Welcome! I'm Riv Re, teenager and aspiring author. I post Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Tuesdays are for book reviews; Thursdays are for a weekly meme called "Character Dolls," which showcases character depictions I made online; and on Sundays I just wing it.
This blog is for my writing misadventures, my reviews, ramblings, and rants. My favorite genre is fantasy, so expect a lot of the unusual.

Warning: I've got an awful sense of humor. Don't blame me if you keel up and die from reading the jokes I crack.
Notice: I hold no responsibility for any deaths caused by previously mentioned jokes.

Enjoy and happy reading!

Current Book Showcase-Starling by Lesley Livingston Trailer!
(What's Book Showcase? Click HERE!)

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Go Green (And Some More Iron Fey)

It appears I have an Iron Fey week, even though it didn't get posted Sunday-Tuesday-Thursday, but Tuesday-Thursday-Sunday.
This post isn't spoilery at all, but if you haven't the foggiest idea what the Iron Fey series is about, I highly suggest you look it up and give it a shot.

ETA: IQ review HERE

I'm not sure if Julie had any intentions of this, but her Fey series has a deeper meaning of the world we live in.

It's mentioned in, I believe, Book One, that the Nevernever will soon be taken over by the Iron Fey totally, as mortals forget the magic. Iron glamour works, not with magic, but with science. As our world turns to technology, the "old-bloods" are forgotten.

It's a thought that terrifies me. And even if you don't believe in global warming and you don't mind breathing in smog and advancing like we are, think of one thing.

Do you love cracking the binding of a new book?
Do you love sticking your nose in it and breathing in paper-smell?
Do you love running your fingers along the bindings of books?
Do you love being in the stacks of a bookstore, all alone with that lovely paper?
Do you love tearing open a package and pulling out your pretty glowy shiny new book?
How about when you get the first ARCs of your OWN book?
Or seeing your book baby sitting on a shelf in your local indie?

Your mouth is watering, I just know it.

Now imagine if all that was replaced by wires.

Would you love it if instead of cracking the binding, you pressed "Read"?
Would you love getting electrocuted while trying to take a sniff?
Would you love running your fingers along the side of your e-reader, or memory chip?
Would you love staring at an e-book store online?
Would you love seeing lots of disks on a rack, for you to put in your computer to read?
Would you love the luster of a new ereader quite like a book's?
How would you feel if your first ARC looked no different than the final draft you sent to your editor?
And what about never hugging your book-baby?

Think of losing real books to e-books.
I'm terrified.

You'll be saying, "Oh, don't worry. It's not happening yet. There are still plenty of books." Now imagine in ten years, twenty. I plan on still reading when I'm 40. But do I want my children to say, "Ma, books are sooo old-fashioned!"

E-readers are cool, but to an extent.

Now, back to the iron fey. Technology is taking over, slowly. And the old-bloods are going to die, eventually.


Are you absolutely terrified, too?

Peace and Magic,
Riv

Thursday, January 27, 2011

The Queen is Coming (Well, Came)!!

!Hey Blogger Buds,

If you've read the first book, here's my review of the Iron Daughter. If you've read the first two, here's the Iron Queen. But if you've read all three, read on...

Okay. Stop right there. You're about to enter dangerous territory. This blog post is a mind field of spoilery, and the only way to avoid it is to step on the spaces, avoiding the letters altogether. It's risky, and I advise you not to risk it. The Iron Fey is wonderful, and you don't want the trilogy blowing up just yet, so back away slowly if you haven't read ALL THREE BOOKS, and click that little red X in the corner.

THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM THE ENTIRE IRON FEY TRILOGY! (Well, the third, but read the first two first!)

So, Julie Kagawa is having a contest, to show the LOVE. So pick a team: Ash, Puck (all the way, baby) or Ironhorse, and do something creative! This is spoilery from pages 277-278.
I wrote a story! It's based on what Ash said on the above two pages. Below the story, I paraphrased Ash and Meghan's conversation.

