Review: Shadow and Bone (Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Shadow and Bone (Grisha #1)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Published by: Henry Holt and Company

Released: 2012

Summary: Alina is an orphan from Ravka. She's nothing special, skinny and weak. She's currently a cartographer (map maker) in Ravka's First Army. She's in love with her best friend Mal, but he's pretty oblivious and busy with other ladies. Alina then discovers she's not so ordinary after all. She's part of the elite Grisha, with one of the rarest powers. She can save all of Ravka, if someone else doesn't destroy it first.

My Thoughts: I'd been interested in starting this series for awhile because of all the hype I've heard about it. It turned out to just be a meh read for me. Not great, not awful. 

The world is very interesting, even though I don't get all the intricacies and distinctions. The magic element is pretty cool in it too.

I felt like it had an exciting beginning, a long, boring middle, and an exciting, intriguing end. I'm definitely going to continue with the series, just to see what happens next.

I wasn't really a fan of The Darkling romance stuff. He just seemed to pop up, really push himself on Alina, and then disappear. Plus, I just found The Darkling kind of creepy.

As for Alina, she was just an okay character to me. Sometimes she could be sassy, and I liked that, but then she would shrink back, and go back to being boring. I also felt like it took her a while to figure out obvious stuff about herself. There was one scene in the book where I really wanted to yell at her, but then it got resolved in a different way.

Shadow and Bone was just a meh sort of book for me. Didn't love it, but didn't hate it either. I definitely plan on continuing with the series, just so I can see how everything turns out.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3.2/5

Meh.

Reading Right Now! (57)

I've finally moved on to a new read this week, so that's exciting. Of course, some of the old ones still haven't been finished yet, but in this post, I'm just going to focus on the new. My Reading Right Now! for this week is...

The Cage (#1) By Megan Shepherd

I'd say I'm about 40% through with this book.

I love love love Megan Shepherd's The Madman's Daughter Trilogy, and I vowed to read anything and everything that she writes in the future. So by reading this, I'm keeping on track of things. 

This is the first book in her new series and it's about humans being kept in an alien zoo. Five teens wake up in a strange place. Desert, next to Mountain Alps, next to the beach and ocean. A village filled with a mismatched mix of different country shops with big, black windows that seem to hide someone watching. Cora, Lucky, Rolf, Nok, and Leon just want to go back home. How can they escape their captors and find their way back to Earth.

So far, I'm enjoying this. Megan Shepherd does not disappoint me. I think her Madman's Daughter trilogy is still my favorite, but I'm excited to read more of  The Cage and see how it continues.

Hoping to start next, or continue on with my whole trying to read multiple books at once thing. I haven't decided yet what I'm going to do. The Cage has kept me interested and I'm not sure I want to put it down until I'm finished with it. We'll see what happens. But anyway, this is the next book on my list to read.

The Dark Days Club (Lady Helen #1) by Alison Goodman

Saw this on my library shelf and I had to snatch it up. I remembered hearing the hype about this on booktube, which can be so dangerous for realistic expectations, but this just sounds like my type of book. I love books set in the Regency Era and add Demons and I am so in! So I'm hoping to start this, and love this, and then just be inconsolable, waiting a whole nother year for the sequel. That sounds like a good idea to me.

So that's what I'm Reading Right Now! What are you reading? Let me know in the comments below, I love discussing books and current reads and all that stuff.

Review: Reaper's Legacy (Toxic City Book 2) by Tim Lebbon

Title: Reaper's Legacy (Toxic City Book 2)

Author: Tim Lebbon

Published by: PYR (imprint of Prometheus Books)

Released: 2013

Summary: In this second installment of the Toxic City series, Jack and his friends must find a way to rescue Jack's mother and sister from the mysterious Camp H. In order to rescue his sister, Jack must get help from Reaper and the other Superiors. Lucy-Anne is searching for her brother Andrew in the Toxic City with the help of Rook. Nomad is also out watching the city, her city, and watching Jack. Things only get stranger in this second installment of The Toxic City.

