Clarissa's bookshelf: all en-US Sat, 18 Jan 2025 21:03:12 -0800 60 Clarissa's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Witch Collector (Witch Walker, #1)]]> 57191885
Today is that day—Collecting Day.

But he will not come for me. I, Raina Bloodgood, have lived in this village for twenty-four years, and for all that time he has passed me by.

His mistake.

Raina Bloodgood has one desire: kill the Frost King and the Witch Collector who stole her sister. On Collecting Day, she means to exact murderous revenge, but a more sinister threat sets fire to her world. Rising from the ashes is the Collector, Alexus Thibault, the man she vowed to slay and the only person who can help save her sister.

Thrust into an age-old story of ice, fire, and ancient gods, Raina must abandon vengeance and aid the Witch Collector or let their empire—and her sister—fall into enemy hands. But the lines between good and evil blur, and Raina has more to lose than she imagined. What is she to do when the Witch Collector is no longer the villain who stole her sister, but the hero who’s stealing her heart?

The Witch Collector is book one in a thrilling romantic fantasy series, perfect for fans of Naomi Novik, Sarah J. Maas, and Jennifer L. Armentrout.]]> 343 Charissa Weaks 1648980449 Clarissa 0 3.66 2021 The Witch Collector (Witch Walker, #1)
author: Charissa Weaks
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves:
review:

]]> Remarkably Bright Creatures 58733693 Remarkably Bright Creatures, an exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.

After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors--until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova's son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it's too late.

Shelby Van Pelt's debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.]]> 368 Shelby Van Pelt 0063204150 Clarissa 5 4.35 2022 Remarkably Bright Creatures
author: Shelby Van Pelt
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[All-American Girl (All-American Girl, #1)]]> 6571582
Samantha Madison

IS IN DEEP TROUBLE

10. Her big sister is the most popular girl in school
9. Her little sister is a certified genius
8. She's in love with her big sister's boyfriend
7. She got caught selling celebrity portraits in school
6. And now she's being forced to take art classes
5. She's just saved the president of the United States from an assassination attempt
4. So the whole world thinks she is a hero
3. Even though Sam knows she is far, far from being a hero
2. And now she's been appointed teen ambassador to the UN

AND THE NUMBER-ONE REASON

Sam's LIFE IS OVER?

1.The president's son just might be in love with herĚý]]> 416 Meg Cabot 0061971820 Clarissa 2 ya, 2011 3.91 2002 All-American Girl (All-American Girl, #1)
author: Meg Cabot
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2002
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: ya, 2011
review:

]]> Overbite (Insatiable, #2) 9462815
Sure, her ex-boyfriend was Lucien Antonescu, son of Dracula, the prince of darkness. But that was before he (and their relationship) went up in flames. Now Meena's sworn off vampires for good ... at least until she can prove her theory that just because they've lost their souls doesn't mean demons have lost the ability to love.

Meena knows convincing her co-workers � including her partner, über-demon-hunter Alaric Wulf � that vampires can be redeemed won't be easy ... especially when a deadly new threat seems to be endangering not just the lives of the Palatine, but Meena's friends and family as well.

But Meena isn't the Palatine's only hope. Father Henrique � aka Padre Caliente � New York City's youngest, most charming priest, has also been assigned to the case.

So why doesn't Meena � or Alaric � trust him?

As she begins unraveling the truth, Meena finds her loyalties tested, her true feelings laid bare ... and temptations she never even imagined existed, but finds impossible to resist.

This time, Meena may finally have bitten off more than she can chew.]]> 275 Meg Cabot 0061735108 Clarissa 2 3.35 2011 Overbite (Insatiable, #2)
author: Meg Cabot
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.35
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at: 2012/03/15
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: annoying-main-character, chick-lit, paranormal
review:
Meg Cabot has written a lot of books. LIke a lot. She has a certain style. Usually she writes witty first person narratives that drive me insane. It gets really annoying. In this series, she has switched to a third person narration style. It's better. However, this book I found a bit pedestrian, and predictable. There was no spark.
]]> <![CDATA[Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind (Shabanu, #1)]]> 219563 240 Suzanne Fisher Staples 0440238560 Clarissa 4 3.77 1989 Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind (Shabanu, #1)
author: Suzanne Fisher Staples
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.77
book published: 1989
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/07/29
shelves:
review:

]]> What the Wind Knows 40407141 In an unforgettable love story, a woman’s impossible journey through the ages could change everything�

Anne Gallagher grew up enchanted by her grandfather’s stories of Ireland. Heartbroken at his death, she travels to his childhood home to spread his ashes. There, overcome with memories of the man she adored and consumed by a history she never knew, she is pulled into another time.

The Ireland of 1921, teetering on the edge of war, is a dangerous place in which to awaken. But there Anne finds herself, hurt, disoriented, and under the care of Dr. Thomas Smith, guardian to a young boy who is oddly familiar. Mistaken for the boy’s long-missing mother, Anne adopts her identity, convinced the woman’s disappearance is connected to her own.

As tensions rise, Thomas joins the struggle for Ireland’s independence and Anne is drawn into the conflict beside him. Caught between history and her heart, she must decide whether she’s willing to let go of the life she knew for a love she never thought she’d find. But in the end, is the choice actually hers to make?]]> 418 Amy Harmon 1503959600 Clarissa 5 4.37 2019 What the Wind Knows
author: Amy Harmon
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/05/07
shelves:
review:

]]> The Keeper of Lost Things 30363088 A charming, clever, and quietly moving debut novel of of endless possibilities and joyful discoveries that explores the promises we make and break, losing and finding ourselves, the objects that hold magic and meaning for our lives, and the surprising connections that bind us.

Lime green plastic flower-shaped hair bobbles�Found, on the playing field, Derrywood Park, 2nd September.

Bone china cup and saucer�Found, on a bench in Riveria Public Gardens, 31st October.

Anthony Peardew is the keeper of lost things. Forty years ago, he carelessly lost a keepsake from his beloved fiancée, Therese. That very same day, she died unexpectedly. Brokenhearted, Anthony sought consolation in rescuing lost objects—the things others have dropped, misplaced, or accidentally left behind—and writing stories about them. Now, in the twilight of his life, Anthony worries that he has not fully discharged his duty to reconcile all the lost things with their owners. As the end nears, he bequeaths his secret life’s mission to his unsuspecting assistant, Laura, leaving her his house and all its lost treasures, including an irritable ghost.

Recovering from a bad divorce, Laura, in some ways, is one of Anthony’s lost things. But when the lonely woman moves into his mansion, her life begins to change. She finds a new friend in the neighbor’s quirky daughter, Sunshine, and a welcome distraction in Freddy, the rugged gardener. As the dark cloud engulfing her lifts, Laura, accompanied by her new companions, sets out to realize Anthony’s last wish: reuniting his cherished lost objects with their owners.

Long ago, Eunice found a trinket on the London pavement and kept it through the years. Now, with her own end drawing near, she has lost something precious—a tragic twist of fate that forces her to break a promise she once made.

As the Keeper of Lost Objects, Laura holds the key to Anthony and Eunice’s redemption. But can she unlock the past and make the connections that will lay their spirits to rest?

Full of character, wit, and wisdom, The Keeper of Lost Things is heartwarming tale that will enchant fans of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, Garden Spells, Mrs Queen Takes the Train, and The Silver Linings Playbook.]]> 288 Ruth Hogan Clarissa 0 currently-reading 3.70 2017 The Keeper of Lost Things
author: Ruth Hogan
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/07
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Six Crimson Cranes (Six Crimson Cranes, #1)]]> 53457092
Shiori'anma, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Normally she conceals it well, but on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted. But it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother.

A sorceress in her own right, Raikama banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes. She warns Shiori that she must speak of it to no one for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.

Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and uncovers a dark conspiracy to seize the throne. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in a paper bird, a mercurial dragon, and the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. And she must embrace the magic she's been taught all her life to forswear--no matter what the cost.

Weaving together elements of The Wild Swans, Cinderella, the legend of Chang E, and the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.]]> 454 Elizabeth Lim 0593300939 Clarissa 0 4.19 2021 Six Crimson Cranes (Six Crimson Cranes, #1)
author: Elizabeth Lim
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Tourist Attraction (Moose Springs, Alaska, #1)]]> 43352294
Two weeks in Alaska isn't just the top item on Zoey Caldwell's bucket list. It's the whole bucket. One look at the mountain town of Moose Springs and she's smitten. But when an act of kindness brings Zoey into Graham's world, she may just find there's more to the man than meets the eye…and more to love in Moose Springs than just the Alaskan wilderness.]]> 352 Sarah Morgenthaler Clarissa 0 to-read 3.47 2020 The Tourist Attraction (Moose Springs, Alaska, #1)
author: Sarah Morgenthaler
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[To The Bright Edge of the World]]> 27917957 The Snow Child, Eowyn Ivey's second novel is a breathtaking story of discovery and adventure, set at the end of the nineteenth century, and of a marriage tested by a closely held secret.

