Richard III by Shakespeare

Title: Richard III

Author: William Shakespeare

Genre: Classic Plays

Pages: 158

Rating:  4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Shakespeare; Book2Movies

Play

History or tragedy?  Even Wikipedia doesn't know.  I am going to all it a history.  While there are definitely tragic elements, we aren't supposed to identify with Richard.  The villainous villain of all of Shakespeare... and he's the main character.  I can not get over it!  He does have the most amazing monologues throughout the play.  Shakespeare is known for his monologues, but these are over the top.  I especially love the scene on the battlefield after the ghosts have visited Richard.  Oh how the mighty have fallen!  Not one of my favorite plays, but a very interesting history.

1955 Movie Adaptation

Before I say anything about the content, I must remark on the ridiculous costumes.  they are so comical and colorful.  They look like something that belongs in Disney World.  I Just can't get past them.  On to the content. Laurence Olivier is just amazing.  He exudes villainy and treachery.  And that wig is just perfect for the nasty king.  I was a bit unnerved at his monologues directly into the cameras.  It's a bit odd for a movie.  It made me feel that I was part of Richard's evil plan to get the crown.  But the performance is just right.  Last note...  I love how unrealistically people from old movies kiss.  That just looked awkward.

Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare

Title: Much Ado About Nothing

Author: William Shakespeare

Genre: Classic Plays

Pages: 98

Rating:  5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Shakespeare; Books2Movie

Play

I love the interplay of characters in this one.  We get some interesting pairs and foils.  While I don't find the laughs like I do in A Midsummer Night's Dream, there are some good moments.  Most of those moments come with banter between Beatrice and Benedick.  Beyond the content and characters, I do find it fascinating that this play in written mostly in prose.  We get Shakespeare's fun with verse occasionally, but most of it is straight verse.  And I do love that it's set in Messina on Sicily.  The setting gives the play a different feel than many of his northern settings.

Movie Adaptation

I decided to watch the 1993 Kenneth Branaugh version as Emma Thompson and Branaugh are amazing as Beatrice and Benedick.  Overall, their love story is the one that I watch.  Hero and Claudio's is too "love at first sight" nonsense leading to (in my opinion) Claudio's false accusation of Hero.  Of course, that is just my issue with Shakespeare's story.  I do love the blocking and sets in the film.  The rustic charm is to die for.  I want to visit.  And the costumes are appropriately wore in.  Overall, I think this is one of favorite adaptations of any Shakespeare work.

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Title: Northanger Abbey

Author: Jane Austen

Pages: 239

Rating:  5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Classics - Romance; Mount TBR; Book2Movie

How I Got It: Own It!

Northanger Abbey is fast becoming my second favorite Austen (after Persuasion, of course).  I love Catherine Morland.  She may be young and naive, but she grows.  She becomes a woman right in front of the reader.  I love the progression more than anything.  I see an early version of Emma in Catherine.  She's not as well defined as a character, but the idea of character so wrong in her worldview comes through.  This volume doesn't have the recognizable quotes that Pride and Prejudice does, but it does have some good discussions between Tilney and Catherine about life and literature.  And the novel doesn't have the extensive social commentary so prominent in P&P and Sense and Sensibility and Mansfield Park.  But that's okay.  This is more of a nice story of a girl growing into a woman and falling in love.

BBC Miniseries :

I love this movie.  I love the leads, Felicity Jones and JJ Fields.  I love the Abbey.  I love Bath.  I even love Isabella Thorpe, that snake.  (Carey Mulligan is equal parts likable and killable...)  Every part was perfectly cast.  I don't even mind the dramatization of Catherine's gothic stories.  It fits with her character even if Jane Austen didn't write them in there.  In fact, this is fast becoming my third favorite movie adaptation of Austen (after P&P BBC version and Persuasion new BBC version).

The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

Title: The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials #3)

Author: Philip Pullman

Publisher: Alfred Knopf 2000

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 518

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fantasy; Mount TBR; My Years -- 2000

How I Got It: I own it!

