Review: Spartan Frost by Jennifer Estep

Title: Spartan Frost (Click title for Synopsis)
Source/Format: Purchased/ itunes digital edition
Age Range: YA
Publisher/Publication Date: Kensington Publishing Corporation, June 25, 2013






My Thoughts:

     I’m glad that Jennifer Estep decided to do a Novella from Logan Quinn’s point of view, because I always wondered what was going on in his head.  Spartan Frost really showed how Logan was struggling with what happened at the end of Crimson Frost.  Out of everything he seemed to be struggling with his guilt over what happened to Gwen, the most.  The only thing about Spartan Frost is that it was more about Logan and not necessarily how he felt about Gwen.  Sure, we get small pieces of his emotions, as well as some insight into the things he liked about her, but otherwise it was focused primarily on him and his father.  Spartan Frost was a nice bridge to fill the gap between Crimson Frost and the upcoming release, Midnight Frost.  I’m not sure what’s going to happen next, but what I do know is that there will be plenty Reapers of Chaos showing up all over the place.

Review: Of Triton by Anna Banks

Title:Of Triton (Click title for Synopsis)
Source/Format: Won, Bound ARC
Age Range: YA
Publisher/Publication Date: Feiwel & Firends, May 8, 2013




My Thoughts:
    
     What should I even say?  I had really high expectations for Of Triton going into it, but sadly I just didn’t like it that much.  I’ve read books involving mermaids before, and I like the whole idea well enough.  But with Of Triton I just had a hard time getting into the story.  I didn't end up caring for the smaller details.  As a whole, Of Triton was an ok read but I wouldn’t exactly read it again.  The characters...sigh.  Emma was pliable and just seemed to float with whatever boat was present at the time.  She had a few instances of short-lived rebellion, which made me like her a little more than I originally did.  Galen, yeah, I didn't like him very much either. Then there was Emma’s mother, Nalia and Grom, Galen’s older brother.  I just felt like their situation was settled way too quickly, which left me wondering why it was even there in the first place.  Then there were the major plot issues.  It was just kind of lacking, plus the conflicts seemed almost superficial.  I would have liked to see a little more resistance from the characters.  Maybe if I’d read Of Poseidon before diving into Of Triton, I would have understood the structure of the world a little more, but I didn’t.  Hey I’m being honest, someone else may like this one, but I guess I’m not included in that category.

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Review: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Title: Leviathan (Click title for Synopsis)
Illustrations by: Keith Thompson
Source/Format: Purchased, Paperback
Age Range: YA
Publisher/Publication Date: Simon Pulse, October 6, 2009



My Thoughts:


    Oh, I just feel the need to get this out first: I just love the Leviathan Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld!  It’s a wonderful mix of history and some very imaginative technology that combined living creatures with machines.  For someone like me who likes history, this is absolutely one of my favorite series.  Leviathan has it all action, an intriguing storyline, and a superbly built world.  Scott did an outstanding job crafting the Clanker the Darwinist societies, making the differences present from the beginning, and highlighting the tension between them.  Oh, and not to forget the beautiful illustration’s done by Keith Thompson, which captures the Clanker machines and Darwinist Beasties perfectly.

     In Leviathan we are introduced to Deryn Sharp who happens to be posing as a boy—Dylan Sharp—to gain entry into the Service/Military.  Due to a series of nail-biting events, Deryn as Dylan ends up aboard “the great hydrogen breather” Leviathan, as one of the middies.  And then there’s Alec, a prince on the run after the untimely death of his parents.  Poor Alec had a hard time with things, and I felt bad for him for how he found out about the whole thing.  There were a slew of highly interesting secondary characters as well, with Dr. Barlow being one of them.  As a boffin, which is a Darwinist fabricator, was one character that really held my interest throughout the book.  She was very secretive with what she was up to.

     There was never a point in the plot that was slow—there was a lot going on.  Once the war got rolling, everything just kind of unfolded from there.  Once Alec and Deryn finally met, well, their combined interactions just made the plot all that much better.  The science behind Leviathan was just marvelous!  The whole concept of the Beasties, and that having a living ecosystem to sustain the hydrogen breathers, just had me from page one.  Having started the trilogy right in the middle of it with Behemoth, I found that I really did miss all of the details and important events that happened in Leviathan.  Now, I just want to reread the entire trilogy from start to finish again. 

 

Now, check out Leviathan's book trailer below:

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: The Sound of Letting Go by Stasia Ward Kehoe

    Thank you to Penguin/Viking for allowing us to reveal the cover of Stasia Ward Kehoe's The Sound of Letting Go!  Personally, I love the cover.  It's simple, but in a perfect kind of way that I think suits the book.  Make sure you visit the bottom of the post for the giveaway!

 

 

 

 

Arrows, because I feel like making you work to get to the cover...

and giveaway...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hah, you're almost there...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

And now the cover 

 

Title: The Sound of Letting Go

Author: Stasia Ward Kehoe

Publisher/ Expected Publication Date: Penguin Group/Viking, February 1, 2014

 

Synopsis

     For sixteen years, Daisy has been good.  A good daughter, helping out with her autistic younger brother uncomplainingly.  A good friend, even when her best friend makes her feel like a third wheel. When her parents announce they’re sending her brother to an institution—without consulting her—Daisy’s furious, and decides the best way to be a good sister is to start being bad.  She quits jazz band and orchestra, slacks in school, and falls for bad-boy Dave. 

 

     But one person won’t let Daisy forget who she used to be: Irish exchange student and brilliant musician Cal.  Does she want the bad boy or the prodigy?  Should she side with her parents or protect her brother?  How do you know when to hold on and when—and how—to let go?

 

The all important links

For more information on Stasia Ward Kehoe

Stasia on twitter On Facebook At Goodreads At her blog

And now for the giveaway!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway