WAITING ON WEDNESDAY

Hey there, "Waiting on Wednesday" is a meme hosted over at Breaking the Spine, featuring those books that are just too good, the ones you wish were out. Right. This. Second.

This week I saw that one of the titles I've been dying for FINALLY has a cover!!  Probably been out for weeks, but it's new to me.  Emily is definitely rockin' it in this photo!

 

Goodreads Summary:

 

Finley Jayne, Griffin and their crew are stunned when one of their own is kidnapped. Emily has a way with machines—she can literally talk to them. But the automatons who abducted her aren’t ordinary machines. They’re almost human—and they want Emily to do something as horrifying as it seems possible.

To save Emily, Finley must contact the highly unsettling Jack Dandy and face her feelings for two vastly different men, even as Griffin’s nightmares threaten to turn into a reality that might just end them all.

 

Ahhhhhh, Jack, Jack, Jack!!!  Mr. Dandy is back, and I am so looking forward to his return :D  *Takes a deep breath*  I am seriously desperate for book 3.  This is one of my favorite YA series.  And can I just say, great title?

Can't wait to check out everyone else's WOW picks,

Ninja Girl

TUNE IN TUESDAY: YOU INSTEAD

 

Hi all! Tune in Tuesday is a GReads meme currently being hosted over at Kate's Tales of Books and Bands.  Found this totally sweet movie on iTunes called "You Instead." The title track was my favorite (acoustic version, of course).  Plus, you gotta love Luke Treadaway :)  Enjoy!

 

Hope you have an awesome Tuesday!

 

Ninja Girl

CINDER by Marissa Meyer

Let's appreciate that beautiful cover.  Goodness.  I can't imagine a prettier, more eye-catching stiletto/cyborg leg if I tried LOL.  The curling-silver font is perfection as well.  Good job designers!  This one's a winner :-).

Cinder is Marissa Meyer's take on Cinderella.  Now, I'm not much for retellings.  Lots of bloggers are all about them, but whenever one comes out, I'm like, "Meh.  I already know the basic story.  How good can it be?"

The answer in this case, folks, is pretty darn good.

I was pleasantly surprised by my first foray into retellings.  This is Cinderella with an edge, a spark if you will (pun intended since Cinder herself is both a mechanic and part-cyborg).  The kick a** heroine and her steampunk-y goodness made this a must-read for me.  But I had no idea I'd like it as much as I did.

Sixteen-year-old Cinder is the best mechanic in New Beijing.  But she's also cyborg, 36.28% not human to be exact, which makes her life not as valuable as that of the other citizens.  When Prince Kai shows up at her market stall, asking her to fix an important android, Cinder does her best to shield her metal parts and her heart.  But Kai's charismatic and charming personality don't make it easy.

Here's a little excerpt that I loved from their first meeting:

"Instead of answering, the prince bent down, craning his neck so that she had no choice but to meet his eyes, and dashed a grin at her.  Her heart winced."--page 8

Wow.  Cinder's heart "winced"?  I could imagine exactly how that felt.  Kudos to Meyer because I've never heard it described quite like that.  Loved the word choice and all the subsequent meetings with Kai.  The chemistry was undeniable.  Cinder was fierce, smart, brave, and loyal to her loved ones (both human and not).

And if I wasn't already sold, Cinder's backstory--which she knew nothing about--sealed the deal.

 

There were several mysteries in this book, and I think I figured most of them out before the big reveal.  BUT that didn't really matter because, back in the day, I was a huge Sailor Moon fan J

 

If someone would've told me this was a retelling of Serena and her lunarly ways, I would've been down even sooner.  Awesome!

 

Two main evil forces threaten the lives of everyone in New Beijing: Letumosis (the plague) and the Lunars. Once one contracts Letumosis, they'll be dead in days. This plague has killed thousands--and yet there's still no cure. The Lunars are another race that hails from the moon and can manipulate anyone into seeing, feeling, or doing whatever they want. Someone who can take away your free will? If that's not scary, I don't know what is. *Shivers* And the Queen of the Lunars has her eye on Prince Kai.

Cinder was a great read.   The only thing that could've made it better imo was if it was a standalone.  Things I loved: Cinder, the gutsy heroine/cyborg, Iko, Cinder's android best friend who had a thing for fashion, Prince Kai, the guy who won our heroine's heart and mine, Peony, Cinder's younger step-sister and only human friend.  A great steampunk story made even better by the Sailor Moon slant.  Looking forward to Book 2!

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl

POW (Page One Wow): THE HUNGER GAMES

 

Things to ask yourself when looking for POW: Does the book draw me in from the first page?  Does it have that certain something that makes it unputdownable?  Does it make me pay attention?

I'm going to post a few lines from the first page of a book (current or past read), and say whether or not I think it has Page One Wow.  As always, feel free to chime in!  Today's pick is a great test of my theory.

 

"When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold.  My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim's warmth but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress.  She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother.  Of course, she did.  This is the day of the reaping.

 

I prop myself up on one elbow.  There's enough light in the bedroom to see them.  My little sister, Prim, curled up on her side, cocooned in my mother's body, their cheeks pressed together.  In sleep, my mother looks younger, still worn but not so beaten-down.  Prim's face is as fresh as a raindrop, as lovely as the primrose for which she was named.  My mother was very beautiful once, too.  Or so they tell me."