Just, to preface, both names are Irish. Deirdre means a chatterer. And Aisling is pronounced Ashling (I decided it was fitting) and means vision/dream.

(1,732 words)
***
I splashed my little sister, making her squeal, and ducked as she splashed back. She shivered from the cold water, so I scooped the girl up and carried her back to our cottage.
“What happened?” my grandmother asked.
“Deirdre got wet,” I answered simply.
My grandmother, the high druid priestess, laughed, tsked her tongue at me, and took Deirdre away to dry her off. Bored, I wandered back outside, and headed back to the creek. I saw a beautiful flower growing in the ground, and I was surprised I hadn’t noticed it before. I knelt down and smelled it.
I caught a flash of movement out of the corner of my eye and looked up to see that, standing before me, was the most beautiful boy I’d ever seen. He had white, shining skin, and black hair falling into silver eyes. He offered me his hand, and reluctantly I took it, my skin tingling from his cold touch. My legs shook as he helped me up, and I almost pulled away when I saw the sharp, pointed ears. But before I could, he lifted my hand and kissed the back of it.
“Charmed,” he smiled. I shivered. His voice was smooth as honey, deep and dangerous, but filled with allure. His other hand was behind his back, and I glanced at it quickly, but he was one of the Fair Folk. He didn’t miss a thing. He pulled his hand out, holding a bouquet of flowers, identical to the one I’d just found. “And to whom do I owe this pleasure?” Before I even realized what I was doing, I’d taken the flowers from him.
“Aisling.” I tried to stop my voice from quivering, but failed. “And you are?” I’d never met a Kindly One myself, but I’d heard enough of the lore to identify one, and I knew of people who had met them. And none of the stories I’d heard had happy endings.
“Ash. Coincidence?” he asked, circling me. I turned my head, trying not to lose sight of him. He stopped behind me and I felt his cold breath on my cheek as he leaned close, whispering right into my ear, “or what you humans call fate?” I shivered again.
“I…I have to go,” I stammered out, trying to remain calm.
He was in front of me again, and I avoided his eyes. “Yes,” he said softly, “that sounds like a wise idea. You wouldn’t want those flowers to die, would you?” And then he was gone. Not into the woods, just gone.


I was shaken awake the next morning, pulled roughly from dreams of certain cold faeries. I blinked awake to see my father kneeling beside me.
“Are you alright, Aisling?” he asked. “You slept late. Are you sick?” I shook my head, and sat up.
“I’m fine, Father. I’m sorry. I suppose I was very tired.” I knew it was a lie though. Truthlly, I didn’t want to leave my dreams.
After my morning chores, I went outside to the fields. I wouldn’t admit that I was moving faster than usual, hoping to see the fae. He was in the woods at the far end of the field, leaning against a tree. He smiled down at me when I approached.
“I’m so happy you’re here,” he murmured. He moved farther into the woods and I followed, drawn to him. He pulled me deeper into the woods, but I felt safe with Ash. When I could no longer see the farm, he stopped and whistled. A black horse, his eyes red, trotted up and snorted at me. Ash patted it, and murmured something too low for me to hear. The horse calmed down, and Ash gestured me closer.
“Come, ride with me. I have a place I really want to show you.” He didn’t wait for my reply, just put his hands on my waist and lifted me up with inhuman strength. I slid onto the horse’s back, and Ash swung up behind me. He slipped his arms around my waist and picked up the reins. A kick and the horse trotted off. I shivered, and not just from the cold the fey carried with him.
Ash brought the horse to a stop in a small clearing. A brook ran beside it, and there, towering over us was a massive weeping willow. Ash helped me down and lifted the leaves of the tree so I could go under it. I sat by the trunk, and he sat beside me.
“So,” I began, my voice shaking again, “Tell me about yourself. Who are you?”
He smirked. “Asking my name, are you?”
I nodded. “Is that wrong?”
He leaned closer to me, his face inches from mine. I smelled peppermint on his cold breathe. “True Names are very powerful, Aisling. They are used for control.” He leaned closer, his hand on my arm, giving me goosebumps.
“Oh. Woops,” I giggled nervously. “I’m sorry. Can you tell me something else?”
He leaned back, studying me with those silver eyes. “My name is Prince Ash, third son of the Unseelie court.”
My heart caught in my throat. “Prince?” I echoed.
He nodded and shrugged. “But don’t let that bother you,” he said softly.
“Oh…okay.” I tried to find something to say. “Well, uh, tell me about your brothers?”
He smiled and my stomach did a flip. “Sage isn’t so bad, but Rowan is a bother.”
“And then there’s you.” I wanted to kick myself
He leaned in again and whispered, “And then there’s me.” And then his lips were on mine, for the briefest moment. I tried remembering how to breathe. “Perfect,” he whispered. And he leaned forward again.
I slid onto his lap, his hands around my waist, his lips tracing a line down my cheekbone to my mouth.
When he pulled away, there was wonder in his eyes. “You’re beautiful.” Before I could respond, he moved me off his lap. “It’s getting late. You should probably get home.”