My Thoughts: This book, like the first one, was only an okay read for me. I love the world created in this book. The Toxic City is so dangerous and I never know what new disaster is going to happen next. My favorite part of this series has to be the city itself, and the creation of all these people with mutant powers. It does have its very exciting reading moments strewn throughout. I also really like how Reaper's Legacy is not a chunky book. It tells the story it intends to tell and then leaves you excited for the next one. Reaper's Legacy does contain two of my favorite aspects, a cool, post-apocalyptic world and crazy cool superpowers.

I did have some gripes with this book too. One of my biggest one's has to be that I just feel like an observer in this story, instead of being drawn into the feels and adventure of it. I don't really feel anything special for any of the characters, because they are all written kind of flat. While reading. I feel like I'm watching from above and seeing Jack and his friends experience all kinds of horrors and not really caring what happens to them in the end. I wish I cared for these characters, but there is nothing extra special about any of them. Well, I did feel bad for Rook :(

My second gripe is Lucy-Anne. I hated her in the first book. I felt like she was useless and could have gotten everybody killed. I didn't hate her as much in this book though. My gripe with her this time is that her power and dream sequence chapter were a pure headache to read. I didn't know what was happening, what was real, and what wasn't. That dream chapter/sequence just wasn't put together right and was kind of sloppy.

Reaper's Legacy is an okay read and acceptable second installment to the Toxic City Series. The world is so messed up and cool, that I would read it just for that. If you enjoy reading post-apocalyptic books and things involving super powers, then I suggest you give this series a shot. Fair warning, it can sometimes be brutal.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3/5

An okay read with a really cool world.

Top 5 Wednesday: Top 5 Fictional Items You Want

This Top 5 Wednesday is all about the Top 5 Fictional Items You'd Want to take from your favorite reads. These could be items that only exist in the worlds of the book, or just could be items that are special to the book, but do exist in ordinary world land. At first I thought I was going to have trouble with this. I thought that the only place I would want to take items from would be the world of Harry Potter, and the majority of what I would want does come from Harry Potter, but I did manage to think of some other things. So without further ado, here's what I would take!

From Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman

5. Kate's pair of ivory handled (I think) pistols: I just think these would be cool to have on my shelf. If I remember right, they have these pretty, carved handles that I'm sure I could just sit and stare at for hours. Also, old guns are just kind of cool to look at and collect. And nobody would mess with me if I pulled out my fancy handled gun. Maybe I could even work on those fancy gun-twirling tricks when pulling it from my holster. Yes, I would be so cool.

From the world of The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, and others

4. Michonne's katana: I also think swords are cool to collect. People are probably thinking that I have a problem wanting all these weapons, but they'd be cool decoration and useful if anybody tried to get me. And I don't know what it is about katana's, but I'm just drawn to them. They look so cool. And if I was in a zombie apocalypse, I'd want a deadly sword to swing around instead of a gun that I would most likely miss with. With a katana, even if I didn't get the head, I could probably slow it down by cutting off a leg or something. And if a zombie apocalypse didn't happen, I could just hang Michonne's katana on my wall and swing it during the weekends.

Everything else comes from Harry Potter, surprise!

From the world of Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

3. The Potter family's Invisibility Cloak: This would be a cool, little thing to have. I probably wouldn't use it right at all, like I would forget to cover myself completely with it and thus be seen haha. But maybe I could use it to spy on people, if I wanted. Like let's say I wanted to start my private eye career, this cloak would be pretty invaluable for that. I could also use it to squeeze in more alone, reading time. People can't bother me if they can't see me mwahahahahaaa.

2. A never-ending supply of the Felix Felicis potion: Who wouldn't want a potion that could make you super lucky!?! And of course I'd want a never-ending supply, because it's not like I could make it myself #muggleproblems Now I wouldn't take it all the time, just times where I felt like a little luck could help me out. Maybe I could even help my friends and family with it. See how generous I am.

1. Hermione's loaned Time Turner: This would be a cool little trick to have in my bag. And I, unlike Hermione, would not use it to take more classes at school. What could I use it for... hmmm? If I wanted to be boring and responsible, I could probably use it to work two jobs and get more money. But if I wanted to use it how I really wanted, I'd probably use it to secure myself more reading time. I could get all kinds of books done so much faster if I had unlimited time to read. Think of what my monthly wrap-ups would look like! People would be like, How Does Ashley Do It? I'm So Impressed. I'd just have to make sure that I didn't mess up history or meet myself in a time that I wasn't supposed to.

So those are my Top 5 Fictional Items I'd Want. What would you want? If you want to join in on the Top 5 Wednesday fun, you totally should. Every week offers up a fun, new topic to consider and come up with things for. Check out all the other Top 5 Wednesday-ers Here!

On an unrelated topic, I'm sorry that I didn't post my The 100 Review for Episode 8 yet. I just got lazy and didn't type it up, or even compose it in time. I'm planning to have it up next Tuesday. I figure this will work out since The 100 is off for a couple of weeks anyway. So for any of those people that look forward to reading my reviews, I'm sorry, I'm definitely going to put one up for Episode 8. I really enjoy writing them because it allows me to recap my feelings about a show that I love. Although, I will say that I don't think Season 3 is turning out to be my favorite season. I'm hoping that now that Lexa's gone, Clarke can get her stuff together and finally go back to Arkadia where she belongs. Also, what do you think about all this uproar about Lexa's death? Those crazy people made the ratings drop for Episode 8 by about 10%. Obviously, I'm not for their cause and roll my eyes at their hysterics. Okay, I'll stop because this is not my Episode 8 The 100 review.

Review: The Strange Case of Finley Jayne (Steampunk Chronicles #0.5) by Kady Cross

Title: The Strange Case of Finley Jayne (Steampunk Chronicles #0.5)

Author: Kady Cross

Published by: Harlequin Teen

Released: May 2011

Summary: In this prequel to The Girl in the Steel Corset/Steampunk Chronicles, we get a taste of what Finley Jayne was up to before meeting up with Griffin and the gang. 

Finley Jayne is not a normal girl, she has darkness that resides in her, along with a hidden strength. After being fired for making a governess eat her own teeth, Finley is jobless and reference letter-less. It's disappointing, but Finley is on the hunt for a new job. Unexpectedly, a new job comes to her. Lady Morton needs a companion for her recently engaged daughter. Finley thinks this job might not be what it seems, but the money's good and she takes it. There is something fishy about Phoebe Morton's fiancé. Finley's dark side might be the only thing that can save Phoebe.

My Thoughts: Yayy for being pleasantly surprised! I'm always a little leery of e-novellas. I never know if they are actually going to be worth the time to read. Will they really add anything to the series? I might have a prejudice on e-novellas because a.) I think they can be unnecessary ways to drag out a series, b.) they bother the OCD reader mindset that I have about reading all the books in a series in order, c.) I would much rather have a physical book than an e-only novella, and d.) they just seem like an unneeded way to make more money. So yeah, I have reasons.

The Strange Case of Finley Jayne was a pleasant surprise. It's a prequel to the Steampunk Chronicles and shows what Finley was up to before the events in the first book. This was a solid prequel. It had a beginning, middle, and an end. We got to experience how tough Finley really is.

I also just really enjoy the Steampunk genre. It's fun, and just gives an intriguing alternate history.

Based on my experience with this novella, I will definitely be reading the other two novellas in the series. One is about Jack Dandy. I love Jack Dandy! 

This is a great prequel for fans or newbies to the Steampunk Chronicles by Kady Cross. I definitely recommend giving it a read. And if you don't want to spend money on an e-book, check to see if your local library carries it through their e-book/Overdrive App. The only ways I pretty much get e-books is through Overdrive, or when they are free. But this e-novella is definitely not a waste of time for fans of the series.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4/5

A+ for this prequel!

Reading Right Now! (56)

What I'm Reading Right Now! this week is...

