Title: The Falconer Author: Elizabeth May Series: The Falconer, book #1 Publisher: Chronicle Books Publication Date: May 6, 2014 Source: from publisher via Edelweiss Purchase:Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Heiress. Debutant. Murderer. A new generation of heroines has arrived.
Edinburgh, Scotland, 1844
Lady Aileana Kameron, the only daughter of the Marquess of Douglas, was destined for a life carefully planned around Edinburgh’s social events – right up until a faery killed her mother.
Now it’s the 1844 winter season and Aileana slaughters faeries in secret, in between the endless round of parties, tea and balls. Armed with modified percussion pistols and explosives, she sheds her aristocratic facade every night to go hunting. She’s determined to track down the faery who murdered her mother, and to destroy any who prey on humans in the city’s many dark alleyways.
But the balance between high society and her private war is a delicate one, and as the fae infiltrate the ballroom and Aileana’s father returns home, she has decisions to make. How much is she willing to lose – and just how far will Aileana go for revenge?
I always think I'm done with fae stories, and then a book like this comes along and I'm pulled back in. I wasn't even going to read this one, not with the original UK cover (to the right), anyway. I know, I know...don't judge a book by it's cover, but that cover just did not appeal to me. Once the new cover was posted, though, I took notice...not because I love it or anything -- it's just another headless body -- but it's slightly less ferocious in nature and I actually read the synopsis this time around and felt compelled to pick it up.
And after reading The Falconer, I can say that the UK cover actually does the story justice because Kam, the heroine of our story, is fierce and determined and an altogether kickass protagonist. She's hellbent on avenging her mother's death at the hands of faeries, her reputation be damned. Well, for the most part. Everyone thinks she had something to do with her mother's murder, including her father, because of the manner in which they found her with her mother's body. So, in truth, she'd like to clear her name and earn her father's love. But considering that everything that's happened was because of faeries that aren't supposed to exist, that's a lot easier said than done.
Rather than trying to expose the fae and risking society believing she's a lunatic, Aileana sneaks out at night and battles the fae on her own. Well, not completely on her own. She does have a little pixie who lives in her wardrobe, mending her garments in exchange for honey, which makes him hilariously drunk. And she does have MacKay. Broody and menacing as he may be, he is Kam's mentor in her battle against the fae. And being fae himself, Kam knows better than to trust him completely.
Kam's father is an arse. Her best friend is a ninny who is only there as a means to connect Kam to her brother Gavin. And Gavin has his own issues, but he's a friendly enough guy. There is a love triangle of sorts, but I felt as if one side never fully legitimized itself, at least not based on true feelings, so I discounted the triangle pretty much from the beginning. Honestly, I really liked the romance in general, without the intrusion of a third party, because it was slow to build but also because it was rarely at the forefront of the story. (And because it provided some seriously swoony moments!)
After all, this is a story about kicking some fae ass, and it does it's job well by also providing us a truly awesome heroine. Aileana is ferocious in battle, but she's also clever, inventing all manner of things to make her fae-hunting adventures even more advantageous. There are steampunk elements in this story, as well, and I enjoyed the parallels between industry and machines versus the fae magic. I also loved the writing and pacing of the story, even when the action was particularly, ahem, violent.
I've seen comparisons to Karen Marie Moning's Fever series, but I can't speak to those, having never read that series myself. However, if they are even remotely accurate comparisons, I'm sure I will find myself picking up those books in the very near future. Preferably on audio so I can get to them that much sooner. Either way, I think it's pretty clear that I was impressed with this story, much more so than I expected to be. And after that ending -- which I'm not sure can adequately be described as a cliffhanger because the story just stops abruptly -- I'm dying to read more of Kam's story. I can't believe I almost passed on this novel!
GIF it to me straight:
Please tell me more...now, not next year.
About the author:
Elizabeth May was born in California, where she lived during her formative years before moving to Scotland. She is currently working on her PhD at the University of St Andrews. When she isn’t writing or doing academics, she can be found with a camera in hand; her photography has been published on an array of book covers and in magazines. She currently resides in Edinburgh, Scotland, with her husband. THE FALCONER is her début novel.
It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.
Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners—and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.
