Challenge Update: April

These are the books I've read in April. I am participating in a Historical Fiction Challenge and 100 Books in 2010 Challenge:

1. A Bend In The Road by Nicholas Sparks
2. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
3. The Heart Is Not A Size by Beth Kephart
4. Undercover by Beth Kephart
5. House of Dance by Beth Kephart
6. Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce
7. All Unquiet Things
8. If I Stay

33/100 Books (Wow, already 33% through)

Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce (100+ Followers ENTRY)

Comment on this post to get +3 added to your extra entries. This will be valid within 5 days of this posting. 

Trickster's Choice

To the great joy of her many fans, Tamora Pierce with this book begins a new saga of Tortall to add to The Song of the Lioness Quartet, the Immortals Quartet, and The Protector of the Small tetralogy. At the center of each of these books is always a strong and resourceful young woman who masters the arts of swordplay and knightly warfare in the magical medieval country of Tortall. Alianne, or Aly, daughter of the warrior queen Alanna the Lioness, has all these skills, but also a delicious sense of humor, which serves her well when she is chosen by the trickster god Kyprioth to serve as his secret agent and a slave for a year in the embattled Copper Isles. There the dark-skinned natives, or raka, have been conquered and crushed by the laurin, light-skinned people from the mainland. The burning raka resentment is fueled by prophecies of a twice royal queen who will free them, aided by the "wise one, the cunning one, the strong one, the warrior, and the crows." Just how each of the colorful characters and Aly herself fit into this prophecy and Kyprioth's tricky plan keeps readers guessing. Aly plots to show her skill at spying as she flirts with the god and is courted by Nawat, a crow transformed into a handsome young man, who is puzzled when she rejects his attempts to mate-feed her with grubs and ants.

This is a re-read. I read this about two years ago and didn't have anything to read at the time so I picked it up. Let me tell you that before ever reading this book I didn't know any of Tamora Pierce's other works. Thankfully, you don't really need to read anything previous to this book because the references made are good without getting you confused of what happened before. Okay, now onto the actual review:

Alianne (Aly) is the daughter of the Lioness and definitely feeling the pressure. When on a voyage she gets caught by pirates and sold into slavery, all she wants to do is keep her lineage secret. She is visited by the Trickster God who giver her a task she must complete in order to go back home. This is not easy but with the help of her friends, Aly will try her hardest to keep the family she works for safe.

It took me a week to read this book since it's 400+ pages long. Significantly shorter time than when I first read it (1 month). This is a really heavy read and sometimes a bit slow but it's quite fast on the last half.

Aly is such a strong character of the likes of Katsa from Graceling. I loved how she was a strong woman yet she didn't seem overly tomboyish or nerdy. She was a flirt but not silly. This is one of my favorite characters in YA literature for sure.

Ah, Nawat. One of my lit boyfriends. He is so sweet and naive and innocent without seeming pathetic. And he's so brave and strong. This boy can't be compared. He's not arrogant or moody (or one of those dangerous boys we are seeing so often). He's like the perfect crow--I mean--boyfriend.

Sarai and Dove where good enough characters but we don't get to know them enough. There's definitely more of them in the next book that Tamora wants to keep under wraps. Dove is the youngest at twelve but she's wise beyond her years. I really love her.

Overall, it's a pretty heavy read but once you learn the names (correctly, I might add), you will find yourself flowing from page to page faster than you think. I think I re-read this book because I read it when I was 13-14 and I wasn't mature or interested enough to appreciate it for how an amazing piece of literature it is.

In one sentence:
"Trickster's Choice is gripping and classic fantasy."

Plot: 5
Characters: 5
Writing: 5
Cover: 5
Overall Feeling: 5
Average: 5

Arson Blog Tour: Emery's Journal

A little about Estevan:

Currently a college student in Connecticut, Estevan Vega has been writing since he was a teenager. ARSON will be his third published work, following Servant of the Realm and The Sacred Sin. ARSON holds a part of Estevan, a piece he began during a tumultuous time in his own life. With a curiosity for the supernatural, as well as a feeling of discontentment with humanity's complacency, Vega’s story-lines dwell somewhere in between fiction and reality, a place where the world is as blurred and irregular as human choice and consequence.

My review of Arson is HERE.

Here is an entry in Emery's diary:

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i wish i were different. i wish things didnt spiral out of control like they did. Geez, a few years ago everything seemed grate. Well, who am I kidding? Things were never great. Things always just were. I mean, being a preacher’s daughter has its own gifts and curses. More curses, I think. God, this is so stupid. Writing in my little diary? Like some stupid, naïve little girl. Guess its either this or therapy. I friggin hate shrinks. so that’s not really option.

i hate the way my life is more.

c’mon, emery. get a freakin GRIP!!! i wish when I looked in the mirror i saw something other than the scars. Other than the passed that won’t go away no matter how much I try to cover it up. I feel like going to the top of the nearest building and jumping off, but i don’t even think a fall like that could shake it all up enough to fix my dad getting kicked out of the church. Mom’s screaming at him now so im just gonna crank up the stereo. the rock music seems to tune ‘em out most of the time. They hate it though. in about point five seconds Dad’ll be yelling up from his study asking me to turn it down a notch or 2…or seven, so he can think, even though he’s like knee-deep in Mom’s interogation.

