soothing voice did nothing to calm me. “You look beautiful.”

“Th-thanks,” I stuttered, attempting to curtsy.  It didn’t work too well.  “I see they didn’t make you wear a dress.”

Henry chuckled.  “Even if they had, I wouldn’t have looked nearly as lovely as you do.”

Goodreads synopsis:

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

"I care," he said in a trembling voice. "I care so much that I do not know how to tell you without it seeming inconsequential compared to how I feel. Even if I am distant at times and seem as if I do not want to be with you, it is only because this scares me, too."

I like the way that Aimée Carter portrays the different Greek Gods and Goddesses in this book.  It is interesting to see how their personalities match up to what you would think they would be.  It wasn’t until the end of the book that you are enlightened as to whom people really are.  The way that she portrays Henry makes you want one in your life.  

"Do you think he's cute?"
I rolled my eyes. "He's a god, Mom. Of course he's cute."

This is the UK cover of this book.

"Maybe you'll win when hell freezes over."

He raised an eyebrow.

"That could be easily arranged."

UPCOMING BOOKS

January 2012

The Goodreads synopsis:

Kate Winters has won immortality.

But if she wants a life in the Underworld with Henry, she’ll have to fight for it.

Becoming immortal wasn’t supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she’s as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he’s becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate’s coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.

As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.

Henry’s first wife, Persephone.

Forever

Maggie Stiefvater

Rilke said:

For among these winters there is one so endlessly winter

That only by wintering though it will your heart survive.

This is the final story in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series.  It continues the story of Grace, Sam, Shelby, Isabel and Cole.  Grace and Sam are continually dealing with things that interfere with their relationship.  At the end of Linger, there was an obstacle that continues into Forever.  Sam is trying to find Grace.  Cole is trying to find a cure.  Isabel is trying to stay away until Grace returns.  The wolves are threatened after a body is found that looks like the wolves had caused the death.  Help comes from the most unsuspecting places and strength comes from the most unsuspecting people.

Grace – This is possibly the worst thing I’ve ever done, shut my girlfriend in my bathroom.  But we didn’t know what else to do with you until you shifted.  I put your clothing in here.  Door’s not locked so you can just open it soon as you have fingers.  I can’t wait to see you. – S

The Goodreads synopsis:

The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stievater

In Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER, Grace and Sam found each other. In LINGER, they fought to be together. Now, in FOREVER, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.

When we kissed, it didn’t matter that I had been a wolf hours ago, or that I would be a wolf again.  It didn’t matter that a thousand snares were laid for us as soon as we left this moment.  All that mattered was this: our noses touching, the softness of his mouth, the ache inside me.

This book was easy to get into. Having read Shiver and Linger and LOVED them, it was hard to see the series end.  I love the action in the book.  It is never without something happening that keeps you on the edge of your seat.  I laughed, I cried.  This book made me experience all sorts of emotions.  I couldn’t ask for more in a novel. 

“I’m always sure of what I do,” he said. “Sometimes I was just never sure there was supposed to be a happy ending.”

I found one alternate cover for this book.  As usual, I like the UK cover better than the US cover.

I was against felonies when a misdemeanor would do.

UPCOMING BOOKS

October 18th

Goodreads synopsis:

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

Maggie Stiefvater book signing

Ilana waiting for the signing

My niece Ilana and I went to a book signing at Borders in Novi, Michigan yesterday.  It was a three-hour drive, but so worth it.  Maggie spoke first and was hilarious!  I loved it!

Maggie's Car

Love the license plate!!!

Maggie's Books:

Alternate Covers:

UPCOMING:

Released October 18, 2011

Other Authors:

There were some other authors there as well to get their books signed.  A few of them are from Michigan and I've seen them at other signings.

DJ DeSmyter

Tessa Gratton

Courtney Allison Moulton, Aimée Carter, Leah Clifford

Their Books

Released August 08, 2011

Alternate cover for The Goddess Test

In My Mailbox

I've had a few books in my mailbox this week.

I won Released by Megan Duncan from:

Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard is a historical nonfiction book about President James Garfield. 

These are the e-books I got:

Dragon's Oath

P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

“I am a dragon only when I have to be and I will always protect my own,” he said.  “Try to believe that.  Try to believe in me.  Give us a chance, Anastasia.”

