On McPig's Wishlist - Mechanica

I confess: I totally want this book for the cover, but it does sound like a cool Cinderella retelling as well.


Mechanica
by Betsy Cornwell

Nicolette’s awful stepsisters call her “Mechanica” to demean her, but the nickname fits: she learned to be an inventor at her mother’s knee. Her mom is gone now, though, and the Steps have turned her into a servant in her own home.

But on her sixteenth birthday, Nicolette discovers a secret workshop in the cellar and begins to dare to imagine a new life for herself. Could the mysterious books and tools hidden there—and the mechanical menagerie, led by a tiny metal horse named Jules—be the key to escaping her dreary existence? With a technological exposition and royal ball on the horizon, the timing might just be perfect for Nicolette to earn her freedom at last.

Gorgeous prose and themes of social justice and family shine in this richly imagined Cinderella retelling about an indomitable inventor who finds her prince . . . but realizes she doesn't want a fairy tale happy ending after all.


Expected publication: August 4th 2015

Feast of Fools - Book Review

Feast of Fools (The Morganville Vampires #4)
by Rachel Caine

What is it about:
In the town of Morganville, vampires and humans live in relative peace. Student Claire Danvers has never been convinced, though, especially with the arrival of Mr. Bishop, an ancient, old-school vampire who cares nothing about harmony. What he wants from the town's living and its dead is unthinkably sinister. It's only at a formal ball, attended by vampires and their human dates, that Claire realizes the elaborately evil trap he's set for Morganville.

What did I think of it:
I'm really enjoying my self with this series.
It's fun, filled with action, and uncomplicated.

I will confess I do think Claire and her friends are a bit slow to catch up on what's going on at times. I mean: vampires are having a party that they refer to as a Feast... Maybe I played too much Vampire, the Masquerade, but that would have me running for the hills, not trying to snag an invitation.

But that aside this is a really entertaining read. My favorite character from the previous book luckily returned in this book as well, and totally stole the show in my opinion. I really hope he'll be in the upcoming books as well.

I already got the next couple of books in my TBR pile and will continue reading this series soon. I can recommend this series to anyone who's looking for a fun YA series with vampires.

Why should you read it:
It's a very enjoyable Paranormal YA read.

Teaser Tuesdays - The Castle of Otranto

The injustice of which thou art guilty towards me, said Theodore, convinces me that I have done a good deed in delivering the princess from thy tyranny. May she be happy, whatever becomes of me!

(page 51, The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole)




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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Seeker - Early Book Review

Seeker (Seeker #1)
by Arwen Elys Dayton

What is it about:
The night Quin Kincaid takes her Oath, she will become what she has trained to be her entire life. She will become a Seeker. This is her legacy, and it is an honor. As a Seeker, Quin will fight beside her two closest companions, Shinobu and John, to protect the weak and the wronged. Together they will stand for light in a shadowy world. And she'll be with the boy she loves--who's also her best friend.

But the night Quin takes her Oath, everything changes. Being a Seeker is not what she thought. Her family is not what she thought. Even the boy she loves is not who she thought.

And now it's too late to walk away.

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

It's told from multiple viewpoints: Quin, John and Shinobu. For me Shinobu was the easiest to relate to, but all three viewpoints managed to hold my interest in what was happening.

I will confess the story developed rather differently than I expected after reading the blurb, but that was not a bad thing. I especially liked the change of setting later in the book. The story starts out in a rather rural place, the switch to a big city improved the story in my opinion.

As for the world building: what's with the old timey stuff in a near future setting? I've encountered it in several books. I mean: the bad guys do a raid and arrive on horses! Really? I'm surprised so many of them could actually ride I must say. The whole first part of the book felt old fashioned in my opinion. Only when Quin gets to a big city this story began to feel like near future.

My grumblings about the world building aside I very much enjoyed this book though. It has lots of action, betrayal, and suspense. I will most certainly keep an eye out for the next book.

Why should you read it:
It's a cool YA Near Future Fantasy read.

Blackout - Book Rant

Blackout
by Sam Mills

What is it about:
I am on the run.
The police are chasing me
Because they think I'm a terrorist.

The trouble all began when my Dad hid the writer of a book called The Exploded in our house. It inspired a terrorist attack on London. That's why it's a BANNED book.

We live in dangerous times. The state says books have to be sweet and pleasant, so they don't inspire teenagers to commit violent crime. Get caught reading a banned book and you go to jail.

