Recommend A...Book With A Character That Plays A Sport (3)

Recommend A... is a weekly meme hosted by Chick Loves Lit where you recommend a book based on a prompt. This week's is Recommend A...Book With A Character That Plays A Sport.

The Deep End of Fear by Elizabeth Chandler

Twelve years ago Kate's family left the Westbrook estate on a stormy night, just after young Ashley Westbrook drowned in an icy pond. Now Kate, alone in the world, has returned to the estate to tutor another spoiled Westbrook child, Patrick. The seven-year-old says he talks to Ashley by the pond. He does dangerous, deadly things because, he says, "Ashley dared me to." Just as Ashley once dared a shy, little Kate twelve years ago.

But at seventeen Kate is not so easily intimidated by "Ashley" or hostile members of her family or the forbidding housekeeper. Then Sam, the handsome stranger to whom Kate is irresistibly drawn, reveals a tragic piece of the puzzle that connects him to Kate. Sam tells Kate to leave -- either out of concern for her or due to a festering anger, she's not sure. But Kate will not abandon Patrick to the evil that is haunting him and threatens to destroy them all. (Goodreads)

This book is old school. This is the fourth book in the Dark Secrets series, but they are companion novels and don't need to be read in a certain order. Each novel has a different mystery and different characters, but all four take place in the same town. My favorite is probably the first, Legacy of Lies, but they are all great, fast reads. I reread this series SO MANY times in high school. Just countless times. I loved the creepy feel, the suspense, and the romances were always really sweet. They were my guilty pleasure. Plus, Sam plays ice hockey in this book. Probably one of the few books I've read where a character plays a sport. I'm horrible when it comes to sports. As in I'm a danger to everyone. So, I try to avoid reading books about sports. It can be traumatic. 

What's your Recommend A? 

Happy reading, 

Courtney

Recommend A...Book With A Blue Cover (2)

Recommend A is a weekly meme hosted by Chick Loves Lit where you recommend a book following a specific prompt. This week's is Recommend A...Book with A Blue Cover. 

Tamsin by Peter S. Beagle

Arriving in the English countryside to live with her mother and new stepfather, Jenny has no interest in her surroundings, until she meets Tamsin. Since her death over 300 years ago, Tamsin has haunted the lonely estate without rest, trapped by a hidden trauma she can't remember, and a powerful evil even the spirits of night cannot name. To help her, Jenny must delve deeper into the dark world than any human has in hundreds of years, and face danger that will change her life forever. . . 

From the writer of The Last Unicorn, Tamsin is a fantastic read for people of all ages. I loved how the English countryside took on an otherworldly feel with the Wild Hunt and the Black Dog. Folktales came to life in this wonderful story. I read this years ago, and I still remember it well because I enjoyed it so much. 

What's your Recommend A...?

Happy reading,

Courtney

Recommend A...First Book In A Series

Recommend A... is a weekly meme hosted by Chick Loves Lit where a book is recommended every week following a prompt. This week's is Recommend A...First Book In A Series. 

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Publisher: Simon and Shuster

Release Date: December 9, 2003

A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy--jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel.

Sixteen-year-old Gemma has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother's death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls' academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left with the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order. A Great and Terrible Beauty is an impressive first book in what should prove to be a fascinating trilogy.

I loved this series and this book started off the series wonderfully. Gemma is a fiery young woman who proves herself time and again. The other main leads, Pippa and Felicity, are somehow just as endearing. They really grow on you until you love them just as much. This book offers a taste of a dark, fantasy world explored by young women who are trying to find some adventure when destined to become compliant wives. With such strong female characters and a dark, otherworldly realm, this book and the entire series have become a favorite of mine. 

Happy reading,

Courtney

Recommend A...Book You Read This Year (1)

The blog Chick Loves Lit now hosts a weekly meme for bloggers called Recommend A... This week's is Recommend A...Book You Read This Year.

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

I read this book during my senior year at college because my good friend, who I trust with fantasy recommendations, insisted that I read it. I am so disappointed that I hadn't read it before. Despite all of my college work, I sped through this book and was a little antisocial while I read it.

