The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson

I know. I know. It has been many, many months since either Stephanie or I have posted a review.  Life has been odd, difficult, crazy, weird for both of us.  As things start to hopefully calm down we will try to post more and more reviews.  In fact I'm currently reading no less than four books (a feat I know).  As for my first review back from this life hiatus here is an awesome book to read.

 

Title: The Emperor's Soul
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: " When Shai is caught replacing the Moon Scepter with her nearly flawless forgery, she must bargain for her life and create--by Forgery--a new soul for the emperor in less than one hundred days" (King County Library System).
Opinion: This is a fascinating novella that won the Hugo award just this year. I have always been impressed by Brandon Sanderson's ability to create an intricate in-depth magic system and world. He does not fail in what, for him, is an incredibly short book. I love the main character Shai for the person she is, the Essences she has created to change pieces of who she is on a moments notice, and her ability to use the soulstones. With each page I grew more intrigued by her life, her character, and her goals.  I was also fascinated by the Grand Gaotona and in his role convincing Shai to help save the Empire and the Emperor.

The overall creation of the Emperor's Soul is a magical insight into what choices craft a person into who they will become. It was beautiful, creative and very thought provoking.  Whether or not you like fantasy, I highly recommend that you read this book.  This would also make a perfect book for a book club discussion.  I intent to bring it up for the book group I attend the next time we are choosing books to read.

Supernaturally by Kiersten White

Title: Supernaturally (Paranormalcy #2)
Author: Kiersten White
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: YA Paranormal
Rating: Adore
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "Sixteen-year-old Evie thinks she has left the International Paranormal Containment Agency, and her own paranormal activities, behind her when she is recruited to help at the Agency, where she discovers more about the dark faerie prophecy that threatens her future" (King County Library System).
Opinions: In this book, Evie gets to enjoy the life she has always wanted--a locker, a regular job,  high school, and a boy friend. What she didn't count on were all the lows that come as part and package with her new life.  First there is her ex love - the faerie formerly known as Reth - who swears he's watching over and protecting her. Then there's Jack, a human boy raised by Faeries, but now working for the IPCA, who loves to play tricks and use the Faerie Paths for his own purposes. Evie also is struggling with the fact that her boyfriend, Lend, is now in college at Georgetown several hours away and she only sees him on weekends. 

Though, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I did the first one, I still LOVED it. It was intriguing to see Evie develop and trying to fight her way through a new life while still keeping one foot in her old life. This story was fascinating in its complexities and underlying stories and fears surrounding Evie's choices.  The most intriguing character of all for me was Evie's roommate, the fashion designing vampire, video game zombie slayer, Arianna.

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Title: Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy #1)
Author: Kiersten White
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: YA Paranormal Fantasy
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "When a dark prophecy begins to come true, sixteen-year-old Evie of the International Paranormal Containment Agency must not only try to stop it, she must also uncover its connection to herself and the alluring shapeshifter, Lend" (King County Library System).  
Opinions:One of the best parts of this book is the voice of the character/narrator. Told in first person (I believe -- I'm really bad at labeling voices) she is quintessentially snarky teen with a most unusual twist. I love being able to see inside of Evie and how her mind works, and her growth throughout the story. I love the creativity of stylistic paranormal characters seen with a new eye and a new way. 

It was hard for me to narrow down in this book who where my favorite characters. There was Lish, Evie's BFF who was a mermaid in charge of command central and had as much of a love of Easton Heights, the equivalent of Beverly Hills 90210, as Evie. Lend, the incredibly complex and multi-handsome (you'll have to read the book to understand why I write it this way) first ever teenage boy Evie has come in contact.  The deep and mysterious Reth, a faerie who has plans of his own for Evie. Requel the strict librarian looking head of IPCA who is the equivalent of the mom Evie's never known. . . and oh so many more.

If you love YA Paranormal at all, then I suggest you pick up this fun read immediately.

Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

Title: The Wee Free Men (Discworld #30)
Author: Terry Pratchett
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "Armed only with a frying pan and her common sense, Tiffany Aching, a young witch-to-be, is all that stands between the monsters of Fairyland and the warm, green Chalk country that is her home. Forced into Fairyland to seek her kidnapped brother, Tiffany allies herself with the Chalk's local Nac Mac Feegle - aka the Wee Free Men - a clan of sheep-stealing, sword-wielding, six-inch-high blue men who are as fierce as they are funny. Together, they battle through an eerie and ever-shifting landscape, fighting brutal flying fairies, dream-spinning dromes, and grimhounds - black dogs with eyes of fire and teeth of razors - before ultimately confronting the Queen of the Elves, absolute ruler of a world in which reality intertwines with nightmare. And in the final showdown, Tiffany must face her cruel power alone... In a riveting narrative equal parts suspense and humor, Carnegie Medalist Terry Pratchett returns to his internationally popular Discworld with a breath-taking tale" (King County Library System).
Opinions: My husband is a HUGE Terry Pratchett fan and read this to me last night.  This book was brilliant. I've read some of the Disc World books, but when a friend gave me the sequel to this book my husband leaped right up, went to the library to check out the first Tiffany Aching book (this one), came home and immediately started reading it to me allowed. I'm glad he did.

