A Court of Mist & Fury - Sarah J. Maas (Book Two)

Second book in the Court of Thorn & Roses series.  Seriously Sarah is KILLING ME!!  I loved the first book, had a tough time waiting for this book and I think I will die in agony for books 3 thru 6 (not currently out).  I would recommend NOT picking this series up until um about 2020 I believe that is when book 6 is due out.  But then again you would be missing out on the continuation of what I recommended you to read in A Court of Thorns & Roses.  Mwahahahahahaha yes I am evil.

Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches and returns to the Spring Court and to Tamlin.  But at what cost?  What of the bargain she struck with Rhysand?  What cost will it be in becoming a High Fae?  Will she lose herself in the twisted courts of the fae?

Alright so just like the first one I enjoyed this one.  It went in directions I never dreamed possible and ended with well you'll just have to read it to find out how this one ends.  But the more I read of this series the more addicted I am to.

Catalyst - Anne McCaffrey & Elizabeth Ann Scarborough

Anne McCaffrey & Elizabeth Ann Scarborough have co-written a quite a few books together.  This one is an expansion tale of the Barque Cats.  Telepathic cats that service space ships essentially.

This particular tale is told about Chessie - valuable crew member aboard the Dolly Maise, Chessie is a rare cat.  Fine breeding, close bond with her Cat Person and a fine queen breeder, she is valued for more than this.  But Chessie is catnapped before her latest litter is born.  To make matters worse there is something going through the animal community that while it doesn't make them sick, it is showing signs of an odd side effect.  What  happen to Chessie and her kittens?

This is a short read and a bit of an interesting read but for a co-write between these two, it fell short for me.  Which surprised me.  I adore cats (having 2 myself) and I adore the 2 authors.  I liked reading about Chessie's spunky kitten, Chester.  But the rest of it just I dunno what it was, but it just wasn't as enjoyable.

There is a second book - Catacombs - that picks up where this book leaves off and I will pick that up as well.  Here's hoping it's a little better...

Freedom's Landing - Anne McCaffrey (Catteni Series Book 1)

Do I love Anne McCaffrey?  Yes.  She is one of my favorite authors.  Like one of my first favorites so she holds a special place for me.  And Freedom's Landing series and Crystal Singer series just keep me coming back again and again and again.

Forgive me but I have to quote the back of the book:

"Kristin Bjornsen lived a normal life, right up until the day the spaceships floated into view above Denver. As human slaves were herded into the maw of a massive vessel, Kristin realized her normal life was over and her fight for freedom was just beginning…

The alien Catteni value strength and intelligence in their slaves—and Kristin has managed to survive her enslavement while hundreds of other humans have not. But her trial has just begun, for now she finds herself part of a massive experiment. The aliens have discovered a new world, and they have a simple way of finding out if it’s habitable: drop hundreds of slaves on the surface and see what happens.

If they survive, colonization can begin. If not, there are always more slaves"

This series has four books in it and I'm not going to review all four but I will say that it is so worth it to read them.  Kris is spunky, lively and a fighter.  And once again Anne McCaffrey creates a world that you can envision easily and it's gorgeous.

The Darkest Minds - Alexandra Bracken

"When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that had killed most of America’s children, but she and the others emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they could not control.

 Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. She is on the run, desperate to find the only safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who have escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents. When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at having a life worth living."

 Well this was a bust. Seriously I couldn't even finish it. I couldn't even get half way through it!  The main character is weak.  No personality, no drive, no passion and no will. The write up on the back of the book (above) sounds interesting and intriguing right? FALSE ADVERTISING!! Seriously, Ruby is a frightened child in the beginning of the book - she's 10, I get it. But she doesn't move beyond that - even though the book picks up after the first chapter 6 years later. And while I'll allow that she "grew up" in a camp and didn't have much stimulation to promote growth, when she is busted out she's still just this flat character. Put aside that fact that Ruby is dull, the premise is...well it's not described very well in the book. Kids come down with something, the government locks up the survivors.  You find out because of this the US plummets into social, monetary and political disaster. They do a few "experiments" on a the first ones through the camp but mostly just house them. They don't give them anything to do there - it's like the author just wrote about prison and these kids are just victims.  HOWEVER I will say that the kids that turned out with the top tier symptoms are - psycho. Like bat crap crazy psycho.

 All in all I'm not going into further detail about why you shouldn't read this book , just take my word for it.

 I still don't understand how this book is rated up there with the Hunger Games...

Splintered - A.G. Howard

Alice in Wonderland has always been just a story to me - sure I enjoyed the spin Disney has done (more the animated than the recent movies) but I've never been obsessed with Wonderland.  Still the story intrigued me so I picked it up to read.

