Book Thoughts: United We Spy

Title: United We Spy
Author: Ally Carter
Series: Gallagher Girls #6

Hi guys! I'm sorry I've been such a bad blogger lately. Apparently midterms this semester meant "three solid weeks of no free time." But I'm back, and I have a super awesome book to tell you about.

**Warning! Spoilers for Books 1-5! (Not for this one)***

Cammie has a mission. Well, sort of. Well, okay, she's not actually supposed to have a mission at all. But as Catherine closes in on the last few members of the Circle of Cavan, time is running out, and it may be entirely up to Cammie and her friends to save everyone they love -- and, quite possibly, the world.

I've loved this series from the get-go, but by this stunning conclusion, it is not the lighthearted spy-teens romp it was in book one. Issues are way, way more serious now -- and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love love LOVE this final adventure we get to take with Cammie, Liz, Bex, Macey, and Zach, and I thought it was a fantastic conclusion to a fantastic series.

It had honestly been a while since I read the previous book so I was a little hazy on the details, but I didn't need to worry. UNITED WE SPY reminded me of everything important and contained a pretty solid story in and of itself. I for one really loved the chance to see Cammie & Co. entering the real world and dealing with these serious issues, and also still being high school seniors. Yes, they face some seriously grown-up situations, but they're still just eighteen-year-old girls (and boy, in Zach's case), and they hold on to that.

Also, a certain speech near the end of the novel (I will not say more lest I give spoilers, but you'll know it if/when you read it) had me in tears. I am so sad to leave this beautiful sisterhood behind, and I am sure it's a world I will revisit. Can't wait for Ally Carter's next!

Let's Talk About Violence in Historical Fiction.

I'm taking a seminar class on history in contemporary fiction, and the last novel we read was called The Book of Night Women, by Marlon James. It discusses the slave trade in Jamaica in the early 1800s. It is also the single most upsetting book I have ever read.

The Jamaican slave trade in the early 1800s was seriously horrible. You know the horror stories we've all heard about American slavery (which, seriously, was wayyy not cool)? In Jamaica, it was worse, because the culture and intentions were so different. And this novel did not hesitate to confront even the most gruesome elements. The sexual abuse of slaves, the punishments for minor infractions, the utter disrespect for the humanity of others -- all are described in unfaltering detail. More than once, I thought I might throw up at the thought of the violence people are capable of towards others.

Night Women was hugely upsetting to read, but I think it's important that the book was as brutal as it was. Part of what made it so disturbing was the fact that these things really did happen -- the specific characters in the novel were fictional, but the dehumanizing violence thrown at slaves was very real. I think glossing over the violence, using euphemisms and implications rather than gory details, would have been a lot less powerful in telling the story. Only by forcing readers to face the details can the novel accurately give a sense of how horrible the times were.

But at the same time, such graphic imagery makes the novel inaccessible to a lot of people. I would never consider giving this book to a child, and even I finished it only because I had to for class. Without the context of the discussion the class offered, I feel like this novel would have been simply horrifying without the deeper understanding of the historical context. Definitely a book worth reading and talking about, but one that I think needs to be talked about if it's going to be read.

What I'm getting at is this: violence absolutely has a place in historical fiction, because it's important not to deny the facts of the past, and gruesome events shouldn't be sugarcoated (at least in my opinion). But I also think it's important to make those historical truths accessible to readers, and that's a line that can be really hard to find.

I don't necessarily have an answer to this (by which I mean, I don't have an answer to this), but I'm curious to know: what do you guys think about the role of violence in historical fiction?

THE TAKING Cover and Synopsis!

Hi guys! Sorry it's been so quiet around here lately. One word for you to explain that: MIDTERMS. Yuck, right?

But! I can now share with you the recently revealed cover and synopsis for THE TAKING, an upcoming book from one of my favorites, Kimberly Derting.

A flash of white light . . . and then . . . nothing. 

When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at the Gas ’n’ Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of déjà vu, she heads home only to discover that five years have passed . . . yet she hasn’t aged a day. 

Everything else about Kyra’s old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend, Austin, is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her five-year disappearance on little green men. 

Confused and lost, Kyra isn’t sure how to move forward unless she uncovers the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin’s annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena that no one can explain, and they begin to wonder if Kyra’s father is not as crazy as he seems. There are others like her who have been taken . . . and returned. Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own? 

Sounds awesome, right?! Can't wait for this one. So I guess we can call this one this week's Waiting on Wednesday (on Thursday)? Anyway, super pumped. Look for this one April 29!

