It'll Suck You In: The Killing Jar

The Killing Jar by Jennifer Bosworth
Farrar Straus Giroux, 2016

*ARC provided by the publisher - Thank You! This in no way impacted my opinions of this book*

Kenna has lived with a secret her whole life, something that has made her different from everybody else and something she can't fully explain. All she knows is that she's dangerous, and the best thing she can do for everyone she cares about is keep people at a distance. But when tragedy strikes her family just when it looks like her life is starting to improve, Kenna's dark power becomes the very thing to save them, but at a price. Sent to Eclipse, a nearby commune, Kenna starts to view her secret in a new way and embrace a life she never knew she could have. At least, that's how it looks on the surface - Kenna can sense that just below the serenity she feels, something far more sinister lies beneath...

Just like in her first novel, Struck, Jennifer Bosworth has again come up with a concept that doesn't remind me of anything else I've seen in the world of speculative young adult fiction. This is a big reason behind me giving this book 4 stars - I needed to keep going, to find out what happened next. I was surprised at how quickly I got sucked into the story because horror usually isn't my forte, but this was the kind of thriller in which you don't know how far in you've gotten until you're in over your head. I thought Kenna was contemplative and complex, and while I would have liked to see some secondary characters be a bit more flushed out, again, my engagement and interest in where this story was headed resulted in devouring most of this book in one evening.

If you like speculative fiction and are looking for a fresh concept, pick this one up. You'll be freaked out, but, you know, in a good way :)

A New Kind of Night Life: Dream a Little Dream

Dream a Little Dream by Kerstin Gier (The Silver Trilogy #1)
Henry Holt, Expected Release Date: January 6, 2015

*ARC provided by the publisher - Thank you! This in no way impacted my thoughts on this book.* 

Liv Silver and her little sister Mia are used to an unstable life. Ever since their academic parents got divorced, they've been passed back and forth between them while they go to and from different jobs around the world. But when Mom gets a job at Oxford, it looks like they'll finally get to settle down and have a life they've only been able to dream of: a house with a yard in the English countryside. Except when they land in London, they're in for a shock. They'll be living in the city with Mom, her new boyfriend, and his two kids, one of whom is a boy Liv not only recognizes from school, but from the strange dreams she's been having. Suddenly thrust into the world of dreams where the regular rules don't apply, can Liv - a sucker for mysteries - figure out what's going on?

Gier does a great job in this novel kicking off her latest trilogy of seamlessly moving between the real world and the dream world, both of which are interesting and engaging. She sets up a mythology I haven't seen before, and Liv is a girl who is both very smart for her age and is aware that she has a lot of growing up to do. I also really enjoyed that this book felt balanced in terms of the protagonist having challenges both in her own life and in the bigger picture. Sure she's trying to figure out what's going on in the dream world along with the mysterious blond boys Arthur, Jasper, Henry, and almost step-brother Grayson, but there's also her sister to think of, her mom, their longtime nanny Lottie, and adapting to another new school among plenty of other things. Just like real life, she can't just focus on one thing at a time - they all demand her attention.

I felt like the pacing was a bit slow in the first half of the book for my taste, but it picked up nicely in the second (I felt similarly about Gier's previous trilogy, Ruby Red). Gier seems to be a writer who doesn't mind taking the time to set the rules and groundwork for her world right away, that way later on readers can be more focused on the characters and the story. I also felt there were a few times where Liv was redundant in that she'd show what was going on, then tell readers explicitly what had already been clearly implied.

Readers in search of a fun fantastical/paranormal-ish read will no doubt enjoy Dream a Little Dream. Reminding me a bit of Kiersten White's Paranormalcy series, I think younger readers especially will especially gravitate towards Liv (however, be aware that as Liv is growing up in Europe, teens/people there tend to be more mature and discuss issues like sex and drinking quite frankly - I had no problem with this, but parents of a younger crowd may want to know this in advance). This was a fun one-time read for me on a gray winter day, and I'll definitely be ordering it for my school's library.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!

Short Story Saturday: Kiss Me Deadly, Many Happy Returns

Welcome to Short Story Saturday! Each week, I'll talk about a different story from the collection I'm working my way through and offer up some thoughts. I'm currently reading Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love.

