Bookworm Nation

“From wizards to weathermen, everyone has always known the powers of the four elements—natural forces that can direct the fates, change destiny, and unite lovers in the most unexpected ways. Now, those magical elements come together in perfect balance in new stories from four charmed authors.”

I only ended up reading one of the four stories, Bargain with the Wind by Sharon Shinn. It is a retelling of the Cinderella story, although I didn’t know that going into it. It is told from the perspective of Nettie, an old housekeeper at Grey Moraine. The Lord of the manor, Duncan quickly marries Charis, a strange girl passing through town. Nettie is cautious about the new mistress but soon becomes her confidante. I enjoyed the story, and am constantly surprised with Sharon Shinn’s work. She has quite the imagination and is constantly able to come up with brand new worlds filled with great characters.

“Clouds of unrest are darkening the land of Gillengaria. In the southern region, ill feeling toward magic and those who use it has risen to a dangerous level, though King Baryn has ordered that such men and women are to be tolerated. Whispers abound that he issued the decree because his new young wife is herself a mystic, who has used her powers to ensnare him. The king knows this—and he knows that he now sits uneasy on the throne. There are those barons of the Twelve Houses, who, out of their own ambition, might well use this growing dissent to overthrow him. So he dispatches the mystic woman Senneth on a journey to see firsthand how dire the situation might be. Accompanying her are Justin, a young Rider who distrusts the magical arts; Kirra, a healer and shape-changer born of the Twelve Houses; her servant, and lowborn Donnal, also a shape-shifter; and Tayse, the first among the King’s Riders. He too, holds a hard view of mystic in general—and Senneth in particular.”

“When Annalisa Townsend’s ship is set upon by pirates in search of her father’s treasure, one of the crew, James Sterling, discovers her in the hold. When he moves to take her necklace, she begs him not to, as it is all she has left of her mother. He accepts a kiss in exchange for the necklace. “A fair trade, m’lady,” he tells her afterward, before disappearing. A year later, with a forged letter of marquee, Annalisa is intent on hunting down the wretched James Sterling and reclaiming her father’s treasure from him. But now she’s in danger of him stealing something far more valuable this time: her heart.”

Okay, so this book kept popping up on my Amazon recommendations and I finally got around to picking up a copy from the library. I was actually surprised by how small it was, at only 226 pages and pretty large print it turned out to be a pretty quick read.

"As a servant for the wealthy Lady Burton, Georgiana is both surprised and flattered when her mistress's son Sydney ursues her. However, he insists on a hushed romance. To prove his love, and in celebration of their planned elopement, Sydney gives her a stunning bracelet. But Georgiana quickly discoveres the truth about Sydney and the cruel plan he has for her. In desperation, Georgiana decides she must flee."

“Magpie Windwitch, granddaughter of the West Wind, is not like other faeries. While most of her kind lives in tranquil seclusion deep in their forest, escaped devils are creeping back into the world after millennia of imprisonment, and Magpie is all that stands in their way. With her faithful clan of crows, she travels the world hunting the bloodthirsty snags down, just has her hero, the legendary Bellatrix, did twenty-five thousand years ago. When the ancient evil of the Blackbringer is loosed from its prison, Magpie may be in over her head. This hunt will take her back to the great forest of Dreamdark, a place of legends and Djinn, cunning imps and tattooed warriors, where she must unravel the mystery of the greatest enemy her fold have ever known. Will the determination of one small faerie be enough to defeat the impenetrable darkness that threatens to unmake the world?

Book One: Blackbringer
Book Two: Silksinger

“My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again. All I wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary. I don’t even know what that means anymore. It all started on the day I saw my first ghost—and the ghost saw me. Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won’t leave me alone. To top it all off, I somehow got myself locked up in Lyle House, a “special home: for troubled teens. Yet the home inst what it seems. Don’t tell anyone, but I think there might be more to my housemates than meets the eye. The question is, whose side are they on? It’s up to me to figure out the dangerous secrets behind Lyle House…before its skeletons come back to haunt me.”

I was just playing on GoodReads and they have finally posted a cover for the new Splendor book, I can't wait until this comes out. I love this cover! The dress is gorgeous, I love the purple!

“In 1837 London, young daughters of viscounts pined for handsome, titled husbands, not careers. And certainly not careers in magic. Shy, studious Persephone Leland would far rather devote herself to her secret magical studies than enter society and look for a suitable husband. But just as the inevitable season is about to begin, Persy and her twin sister discover that their governess in magic has been kidnapped as part of a plot to gain control of the Princess Victoria. Racing through Mayfair ballrooms and royal palaces, the sisters overcome bad millinery, shady royal spinsters, and a mysterious Irish wizard. And along the way, Persy learns that husband hunting isn’t such an odious task after all, if she can find the right quarry.”

