The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Title: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Author: Alan Bradley
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Adult Mystery
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: Low Swearing, Murder (but it is a murder mystery after all)
Premise: "In his first novel, Alan Bradley introduces one of the most singular and engaging heroines in recent fiction: eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison." "It is the summer of 1950 - and a series of inexplicable events has struck Buckshaw, the decaying English mansion that Flavia's family calls home. A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. Hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches him as he takes his dying breath. For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw"--Book jacket.
Opinions: I could NOT put this book down. I read it in under one day (even while dealing with two children and morning sickness). I was intrigued how this book could be in the Adult section or the library when the main character is eleven. Falvia is not your normal eleven year. Though she still plays pranks on her sisters like any other kid, she is intelligent beyond her years. Her passion for chemistry, and her own private chemistry lab, allow Flavia the ability to learn at her own pace. Her focus on chemistry gives Flavia a unique look on life that allows her to see truth where others do not. Her spunk as a pre-teen allows her to get into situations that, not only provide her with information important to solving the murder long before the adults, but also provide a hilarious flare.

Alan Bradley does a fantastic job creating a heroine that can rival Ms. Marple and would even give Sherlock Holmes a run for his money. As a fan of mysteries I look forward to reading much more from this author.

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

To read our review of the first book in this series click here: The Maze Runner.


Title: The Scorch Trials (Book 2 of The Maze Runner trilogy)
Author: James Dashner
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: YA Sci-Fi
Rating: Like
Alerts/Warnings: High Violence - Low Swearing.
Premise: "After surviving horrific conditions in the Maze, Thomas is entrapped, along with nineteen other boys, in a scientific experiment designed to observe their responses and gather data believed to be essential for the survival of the human race." (King County Library)
Opinions: This book is a New York Time Bestseller written for teenagers. I read one site that even said it was marketed for 9-12 year olds. In my opinion, do not let them read it until 14 or 15 at the earliest and only if you read it first. Why you may ask? Because this is a VIOLENT book. There is death left and right because this is a world in the middle of an apocalypse. Half the world has been killed by solar flares and the other half is at risk of catching the FLARE, a virus, that is spreading rapidly and with disastrous consequences.

Okay, now that you've had my disclaimers let me tell you what I really like about this book. I was drawn into the storyline and the characters -- plain and simple. If the world faced a major natural disaster that wiped out a good portion of the world and the survival of the rest of the world lay in the hands of two groups of teenagers put into horrendous circumstances wouldn't you be on the edge of you seat wondering if they would be able to do pull it off? Like the first book in this series, I was drawn to Thomas and Teresa as they have a complex past that reveals itself slowly through the story. The big frustration is that WICKED, the government organization placing the teenagers through the trials, likes to turn everything you know on its head. Can you really trust your friends? Is what you are experiencing reality? Who really are the good guys?

This book is an emotional roller coaster ride, but one that was hard to put down. Oh and for those who have read THE HUNGER GAMES many reviewers are comparing this series to that. I personally haven't read THE HUNGER GAMES yet as I'm still on the waiting list at the library. So you will have to let me know which series you prefer.

ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!!! ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!

Our favorite of readers and co-author of this blog and my best friend, Stephanie, will be returning to the country on April 2nd after living for the last three months in China. In honor of her return we will be hosting a GIVEAWAY.


I know, I know, you are all in shock. Its been at least a year since we've done one. Well hold on to your pants cause we have a whole stack of autographed books to give out this year. What better way to kick off the list by celebrating Stephanie's return?


So keep an eye out on Saturday, April 2nd when I will kick off the giveaway by posting the rules for our first giveaway. What is the prize you might ask? Well, how about an autographed copy of Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George in which this particular blogger posted a review for earlier this week.

So stay tuned and help me welcome back Stephanie.

Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George

Princess of Glass



Click here to read our review of Princess of the Midnight Ball.


