Waiting on Wednesday [32]

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine allows bloggers to share which books we are most anticipating

This week I am waiting on Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima (April 19, 2016)

Summary From GoodReads

The first in a thrilling new four-book fantasy series from New York Times bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima, set in the same world as her beloved Seven Realms series, a generation later
Adrian sul’Han, known as Ash, is a trained healer with a powerful gift of magic—and a thirst for revenge. Ash is forced into hiding after a series of murders throws the queendom into chaos. Now Ash is closer than he’s ever been to killing the man responsible, the cruel king of Arden. As a healer, can Ash use his powers not to save a life but to take it?

Abandoned at birth, Jenna Bandelow was told that the mysterious magemark on the back of her neck would make her a target. But when the King’s Guard launches a relentless search for a girl with a mark like hers, Jenna assumes that it has more to do with her role as a saboteur than any birth-based curse. Though Jenna doesn’t know why she’s being hunted, she knows that she can’t get caught.

Eventually, Ash’s and Jenna’s paths will collide in Arden. Thrown together by chance and joined by their hatred of the king, they will come to rescue each other in ways they cannot yet imagine.

Set in the world of the acclaimed Seven Realms series a generation later, this is a thrilling story of dark magic, chilling threats, and two unforgettable characters walking a knife-sharp line between life and death.

Why I'm Waiting

This story sounds so cool.  I love prophecies and magic and uprising against evil kings.  I've never read the Seven Realms series, but this sounds like a pretty solid story that doesn't need the previous series to appreciate.  

The Sword of the Maiden

by Kathleen C. Perrin

Summary from GoodReads

The Sword of the Maiden is Book 2 in The Watchmen Saga, which begins with Book 1: The Keys of the Watchmen. 

After being abruptly separated from Nicolas le Breton during the battle to save Mont Saint Michel from the English siege in 1424, Katelyn Michaels finds herself back in her normal twenty-first century life as an American teenager. Depressed and anxious to be reunited with Nicolas, she is comforted when a series of events and impressions lead her to believe she is being prepared for another mission as a Watchman. 

After her beloved mentor, Jean le Vieux, comes to her in a dream and gives her the injunction to “Learn of the Maiden and take her the sword,” Katelyn understands that her mission involves assisting one of the most iconic figures in all of French History. 

Katelyn is once again whisked back to the turmoil of medieval France during the Hundred Years’ War and to Nicolas. However, before the two can consider the future of their relationship, they must first complete their mission to take the sword to the Maiden. Little do they know that their old nemesis, Abdon, is already on their trail and will do everything in his unhallowed power to stop them.

About the Author

Katherin C. Perrin holds bachelor’s degrees in French and Humanities from Brigham Young University and is a certified French translator. Besides being the author of The Watchmen Saga, she has published several non-fiction articles, academic papers, and a religious history about Tahiti.  Kathleen has lived in Utah, New York City, France, and French Polynesia.  She and her French husband have spent years investigating the mysteries and beauties of his native country —where they have a cottage—and have taken tourist groups to France.  The Perrins have three children and currently reside in Utah.

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Thoughts on the Book

I received this book as part of the France Book Tours, which I'm super excited to be participating in!  Emma from Words and Peace mentioned this book to me in a Top Ten Tuesday post and I visited her blog and immediately got sucked into the French books blogging world.

I'm also participating in the giveaway for this book, there will be five winners for either a print or digital copy of Sword of the Maiden and an additional three winners will receive a $10 Amazon gift card.  This giveaway is also open internationally. You can enter here:

Enter here
Visit each blogger on the tour:
tweeting about the giveaway everyday
of the Tour will give you 5 extra entries each time!
[just follow the directions on the entry-form]

May the odds ever be in your favor.

My Review

I started this book without realizing that it was part of a series.  Since I've been in a reading slump and this post actually had a deadline I didn't go back and read the first one before continuing, and really, it didn't affect my enjoyment of the book much.  It did, however, make be really want to go back and read the first one, I really want to see how Nicolas and Katelyn first met!

Overall I really enjoyed this book.  I loved the time period and the settings.  Mont Saint Michel is one of my favorite places in the world and I've been to Chinon where Jeanne d'Arc identified Charles (in the exact room where it happened).  So reading about those places was very cool.  There were some things that I wasn't too keen on that made the reading experience not the best.  

