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Escape Reality Book Club – February’s Nominations

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Hosted by The Obsesses Bookseller (that’s me) and Apathy and Rhetoric

 Hello everybody! If you haven’t heard, we started a YA book club and it has been a lot of fun so far. Anybody who loves teen books as much as we do is invited to join.

Want more details?

 click here to be redirected to the book club’s official launch post!

I’m delighted to announce the new set of nominations (selected by one of our members) for February’s book club selection.

 Voting will take place from February 7 through February 14, then we will all be reading the winning title throughout the following week.

 February’s Nominations:

SteelTitle: Steelheart

Author: Brandon Sanderson

The Overview: There are no heroes. Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics.But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.  Nobody fights the Epics… nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them. And David wants in. He wants Steelheart—the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David’s father. For years, like the Reckoners, David’s been studying, and planning—and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience. He’s seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

The enemyTitle: The Enemy

Author: Charlie Higson

The Overview: They’ll chase you. They’ll rip you open. They’ll feed on you…When the sickness came, every parent, policeman, politician – every adult – fell ill. The lucky ones died. The others are crazed, confused and hungry. Only children under fourteen remain, and they’re fighting to survive. Now there are rumours of a safe place to hide. And so a gang of children begin their quest across London, where all through the city – down alleyways, in deserted houses, underground – the grown-ups lie in wait. But can they make it there – alive?

Raven boysTitle: Raven Boys

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

The Overview: It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive. Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her. His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble. But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little. For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

miss PeregrineTitle: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

Author: Ransom Riggs

The Overview: A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

rithmatistTitle: The Rithmatist

Author: Brandon Sanderson

The Overview: More than anything, Joel wants to be a Rithmatist. Chosen by the Master in a mysterious inception ceremony, Rithmatists have the power to infuse life into two-dimensional figures known as Chalklings. Rithmatists are humanity’s only defense against the Wild Chalklings — merciless creatures that leave mangled corpses in their wake. Having nearly overrun the territory of Nebrask, the Wild Chalklings now threaten all of the American Isles. As the son of a lowly chalkmaker at Armedius Academy, Joel can only watch as Rithmatist students study the magical art that he would do anything to practice. Then students start disappearing — kidnapped from their rooms at night, leaving trails of blood. Assigned to help the professor who is investigating the crimes, Joel and his friend Melody find themselves on the trail of an unexpected discovery — one that will change Rithmatics — and their world — forever.

Voting is closed – Join us in March to pick the next book!

by Niki Hawkes

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DNF Review: Dangerous by Shannon Hale

DangerousTitle: Dangerous

Author: Shannon Hale

Series: Dangerous #1

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Release Date: March 4, 2014

The OverviewMaisie Danger Brown just wanted to get away from home for a bit, see something new. She never intended to fall in love. And she never imagined stumbling into a frightening plot that kills her friends and just might kill her, too. A plot that is already changing life on Earth as we know it. There’s no going back. She is the only thing standing between danger and annihilation.

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The Review:

Having read (and loved) Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, I was really excited to see how she would take on a futuristic YA novel. I was a little concerned that her voice wouldn’t transfer over to the genre, but as it turns out the writing style was the only redeeming quality to the book.

That might sound a little harsh, so let me explain why I feel this way:

When I first read the basic concept of the book, I was sold right away. I loved the idea of teens competing for a chance to go to space and was really looking forward to the series of trials they’d have to face to get there. With that initial promise of what was to come, the first page of my post notes were pure geeked-out excitement. But by halfway through the book, none of those promises had been delivered on. The entire competition (which could have been epically amazing had it been done well) was summarized into a couple of paragraphs. In fact, many others cool ideas were skimmed over this fashion, giving the pacing and oddly rushed feeling. The only thing she took time to develop was the love story.

Indeed, romance seemed to be Hale’s only priority and the only thing she was willing to slow down and highlight… and it wasn’t even that great of a love story. I don’t mind instaloves, I really don’t, but I have to be able to see what’s drawing the characters together right from the start. In this case, the boy was outright rude to her, treating her as if he only wanted to get into her pants. I will never understand how a boy who behaves like he’s only interested in sex and treats the protagonists poorly can be considered a love interest. Evidently, I have really high standards for whom my book heroines should be dating. It was disappointing to say the least.

Overall, because I was so on board with the initial concept and original idea for the story, I feel like this novel was an opportunity wasted. However, because my objections are almost all centered around plot decisions, I will probably read this author in the future even though this book was a bust. I’ve seen her create magical worlds and sweet love stories in the past and I look forward to more of that in the future.

Recommended Reading: I will likely not be recommending Dangerous to other readers.

Other books you might like better:

by Niki Hawkes

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Coming Soon: Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

Dreams of gods and monstersTitle: Dreams of Gods and Monsters

Author: Laini Taylor

Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone #3

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Release Date: April 8, 2014

The Overview: By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz. Common enemy, common cause. When Jael’s brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people.

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Hosted by Breaking the Spine

This is another release I think I would be extremely excited for… had I managed to read the first two in the series. The premise seems totally up my alley and I’ve even purchased a copy of the first two books in anticipation. Let’s hope I’m ready for the finale by the time it comes out in April!