But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage—in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.
Set in the same world as the Parasol Protectorate, this YA series debut is filled with all the saucy adventure and droll humor Gail Carriger's legions of fans have come to adore.
Sophronia. Sophronia. Sophronia. That name pops into my head at the most random times throughout the week ever since reading Etiquette and Espionage. The chick's voice that narrates the audio is so fun to listen to. Sometimes, I'd just find myself not really paying attention to the words so much as how cool it sounded as she said them. Sophronia Temminick isn't the only name that stuck out to me. There's Dimity, her accomplice, and Soap and Vieve, whose characters I just adored. Initially, I will admit I was a bit overwhelmed by all of the unique names and figuring out who was who, but they grew on me.
I love that this book is both charming and devious at the same time. These girls have been sent to finishing school to learn about proper manners while also learning how to properly poison their future husbands. Doesn't get any better than that. Hehehe.
I really love the cover of this book. It's pretty awesome. Something I don't love about this book? Steampunk. There are airborne highway men in balloons, mechanical servants, and even steam-powered dogs. The idea of dogs that let little puffs of smoke out when they potty is just too much for me.
Can't wait to read the next book in the series to see if there are any budding romances, since the seeds were pretty much planted in Etiquette & Espionage.
Rating:
About the author:
Ms. Carriger writes steampunk urbane fantasy comedies of manners to cope with being raised in obscurity by an expatriate Brit and an incurable curmudgeon. She escaped small town life and inadvertently acquired several degrees in Higher Learning. She then traveled the historic cities of Europe, subsisting entirely on biscuits secreted in her handbag. She now resides in the Colonies, surrounded by a harem of shoes, where she insists on tea imported directly from London and cats that pee into toilets. Her Parasol Protectorate books are all New York Times Bestsellers.
Awhile on the Pile/From the Review Pile is a meme hosted by Stepping Out of the Pageevery Thursday but was also inspired by Rachel at My Reading Pile/Fiktshun.The aim of this meme is to showcase books that you've received for review -- or any book that you own and really want to read/review -- but haven't yet got around to reading in order to give the book some extra publicity.
Here's the book I chose to give some extra love this week:
Title: The Peculiars Author: Maureen Doyle McQuerry Series: n/a Publisher: Amulet Publication Date: May 1, 2012 Source: ARC
This dark and thrilling adventure, with an unforgettable heroine, will captivate fans of steampunk, fantasy, and romance. On her 18th birthday, Lena Mattacascar decides to search for her father, who disappeared into the northern wilderness of Scree when Lena was young. Scree is inhabited by Peculiars, people whose unusual characteristics make them unacceptable to modern society. Lena wonders if her father is the source of her own extraordinary characteristics and if she, too, is Peculiar. On the train she meets a young librarian, Jimson Quiggley, who is traveling to a town on the edge of Scree to work in the home and library of the inventor Mr. Beasley. The train is stopped by men being chased by the handsome young marshal Thomas Saltre. When Saltre learns who Lena’s father is, he convinces her to spy on Mr. Beasley and the strange folk who disappear into his home, Zephyr House. A daring escape in an aerocopter leads Lena into the wilds of Scree to confront her deepest fears.
I think I haven't gotten around to 80% of the books that released on my birthday. There were just too many, and my main focus at that time was Insurgent. But had my ARC come with this cover instead of the plain, cartoonish one it did, I might have read it immediately instead of sticking it on the bookshelf to collect dust. [Figuratively, I mean...my books don't collect dust. ;0) ]
Have you read this one? If so, what did you think?
Title: Clockwork Prince Author: Cassandra Clare Narrators: Heather Lind & Ed Westwick Series: 2nd book in The Infernal Devices series Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (hardcover)/Simon & Schuster Audio (audiobook) Publication Date: December 6, 2011 Source: purchased hardcover & publisher provided audiobook
In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.
With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.
Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?
As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.
I actually read Clockwork Prince last December when it was released because Cassie Clare is on my auto-buy/immediately read list. That, and I absolutely loved Clockwork Angel when I read it the previous year and was eager to transport myself back to the Shadowhunter world. However, I dwelled on it for a bit and never wrote a proper review of the book. Then, recently, I was provided the opportunity to review the audiobook, and I can honestly say this story was just as good the second time around. And now it's time I write a more appropriate review of the book I currently deem "my favorite Cassie Clare novel thus far". So, here goes...