Title: Princess of Glass (Sequel to the Princess of the Midnight Ball)
Author: Jessica Day George
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "In the midst of maneuverings to create political alliances through marriage, sixteen-year-old Poppy, one of the infamous twelve dancing princesses, becomes the target of a vengeful witch while Prince Christian tries to save her." (King County Library System)
Opinions: I LOVE THIS BOOK!!! Okay is that extreme enough? I thoroughly enjoyed reading Princess of the Midnight Ball and was thrilled to learn that this book was to be a sort of sequel. Princess of Glass follows the life of Princess Poppy, one of the dancing princesses, several years later as her family tries to make amends to foreign lands for the deaths of the princes who had tried to originally discover the mystery behind the dancing princesses. Each unmarried daughter is sent to a foreign kingdom as an ambassador to prove Westfalin's good will and to get to know the royal families in hopes of creating alliances through matches between the families. Poppy is sent to Brenton to visit a cousin as the royal family isn't exactly welcoming (this is due to the fact that one of the royal family had died mysteriously after failing to free the princesses from their curse). As ambassador to Brenton it is Poppy's responsibility to heal the damage by attending balls and befriending the aristocracy. There is only one minor problem. Poppy HATES to dance. After being forced for years to dance by the King Under Stone with his sons, the last thing she wants to do is wear another pair of dancing slippers. So whenever she can, Poppy sneaks out of the balls to go play cards with the gentlemen. (I LOVE THIS LADY)

Then there is Prince Cristian. In an effort of his own kingdom to further alliances with other countries (preferably not Westfalin) his father sends him off to Brenton in hopes that he will fall in love with one of their princesses. Only one problem, they are 9 and 11. If that doesn't work his father plans on sending him off to one of the other countries. So when Cristian comes to Breton and learns that one of the mysterious Dancing Princesses is there, he seeks her out. Knowing full well that their duties won't allow them to fancy each other Poppy, Cristian, and Marianne (Poppy's cousin) become fast friends. As their friendship grows, they soon become entangled in intrigue regarding one of the maids, Ellen.

Ellen, aka Eleanora, was not always a maid. Once she was from a rich family that ran in royal circles. However, her father's financial downfall and subsequent death has lead her to the life of a maid. The problem is that no matter how hard she tries to be a good maid she continually burns the linens, breaks the tea sets, and destroys everything she touches. After being banished from service at house after house Ellen finds herself in the home of Poppy's cousins working as Poppy and Marianne's personal made. Her jealously of their lives, a life she once lead herself, leads her to agree to help from a mysterious Godmother who promises her the chance of living that way once again. Ellen's decision twists everyone's world together in a strange dance of intrigue and enchantment that kept both my husband and I entranced as we read this book.

The humor, the mystery, the love, and learning that you truly need to understand someone's past to discover why they are who they are today made this an absolutely FABULOUS read.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones (Mortal Instruments)




Title: City of Bones (Mortal Instruments Series - Book One)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: YA Paranormal Fiction
Rating: Like
Alerts/Warnings: Some swearing, some violence from fighting monsters, and on a minor note a couple of minor characters are gay (so if that makes your uncomfortable don't read it). Though there are no sex scenes of any kind.
Premise: "Suddenly able to see demons and the Darkhunters who are dedicated to returning them to their own dimension, fifteen-year-old Clary Fray is drawn into this bizzare world when her mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a monster." (King County Library System)
Opinions: I am not normally into paranormal fiction, but I'm striving to expand my reading base and introduce myself to authors that I've never read before. This is one such book. This book is set in modern day New York and shows a world of vampires, werewolves, demons, witches, mermaids, and much, much more living in the midst of, but unseen by, the normal human world.

It was a bit hard at first to get to know and understand the main character, Clary, but once the story gets going I had a hard time putting it down. In fact, I read I read it in less then a day. I was thoroughly intrigued by the premise and the twists of the story. There are fighting scenes where the Darkhunters have to fight and kill demons which may or may not bother some readers. As I said in the warnings, there are a few side characters who happen to be gay, but that isn't the focus of the story so I will leave it up to you if you want to read it. Personally, my favorite characters were Clary's friend Simon and Clary's "Uncle" Luke. There is a surprising twist at the end that left me dumbfounded, but I'm still eager to check out book two in this series.