We met daily, and I spent my nights looking forward to that prince, those conversations, the secret kisses in our private grove. He’d use his glamour for me, making flowers, performing tricks, giving me gifts, even bringing a few animals into my lap.
I was nuzzled up beside him, his arm around my shoulder, one evening. “How about that bird? Can you order it around?” I enjoyed testing him, seeing what he can do with his glamour.
Ash shook his head. “I can turn a stick into a bird, but I cannot command that one already up there.”
“Why not?”
“It’s Seelie. Aisling, it’s summer. But I'll be able to do a lot more when fall comes.” And he kissed me again.
I wanted him so much, I’d sneak out at night to meet him. Stolen kisses, dark embraces.

My family worried.
“I know what you’re doing every day,” Deirdre announced when my mother told me to take her for a bath in the stream.
“Oh? What am I doing, then?” I asked, trying to keep my voice neutral, even though my heart pounded.
“You’re meeting a fairy,” she announced.
“Hush, Deirdre,” I scolded. “You know better than to call the Kindly Ones that. Do you want one stealing you away in the night?”
She dropped her head and shook it.
“Well, don’t call them then. And get those absurd ideas out of your head. Why would I talk to the f—a Good Neighbor?”
She shrugged. “I saw you with a big one. I know what he is because of the weird ears.”
I shook my head. “Stop playing games.” And I stopped the conversation by helping her out of her dress and into the water. But when I glanced up, I saw a dark figure watching me from the treeline, silver eyes glowing.

Deirdre told, though, I think. My grandmother kept on giving me warnings.
“There might be Fair Folk in the wooods, Aisling.”
“Aisling, avoid the Kindly Ones, no matter what.”
“Don’t forget, Aisling, nothing good comes from speaking with the Gentry.”
And I ignored the druid each time, giving simple replies, easy ones, “Of course, Grandmother,” and “Grandmother, I know,” and “Thank you, Grandmother, for the words of wisdom.” I always replied calmly, nodded my head, and ran off to the fields and my prince.

Even when suitors came, no matter how handsome they were, none were like the immortal Ash.

I came up to him once, and he took my hand, leading me into the woods and where the tatter-colt waited. I was telling him of the newest suitor, a dull boy with a head that must have been full of coins, because that was all he had.
“No magic, I assume,” Ash murmured. I laughed.
“Nothing like you.”
He pushed me against a tree, and kissed me softly. A ribbon appeared in his hands and he tied it into my hair. A gift. He’d given me many, and they were all hidden away under my cot, to avoid suspicion.
My heart pounded, but I was bursting with what I wanted to say. Ash pulled away and his eyes were warm, expectant. He waited for me to speak.
“Ash, I…” My heart leaped into my throat as he caressed my cheek softly. “Ash, I…” I took a deep breath and let it out. “I love you.” It was barely a whisper, but I knew his sharp ears heard me.
He pulled back sharply, his eyes turning hard, and his lips pulled into a sneer.
“Of course,” he snorted, his voice mocking. “I suppose now you expect me to say the same thing. You’re a mere mortal. Mortals are worthless. You truly expected a fey to love you? You’re nothing!” He flicked his wrist and the horse trotted up. “You mortals take games so seriously. You were nothing but a game.” He mounted the horse. “A game I’ve gotten bored of.” Ash smiled maliciously.
"No," I whispered. "That's not true."
He bent over the horse so I could see his face better. "Fae never lie."
And with a laugh, the winter fey galloped off.
My knees hit the ground with a thud. And then darkness.

