Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Source: Library
Publisher: HarperTeen
ISBN: 978-0-06-121465-3
Pages: 328

RULE #3: Don't stare at invisible faeries.
Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty - especially if they learn of her Sight - and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens.

RULE #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries.
Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.

RULE #1: Don't ever attract their attention.
But it's too late. Keenan is the Summer King, who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost - regardless of her plans or desires.

-

Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.

Faery intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr's stunning twenty-first-century faery tale.

I actually read this book a few years ago but after re-reading it, I am ready to confirm that it is one of my absolute favourite faerie tales.

The first thing that I have to talk about is the writing. Melissa Marr crafts a beautiful world and I think a lot of that stems from the style with which she writes. The words are lyrical and mesmerizing and there were honestly times I just paused to think 'wow, that was nicely put.'

I also really like the concept of this story. A girl that's seen faeries all her life and now discovers the king of the Summer Court is stalking her? Yes, please! I spent a lot of the book just waiting for the shoe to drop and the faeries to realize that Ash could see them. I liked the pace of the novel which told a great story in which lots occurred but that didn't seem dragged out by any means.

The last thing is the characters. I loved Aislinn and I loved Keenan and Donia and Niall and all the others too but I especially loved Seth. Please excuse me for a moment while I turn into an uncontrollable fangirl and fantasize about him. Right from his introduction to the scene, he was sweet and patient. It was refreshing to see a character that, once introduced to the abnormal, didn't run screaming but instead thought over what he had been told logically. I can't wait to read more of these characters!

The Winter Queen, Beira, who also happens to be Keenan's mother, fit her role perfectly. Her character was cold and ruthless - my favourite type of villain. I loved the contrast and interactions between her and Keenan just because it showed a more vulnerable side of him and an even more cruel one of her. It was interesting to see the way their characters played off of each other. 

Overall, a fabulous must-read!

Cover Comments: I find this cover incredibly stunning. The bluish tint to everything and the vines around the title are unique and the flower covered in... snow?... is beautiful. Complete cover win!

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Source: Simon and Schuster Pulse It Program
Publisher: Simon and Schuter BFYR 
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0905-7
Pages: 358

What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left.

After all the hype surrounding Wither, I was scared it wouldn't live up to my expectations. I shouldn't have! My hopes for the book were surpassed as I delved into this stunning debut novel.

The book wastes no time in getting to the heart of the story and my heart was pounding from the first page alone. Although the book isn't filled with action, the enchanting world and characters more than make up for it.

From the minute I was introduced to Rhine, the main character, I knew that she wasn't going to be your typical damsel in distress. Despite being in one of the toughest situations I've ever read about, she maintains strong and keeps her head throughout the novel. She isn't under any false illusions about what's happening around her and is smart enough to strategically plan out her future. It was refreshing to read about a character that wasn't naive and got themself pulled into countless misfortunes because of their own stupidity. Rhine is a character that knows what she wants and does what she has to in order to get it! 

Gabriel, the servant that attends to Rhine, was sweet and thoughtful. I really enjoyed his character and I found myself rooting for him as Rhine got more and more attached. I liked the contrast between the two sister wives, Jenna and Cecily. With both the hardened and innocent wives, it is easy to see why they are who they are and how they came to be that way. Housemaster Vaughn, or, in other words, Linden's father, was beyond creepy. My hat goes off to DeStefano for making a villain that made me shiver everytime he spoke. Finally, we have Linden, whom I fully expected to hate. The problem, if you want to call it that, is that I didn't. He was sheltered from the world and just genuinely seemed clueless about what was going on - I actually found it rather endearing. I want him to have a happy ending. After all, it's not his fault his father is an absolute creep!

The last thing that I want to talk about is the marvellous world Lauren created. It's dark, frightening, realistic and I loved it. From the elaborate parties that were hosted to the homeless orphans trying to steal food, everything was beautifully crafted. I can't wait to explore more of this universe in the next two books of the trilogy.

Lauren DeStefano is definitely an author to watch out for. For those of you who haven't read Wither yet, I highly recommend it. For those that have, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

Cover Comments: This cover is absolutely gorgeous! I'll need to purchase a hardcopy sometime so that I can add it to my collection.

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

Source: Purchased
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0354-3
Pages: 424

The Mortal War is over, and Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She's training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And - most of all - Clary can finally call Jace her boyfriend.