Story: Many Happy Returns: A Generation Dead Story
Author: Daniel Waters
Summary: After four teens die and one is in critical condition after a car accident, parents brace themselves for the possibility that they might come back to life, but is that what they really want for their children?
Thoughts: Another piece to this anthology that is a spin-off from a contributor's series of novels I haven't read, this one was fairly straight forward and easy to fill in the blanks: in this version of reality, teens who have died sometimes come back (in a zombie-esque sort of way) up to a week after they die. After a week passes, any chance of a return is gone. This story looks at familial love, at acceptance, and how people handle both hope and grief. I thought it was okay, not my particular cup of tea, but still fine.

And that's it for Kiss Me Deadly!

Short Story Saturday: Kiss Me Deadly, The Hounds of Ulster

Welcome to Short Story Saturday! Each week, I'll talk about a different story from the collection I'm working my way through and offer up some thoughts. I'm currently reading Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love.

Story: The Hounds of Ulster
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Summary: Bryant and her best friend Sullivan are Irish punk music gods and are well aware of the fact that music can have power over people, but she never realized how it would change both of them and their friendship.
Thoughts: Sometimes when Maggie Stiefvater writes a short story, it feels much more like a conversational anecdote. She's not one for tidy endings or explaining everything - she leaves a lot of room for readers to draw their own conclusions - and such is the case here. In this piece, various kinds of love are at play - romantic, familial, fantastical, and painfully platonic - and in the end, we are left with more questions than answers, namely which kind of love is really the most powerful of all?

Short Story Saturday: Kiss Me Deadly, Vermillion

Welcome to Short Story Saturday! Each week, I'll talk about a different story from the collection I'm working my way through and offer up some thoughts. I'm currently reading Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love.

Story: Vermillion
Author: Daniel Marks
Summary: When the undertaker in Vermillion is suspected of joining the growing revolution and has gone missing, Velvet and her boyfriend Nick are recruited by the Station Agent to search Purgatory's other boroughs for him.
Thoughts: This story was not my particular cup of tea, but then again, I've always had trouble with mysteries. It took me a while to sort of figure out the world and people's roles in it, so in focusing on that I wasn't paying as great attention to the clues and red herrings as I should have. If you like stories where paranormal meets mystery/detective flair, then this is for you.

Short Story Saturday: Kiss Me Deadly, Fearless

Welcome to Short Story Saturday! Each week, I'll talk about a different story from the collection I'm working my way through and offer up some thoughts. I'm currently reading Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love.

Story: Fearless
Author: Rachel Vincent
Summary: Sabine, a delinquent in the eyes of the Texas justice system, has been sentenced to six months at Holser House and get her act together, but it's easier said than done if only people knew the things she saw whenever she touches another person.
Thoughts: Ms. Vincent, you can't end a story like that! I NEED MORE! This was such a refreshing and different paranormal story, from Sabine's powers to the setting, to the well thought out abilities of others' and how they all come together in a perfect storm. I loved this, except for the ending because I want more. So if you could please finish this novel (because this is clearly a cut-off novel, not just a short story), that'd be great.

Short Story Saturday: Kiss Me Deadly, Familiar

Welcome to Short Story Saturday! Each week, I'll talk about a different story from the collection I'm working my way through and offer up some thoughts. I'm currently reading Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love.

Story: Familiar
Author: Michelle Rowen
Summary: Brenda, a reluctant witch-in-training, goes to the local magic store to pick out a cat to be her familiar but instead of getting a kitten, she picks out and is Bonded to a shape-shifting boy named Owen.
Thoughts: I. LOVED. THIS! This story was fantastical and fun and I loved the snarky banter between Brenda and Owen. I thought each of their circumstances was interesting and how the Bond worked between them. Add in a dash of werewolves, some stolen jewelry, and this is a story I'd love to keep reading. I'll definitely be looking for more by this author!

Short Story Saturday: Kiss Me Deadly, Hare Moon

Welcome to Short Story Saturday! Each week, I'll talk about a different story from the collection I'm working my way through and offer up some thoughts. I'm currently reading Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love.

