Cinder by Marissa Meyer

#1 in the Lunar Chronicles
Published January 3, 2012 by Feiwel & Friends
5 Stars
DAC 2012

Goodreads Review
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. 

In this thrilling debut young adult novel, the first of a quartet, Marissa Meyer introduces readers to an unforgettable heroine and a masterfully crafted new world that’s enthralling.


Review:  I know it's barely into 2012, but I already think that Cinder will be one of my favorites of the year. I've read a lot of fairytale re-tellings, but never one quite like this.  There's not just one thing about Cinder that makes it so awesome.  The setting, the characters, the twists, the writing style, and so much more all add to this unique reading experience. 

Let's talk characters.  Cinder is fantastic.  She is one of the best heroine's I've ever read.  I love how she faces prejudices against her and still tries to take charge of her own life.  She's her own person and makes her own decisions.  Some of the things that are said and done to her by her "family"are absolutely horrible, but that only makes Cinder more determined.  It's not just Cinder that's an awesome character though.  I really LOVED all of the supporting cast.  Iko, Cinder's robot BFF, is adorable and HILARIOUS.  Cinder and Iko together were some of the cutest parts of the book.  I also really liked (and hated) the evil stepmother and sister.  I think Meyer did an excellent job with these two characters because, while they are still evil beyotches, I understood WHY the were evil beyotches.  They were just flat "bad guys" they had their own motivations and reasoning behind their actions.  

Let's also talk Prince Kai for a minute.  Prince Kai is dreamy and funny with great interaction with Cinder.  I really liked how we also get to read some chapters from his perspective.  Not only does this give us valuable information about the overall story, but we also get to see Kai's struggles.  He's trying to come to terms with his father dying and the fact that he will be the next emperor, which is a huge responsibility at any time, let alone when his country is precariously close to war with a much stronger nation.

I absolutely loved the futuristic setting, AND the fact that it was set in future China!  I've been to China, so I really enjoyed reading her interpretation of how China would have evolved.

Proof!  I'm in the red coat, and yes that really is the great wall behind me.

 Cinder is an excellent start to the series.  There are going to be 3 more books, and each one is going to be a re-telling of a different fairy tale.  They are Scarlet (2013) - Little Red Riding Hood, Cress (2014) - Rapunzel, and Winter (2015) - Snow White.  This is really encouraging because in Cinder there are plenty of questions that still need to be answered, in particular with the Lunars and their evil "queen".  

In all honestly, I haven't been this excited about a book in a long time.  While I don't think I'm doing nearly a good enough job at expressing just why I love this book so much, I hope you all will look past my inadequate ramblings and just buy the book.  You won't regret it. 

The Morganville Vampires Vol. 1 by Rachel Caine

#1 and #2 in the Morganville Vampires Series
Published November 3, 2009 by NAL Trade
4 Stars

Goodreads Review
The first two novels in the New York Times bestselling Morganville Vampires series together for the first time in a new trade paperback edition.

Morganville is a small college town in the heart of Texas-not a place that exactly screams "hotbed of creatures of the night". But college freshman Claire Danvers is about to discover why, in Morganville, you should never, ever stay out after dark...

Glass Houses
College freshman Claire Danvers moves off campus and into an old house in the small town of Morganville. Her new roommates have her back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood...

The Dead Girls' Dance
Claire may have a great roommate and a new boyfriend, but when she's invited to the Dead Girls' Dance all hell breaks loose-literally. Because this time, the living and the dead are ready to tear up the night...

Review: You can tell that Rachel Cain has a foundation in adult urban fantasy.  I felt like I was reading more of a  toned down adult book than YA.  However I think this makes the series stand out from other YA vampire series.  Cain isn't afraid to show you the sexy make out scenes, rather than just tell you it happened and gloss over the actual hooking up.  I really appreciated that because what can I say?  I like a little hot kissing every now and then.     


Cain also puts her characters into very adult situations.  In the first two books we already faced drinking, bullying, drugs, attempted rape, murder, and suicide.  This is almost a bad thing because SO much bad stuff happened already I can't imagine where the series will go without becoming so dramatic it becomes ridiculous.  And there's a lot more in the series (11 books so far).  

Glass Houses 
In the first book in the series we're introduced to 16 year old college freshman Claire.  She is being horribly bullied by some BEYOTCHS and decides to move out of the dorms into an old house with three other teens Eve, Michael, and Shane.  And then the shit hits the fan because Claire finds out there are vampires running this town and the girls who have been bullying her are tight with some scary vamps.  Now Claire and her friends have to basically find a way to save their asses from being beaten or blood sucked to death.  This book was super exciting and really caught my interest because the writing was just so different from all the other YA paranormals.  I also loved that Claire was super smart and didn't abandon school just because of a little vampire problem.  Eyes on the prize girl!


