SweetHearts by Sara Zarr

SweetHearts by Sara Zarr

This is an excellent growing-up novel for any teen. Jenna Vaughn is a senior at a small charter school in Utah who, on the outside, has it all - friends, a boyfriend, a great body etc.

What Jenna's friends don't know is her rocky childhood or the one boy who helped ease her loneliness.

Peppered throughout the book are memories, little things that Jenna remembers about Cameron Quick and her own childhood. She remembers the day he snuck a ring and a note into her lunchbox saying that he loved her. She remembers being teased by the popular kids and being called Fattifer. She remembers the week Cameron spent at her house and how hyped on sugar he got after eating chocolate chip pancakes. She remembers the dollhouse he built for her birthday and escaping from his father. She remembers compulsively stealing food.

One day Cameron doesn't come to school and then he's just not there for a few months. When Jennifer finally gets her courage to ask the teacher says that he's moved away and the kids at school tell her he has died. Either way Cameron is gone and he didn't even say goodbye. Eight years later on Jenna's birthday Cameron shows up again to place a birthday card and a cheap plastic ring in her mailbox.

Jenna is thrilled Cameron is alive and hurt that he never contacted her before this. She's never forgotten what he meant to her but she's not sure how to incorporate him into the new life she's built for herself.

There are aspects of the book I really related to and I really felt some heart-tugs for Jenna and Cameron. The book was well-written in almost a journal style with randomly interspersed memories and completely from Jenna's point of view. The reader only knows what Jenna knows and sometimes this is helpful and sometimes it hinders the whole Cameron picture since it's based on her childhood information.

I felt the end was unfinished but even that felt right after I thought about it. Jenna's mother said she always felt there was something unfinished about Jenna and Cameron and Jenna reflects later that that unfinished something was love. The book felt unfinished because their love is unfinished and that made me feel infinitely better about the ending and not really KNOWING how the two of them end up and if it all works out.

All in all an excellent book.

Touch the Dark by Karen Chance

Touch the Dark by Karen Chance

This was a confusing book in my opinion.

Cassandra Palmer (Cassie for short) is basically a normal human with clairvoyant abilities in a world where vampires, werewolves, fairies and ghosts coexist stealthily with humans. With her psychic abilities and the fact she can see ghosts she is very much a commodity in the vampire mafia world of Tony, a 3rd level master who killed her parents to keep her talents in his control.

Cassie escapes from Tony's clutches and three years later the book starts. A wide cast of characters is introduced including Cassie's ghost symbiot Billy Joe, several historically prominent figures (Cleopatra, Rafael, Rasputin, Jack the Ripper etc. as vampires of course), a few different ruling bodies for the magical communities (Silver Circle, European Senate, Dark Fey etc.) and some that we only really learn about in passing like Cassie's parents.

The action is quick and sometimes hard to follow especially since Cassie and Company make intuitive leaps that I might not make as a mere mortal. Still the characters and how they interact with Cassie and further the plot are interesting. I enjoyed seeing the historical characters come to life (well as vampires) and the little interesting snarky comments about how they became what they did. Cleopatra got the single line about how she wasn't bitten by an asp. Rasputin got a full paragraph about how historians had been arguing about how long it took him to die and that it was hard to kill someone who was already dead. (Historical note: Rasputin was a "holy man" in Russia in the early 1900's who curried favor with the Empress Alexandra for his hypnosis healing of her hemophiliac son Alexei. Rasputin was assasinated by Russian royals who were displeased at the influence he had with the monarchy. They fed him tea and cakes that contained mass quantities of cyanide which didn't kill him immediately as it should have. So they tried clubbing him, shooting him several times and rolling his body up in a carpet and dumping it into the river. When his body was fished out several days later it was determined that he had died of pneumonia because his lungs had filled up with water.)

In the end Cassie becomes the Pythia, a job she thoroughly does not want. She is a part of but outside the jurisdiction of everyone else in the magical community and has the power to settle disputes. Among other interesting things the previous Pythia lived for over 400 years. Cassie does not necessarily look forward to all of that and still has plenty of questions to settle about her parents and the vampires that once controlled her life. I recommend reading this one and have ordered the next one.

Prince of Magic, Prince of Fire & Prince of Swords by Linda Winstead Jones

So since I last updated (some 18 days ago) I have completed:
Heroes Adrift by Moira J. Moore
Prince of Magic, Swords & Fire (3 books) by Linda Winstead Jones
Lucky's Woman by Linda Winstead Jones
Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson
Goddess of Love by P.C. Cast
Storm Front (Harry Dresden Files, 1) by Jim Butcher
Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer







I REALLY need to restrict myself so that when I finish a book I write about it.