The Amber Spyglass brings the intrigue of The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife to a heartstopping close, marking the third and final volume as the most powerful of the trilogy. Along with the return of Lyra, Will, Mrs. Coulter, Lord Asriel, Dr. Mary Malone, and Iorek Byrnison the armored bear, The Amber Spyglass introduces a host of new characters: the Mulefa, mysterious wheeled creatures with the power to see Dust; Gallivespian Lord Roke, a hand-high spy-master to Lord Asriel; and Metatron, a fierce and mighty angel. And this final volume brings startling revelations, too: the painful price Lyra must pay to walk through the land of the dead, the haunting power of Dr. Malone's amber spyglass, and the names of who will live—and who will die—for love. And all the while, war rages with the Kingdom of Heaven, a brutal battle that—in its shocking outcome—will reveal the secret of Dust.

Good graciousness...  I could not be more blown away by this trilogy.  And I have no idea how these novels can be classified in the children's section.  These have so many layers.  We get a bit of adventure, some romance, some theology, some philosophy... It's just so layered that I had to pause every chapter or so to ingest what I was reading.  The moment that Dr. Malone finished the spyglass and saw the Dust flowing was a beautiful revelation.  I'm still processing this novel over 12 hours after finishing.  I think this trilogy will be one of those that we be reread every few years.  Read this for a challenge to your worldview.

His Dark Materials

• #1 The Golden Compass
• #2 The Subtle Knife
• #3 The Amber Spyglass

The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman

Title: The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials #2)

Author: Philip Pullman

Publisher: Alfred Knopf

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 326

Rating:   5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fantasy; Mount TBR; What's in a Name -- Pocket

How I Got It: I own it!

In The Subtle Knife, readers are introduced to Will Parry, a young boy living in modern-day Oxford, England. Will is only twelve years old, but he bears the responsibilities of an adult. Following the disappearance of his explorer-father, John Parry, during an expedition in the North, Will became parent, provider and protector to his frail, confused mother. And it's in protecting her that he becomes a murderer, too: he accidentally kills a man who breaks into their home to steal valuable letters written by John Parry. After placing his mother in the care of a kind friend, Will takes those letters and sets off to discover the truth about his father.

Warning: This review may contain spoilers concerning The Golden Compass... 

This book had some crazy twist and turns. The first part of the novel I was confused.  How does everything fit together?  Who is Will?  How is he connected to the larger war?  And how is he connected to Lyra?  What are the Specters?  What does Mrs. Coulter want?  Is Stannislaus still alive?  How is he connected to everything?  How are all the worlds connected?  Why are they connected?

So many questions...  We don't get them all answered in this volume, but it certainly sheds light on many of the mysteries.  I loved how we get to see the worlds and the quest through another pair of eyes, Will Parry.  He's an interesting counterpart to Lyra.  In fact, he seems to have a controlling effect on her that I wouldn't think possibile after the first book.  She is growing.  Will is growing.  All of the other characters are playing intregral parts to that growth and their futures.

Throughout the book, I found myself having to pause and reflect on what I read. I didn't power through the pages like I usually do.  I savored the paragraphs.  I stopped to think of answers to questions either posed by characters or ones that popped into my head.  I'm very intrigued by where this is all going.  J told me that I would have to read all three books back to back.  I didn't believe him at the start, but I do know.  I will definitely be continuing with The Amber Spyglass just as soon as I get something to eat...

His Dark Materials

• #1 The Golden Compass
• #2 The Subtle Knife
• #3 The Amber Spyglass

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Title: The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials #1)

Author: Philip Pullman

Publisher: Alfred Knopf 1995

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 399

Rating:   5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: YA; My Years -- 1995; Mount TBR; Book2Movie

How I Got It: I own it!

In The Golden Compass, readers meet 11-year-old Lyra Belacqua, a precocious orphan growing up within the precincts of Jordan College in Oxford, England. It quickly becomes clear that Lyra's Oxford is not precisely like our own—nor is her world. In Lyra's world, everyone has a personal dæmon, a lifelong animal familiar. This is a world in which science, theology and magic are closely intertwined.

This book is so much more than I thought it would be.  I went into the book thinking it was a YA Fantasy novel (more or less).  But this story has so many layers.  Pullman throws in theology and philosophy and ethics and history and sociology and psychology.  This is a story of who we are and where we came from.  As Lyra learns of the world around her and makes mistakes, we journey with her.  We encounter the same puzzling questions and dilemmas.  We sometimes make mistakes and sometimes make the right choices.  We learn of parallel universes and the possibilities they hold.  We learn of deceit and betrayal, but also of loyalty.  We learn what it means to be human and bear and witch and daemon and everything else.  I loved the characters and the settings and the adventure.  But I really loved the revelations and conversations.  The plot helps us to journey along the path to a higher realization of the universe.  I can't wait to jump into the second book, The Subtle Knife.  I'm told we travel even further down the rabbit hole.

