Shiver - Book Review (repost)

Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1)
by Maggie Stiefvater

What is it about:
For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

What did I think of it:
This one of those books that has been on my wishlist for ages, but that somehow kept being ignored in favor of other books when it came to buying it. It took getting this book as a present to finally pick it up and read it.

And it's a great read!

It has a very slow, but pleasant pacing and I loved Stiefvater's writing style.

Grace and Sam are a cute couple, their relationship feels natural and had me invested from the start. I did think Grace's relationship with her friends was a bit off though. There was a lot going on for her and for one of her friends, but they didn't connect with each other like I would have expected friends to do.

I loved Stiefvater's world building and her use of the werewolf myth. It's original and fitted the story really well.

And extra bonus points go to this Young Adult Paranormal story for having no love triangle!!!

All in all this is a very enjoyable read and you can bet I won't be waiting with reading the next book until someone is kind enough to give it to me.

Why should you read it:
It's a well written YA with werewolves

Top Pearls 2013 - part 2

Today the second and last part of my and Voodoo Bride's Top Pearls 2013 list.
Here are another 12 books that we really enjoyed reading this year, and that I can advice to anyone looking for an awesome read.


Shards & Ashes - Anthology
This anthology with Dystopian YA stories is a must read for anyone who loves Dystopian YA.

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick
A really cool, grim and realistic Post Apocalyptic YA read.

Five Golden Rings by Jeffe Kennedy
This BDSM romance isn't just a perfect read for the Holidays. It's a hot and delightful story any time of the year.

Between by Kerry Schafer
A beautiful Paranormal story about dreams, penguins and dragons.


Cold Blooded by Amanda Carlson
The best book yet in a very enjoyable and entertaining Urban Fantasy series.

Omens by Kelley Armstrong
A Paranormal thriller that keeps you reading. Armstrong proves she can do a lot more than write about werewolves.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
An amazing, gritty, and grim YA about vampires. A must read for anyone who loves YA and vampires.

Runemarks by Joanne Harris
This YA Fantasy is cool and full of suspense and magic.


(Deadly) Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock
A really suspenseful Paranormal YA about werewolves and the human nature.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
A hauntingly beautiful YA read.

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
An awesome Post Apocalyptic YA with vampires

Rising Darkness by Thea Harrison
A dark and intense Paranormal Romance.



And that's my list of Top Pearls for 2013!

I hope you will have a wonderful New Year's Eve, and I wish you lots of happiness and awesome reads for 2014!

The Scorpio Races

The Scorpio Races
by Maggie Stiefvater

What is it about:
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.

What did I think of it:
This is a beautiful read.

I've read several books by Stiefvater and thought I knew what to expect from The Scorpio Races.

I was wrong.

This story has a quiet beauty that grabs you and haunts you. Once I got drawn into the story it was hard to put the book down and the mood and atmosphere stayed with me long after I finished the book.

Puck is a strong and likeable heroine and it was easy to root for her. Sean is more complex and it took me some time to warm up to him. I loved the scenes between Puck and Sean and those between Sean and George Holly (an American visiting the island) because in these scenes you finally got to see more of what made Sean tick. It was in these scenes that I slowly grew to love Sean as much as I loved Puck.

I also loved Puck's younger brother Finn. He's a very unique character and I wouldn't mind if Stiefvater ever decided to give Finn his own story.

The races and everything around it, like the horses, was really well done in my opinion. I could easily picture the water horses with their monstrous behaviour and the descriptions were so clear I could almost smell the horses as well.

Overall this is an intense and beautiful story about belonging, love and determination and I will most certainly reread it often.

Why should you read it:
It's a hauntingly beautiful YA read.

Lament - Book Review

Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception (Books of Faerie #1)
by Maggie Stiefvater

What is it about:
Sixteen-year-old Deirdre Monaghan is a painfully shy but prodigiously gifted musician. She's about to find out she's also a cloverhand—one who can see faeries. Deirdre finds herself infatuated with a mysterious boy who enters her ordinary suburban life, seemingly out of thin air. Trouble is, the enigmatic and gorgeous Luke turns out to be a gallowglass—a soulless faerie assassin. An equally hunky—and equally dangerous—dark faerie soldier named Aodhan is also stalking Deirdre. Sworn enemies, Luke and Aodhan each have a deadly assignment from the Faerie Queen. Namely, kill Deirdre before her music captures the attention of the Fae and threatens the Queen's sovereignty. Caught in the crossfire with Deirdre is James, her wisecracking but loyal best friend. Deirdre had been wishing her life weren't so dull, but getting trapped in the middle of a centuries-old faerie war isn't exactly what she had in mind . . .

What did I think of it:
This was a very nice read.

I love Stiefvater's writing and this book is worth reading just for the writing alone. It's beautiful and poetic and sets the mood for the story perfectly.

I liked Deirdre, she was a no nonsense teen, who doesn't start angsting over nothing. I also really liked Luke, who's mysterious, just the right amount of angsty and apart from the fact he kept calling Deirdre 'pretty girl', a great love interest for Deirdre. (Really: I wanted to punch him every time he called Deirdre 'pretty girl' instead of just calling her by her name.)

The story was suspenseful, intriguing and kept me engrossed from start to finish. There were some obvious plot twists, but not annoyingly so. The only thing that bugged me was that there was some unnecessary slut shaming and an unnecessary verbal cat fight. Apart from that it was a very enjoyable read.