Let's first start with the characters.  Katelyn.  I'm not really a fan of her, she dwells on things a lot.  And what's with all the crying?  For a strong badass female protagonist she cries an awful lot, over every little thing.  It doesn't fit with her awesomeness.  She also is all-consumed with Nicolas, but I really can't fault her for that, even though it did get annoying when it was brought up out of the blue.  Another thing about Katelyn that really bothered me were the pop culture tangents, especially the Princess Bride.  I love that movie as much as the next person, but she brought her laptop into medieval times for the sole purpose of playing the movie for Nicolas?  And the references were one off, they had to be explained, as were all modern pop culture references.  They weren't even explained to the medieval characters, they were part of her internal monologue, as though she was explaining to herself.  Katelyn also repeated things ad nauseam like Jehanne's (Jeanne d'Arc) fate and how she couldn't change it and her and Nicolas not having time to talk.

Nicolas, on the other hand, was awesome, definitely my favorite character.  His constant thinking about Katelyn wasn't nearly as annoying as Katelyn's constant thinking of him.  He was also a badass character, the stuff he went through and had to figure out, a lesser man would not have been able to do it.  Another awesome character was Brother Thibault, I wish he was in it more.  His role in the book seemed very superfluous, he was a plot device to get the sword, then to return Katelyn home.  I also really liked Jehanne, she was another super strong awesome character. 

The parts of the book that annoyed me the most were the unnecessary explanations about things (like the Princess Bride references), the heavy reliance on modern technology for everything, and most of all Katelyn's obsession with planning out her entire future with Nicolas.  The "no time" mantra that they had got really annoying really fast.  Really?  There was no time to talk at all, not in the hour or so they were packing and waiting for Katelyn's parents to leave?  Not with the extra four days they stayed at Mont Saint Michel waiting for Thibault to finish the sword?  Not before then when Katelyn was lying in bed recovering after arriving?  Or later when Nicholas was lying in bed recovering in Chinon?  Discussing their relationship really shouldn't be all that emotional.  But I suppose it would have been for Katelyn and Nicholas would have to waste all their time consoling her endless tears.

The technology bit seemed a bit like a cop-out.  For some things, sure, brilliant, for others, was it really necessary?  All the pictures and research she did seemed a bit much too.  Why did she need to bring her iPad with her?  Or her laptop.  She couldn't have just printed out the pictures?  Call them miniature paintings?  It was as though Katelyn didn't know how to function without copious amounts of modern tech with her and that bringing the tech was her only purpose for being in the past.

Another thing that took away from fully enjoying the book was the different perspectives.  I don't mind chapters flipping between characters, what I do mind is the point of view changing.  Katelyn was always in first person, and everyone else was in third person.  Frankly, the third person sections were so much better.  Katelyn being in first person is probably why I disliked her so much, had her sections been told in third person a lot of her annoying narrative bits wouldn't have been there.

Despite my dislikes of the book I did really enjoy it.  I was a history major in college, and was sorely tempted to get my PhD either in Viking history or Medieval French history, so I'm a stickler for not messing up history.  Some things I'll forgive a tweak to progress the story, or make it a more cohesive narrative (IF it's a work of fiction) but I judge books hard on accuracy.  This book, what a wonderful job!  Even with the changes for modern tech it was wonderfully woven into the story without changing any of the major points.  The tech was used mostly to explain people's change of mind or to make the character's lives a bit easier.  Nothing actually effected the historical narrative.  I especially loved the end of the book when Perrin took the time to go into the few changes she did make and to explain decisions she made.  Even Katelyn's annoying explanation of the events that led up to that point of the 100 Year's War was very accurate and really nice to have in the book.

Overall I give this a 7/10.  The story was great, the historical nature of it was great, Katelyn was super annoying and unimportant things got very repetitive.  I recommend this if you're looking for a fun time travel book with lots of accurate history from one of the coolest time periods.  I'm definitely going back and reading the first in the series and I'll be waiting for Perrin to publish the next!

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Waiting on Wednesday [29]

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine allows bloggers to share which books we are most anticipating

This week I am waiting on Broken Crowns by Lauren DeStefano (March 22, 2016)

 Summary from GoodReads

War rages everywhere and Morgan is caught in the middle in the haunting conclusion of The Internment Chronicles, from theNew York Times bestselling author of The Chemical Garden trilogy.

