REVIEW: Your Scandalous Ways by Loretta Chase

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_20?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=your+scandalous+ways&sprefix=your+scandalous+ways&x=0&y=0

Source: Bought

James Cordier is an English spy who is more than ready to come home for good; stealing back royal emeralds from crazy Marta Fazi was to be his last mission. But then he ends up in Venice because Francesca Bonnard, English divorcee and notorious prostitute, has some very incriminating letters about her husband that the British government is very interested in. Having already tried to get them from her and failing, it is now up to Cordier to obtain these letters quickly and without fuss. But the two meet, sparks fly, and you know how the rest goes.

After being so disappointed in My Spymaster's Lady, I very much hoped that I would like this book, and I am very happy to say that I did. One of the elements I really enjoyed was the sense of humor present throughout, particularly Francesca's. A running joke throughout the story concerns the putti, the little cupids, painted on the ceiling of her parlor. Here's how Francesca thinks of them: "They were all boys, all naked. Thus the view overhead was of many little penises-forty at last count, though there seemed to be more today. Were they reproducing spontaneously or were the more buxom females and virile adult males getting up to mischief when the house was asleep?" Having always considered the putti seen in my art history classes to be distasteful at best, I thought this was hilarious (and, of course, Ms. Chase then turns this into a wonderful plot twist).

Francesca herself was a wonderful character. I liked her at once because of her humor, but, knowing she was a prostitute, I was a little worried the plot would revolve around her being world-weary and sick of her lifestyle, and then Cordier would be a burst of fresh air and "save" her from this lifestyle. It bothers me when heroines are fully capable of handling their own affairs, but they become boneless ninnies once they have sex with their love interest. Francesca had way more depth to her character, though. Cordier notices that she can shut herself off from others, which is what makes her so frustrating to him, since he needs to break down her barriers so he can figure out where the letters are. As they begin to fall for each other, he begins to see the little kernel of her that is repressed all the time, where she is more innocent and looks at him like a young girl in love. It was still the same-old "fresh air" kind of plot, but it had a new spin on it. Plus, Francesca was more than capable of taking care of herself to the very end; she jumps into the canal to save the man she loves.

Speaking of, Cordier was just as strong a character. He's able to withstand torture and pretend to be someone else (there's another funny scene where he pretends to be a clueless Spaniard (?) with slicked-back hair and a pointy moustache). He can climb in bed with a woman, steal what he needs, and be out with no trouble. However, Francesca is able to crack through him, so that he finds himself utterly mesmerized by her. It was also interesting that, like Francesca, he's part Italian. I haven't read any other romances with a half-Italian male lead, but I was pleased that he succumbed to passionate bouts of temper just like Francesca. I'm curious to see if other men in romances do that, too, because I was expecting the man to be cool and the woman to be passionate, which would then be one of the things that attracts him to her. It wasn't the opposites-attract story; instead, they find the commonalities between each other, which lets them fully understand each other in a way that other people cannot.

The story itself was lots of fun. The romance was amazing; the first love scene takes place on the top of the Campanile, at night, with them looking over Venice and singing scraps of Italian opera. I can't think of anything more romantic. Venice was the perfect setting for a romance. There was also plenty of action (fighting off Fazi's ruffians, mainly). Plus, the plot itself contained a few twists and turns, and all the elements that helped you understand the story in its entirety aren't given all at once, but as the story develops. It was very skillfully plotted, and I enjoyed the story immensely. Usually, romances can drag in the middle, before the big finale, but the story never slowed down.

This was a different romance than I am used to, and I really enjoyed it. The story was lots of fun, it was fast-paced, and the characters are wonderful. For me, this author is definitely a must-read.

Grade: 4.5/5

REVIEW: The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_nr_p_n_feature_browse-b_mrr_2?rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Athe+dark+and+hollow+places%2Cp_n_feature_browse-bin%3A618073011&bbn=283155&keywords=the+dark+and+hollow+places&ie=UTF8&qid=1306383307&rnid=618072011

Source: Bought 
This is the third book in the Forest of Hands and Teeth books (click here for reviews of first two), a series I have enjoyed immensely. Needless to say I was very excited to get this book in the mail. I didn't like the second book as much as expected, mainly due to the main character, Gabry, but I am so very happy to say that the third book was even better than the first one.

