In Pursuit of My Own Library

Got a little tangled up in multiple projects again, and actually finished this book a week ago. Sorry if I have missed some of the finer points in my review as I try to scrape it out of the back of my memory. We are continuing our journey through the Republic's underground to destroy the evil Elector Primo in the sophomore novel of the Legend series.  Prodigy by Marie Lu This story finds June and Day developing more through tragedy and misunderstanding. Their relationship is very real. They have been wounded, betrayed, used, and misled. Each has their own personal struggles while trying to love each other. And they are young; meaning they do all the wrong things and make developing a relationship almost impossible, yet you keep rooting for them to figure it out. The raw pain and emotion is exposed in the story, but it is not the focal point. These are books that don't over do the romance even though it is a key component to how the main characters react and make choices. I

This review will probably not do enough justice to the quality of this novel. The category may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it still remains a book every one should read. Swallow your aversion to young adult or romance or whatever would usually keep you from picking up a copy and go for it. I promise it will be worth it. Here and Now by Ann Brashares If you are familiar with the author, then you are already aware of her style. She is the creator of the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series, most notably. However, this latest novel is a fresh side to the young-adult-falling-in-love-for-the-first-time theme. I have to admit I really could have gone without this plot device. It wasn't as well developed as her previous stories, though it was an incredibly  real ending. Falling in love for the first time is great, but there are more important lessons to learn. Ann shows those lessons for the here and now (hehe, title pun) with gritty realness.  The characters them

A collection of Vietnamese short stories releases next week. I have been making my way through them during the weekend. Then I spent the other parts of the weekend totally freaked out. I may have even developed a few new phobias about the other world. I absolutely love the culture of these stories and Violet Kupersmith bringing them into the modern era. The lessons that grandmothers have been teaching their grandchildren in Vietnam are now polished up for everyone to enjoy. I am a huge fan of cultural myth and folk tales. This was definitely a book for me, but I think that everyone can enjoy the stories. Keep your lights turned on! Get your copy pre-ordered here , or ask your local, indie bookseller to get an order.

Back to the world of D&D. I have received the fifth installment of  The Sundering series. We are starting to really draw to the end of this rollercoaster. We are looking at the last incline before the great, exciting plunge at the end. So far, I have enjoyed only the even numbered authors. Will Troy Denning break the pattern? The Sentinel by Troy Denning Unfortunately not. With the fifth installment of The Sundering series, I feel like I have stepped into a separate world again. Byers was starting to put all the pieces together for me. He even had a character bleed forward from Evans's novel. A world was building and a picture was developing in my mind.  With the  The Sentinel , I felt like I spilled developer solution all over the beautiful picture and now have big splotches covering up half the frame.  We have a new cast of characters that seem to have no relevance to the previous books. They are just yet another group of Chosen for yet another group of gods I don'

My husband is wonderful. For Christmas, he surprised me with a complete set of hardback copies of the Legend series. He had read about the impression they were leaving in the literary industry and thought I might enjoy them. I love that he supports my reading addiction, and that he knows me well enough to buy me a set of books I couldn't put down. My to-read is realistically stacked so high I have just cracked open my Christmas gift. Legend by Marie Lu I was initially hesitant about reading an urban fantasy since I prefer the completely unrealistic to the very possible dystopian future America. I am certainly an escapist in loves with magic and elves. Don't misunderstand, though. I enjoyed The Hunger Games but am not as fanatical about them like I am about Harry Potter . These books have been classified as the competition to Hunger Games . And boy, do I think they wallop them into the ground.  This is a YA novel that probably could have easily succeeded without such youn

but it isn't. The fifth installment of The Sundering series will be releasing on April 1st. Troy Denning adds his voice to the series in The Sentinel. My full review will get published later this month, but my first impressions are a little hazy. I'm still processing what I read, I think. I have two weeks to process and write my review. For Now: Visit the amazing Wizards of the Coast product page for more details. Visit the expansive Sundering  website  for the synopsis of all the stories, maps, apps, and other multimedia goodies.

As I continue my way through The Sentinel , I will give readers a chance to enjoy another author interview. I have really enjoyed being a part of this author's journey and hope you readers are trying out some of the books I have reviewed and recommended.  We are back with Anna Kashina again for some more fun interviewing. This time about her amazing new action adventure novel Blades of the Old Empire . Her new novel has been in stores for six days and has already entered the top 100 in the World Literature category. That is a strong opening for a strong book.  The questions in this interview round are distinctly different from Anna's last interview because the two novels have a different feel and tone. The questions were a lot of fun to come up with, and Anna bounced back some excellent answers. Our interview below: Amy) To me, it seems that every classic adventure fantasy has a great map. How did you develop the map for  Blades of the Old Empire ? Anna) This map w