The city is falling out of the sky…

Morgan always thought it was just a saying. A metaphor. The words of the dying. But as they look up at the floating island that was their home, Pen and Morgan make a horrible discovery—Internment is sinking.

And it’s all Morgan’s fault.

Corrupted from the inside by one terrible king and assailed from the outside for precious resources by another, Internment could be destroyed because Morgan couldn’t keep a secret. As two wars become one, Morgan must find a way to bring her two worlds together to stop the kings that wage them…

Or face the furthest fall yet.

Why I'm Waiting

Why wouldn't I be waiting?  I absolutely love DeStefano, and this this the final installment of her latest amazing series.  I can't wait to see how everything turns out!

Winter

by Marissa Meyer

Summary from GoodReads

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend—the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

Thoughts on the Book

This book made an appearance as a Waiting on Wednesday.  I read Cinder back when it was first published, and I've been hooked to the series ever since.  I remember when Cress came out we had a bad snow storm, and I had to force myself to put the book down so I could shovel.  Fortunately Winter didn't come out in February, so I didn't have to worry about shoveling snow, just raking leaves.

My Review

This book continues shortly after where Cress leaves off, but with no major developments to the story.  Everyone is still in the Rampion plotting except for Scarlet who's making friends with a wolf.

This book really introduced a new character, Winter, who was pretty awesome.  She was so smart and intuitive and really played up her lunar sickness to make herself seem pathetic and unremarkable.  We got to see a lot of returning characters as well.  Thorne was as awesome as always, as were Cinder, Iko, Scarlet, and Kai.  We got to learn a lot more about other characters like Jacin and Wolf as well as see Cress really grow - be heroic.

Reading this book I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  Some authors it's obvious they won't be killing anyone off, other authors you know no one is safe.  But with Meyer, she wasn't shy of killing characters, so you just didn't know who would survive.  Some characters were obvious she wouldn't be killing, but others, there was no coming back from what was done to them, so how could they all have a happy ending?

The ending was perfect for the series, as epic and amazing as the previous books.  Meyer did a fantastic job of tying everything together while leaving plenty of unknowns to ponder and imagine the conclusions.  I would love to read a novella that takes place years later just to see where everyone ended up and what exactly happened with everything in the works.

I give this a 10/10.  I absolutely loved this book!  What a fantastic conclusion to the series!  Pretty sure the Lunar Chronicles just made it into my top 5 favorite series ever written.

Waiting On Wednesday [27]

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine allows bloggers to share which books we are most anticipating

This week I am waiting on Bookishly Ever After by Isabel Bandeira (January 19, 2016)

 Summary from GoodReads

In a perfect world, sixteen-year-old Phoebe Martins’ life would be a book. Preferably a YA novel with magic and a hot paranormal love interest. Unfortunately, her life probably wouldn’t even qualify for a quiet contemporary. But when Phoebe finds out that Dev, the hottest guy in the clarinet section, might actually have a crush on her, she turns to her favorite books for advice. Phoebe overhauls her personality to become as awesome as her favorite heroines and win Dev’s heart. But if her plan fails, can she go back to her happy world of fictional boys after falling for the real thing?

Why I'm Waiting

This book sounds so fun!  I love that the main love interest plays the clarinet.  I definitely have a soft spot for musicians (especially strings and woodwinds), so I'm sure I can relate to Phoebe with this.  Especially the turning to books for advice.

The Immortal Heights

by Sherry Thomas

Summary from GoodReads

In a pursuit that has spanned continents, Iolanthe, Titus, and their friends have always managed to remain one step ahead of the forces of Atlantis. But now the Bane, the monstrous tyrant who bestrides the entire mage world, has issued his ultimatum: Titus must hand over Iolanthe, or watch as his entire realm is destroyed in a deadly rampage. Running out of time and options, Iolanthe and Titus must act decisively to deliver a final blow to the Bane, ending his reign of terror for good.

However, getting to the Bane means accomplishing the impossible—finding a way to infiltrate his crypt in the deepest recesses of the most ferociously guarded fortress in Atlantis. And everything is only made more difficult when new prophecies come to light, foretelling a doomed effort....

Iolanthe and Titus will put their love and their lives on the line. But will it be enough?

