The Friday 56 (42) In the Afterlight by Alexandra Bracken

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Ruby can't look back. Fractured by an unbearable loss, she and the kids who survived the government's attack on Los Angeles travel north to regroup. With them is a prisoner: Clancy Gray, son of the president, and one of the few people Ruby has encountered with abilities like hers. Only Ruby has any power over him, and just one slip could lead to Clancy wreaking havoc on their minds.

They are armed only with a volatile secret: proof of a government conspiracy to cover up the real cause of IAAN, the disease that has killed most of America's children and left Ruby and others like her with powers the government will kill to keep contained. But internal strife may destroy their only chance to free the "rehabilitation camps" housing thousands of other Psi kids.

Meanwhile, reunited with Liam, the boy she would-and did-sacrifice everything for to keep alive, Ruby must face the painful repercussions of having tampered with his memories of her. She turns to Cole, his older brother, to provide the intense training she knows she will need to take down Gray and the government. But Cole has demons of his own, and one fatal mistake may be the spark that sets the world on fire...


"Be better than this, I thought, my nails digging into the palms of my hands. You have to be better than this. The adrenaline was slow to leave my system; I couldn't keep from shaking, not entirely."--In the Afterlight by Alexandra Bracken

What are you reading this weekend?

Review: Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Title: Coraline
Author: Neil Gaiman
Source/Format: Borrowed from the Library, Hardback
More Details: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: HarperCollins, August 4, 2002

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Coraline's often wondered what's behind the locked door in the drawing room. It reveals only a brick wall when she finally opens it, but when she tries again later, a passageway mysteriously appears. Coraline is surprised to find a flat decorated exactly like her own, but strangely different. And when she finds her "other" parents in this alternate world, they are much more interesting despite their creepy black button eyes. When they make it clear, however, that they want to make her theirs forever, Coraline begins a nightmarish game to rescue her real parents and three children imprisoned in a mirror. With only a bored-through stone and an aloof cat to help, Coraline confronts this harrowing task of escaping these monstrous creatures...

Coraline by Neil Gaiman was the second book I planned to read in October, the first was The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury. I’ve seen the movie and I liked it, so it seems only fitting that I finally got around to reading the actual book. And I have to say that I really liked it. Coraline was a spooky kind of tale complete with ghosts, darkened/mysterious hallways, and more than a handful of creepy creatures—put together, it made for a quick and enjoyable read.

Coraline was just like any other child seeking the attention of her parents, though her efforts were often dismissed as she was repeatedly told to go do other things. So it was only expected that she would end up in some trouble. Coraline finds the other parents, but manages to keep a level head despite getting everything she ever wanted—attention, good food, and fun (a literal example of be careful what you wish for).The other mother was just plain-old creepy with her button eyes, everything she did was just ugh, no-no-no!

The plot moved along quickly as Coraline quickly discovers that all is not right with the other mother and father. Really, the setting played into the atmosphere of the story. The house, which was broken up into different flats, was more or less the perfect stage for the story. Oh, and before I finish this review I have one more thing to say. My favorite part would have to be the ending. It differed from the movie but I have to say that I liked the one in the actual book so much better.

 There are some other series by Neil Gaiman that I'm interested in, so maybe I'll get to them eventually. But for now, overall, there were many things I liked about Coraline.

Weekend Tidbits {#6} Star Wars & Pumpkin Scones

You know, I just had to talk about the new Star Wars trailer released last Monday. (If you haven't seen it yet then CLICK HERE.) All I have to say is that this trailer has me excited for this movie because of the nostalgia, the feels, and the musical score for Star Wars by John Williams. December can't get here soon enough!

Anyway moving on. I've had scones before, but I've never tried pumpkin ones. And my question from this Musing Mondays post sort of inspired me to give them a try. I used this Recipe from Cooking Classy with the addition of walnuts and raisins plus a maple glaze instead of a pumpkin one. They were pretty simple to make with delicious results. Pictured to the left are how mine came out.

My choice of tea for today is peppermint.

 

{Links for Weekend Tidbits can be found on the Features Page.}

The Friday 56 (41) Coraline by Neil Gaiman

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Coraline's often wondered what's behind the locked door in the drawing room. It reveals only a brick wall when she finally opens it, but when she tries again later, a passageway mysteriously appears. Coraline is surprised to find a flat decorated exactly like her own, but strangely different. And when she finds her "other" parents in this alternate world, they are much more interesting despite their creepy black button eyes. When they make it clear, however, that they want to make her theirs forever, Coralinebegins a nightmarish game to rescue her real parents and three children imprisoned in a mirror. With only a bored-through stone and an aloof cat to help, Coraline confronts this harrowing task of escaping these monstrous creatures...

"She lit the candlewick with a match and watched it sputter and light, then she picked up the black key."--Coraline by Neil Gaiman 




What's your favorite Halloween candy?

ARC Review: Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

Title: Wolf By Wolf
Author: Ryan Graudin
Source/Format: The Novl Newsletter (publisher), ARC
More Details: Young Adult, Fantasy, Alternative History
Publisher/Publication Date: Little Brown Books for Young Readers, October 22, 2015

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule the world. To commemorate their Great Victory over Britain and Russia, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The victor is awarded an audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor's ball. Yael, who escaped from a death camp, has one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year's only female victor, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele twin's brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael's every move. But as Yael begins to get closer to the other competitors, can she bring herself to be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and complete her mission?

Hold on I need a second, to, you know, catch my breath…

**deep breaths**

Alright, Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin was absolutely fantastic, and one of the best books I’ve read this year. Period. End of Discussion. But I can’t end the review yet, I have to actually talk about the book. So here goes nothing…

From the start I was interested in Wolf by Wolf because it’s an alternative-history novel, a “what if such and such didn’t happen/end as we know it” kind of book—a genre I enjoy but haven’t read enough of (A good example of this type of book would be Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan Trilogy). So, I had pretty high expectations, and Wolf by Wolf did not let me down.

What if the Axis powers won the war?

This book ultimately explores those possibilities by using its setting and time period to tell the story of Yael. Yael’s experience was nothing short of horrifying. These things were revealed by alternating chapters that told the “then” combined with the present, the “now”. The “then” told Yael’s history, showing her experience through her eyes when she was a child rather than just telling about it later. These chapters were essential to understanding Yael—her fears, determination, all of it. Yael was a complex and interesting character, like many of the others—Luka, Felix, Adele—they all had layers and stories to tell.

The concept of an alternative ending to World War II and a race that spans across continents was fantastic. The idea of skinshifting was also pretty cool. The world building was handled really well, and it was easy to get into the story. Even with all of the different things going on, it worked.

There’s so much more that I could say, but this review would never end. So, final thoughts. The ending left me with some questions, like: What’s in store for Yael next? I want to know, because Wolf by Wolf is a story I’m invested in. It made me root for the characters to succeed every step of the way. And that’s a good thing in my book.

Now the wait for book two begins.

 This copy of the book was provided by The Novl Newsletter (Publisher) for this review, thank you!