Colonel Allen Forrester receives the commission of a lifetime when he is charged to navigate Alaska's hitherto impassable Wolverine River, with only a small group of men. The Wolverine is the key to opening up Alaska and its huge reserves of gold to the outside world, but previous attempts have ended in tragedy.

For Forrester, the decision to accept this mission is even more difficult, as he is only recently married to Sophie, the wife he had perhaps never expected to find. Sophie is pregnant with their first child, and does not relish the prospect of a year in a military barracks while her husband embarks upon the journey of a lifetime. She has genuine cause to worry about her pregnancy, and it is with deep uncertainty about what their future holds that she and her husband part.

A story shot through with a darker but potent strand of the magic that illuminated The Snow Child, and with the sweep and insight that characterizes Rose Tremain's The Colour, this novel from Pulitzer Prize finalist Eowyn Ivey singles her out as a major literary talent.]]> 417 Eowyn Ivey 0316242853 Clarissa 5 4.10 2016 To The Bright Edge of the World
author: Eowyn Ivey
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/04/24
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices, #2)]]> 30312891 Would you trade your soul mate for your soul?

A Shadowhunter’s life is bound by duty. Constrained by honor. The word of a Shadowhunter is a solemn pledge, and no vow is more sacred than the vow that binds parabatai, warrior partners—sworn to fight together, die together, but never to fall in love.

Emma Carstairs has learned that the love she shares with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, isn’t just forbidden—it could destroy them both. She knows she should run from Julian. But how can she when the Blackthorns are threatened by enemies on all sides?

Their only hope is the Black Volume of the Dead, a spell book of terrible power. Everyone wants it. Only the Blackthorns can find it. Spurred on by a dark bargain with the Seelie Queen, Emma; her best friend, Cristina; and Mark and Julian Blackthorn journey into the Courts of Faerie, where glittering revels hide bloody danger and no promise can be trusted. Meanwhile, rising tension between Shadowhunters and Downworlders has produced the Cohort, an extremist group of Shadowhunters dedicated to registering Downworlders and “unsuitable� Nephilim. They’ll do anything in their power to expose Julian’s secrets and take the Los Angeles Institute for their own.

When Downworlders turn against the Clave, a new threat rises in the form of the Lord of Shadows—the Unseelie King, who sends his greatest warriors to slaughter those with Blackthorn blood and seize the Black Volume. As dangers close in, Julian devises a risky scheme that depends on the cooperation of an unpredictable enemy. But success may come with a price he and Emma cannot even imagine, one that will bring with it a reckoning of blood that could have repercussions for everyone and everything they hold dear.]]> 699 Cassandra Clare 1442468408 Clarissa 3 4.40 2017 Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices, #2)
author: Cassandra Clare
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2018/03/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Trickster's Choice (Daughter of the Lioness, #1)]]> 546114 422 Tamora Pierce 0375814663 Clarissa 4 fantasy, ya 4.19 2003 Trickster's Choice (Daughter of the Lioness, #1)
author: Tamora Pierce
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/12/04
shelves: fantasy, ya
review:

]]> The Nightingale 21853621 In love we find out who we want to be.
In war we find out who we are.

FRANCE, 1939

In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says good-bye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France…but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When a German captain requisitions Vianne’s home, she and her daughter must live with the enemy or lose everything. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive.

Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gaëtan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can…completely. But when he betrays her, Isabelle joins the Resistance and never looks back, risking her life time and again to save others.]]> 564 Kristin Hannah 0312577222 Clarissa 5 historical-fiction, wwii 4.63 2015 The Nightingale
author: Kristin Hannah
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.63
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/09/29
shelves: historical-fiction, wwii
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Before She Ignites (Fallen Isles, #1)]]> 28524058 “A fully realized fantasy world complete with dragons, treachery, and flawed characters discovering their courage. I couldn’t put it down!� —C. J. Redwine, New York Times bestselling author of The Shadow Queen

From the New York Times bestselling co-author of My Plain Jane comes a smoldering new fantasy trilogy perfect for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Kristin Cashore about a girl condemned for defending dragons and the inner fire that may be her only chance of escape.

Mira has always been a symbol of hope for the Fallen Isles, perfect and beautiful—or at least that’s how she’s forced to appear. But when she uncovers a dangerous secret, Mira is betrayed by those closest to her and sentenced to the deadliest prison in the Fallen Isles.

Except Mira is over being a pawn. Fighting to survive against outer threats and inner demons of mental illness, Mira must find her inner fire and the scorching truth about her own endangered magic—before her very world collapses.

And that’s all before she ignites.Ěý]]> 481 Jodi Meadows 0062469428 Clarissa 0 to-read 3.68 2017 Before She Ignites (Fallen Isles, #1)
author: Jodi Meadows
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/08/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Whole Thing Together 31123236 We live in the same place, but never together.

Summer for Sasha and Ray means the sprawling old house on Long Island. Since they were children, they’ve shared almost everything—reading the same books, running down the same sandy footpaths to the beach, eating peaches from the same market, laughing around the same sun-soaked dining table. Even sleeping in the same bed, on the very same worn cotton sheets. But they’ve never met.

Sasha’s dad was once married to Ray’s mom, and together they had three daughters: Emma, the perfectionist; Mattie, the beauty; and Quinn, the favorite. But the marriage crumbled and the bitterness lingered. Now there are two new families—and neither one will give up the beach house that holds the memories, happy and sad, of summers past.

The choices we make come back to haunt us; the effect on our destinies ripples out of our control…or does it? This summer, the lives of Sasha, Ray, and their siblings intersect in ways none of them ever dreamed, in a novel about family relationships, keeping secrets, and most of all, love.]]> 293 Ann Brashares 0385736894 Clarissa 5
With so many characters fighting for time on the page, there are some that get to be a little less real than the others. The two characters that suffer the most are the two, second spouses. Adam is Lila's husband and not really present in the novel, and Evie is Robert's wife. She is Sasha mom so I feel like we should know her better, but she remains a bit of a cutout.

The rest of the cast of characters are fairly fleshed out, well, as much as can be hoped in one book. Overall, I loved it. I read it quickly and devoured all the words, no skipping ahead or only reading the spoken parts (I do that in books I want to finish). It was good, definitely worth reading.]]> 3.32 2017 The Whole Thing Together
author: Ann Brashares
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.32
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2017/08/09
date added: 2017/08/09
shelves:
review:
The Whole Thing Together is as messy and complicated as the family that occupies its pages. Robert and Lila get married, have three kids and divorce terribly, then they each get remarried and have another kid with their new spouses. The dangler kids have sisters in common but are not blood-related and have never met. The whole set up interests me. The idea of this messy modern family fascinates me. I have a step-mom and she has two kids. That means I have two step-siblings, I don't know them, they don't know me. I'm fine with it that way. I understand the messiness of this book.

With so many characters fighting for time on the page, there are some that get to be a little less real than the others. The two characters that suffer the most are the two, second spouses. Adam is Lila's husband and not really present in the novel, and Evie is Robert's wife. She is Sasha mom so I feel like we should know her better, but she remains a bit of a cutout.

The rest of the cast of characters are fairly fleshed out, well, as much as can be hoped in one book. Overall, I loved it. I read it quickly and devoured all the words, no skipping ahead or only reading the spoken parts (I do that in books I want to finish). It was good, definitely worth reading.
]]> The Game of Love and Death 20308537
For centuries Love and Death have chosen their players. They have set the rules, rolled the dice, and kept close, ready to influence, angling for supremacy. And Death has always won. Always.

Could there ever be one time, one place, one pair whose love would truly tip the balance?

Meet Flora Saudade, an African-American girl who dreams of becoming the next Amelia Earhart by day and sings in the smoky jazz clubs of Seattle by night. Meet Henry Bishop, born a few blocks and a million worlds away, a white boy with his future assured—a wealthy adoptive family in the midst of the Great Depression, a college scholarship, and all the opportunities in the world seemingly available to him.

The players have been chosen. The dice have been rolled. But when human beings make moves of their own, what happens next is anyone’s guess.