Book Thoughts: Once

Title: Once
Author: Anna Carey
Series: Eve #2

Eve is back, but she's lost Caleb: Califia, the safe place they've been looking for, is women-only. But if you think Eve is going to take that for very long, you've got another think coming. She goes looking for Caleb... and finds someone way more surprising. Trapped in the City of Sand, Eve has to find a way to save Caleb, her friends -- and herself.

I didn't love this one the way I loved EVE, but I definitely enjoyed it. It's awesome to see the world continue to develop, and I hope we get to see more details of The New America in book three! I continue to adore Eve and Caleb's romance, and the new characters (namely Charles, Harper, Beatrice, and Clara) are a welcome addition to the story. I think my favorite character is still Arden, though, because she's the one in whom I see the most depth and fight; I wish we'd gotten to spend more time with her in this book. I do love the dynamic Charles adds, though!

I'm honestly feeling pretty meh about this book right now. I enjoyed it, definitely, but it wasn't a standout like EVE was and there's not really anything jumping out at me that I just HAVE to talk about. Hopefully it's just middle book syndrome and RISE will bring the level of awesome back up, because I really do like the story Anna Carey is telling and the characters she's created. Here's to book three!

HEARTBEAT Cover!

The cover for Elizabeth Scott's upcoming novel HEARTBEAT is here! I've loved everything I've read by this author, so of course I'm super excited for this one too. Plus, isn't this cover pretty? :)

HOLLOW CITY Cover Reveal!

Today Entertainment Weekly revealed the cover for the second installment in Ransom Riggs' Miss Peregrine stories. Isn't it lovely?

Book Thoughts: Crown of Midnight

Title: Crown of Midnight
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #2

Okay. Let's talk about how much I love this book.

First and foremost, I just really love Celaena. I LOVE that we can have a girl who's totally not afraid to kick some but when she needs to (and darn good at it too) but also really loves pretty dresses and her puppy and chocolate cake. I like that she's not perfect -- she's reckless and impulsive, she doesn't always think about consequences, she can't sing. But she tries to do what she thinks is right, and she's just. I love her.

And I l-o-v-e the character development we get with Dorian and Chaol. My shipper heart does not know what to DO with this beautiful book, but quite apart from the romance I just love the two main men. They make mistakes, and they learn from experience, and their individual relationships with Celaena as well as their relationships to each other are just beautiful.

I love the pacing, too. With so much going on it would be SO easy to just rush the details, but it felt like the book was exactly the right length: it accomplished what it needed to and gave every event the attention it deserved without dragging things out. I called the "big reveal" at the end of this one way early on, but I didn't care, because I wanted to see how the characters got there, and there was enough going on that I totally didn't predict that I was still on the edge of my seat.

I cannot WAIT for the next installment of this series. I just need to know how the characters are going to deal with the situation they find themselves in at the end of this book, and I just need to spend more time with them and in this world. I hope we get to find out more about the Fae and the way magic works in this world as the series progresses!

So yes. Definitely a worthy continuation of the Throne of Glass story, possibly even better than the first book (which doesn't happen a lot for me). If you haven't read these yet, get on it! Meanwhile, I shall eagerly await Book 3...

Waiting on Wednesday 10/2/13

Hosted at Breaking the Spine, Waiting on Wednesday spotlights upcoming books that we bloggers can't wait to get our hands on. This week I'm waiting on THE DOLLHOUSE ASYLUM by Mary Gray.

A virus that had once been contained has returned, and soon no place will be left untouched by its destruction. But when Cheyenne wakes up in Elysian Fields--a subdivision cut off from the world and its monster-creating virus--she is thrilled to have a chance at survival.

At first, Elysian Fields,with its beautiful houses and manicured lawns, is perfect. Teo Richardson, the older man who stole Cheyenne's heart, built it so they could be together. But when Teo tells Cheyenne there are tests that she and seven other couples must pass to be worthy of salvation, Cheyenne begins to question the perfection of his world.

The people they were before are gone. Cheyenne is now "Persephone," and each couple has been re-named to reflect the most tragic romances ever told. Everyone is fighting to pass the test, to remain in Elysian Fields. Teo dresses them up, tells them when to move and how to act, and in order to pass the test, they must play along.

If they play it right, then they'll be safe.

But if they play it wrong, they'll die.

The title is actually what first drew me to this one, and the description cemented my interest: post-apocalyptic (ish) chock full of mythology references? Yes, please. I will be checking this one out. Look for it October 22!

What are you waiting on this week?