Book Review ~ The Fairy-Tale Detectives

The Fairy-Tale Detectives (The Sisters Grimm #1)

by Michael Buckley
Illustrated by Peter Ferguson
genre: MG, Fairy-tale, fantasy,

Summary (Goodreads): For Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, life has not been a fairy tale. After the mysterious disappearance of their parents, the sisters are sent to live with their grandmother--a woman they believed was dead! Granny Relda reveals that the girls have two famous ancestors, the Brothers Grimm, whose classic book of fairy tales is actually a collection of case files of magical mischief. Now the girls must take on the family responsibility of being fairy tale detectives.

My Thoughts: This was an entertaining start to a series. Having many of your favorite fairy-tale characters stuck in one place as long as their is a Grimm living there has led to some interesting twists and turns that you might not expect.
My favorite characters were Grandma Grimm and Daphne. I loved all the quirks, like saying goodbye and hello to the house, that the grandma had and how willing Daphne was to accept it all in stride. On the other side of that is Sabrina. While I understand why she acts the way she does and it completely in character, I still found myself disliking her most of the time.
Overall, if you enjoy fairy-tale retellings this is a promising start to a series. With the girls learning to become Grimm detectives while trying to find out who has their parents alongside familiar characters in unexpected roles (three little pigs as local law enforcement) I'm looking forward to reading book 2.

Rating: 4

Waiting on Wednesday ~ Independent Study

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

Independent Study (The Testing #2)

by Joelle Charbonneau

expected release date: January 7, 2014

genre: YA, Dystopian, 

Summary: In the series debut The Testing, sixteen-year-old Cia Vale was chosen by the United Commonwealth government as one of the best and brightest graduates of all the colonies . . . a promising leader in the effort to revitalize postwar civilization. In Independent Study, Cia is a freshman at the University in Tosu City with her hometown sweetheart, Tomas—and though the government has tried to erase her memory of the brutal horrors of The Testing, Cia remembers. Her attempts to expose the ugly truth behind the government’s murderous programs put her—and her loved ones—in a world of danger. But the future of the Commonwealth depends on her.

**I know some didn't but I really enjoyed book 1 and am looking forward to seeing what happens next.

New Releases ~ week of 11/4/2013

*All links go to Goodreads

Huge list for the first week of the month

A Cadence Creek Christmas by Donna Alward (#4 Cadence Creek Cowboys)

A Cosmic Christmas 2 You by Hank Davis
A Desire So Deadly by Suzanne Young (#2.5 A Need So Beautiful)
A Potion to Die For by Heather Blake (#1 Magic Potion Mysteries)
After Eden by Helen Douglas (#1 After Eden)
All Fudged Up by Nancy Coco (#1 Candy-Coated Mysteries)
Alternate Connection by Chris Almeida, Cecilia Aubrey (#3 Countermeasure)
Amanda Weds a Good Man by Naomi King (#1 One Big Happy Family)
Autumn Grace by Marianne Ellis (#2 Amish Seasons)
Because We Belong by Beth Kery (#3 Because You Are Mine)
Better Than Gold by Mary Brady (#1 Legend of Bailey's Cove)
Born Wild by Julie Ann Walker (#5 Black Knights Inc.)
Bringing Maddie Home by Janice Kay Johnson (#1 Angel Butte Mystery)

Brothers in Blood by Dusty Richards (#4 Byrnes Family Ranch)
Champion by Marie Lu (#3 Legend)
Charms and Chocolate Chips by Bailey Cates (#3 A Magical Bakery Mystery)
Cold Spell by Jackson Pearce (#4 Fairy Tale)
Colters' Gift by Maya Banks (#5 Colters' Legacy)
Come and Take Them by Tom Kratman (#5 Desert Called Peace)
Contagion by Tim Lebbon (#3 Toxic City)
Cosmic Rift by James Axler (#67 Outlanders)
Curtsies and Conspiracies by Gail Carriger (#2 The Finishing School)
Darkness Splintered by Keri Arthur (#6 Dark Angels)
Daylighters by Rachel Caine (#15 Morganville Vampires)

Death of a Nightingale by Lene Kaaberbol, Agnete Friis (#3 Nina Borg Mysteries)
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels by Liliana Hart (#3 J.J. Graves Mysteries)
Double Dribble by W C Mack (#2 Athlete vs. Mathlete)
Entwined by Kristen Callihan (#3.5 Darkest London)
Eternal Sin by Laura Wright (#6 Mark of the Vampire)
Everyone in Their Place by Maurizio de Giovanni (#3 Commissario Ricciardi)
Expecting a Bolton Baby by Sarah M Anderson (#3 Bolton Brothers)
Finally a Bride by Renee Ryan (#7 Charity House)
Fixing to Die by Elaine Viets (#9 Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper)
For Better or Worsted by Betty Hechtman (#8 Crochet Mystery)

For Love or Loyalty by Jennifer Hudson Taylor (#1 Macgregor Quest)
Foreplay by Sophie Jordan (#1 Ivy Chronicles)
Freezer I'll Shoot by Victoria Hamilton (#3 Vintage Kitchen Mysteries)
Gareth by Grace Burrowes (#6 Lonely Lords)
Gossamer Wing by Delphine Dryden (#1 Steam and Seduction)
Hell Bent by Devon Monk (#1 Broken Magic)
High-Stakes Holiday Reunion by Christy Barritt (#3 Security Experts)
Hijack in Abstract by Larissa Reinhart (#3 Cherry Tucker Mysteries)
How to Handle a Highlander by Mary Wine (#3 The Sutherlands)
If Only by Cherise Sinclair (#8 Masters of the Shadowlands)
Infinity by Andria Buchanan (#3 Chronicles of Nerissette)