All the gifts beneath my bed had turned into piles of sticks, rocks, and dirt.

I went looking for him, once, but he was truly gone.

I stopped eating. I stopped drinking. I stopped sleeping. I did nothing but pine. I did nothing but wait for death, because my winter prince would never return.
 ***
[The following is paraphrased. All words are exact quotes, but the non-spoken bits were cut out, as well as some other bits in the middle that aren't needed.]

“Long ago, someone told me that I would be cursed in love, that those I came to cherish would be torn from me, that as long as I remained soulless, I would lose everyone I truly cared for.”
“Who told you that?”
“A very old druid priestess.”
“Go on.”
“There was a girl, barely sixteen in mortal years, and as innocent as they came. I made sure she fell in love with me, and then I took it all away. I broke more than her heart, I broke her spirit, and I reveled in it.”
“What happened to her?”
“She died.”
“And you felt horribly guilty about it?”
“I didn’t think twice about her. She was only a human, and a foolish one at that, to fall in love with a faery. But her grandmother, the high priestess of the girl’s clan, was not so foolish. She  sought me out and told me what I just told you—she cursed me, promised that I would be destined to lose everyone I truly cared for, that it was the price for being soulless. (277-278)


*bows* And that is, I believe, the first piece of writing I've posted here. It isn't solidly Team Ash, and I'm Team Puck (see the right sidebar), but it's something interesting I came up with in my attempt at originality.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Iron Queen Review

I received my copy of the Iron Queen free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.
Hey Blogger Buds,
So today I'm going to review the Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa. I got this book on Saturday, and started it Saturday night (technically Sunday morning) . I finished it Sunday night (technically Monday morning). It was that good. (Remember: All linkage below)

The Iron Queen officially comes out in stores today!

ETA: HERE's my Iron Daughter MM/Review
ETA: If you've already finished IQ, I wrote a fanfic HERE.
ETA: I did a post on the Go Green message in the book HERE.

Contains spoilers from the Iron King and the Iron Daughter (a great series, not worth it to spoil it for yourself!)

Blurby:
In less than twenty-four hours I’ll be seventeen.
Although, technically, I won’t actually be turning seventeen. I’ve been in the Nevernever too long. When you’re in Faery, you don’t age. So while a year has passed in the real world, agewise I’m probably only a few days older than when I went in.
In real life, I’ve changed so much I don’t even recognize myself.

My name is Meghan Chase.
I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.
This time, there will be no turning back.

Short Review:
The Iron Queen absolutely blew me away, with a perfect, bittersweet ending to the series. Personally, I felt a bit of a disconnect from what was happening, but that's just because something's wonky with me. A wonderful way to close the trilogy, and I feel a loss in the space in my heart these characters filled.

Long Review:
I have so many scattered thoughts right now, so I'm going to try to be nice and organized. You can skip over the parts you don't want to read, because this can get rambly.