I think it's fair to say that the common thread throughout Clare's work is that "to love is to destroy" and vice versa. (I think Jace even says as much in one of The Mortal Instruments books.) In Clockwork Prince, we finally find out why Will is so tortured and why he treats his closest companions the way he does, even when it's clear that he cares about them. But let me tell you, Will in love is kind of a stark-raving lunatic, though I love his character even more now that I know what he's suffered. Of course, Jem is still caring and attentive, as always, and it would be impossible not to like him. I think it speaks volumes that the author was able to make me fall for both boys. I would be hard-pressed to pick a favorite character in this series, though Tessa's strength and honor and courage definitely keep her in the running.
If all love triangles were written like this one and that of Cynthia Hand's Unearthly series, I might just have to reconsider my previous feelings concerning the over-use of this particular plot device. A lot of time is spent focused on the various relationships in this novel, but if you ask me, it's time well spent. The relationships -- and their consequences -- only serve to propel the story further and provide a background for the time period and how social interactions were handled at the time.
However, the great characterization and relationship-centric plot did lend an air of predictability to the novel. But even though this was my second time experiencing this story, and I already knew what was coming, that ending still felt like a punch in the gut. When the journey is as captivating as this one, though, sometimes you can overlook the obvious and just enjoy the ride. And I'm sure I'll be enjoying this one again and again.
As far as the audio goes, I couldn't have asked for more perfect narrators for this story. Heather Lind is phenomenal as the voice of Tessa, and although Ed Westwick's accent had me swooning long before I started this audiobook, he was even more perfect as the voice of tormented Will than I could have imagined. And to hear Chuck Bass providing the voice of a flamboyant werewolf was just priceless. Also, hilarious. I was wary of how this novel would be split into a dual narrative considering the story is told in third person and from several viewpoints throughout the novel, but it was handled beautifully. The transitions between narrators were always clean and consistent. I may have enjoyed the audio more than actually reading the novel myself, but I'll never tell. I hope that Heather and Ed return for the third book; I just don't think it would be the same without them.
In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It's a weekly meme where we all get to brag about the books and swag we got in the mail, for review, won in contests, etc.
I think we all know that when I hear the word "dystopian," my ears perk up. So, of course I've added Chosen Ones to my TBR list. I adore steampunk, as well, and I've started the Steampunk Chronicles already, so you know I'll be picking up The Girl in the Clockwork Collar.
Also, the trailer for the final installment of Andrea Cremer's Nightshade series, Bloodrose, is out:
I've heard such mixed reviews for Bloodrose. I'm almost afraid to read it. I was so excited to read Wolfsbane earlier this year but was very disappointed with it, so I'm not anticipating this last book near as much. Especially with some of the negative comments I've seen about where the author takes the story. I'll still give it a chance, though.
What do you think of the trailer? Did you like Wolfsbane? If not, are you still going to read Bloodrose?
I work with numbers by day, and I'm a mommy and avid reader by night. I'm a self-proclaimed Spreadsheet Queen, and I'll read anything you put in front of me. I seriously love all the books! And I adore audiobooks, too!
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Review: The Falconer by Elizabeth May
Author: Elizabeth May
Series: The Falconer, book #1
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Publication Date: May 6, 2014
Source: from publisher via Edelweiss
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
And after reading The Falconer, I can say that the UK cover actually does the story justice because Kam, the heroine of our story, is fierce and determined and an altogether kickass protagonist. She's hellbent on avenging her mother's death at the hands of faeries, her reputation be damned. Well, for the most part. Everyone thinks she had something to do with her mother's murder, including her father, because of the manner in which they found her with her mother's body. So, in truth, she'd like to clear her name and earn her father's love. But considering that everything that's happened was because of faeries that aren't supposed to exist, that's a lot easier said than done.