Achingly romantic and brilliantly imagined, The Game of Love and Death is a love story you will never forget.]]> 352 Martha Brockenbrough 0545668352 Clarissa 3 3.75 2015 The Game of Love and Death
author: Martha Brockenbrough
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/08/09
shelves:
review:

]]> Close to You 26029290
Allison Shire (yes, like where the Hobbits live) is a disgraced academic who is done with love. Her belief in “happily ever after� ended the day she discovered her husband was still married to a wife she knew nothing about. She finally finds a use for her English degree by guiding tours through the famous sites featured in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. By living life on the road and traveling New Zealand as a luxury tour guide, Allison manages to outrun the pain of her past she can’t face.

Jackson Gregory was on the cusp of making it big. Then suddenly his girlfriend left him—for his biggest business competitor—and took his most guarded commercial secrets with her. To make matters worse, the Iowa farm that has been in his family for generations is facing foreclosure. Determined to save his parents from financial ruin, he’ll do whatever it takes to convince his wealthy great-uncle to invest in his next scheme, which means accompanying him to the bottom of the world to spend three weeks pretending to be a die-hard Lord of the Rings fan, even though he knows nothing about the stories. The one thing that stands between him and his goal is a know-it-all tour guide who can’t stand him and pegged him as a fake the moment he walked off the plane.

When Allison leads the group through the famous sites of the Tolkien movies, she and Jackson start to see each other differently, and as they keep getting thrown together on the tour, they find themselves drawn to each other. Neither expected to fall in love again, but can they find a way beyond their regrets to take a chance on the one thing they’re not looking for?]]> 373 Kara Isaac 1501117327 Clarissa 4 christian-fiction
What I liked:
1. The setting! You could feel Isaac's love for New Zealand in her lovely descriptions of the setting. I have often thought New Zealand would be a lovely place to visit. However, this book did a good job of convincing me that I'm not rich enough :) I would love to see Hobbitown though.
2. Allie and Jackson's hate love thing was very well done. It was a stormy whenwillithappen build that was satisfying.
3. They took their time and didn't jump into anything.

What I didn't like:
1. Really, my biggest complaint with this book is the end. It felt like Uncle Gandalf waved his magic wand and fixed any problems. That is just lazy writing. ]]> 4.04 2016 Close to You
author: Kara Isaac
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/07/26
shelves: christian-fiction
review:
When I first picked up Close to You, I didn't expect it to be a Christian fiction romance. I almost put it down when I realized. I have read a lot of Christian fiction in the past and have thought I would keep it there, in the past. I mostly find it unfulfilling. It is supposed to buoy me up, but it doesn't. It feels a bit like drinking diet soda. No calories, but not real substance either. I liked this one. But I am a big fan of diet Coke.

What I liked:
1. The setting! You could feel Isaac's love for New Zealand in her lovely descriptions of the setting. I have often thought New Zealand would be a lovely place to visit. However, this book did a good job of convincing me that I'm not rich enough :) I would love to see Hobbitown though.
2. Allie and Jackson's hate love thing was very well done. It was a stormy whenwillithappen build that was satisfying.
3. They took their time and didn't jump into anything.

What I didn't like:
1. Really, my biggest complaint with this book is the end. It felt like Uncle Gandalf waved his magic wand and fixed any problems. That is just lazy writing.
]]> Can't Help Falling 29430781
Emelia Mason has spent her career finding the dirt on the rich and famous. But deep down past this fearless tabloid-reporter façade, there’s a nerdy Narnia-obsessed girl who still can’t resist climbing into wardrobes to check for the magical land on the other side. When a story she writes produces tragic results, she flees to Oxford, England—home to C.S. Lewis—to try and make amends for the damage she has caused.

Peter Carlisle was on his way to become one of Great Britain’s best rowers—until he injured his shoulder and lost his chance at glory. He’s determined to fight his way back to the top even if it means risking permanent disability to do so. It’s the only way he can find his way past failing the one person who never stopped believing in his Olympic dream.

When Peter and Emelia cross paths on her first night in Oxford, the attraction is instant and they find common ground in their shared love of Narnia. But can the lessons from a fantasyland be enough to hold them together when secrets of the real world threaten to tear them apart? Cobblestone streets, an aristocratic estate, and an antique shop with curious a wardrobe bring the world of Narnia to life in Kara Isaac’s inspiring and romantic story about second chances.]]> 373 Kara Isaac 1501117343 Clarissa 3
What I liked
1. Seeing more of Jackson and Allie
2. The Narnia bits were nice. I am not a huge Narnia fan. I like Narnia, loved them when I was a kid, but I don't go looking for Narnia in Wardrobes. I also didn't remember the quotes that were featured in the book. This all shows that I am not a super fan, just a regular one that wants my kids to read the series too.
3. The romance was cute. The falling out of wardrobes into the waiting arms of a guy who makes your heart sing, cute.
4. I liked having access to both characters thoughts and feelings.

What I didn't like
1. Either of the main characters. Well, Peter seems nice, but he is a 30 something guy with an impossible dream that could disable his arm for life and no real job. I failed to understand why I should root for him. But he seemed like a great guy that would make a good friend. Emilia is too caught up in her guilt to be the kind of person I'd want to spend time with.
2. The lie. I have a hard time with books that feature a giant lie as the crux of the novel. Deceit is not my favourite plot device. It's actually one of my least favourites, and this is the second time Isaac has used it.
3. At the back of the book is an apology from Isaac saying she is sorry to British people and rowers if she has written anything incorrectly. She said she couldn't stand it when people wrote New Zealanders and they just weren't. I didn't feel like Emilia was a believable American. Funny.
4. Emilia's step mom and her dad. They were more like cardboard cutouts. They didn't feel like real people, especially her step mom. She was a caricature.

Over all, I would recommend this book to Narnian superfans who also like Christian ficiton.]]> 4.14 2016 Can't Help Falling
author: Kara Isaac
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/07/26
shelves:
review:
I read Close to You first. I was not expecting Close to You to be a Christian fiction book. When I realized that was what I was reading, I thought about quitting. I have read a lot of Christian fiction. I find it mostly fluffy white stuff that fails to really get me. But, I decided to keep reading and was not disappointed. I obviously liked it enough to read this one.

What I liked
1. Seeing more of Jackson and Allie
2. The Narnia bits were nice. I am not a huge Narnia fan. I like Narnia, loved them when I was a kid, but I don't go looking for Narnia in Wardrobes. I also didn't remember the quotes that were featured in the book. This all shows that I am not a super fan, just a regular one that wants my kids to read the series too.
3. The romance was cute. The falling out of wardrobes into the waiting arms of a guy who makes your heart sing, cute.
4. I liked having access to both characters thoughts and feelings.

What I didn't like
1. Either of the main characters. Well, Peter seems nice, but he is a 30 something guy with an impossible dream that could disable his arm for life and no real job. I failed to understand why I should root for him. But he seemed like a great guy that would make a good friend. Emilia is too caught up in her guilt to be the kind of person I'd want to spend time with.
2. The lie. I have a hard time with books that feature a giant lie as the crux of the novel. Deceit is not my favourite plot device. It's actually one of my least favourites, and this is the second time Isaac has used it.
3. At the back of the book is an apology from Isaac saying she is sorry to British people and rowers if she has written anything incorrectly. She said she couldn't stand it when people wrote New Zealanders and they just weren't. I didn't feel like Emilia was a believable American. Funny.
4. Emilia's step mom and her dad. They were more like cardboard cutouts. They didn't feel like real people, especially her step mom. She was a caricature.

Over all, I would recommend this book to Narnian superfans who also like Christian ficiton.
]]> <![CDATA[Seeking Mansfield (Seeking Mansfield, #1)]]> 32713479
When teen movie stars Emma and Harlan Crawford move next door to the Bertram's,Ěýthey immediately set their sights onĚýOliver and his cunning sister, Juliette, shaking up Finley and Oliver's stable friendship. As EmmaĚýand Oliver grow closer,ĚýHarlan finds his attention shifting from Juliette to the quiet, enigmatic, and thoroughly unimpressed Finley. Out of boredom, Harlan decides to make her fall in love with him.ĚýProblem is, the harder heĚýseeksĚýto win her, the harder he falls for her.

But Finley doesn't want to be won, and she doesn't want to see Oliver with anyone else.ĚýTo claim Oliver's heart—and keep her own—she'll have to find the courage to do what she fears most: step into the spotlight.]]> 300 Kate Watson 1631631187 Clarissa 5
Ok, Ok back to the book. When I first ready Mansfield Park, I fell in love with Fanny Price and Edmond. Second reading, not so much. I kept wondering what I had originally found so charming about it. Fanny is kind of weak willed and not all that interesting. Edmond doesn't understand her worth until much later in the story. This got me wondering what Watson was going to do to make Fanny (in this novel Finley) more likable.