Since I just finished the 'Prince' Trilogy by Linda Winstead Jones I guess I'll jot that down before my need to read overwhelms me yet again.


The Prince of Magic was the first in this Trilogy that for some reason is called "The Children of the Sun Trilogy." Since the three main characters of these novels are the children of the Sun Witch, the Moon Witch and the Star Witch (from the Fyne Witches Trilogy, a name that makes perfect sense...) the name doesn't quite make sense to me.

Reading these easy novels is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. There seems to be some small plot lurking somewhere and it has to do with the emergence of a demon that eats souls and has inhabited the body of Emperor Arik's son Ciro. Ariana, Sophie Fyne Varden's firstborn, is a witch who has been working in the palace at Arthes to help heal the Emperor who has been dying since his son disappeared (when he was taken by the Isen Demon).


Sian (which is not a great name in my opinion) is a wizard who has the general ability to move things and make illusions. He enters the palace bearing a prophecy from his grandfather which has to do with the firstborn of three "fine" women which the Emperor (knowing the Fyne Sisters) is immediately able to translate to "Fyne." Ariana, being one of the firstborn of the prophecy seems too delicate to be of any use in the war to come so Sian takes it upon himself (stupid, arrogant man) to teach her to strengthen her magic and combat skills.

As any good guilty pleasure goes he falls irrevocably in love with her, risks his life to save her and in the end she saves him and maybe the world as they know it since she is one of the few who can weaken the Isen Demon that threatens them. It was my least favorite of the books I think but then I had trouble finding Sian's character to be likable. Perhaps it was the odd illustration on the cover or her description of his too large nose. Maybe it was his spiky, snarly personality that seemed completely undeserved. I have no problem with a tortured hero but he didn't really have the past to justify his snarky behavior.






This second book by Linda Winstead Jones in the 'Prince Trilogy' or 'Children of the Sun Trilogy' was by far my favorite. In Prince of Fire the plot from Prince of Magic continues but is now focused on Keelia, the daugher of the Queen Mother of the Anwyn Juliet Fyne and Queen of the Anywn in her own right. As the Red Queen that was prophesied about a long time ago (in the Fyne Sisters Trilogy) Keelia is supposed to take a Caradon lover (a species that is different from her own in that on the full moon they turn into panther-like cats and not wolf-type creatures like the Anwyn) and unite their peoples. Keelia doesn't see this a likely possiblity since her people are already at peace. Even though Keelia is a psychic she just didn't see him coming. Literally.





Joryn is Caradon (naturally) and has gifts and talents of his own. Aside from the panther he can shift into at the full moon, Joryn commands fire that can open the spirtual doors between worlds (and make normal campfires I suppose). Joryn kidnaps the Anywn Red Queen and holds her prisoner for several days as he tries to determine why she would have put a curse on his people that when bitten cause them to turn into soul-less half beasts at the full moon, unable to shift fully into man or panther. Keelia is suprised by his assumption that she has cursed his people and steadfastly denies any such power. After days of watching her Joryn has to agree that she is incapable of such maliciousness even if their separate species have been unfriendly in the past.




After a time it becomes necessary to move on and face the real perpetrator of the curse on his people and Keelia is determined to help him. They strike an uneasy truce; a partnership and they have a hard time keeping their hands off of each other. After awhile Keelia tries to convince Joryn that they are mates because all the signs are there. He adamantly denies any such assumption (stupid, stubborn man).




Unknowningly Keelia has a part to play in the firstborn prophecy and must betray love for victory. She is kidnapped (again! You would think being psychic would really cut down on her odds of getting captured in plain sight) and taken to the wizard responsible for the Caradon curse. The wizard wants to take her for his wife and create with her a baby according to the will of the Isen Demon. Joryn immediately goes after her but is himself captured when Keelia reveals to the wizard his exact location and when he would be resting. When Joryn is brought to her, he can see that she is not herself and that her will has been sapped by a talisman so all the hurtful things she says to him can be dismissed as she wasn't in her right mind etc. Of course it all works out in the end for Joryn and Keelia but Ciro and the Isen Demon are not defeated yet and there is one more person left to fulfill the prophecy and put an end to the fighting.