Rather than trying to expose the fae and risking society believing she's a lunatic, Aileana sneaks out at night and battles the fae on her own. Well, not completely on her own. She does have a little pixie who lives in her wardrobe, mending her garments in exchange for honey, which makes him hilariously drunk. And she does have MacKay. Broody and menacing as he may be, he is Kam's mentor in her battle against the fae. And being fae himself, Kam knows better than to trust him completely.
Kam's father is an arse. Her best friend is a ninny who is only there as a means to connect Kam to her brother Gavin. And Gavin has his own issues, but he's a friendly enough guy. There is a love triangle of sorts, but I felt as if one side never fully legitimized itself, at least not based on true feelings, so I discounted the triangle pretty much from the beginning. Honestly, I really liked the romance in general, without the intrusion of a third party, because it was slow to build but also because it was rarely at the forefront of the story. (And because it provided some seriously swoony moments!)
After all, this is a story about kicking some fae ass, and it does it's job well by also providing us a truly awesome heroine. Aileana is ferocious in battle, but she's also clever, inventing all manner of things to make her fae-hunting adventures even more advantageous. There are steampunk elements in this story, as well, and I enjoyed the parallels between industry and machines versus the fae magic. I also loved the writing and pacing of the story, even when the action was particularly, ahem, violent.
I've seen comparisons to Karen Marie Moning's Fever series, but I can't speak to those, having never read that series myself. However, if they are even remotely accurate comparisons, I'm sure I will find myself picking up those books in the very near future. Preferably on audio so I can get to them that much sooner. Either way, I think it's pretty clear that I was impressed with this story, much more so than I expected to be. And after that ending -- which I'm not sure can adequately be described as a cliffhanger because the story just stops abruptly -- I'm dying to read more of Kam's story. I can't believe I almost passed on this novel!
Monday, April 22, 2013
{Audiobook} {Mendy} Review: Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger
Author: Gail Carriger
Narrator: Moira Quirk
Series: Finishing School, book #1
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Publication Date: February 5, 2013
Source: purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible
Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners—and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.
But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage—in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.
Set in the same world as the Parasol Protectorate, this YA series debut is filled with all the saucy adventure and droll humor Gail Carriger's legions of fans have come to adore.
Sophronia. Sophronia. Sophronia. That name pops into my head at the most random times throughout the week ever since reading Etiquette and Espionage. The chick's voice that narrates the audio is so fun to listen to. Sometimes, I'd just find myself not really paying attention to the words so much as how cool it sounded as she said them. Sophronia Temminick isn't the only name that stuck out to me. There's Dimity, her accomplice, and Soap and Vieve, whose characters I just adored. Initially, I will admit I was a bit overwhelmed by all of the unique names and figuring out who was who, but they grew on me.
I love that this book is both charming and devious at the same time. These girls have been sent to finishing school to learn about proper manners while also learning how to properly poison their future husbands. Doesn't get any better than that. Hehehe.
I really love the cover of this book. It's pretty awesome. Something I don't love about this book? Steampunk. There are airborne highway men in balloons, mechanical servants, and even steam-powered dogs. The idea of dogs that let little puffs of smoke out when they potty is just too much for me.
Can't wait to read the next book in the series to see if there are any budding romances, since the seeds were pretty much planted in Etiquette & Espionage.
Rating:
Find Gail:
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Awhile on the Pile #12: The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry
Here's the book I chose to give some extra love this week:
Author: Maureen Doyle McQuerry
Series: n/a
Publisher: Amulet
Publication Date: May 1, 2012
Source: ARC
I think I haven't gotten around to 80% of the books that released on my birthday. There were just too many, and my main focus at that time was Insurgent. But had my ARC come with this cover instead of the plain, cartoonish one it did, I might have read it immediately instead of sticking it on the bookshelf to collect dust. [Figuratively, I mean...my books don't collect dust. ;0) ]
Have you read this one? If so, what did you think?
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Review: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
Author: Cassandra Clare
Narrators: Heather Lind & Ed Westwick
Series: 2nd book in The Infernal Devices series
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (hardcover)/Simon & Schuster Audio (audiobook)
Publication Date: December 6, 2011
Source: purchased hardcover & publisher provided audiobook
With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.
Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?
As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.