On the Setup: This has no effect on my opinion of the book, because I don't blame the author for the publisher. I don't own a copy of the Iron King, but I do own the Iron Daughter, and one of the first things I noticed was the size. IQ was bigger than ID. I love Harlequin Teen books, because I like what they aim for: YA that's action-packed, but also has some romance. But I think HT could do better. (I'm gonna stick to initials; it's easier.)
I noticed several formatting mistakes, like lack of gaps sometimes. (You know, when there's a new thought in the same chapter, and they put a space?) Well, there wasn't always a space where space was due. And instead of starting page one on, ya know, page one, it started counting from the literal first page. So page one was called page ten. You follow? No? Oh well.
I also love the cover, all raised and bumpy and stuff, but it's so pink. I'm staring at the side of the book right now, where it says the author and title, and my eyes are hurting from how hot pink it is.
And what's up with the adverts? The last page, we have everything tied up nice and neat, I'm still squeeing and moaning, and then there's three stars and you're talking about the Iron Knight.
Once again: This in no way impacts my review and my rating of the book. I'm just mentioning this so HT gets an idea of what I think of their publishing. (I still love ya, HT!)

On the Plotting: It's brilliant. The way everything ties together in a neat little bow. The key. The gremlins. The packrats. The perfection.

On the Characters: I read a blog post a bit ago, where the blogger made an interesting point. She said (paraphrased): "I stay with a stand-alone for the plot. I stay with the series because of the characters." And I though, Soooo true. When I finished this book, there was a gaping whole in my heart where these characters used to be. I was trying to remember the last time I finished a trilogy and missed the characters (more on this in a minute.) So. Characters.
~Meghan has become such a strong characters. Repeatedly, she triple-checks her deals. In the Iron King, she kept on making stupid deals, saying things like "thank you". At this point, "thanks" isn't in her vocabulary anymore (in a good way, not an impolite way). You see her getting smarter in ID, when she gives "a name"--Fred Flinstone, I believe in was.
~Ash was awesome from the beginning, though some people have problems with his angst, which I totally get. I'm sick of angsty male characters too, but Ash no longer has to deal with the Winter Court, and he's finally acting decent, opening up to Meghan, mostly losing the Ice Prince facade that keeps him safe. Remember: the Unseelie prey on weak emotions.
~Puck is so awesome he gets his own topic, below :)
~Grimalkin: I've always hated to love Grim. Most people loved him, and I liked him, though I hated that I like him. Follow? No? Whatever. Grim gets on my nerves, usually, but now I love him, his awesomeness, and his obnoxious help.

On Meghan's Surroundings: I've always hated it when the MC has so much good stuff coming their way, and they're so sad, because they have to lead an army, and they're just forced to choose between two guys and they're the most powerful magic-user ever. I always want to smack them upside the head and tell them to get over it. But not Meghan. She's stuck, and everything she brings upon herself, totally plot-driven. Nothing to hate her for, only to feel bad for her for.

On Her Dreams: They confused me. They've been around since book two, even though I only vaguely remember them. I didn't get what was happening. Was he there? Was she hallucinating? I made a bit of sense out of it on the end.

On a Tastefully Done Part: I don't read every review I come across, but I do when I'm really excited for a book. So I read reviews on IQ, and I kept on reading compliments on a very tastefully done scene in the book. And I felt like because they wrote about it, it was spoiled for me. I kept on expecting it to happen, and that ruined it for me, just because everyone mentioned it in their reviews. It was tastefully done, but I didn't appreciate it like I expected to.

That's dedication
On Puck: (because he gets his own section) I've always loved Puck. I'm in the process of reading Midsummer Night's Dream, for Puck.There's a building in Manhattan called the Puck Building. Puck handles everything surprisingly well in the beginning, though he gets a bit mean, bu that's understandable, being, ya know, madly in love with his former friend's girlfriend and all.
But Puck always had the best lines.
~"I learned long ago that you don't get in the middle of a lover's spat. Nothing ever goes as planned--people fall in love with the wrong person, someone ends up with a donkey head, and then it's a whole big mess." (267)
~"My mad crocheting skills finally came in handy for something." (301)
~"Goodfellow? Robin Goodfellow?"--"Oh, look at that, he's heard of me. My fame grows." (55)
~"Hey, princess." (about every third page)
I'll let you read the rest of his awesomeness yourself. <3 :)

On Special Scenes: There were a few scenes that absolutely blew me away. Of course, anything with Puck in it. And Ash finally says his full name. I think I memorized that whole scene, because of the amazingness. And then a bunch of scenes near the end. Some things were absolutely incredible.


