In My Mailbox (122)

Thanks to Kristi at The Story Siren for hosting In My Mailbox every week.


Review:
Innocent Darkness by Suzanne Lazear [Buy now]
Via Netgalley

Won:
All Things Wicked by Karina Cooper (signed!) [Buy now]
Thanks to Juliana Stone & Karina Cooper!

Bought:
Wicked as they Come by Delilah S. Dawson [Buy now]
Blood on the Bayou by Stacey Jay [Buy now]
The Seduction of Phaeton Black by Jillian Stone [Buy now]

Kindle:
Halflings by Heather Burch
The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch
Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari
All three titles were $1.99 when purchased


Library:
Through Her Eyes by Jennifer Archer [Buy now]
Where Demons Fear to Tread by Stephanie Chong [Buy now]
Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey [Buy now]
Dreaming Awake by Gwen Hayes [Buy now]


Used:
The Spirit Rebellion by Rachel Aaron * [Buy now]
Nocturne by Syrie James * [Buy now]
Light My Fire by Katie MacAlister ** [Buy now]
Incarnate by Jodi Meadows [Buy now]
Hungry For You by Lynsay Sands ** [Buy now]
Legend of the White Wolf by Terry Spear * [Buy now]
Partials by Dan Wells [Buy now]
Titles with * were found in $1 section
Titles with ** were purchased by Christen


Today, Christen and I also went to an author signing (and found a new used bookstore in the process). The signing was for Historical Romance author Julia London. Normally, I don't include the Historical Romance novels that Christen buys or borrows in these posts since it's not a genre reviewed on this blog, but an author event in Central Florida isn't an every day occurance. Christen grabbed the first book in the series and I purchased the second for her.

Thoughts on The Hunger Games (Books)

Today, I'm going to ramble on about some of my thoughts regarding The Hunger Games series. I will try to be as spoiler-free as I can, but I really can't guarantee anything. So read at your own risk.

I originally read The Hunger Games in the fall of 2010. Mockingjay has somewhat recently released, and I finally gave in to all of the buzz. I hadn't delved into the world of Dystopian YA at that point, so it was something completely new for me. I remember finishing the novel thinking that it would make a great movie (although I don't know if I knew there was going to be a movie at the time), but wasn't overwhelmed by it's awesome-ness like everyone else seemed to be. Since then, I've read and enjoyed a couple other Dystopian YAs (and had a couple disappointments), and now include it as one of the genres I enjoy to read.

Two weeks ago, I decided to re-read The Hunger Games in preparation for the movie. The more I saw the trailers, the more I realized that I didn't remember a lot of the details. After reading it a second time, I am now totally in love with it. I was able to enjoy the book so much more this time around since Dystopian YA wasn't new to me anymore. I was originally going to wait until after I saw the movie to start book two, so that it didn't cloud my enjoyment of the movie, but that lasted less than 24 hours. I stayed up until 3:30am when I finally picked up Catching Fire, and finished it by the next afternoon. It is officially my favorite book of the series.

Knowing I wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything else until I finished them all, I dove straight into Mockingjay. At first, I was a little thrown off, because of how different it was from the other two. The first two each included a game, so it was weird for the plot to be so different. I don't like change. Come to think of it, the last Harry Potter was my least favorite for the same reason: after six book of them going to school, book seven brought them somewhere else. I just really don't like change.

I'm not going to review or summarize or dissect these books. But I am going to ramble about a few points that I just need to get off my chest. (I can't talk with Christen about all of them because she hasn't picked up Mockingjay yet, so I came here.)

1. The wolf mutts at the end of The Hunger Games seemed out of place to me. I don't know why exactly, but they just didn't fit into the rest of the game in my head. I realize they aren't much different from Tracker Jackers and Jabberjays, but something about their sudden appearance threw me for a loop. I understand that there were other circumstances that were controlled, such as the fire, but these just seemed like it was overreaching what we knew about the Gamemakers. (Although they made a little more sense while watching the movie because we got to see the Gamemakers in action.) After reading book two and learning about all of the different traps and mutts in that game, the wolf mutts weren't nearly as off-putting.