With The Immortal Heights, Sherry Thomas brings the acclaimed Elemental Trilogy to its breathtaking conclusion.

Thoughts on the Book

Pretty much my only thoughts on the book were "omg, it's here, it's out, omg".  Needless to say I've been anxiously awaiting this book since I finished The Perilous Sea.

My Review

This is the conclusion to The Burning Sky and The Perilous Sea.  It followed Iolanthe and Titus into an epic battle.

Shortly into the book I realized that no one was safe.  I still had hope though, I hoped desperately that Titus' mother's interpretation was totally wrong, but then the second prophecy...I almost thought it was George R.R. Martin-esque.  Oh, you have a favorite character? DEAD! Oh, you have a new favorite character? DEAD!  But no worries, Thomas isn't nearly as bad as him (seriously, is anyone going to still be alive in A Dream of Spring?).

Like with the first two books this was full of action and adventure.  Even though you kind of knew what was coming with the prophecies, you had no idea how they would come to be.  Pretty much everything about this book took me by surprise, an impressive feat especially when you're told essentially what will happen.  A few times I had to stop reading, out of fear of what would happen to the characters, not being able to handle what they were going through, a brief respite of sheer relief, a brief respite to process what had just happened to a beloved character.  These breaks didn't last long because the "how? when? why?"s running through my head due to the prophecies.

The characters in this series are so great, they're solidly written characters who stay true to their nature and really shine through.  It's one of the reasons why I needed to process, I usually don't get so completely attached to characters, but these guys, man, you really just feel for them and all the shit they have to deal with.  I also absolutely love that while there is a romance, well, two...sort of three romances going on they're not all encompassing.  They're there, they're in love, they need to go on fighting.  It's refreshing to read a series like that.  The drama that happens isn't petty, the tender moments are like a deep breath before all hell breaks loose again, and while hell is loose just the little bits of comfort they give each other, both as friends and romantically, is so well done.  Just a quick glance at each other before entering battle, a nod to a friend to show solidarity.  Fantastic, all of it.

Even after everything was all over and done with it wasn't a "and they lived happily ever after" end to the story.  The epilogue was great.  Eton was a little silly, but it was really nice and gave good closure.  The first part of the epilogue though, I was kind of flipping out with even more "where? why? WHAT???" before it was explained. 

I absolutely love this trilogy, it was completely epic and awesome, and why isn't there a huge fandom for this?  Seriously, such a phenomenal story!  

I give this an 11/10. The conclusion to the series was utterly fantastic, I seldom read such a great ending (the only other one that comes to mind is His Dark Materials).  There's absolutely nothing more satisfying than finishing a story going what a perfect ending, there is no other way that could possibly have gone that would have made it any better.  If you haven't already - GO READ THIS SERIES!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously.  Do it.  Now.

Waiting on Wednesday [26]

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine allows bloggers to share which books we are most anticipating

This week I am waiting on Stars Above by Marissa Meyer (February 2, 2016)

Summary From GoodReads

The enchantment continues. . . .

The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories - and secrets - that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier Wolf transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard Jacin realize their destinies?

With six stories - two of which have never before been published - and an exclusive never-before-seen excerpt from Marissa Meyer's upcoming novel, Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland,Stars Above is essential for fans of the bestselling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.

Why I'm Waiting

I only just started Winter and already I'm dreading finishing it because the story will be over.  So a new collection of short stories to enhance the over Lunar Chronicles story?  Can't wait!  

The Epic Adventures of Lydia Bennet

by Katie Rorick and Rachel Kiley

Summary from GoodReads

Based on the Emmy Award­-winning “genius” (The Guardian) web series, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, this is a new novel starring Lizzie’s spunky sister Lydia as she navigates the joys and pitfalls of becoming an adult in the digital age.

Before her older sister, Lizzie, started her wildly popular vlog, Lydia was just a normal twenty-year-old plotting the many ways she could get away with skipping her community college classes and finding the perfect fake ID. She may not have had much direction, but she loved her family and had plenty of fun. Then Lizzie’s vlog turned the Bennet sisters into Internet sensations, and Lydia basked in the attention as people watched, debated, tweeted, tumblr’d, and blogged about her life. But not all attention is good…

After her ex-boyfriend, George Wickham took advantage of Lydia’s newfound web-fame, betrayed her trust, and destroyed her online reputation, she’s no longer a naïve, carefree girl. Now, Lydia must work to win back her family’s trust and respect and find her place in a far more judgmental world.