Have you read this series? Is it worth bumping up in my TBR pile?

by Niki Hawkes

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Top Ten (Fantastic) Books That Made Me Sob!

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 Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I’m a little late getting this TTT up and running. The truth of the matter is that I wasn’t sure if I was going to participate in this week’s topic. You see, I usually avoid sad books – especially if someone tells me to read it with “a box of tissues handy.” I eventually decided, however, that even though I don’t deliberately read books that make me cry I do tend to get emotionally invested in others that weren’t meant to be tearjerkers. Invested enough that yes, I sobbed. I’m not talking about a couple of tears streaking down my cheeks. Oh, no, we’re talking full-out, snot-nosed sobbing. You might be surprised at the books that did this to me;

Top Ten (Fantastic) Books That Made Me Sob!

 Even though I don’t deliberately pick sad books, I actually love it when I get involved to the point that it affects my emotions – it’s a mark of a brilliant writer and a great story! I am sure there are several others that elicited this reaction from me but I honestly don’t remember which ones they were.

What books are on your list?

by Niki Hawkes

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Book Review: Pale Demon by Kim Harrison

Pale demonTitle: Pale Demon

Author: Kim Harrison

Series: Rachel Morgan #9

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: Condemned and shunned for black magic, Rachel Morgan has three days to get to the annual witches’ conference and clear her name, or be trapped in the demonic ever-after . . . forever after. But a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car going across the country? Talk about a recipe for certain disaster, even without being the targets for assassination. For after centuries of torment, a fearsome demon walks in the sunlight—freed at last to slay the innocent and devour their souls. But his ultimate goal is Rachel Morgan, and in the fight for survival that follows, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.

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The Review:

Once every couple of months I read a book that’s so engrossing that I completely forget to take notes for my post. Surprisingly, the last several Harrison books I’ve read fell under the “no note” category and were so amazing that I didn’t care about anything other than enjoying them. Black Magic Sanction, book 8 in the Rachel Morgan series (preceding this one), was by-far the best book I read last year, and Pale Demon would have easily been in the top twenty, if not the top ten. I think I can safely say that Harrison is now my favorite urban fantasy author. Since I sang her praises in my last couple of reviews, I’ll keep this one relatively short (especially since you’ll be seeing a few more as I get caught up in the series).

Why do I love this series so much? There are quite a few reasons, but the most prominent is because of the excellent characterization. There’s not a single person in these books that I don’t find well-rounded and interesting. They are all so richly developed that I no longer feel like I’m reading about fictional characters. There are even a few characters who are so dynamic I’m not really sure who’s side they’re on (I’m not even sure they know, and that’s why it’s interesting). I love it when books have characters like that. And the sidekicks! Harrison gets my vote for best sidekicks in any book ever! My current favorite is a teenaged gargoyle named Bix who has these cute little tuft ears & tail and these big red expressive eyes (I want one).

There’s so many other things I love: world building – because this is a futuristic America where a good portion of humanity has been killed off by virus-carrying genetically engineered tomatoes (which I think is brilliant – who thinks of this stuff?). The ongoing internal struggles of Rachel Morgan herself – because her conflicts are always interesting, especially the self-induced ones. And Rachel’s external struggles (i.e. the overall arc of the story) – because there are so many factors at play I am just dying to see how everything turns out.

All I have to say is, if you like urban fantasy and haven’t read beyond book 3 of this series, you are doing yourself a disservice. I don’t know how she does it, but Harrison manages to provide that momentous, epic feel I usually only get from fantasy novels while representing the paranormal world at its finest! I loved this series so much I’m on a mission to collect them all in hardcover.

Recommended Reading: for lovers of urban fantasy who are in need of an epic fun-filled adventure!

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

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Stacking the Shelves – January 2014 Edition!

Stacking the shelves

Hosted by Tynga’s Reviews

 All I have to say is thank goodness for friends and family who heard my birthday pleas for Barnes and Noble gift cards. Without them, I certainly wouldn’t have read enough books this month to bring home this many amazing titles (per my Read 4, Buy 1 challenge). As I have been trying to streamline my collection to only the most special of titles, I am focused on bringing home only books I have already read (and loved) and/or want to collect. It’s really difficult to keep myself from buying things I won’t read for a long while, but so far I’m doing pretty well. Anyway, here’s a look at my new acquisitions:

Hardcopies (Adult):

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 I am thrilled at all the additions to my collection this month! Having the Briggs and Harrison books in hardcover makes me incredibly happy, but I am most excited about the Brandon Sanderson book – it is gorgeous!

Hardcopies (Young Adult):

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(Guarded by Raistlin)

Not too many in this category… To be honest I kind of violated my Read 4, Buy 1 for the bottom three titles because I found them on such killer deals. I think I paid less than ten dollars for the bunch. The problem is, I like having all formats match in the collections and now I have to go buy the other Rachel Caines in hardcover…

Thank you Harperteen for sending Panic!

ARCs:

 I probably shouldn’t have included the Lauren Oliver ARC in the Young Adult category as well as this one… ah, well – too late. Anyway I did get a few other awesome titles from Netgalley and Edelweiss (Thank you!!). I am actually tickled to only featuring two digital ARC titles this month because it’s proof that I’m sticking to my resolution to stop requesting so many of them.

 What books stacked your shelves this month?

by Niki Hawkes