Story: Hare Moon
Author: Carrie Ryan
Summary: Tabitha has been raised to believe that her village is the last of humanity, yet learns this isn't so when she breaks the rules and ventures into the Forest of Hands and Teeth and falls in love outsider Patrick.
Thoughts: Though I'm not the hugest fan of when works in short story collections are extensions or spin-offs of authors' other series, this story is an exception because it stands on its own. I've never read Ryan's historical zombie series, but had no trouble following this tragic tale of Tabitha and the choices she must make. I was hopeful for a happy ending, but, alas, zombies have a tendency of making that kind of impossible. Still, a very engaging story.

Short Story Saturday: Kiss Me Deadly, Behind the Red Door

Welcome to Short Story Saturday! Each week, I'll talk about a different story from the collection I'm working my way through and offer up some thoughts. I'm currently reading Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love.

Story: Behind the Red Door
Author: Caitlin Kittredge
Summary: The first time Jo goes up to the abandoned Ash House, it's on a dare during a hot summer day in their boring small town, but in the months that follow, she finds herself drawn back again and again by a ghost with a secret.
Thoughts: This story! This story was well crafted and delightfully creepy! I had no idea where it was heading and got completely wrapped up in it. I'm usually a huge pansy when it comes to ghost stories (though I'm also fascinated by well-told ones), but this one had me completely engaged. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for other works by this writer.

Short Story Saturday: Kiss Me Deadly, Dungeons of Langeais

Welcome to Short Story Saturday! Each week, I'll talk about a different story from the collection I'm working my way through and offer up some thoughts. I'm currently reading Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love.

Story: Dungeons of Langeais: A Hush, Hush Story
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Summary: Angry with the Angel who occupies his body for two weeks each year, Chauncey concocts a plan which he hopes will free him of the foolish oath he made once and for all.
Thoughts: As I have never read Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush series, this story didn't do anything for me. Though I'm sure readers and fans of those books will be able to make sense of this, I was lost as to what was going on with the Angel, a gentleman, and two girls caught in the middle.

Short Story Saturday: Kiss Me Deadly, The Spy Who Never Grew Up

Welcome to Short Story Saturday! Each week, I'll talk about a different story from the collection I'm working my way through and offer up some thoughts. I'm currently reading Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love.

Story: The Spy Who Never Grew Up
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Summary: In need of a spy with special talents, Her Majesty recruits none other than Peter Pan who still refuses to grow up and requires an unusual form of payment for his services.
Thoughts: Confession: I've never read the original story Peter Pan. Sure I've seen the Disney version. I've even visited the statue honoring the character in Hyde Park in London! Yet despite this gross misstep which needs to be remedied, I'm a sucker for retellings of this tale, and Brennan did not disappoint. Peter is as immature as ever, yet in some ways manages to be wise and open-minded (perhaps because children often are in ways that adults unfortunately are not). The tension between him and Ashley was so fun and I really enjoyed this story.

Short Story Saturday: Kiss Me Deadly, Lost

Welcome to Short Story Saturday! Each week, I'll talk about a different story from the collection I'm working my way through and offer up some thoughts. I'm currently reading Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love.

Story: Lost
Author: Justine Musk
Summary: Sasha has always had a knack for finding lost things, but when she's the one lost while her best friend Josh lies in a hospital in a coma, a mysterious new neighbor opens her eyes and teaches her to see.
Thoughts: This story started out strong and had an interesting middle as well, but when the dramatic "twist" was revealed towards the end, I was sort of let down. Though I wasn't a fan of that, I did like Sasha's inquisitive nature and I easily followed her, beat for beat.

Short Story Saturday: Kiss Me Deadly, The Spirit Jar

Welcome to Short Story Saturday! Each week, I'll talk about a different story from the collection I'm working my way through and offer up some thoughts. I'm currently reading Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love.