Brian “Dragon” Lankford is a Sword Master and a Son of Erebus Warrior.  This tells the tale of Dragon, the events leading up to when he was marked, his trials during his time as a fledgling at the Tower Grove House of Night and his meeting of Professor Anastasia.  During this telling of the accounts of Dragon, it tells of how Professor Anastasia and the fledglings who came to her asking for a love potion to make Dragon fall in love with them.  She then does a drawing spell to help the students see the real Dragon and not just the Sword Master and the image that they think they are in love with.  When Anastasia is out in the field doing her spell is when she first meets Dragon.  He is just returning from Vampyre Games and happens upon Anastasia and attempts to save her from Danger.

The Tower Grove House of Night has had problem with a local misguided sheriff named Jesse Biddle.  He has been causing problems for the House of Night and does not like the vampyres.  After the Dark Daughters have a run in with Biddle, the Council has decided that it would be prudent for Anastasia to perform a peace spell in which she has to perform near “wherever Biddle finds sanctuary.”  She agrees to having Dragon watch over her while she casts the spell instead of a Son of Erebus Warrior.  Things happen while she is casting the spell which set in motion action taken later in the House of Night books.    During this time, you will understand what Dragon’s Oath is and how that affects him.

“For the cold fire to survive

The Vampyre Anastasia must not be alive”

 The Goodreads synopsis:

The first in an enthralling new mini-series of novellas from the #1 bestselling authors of the House of Night, Dragon's Oath tells the story behind the House of Night s formidable fencing instructor the love that will transform him, and the promise that will haunt him.

With almost 12 million books in print, the House of Night is an international publishing phenomenon that shows no sign of stopping! Now, for the first time, the Cast duo will share the back stories of some of the House of Night's most crucial and mysterious characters. And it all begins with Dragon s Oath. Before Zoey is Marked and arrives at the House of Night before she rises in power to confront utter darkness, and the House of Night is divided there's Dragon, and the dark choice that won t let him go.

Long before he's a professor at the House of Night with Zoey and the gang, in the early 19th century, Bryan Lankford is a troublesome, yet talented human teen. He thinks he can get away with anything until his father, a British nobleman, has finally had enough, and banishes him to America. When Bryan is Marked on the docks and given the choice between the London House of Night and the dragon-prowed ship to America, he chooses the Dragon and a new fate.

In 1830's St. Louis, the Gateway to the West, Dragon Lankford becomes a Sword Master, and soon realizes there are dangerous challenges and beautiful perks. Like Anastasia, the captivating young Professor of Spells and Rituals at the Tower Grove House of Night, who really should have nothing to do with a fledgling But when a dark power threatens, Dragon is caught in its focus. Though his uncanny fighting skills make him a powerful fledgling, is he strong enough to ward off this new darkness, while protecting Anastasia as well? Will his choices save her or destroy them all?

“You must be brave

To find the peace that you crave.”

I loved the House of Night series and am excited to read the next book in this series.  I find it refreshing to better understand Dragon Lankford because in the House of Night books, you don’t really get much about who he is and his background.  This book tells his tale well and helps to understand his actions and feelings in the House of Night series.

“For the cold fire to survive

The Vampyre Anastasia must not be alive”

The only other cover I've found for this is the UK cover. There are some artwork in the book which I think is extraordinary. This is one of those pieces.

UPCOMING BOOKS

There is another House of Night book coming out in November.  This was the only cover that I could find.

The Goodreads synopsis:

In Destined, the forces of Light and Dark collide as their epic struggle focuses on Tulsa's House of Night. Zoey is home where she belongs, safe with her Guardian Warrior, Stark, by her side and preparing to face off against Neferet. Kalona has released his hold on Rephaim, and, through Nyx's gift of a human form, he and Stevie Rae are finally able to be together if Rephaim can truly walk the path of the Goddess and stay free of his father's shadow.

But is Zoey really safe? Does she truly know those who are closest to her? And will love win when it is tested by the very soul of Darkness? Find out what s destined in the next thrilling chapter of the House of Night series

This next book is already out, but a good one as well.  I've seen three covers for this one.  As usual, the UK cover is the one that I like the best.  (It's the third one)

The Goodreads synopsis:

Merry meet, fledgling.  I trust this guide will serve you well…. Every vampyre fledgling who arrives at the House of Night receives a copy of "The Fledgling Handbook 101", and now, fans can have one, too, with this gorgeous must-have edition.  Inside you’ll find original stories, the complete vampyre history, inside info into rituals, vamp biology, and the Change, and much more.