Watson definitely found a way to make Finley shine in this Austen-inspired novel. She starts out fairly doormatish, and of course, throughout the books, finds a way to let herself shine. There are many parts that I loved about this book. I loved the characterization, I loved that we were allowed some POV's from Oliver (because without them, he may come off a bit douchey) but most of all, I love Watson's voice. There were parts that made me think, some that made me guffaw out loud and some parts that made me teary. All those parts make this book, a book worth reading.
]]> 3.74 2017 Seeking Mansfield (Seeking Mansfield, #1)
author: Kate Watson
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2017/04/19
date added: 2017/04/24
shelves: ya, book-worth-reading, contemporary, humour, multiple-pov, coming-of-age, abuse
review:
I have a tendency to read books until I finish. It's something I've been working on. I have been trying really hard not to read all day while my kids memorize the Netflix catalog. I failed with this one. I read it really fast because it was unputdownable. I wish that I had gotten an audio book version because then my laundry would be folded and my house would not be this messy :)

Ok, Ok back to the book. When I first ready Mansfield Park, I fell in love with Fanny Price and Edmond. Second reading, not so much. I kept wondering what I had originally found so charming about it. Fanny is kind of weak willed and not all that interesting. Edmond doesn't understand her worth until much later in the story. This got me wondering what Watson was going to do to make Fanny (in this novel Finley) more likable.

Watson definitely found a way to make Finley shine in this Austen-inspired novel. She starts out fairly doormatish, and of course, throughout the books, finds a way to let herself shine. There are many parts that I loved about this book. I loved the characterization, I loved that we were allowed some POV's from Oliver (because without them, he may come off a bit douchey) but most of all, I love Watson's voice. There were parts that made me think, some that made me guffaw out loud and some parts that made me teary. All those parts make this book, a book worth reading.

]]> A Man Called Ove 18774964
Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.]]> 337 Fredrik Backman 1476738017 Clarissa 5 4.35 2012 A Man Called Ove
author: Fredrik Backman
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/02/09
shelves:
review:

]]> A Country Road, A Tree 26109177 From the best-selling author of Longbourn,Ěýa stunning new novel that follows an unnamed writer--Samuel Beckett--whose life and extraordinary literary gift are permanently shaped in the forge of war.

When war breaks out in Europe in 1939, a young, unknown writer journeys from his home in neutral Ireland to conflict-ridden Paris and is drawn into the maelstrom. With him we experience the hardships yet stubborn vibrancy at the heart of Europe during the Nazis' rise to power; his friendships with James Joyce and other luminaries; his quietly passionate devotion to the Frenchwoman who will become his lifelong companion; his secret work for the French Resistance and narrow escapes from the Gestapo; his flight from occupied Paris to the countryside; and the rubble of his life after liberation. And through it all we are witness to workings of a uniquely brilliant mind struggling to create a language that will express his experience of this shattered world. Here is a remarkable story of survival and determination, and a portrait of the extremes of human experience alchemized into timeless art.]]> 304 Jo Baker 1101947187 Clarissa 0 to-read 3.54 2016 A Country Road, A Tree
author: Jo Baker
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/01/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Emmy & Oliver 13132816 Emmy’s best friend, Oliver, reappears after being kidnapped by his father ten years ago. Emmy hopes to pick up their relationship right where it left off. Are they destined to be together? Or has fate irreparably driven them apart?

Emmy just wants to be in charge of her own life.

She wants to stay out late, surf her favorite beach—go anywhere without her parents� relentless worrying. But Emmy’s parents can’t seem to let her grow up—not since the day Oliver disappeared.

Oliver needs a moment to figure out his heart.

He’d thought, all these years, that his dad was the good guy. He never knew that it was his father who kidnapped him and kept him on the run. Discovering it, and finding himself returned to his old hometown, all at once, has his heart racing and his thoughts swirling.

Emmy and Oliver were going to be best friends forever, or maybe even more, before their futures were ripped apart. In Emmy’s soul, despite the space and time between them, their connection has never been severed. But is their story still written in the stars? Or are their hearts like the pieces of two different puzzles—impossible to fit together?

Readers who love Sarah Dessen will tear through these pages with hearts in throats as Emmy and Oliver struggle to face the messy, confusing consequences of Oliver’s father’s crime. Full of romance, coming-of-age emotion, and heartache, these two equally compelling characters create an unforgettable story.]]> 352 Robin Benway Clarissa 3 3.89 2015 Emmy & Oliver
author: Robin Benway
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/01/25
shelves:
review:

]]> The Secrets of Attraction 22864443 400 Robin Constantine 006227953X Clarissa 1 3.82 2015 The Secrets of Attraction
author: Robin Constantine
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2015
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2017/01/17
shelves:
review:

]]> The Promise of Amazing 17844678
Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe’s. Star of the lacrosse team, top of his class, on a fast track to a brilliant future—until he was expelled for being a “term paper pimp.� Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change, but doesn’t know how.

One fateful night their paths cross when Wren, working at her family’s Arthurian-themed catering hall, performs the Heimlich on Gray as he chokes on a cocktail weenie, saving his life literally and figuratively. What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are—and falling in love.]]> 371 Robin Constantine 0062279483 Clarissa 3 3.50 2016 The Promise of Amazing
author: Robin Constantine
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/01/17
shelves:
review:

]]> You in Five Acts 28588461 It’s always been you—you know that, right?

Five friends at a prestigious New York City performing arts school connect over one dream: stardom. For Joy, Diego, Liv, Ethan and Dave, that dream falters under the pressure of second semester, senior year. Ambitions shift and change, new emotions rush to the surface, and a sense of urgency pulses among them: Their time together is running out.

Diego hopes to get out of the friend zone. Liv wants to escape, losing herself in fantasies of the new guy. Ethan conspires to turn his muse into his girlfriend. Dave pines for the drama queen. And if Joy doesn’t open her eyes, she could lose the love that’s been in front of her all along.]]> 327 Una LaMarche 1101998938 Clarissa 4 3.75 2016 You in Five Acts
author: Una LaMarche
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/01/17
shelves:
review:

]]> The Sun Is Also a Star 28763485
Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents� high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?]]> 344 Nicola Yoon 0553496689 Clarissa 4 3.96 2016 The Sun Is Also a Star
author: Nicola Yoon
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/01/17
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Winner's Kiss (The Winner's Trilogy, #3)]]> 20443235 Some kisses come at a price.

War has begun. Arin is in the thick of it with untrustworthy new allies and the empire as his enemy. Though he has convinced himself that he no longer loves Kestrel, Arin hasn’t forgotten her, or how she became exactly the kind of person he has always despised. She cared more for the empire than she did for the lives of innocent people—and certainly more than she did for him.

At least, that’s what he thinks.

In the frozen north, Kestrel is a prisoner in a brutal work camp. As she searches desperately for a way to escape, she wishes Arin could know what she sacrificed for him. She wishes she could make the empire pay for what they’ve done to her.

But no one gets what they want just by wishing.

As the war intensifies, both Kestrel and Arin discover that the world is changing. The East is pitted against the West, and they are caught in between. With so much to lose, can anybody really win?]]> 486 Marie Rutkoski 0374384738 Clarissa 5 4.19 2016 The Winner's Kiss (The Winner's Trilogy, #3)
author: Marie Rutkoski
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2016/08/10
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Winner's Crime (The Winner's Trilogy, #2)]]> 20443207
The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement... if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.]]> 416 Marie Rutkoski 0374384711 Clarissa 4 4.08 2015 The Winner's Crime (The Winner's Trilogy, #2)
author: Marie Rutkoski
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2016/08/10
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy, #1)]]> 16069030 Winning what you want may cost you everything you love...Ěý

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.]]> 355 Marie Rutkoski 0374384681 Clarissa 4 3.94 2014 The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy, #1)
author: Marie Rutkoski
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2016/08/10
shelves:
review:

]]> The Last Time We Say Goodbye 17285330 There's death all around us.
We just don't pay attention.
Until we do.

The last time Lex was happy, it was before. When she had a family that was whole. A boyfriend she loved. Friends who didn't look at her like she might break down at any moment.

Now she's just the girl whose brother killed himself. And it feels like that's all she'll ever be.

As Lex starts to put her life back together, she tries to block out what happened the night Tyler died. But there's a secret she hasn't told anyone-a text Tyler sent, that could have changed everything.

