WWW Wednesday (88)

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

          

01. Currently Reading:
Becoming: The Life and Musings of a Girl Poet by Nadia Brown. Good collection of poetry so far. Enjoying her style and topic choices.

02. Recently Finished:
Hollow City by Ransom Riggs. The sequel to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Amazingly haunted novel complete with antique photographs to accompany the chilling story of peculiar children trying to save their guardian.

03. Reading Next:
Lie by Rathan Krueger. After some technical difficulties I think I'll finally be able to start this one soon!

Hollow City (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #2)

The extraordinary journey that began in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children continues as Jacob Portman and his newfound friends journey to London the peculiar capital of the world. But in this war-torn city, hideous surprises lurk around every corner. Like its predecessor, this second novel in the Peculiar Children series blends thrilling fantasy with never-before-published vintage photography to create a one-of-a-kind reacting experience.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Ransom Riggs astounds readers once again with his sequel to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Hollow City. After the children narrowly escaped the bomb-ridden island and rescued Miss Peregrine herself, they find themselves floating toward the unknown world of 1940. Here Hollow City begins, as the group of Peculiars run for their lives in hopes of saving their ymbryne (guardian). 

Jacob retains the role of main character and now that he knows he's peculiar, he feels he owes it to his grandfather and to Miss Peregrine to help save her and her group of children. Jacob learned in the first book that he is able to see wights and hollowgasts. With his peculiarity gaining strength, he learns that he can also detect them if he tries hard enough. Jacob will surpass expectations and gain further support from readers while he fights to protect the world of Peculiars. His loyalty remains indestructible and his intuitive nature will breathe belief into readers. 

The plot follows the group of children across the foggy sea, into a monster's mouth, through a menagerie of peculiar animals, and beneath the war-torn city of London in hopes of saving Miss Peregrine. In the first book, Miss Peregrine was captured and, it appears, poisoned in bird-form. Therefore, it will take a very strong ymbryne to release her. As the children hunt for an ymbryne that hasn't been captured by wights, they encounter a number of new peculiar children and barely escape with their lives. The children learn that Miss Peregrine only has a few days before her human form is lost forever.It's at their lowest that they all band together to survive and save their beloved guardian. 

Again, highest recommendation. Wonderful sequel Mr. Riggs. I'm sure bloggers and readers everywhere are excitedly awaiting the next installment of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children. 

Rating: 5/5 Cups

Read the review of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Teaser Tuesday (101)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!



Becoming: The Life and Musings of a Girl Poet
Excerpt from "Questions from Guinevere"

Somewhere,
amid the landscape of night;
you are quietly gathering stars
underneath a glaring moon
prudently plotting your way to me.

City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments #2)

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go — especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil — and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings — and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

*May Contain Spoilers*

Cassandra Clare delivers everything a reader could hope for in her second installment of the Mortal Instruments series, City of Ashes. She picks up directly where she left off in City of Bones and carries readers away into her invisible city of Shadowhunters, demons, werewolves, vampires, and magic. 

The focus remains on Clary, whose life was turned upside down when her evil father, Valentine, showed up ready to take down the Clave. As a main character in a series, Clary will certainly evolve as the story line continues. In City of Ashes, readers begin to see the evolution. Her naivete is slowly diminishing and her strength is definitely growing. Clary is becoming the epitome of courage and loyalty, two traits that readers will love. Nothing's better than a strong female character and Clary has her sights set on the label, though she still struggles with teenage angst and uncertainty. The bond established in the first novel solidifies in this sequel, pulling readers in with an undeniable force. 

The Mortal Instruments plot continues and deepens when Valentine steals the second mortal instrument, the Soul-Sword, from the Silent Brothers. Jace believes that Valentine is preparing for a ritual that will allow him to control an army of demons. No one wants that to happen but no one will believe Jace, foreshadowing dark times for our favorite Shadowhunters. Meanwhile, Simon is becoming a Vampire and may die in the process, downworlders are being murdered, and everyone's speaking too literally for the truth to be found. It's left to Jace, Clary, Alec, and Isabelle to stop Valentine before it's too late and demons are under his rule, destroying the Clave and leaving the world unprotected. 

Rating: 4.5/5 Cups

WWW Wednesday (87)

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

          

01. Currently Reading:
City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments #2) by Cassandra Clare. Now that Valentine has the Mortal Cup, the first of the Mortal Instruments, he's after something else. Something that will allow him to build a demon army in order to attack the Clave.