********EXPECT NECESSARY SPOILERS FOR FIRST TWO BOOKS*********

Ever since Elias left Annah to join the Recruiters, she has had to rely on herself for everything and has learned to not trust anyone. Still, she thinks about her twin sister Abigail, whom she left behind on the Forest of Hands and Teeth, and she waits for Elias to come back, like he promised. After a disturbing encounter with an infected woman, Annah decides to take charge and leave the Dark City to find her sister. On the way out, she sees Abigail, who is with a man who is infected. The man jumps over the bridge, and Abigail is taken by the recruiters.  Annah gets back into the city, desperate to help her sister.

Heading back into the city, Annah meets the supposedly infected man, who helps her escape to the only place left, the old underground subway system, where downed plague rats wait for one whiff of human that will reanimate them. Here, Catcher reveals his identity and his knowledge of both Elias and Abigail (Gabry, from book 2, of course). Once they rejoin with Elias, it becomes clear that the slumbering horde in the valley is fast approaching the Dark City. With the island of the Recruiters as the last safe haven, and Catcher being the Immune that the Recruiters are desperate to get, they manage to gain access to the island. Unfortunately, such a safe haven is just as dangerous as the dying city.

Like I said, this book rocked. First of all, I did like Annah much more than I did Gabry, mainly because of her independence. Like the previous characters, Annah has a major flaw (in this case, she can't trust and struggles with the scars that cover about half of her body), which is slowly resolved through the events of the story and the character development that results from that. This is fine, but it did become a little repetitive (remember, I fell into barbed wire? And I took care of myself for years after Elias left?), especially because phrases like "The night Elias made me feel beautiful" occur over and over, sometimes on the same page. This did make Annah come across as less complex, since the focus of the story was so narrow. Still, there was much less of Annah contemplating her flaw(s) than there was with Gabry; whereas Annah must take action to survive, Gabry was the opposite. I feel like Annah's way of seeing the world just propels the story forward more than did Gabry's.

Once again, there's a love triangle, sort of, since Catcher is also involved. Basically, all the romance from the previous book must be resolved now that Annah is part of the group. I was pleasantly surprised that Annah let Elias go fairly quickly; the main conflict was her issues with letting Catcher close, and Catcher's fear that he'll infect her. This I definitely appreciated, because the same basic plot for a third time would have been too much, especially since the book already has elements repeated too often for my taste.

Now, what about the actual zombies? Well, if you thought a giant gorge full of them wasn't crazy enough, get ready, because there were some truly terrifying moments (especially the last scene…very scary). Like the other two books, there's lots of action packed throughout, although it was much more consistent than in the previous books; even in the middle section, when they were safe from the horde, they were facing other threats, since the Recruiters are really sadistic jerks who bait live people against the infected in a giant cage for entertainment (which was very disturbing).

Overall, I think that this book is the strongest in the series. Although some repetitive elements grated on my nerves, I still felt like Annah and the other characters were well-rounded overall. The story itself was fantastic, and the action wasn't concentrated towards the beginning or the end, but remained constant throughout the story. It was a terrific end to an awesome series.

Grade: 4/5, leaning strongly towards a 4.5-the repetitiveness was distracting from what was otherwise fantastic

Double Feature

REVIEW: Incarceron by Catherine Fisher



http://www.amazon.com/Incarceron-Catherine-Fisher/dp/0142418528/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_2

Here's the extra Double Feature that I've been putting off and putting off, mainly because I couldn't find the right words to describe these books.

Incarceron, designed to house the poor and unfortunate, was meant to be a utopia that turned into an utter hell; still, regular society doesn't want them, and there is no way out. Finn is a child of Incarceron: he remembers waking up in a cell and crawling out into the vast labyrinth of hallways until he was adopted by a gang. Still, he knows, deep down, that there is an Outside and that he was there once. He has seizures, and the flashes of images come to him. A Sapienti, or scholar, is convinced that Finn might lead them out, although his oath-brother, Keiro, thinks it's ridiculous.