Lex's brother is gone. But Lex is about to discover that a ghost doesn't have to be real to keep you from moving on.]]> 386 Cynthia Hand 0062318470 Clarissa 4 4.06 2015 The Last Time We Say Goodbye
author: Cynthia Hand
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2016/08/05
shelves:
review:

]]> Defy (Defy, #1) 17406847
The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?]]> 336 Sara B. Larson 0545597633 Clarissa 3 3.74 2014 Defy (Defy, #1)
author: Sara B. Larson
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2016/08/05
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[For Darkness Shows the Stars (For Darkness Shows the Stars, #1)]]> 8306761
Elliot North has always known her place in this world. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family's estate over love. Since then the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress, and Elliot's estate is foundering, forcing her to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth--an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliot wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she let him go.

But Elliot soon discovers her old friend carries a secret--one that could change their society . . . or bring it to its knees. And again, she's faced with a choice: cling to what she's been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she's ever loved, even if she's lost him forever.

Inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion, For Darkness Shows the Stars is a breathtaking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it.]]> 407 Diana Peterfreund 0062006142 Clarissa 4 3.88 2012 For Darkness Shows the Stars (For Darkness Shows the Stars, #1)
author: Diana Peterfreund
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2016/08/05
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[City of the Lost (Rockton, #1)]]> 25362841
Diana has heard of a town made for people like her, a town that takes in people on the run who want to shed their old lives. You must apply to live in Rockton and if you're accepted, it means walking away entirely from your old life, and living off the grid in the wilds of Canada: no cell phones, no Internet, no mail, no computers, very little electricity, and no way of getting in or out without the town council's approval. As a murderer, Casey isn't a good candidate, but she has something they want: She's a homicide detective, and Rockton has just had its first real murder. She and Diana are in. However, soon after arriving, Casey realizes that the identity of a murderer isn't the only secret Rockton is hiding—in fact, she starts to wonder if she and Diana might be in even more danger in Rockton than they were in their old lives.]]> 471 Kelley Armstrong 075156253X Clarissa 3 4.03 2016 City of the Lost (Rockton, #1)
author: Kelley Armstrong
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2016/08/05
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[My Lady Jane (The Lady Janies, #1)]]> 22840421 This comical, fantastical, romantical, New York Times bestselling, (not) entirely true story of Lady Jane Grey is “an uproarious historical fantasy that’s not to be missed� (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

In My Lady Jane, coauthors Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows have created a one-of-a-kind YA fantasy in the tradition of The Princess Bride, featuring a reluctant king, an even more reluctant queen, a noble steed, and only a passing resemblance to actual history—because sometimes history needs a little help.

At sixteen, Lady Jane Grey is about to be married off to a stranger and caught up in a conspiracy to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But those trifling problems aren’t for Jane to worry about. Jane gets to be Queen of England.

Like that could go wrong.]]> 474 Cynthia Hand 0062391798 Clarissa 5 4.00 2016 My Lady Jane (The Lady Janies, #1)
author: Cynthia Hand
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2016/07/27
shelves:
review:

]]> Shirley 31168 Jane Eyre, which earned her lifelong notoriety as a moral revolutionary, Charlotte Brontë vowed to write a sweeping social chronicle that focused on "something real and unromantic as Monday morning." Set in the industrializing England of the Napoleonic wars and Luddite revolts of 1811-12, Shirley (1849) is the story of two contrasting heroines. One is the shy Caroline Helstone, who is trapped in the oppressive atmosphere of a Yorkshire rectory and whose bare life symbolizes the plight of single women in the nineteenth century. The other is the vivacious Shirley Keeldar, who inherits a local estate and whose wealth liberates her from convention.

A work that combines social commentary with the more private preoccupations of Jane Eyre, Shirley demonstrates the full range of Brontë's literary talent. "Shirley is a revolutionary novel," wrote Brontë biographer Lyndall Gordon. "Shirley follows Jane Eyre as a new exemplar but so much a forerunner of the feminist of the later twentieth century that it is hard to believe in her actual existence in 1811-12. She is a theoretic possibility: what a woman might be if she combined independence and means of her own with intellect. Charlotte Brontë imagined a new form of power, equal to that of men, in a confident young woman [whose] extraordinary freedom has accustomed her to think for herself....Shirley [is] Brontë's most feminist novel."]]> 624 Charlotte Brontë 0141439866 Clarissa 0 to-read 3.76 1849 Shirley
author: Charlotte Brontë
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1849
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/07/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Mirror King (The Orphan Queen, #2)]]> 22909838
HER FRIENDS HAVE TURNED. After her identity is revealed during the Inundation, Princess Wilhelmina is kept prisoner by the Indigo Kingdom, with the Ospreys lost somewhere in the devastated city. When the Ospreys� leader emerges at the worst possible moment, leaving Wil’s biggest ally on his deathbed, she must become Black Knife to set things right.

HER MAGIC IS UNCONTROLLABLE. Wil’s power is to animate, not to give true life, but in the wraithland she commanded a cloud of wraith mist to save herself, and later ordered it solid. Now there is a living boy made of wraith—destructive and deadly, and willing to do anything for her.

HER HEART IS TORN. Though she’s ready for her crown, declaring herself queen means war. Caught between what she wants and what is right, Wilhelmina realizes the throne might not even matter. Everyone thought the wraith was years off, but already it’s destroying Indigo Kingdom villages. If she can’t protect both kingdoms, soon there won’t be a land to rule.

In this stunning conclusion to THE ORPHAN QUEEN, Jodi Meadows follows Wilhelmina’s breathtaking and brave journey from orphaned criminal on the streets to magic-wielding queen.]]> 531 Jodi Meadows 0062317415 Clarissa 4 4.04 2016 The Mirror King (The Orphan Queen, #2)
author: Jodi Meadows
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2016/07/27
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Orphan Queen (The Orphan Queen, #1)]]> 18081228
She is a princess. When the Indigo Kingdom conquered her homeland, Wilhelmina and other orphaned children of nobility were taken to Skyvale, the Indigo Kingdom’s capital. Ten years later, they are the Ospreys, experts at stealth and theft. With them, Wilhelmina means to take back her throne.

She is a spy. Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate Skyvale Palace to study their foes. They assume the identities of nobles from a wraith-fallen kingdom, but enemies fill the palace, and Melanie’s behavior grows suspicious. With Osprey missions becoming increasingly dangerous and their leader more unstable, Wil can’t trust anyone.

She is a threat. Wraith is the toxic by-product of magic, and for a century using magic has been forbidden. Still the wraith pours across the continent, reshaping the land and animals into fresh horrors. Soon it will reach the Indigo Kingdom. Wilhelmina’s magic might be the key to stopping the wraith, but if the vigilante Black Knife discovers Wil’s magic, she will vanish like all the others.

Jodi Meadows introduces a vivid new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, dangerous magic, and one girl’s battle to reclaim her place in the world.]]> 391 Jodi Meadows 0062317385 Clarissa 4 3.95 2015 The Orphan Queen (The Orphan Queen, #1)
author: Jodi Meadows
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2016/07/27
shelves:
review:

]]> Divergent (Divergent, #1) 8306857 In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

]]> 487 Veronica Roth 0062024027 Clarissa 4 that new book you've seen on the shelves. That one with the burning symbol on the front under a deserted city. Sort of a mix between these two covers (Divergent, of course is the third cover below):



Ěý

It's a story set in a post-apocalyptic world. A Phoenix that rose from the ashes after a devastating war. Clues in the book hint that it is set in the city of Chicago. The city seems mostly in ruins and the people are split into "factions." Those who are brave call themselves Dauntless, the smart: Erudite, the kind: Amity and the selfless: Abnegation. At the tender and terrifying age of 16, they are forced to choose to either remain in the faction they grew up in, or switch to a new faction. If they switch, there is no going back. They will no longer have contact with their families. I remember being 16 and I know I wasn't ready for something like this.

I have read reviews and had people tell me that this book is, "like the Hunger Games." I'm not sure that I agree. I think the only things they have in common are that they are in the same category. Post-Apocalyptic Young Adult Fiction. Wow, that's a lot of capitalized words. I actually thought this book had more in common with Matched by Ally Condie. But that had more to do with style than substance. In fact, the styles were so similar it almost felt like they could have been written by the same person. They are both told in in the first person by an unaffected and emotionally removed voice. Here's what I'm talking about.

This is an excerpt from Divergent:
"When Marcus calls my name, I will walk to the center of three circles. I will not speak. He will offer me a knife. I will cut into my hand and sprinkle my blood into the bowl of the faction I choose... Before my parents sit down, they stand in front of Caleb and me. My father kisses my forehead and claps Caleb on the shoulder, grinning."