The ending leaves room for the sequel, but if this book was a standalone I'd be happy with how things end as well. But as there is a sequel you can be sure I'll get hold of it soon.

Why should you read it:
It's a beautifully written YA fairy tale.

The Raven Boys - Book Review

The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle #1)
by Maggie Stiefvater

What is it about:
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.

What did I think of it:
I bought this book because of the gorgeous cover and because I loved Stiefvater's The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy.

And this is certainly a great read, but also a confusing one.

There's the four boys, and their relationship with each other. Then there's Blue, who according to the cover story should be attracted to Gansey, but according to me was attracted to one of the other boys. And lastly there's the mystery the boys are trying to unravel.

All in all there's a lot going on and I did have trouble at times to keep track of events.

I didn't always understand Blue, but she was likable enough. I really liked Gansey and Noah. Both are intriguing characters and it was fun to discover more about them as the story unfolded. I disliked Ronan from the start and felt like slapping him lots of times. The one character I didn't feel warm or cold about was Adam, who was very bland in my opinion.

I loved Stiefvater's writing, which as always is beautiful and a treat in itself. The story felt confusing at first, but farther along when some things got together it became clearer and all those things that confused me at first fell into place.

In the end I very much enjoyed this book and I will pick up the next book in this series once it releases. In the meantime I might pick up one of the other books of Stiefvater I haven't read yet.

Why should you read it:
It's a beautifully written Paranormal Young adult read.

Forever - Book Review

Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3)
by Maggie Stiefvater

What is it about:
then.

When Sam met Grace, he was a wolf and she was a girl. Eventually he found a way to become a boy, and their loved moved from curious distance to the intense closeness of shared lives.

now.

That should have been the end of their story. But Grace was not meant to stay human. Now she is the wolf. And the wolves of Mercy Falls are about to be killed in one final, spectacular hunt.

forever.

Sam would do anything for Grace. But can one boy and one love really change a hostile, predatory world? The past, the present, and the future are about to collide in one pure moment - a moment of death or life, farewell or forever.

What did I think of it:
I loved this book.

Of the three books in this trilogy this one is the one with the most actual action. Still Stiefvater manages to hold on to the mood she set in the previous two books.

The events in this book force the characters to act, to make a decision, to grow up. At times Sam and Cole didn't seem to understand the urgency of the situation and I felt sympathy for Isabel who tried to make them to act.

There were some things that felt a bit like a Deus Ex Machina, but because these books (for me) are more about the mood and the psychological growth of the characters than about the action I didn't mind too much.

All in all I loved this whole trilogy and will reread it often if only for the beautiful writing and mood of the story.

Why should you read it:
It's a beautiful YA paranormal romance

Wishlist Wednesday - The Raven Boys

I will confess: even if I hadn't already read something by Maggie Stiefvater I would so want this book for its cover alone. Isn't it awesome!?

Having read The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, I want this book for more than just the cover though and I already pre-ordered it and am now waiting (im)patiently for it to be released.


The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle #1)
by Maggie Stiefvater

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

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.

Expected publication: September 18th 2012 by Scholastic Press

Linger - Book Review

Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #2)
by Maggie Stiefvater

What is it about:
In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabel, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

What did I think of it:
When I reviewed Shiver, the first book in this trilogy, I said I wouldn't wait until someone would give me Linger. Well, that was a lie. I got this book as a RAK gift. When I tell you that after finishing Linger I went to my local bookstore the very next day to buy the last book in this trilogy, you can probably guess what I think of this book.

I love it!

This isn't a story full of action. It's a story about emotions and even more important than the things that are happening is the mood of this story.

I really like the slow pacing of this series. It adds to the mood and to the emotions the characters are struggling with. This might be a story about (were)wolves, but it's more psychological than it is paranormal.

I already fell in love with Sam and Grace in Shiver, and Linger only added to that, but it also made me fall in love with Isabel as well. Cole was more difficult to understand, but he's an intriguing character nonetheless.

The story was both heartwarming and heartbreaking and the ending can be seen as a cliffhanger, but at the same time it felt rounded and complete. If I hadn't known there's a third book I would have been happy with this ending.

Knowing there is a third book though, I'm reading Forever next to find out how the story of the Wolves of Mercy Falls will end.

Why should you read it:
It's a hauntingly beautiful paranormal YA.

Shiver - Book Review

Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1)
by Maggie Stiefvater

What is it about:
For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

What did I think of it:
This one of those books that has been on my wishlist for ages, but that somehow kept being ignored in favor of other books when it came to buying it. It took getting this book as a present to finally pick it up and read it.

And it's a great read!

It has a very slow, but pleasant pacing and I loved Stiefvater's writing style.

Grace and Sam are a cute couple, their relationship feels natural and had me invested from the start. I did think Grace's relationship with her friends was a bit off though. There was a lot going on for her and for one of her friends, but they didn't connect with each other like I would have expected friends to do.

I loved Stiefvater's world building and her use of the werewolf myth. It's original and fitted the story really well.

And extra bonus points go to this Young Adult Paranormal story for having no love triangle!!!

All in all this is a very enjoyable read and you can bet I won't be waiting with reading the next book until someone is kind enough to give it to me.

Why should you read it:
It's a well written YA with werewolves