Guest Review: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

As you might have noticed from the dire cry for help on the sidebar on my blog, I am taking graduate classes for a certificate and needless to say, it is a LOT of work.  Oh, I am reading all right, but not what I really want to read (I can’t wait for Christmas break!)  Jezebel from Jez’s Bookcase has been kind enough to volunteer to do guest reviews and posts for Reading with ABC. 

From Jez’s blog :” I'm a girl from a small, small country (north of Thailand, south of Singapore. You guess) who's simply addicted to books. I enjoy reading books of all genres quietly (which means no background music). Learning to draw and play decent music at the same time.”  Now without further ado, here is Jez’s review of The Pledge by Kimberly Derting:

Title: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting
Published: November 15th 2011 by Margaret K. McElderry
Source: Courtesy of  Simon and Schuster Galley Grab program
Grade Rate: B (my interpretation of Jez's four star rating)


In the violent country of Ludania, the language you speak determines what class you are, and there are harsh punishments if you forget your place—looking a member of a higher class in the eye can result in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina (Charlie for short) can understand all languages, a dangerous ability she’s been hiding her whole life. Her only place of release is the drug-filled underground club scene, where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. There, she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy who speaks a language she’s never heard, and her secret is almost exposed. Through a series of violent upheavals, it becomes clear that Charlie herself is the key to forcing out the oppressive power structure of her kingdom….

Jez's Review

I love The Pledge. Love. It. A little dystopian and a little fantasy. The idea that languages can separate you into classes and you can't change which class you're born into is quite interesting. Harsh, I know. Too bad Derting didn't create new languages like what Christopher Paolini did in Eragon.

The novel is well paced, there wasn't a page lacking of suspense and thrill. Language flowing and descriptive. It's told in Charlie's voice and the all-knowing narrator, since some of the moments crucial for understanding the plot doesn't happen to Charlie. I couldn't flip through (or rather, click through) the pages fast enough.

Charlie strikes me as a very protective sister, and she has a very strong and clear voice. She's brave with very few flaws. She's in love with the prince, but I don't find the immediate irresistible draw to a stranger convincing. And I don't get why the prince likes her so much, even when he barely knows her. Perhaps a few more scenes from Derting could explain the romance. Charlie just wasn't as lively as Katniss Everdeen in the The Hunger Games (my review here). Angelina is just lovable, and honestly, I like her a little(just a little) more than the older sister. I would like to see Charlie's magical power develop in the sequel, since her power is so limited in The Pledge.

The ending is sort of a closure for The Pledge, but written in a way that you're sure that there will be a sequel. Precise and gripping, I just can't wait for the next novel in the trilogy(yes, you heard me right : it's a trilogy!).

Overall, The Pledge is a decent novel. However, I read the novel because of it's plot instead of the characters.

The cover is so dang gorgeous! Black, my sort of cover! Just the image of Charlie wasn't the one I imagined and there's no mention of a dress with hood made out of black silk.

Thank you Jez!

Feature and Follow Friday (#16)

Feature and Follow Friday is an awesome blog-hop hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read

This week's features are Heather @ Book Savy Babe and  @ The Bursting Bookshelf and the questions is:

 

What superhero is your alter-ego?

 

When I was younger I used to read a lot of Batman comics and I still enjoy it.  Batman is a normal human being, he has no super powers other than being strong and smart and a great detective (I do have to do a lot of research for work!)

 

Now, with so many movies about Marvel and DC heroes, I really enjoy all of them, but my favorite is Iron Man, just because Robet Downey Jr. is so good in these movies.  Here is another hero with no super powers, other than being a genious! (do you think is coincidence that they are both rich?)

If we are talking books, I think that a lot of characters can be considered "heroes".  I mean they are brave and strong and try to do good things for others and sometimes they even have supernatural powers.  How about the Revenants, or ceirtian vampires, or Shadowhuntes, or angels... You name it and we have it in YA!
So, my pick is going to be Ash from the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa (I love you Ash!, sorry for getting out of topic).

 

What is your super hero alter-ego?

 

Waiting on Wednesday: Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Lux #1)

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spin

Title: Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Published by: Entangled Publishing

Release date: December 6th, 2011

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don’t kill him first, that is

Why I want to read it: This book sounds really good, right?  Starting over, aliens with powers, danger, action, these are all ingredients for a good story.