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

Title: Guards! Guards! (A Disc World Novel)
Author: Terry Pratchett
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Rating: Like
Alerts/Warnings: Lots and lots of swearing
Premise: "Here there be dragons ... and the denizens of Ankh-Morpork wish one huge firebreather would return from whence it came. Long believed extinct, a superb specimen of draco nobilis ("noble dragon" for those who don't understand italics) has appeared in Discworld's greatest city. Not only does this unwelcome visitor have a nasty habit of charbroiling everything in its path, in rather short order it is crowned King (it is a noble dragon, after all ...)" (King County Library System)
Opinions: My husband is a HUGE fan of Terry Pratchett and has been trying to get me to read his books for years. I read one a few months ago that I couldn't bring myself to review due to the severe language and bawdy humor (though the rest of the book was quite remarkable). So my husband took it upon himself to find one that was a little more appropriate for my tastes.

Last week he checked out this book and began reading it to me while I worked on various other projects. I must warn you there is still a lot of swearing in this book. However, the way Terry Pratchett writes is ingenious. There are no official chapters, but several breaks in order to change points of view. However, within each point of view you get a perfectly clear idea of each character's personality, charms, and flaws. The humor is so off the wall crazy that I would think "oh no he didn't!", shake my head, and then we would keep reading. My most favorite character in this book is Captain Vimes. The sections from his point of view just leapt of the page and made him so real. He is a flawed, honest, and a good hearted man. It is intriguing to see how his mind works. My second favorite is the Librarian who is currently an Orangutan and prefers never to return to human form. I mean who else but Terry Pratchett would create an Orangutan Librarian? The man is crazy brilliant. His writing reminds me a lot of the works of Douglas Adams and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. If you like Douglas Adams I think you will enjoy Terry Pratchett. Just be prepared, there is a lot of swearing (and in at least one of his other books bawdy humor - though I don't recall much of that in this particular book).

Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson

Title: Towers of Midnight (Book 13 Wheel of Time Series)
Author: Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Rating: Like
Alerts/Warnings: Moderate Violence
Premise: "As the seals on the Dark One's prison crumble and the armies of the Shadow boil out of the Blight, Perrin Aybara, hunted by specters from his past, must seek answers in "Tel'aran'rhiod" and find a way to master the wolf within him--or lose himself to it forever. Meanwhile, Matrim Cauthon prepares for the most difficult challenge of his life, as The Tower of Ghenjei awaits." (King County Library System)
Opinions: My husband introduced me to this series as soon as we were married. In fact, my husband loves this series so much that he rereads it on a regular basis. I love the world that was originally created by Mr Jordan and the work that Brandon Sanderson is doing to complete this series after Mr. Jordan's passing a few years ago. There are few minor drawbacks to the Wheel of Time Series. First, is that the overall series is really detailed and therefore extremely long. Also, there are so many different characters that play vital rolls that some times it is hard to recall who is who. However, those characters are so detailed that they pop off the pages and become real to the reader as he/she delves into the story. The final drawback was a chronological confusion in regards to Tam Al'Thor. The events surrounding the group travelling with Perrin Aybara occur simultaneously to events in the previous book and you don't get caught up with the other stories until about two thirds of the way through the book. So there was some confusion when Rand's dad Tam seemed to be in multiple places at once. As long as you keep in mind that the that particular story archs is slightly out of chronological placing as to when everything else takes place, then you should be fine (I hope that made sense).



The Towers of Midnight is the second to last in this series and Brandon Sanderson is doing a fantastic job and beginning to tie up all the loose ends. The story continues to be compelling and made it hard to put the book down (but we still had to at times due to the need of sleep and cramping of the hands from holding the 800+ page book). As the story is beginning to wrap up I was pleased to see some happy events occurring and people getting to meet again after long absences from each other. However, as the book is drawing near to the Last Battle there are several battles and assassination attempts that may be gruesome for younger readers. Still I feel that the authors did a good job at not making them overly graphic.



Overall, this was a very good read and I'm eager to see how the story ends in the final volume tentatively scheduled for release sometime next year.