“For Emily, accepting the proposal of Philip, the Viscount Ashton, was an easy way to escape her overhearing mother, who was set on a grand society match. So when Emily’s dashing husband died on safari soon after their wedding, she felt little grief. After all, she barely knew him. Now, nearly two years later, she discovers that Philip was a far different man from the one she had married so cavalierly. His journals reveal him to have been a gentleman scholar and antiquities collector who, to her surprise, was deeply in love with his wife. Emily becomes fascinated with this new image of her dead husband and she immerses herself in all things ancient and begins to study Greek. Emily’s intellectual pursuits and her desire to learn more about Philip take her to the quiet corridors of the British Museum, one of her husband’s favorite places. There, amid priceless ancient statues, she uncovers a dark, dangerous secret involving stolen artifacts from the Greco-Roman galleries. And to complicate matters, she’s juggling two very prominent and wealthy suitors, one of whose intentions may go beyond the marrying kind. As she sets out to solve the crime, her search leads to more surprised about Philip and causes her to question the roles in Victorian society to which she, as a woman, is relegated.”

I was really looking forward to reading this mystery and maybe my hopes were a little too high because I ended up being pretty disappointed. If you love art history, especially with a focus on ancient Greece then you will probably like this book. The majority of the book felt like a history lesson, there was more focus on the different pieces of art than there was on the actual mystery. It felt like the author was really pushing who the good-guy was and who the bad-guy was, so for me it made it really obvious who was who and what was going to happen. I may have enjoyed this more if I had actually liked Emily more. I couldn’t figure out what all these men saw in her? Maybe it was just me, but she was kind of a boring character. As for our hero (I won’t name him, to help keep some mystery), I could have really liked him, but he was rarely on the scene. I was a bit surprised by how much they ended up liking each other, when they spent so little time together (again, what is it about Emily that men love so much?) Throughout the book I couldn’t help thinking of the movie “Charade” with Audrey Hepburn, which had a very similar storyline. I’ve heard the next book is better, so I think I will give it a try.

“Keturah follows a legendary hart deep into the forest, where she becomes hopelessly lost. Her strength diminishes until, finally, she realizes that death is near—and learns then that death is a young lord, melancholy and stern. Renowned for her storytelling, Keturah is able to charm Lord Death with a story and gain a reprieve—but he grants her only a day, and within that day she must find true love. Keturah searches desperately, Lord Death hovering over all, until she confronts him one last time in the harrowing climax.”

“Six years earlier Matty had come to Village as a scrappy and devious little boy. Back then, he liked to call himself “the fiercest of the fierce,” but since that time, Matty had grown almost into a man under the care of Seer, a blind man whose special sight had earned him the name. Now Matty homes that he will soon be given his true name, and he hopes it will be Messenger. But strange changes are taking place in Village. Once a utopian community that prided itself on its welcome to newcomers, Village will soon be closed to all outsiders. As one of the only people to safely travel through the dangerous Forest, Matty must deliver the message of Village’s closing and try to convince Seer’s daughter, Kira, to return with him before its too late. But Forest has grown hostile to Matty too, and he must risk everything to fight his way through it, armed only with an emerging power he cannot yet explain or understand.”

“Kira, an orphan with a twisted leg, lives in a world where the weak are cast aside. She fears for her future until she is spared y the all-powerful Council of Guardians. Kira is a gifted weaver and is given a task that no other community member can carry out. While her talent keeps her alive and brings certain privileges, Kira soon realizes that she is surrounded by mysteries and secrets. No one must know of her plans to uncover the truth about her world—and to find out what exists beyond it.”

This is a companion book to The Giver. The story once again sucks you in, and the entire time you’re wondering what is going on. Like Jonas, Kira is a great lead character. Lois is really able to write children characters well, and yet still entertain an adult audience. There were many clues along the way that the audience picks up on that Kira does not. Like The Giver the society that Kira lives in is lacking in love, with very sad effects. They are a completely brutal race. Kindness is rare, and questioned. Life isn’t valued and even “family” will turn on you if it benefits themselves. It was encouraging to see that the children in the story Matt, Thomas and Kira were able to become dear friends in such harsh circumstances.

I was again disappointed in the ending, although it was better than the first book. For me it felt like an abrupt end to the story, there should have at least been one more chapter. I was also disappointed with the character of Vandara, she was a great villain but was hardly used in the book. That was a huge lose end that should have been tied up. I’m nervous to read the last book, Messenger, in fear that the ending of the series will leave me just as dissatisfied as the first two books.