What are you waiting for this week?

Top Ten Books I Bought Because of Their Cover

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish

I don’t own some of these books, I do try to take advantage of my library when I can, but they are books that I grabbed because of their beautiful covers.  Click on the link to see the covers in Goodreads. 

1. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand – Beautiful book and cover.

2. Die For Me by Amy Plum – Again, a gorgeous cover let to a wonderful story. Not disappointed at all. 

3. Eyes Like Starsby Lisa Mantchev – This is the first book of the Theather Illuminata Series, which is very different and all the covers are just as beautiful.

4. Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston – Another great series about fairies, war, betrayal, and an epic romance.

5. Crave by Melissa Darnell – I just recently finished reading this book that I requested from NetGalley, who could resist a cover like that?

6. Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel – I wouldn’t call the story beautiful precisely, but I did like the story and the way vampires are portrait here.

7. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa – The beginning of one of my favorite series, I grabbed this book at the story just because I loved its cover.

8. Falling Under by Gwen Hayes – Not the best story out there, but very entertaining, I will still grab the sequel.

9. Glimmerglass by Jenna Black – I really like Dana, she is such as strong character, even when she is in danger all the time. 

10. Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon – This book was part of my Waiting on Wednesday a while back, just due to the gorgeous cover.  I am cheating a little here because I haven’t read this book yet.  I did order it last week though, does that count? 

What is in your Top Ten this week?

Review: Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Tayloor

Title: Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
Published: September 27, 2011 by Little, Brown and Company
Source: Library
Grade rate: A+

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself.

My Review

Daughter of Smoke & Bone is so darn good that I don’t know how to begin with my review.  What if I start with the first paragraph from the book?

“Walking to school over the snow-muffled cobbles, Karou had no sinister premonitions about the day.  Monday, innocent but for its essential Mondayness, not to mention its Januaryness.  It was cold, and it was dark- in the dead of winter the sun didn’t rise until eight- but it was also lovely.  The falling snow and the early hour conspired to paint Prague ghostly, like a tintype photograph, all silver and haze”

I don’t normally include citations from books in my reviews, but I wanted to illustrate what I mean.  Doesn’t the opening of the book makes you crave for more?  It has me hooked from the first sentence and I couldn’t put it down.

The characters are well developed, full of both flaws and redeeming qualities.  Karou is a strong character that was raised in very unusual circumstances, but still finds a way to rise above it.   I loved Zuzana’s snarky remarks and unwavering loyalty.  Akiva is a different kind of male protagonist.  What I mean by that is that he is not your swoon worthy male teenager, he is more mature and has been through a lot, which made him cynical and hard.  I wouldn’t call him exactly likeable, but that is fine by me.

The story is told from the third person point of view, which allows us to know what is going on with both Karou and Akiva.  The plot is original, well-paced and spellbinding.  Ms. Taylor’s writing is so good, fluid, full of made up words that somewhat made sense and almost lyrical.  The story was totally unpredictable and I am glad we didn’t have to wait for the next book in the series to understand what was going on.   My only complaint was the ending, but I am sure Ms. Taylor will redeem herself in the next book (pretty please!!)

Daughter of Smoke & Bone was an incredible read and it is most definitely going to be part of my favorite books (series) list.  I cannot wait for book two!

About the Cover :  This is not the prettiest cover that I’ve seen lately, but it is appropriate for the story (which is not a fluffy romance either).  The blue, the feathers, the mystery implied by covering someone’s face, are all relevant to the story.

In My Mailbox #18

IMM is a weekly meme inspired by Alea at the Pop Culture Junkie and hosted by the wonderful Kristi at The Story Siren.  All links are to Goodreads

 

 

For Review

 

Lost in Time by Melissa de la Cruz - This is book number six of the Blue Bloods series.  I can't wait to know what happens after Jack and  Schuyler's bonding.  Thank you for the lovely autographed copy.

 

 

eBooks for Review

Pyxis: The Discovery by K.C Neal - I received this eBook from the author for review.  I am very excited about this one and we will have a giveaway later in December. Thank you!

Quest of the Demon by M.L. Sawyer - Thank you to Ms. Sawyer for providing this book for review. Sounds really good.

What is in your mailbox this week?