This is an excerpt from Matched by Ally Condie:
"I stand up, letting go of my mother's hand, and turn toward the screen. I feel my heart pounding and I am tempted to twist my hands the way Lea did, but I hold perfectly still with my chin up and my eyes on the screen. I watch and wait, determined that the girl my Match will see on screen in his City Hall somewhere out there in Society, Ěýwill be poised and calm and lovely, the very best image of Cassia Maria Reyes that I can present."

Even though it's told in the first person, the emotion feels like it's one step removed,Ěýlike the main characters are filtering. Or like they are telling us a story instead of having us in their head. I actually prefer it to the first person style that Meg Cabot favours. Cabot's characters are usually snarky and can be annoying to spend an entire book with. They say things like, "and I was all, Hey! Did you just totally do that to me?" You know, I think the difference between the voices is that Cabot's characters actually sound a lot like real teenagers and Beatrice (from Divergent) and Cassia (from Matched) really don't. I apparently prefer it when they don't.

Besides style, there were also other similarities. For instance, there was a ceremony at theĚýbeginningĚýof novels that set the rest of the novel in motion (same for Hunger Games too), the ages of the characters were close, and both both featured choice as one of the main themes that was grappled with. In Divergent, Beatrice is forced to make a choice that will define the rest of her life at the age of 16, and in Matched, Cassia struggles with her complete inability to make any choices because of the suffocating "Society" that she lives in.

I found the world Divergent is set in a bit unbelievable, maybe there wasn't enough info. The love interest seemed like he was suppose to be dead sexy or something, but he came off as hard, edgy and a bit creepy. Here's another excerpt that illustrates what I mean:
"You think my first instinct is to protect you. Because you're small, or a girl, or a Stiff. But you're wrong"... His hands smell like metal. When was the last time he held a gun, or a knife?... "My first instinct is to push you until you break, just to see how hard I would have to press." ... "Fear doesn't shut you down; it wakes you up. I've seen it. It's fascinating."

When I read that, I thought, wow, he's psycho, not sexy. Psycho and a bit controlling and awkward.

Regardless of the faults I found with this book, it was one that I really enjoyed reading. It's in my head, and even appeared in my dreams. I guess, what it comes down to is, if you liked reading Ěýconsider giving Divergent a try, and vice versa.]]> 4.28 2011 Divergent (Divergent, #1)
author: Veronica Roth
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2012/05/26
date added: 2016/05/28
shelves: 2012-read, super-duper-hype, ya, post-apocalyptic
review:
Divergent is that new book you've seen on the shelves. That one with the burning symbol on the front under a deserted city. Sort of a mix between these two covers (Divergent, of course is the third cover below):



Ěý

It's a story set in a post-apocalyptic world. A Phoenix that rose from the ashes after a devastating war. Clues in the book hint that it is set in the city of Chicago. The city seems mostly in ruins and the people are split into "factions." Those who are brave call themselves Dauntless, the smart: Erudite, the kind: Amity and the selfless: Abnegation. At the tender and terrifying age of 16, they are forced to choose to either remain in the faction they grew up in, or switch to a new faction. If they switch, there is no going back. They will no longer have contact with their families. I remember being 16 and I know I wasn't ready for something like this.

I have read reviews and had people tell me that this book is, "like the Hunger Games." I'm not sure that I agree. I think the only things they have in common are that they are in the same category. Post-Apocalyptic Young Adult Fiction. Wow, that's a lot of capitalized words. I actually thought this book had more in common with Matched by Ally Condie. But that had more to do with style than substance. In fact, the styles were so similar it almost felt like they could have been written by the same person. They are both told in in the first person by an unaffected and emotionally removed voice. Here's what I'm talking about.

This is an excerpt from Divergent:
"When Marcus calls my name, I will walk to the center of three circles. I will not speak. He will offer me a knife. I will cut into my hand and sprinkle my blood into the bowl of the faction I choose... Before my parents sit down, they stand in front of Caleb and me. My father kisses my forehead and claps Caleb on the shoulder, grinning."

This is an excerpt from Matched by Ally Condie:
"I stand up, letting go of my mother's hand, and turn toward the screen. I feel my heart pounding and I am tempted to twist my hands the way Lea did, but I hold perfectly still with my chin up and my eyes on the screen. I watch and wait, determined that the girl my Match will see on screen in his City Hall somewhere out there in Society, Ěýwill be poised and calm and lovely, the very best image of Cassia Maria Reyes that I can present."

Even though it's told in the first person, the emotion feels like it's one step removed,Ěýlike the main characters are filtering. Or like they are telling us a story instead of having us in their head. I actually prefer it to the first person style that Meg Cabot favours. Cabot's characters are usually snarky and can be annoying to spend an entire book with. They say things like, "and I was all, Hey! Did you just totally do that to me?" You know, I think the difference between the voices is that Cabot's characters actually sound a lot like real teenagers and Beatrice (from Divergent) and Cassia (from Matched) really don't. I apparently prefer it when they don't.

Besides style, there were also other similarities. For instance, there was a ceremony at theĚýbeginningĚýof novels that set the rest of the novel in motion (same for Hunger Games too), the ages of the characters were close, and both both featured choice as one of the main themes that was grappled with. In Divergent, Beatrice is forced to make a choice that will define the rest of her life at the age of 16, and in Matched, Cassia struggles with her complete inability to make any choices because of the suffocating "Society" that she lives in.

I found the world Divergent is set in a bit unbelievable, maybe there wasn't enough info. The love interest seemed like he was suppose to be dead sexy or something, but he came off as hard, edgy and a bit creepy. Here's another excerpt that illustrates what I mean:
"You think my first instinct is to protect you. Because you're small, or a girl, or a Stiff. But you're wrong"... His hands smell like metal. When was the last time he held a gun, or a knife?... "My first instinct is to push you until you break, just to see how hard I would have to press." ... "Fear doesn't shut you down; it wakes you up. I've seen it. It's fascinating."

When I read that, I thought, wow, he's psycho, not sexy. Psycho and a bit controlling and awkward.

Regardless of the faults I found with this book, it was one that I really enjoyed reading. It's in my head, and even appeared in my dreams. I guess, what it comes down to is, if you liked reading Ěýconsider giving Divergent a try, and vice versa.
]]> <![CDATA[Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)]]> 22294935
A convict with a thirst for revenge
A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager
A runaway with a privileged past
A spy known as a Wraith
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Kaz's crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they dont kill each other first.]]> 479 Leigh Bardugo Clarissa 4 ya, fantasy 4.37 2015 Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2015/12/01
date added: 2016/05/12
shelves: ya, fantasy
review:

]]> The Little Paris Bookshop 23278537 “There are books that are suitable for a million people, others for only a hundred. There are even remedies—I mean books—that were written for one person only…A book is both medic and medicine at once. It makes a diagnosis as well as offering therapy. Putting the right novels to the appropriate ailments: that’s how I sell books.�

Monsieur Perdu calls himself a literary apothecary. From his floating bookstore in a barge on the Seine, he prescribes novels for the hardships of life. Using his intuitive feel for the exact book a reader needs, Perdu mends broken hearts and souls. The only person he can't seem to heal through literature is himself; he's still haunted by heartbreak after his great love disappeared. She left him with only a letter, which he has never opened.

After Perdu is finally tempted to read the letter, he hauls anchor and departs on a mission to the south of France, hoping to make peace with his loss and discover the end of the story. Joined by a bestselling but blocked author and a lovelorn Italian chef, Perdu travels along the country’s rivers, dispensing his wisdom and his books, showing that the literary world can take the human soul on a journey to heal itself.

Internationally bestselling and filled with warmth and adventure, The Little Paris Bookshop is a love letter to books, meant for anyone who believes in the power of stories to shape people's lives.]]> 392 Nina George 0553418777 Clarissa 2 3.46 2013 The Little Paris Bookshop
author: Nina George
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2013
rating: 2
read at: 2016/01/01
date added: 2016/05/12
shelves:
review:
I liked the title a lot better than I liked the book. I was excited to read a book about books that can change you. What I read was a book that spent too much time angsting. Especially for a 50 year old man.
]]> The Book of Speculation 23014670
One June day, an old book arrives on Simon's doorstep, sent by an antiquarian bookseller who purchased it on speculation. Fragile and water damaged, the book is a log from the owner of a traveling carnival in the 1700s, who reports strange and magical things, including the drowning death of a circus mermaid. Since then, generations of "mermaids" in Simon's family have drowned--always on July 24, which is only weeks away.

As his friend Alice looks on with alarm, Simon becomes increasingly worried about his sister. Could there be a curse on Simon's family? What does it have to do with the book, and can he get to the heart of the mystery in time to save Enola?