Told in Lydia’s distinctive, eccentric, and endearing voice, The Epic Adventures of Lydia Bennet picks up right where The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet left off and “offers a fresh take on Pride and Prejudice without ruining it” (The Washington Post, on The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet). Featuring fresh twists, wonderful new characters, and scores of hilarious texts, doodles, and tweets, The Epic Adventures of Lydia Bennet takes you behind the webcam and into the lives of your favorite sisters in a way that’s sure to satisfy existing fans and delight new ones.

Thoughts on the Book

I'm a huge fan of the Lizzie Bennet Diaries, so getting this was a no-brainer.  Lydia was always my least favorite character (Wickham and Caroline notwithstanding) but I love the world and I will never say no to more from it.

My Review

This book follows Lydia's story after Lizzie moves to San Francisco.  It's all about Lydia figuring herself out and getting back to a new normal after the Wickham drama.

I absolutely loved this story.  It was everything I wished that The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet was.  Lydia's voice shines through and she's as funny as ever!  I loved being able to see deeper into Lydia, to see more than her superficial party girl persona.  She's extremely intelligent and intuitive and it was wonderful to watch her begin to see that in herself.

So many characters came back, mainly Mary, but Jane was in it a bit, as sweet as ever, and Bing!  I love Bing.  I love how he dealt with Lydia too, by bringing her to where he worked and letting her figure things out for herself and helping unobtrusively.  I also loved Lydia's New York friends, they were so great and really helped her come into her own.  I would so love to go to a party like she went to!  Pretty much any Disney themed party I would love to go to...

There were only two minor things I didn't like about the book.  It needed more Darcy.  We got lots of Lizzie, but Darcy was never with her, I really want to see them interact now that they're together!  The other thing was Mary's story.  It was so...predictable?  It's such a trope.

I give this a 10/10 because it was totes adorbs, duh!  But seriously, it was everything I could have wanted in a LBD story.

Streams of Mercy

by Lauraine Snelling

Summary from GoodReads

Anji Baard Moen, a recent widow, returns from Norway with her children. She quickly settles back into life in Blessing, teaching Norwegian history in the high school and writing articles for the Blessing Gazette. When tragedy strikes, Anji steps in to run the newspaper and soon finds a kindred spirit in the widower who owns the printing press. As they spend time together, Anji wonders if there's something more than friendship growing between them.

But Anji has also caught the eye of a recent arrival to Blessing. He has put his carpentry skills to good use on the town's building projects, including Anji's house. But Anji is torn between her feelings of loyalty to someone who needs her and the chance to build a new life with this intriguing newcomer.

Where will her choice take her?

Thoughts on the Book

I love the world of Blessing, North Dakota and the Bjorklunds.  I grew up reading them and I will continue to read them for as long as Snelling continues to publish them.  The description made me really nervous though, Thorliff, one of my favorite characters ever written, owns the newspaper.

My Review

This book is about a train that comes into Blessing seeking medical attention.  It also continues everyone's story, focusing on Ingeborg (of course), Anji, and Devlin.

This is probably my least favorite of the entire series, bumping up Blessing in Disguise's ranking.  It didn't have the same rhythm and feeling as all the others.  It seemed kind of forced.  The characters were pretty flat and there was a lot, and I mean a lot of reminiscing.  Weird uncalled for reminiscing.  Like Kaaren out of nowhere stating that she was randomly crying one day and realized that it was because she missed Carl, Gunny, and Lizzie.  The books have progressively getting much more religious focused too.  It used to be religion was just a part of who they were, now it's like any chance Snelling gets she randomly adds a quote from the scripture.  It's part of the problem with the flow of the book, it doesn't occur naturally it's so forced.

Another issue I had with the book was Anji.  I didn't care about her at all.  I used to really like her, then she screwed over Thorliff, and now?  I still find her totally unlikable.  Maybe I would have cared more if the love interest wasn't Devlin.  If she were still in love with Thorliff and after her husband died she came back and suffered while Thorliff was living a happy life with Elizabeth and their children.

