Review: Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier

Title/Author: Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier (translated by Anthea Bell)

Publication Date: October 30, 2012

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company

Source: My bookshelf

Rating: 5 of 5 gargoyles

Finding a book written about other cultures isn't too difficult to come by these days. Let's face it: A lot of our favourite main characters are jetting from one country to another at the drop of a hat. Finding a young adult book directly translated from another language, however, seems rather rare to me. Not only is the translation seamless, but the story is absolutely fabulous, with dashing young men, remarkable adventures and a somewhat naive main character.

Gwen's life has been a rollercoaster since she discovered she was the Ruby, the final member of the secret time-traveling Circle of Twelve. In between searching through history for the other time-travelers and asking for a bit of their blood (gross!), she's been trying to figure out what all the mysteries and prophecies surrounding the Circle really mean. At least Gwen has plenty of help. Her best friend Lesley follows every lead diligently on the Internet. James the ghost teaches Gwen how to fit in at an eighteenth century party. And Xemerius, the gargoyle demon who has been following Gwen since he caught her kissing Gideon in a church, offers advice on everything. Oh, yes. And of course there is Gideon, the Diamond. One minute he's very warm indeed; the next he's freezing cold. Gwen's not sure what's going on there, but she's pretty much destined to find out. (from Google Books)

Time-travellers? Seriously? No vampires, or zombies, or werewolves? This... this is WONDERFUL! Don't get me wrong, I adore a good vamp book, but this book is like a breath of fresh air! Set in England, this book from German author Kerstin Gier takes you all over the place and back, literally. Gwen and her gorgeous kind-of boyfriend/love interest, Gideon (swoon!) travel into the past daily. This makes for excellent interactions between the two characters, and gives you insight into who the characters really are.

As for the characters... Oh my goodness, they are perfect! Gwen is one of the best main characters OF ALL TIME, what with her witty comebacks, slightly dumb persona and a completely innocent outlook on life. For those of you that have read "Confessions of a Shopaholic", Gwen can be likened to a non-shopaholic Becky Bloomwood. And Gideon, well, he's just a slightly crazy but nonetheless perfect love interest. Is he stable, is he insane, does he love her, will he shut up? He's as far from normal as it gets, and that's what makes him such a lovable character. Also, who can forget Lesley? She's slightly nerdy, but very cool, and plays her role as a best friend/sidekick well.

I will tell you this book isn't completely serious. There are certainly some somber parts, but the majority of the book is very playful and full of life. Before reading this book, I actually looked at the cover and said "Yeah, this looks like a fun read..." but clearly I got my just dessert. It really is a lighthearted book, and it really is deliciously good.

All in all, Kerstin Gier has created perfection with Sapphire Blue. Bear in mind this is the second book in the series, which all started with Ruby Red a year or two ago. The follow through between the two books is superb as well, so be sure to pick up both if you decide to read them, which you should. I love this series, and I'm going to be eagerly awaiting the third book which comes out in the summer, I believe. Let me know what you think if you do decide to read them!

Happy Reading!
Liz

(Almost) Weekly Wednesday: Music for Those Snowy Days

Hi friends!

It's that time of year again. The time for snow and hot chocolate and blankets and snuggling. One of my favourite things to get me in the winter time mood (next to reading, of course) is listening to music. So, for your enjoyment, I'm making you a playlist of songs to listen to next time your roof is covered in snow (or the wind is colder, if you don't have snow where you live).

Elizabeth's Super Amazing Wintertime (or Anytime) Playlist

1. Take a Chance on Me by ABBA (I'm listening to this right now!)
2. Best for Last by Adele (such a good getting-over-you song)
3. Don't You Worry Child by Swedish House Mafia (strange band, I know, but don't judge)
4. Beam Me Up by P!nk
5. Ride by Lana Del Rey (kinda depressing, but her voice is so GOOD!)
6. Home by Phillip Phillips
7. Lady Marmalade by Various Artists (an oldie but a goodie!)
8. Ho Hey by The Lumineers
9. Wanted by Hunter Hayes (this is country music, but it's so precious and great for cuddling through the cold)
10. You're Beautiful by James Blunt