On Howl's Moving Castle: You read that right. There's something in the book which completely reminds me of Howl's Moving Castle. Utterly. It's awesome. 

On the Iron Knight: One word: WANT.

On Finishing the Book: I know many people cried while reading the ending, and it was incredible, but throughout a large portion of the book I felt a strange disconnect from the characters. I don't know why, but I didn't feel like I was there. Something personal, not Julie's fault at all.  I didn't cry, but believe me, that was a tear-jerker. It was such an amazing, bittersweet, hopeful ending, and I'm tearing up now writing this. I think the ending ratcheted the rating up at least three stars.

On Finishing the Series: When I finished the book, I was sad to leave behind these lovelies. And I tried to remember the last time I felt like this, if ever. As a kid, I read those super-long series; like the Boxcar Children and the Phantom Stallion, but I never finished them. So I went looking at my goodreads for series I've recently finished. Hunger Games was the first I found, and I haven't been reading the books long enough to get attached, I suppose. I didn't feel any special connection to them. Incarceron was another, but I never expected Sapphique, so that was easier. After the first six Warriors (Erin Hunter) books, there was another arc. (Of course I'll be sad when Warriors finishes, though.) So I finished a series. And I'm sad. It's been a long road.

Trailer for trilogy:


Linkage: BookDepository Barnes&Noble Amazon Borders Goodreads AuthorSite AuthorBlog
I think that was my longest review ever. Phew.

Rating: 8 out of 5 stars. Incredible. Totally recommend.

Peace,
Riv

Current Mood: Sad about saying goodbye to the Iron Fey, except for Iron Knight
Current Music: Official Summer Court playlist

Sunday, January 23, 2011

On the Connection Between the Web and the Words

Hi Blogger Buds,
I'm going to be rambling a bit this evening, so escape while you still have a chance.
I've always been a fan of reading, and I thank my parents for bringing me up a book lover, because I see people who don't read and they live in greyscale. And if I didn't read, I wouldn't have written that 10 page story in fifth grade, (Which one? you ask) and I wouldn't be writing a book.

I used to go to the library and pick up interesting books from the shelf, with names like "Warriors" and "Roman Mysteries". Both are series I still read, from several years ago. I used to look at the MG rack and find books called The Black Stallion and Varjak Paw and Worldweavers (highly recommend for teens and kids both) and things with dragons and even some good ol' fashioned "I'm a messed up tween" books, even though I've always been partial to fantasy.
Then of course I moved on to the YA shelves, and once again picked up books according to what looked interesting, and came home with stacks. The only two differences between before and after: 1)I was reading YA not MG 2)I was big enough to carry more books.

I picked up writing somewhere along the way, first in notebooks, then I got down to business and started typing. I found out about inkpop.com through my HarperTeen emails.

And then I discovered some reading and writing groups online, and joined.

And then came blogger and following other readers like myself. (And winning contests)

And here we are, at Riv Reads.

I used to pick up whatever looked interesting. If it weren't for this bloggy bunch of awesomesauceness, I wouldn't have found all the awesomesauceness I read today.

Peace and Love,
Riv

PS: Reading a book for my review on Tuesday and LOVIN it. Remember to avoid the STEEL!

Current Mood: Hungry
Current Music: Shut Up by Simple Plan


Goodreads: Warriors Roman Mysteries Black Stallion Varjak Paw Worldweavers

Friday, January 21, 2011

PiF, AtU, Athr Tr, AF, Txt, Strnd, Rvws, and Abbr

(The last bit was just for fun)
Hey Blogger Buds,

1) The Bookshelf Muse, in eternal awesomeness, is giving stuff away in THREEsss!!!! HERE
To enter, we're PAYING IT FORWARD to those who've helped us in our writerliness.
So...
Sheri over at Writer's Alley, for being awesome
LRS, over at Fictional Writer, for putting up with me.
And author Kirsten Hamilton for being you

2)You know Beth Revis? I doubt you've heard of her. She's just some small-time author who hasn't written much. And I doubt you heard of her book, THE INCREDIBLE ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. So, Beth is having a contesty, and she's totally NOT giving away iPods.

