This week I had a HUGE surprise waiting for me in my mailbox! Cassandra Clare mailed me an ARC of Clockwork Angel for my birthday!

Let me preface this by saying this review is spoiler free! I wouldn’t dream of taking one drop of surprise away from you, so rest assured you can read on without fear.

Now, I’ve made no bones about the fact that my absolute favorite book of all time is CITY OF GLASS, and that my favorite author is -you guessed it - Cassandra Clare. You have to realize then, that I had very high expectations for the first book in her new THE INFERNAL DEVICES trilogy, CLOCKWORK ANGEL. Add to that knowledge that this book incorporates elements of Steampunk! (a fixation of mine for ages) and you’re starting to see that the expectations I held were not only very high, they were ridiculously high, insurmountably high, so very VERY high that it seemed completely impossible CLOCKWORK ANGEL could skim the surface of what I was hoping and expecting it to be.

It wasn’t as good as I’d hoped. It was SO MUCH BETTER!

You may doubt me right now. I’ve heard and read a lot of different people say they worry they won’t love this series the way they loved THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS books. (And if you haven’t yet read those, I shoo you forcefully away with the strict instruction to buy and read them IMMEDIATELY… don’t bother checking them out from the library. You’re going to want your own copies. Trust me.) Here’s the deal. What was it you so loved about the TMI books? Whatever your answer was, I can almost guarantee you that element features in CLOCKWORK ANGEL, too.

I’m not going to bother with a broad summary of the intro or hook of this story line. Doubtless you’ve read those already. You know that the story centers around a young warlock named Tessa Gray who travels from her native New York to London to find her brother in 1878. What you don’t know, and what I am going to tell you, is the reason WHY you’re going to love this book. The answer to that lies in the prose of CLOCKWORK ANGEL, itself:

“There was something particular and beautiful about the way the stele scrawled – not like ink flowing from a pen, but more as if the lines had always been there, and Will was uncovering them.”

When I read this, it made me pause. Not just because I enjoyed the imagery it evoked, but because it seemed such an apt description of Cassandra Clare’s writing itself. It’s exactly the way reading her work feels: not as if she’s creating this fantastical world with ingenious plots, unforgettable characters, and glittering prose, but as if she is simply uncovering these things for the reader. Her characters are so alive – so real and round – it’s impossible not to love and hurt right along with them. The themes and the plot are perfectly balanced: gritty and modern without ever having to try too hard to be edgy. The romance and relationships are just as complicated in this series as the last (though that probably sounds unlikely to you, trust me!) and the twists will have you speeding to the end of the pages and then cursing the publishing industry that the wait for book two is so painfully long!

So you can stop worrying now, and give your readership trust over to Cassandra Clare. She hasn’t let us down yet, and CLOCKWORK ANGEL is no exception. My advice? Clear your schedule for August 31st, you aren’t going to be able to put this one down!

Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series, is probably one of my favourite authors. In the Percy series he did such a good job of weaving together educational facts, humour, plot, and good characters.

And he's done it again with The Red Pyramid.

The story starts off with Carter Kane, a 14 year old boy who's had to travel the world, living out of a suitcase, with his ever since his mother died six years ago. He's always felt jealous of his sister, Sadie, who gets to live with their grandparents in London and have a normal life, going to school and making friends.

The ending had just the right amount of tying up lose strings, while leaving things open ended, so that you felt you'd read a complete story

Sadie, of course, has always felt jealous of Carter who gets to spend so much time with their Dad.

The siblings, who are basically strangers, have to band together after their Dad blows up an important Egypt artifact and releases five dangerous Egyptian gods.

Rick does so many things right in this book. There's action, adventure, a plethora of fun characters, and a lot of cool Egyptian mythology. And, in the same style as the Percy Jackson books, Rick combines actual history and mythology with a fantastic plot, making the books entertaining and educational.

The book switches between Carter and Sadie as narrators, which helped keep the book fresh, and with a female narrator widened the prospective audience. Both characters are intelligent but still children and do stupid things, and reason things out the way people their age would. And the book does a good job of leaving the kids on their own realistically. The adults don't just abandon them but they were taken out of the equation in ways that weren't too devastating to the young heroes.

The ending had a good balance of tying up lose ends while still leaving things open so that the reader felt they'd read a complete story but was still knew there was more to come.

The Red Pyramid was fun, fast-paced, and a terrific read. I'm very eager for more in this series.