2. I went into this series knowing there was a Team Peeta and a Team Gale. When I finished book one, I was totally confused. How could I be Team Gale when he had barely any face time? Although we did learn about him through Katniss, I still felt like I barely knew him. And when I finished book two, although I felt like I learned more about all three main characters, I still didn't understand how anyone could be Team Gale because I still barely knew him. Granted, I wasn't necessarily Team Peeta. I don't think I picked a team until the middle of Mockingjay, and I'm not really sure why I ended up on Team Peeta. I can't pinpoint what it is about Gale, or what he did, but I found myself rooting for Peeta.

3. I can't imagine my 14-15 year old self reading these books like so many teens are. I was reading YA when I was a teen, but there were not a lot of choices and there weren't nearly as many risks being taken by authors. It wasn't until I was around 19 or 20 that the YA market took off. I was basically reading Harry Potter, Harry Potter, and more Harry Potter. And we were only up to book five. I'm not saying these books would've been too violent for 14-15 year old me, but I was a pretty sheltered kid. The deaths in Harry Potter didn't affect me the way I think the death in The Hunger Games would, because of the magic. Although The Hunger Games is science-fiction, there's nothing magical about a bow and arrow or a knife.

4. Was I the only one that forgot Katniss and Peeta were still kids in Catching Fire? There were so many other adults around, and no one looked down on them due to their age. I kept having to remind myself that they were still 17 (I think). It didn't bother me, because these had to grow up too fast given their circumstances.

That's all for now. I'll probably ramble about the movie in the next couple of days. I'll give you a hint: best book-to-movie adaptation I've ever seen.

Waiting on Wednesday (50)

This book blog meme is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Title: Insurgent
Author: Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent #2
Genre: Dystopian Young Adult
Release date: 05/01/12
Chosen by: Sara
Summary:

One choice can transform you -- or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves -- and herself -- while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable -- and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.

Guest Blog: Karen Duvall

Today I'd like to welcome Karen Duvall, author of Knight's Curse and Darkest Knight from Harlequin Luna. I just finished Knight's Curse and really enjoyed how unique it was (review coming soon). Darkest Knight was released this past Tuesday!

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Flawed Characters and Why We Love Them

One might assume that readers would enjoy reading about heroic characters who do all the right things at all the right times and are perfect in every way. After all, we want to identify with these characters because they're who we wish we could be, right?

The fact is that perfect characters are boring, and flawed characters are interesting. The imperfect character is allowed plenty of room to change and grow throughout the course of the book. Readers enjoy the experience of watching this transformation as they cheer the characters on and grip the pages while the characters confront one obstacle after another before finally earning their reward at story's end.

That's why we read books. And yes, we do like to identify with the characters, but not because they're who we want to be, but because they share our imperfections. They're like real people, just like us. They make mistakes, just like us. They fight with their families, put the empty milk carton back in the fridge, drive off with their mug of coffee sitting on top of the car, and forget to bake cookies for the church bake sale on Sunday. Mundane as these examples are, the point is that imperfection is life, and art imitates life.

Even though the main character is flawed in some way, their attributes make them stand out and earn the admiration of readers. Their imperfections make them interesting and multi-dimensional, but it's their good qualities we hold in high regard. Their good points make them rise to the top and often assist them in overcoming the flaws that would keep them from achieving their goals.

So as we identify with the flawed characters' problems, we also see our own potential in their strengths and virtues. It's easy for us to immerse ourselves in a story about a character whose good qualities we respect.

As an example from our beloved urban fantasy genre, let's take a look at vampires, who are flawed by design. They're despicable by nature, however, our vampire heroes are conflicted about what they are and what they want out of their unlife. They're walking contradictions and we love them. Why? We don't aspire to be blood sucking fiends ourselves, but we sympathize with their plight and cheer them on when they use their dark talents to fight evil, win the woman they love, and protect the people they care about. Their stories offer the fantasy that you can be a monster and still be one of the good guys.

In my Knight's Curse series, my heroine is quite flawed and is constantly faced with choices that can go either way. She screws up sometimes, that's how she learns. She's not perfect. Chalice has lived a sheltered life so when she discovers who she really is, it takes her time to accept and learn how to deal with the magical and dangerous life she's thrust into. She makes friends and enemies, meets her fallen angel father for the first time, and falls in love with an immortal warrior named Aydin, who suffers with the same gargoyle curse.

