Mundie Moms

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Clockwork Angel Read Along Day 21: Chapter 20 Awful Wonder


It's day 21 of our Clockwork Angel Read Along! Please be sure to visit our link here for our schedule, guidelines and to fill out the form to be entered to win some fabulous prizes. Feel free to answer any number of the questions asked. You don't need to answer all of them if you don't wish to.

Today we're discussing chapter 20. This chapter leaves me wanting more. I do not want this story to end. Luckily we've got about a month before Clockwork Prince is out. Ugh, Will can be so Jace like sometimes with the things he says and how he acts. Then there's Jem, who says all the right words and can read Tessa so well.

* I liked how Tessa described Jem and Will in this chapter, White Knight & Black Knight. These two couldn't be any more different and yet alike at the same time (if that makes sense). What do you make of what Will tells Tessa at the end of the chapter. Do you think he said those things to push her away or do you think he meant them? What do you think of Jem's affections towards Tessa? Really I should just ask, are you Team Will or Team Jem, but it's so hard to pick a team, when both guys are so brilliantly written.

* The Clave- what do you think they'll do once they hear about the attack, and learn that Henry is the one that told Mortmain about the Pyxis?

* I loved at the very end how Tessa's Clockwork Angel comes back to her. What are your thoughts on the angel. Do you think it's a protector for Tessa? Do you think it's something more?

Tomorrow we're talking about the Epilogue and CP predictions!!

Book Review: CROSSED by Ally Condie

Published by: Penguin Teen
Released on: November 1st, 2011 TODAY
Source: ARC from publisher/author to review
4.5 stars: I Really Enjoyed It
Purchase from: Penguin Teen | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The hotly awaited second book in the dystopian Matched trilogy

In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever. -quoted from Goodreads

Talk about a fabulous sequel, this is one exciting read that lived up to it's hype for me! CROSSED delivers more suspense, romance, action, and a lot of unexpected wonderful surprises. Wow, I didn't see some of those twists coming. I loved what Ally did in CROSSED. She not only amps up the relationship between Ky and Cassia, but half the story is told from Ky's point of view. I loved the alternating points of views.

CROSSED introduces fans of the series to a whole new world, new characters and new dangers. There's nice little twists on some characters I loved and some shocking secrets are revealed. The world is just as dangerous and still just as fascinating at it was in MATCHED and I liked getting to see a different part of this series' setting. It made the journey that Cassie and Ky attempt that much more exciting. Everything was new, even though there was some of the same threats still existed within the Society. I liked learning more about the places each of the characters was sent to work in. The characters were just as intriguing as they were in MATCHED. I liked that the newer characters and even the older ones un-nerved me a bit with the secrets some of them have. It kept me on my toes and it made me look at Cassie, Ky and Xander differently.

CROSSED has left me feeling just as torn on who I want Cassia to choose as MATCHED did. Don't get me wrong, this story had me rooting for Ky more than ever, but then there's a part of me that's still cheering Xander on too. I loved how drawn Ky and Cassia are to each other. I completely sympathize with what Cassia is feeling and how torn she is with Ky and Xander. Her feelings for both guys are very believable. I liked that she wrestled around which what she would get if she settled with either one of them. I enjoyed seeing both guys from a different perspective. They're not as perfect as I thought they were (really no one), and I liked being able to see the characters from a different point of view.

CROSSED definitely delivers a whole new set of feelings, twists and turns and plenty of excitement to this series. I highly recommend picking up this thrilling, must have sequel. I'm really looking forward to reading the final installment in this trilogy. I can only imagine what shocking twists Ally has in store for us. Go pick up CROSSED today and make sure to join us next week when we host a CROSSED tour stop.

A Very Special Twitter Tuesday: Happy Birthday, Katie B.



We're trying to be sneaky about this, but we know that Katie will see this well before it posts. We still wanted to take a moment to wish the Founder of Mundie Moms, Katie B., a very happy birthday.

I'm sure that her favorite fictional characters would also wish her a happy birthday in their own "special" way. In fact, we'd like to picture her in a carriage ride laughing at Jace's air quotes, trading book reviews with Will and listening to Jem play that wonderful violin of his. Hmmm, imagine the snark flying on that ride? And of course, we'd beg Magnus to make sure there's glitter everywhere. As a mom, she hates that stuff and it would be stuck to her clothes for days. There's nothing better than a little reminder of a fun moment, right?