Movie Version:

I saw this movie before reading the book and even then I thought it was bad.  Now I know how truly bad it is.  They took a wonderfully complicated novel and turned it into a silly family adventure movie.  All the complexities are gone.  Although somehow they are hinted at, leaving the audience in complete confusion.  They cut out huge swaths of the plot line.  Characters disappeared everywhere (especially my favorite, the witches).  I think part of the problem is summed up by this bit of trivia courtesy of IMDB.com

Director Chris Weitz has himself adapted Philip Pullman's work, citing the film and its sequels to be influenced by Barry Lyndon and Star Wars. He also mentioned that the film would make no direct mention of religion or God, two of the key themes of the books - a decision attacked by fans of the trilogy. According to Weitz, New Line Cinema feared that "perceived anti-religiosity" would make the film financially unviable in the USA. However, Weitz reassured fans by saying that religion would appear in euphemistic terms.

His Dark Materials:

• #1 The Golden Compass
• #2 The Subtle Knife
• #3 The Amber Spyglass

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Title: The Wizard of Oz

Author: L. Frank Baum

Published: 1900

Genre: Classics; Satire

Pages: 198

Rating:  3/5 stars   1939 movie: 4/5   Tin Man: 5/5

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Classics -- 19th Century ; Book2Movies

How I Got It: I own it!

Dorothy thinks she is lost forever when a terrifying tornado crashes through Kansas and whisks her and her dog, Toto, far away to the magical land of Oz. To get home Dorothy must follow the yellow brick road to Emerald City and find the wonderfully mysterious Wizard of Oz. Together with her companions the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion whom she meets on the way, Dorothy embarks on a strange and enchanting adventure.

I read this slim novel way back in elementary school and loved it.  So this is a reread for me.  And I have to say that I'm disappointed.  I still love the storyline.  I love the different lands that Dorothy and her friends travel to.  I especially love the Emerald City.  It's a fun interesting little story.  But then I look at the writing and I am sorely disappointed.  It's just a badly written book.  Every paragraph feels stilted.  I'd rather pick up some Chopin or Dreiser or Lewis or Tolkien.  Oh well...

1939 Movie Version:

I loved this movie as a child.  I loved the glittering colors, the fanciful characters, and the singing.  Rewatching this as an adult, I still love this movie.  Although it is a far cry from the book.  My favorite scene has to be the tornado.  It's amazing to think that in 1939 they could pull off something that gorgeous.  It boggles my mind.  My favorite character is the Wicked Witch of the West.  I'm glad they decided to expand her character from the book.  She has some of the best lines.

Scifi Version Tin Man:

An interesting updated version of Wizard of Oz.  Zooey Deschanel is just amazing, but then again I allows love her.  And the sets are just gorgeous.  Can we talk about the costumes?  The sorceress Azkadellia's fantastic costumes are a treat to behold.  I love that DG wears Dorothy's 1939 dress as a waitress uniform.  The idea of a Dorothy or DG lost outside her world is an interesting one.  The monkeys are a real treat.  And Zero is just awesome as the head of Azkadellia's guards.  But the best characters is definitely the Tin Man.  He's a great foil to DG.  Overall, I love how the movie gives nods here and there to the original story, but puts its own spin.

Oz:

1. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
2. The Marvelous Land of Oz
3. Ozma of Oz
4. Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz
5. The Road to Oz
6. The Emerald City of Oz
7. The Patchwork Girl of Oz
8. Tik-Tok of Oz
9. The Scarecrow of Oz
10. Rinkitink in Oz
11. The Lost Princess of Oz
12. The Tin Woodman of Oz
13. The Magic of Oz
14. Glinda of Oz

Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin

Title: Ashen Winter (Ashfall #2)

Author: Mike Mullin

Publisher: Tanglewood Press 2012

Genre: Post-Apocalypse

Pages: 584

Rating:  4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: YA

How I Got It: Netgalley

It’s been over six months since the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano. Alex and Darla have been staying with Alex’s relatives, trying to cope with the new reality of the primitive world so vividly portrayed in Ashfall, the first book in this series. It’s also been six months of waiting for Alex’s parents to return from Iowa. Alex and Darla decide they can wait no longer and must retrace their journey into Iowa to find and bring back Alex’s parents to the tenuous safety of Illinois. But the landscape they cross is even more perilous than before, with life-and-death battles for food and power between the remaining communities. When the unthinkable happens, Alex must find new reserves of strength and determination to survive.