Story: The Spirit Jar
Author: Karen Mahoney
Summary: Moth, a vampire for the past 10 years, has been sent to London by her Maker to retrieve an ancient text but winds up meeting a magical and mysterious boy with a mission of his own.
Thoughts: Yes, the vampire genre has been reimagined over and over again in the past 10 years, but I really liked the rules that Mahoney developed for her story here. Moth and Adam have a quick and unlikely alliance, and this is again another story in this anthology that has surprised me because though it does talk about romantic love, that is not what is driving our protagonist or her choices.

Short Story Saturday: Kiss Me Deadly, Errant

Welcome to Short Story Saturday! Each week, I'll talk about a different story from the collection I'm working my way through and offer up some thoughts. I'm currently reading Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love.

Story: Errant
Author: Diana Peterfreund
Summary: In France where unicorns are scarce but symbolic hunts of them are tradition among noble families, Gitta is charged with keeping track of Enyo, her convent's unicorn, while Elise prepares for her role in the ancient ceremony before her wedding.
Thoughts: This story took me a little while to get into, mostly because while Gitta is called the Hunter, she is actually protecting Enyo. Sort of. Eventually? Anyway, due to the wedding aspect I was expecting this to be a tale of romantic love, and was pleasantly surprised when it instead became one of the love between friends and between creatures and humans.

Back and Forth: Afterworlds

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld
Simon Pulse, Expected Release Date: September 23, 2014

*e-Galley provided by the publisher via Edelweiss - thank you! This in no way impacted my opinions of the book.*

Darcy Patel has won the literary lottery. At only 18 years old, not only has she written her first novel, but she got an agent, sold her manuscript in a huge two book deal, and is now moving to New York instead of her planned dorm room in Ohio so she can be full time writer for a few years. But living the dream isn't quite what Darcy thought it would be (not that she really knew what to expect). Then there's Darcy's book itself, Afterworlds, the suspenseful paranormal romance thriller about a girl who survives a terrorist attack and finds herself able to slide between the land of the living and into the Afterworld, where the dead reside.

This book is a true example of getting two novels for the price of one. Literally. Chapters alternate between the two stories, each one a full-length work resulting in a massive 600 page journey. Readers must be in the mood, therefore, for two things: 1) a big book and 2) wanting to read both straight-up contemporary and paranormal romance at the same time. This second part was a bit of a challenge for me at the time of reading - the paranormal chapters, while very well written and engaging, were just not something I was completely in the mood for when I picked this up. Lizzie and Yamaraj, these chapters' protagonists, are well considered and go on a captivating journey. Westerfeld could easily write a sequel just focusing on them (and I hope he does!). An interesting facet of this particular story-in-a-story is that Darcy is becoming a more seasoned writer as she's editing and rewriting, and we get to see that as the book goes on.

While I may not have been completely in the mood for paranormal, I was deeply interested and invested in the contemporary side of this story. Darcy doesn't always make the right choices. In fact, she makes a lot of choices that made me wince (mostly in terms of how she mishandles her financials), but those choices were incredibly realistic given her extraordinary situation. While much of Darcy's world is book related, it's not her whole world. She's discovering New York, learning how to live on her own, in her first relationship, and figuring out the publishing industry from the eye of the storm.

I've never read anything by Westerfeld before, and this was quite an introduction to his style and body of work. If you are in the mood for contemporary, romance, action, adventure, ghosts, and really a little bit of everything, check out Afterworlds when it hits book shelves September 23rd.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!

Scott Westerfeld's Website
Scott Westerfeld on Twitter

Short Story Saturday: Kiss Me Deadly, The Assassin's Apprentice

Welcome to Short Story Saturday! Each week, I'll talk about a different story from the collection I'm working my way through and offer up some thoughts. I'm currently reading Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love.

Story: The Assassin's Apprentice
Author: Michele Zink
Summary: Rose wants nothing more than to kill the demon Bael and exact revenge on the monster who murdered her family, but that can only happen if Asher can make sure Bael doesn't kill her first.
Thoughts: While I would have liked the relationship between Descendants and Assassins to be explained earlier in the story so I knew how those pieces fit together, this was a very fast and fun read. What starts as a classic revenge story gets steamy, and I love stories that seem to star damsels in distress but it turns out they can take care of themselves just fine.