Jagged by Kristen Ashley (#5 Colorado Mountain)
Katya's War by Jonathan L Howard (#2 Russalka Chronicles)
Kinked by Thea Harrison (#6 Elder Races)
Magic and Loss by Nancy A Collins (#3 Golgotham)
Midnight's Surrender by Donna Grant (#8.5 Dark Warriors)
Miracle Road by Emily March (#7 Eternity Springs)
Mirage by Clive Cussler, Jack du Brul (#9 The Oregon Files)
Moonlight Kiss by LuAnn McLane (#5 Cricket Creek)
Motherlode by James Axler (#113 Deathlands)
My Sort of Fairy Tale Ending by Anna Staniszewski (#3 My Very UnFairy Tale Life)
Once a SEAL by Anne Elizabeth (#2 Seal)
Promise Me Texas by Jodi Thomas (#7 Whispering Mountain)

Read It and Weep by Jenn McKinlay (#4 Library Lover's Mystery)
Revelations by J. A. Souders (#2 Elysium-Chronicles)
Rituals by Mary Anna Evans (#8 Faye Longchamp Mysteries)
Royal Airs by Sharon Shinn (#2 Elemental Blessing)
Rumor Has It by Jill Shalvis (#4 Animal Magnetism)
Sands of Nezza by M L Forman (#4 Adventurers Wanted)
Scion of the Sun by Nicola Marsh (#1 Solar Snatchers)
Somewhere to Dream by Genevieve Graham (#3 The MacDonnells)
Spark by Evan Angler (#4 Swipe)
Starhawk by Jack McDevitt (#7 Engines of God)
Striking Distance by Pamela Clare (#6 I Team)
Sunken Pyramid by Alex Archer (#45 Rogue Angel)
Taming a Wild Scot  by Rowan Keats (#1 Claimed by the Highlander)

The Boleyn Deceit by Laura Andersen (#2 Anne Boleyn Trilogy)
The Child by Keith F Goodnight (#1 Red Light and Shadow)
The Duke's Marriage Mission by Deborah Hale (#5 Glass Slipper Brides)
The Edge of Always by J. A. Redmerski (#2 The Edge of Never)
The Fatal Funnel Cake by Livia J. Washburn (#8 Fresh Baked Mysteries)
The Lair by Emily McKay (#2 The Farm)
The Long Road by Christopher Holt (#3 Last Dogs)
The Luckiest Lady in London by Sherry Thomas (#1 London)
The Misfortune Cookie by Laura Resnick (#6 Esther Diamond)
The Moment of Truth by Tara Taylor Quinn (#13 Shelter Valley Stories)
The Quotient of Murder by Ada Madison (#4 Sophie Knowles Mystery)
The Royal Ranger by John Flanagan (#12 Ranger's Apprentice)

The Sandman and the War of Dreams by William Joyce (#4 The Guardians of Childhood)
The Thrill of the Haunt by E J Copperman (#5 Haunted Guest House Mystery)
The Trap by Andrew Fukuda (#3 The Hunt)
The Trouble with Princesses by Tracy Anne Warren (#3 The Princess Bride Trilogy)
The Wedding Planners of Butternut Creek by Jane Myers Perrine (#3 Tales from Butternut Creek)
The Whispering of Bones by Judith Rock (#4 Charles Du Luc)
The Will of the Dead by George Mann (#1 Sherlock Holmes)
Through the Evil Days by Julia Spencer-Fleming (#8 Reverend Clare Fergusson)
To Dance With the Devil by Cat Adams (#6 Blood Singer)
To Have and to Hold by Leigh Greenwood (#1 Cactus Creek Cowboys)
To Tame a Cowboy by Jules Bennett (#5 Texas Cattleman's Club)
Trade Secret by Sharon Lee, Steve Miller (#17 Liaden Universe)
Twinmaker by Sean Williams (#1 Twinmaker)
Unbreakable by Stephanie Tyler (#2 Section Eight)
Wild Darkness by Lauren Dane (#4 Bound By Magic)
Words With Fiends by Ali Brandon (#4 Black Cat Bookshop Mystery)

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween

Halloween night by =Candra on deviantART

Book Review ~ Antigoddess

Antigoddess (Goddess Wars #1)

by Kendare Blake
published by Tor Teen
genre: YA, Mythology,

Summary (Goodreads):
Old Gods never die…

Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.

Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god.

These days, Cassandra doesn’t involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn’t even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning.

Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don’t just flicker out.

Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath.

The Goddess War is about to begin.

My Thoughts: This ended up being a really good read after how long it took me to get into it. I enjoyed the sections that focused on the gods right from the start. A really rough Athena and Hermes trying to search for Demeter in the desert should not have been as interesting as it was. I was drawn into their story and the different ways they were dying.
What slowed it down for me were the parts with Cassandra and company at school, parties, etc. Other than when Cassandra was having a vision of someone dying/ almost dying these scenes just bored me. Right from the start I didn't like Aidan and when I found out that he was Apollo it all made sense. For whatever reason, no matter what incarnation it is, I have never cared for Apollo. Other than five minutes right at the end, this was no exception. It wasn't that he was a horrible character it was just something about him I didn't like.
Once Cassandra and her small group knew what was going and who was who the story really picked up. It kept my attention right until the end and I couldn't put the book down. I found the battles between Athena and Apollo and then the good versus the bad the most interesting but at the same time adding knew questions that will keep you reading the series.
Overall, I've read a lot of series/books based on Greek mythology and the author was able to write a book that was very different from any I've read before. Athena and Hermes were my favorite right from the start but by the end I was curious to know more about this incarnation of Cassandra. I am looking forward to reading the next book and seeing where the author goes with her story.

Rating: 4