I have a major confession to make: I just didn't love this one as much as the first, Ashfall.  It had ongoing adrenaline.  It had suspense.  It had heart.  And yet, there was something wrong with it.  After spending a few minutes thinking, I finally can down to the conclusion that Alex made one too many stupid decisions.  I was excited to see Alex grow as a character throughout the first book.  It was something you just don't see in many YA novels.  I loved that aspect even more than the natural disaster parts (and I love me some natural disaster stories).  So I expected Alex to continue growing throughout the second novel.  But it just didn't happen.  Starting with his determination to catch the wheat barges on the Mississippi, he continued to make stupid decisions. I just wanted to smack him way too many times.  Don't get me wrong, overall I love this series.  If there's another book in the series, I will definitely be reading it.

Ashfall

• #1 Ashfall
• #2 Ashen Winter
• #3 Sunrise

Ashfall by Mike Mullin

Title: Ashfall (Ashfall #1)

Author: Mike Mullin

Publisher: Tanglewood Press 2011

Genre: Post-Apocalypse

Pages: 476

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: YA

How I Got It: Library Loan

Many visitors to Yellowstone National Park don't realize that the boiling hot springs and spraying geysers are caused by an underlying supervolcano. It has erupted three times in the last 2.1 million years, and it will erupt again, changing the Earth forever.

Fifteen-year-old Alex is home alone when the supervolcano erupts. His town collapses into a nightmare of darkness, ash, and violence, forcing him to flee. He begins a harrowing trek in search of his parents and sister, who were visiting relatives 140 miles away.

Along the way, Alex struggles through a landscape transformed by more than a foot of ash. The disaster brings out the best and worst in people desperate for food, clean water, and shelter.

Wow!  I think that was the scariest post-apocalypse novel I have ever read.  It has everything you would want: romance, thrills, suspense, joy, mystery.  I couldn't put it down.  In fact, I sped through it in only two days.  I didn't think I was going to finish another book for July, but I did.  Now I have to revise my monthly wrap-up post.  (Such a chore...)  Anyway, back to the book.  Mullin creates a crazily realistic world after the eruption of a super volcano.  I can just imagine the horrors some people would inflict on others just as can imagine the kindness of others (like Elroy and Edna, loved them).  It was also a great coming-of-age story.  Alex starts the story as a sullen teenager quick to fight with his parents and focus on the trivial.  Throughout his journey, every obstacle and accomplishment help him grow into a strong, determined young adult.  I loved seeing his changes.  Darla is a great foil for Alex.   They are so different, and yet find they compliment one another.  I can't wait to read what happens in the sequel, Ashen Winter.

Side note: Mullin lists a few great books on super volcanos in the back.  I've actually read one of them, Krakatoa.  It was an amazingly written account of the legendary eruption gleaned from a variety of sources.  I added the other books to my never-ending TBR list.

Ashfall

• #1 Ashfall
• #2 Ashen Winter
• #3 Sunrise

Them or Us by David Moody

Title: Them or Us (Hater #3)

Author: David Moody

Publisher: Thomas Dunne 2011

Genre: Zombie

Pages: 368

Rating: 4 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Zombie

How I Got It: Library Loan

The war that has torn the human race apart is finally nearing its end. With most towns and cities now uninhabitable, and with the country in the grip of a savage nuclear winter, both Hater and Unchanged alike struggle to survive.

Hundreds of Hater fighters have settled on the East Coast in the abandoned remains of a relatively undamaged town under the command of Hinchcliffe---who’ll stop at nothing to eradicate the last few Unchanged and consolidate his position at the top of this new world order. This fledgling society is harsh and unforgiving---your place in the ranks is decided by how long and how hard you’re prepared to fight.

