Meme Monday

Meme Monday

http://appraisingpages.com/2013/09/13/funny-book-meme-part-vii/

Theater Thursday: Insurgent

So what do you think? I love the action and special effects, and it definitely fits the definition of teaser. I've read the book, and while I basically know what is going on, it doesn't tell us  much of the actual story.  I like it though. It gets me excited for the movie.  What I'm really hoping though is there will be as much improvement between Divergent and Insurgent as there was between The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. Check it out below.

Meme Monday

Book Review: Talon

Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser.

Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George.
Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon's newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him: and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons.   Quoted from Goodreads

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When I first started this book, all I could think of was Firelight by Sophie Jordan.  I mean the plot ideas are almost identical: dragon girl, dragon hunter boy, first taste of freedom outside in the human world, controlling dragon society that will determine girl's future without giving her any say, red hair.  The list goes on.  Fortunately I've read enough by Julia Kagawa that this wasn't a turn off.  I knew things would be different, and she was so creative with the ideas around her Iron Fae series that I was interested to see what she would do with dragons.

 You can tell this is the first book in a series---a five book series, no less.  The main character has a lot of growing to do.  It's not that I didn't like Ember, because I did, but like I said before, she has a lot of growing to do, and I'm interested to see where she ends up.  She's impulsive, rebellious, and reckless, but also strong and endearing, and you can't help but root for her.  Garret is probably the character that grows the most this book, though Ember does her fair share, and I'm curious where his character will go from here.

What this book does, really, is set up the next four.  It's a little slow in the beginning---well, the entire first half, to be honest---and doesn't really pick up until the last quarter.  What it's doing is establishing characters and multiple conflicts that you know will all come into play in the next four books.  The ending, of course, is heartbreaking and intense, guaranteeing that you will be reading book two. It just takes a minute for you to get there.

As for the dreaded love triangle, I read once that a good love triangle will bring out different aspects of the main character's personality.  It's not just two boys that she will be choosing, but two different lifestyles and really the person she will ultimately become.  Maybe the author has the same philosophy because that's exactly what our different love interests do for Ember.  One is for her dragon, one for her human, and I'm actually interested to see where it ends up.  With four more books coming, you know there will be a lot of ups and downs.

As for the dragons themselves, there's nothing really groundbreaking here.  They're fun, supernatural creatures but not anything we haven't seen in a dozen dragon books.  Still, I love the way they're portrayed and can't wait to see what else the author does with them as the book progresses.

Basically this is a slow start to what will probably be an amazing series.  Julia Kagawa is an excellent writer, and she knows how to torture both her readers and characters in the best possible way.  I'm giving this book a nice 3.5 stars with the absolute certainty that I will be reading the next one in the series.

Theater Thursday: The Hobbit

So this came out today, and I absolutely love it!  Seriously, I love this book, and I've thoroughly enjoyed this series.  Check out the new trailer and tell me if you aren't excited for the final Hobbit installment.

Meme Monday

Anticipating November

November is here! November is the bridge month between the mega-release book month that is October and the book release desert that is December, and you can totally see it.  We start this month with a bang. I mean, check out how many interesting, wonderful books are coming out on the fourth.  We still get a few good ones over the next two weeks, but it ends with a whimper.  Still, there's plenty of great stuff coming out. Check out the list below and let me know what you think.

           4^th: The Retribution of Mara Dyer – Michelle 

                           Hodkin         

                   A Thousand Pieces of You – Claudia Gray

                   Forbidden – Kimberly Griffiths Little

                   Mortal Heart – Robin LeFevers

                   Visitors – Orson Scott Card

       The Princess Spy – Melanie Dickerson

        The Dreamer’s Pool – Juliette Marilliar

        The Map to Everywhere – Carrie Ryan and
                        John Parker Davis

        The Last Changling – Chelsea Pitcher

        Empire of Shadows – Miriam Forster

         Killer Instinct – Jennifer Lynn Barnes

         Waistcoats and Weaponry – Gail Carriger

            11^th: The Shattered World – Amie Kaufman

                     Luck on the Line – Zoraida Cordova

                     The Book of Ivy – Amy Engel

                     Entertaining Angels – Monica Millard

            18^th: Trails of Shadow and Blood – Carina King

                     The Rogue Knight – Brandon Mull

                     Stolen – Melissa de la Cruz

            25^th: Anomaly – Tonya Kuper
                     Captive - Aimee Carter