Review: Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Title: Wings

Author: Aprilynne Pike

Published: May 2009

Hardcover: 294 pages

Reading Level: YA

My copy: I bought it

My rating: 4.5 of out 5 wicked stars

Fifteen year old Laurel has been brought up sheltered and home-schooled by her parents, never even visiting a doctor once.  She is uprooted from her family home and moved 45 minutes away so that her Father can open the bookstore of his dreams.  Laurel now gets to enjoy the fun that is public school.  She makes one immediate friend, David, who widens her group of friends.  David is obviously interested in more than just friendship but that is all that Laurel is willing to give him right now considering the oddities that are occurring in her life, like this huge flower that is growing out of her back.  A trip back home introduces Laurel to Tamani who says they are of the same kind.  Enter...the love triangle :)

I really enjoyed this book overall and actually stayed up late to finish it because I just couldn't go to bed "not knowing".  Laurel was a likable character that was just trying to fit in at her new school...and how do you do that with a flower on your back?  I do have a complaint about David...he was just **too** nice, he kind of got on my nerves. He was too patient, too kind, too willing to do whatever she wanted...grow some backbone dude!  I guess I am just into the "bad guys"...so I was leaning more towards Tamani, ha ha.  I did noticed there were no really mean people at school...which I thought was a little odd, but hey...there are other mean "things" in the book to keep you interested, so no worries.

This book is a totally fresh take (for me) on faeries and Aprilynne Pike weaved a world that I found very enthralling and imaginative.  She has the sequel to this book, titled Spells, is set to come out in May 2010. It is already on my wish list :)

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine!

Release Date: July 2010

Title: The Education of Bet

Author: Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Summary (from Amazon.com):

Bet is sixteen, very intelligent, but only knows as much as her limited education will allow. In Victorian England, girls aren't allowed to go to school.

Will is also 16, and though not related by blood, he and Bet act like brother and sister. In fact, they even look like brother and sister. And though they're both raised under the same roof, by the same kind uncle, Will has one big advantage over Bet: He's a boy, and being a boy means he isn't stuck in the grand house they call home. He gets to go out into the world--to school.

But that's not what Will wishes. He wants to join the military and learn about real life, not what's written in books.

So one night, Bet comes up with a plan. She'll go to school as Will. Will can join the military. And though it seems impossible, they actually manage to pull it off.

But once Bet gets to the school, she begins to realize the education she's going to get isn't exactly the one she was expecting.

I can't wait for this book, I am expecting great things since I **loved** Crazy Beautiful by Lauren, see my review here.  I love girls when break out of the norm and do what they need to do to succeed, rules and society limitations be-damned!

Review: Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

Title: Rebel Angels

Author: Libba Bray

Published: December 2006

Hardcover: 592 pages

Reading Level: YA

My copy: traded on swaptree.com

My rating: 4.5 out of 5 wicked stars

My thoughts:

Rebel Angels is the second novel in the Gemma Doyle trilogy, following A Great and Terrible Beauty.  See my review of that book here.  Libba Bray creates a fantastic world in the book that is concentrated away from Spence Academy where the first book was focused. In my opinion, this opened up the novel to many great possibilities that the first one was limited by, one of which is a love triangle.  You know how we love those!  The mysterious Indian boy, Kartik, makes a repeat appearance with added value to his character and he does something quite surprising at the end.    A new character was added, the boyishly cute Simon Middleton.

I actually enjoyed this book more than the first, there was more drama, more character development and some lingering questions from the first were answered but not resolved.  It leads nicely into the third book, A Sweet Far Thing.  If you are looking for a darkly fast-paced series, I recommend trying this one out.

Mrs. Magoo Reads is giving away TEN books!

Mrs. Magoo Reads is giving away TEN books, to one person, in celebration of the New Year! Can you believe that?  And the books are full of awesomeness too...check it out:

One lucky winner will win ALL of the following ten books, in honor of 2010!

-Hardcover of Ice
-Hardcover of Year of the Horse
-Hardcover of Melonhead (gently used)
-Paperback of Curse of the Shamra (used)
-ARC of Geektastic
-ARC of Captivate
-ARC of Fat Cat (gently used)
-ARC of Going Bovine (used)
-ARC of Savvy Girl (gently used)
-ARC of Give Up the Ghost (gently used)

So run over to her blog HERE and enter the contest! Ends 2/14!

2010 100+ Book Challenge

Okay now it the time for the 2010 100+ Reading Challenge hosted by J Kaye Book Blog.  This is the location of my my list, but you can also get here by clicking on the link on the left hand side under the Challenge button.