 

So, does it have POW?  Heck. Yes.  And I'll take it a step farther: this one has wow in the first paragraph.  If you're a writer or a reader, you've probably heard about "voice."  I think The Hunger Games is an excellent example of an undeniable character voice.  We're automatically in Katniss's head, her world.  She's real.  We, as readers, can relate to her and want to know more about her and this ominous event referred to as "the reaping."  Notice Collins doesn't give us any more details.  It's enough to know that it's giving poor Prim nightmares.  We're there with Katniss and can feel the affection she has for her sister, and in contrast, the distance she keeps from her mother.

 

It's straightforward.  It's emotionally honest.  It tells you without telling you that the MC is protective of her sister.  The first page is Katniss, and that's why I love it so much.

 

What are your thoughts?  I'd love to hear them!

 

Ninja Girl

TUNE IN TUESDAY: THE KILLERS

Hi all! Tune in Tuesday is a GReads meme currently being hosted over at Kate's Tales of Books and Bands.  I'm loving the latest Killers album!  The songs I like best are giving me a serious Springsteen vibe.  In my book, sounding like The Boss is never a bad thing ;).  Songs featured are:

1) Runaways

 

2) Miss Atomic Bomb

 

 

3) And because I couldn't resist...a little Bruce :)

 

 

Enjoy!  Hope everyone has a great week!

 

Ninja Girl



DEITY by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I finished Deity on Sunday, and I'm still a little devastated. 0_0

Loved the book/story as usual.  Seriously, LOVED IT!  But the events that took place, the total change of character (one character in particular), and just the overall outcome…  My ninja mind just can't take it in.

*If I knew how to put in a gif, this would be where the person is crying, bashing their head against the wall, crying out "WHYYYYYYYYY" at the top of their lungs*

Anyone reading Deity--the third book in the Covenant series--most likely knows anything I'd reveal as a spoiler from previous books.  Plus, I don't know how to talk about the things I want to talk about without including at least some spoilers.  With that in mind, here are my thoughts.

First off, let's list the things I loved: Alex and Aiden's relationship, Alex's Uncle Marcus (I knew I liked you, sir!), the fast pace of the book, the writing, the Underworld scene, LEON!!!

And now, what made me so, so sad.

Team Seth took a major hit.  We're all still lying on the floor in our own tears, trying to recover from the Seth-bomb that exploded in our faces.  JLA completely flipped the script on us.  If you go into this expecting the same Seth from Pure, you're going to be disappointed (or, if you're like me, totally devastated).

I can't say I didn't see it coming.  Whenever there's a love triangle, especially in YA, the story usually takes one of two routes: 1) Make us hate one of the guys, or 2) Make one guy dull as dirt, so that no one in their right mind would choose him over the other guy.  As we know, Seth would never fit into category 2.  So, we're left with the hate option.  Why not just make the two guys different, each an equally viable love interest, and then have the girl choose?

Seth did some awful things in this book, but the one that really got me was how he mistreated Alex.  He was literally abusive to her (locking her in her room, not letting her leave, draining her life energy ON PURPOSE).  I couldn't believe it--until I remembered the Hate Rule.

In Pure, Seth was cocky and conceited (and already under the influence of Lucian and his evil ways).  But he was NOT a soiciopathic megalomaniac bent on getting power at the cost of the one girl he truly cared about.  Alex was his friend, if not the girl he was in love with.  I never got a clear answer on why he made that leap to the Dark Side.

Though I got plenty of reasons/answers for Aiden's actions.

*Sigh*  That's another thing that bugs me about love triangles.  Even when the narrator discovers that one guy did basically the same things as the other guy, the girl always sees one as the knight in shining armor and the other as doggy poo.

Or in Seth's case, a calculated, psychotic evil dude.

I'll just say this (***MAJOR SPOILER WARNING HERE***): If Aiden had had more time, he would've hunted Minister Telly down just like he did that daimon guy Eric--which, of course, we don't see on the page.  No doubt in my mind.  And Alex would've probably kissed him for it.

In short, LOVED the book.  HATED what was done to Seth's character.  Can't wait to read Apollyon in hopes that Seth will redeem himself.  Though at this point, he'll probably have to die in some incredibly brave way to do it L.

Happy Reading,

Ninja Girl

POW (Page One Wow): CINDER by Marissa Meyer

 

Hi there!  I'd been trying to think of something I could post on a weekly basis (besides reviews, of course).  And there are so many great meme's out there--which I love participating in--but I kinda wanted to do something different.  Something ninja-based.  Something with a kick.

Thus, POW (Page One Wow) was born :-).

Books I love usually draw me in from the first page.  Not always, but 95% of the time.  They kick me in the teeth.  They grab me by the shirt collar.  They make me swoon, laugh, hold my breath.  The books I love make me pay attention.  I think POW is perfect for me as a reader (plus, it has a snappy ring to it lol!)  So, I'm going to post a few lines from the first page of a book (current or past read), and say whether or not I think it has POW.  Feel free to chime in!

First up: Cinder by Marissa Meyer.

"The screw through Cinder's ankle had rusted, the engraved cross marks worn to a mangled circle.  Her knuckles ached from forcing the screwdriver into the joint as she struggled to loosen the screw one gritting twist after another.  By the time it was extracted far enough for her to wrench free with her prosthetic steel hand, the hairline threads had been stripped clean.

 

Tossing the screwdriver onto the table, Cinder gripped her heel and yanked the foot from its socket.  A spark singed her fingertips and she jerked away, leaving the foot to dangle from a tangle of red and yellow wires."--page 1, Cinder

 

So, does it have POW?  My answer would be a great, big YES!  I was immediately pulled in.  Loved the visual of her unscrewing and then yanking off her own foot.  I was curious.  I wanted to know more.  And I hope the rest of the book packs as much oomph :).

What did you think?

Hope everyone had a great holiday,

Ninja Girl