In the tradition of Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants, Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus, and Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian, The Book of Speculation--with two-color illustrations by the author--is Erika Swyler's moving debut novel about the power of books, family, and magic.]]> 339 Erika Swyler 125005480X Clarissa 4 3.59 2015 The Book of Speculation
author: Erika Swyler
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2016/02/01
date added: 2016/05/12
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between]]> 23369370
Charming, bittersweet, and full of wisdom and heart, this irresistible novel from Jennifer E. Smith, author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, explores the difficult choices that arise when life and love lead in different directions.]]> 246 Jennifer E. Smith 0316334421 Clarissa 4 3.55 2015 Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between
author: Jennifer E. Smith
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2016/03/01
date added: 2016/05/12
shelves: coming-of-age, contemporary, ya
review:
This book takes place over 24 hours. It sought to identify what it feels like to be on the cusp of something unknown. Do you plan ahead, even though you can't see into the future? Do you let things work out organically? See how things pan out? What if things don't work out, can you take the pain of that? The couple in this book are both leaving for college on different coasts of the US. They have different perspectives and different goals and we get to come along for the messy ride while they figure things out. I found the book only slightly annoying. I wonder if I was as sure of myself as Clare was when I was graduating from high school. She is maddeningly sure of herself.
]]> <![CDATA[Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass, #5)]]> 28260587 Kingdoms will collide.

The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius as war looms on the horizon. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those who don't.

With her heart sworn to the warrior-prince by her side, and her fealty pledged to the people she is determined to save, Aelin will delve into the depths of her power to protect those she loves. But as monsters emerge from the horrors of the past, and dark forces become poised to claim her world, the only chance for salvation will lie in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

In this breathtaking fifth installment of the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series, Aelin will have to choose what—and who—to sacrifice if she's to keep the world of Erilea from breaking apart.]]> 689 Sarah J. Maas Clarissa 0 to-read 4.57 2016 Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass, #5)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/02/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove]]> 7756401 Ěý
Also looming large is her given name Bezellia, which has been passed down for generations to the first daughter born to the eldest Grove.ĚýThe others in the long line of Bezellias shortened the ancestral name to Bee, Zee or Zell.ĚýBut Bezellia refuses all nicknames and dreams that one day she, too, will be remembered for her original namesake’s courage and passion.
Ěý
Though she leads a life of privilege, being a Grove is far from easy.ĚýHer mother hides her drinking but her alcoholism is hardly a secret. Her father, who spends long hours at work, is distant and inaccessible.ĚýFor as long as she can remember, she’s been raised by Maizelle, the nanny, and Nathaniel, the handyman.ĚýTo Bezellia, Maizelle and Nathaniel are cherished family members.ĚýTo her parents, they will never be more than servants.ĚýĚý
Ěý
Relationships are complicated in 1960s Nashville, where society remains neatly ordered by class, status and skin color.ĚýBlack servants aren’t supposed to eat at the same table as their white employers.ĚýBlack boys aren’t supposed to make conversation with white girls.ĚýAnd they certainly aren’t supposed to fall in love.ĚýWhen Bezellia has a clandestine affair with Nathaniel’s son, Samuel, their romance is met with anger and fear from both families.ĚýIn a time and place where rebelling against the rules carries a steep price, Bezellia Grove must decide which of her names will be the one that defines her.]]> 272 Susan Gregg Gilmore 0307395030 Clarissa 0 to-read 3.74 2010 The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove
author: Susan Gregg Gilmore
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/01/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Saving CeeCee Honeycutt 6617928
The day CeeCee discovers Camille in the front yard wearing a tattered prom dress and tiara as she blows kisses to passing motorists, she knows her mother has completely flipped. When tragedy strikes, Tootie Caldwell, a previously unknown great-aunt comes to CeeCee’s rescue and whisks her away to Savannah. Within hours of her arrival, CeeCee is catapulted into a perfumed world of prosperity and Southern eccentricities—a world that appears to be run entirely by women.

While Tootie is busy saving Savannah’s endangered historic homes from the wrecking ball, CeeCee encounters a cast of unforgettable, eccentric characters. From the mysterious Thelma Rae Goodpepper, who bathes in an outdoor tub under the watchful eyes of a voyeuristic peacock, to Oletta Jones, the all-knowing household cook, to Violene Hobbs, the loud-mouthed widow who entertains a local police officer in her yellow see-through peignoir, the women of Gaston Street keep CeeCee entertained and enthralled for an entire summer.

But CeeCee’s view of the world is challenged in ways she could have never imagined: there are secrets to keep, injustices to face, and loyalties to uphold. Just as she begins to find her ballast and experiences a sense of belonging, her newfound joy collides with the long-held fear that her mother’s legacy has left her destined for destruction.

Laugh-out-loud funny, at times heartbreaking, and written in a pitch-perfect voice, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is a spirited Southern tale that explores the intricate frailties and strengths of female relationships while illuminating the journey of a young girl who loses her mother but finds many others.]]> 10 Beth Hoffman 0143145541 Clarissa 0 to-read 3.94 2010 Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
author: Beth Hoffman
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/01/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Fracture (Fracture, #1) 9548964
But somehow Delaney survived - despite the brain scans that show irreparable damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be fine, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney now finds herself drawn to the dying, and when she meets Troy Varga, a boy who recently emerged from a coma with the same abilities, she is relieved to share this strange new existence. Unsure if her altered brain is predicting death or causing it, Delaney must figure out if their gift is a miracle, a freak of nature - or something else much more frightening...]]> 262 Megan Miranda 0802723098 Clarissa 3 3.72 2012 Fracture (Fracture, #1)
author: Megan Miranda
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2016/01/16
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[On the Outside Looking Indian: How My Second Childhood Changed My Life]]> 13373153
Rupinder Gill was raised under the strict rules of her parents' Indian upbringing. While her friends were practicing their pliĂ©s, having slumber parties, and spending their summers at camp, Rupinder was cleaning, babysitting her siblings, and watching hours on end of American television. But at age 30, Rupinder realized how much she regretted her lack of childhood adventure.Ěý

Stepping away from an orderly life of tradition, Rupinder set put to finally experience the things she missed out on. From learning to swim and taking dance lessons, to going to Disney World, her growing to-do list soon became the ultimate trip down non-memory lane. What began as a desire to experience all that had been denied to her leads to a discovery of what it means to be happy, and the important lessons that are learned when we are at play. Reminiscent of Mindy Kaling, this is a warm funny memoir of the daughter of Indian immigrants learning to break free and find her own path.]]> 288 Rupinder Gill 1594485771 Clarissa 0 to-read 3.34 2011 On the Outside Looking Indian: How My Second Childhood Changed My Life
author: Rupinder Gill
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/01/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The House at Riverton 1278752 The House at Riverton is a gorgeous debut novel set in England between the wars. Perfect for fans of "Downton Abbey," it's the story of an aristocratic family, a house, a mysterious death, and a way of life that vanished forever, told in flashback by a woman who witnessed it all.

The novel is full of secrets - some revealed, others hidden forever, reminiscent of the romantic suspense of Daphne du Maurier. It's also a meditation on memory and the devastation of war and a beautifully rendered window into a fascinating time in history.]]> 599 Kate Morton 0330448447 Clarissa 0 to-read 3.95 2006 The House at Riverton
author: Kate Morton
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/01/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers]]> 428223
The narrow street where Harry Bernstein grew up, in a small English mill town, was seemingly unremarkable. It was identical to countless other streets in countless other working-class neighborhoods of the early 1900s, except for the "invisible wall" that ran down its center, dividing Jewish families on one side from Christian families on the other. Only a few feet of cobblestones separated Jews from Gentiles, but socially, it they were miles apart.

On the eve of World War I, Harry's family struggles to make ends meet. His father earns little money at the Jewish tailoring shop and brings home even less, preferring to spend his wages drinking and gambling. Harry's mother, devoted to her children and fiercely resilient, survives on her dreams: new shoes that might secure Harry's admission to a fancy school; that her daughter might marry the local rabbi; that the entire family might one day be whisked off to the paradise of America.

Then Harry's older sister, Lily, does the unthinkable: She falls in love with Arthur, a Christian boy from across the street.

When Harry unwittingly discovers their secret affair, he must choose between the morals he's been taught all his life, his loyalty to his selfless mother, and what he knows to be true in his own heart.