I thought the state was wrong.
How much harm can a book do?

Then I read one.
Now I'm about to commit murder.
Now I know better.

What did I think of it:
*spoilery rant!*

This book is a big mess!

It seems to have a message to tell about banning books and censorship, but what message? It keeps contradicting itself and sending conflicted messages.

Some books are being banned because they would lead to people acting in a certain unwanted way.
- The father of the lead character explains that books don't set you up to do certain things, and the lead character agrees.
- The lead character reads a banned book and immediately acts in the way the government says people will act after reading it.

One of main rebels in this book is for freedom of speech, but only when what being said/written doesn't offend him.

Another rebel tells how at first the censorship was a good thing (O_o), but then it went to far.

- The government is painted as oppressive and cruel.
- Most of the rebels are painted as radicals and cruel.

- The lead character's father giving up the name of a rebel when being tortured is logical and perfectly ok: he's just saving his own life. (O_o)
- One of the rebels kicking the lead character out on the street to save his own life is wrong!

- A few banned books being published and distributed in secret can't change the world.
- The book the lead character writes however apparently can.

I could go on and on with naming things that felt contradictory. Half the books seems to want to tell us banning books and censorship is wrong, the other half is making a case for censorship.

I kept reading in the hope this book would pick a side, and let me tell you I hoped it would pick the side of freedom of speech. But it kept wavering and contradicting. It kept painting those in favor for freedom of speech as radicals and even told that having a society that is being oppressed, is because apparently the oppressed society wanted it that way...

All in all this book really got on my nerves and left a very bad taste in my mouth.

Why should you read it:
Maybe you won't mind all the contradictory stuff in this book and want to read about a 16 year old boy taking on everyone and being the only one who's right in the end.

On McPig's Wishlist - NIL Unlocked

I very much enjoyed NIL, which is a cool Young Adult read, set on a mysterious and dangerous island. I'm looking forward to more adventure and danger, and to finding out more about the island NIL.


Nil Unlocked (Nil #2)
by Lynne Matson

On the island of Nil, the rules are set. You have exactly 365 days to escape—or you die. Rives is now the undisputed Leader of Nil City, but keeping the City united is tougher than ever.

Raiders have grown bolder, supplies are dwindling, and non-human inhabitants have taken a turn toward the deadly. New arrivals cause rifts within the City, putting the Search system at risk, and calling everything Rives knows into question. Desperate for answers, he teams up with the only other person searching for them: Skye, a new arrival with a mysterious past of her own. Soon the duo find themselves locked in a desperate race to save all the residents of Nil—and possibly destroy the island forever. But at what cost? And who will pay the price?

Expected publication: May 12th 2015

House Immortal - Book Review

House Immortal (House Immortal #1)
by Devon Monk

What is it about:
Matilda Case isn’t like most folk. In fact, she’s unique in the world, the crowning achievement of her father’s experiments, a girl pieced together from bits. Or so she believes, until Abraham Seventh shows up at her door, stitched with life thread just like her and insisting that enemies are coming to kill them all.

Tilly is one of thirteen incredible creations known as the galvanized, stitched together beings immortal and unfathomably strong. For a century, each House has fought for control over the galvanized. Now the Houses are also tangled in a deadly struggle for dominion over death—and Tilly and her kind hold the key to unlocking eternity

The secrets that Tilly must fight to protect are hidden within the very seams of her being. And to get the secrets, her enemies are willing to tear her apart piece by piece...

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

I very much liked the idea of the galvanized, immortal beings who are stitched together like Frankenstein's monster. The whole society in this book is very intriguing as well. It's complex and full of backstabbing intrigue and drama.

Matilda is a great heroine, she's resourceful, headstrong and loyal to those she cares about. At times I thought she was just being stubborn for stubbornness sake though. I mean: She knows she's in a dangerous situation, with all kinds of people gunning for her, and she leaves a safe place to go out for coffee?!

There were some really cool other characters as well. I especially loved Neds, Matilda's two-headed farmhand.

The story is just as complex as the world building. There are lots of different factions involved and interested in Tilly, and I had to keep paying attention to keep up with what was going on.

Some plot lines were resolved near the end of the book, but a new one was introduced, leaving me with a cliffhanger ending. I will most certainly get my trotters on the next book once it releases.

Why should you read it:
It's a cool Alternate History/Dystopian read