02. Recently Finished:
Thursday Morning Breakfast (and Murder) Club by Liz Stauffer. Drugs, murder, and gossip. All in a small mountain town. Working together with the police, the Thursday Morning ladies may be able to crack the case and flush out the culprit upsetting their way of life.

03. Reading Next:
Lie by Rathan Krueger. A group of four very different women decide to escape their lives in hopes that they can help their friend overcome a crisis. A novel that tells a story and shares the author's viewpoint on female characters in modern fiction.

Teaser Tuesday (100)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!



City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments Book 2) (p. 149)
   - Cassandra Clare

"You know," he said, "I have a feeling that that's going to be the case whether I get myself killed or not."

Thursday Morning Breakfast (and Murder) Club

When Clare Ballard sports a new bruise on her right cheek the day after a contentious town meeting, the ladies of the Thursday Morning Breakfast Club suspect her husband Roger of abusing her. That same day Hester Franklin, another breakfast club lady, is called to rescue her grandson Patrick after he is arrested for transporting drugs. Proclaiming his innocence, Patrick threatens that those who set him up will pay. Roger Ballard is high on his list. But it's when Lillie Mae Harris, the club's leader, discovers the body of the local drug dealer on the nearby hiking trail, that the community is upended.

Roger Ballard, the primary suspect, goes missing, and when his body turns up in his own back yard, Clare Ballard confesses to his murder. No one believes she did it, but Clare insists she's guilty and mysteriously refuses to talk to her lawyer, the police, or her family and friends. The Thursday Morning Breakfast Club ladies believe she's protecting someone, and they vow to find out who it is. Charlie Warren, the town's homegrown policeman, using unconventional means, collaborates with the breakfast club ladies to draw out the real criminal.

But danger lurks. Alice Portman, the matriarch of the breakfast club, is struck down in her own yard and is sent to the hospital. Then others in the small community start to disappear-one after the other. As the ladies get closer to the truth, they get closer to the danger. With no time to cry over spilled coffee, they form a plan to capture the true culprits before someone else is murdered.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Liz Stauffer creates havoc in the small town of Mount Penn when a suspected drug dealer is murdered in her novel, Thursday Morning Breakfast (and Murder) Club. Lillie Mae, a friend of everyone in town, is determined to find unravel this mountain mystery along with the other members of the breakfast club. 

Though every citizen of Mount Penn plays a role, Lillie Mae stands out as the main character. She takes part in the investigation, narrowing down the suspect list. I had a little trouble believing that the police would allow her to aid their investigation, but it made for an interesting twist from the usual murder mystery recipe. Though her age isn't mentioned, Lillie Mae seems to be a middle-aged woman. She loves to visit her neighbors and take part in the town gossip. Even though she may be a gossip-mongrel, Lillie Mae is a good friend, inquisitive, and intelligent. Readers will see her as a grandmother figure, always the perfect hostess and tag-a-long. She is always present for other characters when they need a friend or someone to simply listen. 

The plot of the novel begins with Lillie Mae discovering the dead body of the town's drug dealer and the investigation that follows. When another town member is murdered, the ladies of the Thursday Morning Breakfast Club decide to help find the killer. Their motivation increasing when Lillie Mae's best friend admits to one of the murders. Though the story takes its time in development and the amount of gossip is a bit overwhelming, the plot as a whole is interesting, which is always good in a mystery. Recommended for a nice and easy weekend read. 

Rating: 3/5 Cups

WWW Wednesday (86)

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

          

01. Currently Reading:
The Thursday Morning Breakfast (and Murder) Club by Liz Stauffer. A lot is going on in this small mountain town: drug scandal, rumors of spousal abuse, and a dying young woman. All shared by one gossip hungry citizen.

02. Recently Finished:
Allegiant by Veronica Roth. The final book in the Divergent series in which more secrets are revealed and lives are sacrificed for the greater good of future generations.

03. Reading Next:
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare. The second book in the Mortal Instruments series. I've been waiting a while to read this after finishing the first book. Can't wait to see how Clary and Jace react to recent events.

Teaser Tuesday (99)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!



Thursday Morning Breakfast (and Murder) Club (p.23)
     - Liz Stauffer

"But it's not enough for me to believe they're innocent, Hester. The boys are still in serious trouble with the police."