Danny McCoyne is the exception to the rule. His ability to hold the Hate and to use it to hunt out the remaining Unchanged has given him a unique position in Hinchcliffe’s army of fighters. As the enemy’s numbers reduce, so the pressure on McCoyne increases, until he finds himself at the very center of a pivotal confrontation, the outcome of which will have repercussions on the future of everyone who is left alive.

Great ending, but to be honest, I was pretty bored in the middle.  How many times can I say that this series just isn't as good as Autumn?  It just isn't.  I was so confused for most of the book.  Should I connect with Danny or with the scattered unchanged or with no one.  I was horrified with most of the actions of the people in the book.      It's definitely a scary possible future.  One I really don't want to live at all.

Hater trilogy

• #1 Hater
• #2 Dog Blood
• #3 Them or Us

Dog Blood by David Moody

Title: Dog Blood (Hater #2)

Author: David Moody

Publisher: Thomas Dunne 2010

Genre: Zombie

Pages: 336

Rating: 4 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Zombie

How I Got It: Library Loan

The Earth has been torn into two parts by an irreversible division. Whether due to nature, or the unknown depths of the mind itself, everyone is now either Human or Hater. Victim or killer. Governments have fallen, command structures have collapsed, and relationships have crumbled. Major cities have become refugee camps where human survivors cower together in fear. Amidst this indiscriminate carnage, Danny McCoyne is on a mission to find his daughter Ellis, convinced that her shared Hater condition means her allegiance is to people like him. Free of inhibitions, unrestricted by memories of peace, and driven by instinct, children are pure Haters, and may well define the future of the Hater race. But, as McCoyne makes his way into the heart of human territory, an incident on the battlefield sets in place an unexpected chain of events, forcing him to question everything he believes he knows about the new order that has arisen, and the dynamic of the Hate itself.

The second book in the Hater trilogy leaves us on a horrid cliffhanger.  To be honest, I started to lose interest about halfway through, but kept at it.  And thank good I did.  It really got moving with twists and turns and huge actions.  Moody definitely knows how to write horror.  I was terrified throughout most of the book.  But I must say that I still don't like this series as much as the Autumn series.  This is more disjointed.  I found myself connecting with the Haters, but then I had to take a step back and reevaluate.  Should I empathize with the Haters or the Unchanged?  I felt conflicted through most of the book.  I still don't know.  And maybe that's the genius of this series.  I grabbed Them or Us from the library so I can finish this series.

Hater trilogy 

• #1 Hater
• #2 Dog Blood
• #3 Them or Us

Hater by David Moody

Title: Hater (Hater #1)

Author: David Moody

Publisher: St. Martin's Press 2006

Genre: Zombie

Pages: 281

Rating: 4 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Zombie

How I Got It: Library Loan

REMAIN CALM DO NOT PANIC TAKE SHELTER WAIT FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS THE SITUATION IS UNDER CONTROL Society is rocked by a sudden increase in the number of violent assaults on individuals. Christened 'Haters' by the media, the attackers strike without warning, killing all who cross their path. The assaults are brutal, remorseless and extreme: within seconds, normally rational, self-controlled people become frenzied, vicious killers. There are no apparent links as a hundred random attacks become a thousand, then hundreds of thousands. Everyone, irrespective of gender, age, race or any other difference, has the potential to become a victim - or a Hater. People are afraid to go to work, afraid to leave their homes and, increasingly, afraid that at any moment their friends, even their closest family, could turn on them with ultra violent intent.  Waking up each morning, no matter how well defended, everyone must now consider the fact that by the end of the day, they might be dead.  Or perhaps worse, become a killer themselves.  As the status quo shifts, ATTACK FIRST, ASK QUESTIONS LATER becomes the order of the day...  only, the answers might be much different than what you expect....

I previously read Moody's Autumn  series and adored it.  I had wanted to check out the Hater trilogy for awhile.  Thankfully, I grabbed the first two books up from the library.  While this one doesn't live up to Autumn, I did enjoy this unconventional zombie novel.  I was unsure of where this was going at first, but I definitely loved the turn of events.  I loved the interspersed vignettes of other "Haters."  It added to the story beyond Danny's own journey.  And what a cliffhanger...  My goodness I am on the edge of my seat wanting to know.  Thank goodness I have the second book, Dog Blood.