Running Around in History: Ruby Red

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier, translated by Anthea Bell (Precious Stone Trilogy #1)
Henry Holt, 2009

This is one of those great cases when I've had a book around for a while, finally read it, kick myself for not having read it sooner, then am a little bit grateful that I waited because the entire series is out so I can read the whole thing without waiting for releases!

Gwyneth Shepard has always been pretty unremarkable in the eyes of her family. Sure this London teen can see and talk to the occasional ghost, but that's nothing compared to her sophisticated cousin Charlotte who was born with a genetic alteration that means she can travel in time and fulfill a centuries-old prophecy. Except, apparently she wasn't because Gwyneth is the one who finds herself being flung into the past with absolutely no training about what to do or idea what this means. Now Gwen must fill her cousin's shoes on a quest, navigate an old and secretive order, and work with Gideon, another time traveler who is insufferable and insanely handsome.

This book is a great example of modern sci-fi fun. It has a little bit of everything I like. A great central friendship between Gwen and her BFF Lesley. Some fun paranormal aspects with ghosts and of course time travel. A dash of family drama. A swoony and complicated boy in Gideon. A mystery that has been around for hundreds of years. In the wrong hands, this could be an overwhelming and cliche-wrought story, but luckily for readers, Gwen has an attitude that you can't help but root for and Gier has crafted a world that you want to learn more about.

Once I started, I couldn't stop, and I immediately checked out the two sequels Sapphire Blue and Emerald Green so I can finish out the trilogy as soon as possible! Also, major props to translator Anthea Bell. These books were originally written and published in German, and the translation is fantastically done in that nothing feels lost or words misguided. I even hope to someday read this book in the original German (if I can last that long in Duolingo!).

If you're in the mood for a fun series that takes on history with a dash of fantasy/paranormal with a fun protagonist, learn from my mistake and don't let this book sit on your shelf any longer!

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!

Back With a Vengance: A Darkness Strange and Lovely

A Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard (Something Strange and Deadly #2)
HarperTeen, 2013

Due to the fact that this book is the second in a trilogy, I will do my best to keep spoilers to a minimum, but some regarding the first book are unavoidable. You have been warned!

Dennard keeps readers on their toes and in the middle of a lot of action in the second installment of her Something Strange and Deadly trilogy. When we see Eleanor Fitt at the begining of this book, it appears that she is at absolute rock bottom. She has sold almost everything she owns to pay for her mother - who hates her - to get care at an institution. The Spirit-Hunters are an ocean away. She's been outcast by everyone she knows, with no one left who cares about her. Yet it is the violent and horrifying visions that she isn't out of harm's way that make her leave for Paris in an effort to find the Spirit-Hunters and stop the evil Marcus once and for all. But not even battling the Dead could have prepared Eleanor for the choices she must now make.

There is a lot going on in this book, both in terms of action but even more than that in regards to the mythology surrounding Marcus, Eleanor, and her newly realized necromancing abilities. The result of this is a lot of new characters to get to know along with watching Eleanor go from bad to worse. At the end of book one, she awoke a dark magic inside herself, and this book spends a lot of time showing how it tears at her, how what it needs versus what she wants to do are at odds. At times I cringed at her choices, but this tension drove the plot forward and I'm very interested to see how it will be resolved next year.

As Eleanor changes, so do her relationships. Yes, Daniel is back (thank goodness!), but these past few months have taken their toll on an already heartbreaking situation. Eleanor's choices affect not only her relationship with him, but also with the impetuous Jie and Spirit-Hunter leader Joseph. And then there's Oliver, a new addition to the cast whose moral compass doesn't exactly point north and plays by his own rules.

Though at times I was a bit overwhelmed by the intensity of this book and how much was going on, I enjoyed it. If you liked book one, hang on to your seats with this installment. Susan Dennard isn't afraid of exploring the dark side of the City of Light, but readers might be when they're done with this book.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!

Susan Dennard's Website
Susan Dennard on Twitter

Family and Futures: The Chaos of Stars

The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White
Harper Teen, 2013

*ARC won from author in a giveaway - thank you so much, Kiersten!*

I love it when I read books that don't remind me of anything else I've ever read, even of other books by the same author. Nothing could be truer of my experience reading The Chaos of Stars - while I read her first book Paranormalcy and given the premise of this story I felt some Percy Jackson-esque flavors, this novel did a lot of things right in my mind and stands apart from other books I've read lately.