Dead Girls Dance
If you thought things were tense in the first book, then be prepared to be blown away by the second.  Things really get crazy in this book when Shane's dad and his biker gang roll into Morganville to do some major vampire revenge massacre.  In this book I would almost say things were TOO cray-cray because the resolution of all of the drama seemed to quick and easy.  I do like how Claire seems to grow a pair in this book.  She's a lot more resourceful and daring (maybe a little too daring at times).  I also really liked learning more about the vampires and how they work (or don't work) as a society.  (However the title is misleading because there's hardly any dancing).  


I have to admit I was a little wary because of all the hype, but after reading the first two books I see that the series is deserving and am very anxious to read the next bind up. 

I Couldn't Wait....

So.  I preordered The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, but that copy wouldn't have come until Friday so....I went to the store today.  Make that three stores today.  I was on a mission.  A fish mission.  And I didn't come away empty handed.  DFTBA.

Teaser Tuesday 1/10/2012

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
• Share the title & author so others can add the book to their TBR list

Why We Broke Up 

Novel by Daniel Handler 

Art by Maira Kalman

"And I told you never to buy me flowers," and I can see it, you rolling your eyes and smiling on the stage.  I smiled back, an Idiot who didn't want flowers, the fucking flower shop where everything collapsed, why the bottom of this box is carpeted with dead rose petals like a shrine on the highway where there's been a wreck.  

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

#1 in Shades of London Series
Published September 29, 2011 by Putnam Juvenile
5 Stars

Goodreads Review
The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon "Rippermania" takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

Review:  The Name of the Star is an excellent murder mystery that combines historical, comedic, and paranormal aspects to create a unique spin on one of history's most famous crimes.  This book is excellently researched and fully utilizes the urban legends that have grown from the historical facts to create a believable modern day mystery.  


I really loved the main character, Rory.  She is smart and funny and really well developed.  She rolls with the punches and is able to step up to the different challenges she faces and is just totally awesome.  But I have to admit my favorite moments weren't the fast paced action but the small moments when Rory was hanging out with her room mates and friends.  Maureen Johnson is excellent at writing girlfriends.  (I also have to admit that the first 100 pages or so felt like Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins but in London.  Sort of a Aurora and the English Murder, if you will...)


One thing that I have to mention is the humor in this book.  It is very smartly done.  There are pop culture references without being specific.  I really hate specific pop culture references because it dates a book.  Maureen Johnson did a wonderful job creating jokes that are funny because they are funny, not because they're relying on current events that will be forgotten about in a year.  


I'm super excited that this is the first of a trilogy.  The ending of this book was CRAZY AWESOME.  I really have no idea where the next book is going to go, which is both exciting and kind of scary.  The next book is called The Madness Underneath (awesome title, btw!) and it's due out October of 2012 and I cannot wait.  Will it still follow Jack the Ripper, or will it go into a different British myth?  (maybe some creepy Alice in Wonderland?  I'd freaking love that).  The point I'm trying to make is that I'm really hooked on this series and will definitely be pre-ordering book 2.  


Overall The Name of the Star is an excellent murder mystery with a great sense of humor AND a freaking scary ghost/killer that will keep you laughing and guessing on every page.  I highly recommend this book for all fans of paranormal YA or books about European boarding schools.  

Pink piggy mugs....for times of extreme stress

100 Movie Challenge

So I recently watched a video by BooksandQuills where she challenges herself to watch 100 movies in 2012.  I think this is an excellent idea because I am a huge movie lover, so I decided to add this to my challenges for 2012.  I'm making a separate page so that I can track books and movies more easily. Do you guys want me to review the movies I've watched?  This could be a good way to add to my netflix account.  Post in the comments below and let me know what you think!

Soul Screamers Reading Challenge

Rachel over at Fiktshun is hosting a great reading challenge.  The challenge is focused around the popular Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent.  The challenge is to read and review all five of the currently published books in the series by June 15th.  Not only is this an excellent way to read this series (I own 4 of the books) but you can also win some totally awesome prizes, including a $50 gift card to Amazon, Barns & Noble, or The Book Depository or a pre-order of Before I Wake, the 6th book in the series set to come out June 2012!  I encourage you all to head over to Fiktshun's blog and sign up for this awesome challenge!