Hater trilogy

• #1 Hater
• #2 Dog Blood
• #3 Them or Us

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

Title: Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy #6)

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razor Bill 2011

Genre: YA Vampires

Pages: 608

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Vampires

How I Got It: Library Loan

Last Sacrifice is the sixth book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. It is the last book in the original storyline, but Mead will continue writing more Vampire Academy books in a spinoff series. Lead character and dhampir, Rosemarie Hathaway, is locked in Moroi jail after being framed in the cold-blooded murder of the Moroi Queen. The punishment for this crime is immediate execution. At the same time, she is faced with the challenge of somehow locating Princess Vasilisa Dragomir's lone remaining relative, her secretly existing illegitimate sibling. Murder. Love. Jealousy. And the ultimate sacrifice. Now, with Rose on trial for her life and Lissa in line for the Royal Throne, nothing will ever be the same between them.

The last volume in this series did not fail to keep me attached.  The previous five books left a ton of loose threads out there.  Thankfully we get some conclusions.  But not everything is wrapped up in a little bow.  And I must say I prefer this type of ending.  I can't stand the "happily-ever-after" bullshit endings.  This seems more real.  Beyond the ending, I do say that I really loved the characters in this book.  Lissa, not my favorite at all, became bearable in this volume.  Adrian and Christian are amazing as usual.  And while Rose become a bit annoying in the fifth book, she cleaned back up for this one.  Plus we got to see more of Eddie (under used character) and Janine and Abe and Mikhail.  I finished the series, but have no desire to leave the world.  That is a sign that I really did enjoy the series.  Thankfully, Mead has written a spin-off series.  I must check it out.

Vampire Academy

• #1 Vampire Academy
• #2 Frostbite
• #3 Shadow Kiss
• #4 Blood Promise
• #5 Spirit Bound
• #6 Last Sacrifice

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

Title: Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy #5)

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razor Bill 2010

Genre: YA Vampires

Pages: 490

Rating:  5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Vampires

How I Got It: Library Loan

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri's birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir's-and to her best friend, Lissa. It is nearly graduation, and the girls can't wait for their real lives beyond the Academy's iron gates to begin. But Rose's heart still aches for Dimitri, and she knows he's out there, somewhere.

She failed to kill him when she had the chance. And now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and now he is hunting her. And this time he won't rest until Rose joins him... forever.

Such twists and turns.  I really really really like this series.  And I don't care what anyone says, this isn't like Twilight at all.  Rose is a strong character.  Bella was just weak willed.  Comparisons aside, I was on the edge of my seat the entire book.  Just when I thought everything was fixed, another incident blew up Rose's world.  At this point, I am really concerned for Rose and her future (especially with the last few chapters).  I am excited about her future with Adrian, even if I loved Dmitri.  This is a love triangle I can get behind.  With all the loose ends, I hope the last book gives us some answers.

Vampire Academy

• #1  Vampire Academy
• #2 Frostbite
• #3 Shadow Kiss
• #4 Blood Promise
• #5 Spirit Bound
• #6 Last Sacrifice

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

Title: Blood Promise (Vampire Academy #4)

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razor Bill 2010

Genre: YA Vampires

Pages: 512

Rating:  5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Vampires

How I Got It: Library Loan

The recent Strigoi attack at St. Vladimir’s Academy was the deadliest ever in the school’s history, claiming the lives of Moroi students, teachers, and guardians alike. Even worse, the Strigoi took some of their victims with them . . . including Dimitri.He’d rather die than be one of them, and now Rose must abandon her best friend, Lissa—the one she has sworn to protect no matter what—and keep the promise Dimitri begged her to make long ago. But with everything at stake, how can she possibly destroy the person she loves most?

This volume was a nice change a pace.  We got out of St. Vladmir's and into new foreign territory.  We also got to meet some new people (good and bad).  This book has renewed my interest in the series.  For the first 1/3 of the book, I was wavering about my commitment to reading the series.  But things quickly become interest and I reinvested.  I've decided that Lissa is growing on me, Adrian is really growing on me, and we need to see more of Christian.  On to book five...