But nothing comes without a price.

Someone is murdering the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine's Circle, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second bloody war. Clary's best friend, Simon, can't help her. His mother just found out that he's a vampire and now he's homeless. Everywhere he turns, someone wants him on their side - along with the power of the curse that's wrecking his life. And they're willing to do anything to get what they want. At the same time he's dating two beautiful, dangerous girls - neither of whom knows about the other.

When Jace begins to pull away from Clary without explaining why, she is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: She herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. The stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels. 

Okay, so I'm going to try my very hardest to get through this review without squealing, clapping or displaying any other enthusiastic kind of excitement. City of Fallen Angels was that good.

It feels like so long ago that I read City of Glass but I was sucked back into the world of Shadowhunters and Downworlders from page one of this sequel with no problems. Clare blends together the elements of romance, suspense, action and humour effortlessly. Her writing is delightfully descriptive and the use of imagery is as stunning as before.

In City of Fallen Angels, the spotlight shifts slightly off Clary and refocuses on Simon Lewis, newly-made vampire. I thought it was fascinating to read from Simon's point of view as he went through the inner and outer struggles of being a vampire, as well as a Daylighter. His character was really pieced together nicely and it was a pleasure to read from his perspective. In addition to Simon, there are also lots of chapters focusing on other characters such as Jace and Clary. All of these flow together nicely and nothing written by Clare seems forced.

One thing that I doubt anyone can help but love about this series is the boys. They're all just so... crush-worthy. Especially Jace - you have to love Jace. City of Fallen Angels, I'm happy to say, also introduces a new boy but I'll let you decide if he's worthy enough to be added to your fictional crush list or not. Aside from the completely shallow reasons I have for loving Cassandra's male (and female) characters, I do think that they all have a solid background and personality, leaving characters with a ring of authenticity. A character that I particularly enjoyed in this novel was Alec, whom we got to see a new side of.* I hope to see much more of him and Magnus in future books.

Another tremendous installment of The Mortal Instruments series. If you haven't picked this series up yet, move it to the top of your list because it's definitely something you don't want to miss.

Cover Comments: I really think that all of Cassandra Clare's covers are gorgeous - this one is no exception. They're some of my all-time favourites with the detailing, colours and almost iridescent light that shines from the runes. Beautiful!

* In an attempt to avoid spoilers, I tried to be vague in my review - I don't know if I succeeded or not! If you have read the book and want to chat with me about it, please don't hesitate to e-mail me (thestoryqueen(at)hotmail(dot)com). I can't get enough of talking about this book with others that have read it so I would be thrilled to see a message from you!

Booking Through Thursday (3)

This week's Booking Through Thursday question is...

So … the books that you own (however many there may be) … do you display them proudly right there in plain sight for all the world to see? (At least the world that comes into your living room.)

Or do you keep them tucked away in your office or bedroom or library or closet or someplace less “public?”

Well, to be honest, I don't own very many books (really, I don't!) but the ones that I do own are kept on the same shelf. It isn't because I'm trying to hide them, I'm actually very proud of all of my books, but they're in my closet.

I know it sounds weird! It is weird when you think about it. What kind of bibliophile leaves books in a dingy little closet? In my defense, I have a walk-in closet where in addition to a lot of clothing, I keep a desk and computer. Really, I don't even refer to it as a 'closet.' My sister and I have called it the 'little room' since we were both really young and I'll probably always call it that.

Plus, there's the fact that I'm a teenager living in my parents' house and they don't read the same books as I do (or possibly any at all). It wouldn't really make much sense for me to store my books in a place so accessible to everyone in my family if I was the only one reading them.

How about you? What do you do with YOUR books? Leave a comment and let me know - I'd love to hear from you!

Note: That isn't actually my closet...

Waiting on Wednesday (4)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. The purpose of the event is to spotlight the upcoming releases that readers are most looking forward to.

This week, I've chosen...

Abandon by Meg Cabot
Publisher: Point (Scholastic)
Release Date: April 26, 2011

She knows what it's like to die. Now Death wants her back.

Seventeen-year-old Pierce knows what happens to us when we die.

That's how she met John Hayden, the mysterious stranger who's made returning to normal life—or at least life as Pierce knew it before the accident—next to impossible.

Though she thought she escaped him—starting a new school in a whole new place—it turns out she was wrong. He finds her.