Who would you say is your favorite flawed character and what helps you overlook their flaw to see the better person underneath?

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Title: Knight's Curse
Author: Karen Duvall
Summary:

A skilled knife fighter since the age of nine, Chalice knows what it's like to live life on the edge -- precariously balanced between the dark and the light. But the time has come to choose. The evil sorcerer who kidnapped her over a decade ago requires her superhuman senses to steal a precious magical artifact... or she must suffer the consequences.

Desperate to break the curse that enslaves her, Chalice agrees. But it is only with the help of Aydin -- her noble warrior-protector -- that she will risk venturing beyond the veil to discover the origins of her power. Only for him will she dare to fully embrace her awesome talents. For a deadly duel is at hand, and Chalice alone will have to decide between freedom... and the love of her life.

Title: Darkest Knight
Author: Karen Duvall
Summary:

"Betray your sisters or your lover. You choose."

After the warrior she loves saved her from a murderous gargoyle, Chalice watched helplessly as Aydin turned into a gargoyle himself. Now, free from the curse that enslaved her, Chalice pledges to join her sister knights in The Order of the Hatchet -- and do whatever it takes to regain Aydin's humanity... and his love. What she encounters within their hallowed sanctuary is pure intrigue.

Someone -- or something -- is murdering her sisters in their sleep, provoking fear and suspicion among the order. Meanwhile, Aydin, unable to stay away, starts haunting Chalice's dreams, urging her onward. Ultimately, Chalice will be faced with an agonizing choice -- one that will tear away at her newfound identity and force her to choose between duty and desire...

Review: Black Howl by Christina Henry

Title: Black Howl
Author: Christina Henry
Series: Madeline Black #3
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 02/28/12
Reviewed by: Sara
But the Book:

Summary:

Something is wrong with the souls of Chicago's dead. Ghosts are walking the streets, and Agent of Death Madeline Black's exasperating boss wants her to figure out why. And while work is bad enough, Maddy has a plethora of personal problems too. Now that Gabriel has been assigned as her thrall, their relationship has hit an impasse. At least her sleazy ex-fiance Nathaniel is out of the picture -- or so she thinks...

Plot: 5 Stars
This series just keeps getting better and better. The storyline that involved the wandering ghosts was very unique, and of course, Maddy ended up in the middle of it without even trying. The plot was an emotional rollercoaster with all of its twists and turns, and was heartbreaking at times. I really enjoyed how the different plotlines twisted together more and more as the story progressed. I wouldn't describe the ending as a cliffhanger, but there was definitely a detail that has left me anxious for the next installment.

Pace: 5 Stars
There was never a dull moment during this novel. Maddy had more than enough on her plate. Between tracking down the missing werewolves, trying to figure out what was making certain ghosts act so strangely, trips to both Amarantha's and Lucifer's court, and hopping through numerous portals, there was barely time to breathe. And get Beezle more junk food.

Characters: 5 Stars
Maddy has gained a bit of confidence as this novel progressed and started commanding a bit more attention from those who had previous waved her off. This novel had even more Beezle. He went everywhere with Maddy, instead of staying home to guard the place. He complained for junk food and warned against falling into horror movie tropes constantly, and I loved it. Gabriel and Maddy's relationship continued down its complicated, hot and cold path. JB grew on me a little more, even if he was still a bit insufferable when it came to paperwork.

Cover: 4.5 Stars
The covers for this series have also gotten better and better. I like that there's still a vague reference to Maddy's wings, but it's not as noticable. Instead, your attention is drawn to the abstract shapes in the background, which are very intriguing. They blend into the background enough not to draw too much attention from the background, but stand out enough to catch the eye. The cover is a bit more purple than blue, when compared to the previous installments, but the blue titles draws the three together. The cover model is standing with more and more confidence with each cover, and she really looks like she could kick your ass on this cover. The sword comes across as more of an extension of her arm, which is reminiscent with the novel.

Overall: 5 Stars

Disclosure: I received a copy of this novel for review.