Terry Pratchett has an incredible turn of phrase and the brilliant characters/personalities he creates leaves me more than slightly envious. The humor is on point, and the faith that Tiffany learns to have in herself by the end of the novel makes it a thoroughly engaging read.  The only difficulties I had with this book were some of hte Nac Mac Feegle's toungue twisting names and the periodic flash backs into Tiffany Aching's earlier life.  They did help to tell the story, but made it sometimes hard to recall if we were in the present or the past. However, baring that, this book is incredible.  I am now looking forward to reading the next one with my hubby as well.

Your Cup of Cake by Lizzie Early

Title:  Your Cup of Cake
Author:  Lizzie Early
Reviewer:  Karen
Genre:  Adult Non-Fiction/Cookbook
Rating: FABULOUS!!!!
Alerts/Warnings: Dangerous Calories lie ahead
Premise: The tantalizing scent of warm cupcakes wraps you in nostalgia, transporting you to the coziness of your childhood kitchen. Now, in a modern twist that's sure to satisfy even the most discerning sweet tooth, the treats of your youth will once again tempt your taste buds as you embrace the cupcake craze in your own kitchen cupcakery. Starting with a cake mix, popular food writer and photographer Lizzy Early taps into America's love affair with the never-ending flavor combinations of this tasty treat-from the comforting classics of vanilla, German chocolate, and carrot cake, to the fanciful flavors of maple and bacon, churro, and root beer float. Complete with delectable photographs and handy hints for the cupcake novice, Your Cup of Cake is your ultimate guide to America's favorite gourmet goodies.
Opinions: Oh my, this book is my new favorite cookbook!!!!  I've tried four of the recipes so far, though I've read through all of them multiple times, and I'm addicted. I have plans to try out at least four more recipes this week as I'm getting ready for a bake sale.  If you love to mix up your usual cake mixes to create something incredibly scrumptious then get this book. So far everyone that I've given cupcakes to have LOVED them. I cannot get enough.

The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

To read my other reviews in this series click here: The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune




Title: The Mark of Athena (Heroes of Olympus #3)
Author: Rick Riordan
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Mid-Grade
Rating: Adore
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: " "The Greek and Roman demigods will have to cooperate in order to defeat the giants released by the Earth Mother, Gaea. Then they will have to sail together to the ancient land--Greece itself--to find the Doors of Death"--" (King County Library System)
Opinions: This series is intriguing as it combines Roman history and gods with the Greek pantheon and stories. I love the twists and turns. I loved seeing how two groups of people who throughout history have fought one another learn to work as one. Mr. Riordan does a fantastic job showing each point of view characters struggles, growth, and in-site.  Annabeth and Leo are my most favorite characters in this story for their intriguing personalities and struggles. I loved the ending but cannot wait until the next book comes out to see where it goes. This series is a definite must read.

Fairy Godmothers Inc by Jenniffer Wardell

I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I've been recovering from back surgery and am now on the mend.



Title: Fairy Godmothers Inc
Author: Jenniffer Wardell
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: YA Fairytale Retelling
Rating: Adore
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: In a world where fairy tale situations are as much a fact of life as death and taxes, everyone knows hiring Fairy Godmothers, Inc. is the best way to assure that your beautiful daughter or enchanted frog of a grandson will get the happily-ever-after he or she deserves. Sure, sometimes a little love potion is required to make sure those quotas stay up, but what Prince Charming doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

Kate, an experienced Fairy Godmother, who’s enough of a romantic to frustrate her rigidly rule-bound boss, has just received a specialty assignment from one of the company’s board of directors. Cinderella—Rellie for short—was placed with an appropriately wicked stepfamily years before, and now needs the dress, ball, and handsome prince to complete her happily-ever-after. The fact that Rellie isn’t sure this is her dream come true—balls are fun, but princes tend to be less interesting than fluffy bunnies—isn’t something management considers a problem.

Complicating things a bit is Jon, the youngest son of the royal family, who meets Kate, and is smitten, but isn’t quite ready yet to reveal his true identity. After all, it’s his older brother Rupert who’s supposed to marry Rellie, which means pretending to be a lowly civil servant will give him the chance to spend more time with Kate. (As long as he can get the ball arranged, and stop Rupert from getting himself into trouble over his “self-actualization” business, he should have the perfect opportunity to explain everything and get started on making a little magic with the Fairy Godmother of his dreams.)

But, of course, things never ever happen as planned.

Opinions: This book has a fascinating premise. It takes a much loved fairytale and retells it from a completely unexpected point of view with a lot of humor and sweet romance.  I loved its uniqueness and enjoyed the plot immensely.  Fairy Godmother's Inc has a twist in that you discover what each character looks like through opposing characters and how they see each other.  The only difficulty is sometimes the character voices have similar styles, but the creativity of the book makes that only a small difficulty.

My very favorite characters were Rellie (a.k.a. Cinderella) and Kate (her Fairy Godmother). I love their interactions and their spunk. I also adored Lawton and Jon's friendship and how they stood up for each other.  I loved the overall strength of character of this four people and the fascinating story they tell.  I definitely recommend picking this book up to read and soon. It was just released to the public last week.