I don't understand why Ingeborg was such a focus in this story.  Lately it's seemed like she's the main focus of everything, but in the original series half of the books she was a side character.  As well as a few of the sub-sequential series.  There was absolutely nothing going on with her in this book, but there were a lot of scenes, for no reason, at the farm.  Since Anji was supposed to be the main focus of the story I was expecting to see a lot more of Penny (and Hjemler) but then were both mentioned once.  And Penny's daughter was mentioned out of the blue in one section.

Overall I'm giving this a 5.5/10.  It felt too forced and there were so many things that just didn't feel right.  Characters that should have been crucial to the story (Astrid, Elizabeth, Deborah, Miriam, Penny) barely showed up or were missing completely and characters that served no purpose were in it a lot (Ingeborg, Emily, Manny).  I'm hoping the next in the series brings back the original feel to the world of Blessing.

Sword Art Online - Fairy Dance

Story by Reki Kawahara
Art by Tsubasa Hazuki

Since this one's 3 book manga series I'm going to post it one review.

Summaries from GoodReads

Kazuto Kirigaya (aka Kirito) has survived the death game of Aincrad masterminded by Akihiko Kayaba, programmer of Sword Art Online, and made it back to the real world. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Asuna Yuuki (aka Asuna the Flash), the girl Kirito fell in love with in the game world and who has yet to awaken from her seemingly endless slumber. As his sister, Suguha, sadly looks on, Kazuto continues to visit Asuna in the hospital in the hope of finding answers... But one day, the answers suddenly find him in the form of a man who claims to be Asuna's fiancé?! With him, the man brings an in-game screenshot of someone who looks a lot like Asuna being held captive! Now Kirito must dive into an all-new VRMMORPG, ALfheim Online, to bring Asuna home!!

Kirito jumps into a new VRMMORPG called ALfheim Online (ALO) in search of Asuna, who still hasn't regained consciousness. On his quest to find the World Tree and reach Asuna, he meets a sylph girl named Leafa. A veteran player experienced with the sword, Leafa recognizes that Kirito is motivated by serious circumstances and decides to help him. But...Leafa's identity in the real world is Suguha Kirigaya--Kirito's sister. And it's the glimmer of her beloved brother she sees in Kirito that prompts her to lend him a hand. Now, despite the conflicting interests guiding them on, the pair set off on a journey to the World Tree!!

Having defeated General Eugene of the salamanders and aided the alliance between sylphs and cait siths by protecting their leaders, Kirito and Leafa reach Alne, the town at the foot of the World Tree, at long last. But before they can tackle the tree--and their main objective--server maintenance begins, and they are forced to log out. Back in the real world, Kazuto and Suguha Kirigaya, each unaware of the other's in-game identity, pay a visit to Asuna Yuuki, who still lies asleep in her hospital room. While there, Suguha suffers a terrible shock when she realizes just how strongly her beloved brother cares for Asuna.
Meanwhile Asuna, still imprisoned atop the World Tree within the game world of ALfheim Online, sets her escape plan in motion... 
The adventure in ALO finally reaches its climax! Enjoy the conclusion of the Fairy Dance arc in this massive final volume!

Thoughts on the Series

A coworker recommend the Sword Art Online (SAO) Anime for me to watch.  I loved it.  So when I happened to go into a bookstore and saw the manga I grabbed this three book series. I was only halfway through the anime at the time, so I grabbed this arc because Kirito looked so awesome with elf ears.  I did finish the anime before I started reading though.  This series is the second half of season 1 of SAO.

My Review

This story arc picks up almost immediately after the Aincrad arc ends.  Kirito learns that there are about 300 players that never woke up after game, including his in-game wife, Asuna.  Kirito delves back into a VRMMORPG (Alfheim) in order to save Asuna.

I read this manga while watching the anime, and while I really enjoyed the manga, the anime was better.  And I learned that that manga is three times removed from the original.  Usually manga gets translated to anime.  This story was odd, it started as a light novel then was adapted as an anime, once the anime became popular it was adapted as a manga.  The illustrator for Fairy Dance also wasn't the same illustrator that worked on the original arc, Aincrad.  All that being said the manga didn't really stand up to the anime, but it was very good.

There were some parts that were rushed in the manga, I think I would have been confused by them if I hadn't seen the anime.  I think it would have been better if they ignored the anime (except for the character design) and based the manga off of the light novel.  They tried to copy what was done on the screen and some parts just didn't fit right in manga form.