Vampire Academy

• #1 Vampire Academy
• #2 Frostbite
• #3 Shadow Kiss
• #4 Blood Promise
• #5 Spirit Bound
• #6 Last Sacrifice

The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

Title: The Sweet Far Thing (Gemma Doyle #3)

Author: Libba Bray

Publisher: Delacorte Books 2009

Genre: YA

Pages: 848

Rating:  4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:  YA; Mount TBR; Semi-Charmed -- trilogy

How I Got It: I own it!

It has been a year of change since Gemma Doyle arrived at the foreboding Spence Academy. Her mother murdered, her father alaudanum addict, Gemma has relied on an unsuspected strength and has discovered an ability to travel to an enchanted world called the realms, where dark magic runs wild. Despite certain peril, Gemma has bound the magic to herself and forged unlikely new alliances. Now, as Gemma approaches her London debut, the time has come to test these bonds.The Order—the mysterious group her mother was once part of—is grappling for control of the realms, as is the Rakshana. Spence's burned East Wing is being rebuilt, but why now? Gemma and her friends see Pippa, but she is not the same. And their friendship faces its gravest trial as Gemma must decide once and for all what role she is meant for.

Overall I really did like this series.  I liked Gemma's growth.  I liked the world of the Realms, especially the Winterlands.  I loved some of the side characters, Kartik, Brigid, Nightwing, Mother Elena, the Gorgon.  I fell into the story just as quickly as Gemma fell into visions.  I liked that Tom finally saw his sister for she is.  I loved that Gemma didn't end up as a corseted prim beauty.

However, I was left with some issues.  *spoilers ahead*

• Kartik and Gemma -- The ending left me wanting something different.  I don't always need the happily ever after, but this was too bleak and hopeless.  And Gemma seemed okay with it!  I just couldn't take that.
• Felicity -- I never liked her.  Even after knowing her secret, I still didn't like her.  She has no excuse to treat others as she did.  Gemma started to stand up to her, but at that point Felicity had already been given power.
• Circe -- So was she bad or good?  She seemed to redeem herself in the end, but did she.  Gemma gave her the spot on the boat.  So does that mean that Gemma can never cross over when she dies?  I don't think Circe deserved what Gemma gave her.

I have a few issues with the ending.  And I think the third book got a bit convuluted with so many red herrings.  But I still really enjoyed this trilogy.  I feel like I need to read more of Bray's novels.  I've heard some good things.

Gemma Doyle

• #1  A Great and Terrible Beauty
• #2  Rebel Angels
• #3  The Sweet Far Thing

12th Night and Carole's Christmas by Anne Glynn (mini reviews)

Title: 12th Night and Carole's Christmas

Author: Anthology and Anne Glynn

Genre: Erotica

Pages: 227; 42

Rating:  2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romance; Mount TBR

How I Got It: free iBook download

Two short reviews for two short reads.  The first, 12th Night, was an anthology of 12 holiday themed erotic stories.  Some were okay, but a few were truly horrid.  And the other novella, Carole's Christmas, was a pretty tepid retelling of A Christmas Story.  But in this time the ghosts are sexual encounters of Carole's past, present, and future boyfriends.  It felt very use and throw away to me.  And none of the guys were attractive in any sense.  I grabbed these two free iBook downloads as quick bedtime reads.  I've found that short stories or novellas are the way to go before bed.  However, both of my picks were dull.  I wasn't turned on by either of them.  The submission was too much.  The graphic sex with no set-up was too much.  The lackluster men were too much.  The weak, sex-focused women were too much.  I really need to get back to reading historical romances.  At least with those I get a story, however contrived and silly.  It's still a story.

Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville

Title: Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher (A Magic Shop Book #1)

Author: Bruce Coville

Publisher: Sandpiper 2007

Genre: Children's Fantasy

Pages: 176

Rating:  4  / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: YA; Mount TBR

How I Got It: I own it!

In this entertaining fantasy readers will soon realize that things are not always as they seem. Jeremy Thatcher is plagued with all of the problems of a 12-year-old plus a few extra. He is pursued by Mary Lou Hutton, whom he detests, and is constantly put down by his art teacher for reasons he does not understand. One afternoon, in an effort to escape Mary Lou, Jeremy runs through alleys, side streets, and byways and finds himself in a part of town he has never seen before. He enters a small magic shop where he purchases a strange egg. A dragon that only Jeremy and Mary Lou can see enters the picture. The book is filled with scenes that will bring laughter and near tears to readers. Jeremy and his friends are believable characters; their actions and reactions are typical of the children's age. Once again, Coville offers a fantasy that younger readers can handle easily, and one in which dragons really exist for a little while.