I really loved how absolutely stubborn these two characters were. Keelia is imperious and absolutely used to getting her own way without being frail or delicate or clingy. Joryn is addicted to the freedom he thinks he has and spurns her requests at every opportunity until he can't deny what they both want. One part I found particularly amusing was when Keelia demanded sex and Joryn being completely bull-headed turned her down because of her wording of the demand which was more like an imperial decree. Lol, no one ever said these were based off of reality...



In the last novel of the 'Prince' series the Prince of Swords, Lyr Hern, son of Isadora Fyne knows full well the trouble he is getting into when he travels from his home in Trynfyn (a different country) to assist his cousins in war against the Isen Demon. He knows that he is part of the firstborn prophecy and that he must find the Crystal Dagger in order to defeat Ciro and reclaim peace for the land. He is an honourable man who has earned his position in the Circle of Bacwyr as Prince of Swords and never uses his ability to stop time without just cause.

What he didn't know was that finding the Crystal Dagger meant finding Rayne, the daughter of the wizard Fynnian who made brief appearances in the first two books as the woman that Ciro "loved" and planned to marry and impregnate. As a woman that was pure in body, heart and soul this apparently made her the perfect carrier of his child. This scared the socks off of Rayne (as it should) and so when Lyr rescued her from the prison of her own home she gladly gave him the Crystal Dagger that her mother had fashioned and made him take her to a safe location.


Lyr didn't want a complication like Rayne added to his little warrior party and was pretty much determined to leave her at the first stop they made until he discovered Ciro's plans for her and her white soul. Knowing that having a child by Ciro would be worse than death Lyr tried to convince himself to kill her outright but couldn't make himself take that dishonourable action especially as she was so innocent of any crime. Rayne did try to sully her soul with cursing (which was amusing) before deciding that a sin like lust and covetousness would do just fine. She decided that maybe if she wasn't a virgin (pure of body) that Ciro might not want her anymore. After an interestingly straightforward conversation about her own deflowering, Lyr comes to her room to fix that oversight.


This seems to unleash some of Rayne's own magic which has to do with the Earth and growing things. Before long Lyr and Rayne find out that Rayne is an Earth Goddess incarnate and has the power to manipulate vegatation, rocks and water. This proves to be a useful gift in the end. With the crystal dagger and some illusory magic Lyr is able to get close enough to defeat the Isen Demon and Ciro before anything truly dark happens. But the story is not over as Lyr still has to prove his love to Rayne and the true heir needs to be crowned Emperor.


This was my second favorite novel mostly due to Rayne. She was an interesting enough character but I still liked Lyr better. At times Rayne seemed passive and fragile - not as strong as the other female characters even though she was supposedly an Earth Goddess. It was also a bit unresolved with some of the other characters but one can assume Ms. Winstead Jones is setting herself up for another interesting trilogy.

So far behind!

So this is just a little note to let myself REMEMBER how far behind I am...

I need to review (cause I've already read):
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
New Moon by Stephanie Meyer
Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
Halfway to the Grave by Jeanine Frost
One foot in the Grave by Jeanine Frost
Urban Shaman (The Walker Papers, 1) by C.E. Murphy
Wake by Lisa McMann
Beastly by Alex Flinn
Avalon High manga 1 & 2 by Meg Cabot
Armed & Magical (Raine Benares, 2)
Absolute Boyfriend Vol. 6 .
Heroes Adrift by Moira J. Moore
Lucky's Woman by Linda Winstead Jones
Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson
Goddess of Love by P.C. Cast

Currently on Hold (and waiting for me to read them):
Storm Front (Harry Dresden Files) by Jim Butcher
Grave Secrets by Kathy Reichs
Raintree by Linda Winstead Jones
Senrid by Sherwood Smith
Inda by Sherwood Smith
The Host by Stephanie Meyer
Murder of a Medici Princess by Caroline Murphy
The Queen's Bastard (The Inheritor's Cycle, 1) by C. E. Murphy
Thunderbird Falls (The Walker Papers, 2) by C.E. Murphy

Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce

Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce

This was probably my second re-reading of this series and I loved it just as much as I had the first time.

Daine is a young girl, newly orphaned who applies for work at a horse fair. The horse trainer, Onua doesn't want to take on such a young girl but gives her a chance and sets her in among the horses she has already purchased. It's not a problem for Daine that those horses are wild, untamed and unruly because Daine has wild magic and can speak to the animals.