I actually read Clockwork Prince last December when it was released because Cassie Clare is on my auto-buy/immediately read list. That, and I absolutely loved Clockwork Angel when I read it the previous year and was eager to transport myself back to the Shadowhunter world. However, I dwelled on it for a bit and never wrote a proper review of the book. Then, recently, I was provided the opportunity to review the audiobook, and I can honestly say this story was just as good the second time around. And now it's time I write a more appropriate review of the book I currently deem "my favorite Cassie Clare novel thus far". So, here goes...
I think it's fair to say that the common thread throughout Clare's work is that "to love is to destroy" and vice versa. (I think Jace even says as much in one of The Mortal Instruments books.) In Clockwork Prince, we finally find out why Will is so tortured and why he treats his closest companions the way he does, even when it's clear that he cares about them. But let me tell you, Will in love is kind of a stark-raving lunatic, though I love his character even more now that I know what he's suffered. Of course, Jem is still caring and attentive, as always, and it would be impossible not to like him. I think it speaks volumes that the author was able to make me fall for both boys. I would be hard-pressed to pick a favorite character in this series, though Tessa's strength and honor and courage definitely keep her in the running.
If all love triangles were written like this one and that of Cynthia Hand's Unearthly series, I might just have to reconsider my previous feelings concerning the over-use of this particular plot device. A lot of time is spent focused on the various relationships in this novel, but if you ask me, it's time well spent. The relationships -- and their consequences -- only serve to propel the story further and provide a background for the time period and how social interactions were handled at the time.
However, the great characterization and relationship-centric plot did lend an air of predictability to the novel. But even though this was my second time experiencing this story, and I already knew what was coming, that ending still felt like a punch in the gut. When the journey is as captivating as this one, though, sometimes you can overlook the obvious and just enjoy the ride. And I'm sure I'll be enjoying this one again and again.
As far as the audio goes, I couldn't have asked for more perfect narrators for this story. Heather Lind is phenomenal as the voice of Tessa, and although Ed Westwick's accent had me swooning long before I started this audiobook, he was even more perfect as the voice of tormented Will than I could have imagined. And to hear Chuck Bass providing the voice of a flamboyant werewolf was just priceless. Also, hilarious. I was wary of how this novel would be split into a dual narrative considering the story is told in third person and from several viewpoints throughout the novel, but it was handled beautifully. The transitions between narrators were always clean and consistent. I may have enjoyed the audio more than actually reading the novel myself, but I'll never tell. I hope that Heather and Ed return for the third book; I just don't think it would be the same without them.
Rating:
Sunday, March 25, 2012
In My Mailbox #24
In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It's a weekly meme where we all get to brag about the books and swag we got in the mail, for review, won in contests, etc.
For Review:
The Last Echo (The Body Finder #3) by Kimberly Derting, courtesy of Souther Book Blogger ARC tours
The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (Steampunk Chronicles #2) by Kady Cross, from HarlequinTeen via Netgalley
Black Hole Sun by David MacInnis Gill
Oppression by Jessica Therrien
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
*I put up the links to these ebook deals on Friday. Please see the Uncovered - 3/23/12 post for direct links.
Anything interesting in your mailbox this week?
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Uncovered - 12/22/11
I think we all know that when I hear the word "dystopian," my ears perk up. So, of course I've added Chosen Ones to my TBR list. I adore steampunk, as well, and I've started the Steampunk Chronicles already, so you know I'll be picking up The Girl in the Clockwork Collar.
Also, the trailer for the final installment of Andrea Cremer's Nightshade series, Bloodrose, is out:
I've heard such mixed reviews for Bloodrose. I'm almost afraid to read it. I was so excited to read Wolfsbane earlier this year but was very disappointed with it, so I'm not anticipating this last book near as much. Especially with some of the negative comments I've seen about where the author takes the story. I'll still give it a chance, though.
What do you think of the trailer? Did you like Wolfsbane? If not, are you still going to read Bloodrose?
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starryeyedjen
- I work with numbers by day, and I'm a mommy and avid reader by night. I'm a self-proclaimed Spreadsheet Queen, and I'll read anything you put in front of me. I seriously love all the books! And I adore audiobooks, too!
View my complete profile