The boys and I picked this up as an in between our Riordan books.  And I have to say that this was great.  I remember reading Coville's books in the 90s.  This is a newer series, but just as good.  The boys loved the magical twist on the story and the dragons.  I think dragons are the boys' new favorite creatures.  After finishing, they quickly inquired as to if they are other Magic Shop books.  We own three of the five and are on the lookout for the other two.

Magic Shop

1. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher
2. Jennifer Murdley's Toad
3. Goblins in the Castle
4. The Monster's Ring
5. The Skull of Truth
6. Juliet Dove, Queen of Love
7. Charlie Eggleston's Talking Skull
8. The Vampire's Tood
9. The Mask of Eamonn Tiyado

Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

Title: Rebel Angels (Gemma Doyle #2)

Author: Libba Bray

Publisher: Delacorte Books 2006

Genre: YA

Pages: 592

Rating:  5  / 5 stars

Reading Challenges:  Mount TBR; YA; Semi-Charmed Challenge -- Trilogy read

How I Got It: I own it!

Gemma Doyle is looking forward to a holiday from Spence Academy—spending time with her friends in the city, attending balls in fancy gowns with plunging necklines, and dallying with the handsome Lord Denby. Yet amid these distractions, her visions intensify—visions of three girls dressed in white, to whom something horrific has happened that only the realms can explain.The lure is strong, and soon Gemma, Felicity, and Ann are turning flowers into butterflies in the enchanted world that Gemma takes them to. To the girls' great joy, their beloved Pippa is there as well, eager to complete their circle of friendship.But all is not well in the realms—or out. Kartik is back, desperately insisting to Gemma that she must bind the magic, lest colossal disaster befall her. Gemma is willing to comply, for this would bring her face-to-face with her late mother's greatest friend, now Gemma's foe—Circe. Until Circe is destroyed, Gemma cannot live out her destiny. But finding Circe proves a most perilous task. . . .

I think this was a much stronger book than A Great and Terrible Beauty.  We finally see Gemma beginning to grow up and find her own identity.  I hated that she bowed to so many others in the first book.  Her defiance as the Priestess is awesome.  Ann is still annoying as ever and Felicity is still as conceited as ever.  I loved seeing the changes in the Realm after the destruction of the Runes.  Plus we get to meet some great new characters.  The Gorgon was most definitely my favorite.  And the mystery of who Circe is pushed the story along at a great pace.  My only complaint: I want more Kartik!

Gemma Doyle

• #1 A Great and Terrible Beauty
• #2 Rebel Angels
• #3 The Sweet Far Thing

Sandman Volume 5: A Game of You

Title: Sandman Volume 5: A Game of You

Author: Neil Gaiman

Publisher: DC Comics 1993

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 192

Rating:  4 /5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel; My Years -- 1993

How I Got It: Library loan

Volume Five of New York Times best selling author Neil Gaiman’s acclaimed creation THE SANDMAN collects one of the series’ most beloved storylines.

Take an apartment house, add in a drag queen, a lesbian couple, some talking animals, a talking severed head, a confused heroine and the deadly Cuckoo. Stir vigorously with a hurricane and Morpheus himself and you get this fifth installment of the SANDMAN series. This story stars Barbie, who first makes an appearance in THE DOLL’S HOUSE and now finds herself a princess in a vivid dreamworld.

An all-encompassing storyline told through five chapters.  I loved this story.  I loved Barbie and Wanda and Foxglove and Hazel and Thessaly and all of Barbie's toys.  The only thing I wanted more of -- Dream.  I love him as a character.  I was just upset to not really see him until the last chapter.  Unfortunately I'm all out of volumes for the time being.  I need to get back to the library for the rest.

Sandman

• #1 Preludes and Nocturnes
• #2 The Doll's House
• #3 Dream Country
• #4 Season of Mists
• #5 A Game of You
• #6 Fables and Reflections
• #7 The Brief Lives
• #8 World's End
• #9 The Kindly Ones
• #10 The Wake
• #11 The Dream Hunters (with Amano Yoshitaka)
• #12 Endless Nights