Onua takes her on and they set off for the capital of Tortall because Onua is the horse-mistress of the Queen's Riders. Daine makes herself invaluable on the way by keeping the horses in line and fighting off immortals.

She meets Numair who plays a huge role as her teacher in the rest of the series. Numair is 27 at the start of the series and Daine is 13 so there is a huge age gap there.

Daine's magic grows leaps and bounds under Numairs tutelage and Daine's wild magic becomes instrumental in saving Tortall from Carthaki invaders.

Daine is probably my favorite character in the Tamora Pierce world of Tortall. She's got this natural thing with animals that I would love to have... She's not overly stubborn (like Alanna) or boring (like Kel - she was my least favorite heroine) or mischievous (like Aly, who is my second favorite (^_^) ) or even determined (like Pierce's newest heroine Bekka). Daine is just nice and has a lot of common sense and is brave.

Next up is Wolf-Speaker.

Magic Lost, Trouble Found

Magic Lost, Trouble Found by Lisa Shearin



I read this because I had heard that it was quite good; similar to the Heart of Stone series by C. E. Murphy.

Like the C.E. Murphy novels Raine is a fully formed character that already has had quite a bit of life rush past her and so she starts off (almost immediately) into a whole heap of trouble.

That might be helpful for some people to get them sunk into the story, but I tend to prefer a little more backstory before a full mental plunge into a character's life and story.

Raine comes into possession of a magical amulet that an employee (and friend) of hers had been hired to steal. This amulet while looking like a plain piece of ugly jewelry is really a powerful beacon to a much more dangerous magical item called the "Soul Thief." Once Raine has the amulet in her possession it won't let her go and so poor Raine goes the whole book trying to avoid all the bad guys who want the amulet and "Soul Thief." With the possession of the amulet Raine also gains all kinds of fun and interesting powers which she definitely needs to be able to survive all the bad guys that don't care if she lives or dies.

I had such a hard time getting into this book, especially at first... However about half-way through the book (once Raine has gotten herself thoroughly steeped in trouble) we really start to get to know and work with this Conclave Guardian named Mychael whose job it is to protect the amulet (and "Soul Thief"). And it was MUCH easier for me to read the back half of the book because of him.

Terrier by Tamora Pierce

Terrier by Tamora Pierce

Pages: A Lot (I forgot to check this time, maybe 500 - 600?)

The title of the book, Terrier, refers to the nickname Beka (Rebekah) Cooper gains as a Puppy (trainee) in her first year of training to become one of the Lord Provost's Dogs. (The terms Dog and Puppy are excellent metaphors for the police-like patrolmen that keep the peace and "sniff out" criminals. It is not used in a derogatory manner at all.)

Like a terrier, once Beka gets her teeth into something she doesn't let go. The book starts with several journal entries the first (I believe) starting in almost "present day" Tortall with George Cooper's mother (Eleni) telling us that this is the story she once told George as a young boy so that he would understand why she would not permit him to steal and lie and cheat. The story blossoms from there to show journal entries from Beka's Dog trainers before they knew her and her own mother before we hear from Beka herself.

Beka has all the things that make for a good heroine in a Tortall novel.
1.) The Gift of some kind. In Beka's case she has the ability to hear the dead spirits when they ride on the Black God's messengers (aka pigeons). She can also hear the words held by dust spinners. This is important as it is one way that Beka can gather information.

2.) She has the favor of the gods. The Cat with Purple Eyes makes an appearance (again) as Beka's pet and guide. Now we know how he put up with Alanna's stubborness so many years later. He had Beka to practice on.

3.) She is friends with many people who like/love her despite her faults. I was particularly interested in Rosto, the fellow from Scanra that anyone could plainly see would feature in Beka's story. I guessed correctly that he would become the Rogue by the end of the book but did not get closure on whether he was still WITH either Aniki or Kora. I maintain that he wasn't and hasn't been that kind of friend with either of them for a long while but nothing was implicitly stated and so I'm left hanging. I hate hanging. I mean he made his intentions well-known enough in like the last two pages of the book. Anyone can see where George gets his particular charm with stubborn women...

There are probably more but this is enough for now. I loved this book immensely and can't wait for the next one to come out. I did find this one darker (and more full of death) than many of the other Tortall quartets but I think that is just due to the nature of the time-period and occupation Tamora Pierce has set her character into. I look forward to Bloohound and Elkhound and whatever else is upcoming for Beka Cooper. :)