from goodreads.com

Fairytales aren’t just for children anymore!

Welcome to Jackalopany!  Meet King Jack and Queen Felicia and their estimable children, Paisley and Jackson.  Paisley has reached the year of her majority and is about to endure her “Majority Ball.”  She’s unique, prank-loving, and not ready to change her life.  She’d rather continue her days herding sheep, playing her harp, and avoiding the responsibilities associated with the Jackalopian throne.

The shepherd Henry, Prince Rupert of Froggilandria, Kyle of Kaiandra, Marcus of Wellsbiundia, and the amusing Cletus of Rednecky all battle for the hand (and possibly the rest of) Princess Paisley.  Will Darius of Griffinlund foil the plans of so many?  Will tragedy leave the Jackalopian throne bereft of an heir?  And last but not least, will the narrator ever stop yammering about the rigors and rules of the fairytale genre?

A sweet little Kindle book. Like most Kindle books, it has a couple of typos and some errors, but I guess it was worthwhile if you get it for free. Just read the summary and decide if you want it... :)

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from tweenybopperbooks.wordpress.com

OUTSIDERS 

Widowed just two days after her unwilling marriage to a man twice her age, Marnie finds herself an outsider in the remote seaside village of Torcurra. Spurned by the townsfolk who suspect her involvement in her husband's death, she has only two friends: the local priest and the madman known as Raver, even more of an outcast than Marnie herself. Marnie makes a remarkable discovery about Raver, whom she renames Raven, and the two forge a deep bond that begins to heal her own bruised heart. But the suspicious villagers see Raven's transformation as evidence of witchcraft, and suddenly Marnie finds herself facing an ordeal that threatens not only her future with Raven, but her very life.

Such a beautiful story.

Marnie was a really nice character. Her spirit was so accurately captured in the text. Father Brannan was so good to her, and they were both just wonderful to each other.

I'm not sure if I liked the way Raven was portrayed. In the beginning, he was just more of a simple-minded person, but the bond between Marnie and Raven was a powerful thing. 

The description and the book design (at least in the copy I read) were both beautiful.

Just read it, okay?

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from amitybooktalk.blogspot.com

Welcome to Elsewhere. It is warm, with a breeze, and the beaches are marvelous. It’s quiet and peaceful. You can’t get sick or any older. Curious to see new paintings by Picasso? Swing by one of Elsewhere’s museums. Need to talk to someone about your problems? Stop by Marilyn Monroe’s psychiatric practice.

Elsewhere is where fifteen-year-old Liz Hall ends up, after she has died. It is a place so like Earth, yet completely different. Here Liz will age backward from the day of her death until she becomes a baby again and returns to Earth. But Liz wants to turn sixteen, not fourteen again. She wants to get her driver’s license. She wants to graduate from high school and go to college. And now that she’s dead, Liz is being forced to live a life she doesn't want with a grandmother she has only just met. And it is not going well. How can Liz let go of the only life she has ever known and embrace a new one? Is it possible that a life lived in reverse is no different from a life lived forward?

So this was a totally creative, wonderful book. The premise was very refreshing, the storytelling was marvelous, and Liz was just such an understandable, perfect character. I could relate to her and I loved that.

The narration was somewhat distanced from everything and yet not too aloof, a great way to portray the book's characters. The use of present tense wasn't exactly gripping, but it brought a very clean, fresh tone to the piece. All of the supporting characters were pitch perfect as well - Owen, Betty, Curtis Jest, everybody. Yes, even the dogs. Did I mention there are dogs?

It's not exactly one of those "This is quite queer, and I like that," books, but neither is it a "Boring" book. It's somewhere in between, a happy medium. There was just the right amount of philosophical musing and funny bits. 

Overall, I would say read it. Now. I'll be looking for more of Gabrielle Zevin's books in the future. :)

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I don't really have the time to review every single book I read anymore, so I'll just share the cover, title, author, and synopsis with you... :)

from thebooksmugglers.com

Part of the Grisha Trilogy...

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.
Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.

from wikipedia.org

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty’s anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen’s Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

In her exquisitely written fantasy debut, Rachel Hartman creates a rich, complex, and utterly original world. Seraphina’s tortuous journey to self-acceptance is one readers will remember long after they’ve turned the final page.

from suzannecollinsbooks.com

Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When her sister is chosen by lottery, Katniss steps up to go in her place. 

from cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com

Zulaikha hopes. She hopes for peace, now that the Taliban have been driven from Afghanistan; these changes could mean a whole new life for Zulaikha--but can she dare to hope they'll come true?

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