Alyssa Gardner is different.  She hears bugs and flowers talk.  Her mother is in the loonie bin and it seems that she will head there herself before too long.  But theres more to the story that just being crazy.  After all her great great aunt is THE Alice herself that Lewis Carroll wrote about.  Maybe Alyssa isn't that crazy after all...

This book was truly a coming of age novel.  Between the art she explores to drown out the voices she hears, the relationship with her mother and father, down to the feelings that she has for a boy.  But throw in the fantasy world of Wonderland in a dark way that your not used to thinking and A.G. Howard really captures the reader.  Beautiful imagery and the descriptions in vivid detail form clothing to rooms to characters really makes you feel like you've fallen down the rabbit hole.

Only when I went searching for the book cover did I discover that this in fact a trilogy (what is with the trilogies lately?!?!).  I'm gunna have to pick up the other two now...

Oh ya if Alice in Wonderland, fairytale twists or coming of age books are your thing, pick this up.  Even if none of the above is, probably wouldn't be a bad idea to broaden your range an try this one out.

Dragonquest - Anne McCaffrey (Pern Series - 2)

Not as exciting as the first one and def not the most memorable.

Another turn and dragons take to the sky to fight Thread.  F'lar knows there's a better way to fight Thread.  Will he be able to do it before the Oldtimers cause more dissension?  What will it take to get the blasted fire lizards out of his Weyr?  Why can't he stop his crazy brother F'nor from launching suicide missions?

Honestly this book while it is the logical second book was kind of a snore fest and I could do without it.  But that being said still read if Pern is a series that interests you.

Dragonsong - Anne McCaffrey (Volume 1 of the Harper Hall Trilogy - Pern series - 3)

This is one of those easy reads that takes me away to Pern and envelopes me in the story.  When I was a teenager I read this book called Island of the Blue Dolphins and I feel that Anne channeled that book writing this one.

Enter Menolly.  She lives in a seahold off the coast and dreams of becoming a harper.  Those dreams are dashed when she is injured and her father forbids her from becoming one.  Menolly runs away and finds a batch of firelizards about to hatch.  Fearing for their life, she keeps them from escaping a cave into the danger Thread falling outside.  9 imprint on her and she teaches them to sing.  Her life isn't so lonely anymore and her amazing little friends open a new world to her so thought was lost.

Ok so not my best description but this book is so worth the read.  While part of the Pern series and the first book in a triliogy it can be read as a standalone.

Pick it up, borrow it but def read it.

Dragonflight - Anne McCaffrey - (Pern Series)

One of my first excursions into fantasy was with Anne and so she holds a special place on my shelf.  Chronologically speaking in the world of Pern, this isn't the first book, but there are MANY different ways to read her books so you don't have to take my advice.  They do all interweave and *most of her series could be read as standalones but you do get more sense of characters and world if you read this one.  If you want to read it chronologically - read Survey P.E.R.N.  Dragonflight falls um 20th in the chronological order but for me this was the best introduction to Pern and the way of life that exists now. Anne herself said the best way to read her series in the way it was published, and this book was her first written in 1968.  So readers, this is also my recommendation.

It has been 400 years since Thread has fallen from the sky, destroying crops and killing people.  400 years since dragons fought the Thread as it fell.  400 years since the dragons have had purpose and not a drain on the holds that support them.  But the Red Star has made it's pass and the time of dragons is coming again.  And one woman will lead them all into a new era - making dragons relevant again.

This isn't my favorite Pern series book but it is oh so important to see where Lessa came from.  What makes her the stalwart woman she is and more important how she changed Pern.  Anne created an incredibly detailed and rich world and you just want to keep reading about it.  I devoured any and all books about Pern that I could.

Yes pick this one up.  Yes immerse yourself in Pern.  Whether you love or hate Lessa - the world of Pern will beckon you and you'll want to visit it more.

Sword Dancer - Jennifer Roberson (Tiger & Del Series Book 1)

Finally tracked down all but the last book of this series.  7 books total feature the story of Tiger & Del.

Sword Dancer begins with the meeting of Tiger, a desert sword dancer - born a slave; and Del, a northern sword dancer on a mission, a blood quest, as cold and fierce as the land she hails from.  Through necessity she seeks him out to help her traverse the fierce desert and find her lost brother.  Tiger accepts because he is drawn to her cool beauty and mysterious power.  Where will their journey take them?  What dangers await?

This book had me from the beginning.  Tiger may be a sexist man but he's one of those men that underneath it came is a softie.  And oh how soft he gets towards Del.  Tiger grows a lot in this book and is a learning man.  Del is a huge mystery until about half through but is one of those characters you want to learn about.  She is so focused on finding her brother it blinds her to everything.  They both get into some pretty tough scrapes in this book but its a fantasy series that keeps you rooting for them.

I would recommend for sure and I can't wait to read the second one.