TUNE IN TUESDAY: THE LUCKSMITHS

 

Hi there! Tune in Tuesday is a GReads meme currently being hosted over at Kate's Tales of Books and Bands.  I just finished this amazing book called Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson (review to come :D).  Like Amy, I can't believe I went so long without knowing this band.  Their sound soothes my soul lol.  But really, it does :-)  I give you: The Lucksmiths.

 

 

 

Hope you have a great week!

Ninja Girl

SHADOW AND BONE by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone went above and beyond my expectations.  I'd seen it all over the blog-o-sphere.  Sparkling reviews, beautiful cover, nice title.  But for some reason, I didn't pick it up.  I'm thinking it might've had something to do with the book summary

Both the jacket and Goodreads summaries talk about: a land at war, a nasty piece of shadowy evil called the Fold, an orphan with a dormant power, and a magical race called Grisha.  Sounds great, right?  But I felt like I'd heard it before.  The thing that finally got me was the brief mention of Mal and Alina's relationship.

And man am I glad I gave it a shot J.

Bardugo's debut may be a YA fantasy with adventure and magic.  But at its heart, the book is a story about one girl, one boy, and the love they share for each other.

 

*Sigh*

 

The two became best friends as children, forming a deep, unshakable bond.  Bardugo does a great job of putting that friendship in jeopardy from the start. First orphans together, now army refugees, Alina and Mal have never been separated and are about to embark on a mission into the Fold--a place of complete darkness filled with flying monsters.  I loved the scene where their ship was attacked.  The descriptions of the volcra were on point and scary as hell.  The writing really shined here.

And I was amazed at the connection I already felt to Alina and Mal.  Her thoughts of him were honest and endearing--and sometimes humorous.  When Alina is taken from camp to learn the ways of the Grisha, we get a nice dose of Alina's voice.

 "It's probably for the best, I told myself.  How would I have said goodbye to Mal anyway?  Thanks for being my best friend and making my life bearable.  Oh, and sorry I fell in love with you for a while there.  Make sure to write!"--pg. 76

I loved that J.  Later, we find out why Alina's been hiding her power all this time.  The Grisha test everyone as children to see if they are capable of magic.  Alina's test came up negative, and her reasons for this were so incredibly sweet I literally teared up.

Of course, the Darkling turns out to have ulterior motives for wanting Alina and her power.  When she finds out about his plans, Alina makes a run for it--and as always, even after a long absence (too long imo), Mal is there for her.

"'Mal,' I whispered into the night.

'What?'

'Thanks for finding me.'

I wasn't sure if I was dreaming, but somewhere in the dark, I thought I heard him whisper, 'Always.'"--pg. 263

There's one more line that I'm kinda desperate to include, but I won't.  It comes near the end of the book (page 299) and is semi-spoiler-ish, yet completely swoonworthy J.  Shadow and Bone was mind-blowing.  The adventure and danger, betrayals and romance all well done.  But I'd recommend it for the unique relationship it explores.  Best friends in love who find a way to be together.  Always <3.

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl

NINJA GIRL'S BEST OF 2012

Happy (almost) New Year everyone!!   Here's my list of the best books/authors I discovered in 2012.  Yes, I was a little late to the party on some.  But they still kicked major a** :-)

 

BEST YA CONTEMPORARY:

 

 

BEST YA PARANORMAL/FANTASY:

 

 

BEST ROMANCE:

 

 

BEST PARANORMAL ROMANCE:

 

 

BEST NEW YA SERIES:

 

 

BEST ADULT SERIES:

 

 

BEST NEW AUTHORS:

 

1) Ilona Andrews (I devoured the Kate Daniels series)

2) Stephanie Perkins (will read anything by her after AatFK)

3) Courtney Milan (the woman knows romance <3)

 

BEST HERO:

 

Three-way tie: Lucas (Easy) and Ash Turner (Unvelied) and Gavriel (Grave Mercy).

 

 

BEST HEROINE:

 

Kate Daniels (aka the most kick-ass chick you'll ever meet :p)

 

 

Hope everyone has an awesome New Year's!!

 

Ninja Girl





BOOKS, BOOKS, AND MORE!

Hi all!  This was my first Christmas spent away from home.  Me and the fam all went to Ninja Aunt C's this year--and it snowed!  Of course, it didn't stick but STILL!  Snow on Christmas *___*  It was great you guys.  I got entirely too much again, and I gave some things I really loved.

 

These are all the books I gave this year!!  Some of my absolute favorites!

 

 

And b/c my family knows me far too well, I got a ton of great books!  I've already devoured one: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (it was mind-blowing!).

 

Ninja Aunt P got me these INCREDIBLE shoes!!  Did you ntice the "NINJA GIRL" personalization?!? Crazy cool!

 

 

Ninja Aunt C made me smile immediately with this Monsters Inc. ornament.  Ahhhhh Boo!

 

 

Annnnnnnd awesome Asian dramas--which I'm currently watching ;)

 

Like I said, way, way too much, but I'm so grateful for everything.  So, how was your Christmas?  Did you do anything interesting?  Receive or give any great gifts?  I'd love to hear about your holiday!

 

Have a great one,

 

Ninja Girl



THAT'S WHAT CHRISTMAS IS ALL ABOUT

Hi there,

Here's my happy holidays post!!  I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas.  There's just something about this time of year...*sigh*  I've included a few vids that always make me smile, and I hope they make you happy, too :D.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Ninja Girl

FRIDAY FAVORITES

Hi there!  Hope everyone's enjoying this week leading up to Christmas :D.  My highlight was watching A Charlie Brown Christmas since I missed it last year, and it's a family tradition.  Goodreads says I've read 91 books (I hope to add a couple before the year ends lol).  But today I wanted to spread some cover love.

This post is for my favorite cover of 2012!  Here are my top 2:

It was impossible to choose one.  They're both so beautiful (and the stories were awesome as well!).  Great books with great covers?  To quote my dear friend Linus: That's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown ;). Well, not really, but I am giving a whole bunch of great books as gifts!!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Ninja Girl

POW (Page One Wow): BITTERBLUE

 

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!

My current read: Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

 

Prologue

 

"When he grabs Mama's wrist and yanks her toward the wallhanging like that, it must hurt.  Mama doesn't cry out.  She tries to hide her pain from him, but she looks back at me, and in her face, she shows me everything she feels.  If Father knows she's in pain and is showing me, Father will take Mama's pain away and replace it with something else.

 

He will say to Mama, "Darling, nothing's wrong.  It doesn't hurt, you're not frightened," and in Mama's face I'll see her doubt, the beginnings of her confusion.  He'll say, "Look at our beautiful child.  Look at this beautiful room.  How happy we are.  Nothing is wrong.  Come with me, darling."  Mama will stare back at him, puzzled, and then she'll look at me, her beautiful child in this beautiful room, and her eyes will go smooth and empty, and she'll smile at how happy we are.  I'll smile, too, because my mind is no stronger than Mama's."--page 1, Bitterblue

 

So, does it have POW?  I'd say yes.  *Shivers* I've been a fan of Cashore's writing since Graceling.  This first excerpt is so creepy, so wrong.  That sense of wrongness reminds me exactly why the power of persuasion is so dangerous and why King Leck was such a formidable foe.  If you haven't read Graceling, I'd recommend you do so immediately :D

 

Any thoughts?

 

Hope eveyone has a wonderful week!

 

Ninja Girl