Almost Finished With

--Razorhurst by Justine Larbalestier: I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm enjoying this. Doesn't really read or feel like a YA, it could be put with adult fiction and I wouldn't question it. What I find a little crazy is that this book has less than 200 reviews on goodreads (it technically has 199, which is one less than 200). That means I picked up an underhyped book. Yayy! I'm not just following the crowd. The most fascinating thing about this book is the history that it covers. I never knew about Razorgangs in Australia in the 1930s. It's really interesting to learn about. The overall story is a little jumpy and a tad drawn out, considering it's only supposed to take place in the span of a day, but I can forgive those things just because reading it is so interesting. Google Razorgangs Australia, you'll learn some really fascinating tidbits of Australian crime history.

Starting Something New

  

--The Cage by Megan Shepherd: I love love love Megan Shepherd's The Madman's Daughter trilogy and have vowed to read everything else she writes, so I might as well start this. I'm excited for it. And I think the sequel is not too far off from being released. What I know about this, humans kidnapped by aliens and kept in a zoo like place.

--Y: The Last Man: Volume 5: Ring of Truth by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra, and Jose Marzan Jr.: Time for Volume 5! I really enjoy this series. Yorick is one funny guy, and I need to read on so I can eventually see how all of this ends.

--The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman: This one I'm contemplating as a maybe, hopefully, I'll start it this week. I saw it at my library today and grabbed it. Since it's a pretty new release, I imagine someone will put it on hold and I'll have to give it up. I was interested in this as soon as I heard about it. I think it's like Victorian London and demon hunters or something, that just sounds really good. So I might start this one sooner rather than later.

Still Trudging Through But Have Made No Real, Discernible Progress On

 

--Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf: #shameful I'm sorry Netgalley and Publisher. It's just something about me and ebooks, I tend to ignore them in favor of regular books. Maybe, honestly it's just something about me and review copies, I want to read them, but then keep putting them behind other books. But I Will Read This! I make that vow to myself. I love a good thriller/psychological fiction. Plus this isn't that long of a book. I'll finish this sucker. Oh and what I've read of it isn't bad in the least.

--Steampunk II: Steampunk Reloaded edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer: I don't feel as guilty over not making that much progress in this one because it's a short story collection. I feel like I can get back to it whenever and I won't have missed out on anything. Like I can take my time with this. I still want to make some type of progress in it though.

So that's what I'm Reading Right Now! and what I'll be reading next. What are you reading?

Review: The Madman's Daughter (The Madman's Daughter #1) by Megan Shepherd

Title: The Madman's Daughter (The Madman's Daughter #1)

Author: Megan Shepherd

Published by: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins

Released: 2013

Summary: Juliet Moreau's life has been plagued by scandal. Her father, once a renowned London surgeon, encountered rumors and scandal that tarnished the Moreau name, and caused him to disappear. Juliet's mother struggled to get by and provide something for her daughter, but she is taken by illness. Juliet is now alone in London, with no family, security, or marriage prospects. She works in the King's College Medical Lab, scrubbing out the dark halls where medical students make their explorations of the human body. One day Juliet discovers a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her father. Juliet finds people from her past and finds herself sea bound to an island, where strange things are occurring. As Juliet struggles to find the truth, she wonders if madness courses through her own blood.

My Thoughts: Awesome, Awesome Book! I loved every dark, creepy second of it. The atmosphere of the book was gothic and wonderful, and the secrets of the island took their time to reveal themselves. I enjoyed every second of this book, and loved the creepy, disturbing factors of it. I enjoyed experiencing the story through Juliet, even though she gave in to the madness sometimes.

The two love interests were okay. There were times that I was torn between one or the other, but in the end, I know which one I'd choose (whispers Montgomery!!!)

Dr. Moreau was just awful as a father. He definitely made for a very flawed individual, who cared more about science than his own daughter. 

I really enjoyed this book. It was AWESOME! That ending just tore my hear. I need to know what happens next. I can't wait for the second book to come out in January 2014. (Boy was that dated. For those that are curious, I write out my reviews right after I finish the book, on a pad of notebook paper, and it can take me quite awhile to actually type them up for the blog. This is why series book reviews will appear out of order. Just fun facts from the world of ashleysgotbookcitement!) This book was creepy and fantastic. Go Read It Now!

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4.5/5

Creepy and Fantastic!