So, there's this author Jackson Pearce. She writes books. And she blogs, and tweets, and vlogs.

Oh, and she hosts contests, which is what this post is really about.

I want to win her April contest. And the rules say I must talk about her forthcoming book, Sisters Red. But as it is forthcoming I can't really review it, can I?

Although, I can say it has a very pretty cover, and thats all most of us need to buy a book. A pretty cover, and a good blurb.

Wait, let me go check the blurb.

Scarlet March lives to hunt the Fenris--the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls' bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax and Scarlett's only friend--but does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they've worked for?

Huh, that sounds interesting.

I guess the only thing left to do is read an excerpt on the website, here

Oh, and if you're still intrigued, pick up a copy when it comes out on June 7th.

Now, I read a fair number of books. I've been known to read upwards of three in one day. So, when I say this is the best book I've read this year believe me when I say it had competition. And it blew that competition out of the water.

Finnikin of the Rock is a political fantasy in a style all its own. It is about a country that in five terrible days was torn asunder in murder, intrigue, and magic. It is a story of refugees trying to find their way home. And it is a story of a young man and a young woman, determined to save their people and how their ideas in how to do so, clash.

I don't even know where to begin on describing what I loved about this book. The main characters, Finnikin and Evanjelin are so wonderfully written. Finnikin is such a good balance of determined, indecisive, strong, weak, brooding, smart, funny...I could go on. He has such a passion for his homeland and his people but has lost faith in ever returning home. But he still has this part of him that is reluctant. A part that is afraid of returning home, of discovering who he is as the path back to their homeland threatens to make him more than he ever wanted to be.

Young adult literature likes to use the words "strong female lead" to describe their leading ladies. I never quite understood the phrase until reading this book. Most of the main characters in this book are male. They're all tough warrior types who have been forced to lead hard lives in constant travel. Then Evanjelin joins their group and,without saying a word, takes over their plans, and proves to them that she has a better understanding of what is going on. Her tenacity and strength are really what made this book for me. From the very beginning she knew exactly what she wanted and how to get it.

These two characters play off each other so well. Watching them grow through the story, and seeing the doubts they had and the regrets they harbored was like watching two real people. They jumped off the page and captured my heart and made it so it was impossible to put this book down.

They are many other fantastic characters, but when I think back on the book, it is Finnikin and Evanjelin that I remember the most. The book is about their journey and their discovery of themselves and each other.

When I reached the end of the book, my greatest wish was to forget it completely so that I could go back to the beginning and read it all over again, fresh. If you can only read one book this month, or this year, make it this one. You will not regret it.

Back in September, I posted my very first ever review on this here blog. I raved about how much I loved Carrie Ryan’s The Forest of Hands and Teeth and how excited I was for the sequel. The Dead Tossed Waves is technically released today, but I was fortunate enough to find it in my local bookstore yesterday and, again, could not put it down until I’d finished.

Though Dead Tossed Waves is technically a sequel to Forest, you don’t need to have read Forest to enjoy it (though please, for your own sake, read it…it’s probably the best YA book that came out last year). Time flashes forward, probably ten years? Fifteen? I wasn’t entirely positive on this point, and I liked that. Mary’s daughter Gabrielle lives as safe a life as she thinks can be lived in a town called Vista, nestled between the Forest and the ocean. Gabry’s world is so much different than her mother’s – the unconsecrated are now Modu, there is a town council instead of a sisterhood, and there is a very definite outside world with a protectorate to run it and Recruiters to protect it against the hoards of zombies who want nothing more than to spread their infection.

This book hits the ground running and doesn’t stop even once you hit the end. In a lot of ways, this book is the inverse of Forest. Where Mary was trying to find the outside world and the ocean, Gabry has to flee it. Read together, the books are a really well-done example of how the grass is always greener in someone else’s life. More htan that, it’s a great juxtaposition as to how two very different societies can essentially handle a problem in the same wrong ways.

Just like Mary was the anchor of Forest, Gabry really shines, and is perhaps even more amazing than her mother was. What makes her such a compelling main character is the fact that she starts off the novel terrified. She likes the safety and security that Vista can provide her - she doesn’t want to find out anything about the outside. All Gabry wants to do is live out the future she’s imagined for herself with her best friend Cira and Cira’s older brother, Catcher.

