We're an Open Book
“We’re all looking glasses, we girls, existing only to reflect their images back to them. . . Hollow vessel of girls to be rinsed of our own ambitions wants and opinions, just waiting to be filled with the cool tepid water of gracious compliance. . . a fissure forms in the vessel. I’m cracking open.”
– Libba Bray, A Great and Terrible Beauty
A Great and Terrible Beauty is a witty, dark and funny novel that pulls readers into late 19th century England and the misadventures of Gemma Doyle.
…
“Love: It will kill you and save you, both”
– Lauren Oliver, Delirium
Synopsis: Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love — the deliria — blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.
Delirium tells the story of a world similar to our own with only one exception; Scientists have discovered a cure for the deadliest of all diseases—love, Amor Deliria Nervosa. And at age 18 Lena Holoway is ready to receive her cure.
…
“Marks forget that whenever something’s too good to be true, that’s because it’s a con.”
– White Cat, Holly Black
Synopsis: Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they’re all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn’t got the magic touch, so he’s an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. . .Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something.
I first came across Holly Black while reading Cassandra Clare. Clare and Black are often on tour together and even edit each other’s work. Plus characters from Black’s Valiant series appear in The Mortal Instruments and Jace Wayland is even mentioned in this book.
So, when I picked up White Cat in audiobook form I expected to find something similar to the Mortal Instruments–White Cat was anything but that. Instead, it is a high-octane fantasy heist novel sprinkled with family drama.
Cassel Sharpe comes from a family of curseworkers, individuals who have the special ability to “curse” others in things such as luck and death. In a world where curse working and crime go hand-in-hand, dark family secrets rise to the surface and Cassel’s life is turned on its head. Soon he finds himself caught up in the biggest con-game of his life, all because of one white cat.
Black does an amazing job of crafting the world in which Cassel lives. She creates a slight alternative history that does not overbear the plot or force itself into the setting of the novel, it flowed so naturally, it makes you think it could have actually happened. She allows the characters to speak and define themselves. We get to know them for what they do and say not because of shimmering eyes or perfect hair.
The novel does follow a few cliches associated with con jobs, which includes trying to misdirect the audience to give an exciting pay-off. While this might work on TV it made the end of the novel confusing and a caused a few plot holes to stick out.
The novel does go a bit dark and there were a few nightmare fueledmoments, but you can usually catch them in time to glance over it.
I really liked the audiobook for this, it’s a short one with only 6 discs, but Jesse Eisenberg gives a great performance. I would definitely recommend it for someone who wants to get into audio books.
If you are a fan of heist dramedys like Leverage, Ocean’s Thirteen or The Italian job I think you will enjoy this book. I also found this book to be very similar to All These Things I’ve Done with the mention of crime families, alternate history and family drama.
For all you Holly Black fans, is there some inside joke about coffee in Holly Black novels ? Because she mentions coffee in atleast every chapter and there is a picture of coffee on her website? Anyone?
Curse Workers 2, Red Glove is out now, but this story could certainly stand on its own.
“When given a choice between money and the good opinion of society, a lady must always choose her reputation.”
– Dianne K. Salerni, We Hear The Dead
Synopsis: It started out as a harmless prank. But soon enough, spiritualism was the fastest growing movement of the nineteenth century, and Maggie Fox was trapped in a life of deceit.
Meticulously researched by the author, We Hear the Dead reveals the secret of how the Fox sisters faked their rapping sounds and their motives for inventing the séance and founding spiritualism.
I won this book from the Dianne K. Salerni during the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop and I’m glad I did. If I hadn’t I don’t think I would ever picked this book up. For some reason, I was wary of independent and small book publishers and was surprised by We Hear The Dead. It is a thoughtful and thorough novel with an interesting story to tell….
“Daddy always said you only explained things to the people that actually mattered.”
― Gabrielle Zevin, All These Things I’ve Done
Synopsis : In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city’s most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.’s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidently poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she’s to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight–at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family.
Anya Blanchaine is the daughter of a Russian mob boss, but she isn’t exactly Growing Up Gotti. All These Things I’ve Done is a novel comprised of 17-year-old Anya’s confessions.She has the world on her shoulders; having to take care of her ailing grandmother and siblings while trying to keep out of the notorious family business of selling chocolate–which has become illegal in 2083.
…
“You ever watch Clash of the Titans or read any Greek fables? Well those gods are real and yeah, I’m sort of a descendant of them.”
– Jennifer Armentrout, Daimon
Ever since I’ve started book blogging, I’ve heard so much about a certain author named Jennifer L. Armentrout. Everyone simply adores her. I’ve even sat in on some of her video chats and I can see why everyone thinks she is (to say as she would) so awesomesauce. Which is why I was overjoyed when I won a copy of the prequel novel Daimon from Shellie over at Creative Reads.
…