It’s time for the National Book Festival in D.C. again! Remember last year when I met Sarah Dessen? Good times.
BUT THIS YEAR WILL BE EVEN BETTER. Why?
John Green. R.L. Stine. David Levithan. Lowis Lowry. Melissa Marr.
These are some of my favorite authors. I can’t wait to see them, to hear them speak. (And maybe get some autographs if I feel like standing in lines for several hours.)
I wasn’t fortunate enough to meet any fellow bloggers last year, but I’d love to change that this time around, if possible. Let me know if you’re going!
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And now, an obligatory response to the Where have you BEEN? question:
School. It has taken over my life. Even when I’m not in classes or at work, I’m STILL working. When I have downtime, I tend to waste it playing games or lurking on Twitter. You know – basically wasting it on everything aside from reading and blogging. But this isn’t anything new, is it?
Bottom line is I’m booked solid. But I’m not gone!
I’m doing my best to keep in touch while also keeping my school priorities straight. It’s an important year.
Hope everyone’s doing well!
2. Charles de Lint
3. Melissa Marr
4. Lisa Schroeder
5. Vladimir Nabokov
6. Laurie Halse Anderson
7. Natalie Babbitt
8. Julie Kagawa
9. William Shakespeare*
10. J.M. Barrie
*He’ll probably always be my favorite.
Let me just say that although this series has been a bumpy road for me with its super ups and disappointing downs, I am absolutely ecstatic it’s finally being made into a movie. If they do it justice, I think it will be wonderful.
(Irial fangirl time?)
This meme originates over at The Story Siren.
So excited! I’m a huge, huge fan of Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin, ever since reading The Half-Life of Planets. So I just had to get Jenna and Jonah’s Fauxmance.
Sarah recommended Falling in Love with English Boys, and it seems right up my alley. Can’t wait to give it a shot! How can you go wrong with England? I’m a London fanatic.
I’m a bit hesitant for Darkest Mercy, but I really want to see how the series comes to a close. Otherwise it would just feel forever unfinished.
Honestly, who isn’t excited for the release of Melissa Marr’s Darkest Mercy (the last of the Wicked Lovely series)?
I wasn’t particularly pleased or satisfied with the last installment, but I have high hopes for the story coming together in its ending. I mean, we’re finally getting back to Aislinn and Keenan! (Where have they been, anyway? Absent much?)
But, if you can’t wait a few more days for the 22nd (which is the official release day) or afford to snatch a copy for yourself, check out this excerpt and enter to win an ARC!
Darkest Mercy synopsis, from Barnes and Noble:
“ The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.
Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win . . . and some will lose everything. “
Radiant Shadows
Melissa Marr
FROM THE COVER:
Hunger for touch.
Hunger to belong.
Half-human and half-faerie, Ani is driven by her hungers.
Those same appetites also attract powerful enemies and uncertain allies, including Devlin. He was created as an assassin and is brother to the faeries’ coolly logical High Queen and to her chaotic twin, the embodiment of War. Devlin wants to keep Ani safe from his sisters, knowing that if he fails, he will be the instrument of Ani’s death.
Ani isn’t one to be guarded while others fight battles for her, though. She has the courage to protect herself and the ability to alter Devlin’s plans – and his life. The two are drawn together, each with reason to fear the other and to fear for one another. But as they grow closer, a larger threat imperils the whole of Faerie. Will saving the faery realm mean losing each other?
My rating: 3 stars.
MY THOUGHTS:
I truly believed Radiant Shadows – the 4th book in the Wicked Lovely series – would shine like the first. And again I was left feeling disappointed. Wicked Lovely introduces the wonderful world of Faery to its readers, but with each sequel the world dissipates, and Radiant Shadows was no exception.
I had high hopes because the book revolves around Ani, who’s a Hound. In the previous installments, the Hounds get little recognition, and I was curious to learn more about them and how they work. And while Marr does provide some insight in the beginning, by the end of the book it gets left behind in the wake of drama and romance between Ani and Devlin.
Don’t get me wrong – Ani and Devlin are both very interesting characters and have backgrounds unlike any of the others. That is, until their relationship progresses. As they grow closer, the story loses its personality; although a story about Ani and Devlin, I couldn’t help but feel as though their relationship with each other was too reminiscent of the relationships in the prior books. It began to feel as though I’d already experienced reading this before, and because of that, I yearned to see the other characters make appearances. When they didn’t (save for a very select few), it only made me care less about Ani and Devlin.
It’s beginning to feel as though every character is pre-paired with another, which is in turn becoming both predictable and unbelievable. Same goes for the plot. Radiant Shadows started off quickly, then just as quickly tapered off and dragged until the very end. Instead of a lot of information about Faery being released in each installment, only snippets are getting through, thereby forcing readers to wait for the answers to their questions.
As a stand-alone novel, Radiant Shadows isn’t much of a disappointment, except for its slow pace and predictability. However, as part of a series it leaves much to be desired, especially since its predecessors offer much more hope.