The story was great though, and there were parts of the manga that I enjoyed more than the anime.  The very end of the arc, when Kirito gets to the hospital I liked better in the manga than the anime.  It was interesting to see the slight changes between the anime and manga, the tentacled scientists in the manga...shudder...they were awful, poor Asuna, in the anime they were just silly.  Then there was the final scene in the birdcage, that was way more awful in the anime than it was in the manga.

I give this arc a 8/10.  It's an awesome story, but I would recommend watching it rather than reading the manga.  But if you do read the manga it's awesome, but the manga gets an 8/10 while the anime gets a 10/10. The anime is just more awesome.

Illuminae

by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Summary from GoodReads

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

Thoughts on the Book

I got a copy of this at BEA.  It was kind of amusing how I came across one of the most coveted ARCs.  I went to a signing then was wandering around looking for my friend and saw someone handing these out, so I was looking trying to see what it was and the woman was like 'oh it's a YA sci-fi book', so I figured I would be down with reading that and grabbed it.  A while later I found my friend, we're walking around talking and I mentioned getting this ya/sci-fi book and she asked for the name.  She totally freaked when I told her and I had to immediately lead her over to where they were handing them out, luckily there were some left (it had been at least an hour after I got my copy) so, yay!  It was such a low key book drop all the way in the corner of the venue.

My Review

This book is about a planet with an illegal mining operation being attacked by a rival mining company.  Some refugees from the planet made it onto two research vessels and the only warship that came to their rescue.  A plague breaks out, introduced by refugees, and the warship's AI is highly problematic.  Oh yeah, and one of the ships that attacked the planet is chasing after the three ships with the refugees.

Oh My God.  This book.  Just look at it, it's soooooo cool.  I love every little bit of it, the cover is cool, but then take off the dust jacket and it's even cooler!  The inside cover is awesome too, but I think that's just for the ARCs, I want to see what they do for the final version.  I love the theme of the book and how everything fits into that theme.  It's so unique and so awesome and wow, what a great book.  

The way it's written is so different from anything else I've ever read.  It's a mix of confidential reports, IM logs, emails, transcribed conversations.  The beginning was a little rough to get into, it kept switching between Kady and Ezra's interviews and each interview picked up where the other's left off.  So it was difficult to follow who was being interviewed.  But once those were completed the rest of the book read quite easily.

I love Ezra, he's such a great character.  He's so anti-authority, snarky teenage boy, who's a total softy.  He cares so much about everyone.  Kady I wasn't too fond of.  She's awesome, don't get me wrong, but she comes off as very holier-than-thou and standoff-ish.  AIDAN I have mixed feelings about, totally crazy machine, but then at the end...I think it'd come super close to passing, or actually pass a Turing Test.  Which is a terrifying notion.

At first the story felt like there was way too much crap going on, the initial attack, being pursued by the Lincoln, the crazy AI, then the plague?  Way too much.  But it really wasn't, the story tied it all together beautifully.  At points while reading, especially during the second half, I had to put the book down.  I couldn't take it, what they were going through was just too much.  The ending especially was way difficult to read.  And I was excepting a cliff hanger, a really really bad one that I would curse the authors for while anxiously watching the calendar until book 2's release date.  And there almost was one, but then there were those few pages, almost like an epilogue, but not because this isn't your typical book.  The last part, the almost epilogue, that very last surveillance footage summary, it left me with tears in my eyes. Then that last line.  Beautiful.  Loved it.  So freaking good.  So glad it ended the way it did.  It was complete, it was amazing, it was everything you could want with a book. 

I was actually surprised at the end.  I totally called the two big "shocking" things earlier in the book.  Like when Ezra said something I was like that's it! That'll be the shocking revelation right before the final climax of the series, or at least the kicker for book 2.  Then near the end, I called something else, which if I allude to it it's automatic spoilers.  In the final IM conversation in the book it confirmed both things I figured out, and it didn't make a big deal out of it.  I found that surprising.  Illuminae is so not your typical book.  It's allure isn't mysteries and tensions.  It's all about what is happening and how the people involved are coping with it.  This is going to be a book that sticks with you a long time.

I give this a 11/10.  Such a phenomenal book.  I'm so glad I stumbled upon it at BEA.