Favorites Friday 4/5/13 and The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

Hey everybody! Cassia here! Sorry I haven't been keeping up with Favs Fri lately. :'( On the bright side, April is Camp NaNoWriMo! Both Max and I are doing it. She's writing one called "Lucky Me," and I'm writing one titled "The Effect." We might post our summaries later, but--at least for me--it's still early, and the summary might change. So, here's our favorites from the past...long time, and a review of The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross.

Max:
Max's favorite she recently read is Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. It's the second book in the Lunar Chronicles, and she gives it five stars! Apparently--and coincidentally--she wrote the first book in the series during NaNoWriMo 2008. See what good things can come out of forcing yourself to write a novel in a month? ;)

Cassia:
My favorite I read recently is the book you'll see the review for in a minute, The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross. It was pretty good, and I loved Griff. :D Lots of action and romance all blended together very nicely. Four stars! Oh, wait, besides Clockwork Princess. But I don't count that, because you already saw my reaction to it. So, Clockwork Princess first, The Girl in the Steel Corset next.

Tessa:
Tessa's favorite she read recently is Flash Point by Nancy Kress. She says it's about a reality TV show gone wrong. Ooooh, I have to read that. (Go on www.merryfates.com and read "Rain Maker" by Maggie Stiefvater. That reminds me of it.) Of course, I'm going to make the same exception of Clockwork Princess for her, too.

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

There has always been something...wild about Finley. A rebellious streak that shows itself more than she likes. And she can’t control it, no matter how hard she tries. When she meets Griffin King, though, that might be able to change. Then there’s also Jack Dandy. For all his felonies, he is charming, and accepts her for who she is. The darkness in her is growing stronger--and she must choose between two equally attractive young men.

Double Reaction | Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

*WARNING* This post contains spoilers!!!

Hello everybody!  As just about everyone who reads knows, Clockwork Princess came out on March 19th, 2013.  I had it the day it came out. :D  Anyway, I thought I would post my reaction. And then Tessa butted in and put in her reaction right before I posted it, but that's okay. Now you get both of our reactions!  We will try to keep it as spoiler-free as possible but any spoilers will be in a really light tan color so you can't see it well unless you really look.

The ending: 
Cassia: Ahhhhhh!!!!  Bittersweet, that's for sure.  So, you know those authors that like to lay out the characters' lives together in the epilogue?  Cassandra Clare does it.  I liked it, and it was hilarious at times, but I kind of wished I could just imagine it for myself.  Oh, and of course she just had to describe Will's death.  It was sweet, but it upset me. 
Overall, I loved it.
Tessa:
I HATED the epilogue!!! The book was just fine without it. I would advise anyone who likes Will to
avoid the epilogue.

The writing: 
Cassia: Cassandra Clare is at her best with this book: incredible imagery with sometimes painful detail, figurative language that I absolutely loved, and of course, lots and lots of romance and emotions.  She made me feel everything and demanded all my attention.  Very well-written.
Tessa:
I agree.

The plot: 
Cassia: Twists and turns, surprises and thrills.  It's what kept me turning pages, hungry for more.  Even though I was satisfied with the ending, I still want her to write another book in this series.
Tessa:
I personally think that the plot was kinda predictable.  I mean everyone knew Tessa was going to get kidnapped my Mortmain and who was going to save her.

The characters: 
Cassia: Umm, I'm Team Will.  Yeah, it's sad with Jem and everything, but sorry, I like Will better.  I like Tessa a lot more than Clary, especially her passion for books, her knowledge of the power of words, and her willingness to sacrifice everything and anything for those she loves.  I do like Jem, with his music and unlimited kindness.  But I like Will more, with his horrible poetry, made-up songs, love of books and words, his knowledge of the power of words (like Tessa), and his own words.  You'll only get this if you've read Clockwork Prince, but...demon pox!
Tessa:
I am definitely on Team Will. Jem is nice and all, but he was DYING!!! No one knew if he was even going to survive the night. On a lighter note, my favorite Will moment would have to be the ducks.
Cassia: ME TOO TESSA!!!!

So, there's our reaction.  Not a review, that's Tessa's job only.  (Not Tessa Gray.  Our Tessa.)  Actually Tessa just finished it, Max has my copy right now, and we're playing pass the book.  Happy reading!
Goodbye for now,
Cassia

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

Hey everybody!  Cassia here!  Here's another review, but Max and I did it together.  We did it in the spirit of March. ;)

The Lucky One  by Nicholas Sparks

US Marine Logan Thibault isn’t lucky. In fact, he’s anything but. But when he finds an unclaimed picture in the sand on his third tour in Iraq, suddenly, his luck turns around. He’s winning poker games, and most of all, surviving deadly contact that some of his friends don’t.  When he’s back home in Colorado, however, he just can’t settle. He can’t figure out a way to get the picture-and the woman in it-out of his mind. So he does the only thing he thinks he can: he’s going to go find her, and thank her for the luck.                                                                                                                                                                                                     

As predicted, Thibault runs into some problems. First, he doesn’t know where to find her, how to get there, and mainly, who she even is. His next problem is a little bigger. How does he explain himself without sounding like a lunatic?                                                                                                                      

His biggest problem is one he definitely didn’t expect. What happens if they fall in love?   

This is a girl book.  You know, romance, kissing, blah blah blah.  But, if you’re a romantic like I am, you’ll love it!  (Hint: Boys, don’t read it.)  I knew this book was a movie, so I don’t know about that, but if it’s ¼ as good as the book, it’s amazing!  A lot of good books usually have at least one character with A Past.  In this book, it’s Thibault.  It is not pronounce thigh-bolt.  It’s French, so it’s pronounced t-bow.  I made the same mistake, but--thank you, Mr. Sparks!--a character corrects another character about it’s pronunciation in the first chapter.  Now, when I say A Past, I mean some huge secret that the reader knows and that character knows, but no other character knows it.  Sparks intricately weaves in Thibault’s Past into the book with flashbacks, and sometimes teasing the reader to keep them reading, and makes it blend well with the plot.  Filled to the covers with heartbreaking romance, drama, and luck, Sparks wraps it all up at the end with a finale that will have readers sobbing.
We give it four stars!
Goodbye for now,
Cassia

Clockwork Princess Release!

Finally!

Today is the day that Clockwork Princess came out, the last in the Infernal Devices Series. I finally get to know if Tessa ends up with Will or Jem. I am personally rooting for Will. I just can't wait to see how this all ties into the Mortal Instruments. Sadly, we still have to want until March 2014 to read City of Heavenly Fire, the last one in the Mortal Instruments.
For those of you who can't get to a bookstore today, here is a blurb from the book jacket:
"THE INFERNAL DEVICES WILL NEVER STOP COMING.

"A net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray.

"Charlotte Branwell, head of the London Institute, is desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. But when Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem and Will, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever.

"As those who love Tessa rally to rescue her from Mortmain’s clutches, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. But can a single girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?

"Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy."


                                                                          -Tessa

Gilt by Katherine Longshore

Gilt



Author: Katherine Longshore
Release Date: May 15, 2012
Pages: 398
Review by: Tessa

       WARNING: This is a historical fiction book. You might want to Google King Henry VIII before you read this book.       Kitty and her best friend, Catherine Howard, live with the nuns, but that doesn't mean they are innocent. Every night, Catherine, other known as Cat, has "company". Kitty never tells anyone, because she is "loyal until death." It is not a surprise when Cat is called into court, but no one can believe it when she brings Kitty. The English Court is teeming with betrayal, love, and danger. The stakes get even higher when Cat becomes queen. She cannot let anything go wrong, or the price is worse than death.