But Gabry can’t be scared forever, and when her fears are tested she shows a pretty inspiring strength. She’s a leader like her mother, but she also lacks a lot of the selfishness that made Mary frustrating and wonderful all at once. Gabry cares more about other people than she does herself and her own fears, but she tends to take too much on herself, which keeps her relatable. She has doubts about what she’s doing, and you just want to give her a hug and tell her she’s doing a great job.

The minor characters were all excellent, as well. Cira was an excellent foil to Gabry, and it made their friendship very real. Mary was still Mary, headstrong and a little selfish but so brave. Elias was strong and intriguing and you could feel the tension between he and Mary with every page. My favorite, though, was Catcher, who drew perhaps the shortest stick of any literary character I’ve ever read. He was sweet and loyal and so intensely likable, and then your heart just shatters into a million pieces for him. He is a character who wants to be strong and wants to be normal and wants to just live out his life and love Gabry, but he can’t do that. Every single thing he ever wanted is snatched away from him, but he still tries to protect Gabry and Cira and to do the right thing by everyone. If I could pull him from the pages of this book and keep him with me always, I would.

Despite having heart-pounding tension and a sense of danger that kept me turning the pages as fast as my eyes could move across the (beautifully written and haunting) prose, there was a less definite plot to Dead Tossed Waves than there was to Forest. In the latter, Mary has a clear destination: the ocean, outside. But in Dead Tossed Waves, Gabry just wants to get away from Vista and protect Catcher and Elias and Cira. She doesn’t have a specific goal except to flee. The lack of a goal didn’t bother me for the most part because I was so caught up in the characters’ terror, but once I got to the ending it seemed a little bit random and rushed. I still loved it - it still managed to catch that open-ended hope and the same sense of fear that there is so much more to the world than the reader or the characters can know – but because Gabry isn’t going anywhere but away, you are left feeling like this story isn’t at all over. I loved the indefinite ending in Forest and I loved it here, but a little more clarity as Gabry’s new goals and plan might have helped. Hopefully there is going to be a sequel.

The love triangle was a little odd for me, too, mostly because any kind of resolution or focus on it came in the last thirty or so pages and felt a little bit crammed in. I had a feeling which way things were going to go from the beginning, but the way Gabry made her decision just felt strangely fast for someone who over-thought things as much as she did. That said, I wasn’t displeased by what she decided and I was so excited by a resolution to something that lingered in my mind from Forest that I was willing to overlook this. So long as there is a sequel. Please, please let there be a sequel.

My one gripe about this book is actually nothing any author could change. I bought Forest of Hands and Teeth because I loved the cover and thought it really fit the book. Then, the stinking publishers changed the cover style for Dead Tossed Waves and made a new cover for Forest to match. Now my Dead Tossed Waves doesn’t match my Forest, and I don’t think the cover matches the book as well as the original cover of Forest matched its plot. Irrelevant rant, I know, but I can’t help myself.

Overall, Dead Tossed Waves owned me. It’s primary flaw was that I was left aching for more about the characters and the story, and that is pretty much never a bad thing. If there isn’t a sequel, I am going to cry (I can’t emphasize my need to read more about Gabry enough). Everyone needs to rush out and buy this today, because I want to hear what y’all think of the ending.

And...and...I just went to check out Carrie Ryan's twitter and there is going to be a third book! Phew!

I bought Incarceron by Catherine Fisher right when they released it into US bookstores (it was already released in England 2 years ago), but I had some other stuff I wanted to read first and I kind of forgot about it. Big mistake. I’m going to do my best to talk about this without spoiling things, because one of the best things about this book is that, for the most part, it slowly gives the reader clues and lets them piece together all the mysteries themselves.

Incarceron tells the story of two characters whose lives couldn't be more different. Trapped in a prison with no way of escape is Finn. He can’t remember his childhood outside of tiny pictures that come to him in flashes, and he has terrifying dreams that one of the wise-men in his clan thinks are visions. He is convinced he comes from Outside, but the Scum band he is a part of try to convince him that Outside is just a myth. Only it isn’t, because living in the Outside is Claudia, daughter of the Warden of Incarceron. Claudia lives a life of luxury, or as luxurious as the era that the queen has determined that all subjects live in can afford. She wants desperately to avoid an arranged marriage, but even more desperately to find the way into Incarceron. Her desire to get in and Finn’s need to get out bring them together with grave consequences for both.

If I had to compare this book to others, I would say it is one part Ella Enchanted, one part Maze Runner, one part Hunger Games, and one part Kristen Cashore. I already said that I loved the plot of this book, but what makes it such a good read is the characters. The contrast of Finn’s story inside the prison and Claudia’s story Outside is compelling and gives the novel a depth that a lot of YA books can sometimes lack. Finn is not perfect, but he does his best to be honest and fair and loyal, and watching him struggle in the prison broke my heart a little. Claudia is a strong female lead. She is smart, strong, daring, but also fiercely loyal and has enough compassion and insecurity that she stays likable and relatable.

More important than just Finn and Claudia, though, are the way the villains of the story have been crafted. The prison itself seems real, with eyes watching all the time and a strange way of seeming to be in all of its inhabitants’ heads. The Queen and her insipid son are both well drawn for their brief appearances. And then, of course, Claudia’s father. He is especially interesting because of Claudia and how she sees him. She hates her father for the man he is and the things he wants her to do, but she loves him just the same. He reminded me of a strange combination of Fire’s father from Fire, Valentine from The Mortal Instruments, and Ella’s father from Ella Enchanted.

My biggest complaint about the novel was the increase in point of view changes. In the first half or so of the novel, the points of view were limited to Finn and Claudia, which worked well to show the sad state of the world both in and out of the prison. In the second half of the novel, Finn’s companions began getting their say, as did Claudia’s tutor and even Claudia’s father. I found the additional points of view a little distracting and they took away some of the tension that had been built up by giving too much information.

The ending also felt a little bit rushed, but knowing that there is a sequel explains that for me. The last page was a good stopping point, but was also a big cliffhanger and I was left with a lot more questions than answers in some respects. This, however, wouldn’t have bothered me if the sequel were already out. Unfortunately, Sapphique won’t be released until January 4, 2011 in the US. If, like me, you get to that last page and are bereft that you don’t get to know how it ends, fear not. As I said, Incarceron and Sapphique have both been out in the UK for two years, so you can get your hands on it if you just can’t wait. And trust me, I don’t think you’ll be able to.

I was recommended Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver on twitter well before it was released. I immediately trotted off to Amazon to check it out and fell in love with 1) the cover (obviously) and 2) the premise. I was fortunate enough to find it at my local Barnes & Noble last Thursday (since it technically comes out today) and couldn’t put it down.

Before I Fall tells the story of Samantha Kingston, whose life couldn’t be more amazing – she’s popular, has great friends, is dating a hot guy, and is about to have sex for the first time ever – until one night, one party changes everything for her. An accident – tragic and poignantly written – takes Sam’s life. Or so she thinks. When she wakes up the next morning, it’s like the day has never happened. The rest of the book is a heartbreaking version of Groundhog Day that will stick with you long after you’re done reading.

When I first started reading, I wasn’t sold right away. Sam is one of “those” girls – popular, self-centered, and pretty much a sheep. She and her friends are callous, pick on kids less popular than they are, think they’re better than everyone else, and generally do things because everyone else is doing them, not because they want to. Sam is willing to sleep with her boyfriend, not because she loves him but because she doesn’t want to be the last to do it.

It was this original dislike that ultimately drew me in to the novel. The characters are written pitch perfect for high school girls (and guys). Oliver’s characters don’t seem like they should be graduating college instead of high school, and they don’t seem like freshman either. It was a good balance between smart kids from good families at a god school and typical high school lack of experience.

The thing that makes Before I Fall so amazing though, is that Sam grows and changes without becoming perfect. You watch her try on all of these different versions of herself. She becomes a better person and sometimes a worse person, always mirroring how much hope she clings to when she wakes up for that particular version of her last day. She realizes these mistakes she’s mad and her friends have made, but she doesn’t turn her back on the people she cares about. My favorite thing about Sam is that she doesn’t abandon her friends for being “bad” people; instead, she starts to realize and recognize things in them that their former friend code had demanded she ignore and never bring up.

It’s hard for me to review this novel without spoiling it, particularly because several of the things that I am still a little unsure about rotate around the ending. In the end, though, I loved it because of the fact that I was left unsure. Before I Fall makes you think, it makes you contemplate the very nature of the life you’re living and the tiny details you think are so meaningless but can mean so much to someone else. It’s a beautiful novel and I highly recommend it.

I’m going to talk about the ending in the comments, so if you don’t want to be spoiled, stay out of there!