Once again this book reminded me of the movie The Village. I just noticed that I wrote about that in my review of The Giver. I’m beginning to think that M. Night Shyamalan read these books and based loosely based the movie on them.

“One cruel night, Meggie’s father reads aloud from Inkheart, and an evil ruler named Capricorn escapes the boundaries of the book, landing in their living room. Suddenly, Meggie’s in the middle of the kind of adventure she thought only took place in fairy tales. Somehow she must master the magic that has conjured up this nightmare. Can she change the course of the story that has changed her life forever?”

Book One: Inkheart
Book Two: Inkspell
Book Three: Inkdeath

“Legend tells of a mighty sword that makes its possessor invincible. But a curse falls on anyone who lifts the sword for conquest. Unafraid, King Kareed of Archeld pursues the sword and wins it from the King of Bellandra. When he returns home from battle, King Kareed carries two special gifts for his daughter, Princess Torina. One is a unique crystal in which she can view the future. The other is the defeated king’s son, Landen, who is to be her slave. Torina immediately releases Landen, who becomes a member of the king’s army and her close friend. But trouble lurks in the kingdom of Archeld, and people accuse Landen of plotting against the king. Torina refuses to believe that Landen would hurt her family. Then Torina begins seeing deadly visions in her crystal Can she save her father’s life and the future of her kingdom?”

Cover Comments: Like I said, I love this book…I hate the cover. If I saw this on a shelf I would probably just pass by. The girl on the cover looks about 13, while Torina is actually around 19. I wish they would have put a little more thought into the book and done a better job marketing. It just goes to show you, don’t judge a book by its cover!

“Shadows have fallen across the beautiful and lush Kingdom. The queen was attacked by an unnatural beast, and the healing skills of her daughter, Alexandra, cannot save her. Too soon the widowed king is spellbound by a frightening stranger—a woman whose eyes reflect no light. In a terrifying moment, all Alexandra knows disappears, including her beloved brothers, leaving her banished to a barren land unlike her own. Alexandra has more fits than even she realizes as she is confronted with magic, murder, and the strongest of evil forces. She is unflinchingly brave and clever as she struggles to reclaim what she knows is rightfully hers.”

“Seventeen-year-old Lady Alexandra Stafford doesn’t fit into the world of Regency London—she’s strong-willed, sharp-tongued, and she absolutely loathes dress fittings. Unfortunately, her mother has been waiting for years for Alex to be old enough to take part in the social whirlwind of London season so she can be married off to someone safe, respectable, wealthy, and almost certainly boring. But Alex is much more interested in adventure than romance. Between sumptuous balls, lavish dinner parties, and country weekends, Alex, along with her two best friends, Ella and Vivi, manages to get entangled in her biggest scrape yet. When the Earl of Blackmoor is killed in a puzzling accident, Alex decides to help his son, the brooding and devilishly handsome Gavin, uncover the truth. It’s a mystery brimming with espionage, murder, and suspicion. As she and Gavin grow closer, will Alex’s heart be stolen in the process? Romance and danger fill the air, as this year’s season begins!”

"The Season is frothy, girly, wicked, and wise to the tender, tenuous, and sometimes very strong ties between young people throughout the ages. With a backdrop of world events and enough nefariousness to go around, here is a romp for readers to lose themselves in."

-Anna Godbersen, author of The Luxe

“Ruth’s grandmother lives in the forest, banished there for the “evil” that the townsfolk believed she practiced. But if studying the stars, learning about nature, and dreaming of flying are evil, then Ruth is guilty of it too. Whenever Ruth took food and supplies to her grandmother, she would sit with the old woman for hours, listening and learning. When she wasn’t in the woods, Ruth was learning the trade of her father, a blacksmith, now that her brother would never return from the Crusades. Amidst these dark days, a new man enters Ruth’s life. William is a noble with a hot temper and a bad name, and he makes her shiver. But the young man is prey to his heritage, a curse placed on his family ages ago, and each make of the family has strange blood running in his veins. Now Ruth must come face-to-face with his destiny at Grandma’s house…”

“Two months after Elizabeth Holland’s dramatic homecoming, Manhattan eagerly awaits her return to the pinnacle of society. When Elizabeth refuses to rejoin her sister Diana’s side, however, those watching New York’s favorite family begin to suspect that all is not as it seems behind the stately doors of No. 17 Gramercy Park South. Farther uptown, Henry and Penelope Schoonmaker are the city’s most celebrated couple. But despite the glittering diamond ring on Penelope’s finger, the newlyweds share little more than scorn for each other. And while the newspapers call Penelope’s social-climbing best friend, Carolina Broad, an heiress, her fortune—and her fame—are anything but secure, especially now that one of society’s darlings is slipping tales to the eager press.”