Allegiant (Divergent #3)

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Veronica Roth concludes her captivating Divergent series with the final book, Allegiant. After spending the first two books confined to a city where factions and power-hungry opinions rule, the main characters of the series decide to join the Allegiant and leave the city. They are (surprisingly) greeted by members of the Genetics Bureau and thus a new twist revealing a much bigger problem. 

Tris and Tobias share the point of view in this novel, each chapter referencing who is speaking, which does get quite confusing. When the concept of genetically pure versus genetically damaged is introduced, they each react a different way. Tris refuses to believe that genetically damaged people are any less equal to the genetically pure, while Tobias struggles to accept that he is not divergent and essentially damaged. At least, readers finally get a glimpse into the mind of Tobias. It connects readers to him to know the thoughts behind his actions, finally solidifying a bond that goes back generations. (Who didn't love her mom, Natalie?!) 

Tris is her strongest in this novel, with many difficult decisions to make that will ultimately hurt one group or another. She still acts a little immature and makes quick decisions without thought to consequence a few times in the novel, but Roth is writing a teenage character so can we really blame her? Probably not. The character/reader connection was strengthened through the discovery of some information about her mother and father. When Tris found out that her mother wasn't born in the city experiment, but joined later, readers witnessed a very emotional reaction, therefore, creating a deep-seated bond. 

The plot follows Tris, Tobias, Christina, Caleb, Peter, Uriah, and Cara out of the city experiment and into the Genetics Bureau, where it is revealed that there was a genetic war and the experiments were implemented to heal the genetic damage over time. Though they all struggle with their feelings about this new truth, they all agree that something must be done to change the the course of history and it will call for the greatest sacrifice of all. Quite a wonderful, angering, tearjerker, twister of a novel. 

Rating: 4.5/5 Cups

WWW Wednesday (85)

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

          

01. Currently Reading:
Allegiant by Veronica Roth. The final book in the Divergent series. Can't wait to really get into this one after that huge twist at the end of book two.

02. Recently Finished:
Silk Armor by Claire Sydenham. The tale of an American English teacher a Turkish student that fall in love and face the consequences. The very dire consequences.

03. Reading Next:
Thursday Morning Breakfast (and Murder) Club by Liz Stauffer. When the ladies of the breakfast club find themselves in the middle of a murder mystery, with one of the own confessing to the task, they pull together to prove her innocence. And catch the real culprit, of course.

Silk Armor

Her name is Didem, a young Turkish university student. Though she has left her veil behind in the provincial village she grew up in, she is still watched over closely by her father and certain friends. But when she meets Victor, an American instructor at the university, and they fall in love, Didem is propelled into an entirely new and dangerous future. The obstacles and threats they face lead Didem and Victor into plans of escape, an escape Didem must keep secret. SILK ARMOR follows her adventure through her battles with her community, her culture, her traditions and conscience, leading to her realization that though these battles may be lost her war can still be won.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Claire Sydenham unveils a Turkish story of love, betrayal, hope, and despair with her novel, Silk Armor. Told from a third party's perspective, the romance between an American man and a Turkish woman is shared as the world works against this imagined kismet. 

Though Claire is the narrator, she isn't part of the main character cast. She's the hub that holds each spoke of this story in place, connecting them and allowing them to rotate around her. The story is really about Victor and Didem. Victor is an alcoholic English teacher who traveled (with Claire and others) to Turkey in order to share his language skills. He is an unforgiving brute who knows nothing of morality. Yet, he bears his shame, even accepts it, condemning himself before others have the chance. 

When Victor first meets Didem, he is enamored with lust. Didem is portrayed as a naive girl who believes that she can force the hand of fate by falling in love with an American, an escape from the oppressive veil of Turkey. Though her experiences far outweigh her naivete and she seems to evolve in the eyes of the narrator into a very calculated character. 

Readers will connect with the beauty of the love affair, falling themselves for the fated meeting of Victor and Didem, until all is revealed and death comes to the love that blossomed so quickly. 

The novel follows the story of the love affair through Claire's eyes as she travels back from Turkey to the U.S. for summer vacation. The entire book is a remembrance with a peek at the consequences and what became of Victor and Didem. Though, there remains a question that I can't shake even after the conclusion of this tilted and temptation-ridden book. Can Claire be trusted as the narrator? She obviously despises Victor and doesn't hold much respect for Didem, or perhaps she has too much for another character, which leads me to believe that the true story is not complete. Silk Armor is definitely a book that demands a second-look, a deeper investigation, to satisfy the itch it leaves behind. 

Rating: 4/5 Cups