Meg's Playlist That Liz Probably Does Not Know Is On This Post ;D

1. Radioactive by Imagine Dragons
2. Ho Hey by The Lumineers  
(We're twins! -Liz)
3. Stars and Satellites by Dan Griffin
4. Wax and Wire by Loch Lomond                 11. Little Lion Man covered by Tonight Alive
5. Build You Up by Kim Taylor                                   ENJOY
6. All I Want by Kodaline
7. Maps by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
8. Close Watch by Agnes Obel
9. Sometimes by Sound Of Guns
10. Misery Business by Paramore 

***Liz would like to point out that she does in fact know Meg's playlist is on here, but she's being kind and allowing it to stay :)
**** Thanks girlfriend!! -Meg

Now look, a lot of you might be looking at this playlist thinking "Oh, yuck! Those are horrible songs!" (or, "Wow, those girls are out of their tree) and maybe they are. To me, good music is any songs that make me feel (or as you Tumblr folk say "Have all the feels", right?), which is similar to my opinion of books. Hopefully, though, you find a song worth sharing on my (and Meg's, apparently) playlist(s), and I wish you the best over the winter season!

Using Too Many Parentheses So You Don't Have To,
Liz and Meg

Review: Moonglass by Jessi Kirbi

Title/Author: Moonglass by Jessi Kirbi

Publication Date: May 3, 2011

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Source: My bookshelf

Rating: 4 of 5 pieces of red seaglass (specific, yes. Crucial, absolutely)


I, like Meg, love finding a good book on the bargain shelf at the bookstore. Being the cheap couponer I am, find them for less than five dollars is perfect. Therefore, finding this book was like a dream come true.

Anna's life is upended when her father accepts a job transfer the summer before her junior year. It's bad enough that she has to leave her friends and her life behind, but her dad is moving them to the beach where her parents first met and fell in love- a place awash in memories that Anna would just as soon leave under the surface.

While life on the beach is pretty great, with ocean views and one adorable lifeguard in particular, there are also family secrets that were buried along the shore years ago. And the ebb and flow of the ocean's tide means that nothing- not the sea glass that she collects on the sand and not the truths behind Anna's mother's death- stays buried forever.

Oh snap! Isn't that compelling? Family secrets alway draw me right in because I can relate to them, as can most people. Anna and I were pretty similar in that respect, but otherwise, we were completely different people, and I can dig that.

When I first started reading about Anna, I have to admit that she made me a little uneasy. She seemed kind of like a... flirt. She was laying herself out on the beach in her bikini and making eyes at all the lifeguards. That probably doesn't bother most people, but I'm kind of a prude. After getting past the initial reading about such a character, however, I didn't mind her. In fact, her confidence made her a more likable character. Same with her bestie, Ashley. There was no way that you are a sane person and didn't like Ashley.

“Anna: Ash, I don't have anything planned with my Mother... She's dead.

Ashley: What?

Anna: She died when I was seven. She drowned. It's just my Dad and me. I didn't tell you before because I just wanted a fresh start here, because before I moved, everybody knew about it and... I'm sorry.

Ashley: ....... You're like a Disney Princess!”

This book is a little slow, and it takes a while to get to the nitty gritty. The conflict in this book was also very internal, as well. I personally didn't mind those aspects, because they lead to deep self-discoveries and all that jazz, but if you don't usually like that, you probably won't like it in this book either.

Overall, I loved this book! The story was good, the characters were really well developed, and the writing was very well done. It is a contemporary young adult novel, so unfortunately for some of you, no giant vampires come jumping out the water to suck the sparkles out of everybody's legs.Not that that's ever happened, of course, but... Well, you catch my drift.