3)Because I HATE missing author tours, I'm posting this one I just found out about. Ally Condie, Andrea Cremer, Kirsten Miller, Beth Revis, and Brenna Yovanoff (I'm soooo going, let me know if you are too! I'd love to meet up in Books of Wonder!)(I LURVE Books of Wonder)

4)Courtney Allison Moulton is giving away books :)

5)Like the new font? It just got approved by Blogger in Draft :)

6)I'm getting some books for review soon, so expect some awesomeness. I'll give you some hints: You'll be getting THIRSTY, but avoid, at all costs, even if you're offered a drink, STEEL. Both are by authors I love, and neither are debuts. I've reviewed books by both authors ;)

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Pigtails in YA and: Abby!

pigtails=awesome Abby>awesome
Hey Blogger Buds,
Happy Sunday! Today, I shall talk about pigtails.
Why? you will ask.
Because I have pigtailed my hair.
*waits for the info to sink it, watches faces transform to show odd looks*
Yes, I am a teenager, and I have pigtails.
Those who know me might have just gone into shock. Please don't.
Scratch that, if you're in shock, can I have your science notes?

Before I forget, I'm going on hiatus for a week and a half. I'll miss Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday, and Tuesday again, but I'll be back for a week from this Thursday. I've got finals (don't forget aforementioned science notes) so I don't want to have the pressure of the blog.

So, I'm here to talk about more than pigtails (and what kind of name is that? Can it be less unattractive?)
Is it just me, or are there practically NO YA books with pigtailed MCs? (Only the most awesome girls and the guys are excused here)

People think only kids wear pigtails, but they're so cool! We should totally bring pigtails In for YA.

If Abby can do it, why can't we? I mean, besides for the fact that awesome is a slave to Abby, and she rules everything cool.

So, who's with me? Let's bring pigtails in! What do you think?

Peace,
Riv

Current Mood: cowering before Abby the Awesome
Current Music: Teenage Dream-Gleed (Blaine+a wee bit=Abby)

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Cover Reveal: Passion by Lauren Kate

Hey Blogger Buds,
I know it's not sunday. Ask mee if I care. *waits for you to ask* What makes you ask?
So I was just on goodreads, you know, acting all casual, looking for a book in my to-read list, and as I skimmed I noticed a cover I didn't recognize, so I was all, "Huh, I wonder what book that is" So, all casual-like, I scrolled back to see the title and it's like...
DUDE, THAT'S THE COVER FOR PASSION, FALLEN #3!!!!!!!!
So, without further ado for those of you haven't seen it yet...
Passion (Fallen, #3)

Fallen (Fallen, #1)Torment (Fallen, #2)Passion (Fallen, #3)

*swoon* Ain't it gorgeous? Don't the three books look awesome? Let's do an analysis thing:

  • The cover model is gorgeous, first off. It appears Luce's hair has grown back out...
  • What a gorgeous rose. Just so simple and pretty, goes well the dress.
  • Speaking of the dress, I love the three outfits. And the third is no less gorgeous than the first two.
  • Pose: Tragic, romantic, attractive. I'm feeling really repetitiousand extremely repetitive right now at this moment.
  • The background. The first was a pretty simplicity, the second barrenly,but I think the third backdrop is my favorite. That ground, those clouds, this sky? *swoons again*
  • Pretty lettering! In all the covers, there are some simple little things on the covers that are consistent. The hook on the A (or R), the other one on the top of the N, the who thing!
*breathes* I'm done. It's pretty, and the first time you can see the model's face. But...wow.

Passion comes out June 14, 2011 (not so long ago, this year!)  Next book, Rapture, comes out in 2012.

