Review: Imaginary Girls

Author: Nova Ren Suma

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Series: n/a

Genre: YA, Mystery, Paranormal, Fantasy

Rating:  3.5/5  

Recommendation: Ages 14+

From Goodreads:

Chloe’s older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can’t be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby’s friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

First of all, how amazing is that cover? It’s gorgeous. I have a lot of feelings about this book.  Not all of them good. This book is one of the most difficult I’ve had to review. It’s an incredibly layered and complex read with lyrical, image heavy writing and a moody atmosphere.

Review: The Lost Hero

Author: Rick Riordan

Publisher: Hyperion

Series: Heroes of Olympus Book #1

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Adventure

Rating:  4/5 

Recommendation: Ages 12+

Review: The Gray Wolf Throne

Author: Cinda Williams Chima

Publisher: Hyperion

Series: Seven Realms #3

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Rating:  4.5/5 

Recommendation: Ages 15+

Review: The Iron Thorn

Author: Caitlin Kittredge

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Series: Iron Codex #1

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Steampunk

Rating: DNF

Recommendation: I Don’t.

From Goodreads:

In the city of Lovecraft, the Proctors rule and a great Engine turns below the streets, grinding any resistance to their order to dust. The necrovirus is blamed for Lovecraft’s epidemic of madness, for the strange and eldritch creatures that roam the streets after dark, and for everything that the city leaders deem Heretical—born of the belief in magic and witchcraft. And for Aoife Grayson, her time is growing shorter by the day.

Aoife Grayson’s family is unique, in the worst way—every one of them, including her mother and her elder brother Conrad, has gone mad on their 16th birthday. And now, a ward of the state, and one of the only female students at the School of Engines, she is trying to pretend that her fate can be different

Review: Brightly Woven

Author: Alexandra Bracken

Publisher: Edgemont USA

Series: n/a

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Rating:  3.5/5 

Recommendation: Fantasy Lovers ages 13+

From Goodreads:

When Wayland North brings rain to a region that’s been dry for over ten years, he’s promised anything he’d like as a reward. He chooses the village elder’s daughter, sixteen-year-old Sydelle Mirabel, who is a skilled weaver and has an unusual knack for repairing his magical cloaks. Though Sydelle has dreamt of escaping her home, she’s hurt that her parents relinquish her so freely and finds herself awed and afraid of the slightly ragtag wizard who is unlike any of the men of magic in the tales she’s heard. Still, she is drawn to this mysterious man who is fiercely protective of her and so reluctant to share his own past.

The pair rushes toward the capital, intent to stop an imminent war, pursued by Reuel Dorwan (a dark wizard who has taken a keen interest in Sydelle) and plagued by unusually wild weather. But the sudden earthquakes and freak snowstorms may not be a coincidence. As Sydelle discovers North’s dark secret and the reason for his interest in her and learns to master her own mysterious power, it becomes increasingly clear that the fate of the kingdom rests in her fingertips. She will either be a savior, weaving together the frayed bonds between Saldorra and Auster, or the disastrous force that destroys both kingdoms forever.

You have no idea how much I wanted to give this book all the SRUTs. All of them. If I could give North and Syd and their adorable relationship and their banter 5/5 I totally would and then I would be quiet and watch them talk and save each other. However, since this book has an actual plot beyond North and Syd are cute, it gets 3.5 for a plot that didn’t get fully realized and then spun wildly out of control.

The Name of The Star

Author: Maureen Johnson

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Series: Shades of London #1

Genre: YA, Paranormal/Horror

Rating:  4/5 

Recommendation: Ages 15+

From Goodreads:

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.

Maureen Johnson is the author of several YA novels including 13 Little Blue Envelopes. For me The Name of The Star was her best to date. When Rory arrives in London there’s a slow build in suspense, we know a murder has taken place, a copy-cat of Jack the Ripper’s first killing, but it takes some build-up before our heroine is connected to the sinister crimes. Rory does have special abilities, but she isn’t necessarily played as a special snowflake, she has the abilities for a reason, and so do lots of others, what makes her important to the Ripper case is a combination of not knowing about the abilities and being in the very wrong place at the utterly wrong time.

Illustrating Thursdays: Howl’s Moving Castle

Illustrating Thursdays is a new meme Created and Hosted here on I’ll Read Anything Once. Along with reading, one of my great loves is art and illustration. Illustrating Thursdays is made to show off both. Favorite picture books or illustrations from a book, illustrations or art based on a book, or art that reminds you of a book you love are all fair game. Make sure to credit the artists and provide info on the books you choose. If you want to participate please do! Leave a link to your posts in the comments and link us in your post. (we’re working on a widget for everyone to use when they participate in the future).

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones; first published in 1986.

The Demon King

Author: Cinda Williams Chima

Publisher: Hyperion

Series: Seven Realms #1

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Rating:  4.5/5 

Recommendation: Ages 15+

From Goodreads:

This novel marks the first giant step in a momentous fantasy journey orchestrated by Cinda Williams Chima, the author of the popular Warrior Heir series. Its two chief protagonists are ex-thief Han Alister, an impoverished commoner, and Raisa ana’Marianna, the headstrong Princess Heir of the Fells. The Demon King brings them together, creating part of a volatile mix of action, magic, and danger. Empathetic characters; wizardly attacks.

The Deal: When semi-reformed thief Han has a run-in with three arrogant young wizards, that ends with him stealing a magical artifact from one of them, he unwittingly sets in motion a chain of events that will make him a key player in the tense and multi-layered politics of his once great and now struggling kingdom. Mix in a smart, strong-willed princess who is just beginning to realize that she’s already tangled up in lies and intrigue, warriors, wizards, thieves, and a whole world of players and pawns all with their own agendas and you’ve got The Demon King.

Battle of the Books

 Abandon                                            VS                                 The Goddess Test

Give Thanks for Good Books

Beth Revis (Author of Across the Universe and overall great person) is doing an amazing giveaway. I’m not going to lie, I’m dying to win (19 books!), but it also made me stop and think, what book Am I most thankful for?

I’ve been a reader all my life, since before I really understood the words and just imagined my own stories to go along with the illustrations. There are a lot of books that I can say with all honesty that I love. Adore even. Books that have touched me, made me think, or feel, or examine the world in a new way.But there is only one book that I’ve come back to year after year, since I was 10 years old, that still speaks to me just as much, maybe more, than it did back then.