Happy Reading!
Liz

**SIDENOTE: I've been MIA recently, and I have to apologize for that. On top of the holidays, I've also been moving and I've barely had time to think, let alone write a review about books that I've been able to squeeze some reading time into. Anyways, I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me. Happy Holidays!**

Review: Smile of the Viper by Harry Dunn

Title/author: Smile of the Viper, Harry Dunn

Publication date: September 3 2012

Publisher: Caffeine Nights Publishing

Source: My library (now aha)

Rating: 4/5 Packs of cocaine


First off, Thank you Harry Dunn for sending Liz and I your book. We could not appreciate it more.

To get a taste of the book, here is the back description:

London private investigator Jack Barclay is on the trail of financier Tom Stanton who has disappeared with 1million of clients' money, leaving his desperate wife and children behind. Stanton's Parisian mistress, Danielle, is also involved with the boss of a drug smuggling cartel and Stanton is seduced into laundering money for them. When 4million of drugs cash goes missing and Tom is the suspect, he and Danielle go on the run. The stakes are raised with the kidnapping of Stanton's daughter, and Jack finds himself in a race to find Stanton before the mob do. As he hunts him down, he uncovers a nightmare world of torture, betrayal and murder, putting his own life in danger. Jack quickly realises those who enter the netherworld of the Russian mafia may not get out alive.

'I am glad I read this book'. That was my second thought when I finished Smile of the Viper. My first thought was 'Holy flip! This was the best ending ever!' while I was laughing my ass off. I don't know if it was meant to be hilarious but it was.

Now it took me a bit to get into the book, but as soon as I was in, I was hooked. I didn't like Jill (Tom's wife) for a couple of chapters because I felt like she was a whiner and couldn't do anything for herself even though there was no real reason for me to think that. But after a couple of chapters I felt sympathy for her. It wasn't her fault that her husband was a jerk. I felt sympathy for Jack since the start because of how lonely he was but it faded away as the plot started to thicken and action arose. 

When the plot thickened I was a bit confused at first but as soon as I figured out what was happening it was  awesome. Pieces were clicking into place every chapter it seemed like because of how fast I was reading the book. I liked that the story was told from more then just Jack's camera. Instead of following Jack the whole time, you got to follow the kidnappers, the viper, and Jill. I found this allowed me to make assumptions and conclusions on my own which made me enjoy the story more, even if they were wrong. 

What amazed me the most about this story was how complex the crime was. It took me a couple of times of going through everything in my head before I could see how everything linked together. It was insane.  Also it was nice to see that Jack ran into problems, that he wasn't all knowing. Jack ran into dead ends and had to circle back and look over everything again and again. If I was a investigator I would have said 'Flip it, I'm going to stay in Mexico and have a vacation' and I probably would have been lying in a sun chair while Tom drove right by.

Anyways the one part that is still confusing me is when Tom's time is up and his daughter is suppose to get an unwanted manicure (sorry can't remember the exact words). I'm not sure if she did or didn't get one because at one point she said her fingers hurt but if she would have gotten the mobs type of manicure then she probably wouldn't have been able to use her hands at all...

Back to the ending aha. It was probably my favourite part of the book. What happens at the end I found really ironic and funny. I'm grinning right now thinking about it. But other then finding it hilarious I also found that it was a good conclusion to the book. But I did wonder if there could be another book with Jack coming along. And if there is, I definitely would read it.

Overall the book was awesome. It had a great crime, and the characters seemed like real people. It kept me wondering till the end and it wasn't all serious like I thought it might be. There wasn't any romance for Jack... which was great! I wasn't looking for a good romance from this. Even though through the story I thought Jack and Jill (their names made me laugh) might hook up.

I hope you enjoyed my review of Smile of the Viper, be sure to check it out if you love a good crime novel.

- Meg

P.S. Happy Holidays everyone!!

Love and Prayers for Connecticut

Sometimes, the harsh reality of the world kicks you right in the pants.

I had what I thought was a bad day. Nothing seemed to go right from the moment I woke up, and I came home sulking and complaining.

Then, I read about the shooting in Connecticut. Suddenly my day didn't seem so bad.

At least I was able to come home at the end of the day.
At least I didn't say goodbye to my mom for the last time this morning.
At least I'm still alive.

Those 20-plus elementary students in Newtown, Connecticut can't say the same. Nor can the seven-plus staff members who also died.