Claudia is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron. She has no idea where the prison is, or if her father even goes there. All she knows is that her father's study is always mysteriously locked. She is sure, though, that the façade that is her world is nothing but computer-generated graphics. After a massive revolt, the king decided to halt progress in order to keep the kingdom in a stable place, so all the technology that exits is hidden and creates the image of something like 18th century England. But she is about to be placed at the center of this world, for she is engaged to the heir to the throne.

As Claudia begins to investigate the mystery of the prison and her father, she finds a key in her father's study that turns out to connect to its counterpart in the prison itself, which Finn has. They begin to communicate, revealing more secrets than either had originally bargained for.

For starters, this books is just plain awesome. The idea of a prison so vast that no one has any idea where it begins or ends is fascinating, and as Finn and his hangers-on begin to move towards escape, more wings are revealed, many of which are just plain bizarre. There was definitely an epic sense to Finn's quest, including the grand scale, the high stakes, and the touch of prophecy, which is cool considering the fact that it's set in a prison, not some majestic place. The prison itself is the coolest setting I've ever seen; I want to see more of it, but then I'm disturbed every time I get to.

But Claudia's world is just as fascinating. I had a hard time getting around the concept that everything is computer-generated (how is it solid/blocking heat and cold?), but I liked the setting where the entire world is fake. How much of the world is real, and how much fake, is definitely something that applies to both worlds, and really comes up in the second book.

The book is pretty fast-paced. There are lots of tight spots the characters must get out of. Speaking of the characters, I liked Claudia and Finn; they were likeable and well-balanced, and both really came into their own. Perhaps the most wonderful character of all is the prison itself, of course.

Overall, this is a really fun read. The setting is awesome and there's lots of action throughout. I loved how different elements come into play (there's lots of standard fantasy plotlines, but it's a mechanical world) to create the story.

Grade: 5/5

REVIEW: Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphique-Catherine-Fisher/dp/0803733976/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

***************SPOILER ALERT*******************************

Picking up right where Incarceron left off, the action of Sapphique is no less gripping. In Claudia's world at last, Finn is trying to adjust to his new place in court, particularly to the harsh reality that life under Protocol is just as confining, if not more so, than life in Incarceron. Everything becomes difficult when a look-alike steps forward, claiming to be the lost prince, and Finn's perception of himself begins to shatter, which Claudia steadfastly maintains her belief in him.

At the same time, Attia and Keiro are still stuck in Incarceron and are searching for Sapphique's magic glove, which is apparently how he escaped (Sapphique being the only person to escape from Incarceron). The hunt for the gloves locks them in a battle with the prison itself.

Like Incarceron, this story is really two simultaneous stories that merge, which, but the second book, got a little tiresome. There were a few times when one story paused in the middle of the action to go to the other one. Even though I knew the next chapter would pick right back up, I didn't like having to switch gears, especially because the two stories were both gripping, but for very different reasons. Still, it is true that this story is even more captivating than Incarceron, and there's tons of adventure, battle, etc. The ending dragged a little for me. It almost reminded me of how The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman got, almost philosophical in tone, since all the big issues of the books had to be dealt with. It's not bad, just different, and I didn't want to put this book down, so I sort of charged through what I should have taken some time with. I feel like this series (like the His Dark Materials trilogy) will be fantastic to re-read, because I'll get so much out of it again.

This isn't a cookie-cutter happy ending/nice characters kind of book. In one way or another, all the characters bug me on some level, because they all have flaws. The characters were masterfully drawn. They all develop and change in different ways, especially the prison itself. With Keiro and Attia travelling in the prison, more wings and inmates are revealed, even more bizarre than previous areas. Because there isn't a clear happy ending where everything is easily explained, the last quarter of the book takes some time. I think what made the book frustrating at times also made it a great book, because it's not an easy read.

This duology is just amazing. There are tons of fantasy elements, in a dystopian setting, which I loved. There's plenty of action, fascinating characters, even a touch of romance. Definitely look into this series-the mythology of Sapphique, and the questions of what really makes one world better than another, might get slow and confusing, but there's still plenty to highly recommend these books!

Grade: 4.5/5, leaning towards a 5