But seriously, as most of you already know, Mundie Moms would not exist without Katie's tireless energy and creativity. We're so proud of what she's accomplished and are thrilled to be a part of her team.

Happy, happy birthday, Katie from Shandra, Cynthia, Jennifer and me.

Mundie Moms, please take a moment to leave your own birthday wish in the comments. I guarantee that she will read every single one.

Blog Tour/Book Review: Bridger by Megan Curd



Published by: Soul Fire Press
Released on: July 28th, 2011
Source: book from author to review for blog tour
3.5 stars: It's A Good Read
Purchase from: Amazon

Ashlyn McVean doesn't believe in fairy tales. That is, until Ashlyn is thrown into the crosshairs of grudges her grandmother created long ago. After finding out she is one of two people able to cross between faerie realms, Ashlyn is faced with trying to understand her abilities, along with navigating a new relationship with her boyfriend, Liam. As if being on a centuries old hit list and dealing with crazed pixies isn't enough, her new abilities mean trouble for Liam. Knowing her new life puts everyone she loves in danger, Ashlyn must decide what's most important in her life between friends, family, love, and ultimately, realms - quoted from Goodreads

This is a fun, fast paced read with an exciting fey lore mixed with Irish folktales. Bridger gives the fey world a whole new refreshing feel in the way that Megan introduces both her story's lore and her characters. I liked the way her fey world collides with that of the human world. This story follows her main character, Ashlyn, as she is not only dealing with the death of her father, but she learns some startling things about who she is and her ties to the fey world.

Ashlyn is a fun character to get to know. She's down to earth, independent, courageous and at times a little snarky, which I loved. One of the things I admired about her was the fact she thinks things out and does what she thinks is right, even if those choices have consequences. Ashlyn has a great group of supporting characters involved in her life. I loved both of the love interests. Liam is a fabulous love interest, because he goes against the norm in YA books. He's sweet, he treats Ashlyn well and he does some typical teenage guy stuff, which made him relatable. Then there's Reese whom I adored. He has some fabulous laugh out loud lines, and he isn't deterred by his Irish competition. I feel bad for Megan, because she had to choose between two great guys. I honestly don't know who I'd want her to pick.

Bridger for me was a good read. I liked where Megan took her story and the direction I think the series is going to continue in. Her world building is well detailed and I love that it takes place in both the US and Ireland, the human world and the fey world. There's action, a little bit of romance, a fabulous betrayal and some minor surprising plot twists that kept me hooked with this debut. I think this is a book that fans of the fey world and YA paranormal reads will like and I'd definitely recommend picking it up. I'm looking forward to reading the next installment in this series.
________________

Don't forget to follow the rest of the Bridge Blog Tour HERE

Thank you to Megan, we're giving away an e-copy of Bridger.
To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment with your email. The giveaway will end on November 13th, the last day of the blog tour.

November 2011 YA Releases

Happy November 1st!! Here's this month list of upcoming YA Releases! Wow, there's some must have books on this list.

November 1st:
  1. CROSSED by Ally Condie
  2. Touch by Jus Accardo
  3. Dark Eden by Patrick Carman
  4. Liar's Moon by Elizabeth C Bune
  5. First Day on Earth by Cecil Castellucci
  6. Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts
  7. Last Breath by Rachel Caine
  8. Darker Still: A Novel of Magic Most Foul by Leanna Renee Hieber
  9. Reckoning: A Strange Angels Novel by Lili St. Crow
  10. Tiger's Voyage by Colleen Houck
  11. Playground by 50Cent
November 8th
  1. Prized by Caragh M. O'Brien
  2. Faking Faith by Josie Bloss
  3. The Sharp Time by Mary O'Connell
  4. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini
November 15th
  1. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
  2. The Pledge by Kimberly Derting
  3. Wherever You Go by Heather Davis
  4. The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff
  5. Lightbringer by K.D. McEntire
  6. Death Watch by Ari Berk
  7. Dancer Girl by Carol M Tanzman

November 17th

November 21st
  1. The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

November 22nd
  1. Saving June by Hannah Harrington
  2. Soul Screamers Vol. 1 (My Soul to Lose, My Soul to Take, My Soul to Save) by Rachel Vincent

November 29th
  1. Legend by Marie Lu
  2. Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep
  3. Untraceable by S.R. Johannes

Each of the links will take you directly to the book's page on Amazon. As always, please let me know if I've left off any YA releases coming out this month.

Labels