Look, I have five little siblings, four of which are under the age of eight. They are elementary students here in Canada, and I cannot imagine never seeing them again. I can't begin to fathom watching them run off to school and not seeing their chubby, precious little faces again. Jnfortunately, this is the reality of the families of those lost today in the school shooting. The most disgusting part is that their murderer isn't a fellow student. It's a grown man who killed his mother, a teacher at the school, before proceeding to murder her students.

We are the future. By "we" I mean my generation, the ones that are in school or just graduating from it. Is there no hope for us? To have one of our fellow people murder defenseless school children is unbelievable. Disturbing. Horrendous. Why, we're living in our own horror movie! Is that any way to live? To fear going to an institution of learning because there's a possible threat on our lives?

This world is a disgusting place. To lose your children, so close to the holiday season no less, must be heartbreaking. I urge each and every one of you to try to make a difference in this place we have to live it. We may not be able to reverse the damage done, but balance it out with acts of kindness in our own communities. Who knows what type of people we're inspiring at the end of the day.

I send my prayers to Connecticut and the families affected by this horrible attack on innocent people. I hope all of you can do the same, and take a moment tonight before bed to have a moment of silence for the lives lost. I know I will be.

Love and Prayers,
Elizabeth (and Meg, of course)

Review: The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver

Title/author: The Demon Trappers Daughter, Jana Oliver


Publication date: December 13 2010


Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin


Source: My library


Rating: 4/5 Holy waters


Hey there my fellow readers/writers/bloggers! Its been a while. Liz and I are both sorry about that, we have just been really busy with school and family.


Anyways, today I finished (for the second time) The Demon Trappers Daughter. I decided to read this book again because I just recently got the second book, which I was not so happy to learn, came out more then a year ago. I'm just a little behind...So you get the gist of it, here's the back description thing that I cannot think of the name right now:


It’s the year 2018, and with human society seriously disrupted by the economic upheavals of the previous decade, Lucifer has increased the number of demons in all major cities. Atlanta is no exception. Fortunately, humans are protected by Demon Trappers, who work to keep homes and streets safe from the things that go bump in the night. Seventeen-year-old Riley, only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father’s footsteps. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing attraction to fellow Trapper apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving citizens from Grade One Hellspawn. Business as usual, really, for a demon-trapping teen. When a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood, she realizes that she’s caught in the middle of a battle between Heaven and Hell.


Lovely right? I thought so. I remember when I first started reading this book I was a little bit nervous if it was going to be all religious stuff, because I am not that into religion. But I was pleasantly surprised when there was only two characters the were overly religious (as a note, if anything in my review comes off as offensive to religion, I, in no way mean to offend anyone).

What I first noticed about this book was the starting couple of chapters were not boring! I love that I didn't have to read through basically an introduction to the characters and what not. Jana jumped straight to the action. It took a little while but I also grew to love that it was in third person. Usually I'm like first person is better cause you can connect and stuff, but I found that it was very easy to connect with Riley and Beck. And it also gave you more to see (does that make sense?). I liked Riley as the main character because she was her own person I guess. I mean she wasn't wimpy, which was awesome, and she wasn't untouchable, she made mistakes and was unsure of things, which was also awesome.

I'm sure when Simon, (who was one of the overly religious people in my opinion) and Beck, (who's point of view you also get to see) were introduced, everyone chose a side. How could you not? Riley couldn't end up alone now could she? Anyways I was totally voting for Beck. He was sweet sometimes, badass other times, understood Riley, and from how I imagined him, pretty good looking. Man if I had a Beck in my life, I would probably not be doing this review aha.

The only thing that bothered me about this book was that it got slow in the middle. Now I know it can't have action all the time but I found it slow when Riley was *SPOILER* watching over her fathers grave so that the necromancer's couldn't bring him back to be undead. *READ AGAIN* I do know that this part was important because it played a kinda big part in the book, and we did find out some useful information, but it was still slow in my opinion.