It's not too late, you can join too...just go here.

Wicked Walker's 2010 Books Challenge List:

1.  Ghostland by Jory Strong

2.  Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

3. Wings by Aprilynne Pike

4. Devoured by Amanda Marrone

5.  Tithe by Holly Black

6.  Valiant by Holly Black

7.  Ironside by Holly Black 

8. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

9.  Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston

10.  Darklight by Lesley Livingston

11.  The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (audiobook)

12.  Swoon by Nina Malkin

13.  Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

14.  Prophesy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

15.  The Season by Sarah MacLean 

16. Captivate by Carrie Jones

17. The Spendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore 

18.  Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler

19. Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

20.  My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

21. My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent

22. Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble   

23. Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken 

24. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (audiobook) 

25.  To Catch a Pirate by Jade Parker 

26. Angel Star by Jennifer Murgia

27. Heist Society by Ally Carter

28. Deadly Little Lies by Laurie Faria Stolarz

29. Deadly Little Secrets by Laurie Faria Stolarz

30. Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantasky

31. Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

32. Ecstasy Unveiled by Larissa Ione

33. Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev

34. Beastly by Alex Flinn 

35. Iron King by Julie Kagawa

36. Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

37. Reluctant Heiress by Eva Ibbotson

38. Wild Heart by Lori Brighton

39. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

40. My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent

41. Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

42. Raven by Allison Van Diepen

43. Evernight by Claudia Gray

44. Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson

45. Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey

Review: Ghostland by Jory Strong - A "Borrow My Book Tour" Review

Title: Ghostland

Author: Jory Strong

Published: April 2009

Paperback: 341 pages

Reading Level: Adult Urban Fantasy Romance

My Copy: Borrowed from Pat for Borrow My Book Tour

My rating: 3.5 of out of 5 wicked stars

Blurb:

In a post-Apocalyptic world where supernaturals have emerged from hiding, wealthy humans delight in decadence while the religious gain power through temptation. For the masses, fear reigns from birth to death, and the afterlife holds beings that only the bravest can summon—or dare to desire…

Taken from her home and family, shamaness Aisling McConaughey has no choice except to enter the “ghostlands” in order to learn the fate of a wealthy man’s mistress. But there is always a price to pay for the use of her power. To save the woman’s life she must summon the Djinn prince Zurael en Caym—and yield to his savage, sensual rage.

Zurael fears nothing except being called and bound to a human’s will. He intends to kill Aisling after she’s served as bait to find an enemy in possession of an ancient tablet. But the more he tastes of her innocent spirit, the more he’ll use his fiery touch and seductive whispers to keep her hungry for his mercy—even as they weave an erotic spell that he cannot escape…

Powerful forces threaten both their worlds, leaving Aisling and Zurael with an unbearable choice. Follow their hearts…or stay true to their honor and risk losing an eternity of pleasure.

My thoughts...

Thanks to Mandy's review on Ghostland, I knew to expect this to be a book with adult situations and not YA like I originally thought.  With that thought in mind, I dove into the world of shamaness, demons and angels.  Jory Strong wove a complex world of demons, magic and other worlds, but not so much that you got lost, but enough to keep you interested wondering what would happen next.

In the world that Aisling lived in, for every time she went into the Ghostland, she was required to pay that favor back.  It got to the point where she had so many people she owed stuff to that I wondered if she would ever pay it all back, but Jory wrapped it up nicely at the end.  The demon she summoned, Zurael, intends to kill Aisling before she can bind him to her, but it happens, fate has other plans for him.  He and Aisling share an almost unbelievable degree of lust for each other that sometimes takes away from the story being told, but in that same line...the sex is hot, Hot, HOT!

I really enjoyed the book, the world created by Jory and the characters.  This book would have rated higher for me if I hadn't felt like some of the sex in the book was just "filler".  Yes, I got that they desired each other even in the midst of peril, but I honestly got tired of hearing about how everything affected him sexually.  Aside from that, the book kept my interest and I look forward to reading the following books in the series, Spider-Touched (released August 2009), and Healer's Choice (coming September 2010).

Big thanks to Pat for sharing her books with everyone. If you are interested in participating, check out her blog about the Borrow My Book Tour.

Curl up with a Book...and a NOOK Contest!

Anya Bast and Lauren Dane are teaming up for a super contest giving away a NOOK! How awesome is that?  Click on the Spout below for details!