Isadora is the daughter of two ancient Egyptian gods and is convinced her parents don't actually care about her. If they really did, why won't they make her immortal instead of being totally content with letting her die someday? Then when her mom, Isis, gets pregnant, it feels like Isadora is officially being replaced, not good enough, unwanted. Timing couldn't be better that Isis has dreams that Isadora is somehow in danger and decides to send the 16 year old to San Diego to stay with her brother. Isadora is determined to soak in as much as possible about the modern world and leave her ancient, crazy family behind, but if if Isadora can't learn to embrace her heritage and family, she might not have a future.

There have been some mixed reviews on this book so far, but personally I really thought it was fantastic. I wasn't so sure about the structure of the story, snippets of mythology, and Isadora's occasional dreams at first, but it grew on me a bit with time. White does a fantastic job of having a protagonist who isn't necessarily terribly likable (at least at the beginning). Contrary to popular belief, a story can still be great even if the protagonist is a bit of a jerk, or in Isadora's case, a little closed-minded. She's so consumed by being angry at her parents, especially her mom, that she hardly leaves room for anything else. But in time, she does grow, and I particularly enjoyed how Sirius, Isadora's older brother whom she is staying with, serves as an example of how relationships are what you make of them and it's a matter of perspective. Isadora has a bit of an edge to her, she resists attachments and love, but her walls come down as she grows. The supporting cast and the friends she makes provided some comic relief and cause for hope. I loved the character of Ry and how his own particular story surprised me, and he was a great match for Isadora's personality.

In an interview she did with another author I love, Stephanie Perkins, White said that this book actually says a lot about her relationship with God and I think that going into this book knowing that actually made me like it more. This whole novel can be seen as a beautiful allegory if you so choose, or you can take it as it is on the surface as a tale of teens and their parents. Either way, if you stick with this story and give it an honest chance with an open mind, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what's in store.

Thanks again so much to Kiersten for sending this ARC my way, and thanks for a beautiful story that truly pulled at my heartstrings.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!


Kiersten White's Website
Kiersten White on Twitter

Salt and Secrets: Unbreakable

Unbreakable by Kami Garcia (The Legion #1)
LB Teen, 2013

*ARC Provided by the publisher at ALA 2013 - Thank You!*

Demon hunting meets The DaVinci Code in Unbreakable, the first book in The Legion series and first solo effort by Kami Garcia, co-author of the Beautiful Creatures series.

Kennedy loves her life in Washington DC, but everything changes the night she comes home to find her mother dead. Since her father left long ago, Kennedy prepares to move a boarding school in New York until a spirit tries to kill her in her childhood home the night before she's supposed to leave. Thankfully identical twins Jared and Lukas destroy it before it's too late and expose Kennedy to the truth: they believe that Kennedy's mother was a member of The Legion, an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from an evil demon, and now it is time for her to take her mom's place. What unfolds is a quest for a long missing weapon and an answer to seemingly impossible questions.

Garcia's novel hits the ground running and gives readers a little bit of everything: supernatural spirits, secret societies, action and adventure, and romance that comes in the form of a possible love triangle between a girl and identical twin brothers. Whew! At times it felt like a lot, and at other times the pacing was actually a bit stalled. It's a lot to be happening in a story that takes place over a very short period of time, the bulk of it spanning the course of a week, possibly less.

While this reads very much as a First Book in a Series story and that can be a bit tedious with so much setup required, I still liked it for the most part. Alara and Priest, the two other members of The Legion, were each well rounded and I was especially jealous of Priest's innovations and inventions. For people who like fast paced stories with plenty of paranormal intrigue who are also fans of Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments, they will probably be find a lot to love in this book. It could have just been the mood I was in when I read this, but to me this was a 'I'll check it out from the library' story rather than one I'll purchase - I'm interested enough that I'll check the sequel out in a year to see what happens next.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!

Kami Garcia's Website
Kami Garcia on Twitter