Over all, this whole book was really good. The plot was creative and it gave me a new perspective on demon books. I liked that Jana added new things into the demon mix as well. For example the magic sphere's that were used to help trap demons and how each demon their own type of personality, they didn't all blend together like a massive clump were a really awesome touch. I am looking forward to reading the second book because from what I heard its better then this one, which would make it pretty amazing aha.

Thanks for reading :D and feel free to email suggestions. I don't know if Liz would but I would certainly try and do some.

- Meg

P. S. Sorry again from both Liz and I for being not on the ball this month.

Review: Parallel Spirits by T.S. Welti

Title/Author: Parallel Spirits by T.S. Welti

Publication Date: August 9, 2012

Publisher: Blackhill Publishing

Source: Sent by author

Rating: 3.5 of 5 surfboards







Recently, I've been reading so many books that have to do with spirits, souls, the afterlife, etc. and they've all had different takes on the idea of what happens when you die. This book, however, had one of the more interesting approaches to the subject, and an idea that makes me wonder just who is watching over my shoulder.

From Goodreads: What if the price of immortality were a broken spirit?

After more than three centuries as a carrier spirit, Mara has finally found a willing host in sixteen-year-old Belinda. She sets out to help Belinda find the missing ingredient in her life: love.

Belinda agrees to let Mara help her fall in love so Mara can earn her body back. But Belinda has only agreed to their arrangement because she desperately hopes that a new romance will help her finally get over her failed date with her best friend, Frankie.

With the promise of a new body, Mara dares to hope she can repair her broken spirit. With sweet and handsome Conor as her new boyfriend, Belinda dares to hope she has found someone who can mend her broken heart. Until a spirit with whom Mara shares a dark past begins possessing Conor. Now a war is waging inside and outside Belinda's body and she quickly discovers what Mara has known for centuries:

Falling in love is as dangerous as exorcising evil spirits...

 To me, this book seemed very reminiscent of "The Host" by Stephanie Meyer, only this version was shorter and aimed towards a younger audience. I liked the idea of spirits staying on Earth to restore the balance of the wrongdoing that killed them in the first place. It creeps me out a little bit, because honestly, who wants a spirit watching you for several months only to take over your body in the end? I actually found myself thinking back to times when I've been in a dreamlike state, and wondering if perhaps I have a carrier spirit of my own. Then I realized I was just being crazy, because obviously I'm already a carrier spirit. Wait, what?

The romance in this story was really well written. I ended up smiling whenever Conor was with Belinda because he was just so darn sweet! And Frankie... Well, I felt for the poor guy. The friendzone sucks, and Frankie was a classic example of being "in the friendzone". Heck, I even liked Belinda. I just couldn't find myself rooting for one guy over the other because I felt they both deserved Belinda's heart. I couldn't even really tell which one is supposed to end up with her. I always like having a character to hope for, because I love it when my favourite character gets the girl. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not that I can't figure out the "winner" of Belinda, but seeing as there's a second book coming out, there's a chance that said plot point could be developed more.

Following the same vein, there were a lot of loose ends that weren't tied up, or even gently knotted. I'd like to know what happened with some of the characters, or what they were going to be doing for the next however long a time until the next book takes place. In fact, I'd have liked to have some idea of where the characters were going to be in the next book, but as I closed the novel, I couldn't figure that out either. There were also a lot of things mentioned in the beginning that weren't mentioned again, things I would've liked to know more about. What happened with the guy in Belinda's class who gave her his number? What about the guy that she supposedly told off? Again, not really sure what happened to them, but they would've been nice little storylines to have added.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I mean, I finished it in less than two days, so that has to say something, right? And I'm curiously awaiting the next book. I liked the characters, I liked the idea, and I certainly enjoyed the romantic aspect of it all. I received this book as a paper copy, but I believe you can also get it as an e-book too, so it might be worth a shot to check it out.

BONUS: T. S. Welti spends some of her time writing in Portugal. Having a Portuguese stepfather means that I grew up with Portuguese family members, most of which grew up in Portugal. So... Yay, Ms. Welti!

Happy Reading!
Liz
 

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