What does John want from her? Pierce thinks she knows... just like she knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven. But she can't stay away from him, either, especially since he's always there when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

But if she lets herself fall any further, she might find herself back in the place she fears the most.

And when Pierce discovers the shocking truth, that’s exactly where John sweeps her:
The Underworld.

(Summary taken from Meg Cabot's website).

So last week I featured The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter, another re-telling of Hades and Persephone. Most of what I have to say about my love for the myth is stated there so if you're curious and missed it, go check it out here!

I love everything that I've read of Meg Cabot's even though it has been a while since my last book of hers. I'm really interested to see where she goes with this story since it does sound a lot darker than her normal work.

Kristi from The Story Siren did a Fragment Friday post back in March about Abandon where she read out a couple of pages and just that little bit was fantastic. I can't wait to read the real thing!

Two re-tellings of Hades and Persephone coming out on the same day and I could not be happier - three cheers for Greek mythology!

XVI by Julia Karr

XVI by Julia Karr

Source: Library
Publisher: Speak (Penguin Group)
ISBN: 978-0-14-241771-3
Pages: 325

Then, with one brutal strike, Nina’s normal is shattered; and she discovers that nothing that she believed about her life is true. But there’s one boy who can help – and he just may hold the key to her past.

But with the line between attraction and danger as thin as a whisper, one thing is for sure… for Nina, turning sixteen promises to be anything but sweet.

Some girls can't wait to be sixteen, to be legal. Nina is not one of them. Even though she has no choice in the matter, she knows that so long as her life continues as normal, everything will be okay.

I really liked the vivid setting of this novel. Right from the beginning, Karr sets the scene by highlighting the differences between modern day life and the dystopian setting of the novel. The whole world was just terrifying when I thought about it more. I mean, how far off is it to think that the government could control everything by saying they were just protecting everyone?


The writing, while simple, was effective and Nina was a strong female lead. It was just really nice to read right from the beginning about a character in a sex-crazed world that didn’t want to lose sense of who she was for some random guy. Perhaps it was just more clear when compared with her best friend Sandy, the “ideal” sixteen-year-old but I appreciated her having a mind of her own even with the media infiltrating everything.


The supporting cast of characters were good for the most part as well. I really liked Wei and Derek (although I was a bit wary of him in the beginning) but I wish I could have known Mike a little better. I didn’t love Sal as much as I wanted to. While I sympathized with his situation, I wish he would have been a little more understanding about the fact that Nina didn’t grow up in the same environment as him. I preferred Wei who was fierce, unique and a great friend.


The ending came a little quickly for my taste but I like the way things were left in the end – not too sugary sweet but not in complete despair either.

All in all, XVI was a good, solid debut novel.

Cover Comments: I'm not a huge fan of this cover... I think the idea behind it was good but the XVI over the model's face isn't very clear and the colours are pretty bland.  

White Cat by Holly Black

White Cat by Holly Black

Source: Library
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
ISBN: 978-1-4169-6396-7
Pages: 310

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail — he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago. 

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen. 

Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love — or death — and your dreams might be more real than your memories.

Everything about this book just completely drew me in – I loved it!

The whole concept of ‘workers’ was fascinating. I mean, obviously, I’ve read books with magical powers before but the unique twist on it was wonderful. I really liked that there were actually effects to what happened to the workers when they used their magic instead of them just being all-powerful.


Another thing that was just really cool was how bare hands were a total taboo! I distinctly remember parts of the book where Cassel would just think about how gross it would be for people’s hands to touch. I guess in a world where anything can happen from a single touch, it’s important to keep your hands to yourselves!


I really loved Cassel as a character. Not only was it just a really nice change to read from a male’s perspective in YA, but I genuinely liked Cassel’s personality. He was funny and kind of a complete pushover when it came to Lila. I actually found his relationship with Lila adorable – she bosses him around, he does what she says but they both do care for each other.


The ending of White Cat was unbelievably evil! I really do feel sorry for everyone that had to wait almost a year for Red Glove… I only have to wait about a week! Despite that, I still wish I’d have bought this book when I saw it at the store last April – ah well, now I know to go with my instinct.

White Cat shaped up to be a truly excellent read.

Cover Comments: I love this cover! The colour scheme matches the story really well and I like how big the font is. The leather and the cat and the red smoke around the series title... it's all just perfect. This cover is definitely worthy of the story it guards!