The son of the Captain of the Guard, Finn is told at the age of nine that he will have to sacrifice a pound of flesh in order to save his kingdom of Lumatere. He stands on the rock of three wonders and mixes his blood with his friend Prince Balthazar and Balthazar's cousin Lucian to protect Lumatere. But shortly after, the peace of Lumatere is ruined during the five days of the unspeakable when the royal family is brutally murdered in the palace. An intruder seizes the throne and The Forest Dwellers are blamed and burnt at the stake. Their leader curses Lumatere by trapping all those that remain inside while Lumaterans outside the walls are forced to remain exiles that die in fever camps. The curser proclaims that the curse will not end until the rightful heir returns. Ten years later, outside Lumatere, Finn is told to go to another rock to meet the novice Evanjalin. She claims that Prince Balthazar, the rightful heir to the Lumatere throne, is still alive and that she can lead Finn and his mentor, Sir Topher, to the prince. But Evanjalin carries secrets and Finn doesn't know if there's any hope for a united Lumatere. Yet he follows her, discovering there may be more to him and his destiny than he ever knew.

This book is definitely a worthwhile read. Marchetta is a wonderful storyteller, and I enjoyed hearing about the gods and the different kingdoms. The world she builds is exciting and rich with political intrigue, and the reader gets to explore this world as the main characters travel on their journey across several kingdoms. We learn so much about the alliances and relations between the different kingdoms and we also hear the sad story of the Lumateran exiles hanging on by a thread. Plus, the characters are pretty awesome. I especially loved Finn and Evanjalin. They are two strong leads for this story, and Marchetta smoothly shifts from one POV to another, allowing the reader into the thoughts of different characters. This is recommended for anyone who loves young adult, fantasy, or just a good read.

Happy reading,

Courtney

The Graceling Series by Kristen Cashore

I finally got around to reading the Graceling series this summer. I don't know why it never occurred to me before. I had seen the Graceling cover in bookstores. I was intrigued, but it just never happened. But now I got to read the whole series in order without having to wait for any books. I love when that happens.

I would recommend this series to anyone who loves young adult fantasy or just fantasy in general. Each book also has romance. I loved them!

1. Graceling - The premise of this book is that in the seven kingdoms, there are Gracelings. Gracelings can be distinguished by their different colored eyes. Their two different colored eyes settle later in life, and the age when a Graceling is revealed varies from person to person. They can have a Grace in cooking, winemaking, and pretty much anything. Their Grace can be completely useless, like swimming, or it can be of great use to the kingdom, like our protagonist's Grace. Katsa is the niece of the Middleuns king, and she has one blue eye and one green. She has been Graced with a fighting skill that allows her to fight off anyone with just her hands and feet. She is deadly and her uncle has used that to his advantage by making her his personal thug. She punishes anybody that crosses him or makes him look bad. But Katsa doesn't want to be her uncle's "lady killer" anymore. And when a Liened prince, Prince Po, comes into the picture and she starts uncovering some perplexing secrets, things change drastically, and she starts to learn more about her Grace and herself. 


2. Fire - In Fire, the reader is taken to another land apart from the seven kingdoms, across the Great Grays to the east: The Dells. In The Dells, there are no Gracelings with different colored eyes but there are monsters of extraordinary colors. Rich Dellians collect their bright colored furs and the King's Army shoots down raptor monsters to save themselves from being eaten. Fire is a monster, but she is a human monster of great beauty with the ability to control others' minds. While she finds no pleasure in hurting others or taking advantage of them with her mind control, she is afraid that she will turn into her father Cansrel, who was a horrible human monster and killed and wreaked havoc for enjoyment. The Dells suffered under the rule of a horrible king and his advisor, Cansrel, and now two lords gather their armies to fight the new King Nash who barely holds his throne after his father's destructive reign has ended. Now Fire is sorely needed for her mind control abilities as spies are everywhere and mysterious strangers are appearing on her estate. As she begins to discover whether or not she is truly a monster like her father, she meets Prince Brigan, who is someone that she cannot control with her mind.

 

3. Bitterblue - Bitterblue is the third book in the Graceling series, and it tells the story of the caring, inexperienced queen Bitterblue. Bitterblue has come a long way since her appearance in the first book, Graceling. After her father's death, she became queen of Monsea at the young age of ten. In Bitterblue, she is now 18 and struggling to rule a kingdom she knows nothing about. While King Leck's terrible reign is over, it is difficult to forget all the suffering he caused and hard to decide whether people were guilty of crimes they committed during his reign or really under the King's poisonous influence. Bitterblue doesn't know who to trust, and she feels like her advisers are lying to her about the state of the kingdom. She is kept busy in the castle with charters and queenly business, but she is desperate to learn more about her kingdom. She sneaks out of the castle one night and into the east city, and she finds a story room under a bridge and a pair of skilled thieves. She learns more about her kingdom from these thieves than she ever knew, and she also opens her heart for the first time. 

Read this series when you have the time. Try to read them in order because the story unfolds wonderfully when you read them one after the other. There is just so much to enjoy in these books. The storyline, the characters, and the world Cashore builds. Love them!

Happy reading, 

Courtney