Man, does she ever let up?\

I’m so sick of the ‘rents. They think everythings all about their problems. i swear it’s like they forgot they had a daughter. a scarred daughter. You know I bought a copy of 17 mag last week. Had some skinny blonde chick on the front. Hair done up, make-up, air-brushed so her jugs sat all perfect-y on her chest. God, I think she had sparkles or something on her half-unbuttoned shirt. She’d be on playboy next issue, i can count on it. C’mon, Emery, you’re just jealous, my mind says. Yeah, I know. it’s a PHASE, right? Or it’s, oh, what did Mom call it last week? part of the journey of adolecense. maybe I should just be a whore like randomcoverchick. maybe I should lick my ice cream all seductively like that bimbo trying to steel Arson. Maybe I should just disappear and never come back to this stupid, lame town. & they think I’m hiding? they dont know the 1st thing about hiding. Geez, I mean we all wear strange masks. Dad’s hiding from real life. mom’s hiding from dad. emery’s hiding from emery…and everybody else.

God, did I just refer to myself in the third person? this diary crap is a real trip. The ‘rents would love that too. haha. “daughter now has new disorder.” Geez, I guess dysfunctional really is the new normal.

I’m listening to this really cool song on the stereo now. I shut my eyes. its alot lighter than I usually like, but it made it to a mix disc a few months back, before we all wound up here in dull, hickcity. Makes me think of arson. Oh! Makes me think of what-if. makes me think I’m more than a freak behind a mask, a chick that doesn’t want to come out of hiding. i dont even think he notices me. not like I notice him. But maybe, just maybe things can be different w/ him. with arson - that skinny, ash-haired kid next door.

What are you thinking? i’m saying it out loud, in case you’re wondering. oh, god, who am I talking to? Geez, now I have multiple personal…whatever. ALERT THE ‘RENTS pronto. histerical. man, I tend to ramble. This page is like a weak paperback that some writerboy is humming away at someplace. any where but here. Maybe he’ll finish it. Maybe not. i’m prob not gonna finish this crap. who knows? It’s maybe working, maybe not. Maybe’s not good enough though.

I…hate…writing…in…this…stupid…diary. Nope, writing to myself doesn’t help worth crap. Only makes me more pissed.

i…really like…

ahhh…can’t write the rest.

Maybe tomorrow.   

*** 

Wasn't it awesome!? You can buy it over at B&N HERE.
You can check the next tour dates HERE.

Thank you Estevan and Emery for stopping by!

In My Mailbox (14)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren and explores the contents of my mailbox.

For Review

1. The Summer of Skinny Dipping by Amanda Howells

Bought

1. If I Stay by Gayle Forman*
2. The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson

On Kindle

1. All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab**

This is what I got this week, what did you get?

*Has such a beautiful cover, the paperback.

**I'm already halfway through this one and I bought it yesterday.

The Marvelous World Saga by Troy CLE: Interview and Trailer

MarvelousWorld.Net
Blog

Today we have the pleasure of featuring The Marvelous World Saga by Troy CLE and an awesome interview with him. Check it out!

Summary of The Marvelous Effect (Book #1)
He loves listening to hip-hop, racing radio-controlled cars, and hanging out with his best friend, Brandon. Then a mysterious letter invites him to visit the local junkyard. There he finds a secret, underground amusement park like no other in existence. This is the best day of Louis's life. The park even has the most amazing race course for radio-controlled cars. Louis starts racing right away. It's a close contest; he's about to activate his nitro boost to take the lead, when...

This is the worst day of Louis's life. Without warning or reason, thirteen-year-old Louis Proof falls into a coma due to a virus of a mysterious, celestial origin. When he awakens three months later, the world that he once knew and loved is totally out of control. He will learn that his illness is connected to everything that is wrong, and that it's not only his responsibility but his destiny to set things right.

This story is a megadramatic, remarkably true, super action fantasy. Get ready!

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Welcome, Troy, to Yay! Reads. We're glad to have you stop by today. First, if someone would make a movie of the books, who would play the main character?


I am not sure who could play Louis Proof but I would love if Dakota Fanning would play Cyndi Victoria Chase


What was the easiest aspect of writing the books? The hardest?

It is easy to write my books when I am inspired by real events and people. My fist book– The Marvelous Effect, was inspired by my life and friends so very little had to be made up. I just greatly exaggerated the events to turn them into super fantasy. The hardest part of writing is when I have to make everything up like I did with Olivion's Favorites. That book takes place totally on Midlandia, which is the place of the impossible, so I had no real world references for it. That took up so much creative energy that it was beyond exhausting. My next Marvelous World book is primarily based in our world so it should be easier to write.

In one sentence, how would you describe your writing?


That's easy. Mega Dramatic Remarkably True Super Action Fantasy!

Who are your favorite authors and books?


It may sound silly but to this day my FAVORITE book is Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak


Do you listen to music while writing? If so, what kind?

When I was writing The Marvelous Effect I listened to Coheed and Cambria, Jay-Z, Fall Out Boy, 50 Cent, Hooverphonic, John Mayer, and many others. You can totally see the influence in that book and pick up on a certain rhythms. I did not listen to music while writing Olivion's Favorites. Reading it is a totally different experience than the first one. I will be writing to lots of music for my third book.

Now, here's the awesome trailer!



Sounds fantastic! Thanks to Troy and his team for making this interview possible.