'Tis all for this evening here in NY.

Peace,
Riv Re

Current Mood: swooning
Current Music: Empire State of Mind-Gleed version

Friday, January 7, 2011

Contest Over at Bookalicious

Hey Blogger Buds,
Quick post, sorry it's after midnight! Some stuff happened. So, I wanted to tell you there's NOT A contest happening over a bookalicious. They're totally not giving away a Nook.
*nervous laugh*
http://bklc.us/2y

ETA: Sorry, I didn't double-check the link. That goes to the Nook, the contest is here.

Peace

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Mistwood Review

Hey Blogger Buds,
A while ago, I got Mistwood by Leah Cypess (links below) from the library. Today I visited my local indie and found out I have some impressive connections to her, and decided to buy the book. This review I wrote a while ago, but I never had a chance to put it up. Instead of the usual picture, below is a quick, grainy, photo of my
That is my hand


Blurby:
The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwod.
But when she is needed she always comes.
Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.
Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty--because without it, she may be his greatest threat.
Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.
Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.

Review:
Mistwood has an interesting premise, and I had high hopes for it, though it was not as good as I expected.
I've seen positive reviews for Mistwood, but I did not find Isabel, the main character, likable, nor did I think that her main struggle should have been so hard.
Isabel comes across as slightly whiney. She keeps saying "Oh, poor me. I can't do this one little thing so I'm hopeless. Whatever shall I do?" And then when it comes to telling her prince about this problem she puts her pride first and refuses to tell him.
And then it's open-ended. I mean, I can sorta guess what's going to happen, but what's up with that? They never actually confessed their undying love for each other, and she never had to choose between "her loyalty" and "her heart".
Now, this book may sound awful the way I describe it, but it had some redeeming qualities. I loved some of the side characters. Will was cute and loyal, and there was also Ven, who was just sweet and awesome and loveable.
There's even a Severus Snape of the book, Clarrise. You spend the whole book guessing, in a good way, what side she's on.
The book also had very impressive action scenes, good suspense, etc.

***3 stars.

I did a little post about a companion novel, Nightspell, a few months back, when I was originally planning to post this.It's here.
Links: Goodreads Amazon BookDeposity Barnes&Noble Borders AuthorSite

Peace,
RR

Sunday, January 2, 2011

On Reviews/FTC

FTC:
I mainly review books by choice, that I've obtained myself (library, bookstores, gifts, etc). Any books received for review will be specified as such. Book blogging is a hobby, and I am not paid for my reviews.
Any and all reviews are completely my own thoughts and opinions.

Midway Mention is an occasional feature on my blog, in which I comment on books I'm reading when I'm halfway through them. Midway Mentions are done on a whim, and there is no rhyme or reason as to which books I feature. Not all review books have MMs, and not all MMs are followed by reviews (except in the case of books received for review. If review books also get MMs--lucky you.)
Any and all Midway Mentions are completely my own thoughts and opinions.

My review set-up is as follows:
  • The book cover is on the right side (with a Goodreads link below)
  • The book summary ("blurby") is beside the cover image. (Blurbs are almost always obtained from Goodreads)
The review is broken up into two parts:
  • There is a "tl;dr version" which is just a few words, a sentence or two, on my thoughts. ("tl;dr" is internet slang for "too long; didn't read." It usually follows something long, but this is my blog, so tough.)
  • There is a "full version" which usually has an intro and three parts: A paragraph on characters, a paragraph on world building or plot, and a paragraph on miscellaneous thoughts, aka other stuff. There may be four paragraphs, in which there is both world-building and plot. All of this is subject to change, if I wish to break up my paragraphs another way.
The review is followed by:
  • A star rating based on a 5-star system (see chart to the left)
  • A song that I connect to the book. (Not always applicable.)
  • A quote that stuck out for me. (Not always applicable.)
  • A trailer for the book. (Very rare, but possible.)
My reviews are flexible, and subject to change. There is no set length for reviews, but I tend to ramble.

(Updated 9/04/12)