A wonderfully charming memoir written when the author was ninety-three, The Invisible Wall vibrantly brings to life an all-but-forgotten time and place. It is a moving tale of working-class life, and of the boundaries that can be overcome by love.]]> 297 Harry Bernstein 0345495802 Clarissa 0 to-read 4.06 2006 The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers
author: Harry Bernstein
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/01/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Kommandant's Girl (The Kommandant's Girl, #1)]]> 374494 395 Pam Jenoff 0778323420 Clarissa 0 to-read 3.98 2007 The Kommandant's Girl (The Kommandant's Girl, #1)
author: Pam Jenoff
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/01/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Wild Orchid (Wild Orchard, #1)]]> 1817021
Written as an epistolary novel, Wild Orchid is frank but optimistic, literal yet innocent. A courageous wit attends Taylor's gradual emergence as her own person, and the reader will find the exploration of Taylor's mind a revealing and heartwarming encounter.]]> 156 Beverley Brenna 0889953309 Clarissa 0 to-read 3.47 2005 Wild Orchid (Wild Orchard, #1)
author: Beverley Brenna
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/01/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Freak the Mighty (Freak the Mighty, #1)]]> 8953 Two boys � a slow learner stuck in the body of a teenage giant and a tiny Einstein in leg braces � forge a unique friendship when they pair up to create one formidable human force. A wonderful story of triumph over imperfection, shame, and loss.]]> 192 Rodman Philbrick 0439286069 Clarissa 5 4.01 1993 Freak the Mighty (Freak the Mighty, #1)
author: Rodman Philbrick
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1993
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2015/12/17
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[I Am Hutterite: The Fascinating True Story of a Young Woman's Journey to Reclaim Her Heritage]]> 2138601 203 Mary-Ann Kirkby Clarissa 5
I listened to the Audiobook. It was read by the author. I liked listening to it because it contains a lot of German, so I feel like I might have been bogged down with trying to pronounce the German in my head.]]> 3.72 2007 I Am Hutterite: The Fascinating True Story of a Young Woman's Journey to Reclaim Her Heritage
author: Mary-Ann Kirkby
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2015/12/15
shelves: audio-book, book-club-selection, book-worth-reading
review:
I grew up on a farm in rural Southern Alberta and we frequently had Hutterite visitors to the farm. They would ask to watch our TV every time. We knew that Hutterites weren't suppose to watch TV, but who were we to stand in their way? So we would turn on our 13 inch colour TV and they would watch in rapt wonder. I was always curious about Hutterites. I knew a few things: they lived communally, they attended a colony one room school house, they were hard working and we as farmers were afraid of Hutterites buying up all the land. We also knew that the women wore black dresses with polka dots. I had heard about them never cutting their hair, and always hiding it. The men wore all black and had beards and there was always an unmistakable smell of agriculture about them (pig in particular.) I remember visiting a colony or two a few times. The people were so friendly and the children unabashedly stared, then giggled into their hands while speaking in German to each other. So I thought I knew a few things about Hutterites before I read this book, but this book really captured what it was like to BE a Hutterite. It was fascinating. This book really captured how comfortable and idyllic a Hutterite colony could be, while pointing out flaws in a generous way. I wouldn't mind getting to comfortably retire at 45 or not have to come up with new dishes to make for dinner every day. Or how about having a girl come to house every day for a year after you have a baby to clean your house or hold the baby leaving you with two hands to care for your other children. I loved how in the colony, they knew where they belonged and what they should be doing. I also admire those Hutterite who feel they need to leave. How much courage would it take to strike out on your own with nothing but a wife and 7 kids in tow? I felt that this book was a fair assessment of what life was like in a Hutterite colony in the 60s. However, I imagine that things have changed a bit since then. I wonder what it's like now? Perhaps I need to find myself a Hutterite friend.

I listened to the Audiobook. It was read by the author. I liked listening to it because it contains a lot of German, so I feel like I might have been bogged down with trying to pronounce the German in my head.
]]> Scent of Magic (Healer, #2) 12027429 Hunted, Killed—Survived?

As the last Healer in the Fifteen Realms, Avry of Kazan is in a unique position: in the minds of her friends and foes alike, she no longer exists. Despite her need to prevent the megalomanical King Tohon from winning control of the Realms, Avry is also determined to find her sister and repair their estrangement. And she must do it alone, as Kerrick, her partner and sole confident, returns to Alga to summon his country into battle.

Though she should be in hiding, Avry will do whatever she can to support Tohon’s opponents. Including infiltrating a holy army, evading magic sniffers, teaching forest skills to soldiers and figuring out how to stop Tohon’s most horrible creations yet; an army of the walking dead—human and animal alike and nearly impossible to defeat.

War is coming and Avry is alone. Unless she figures out how to do the impossible ... again.]]> 414 Maria V. Snyder 0778314189 Clarissa 0 4.11 2012 Scent of Magic (Healer, #2)
author: Maria V. Snyder
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/12/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4)]]> 18006496
She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return.

The fourth volume in the New York Times bestselling series continues Celaena’s epic journey and builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.]]> 648 Sarah J. Maas 1619636042 Clarissa 5 4.56 2015 Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2015/12/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)]]> 16096824
Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre's presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.]]> 419 Sarah J. Maas 1619634449 Clarissa 3 4.17 2015 A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2015/12/15
shelves:
review:

]]> Go Set a Watchman 24817626 To Kill a Mockingbird. Maycomb, Alabama. Twenty-six-year-old Jean Louise Finch�"Scout"—returns home from New York City to visit her aging father, Atticus. Set against the backdrop of the civil rights tensions and political turmoil that were transforming the South, Jean Louise's homecoming turns bittersweet when she learns disturbing truths about her close-knit family, the town and the people dearest to her. Memories from her childhood flood back, and her values and assumptions are thrown into doubt. Featuring many of the iconic characters from To Kill a Mockingbird, Go Set a Watchman perfectly captures a young woman, and a world, in a painful yet necessary transition out of the illusions of the past—a journey that can be guided only by one's conscience. Written in the mid-1950s, Go Set a Watchman imparts a fuller, richer understanding and appreciation of Harper Lee. Here is an unforgettable novel of wisdom, humanity, passion, humor and effortless precision—a profoundly affecting work of art that is both wonderfully evocative of another era and relevant to our own times. It not only confirms the enduring brilliance of To Kill a Mockingbird, but also serves as its essential companion, adding depth, context and new meaning to an American classic.]]> 278 Harper Lee 0062409859 Clarissa 5 3.28 2015 Go Set a Watchman
author: Harper Lee
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.28
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2015/12/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Waistcoats & Weaponry (Finishing School, #3)]]> 20980648
No one suspected what—or who—they would find aboard that suspiciously empty train. Sophronia uncovers a plot that threatens to throw all of London into chaos and she must decide where her loyalties lie, once and for all.]]> 298 Gail Carriger 0316190276 Clarissa 0 4.15 2014 Waistcoats & Weaponry (Finishing School, #3)
author: Gail Carriger
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/12/15
shelves:
review:

]]> Rose Under Fire 17262236
Elizabeth Wein, author of the critically-acclaimed and best-selling Code Name Verity, delivers another stunning WWII thriller. The unforgettable story of Rose Justice is forged from heart-wrenching courage, resolve, and the slim, bright chance of survival.]]> 360 Elizabeth Wein 1423183096 Clarissa 0 4.10 2013 Rose Under Fire
author: Elizabeth Wein
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/12/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Manners & Mutiny (Finishing School, #4)]]> 18725742 If one must flirt... flirt with danger.

Lessons in the art of espionage aboard Mademoiselle Geraldine's floating dirigible have become tedious without Sophronia's sweet sootie Soap nearby. She would much rather be using her skills to thwart the dastardly Picklemen, yet her concerns about their wicked intentions are ignored, and now she's not sure whom to trust. What does the brusque werewolf dewan know? On whose side is the ever-stylish vampire Lord Akeldama? Only one thing is certain: a large-scale plot is under way, and when it comes to fruition, Sophronia must be ready to save her friends, her school, and all of London from disaster--in decidedly dramatic fashion, of course.

What will become of our proper young heroine when she puts her years of training to the test?

Find out in the conclusion to the Finishing School series!]]> 326 Gail Carriger 0316190284 Clarissa 0 4.22 2015 Manners & Mutiny (Finishing School, #4)
author: Gail Carriger
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/12/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Winter (The Lunar Chronicles, #4)]]> 13206900
When Winter develops feelings for the handsome palace guard, Jacin, she fears the evil Queen will crush their romance before it has a chance to begin.

But there are stirrings against the Queen across the land. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even find the power to launch a revolution and win a war that's been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter claim their happily ever afters by defeating Levana once and for all?]]> 827 Marissa Meyer 0312642989 Clarissa 4 4.42 2015 Winter (The Lunar Chronicles, #4)
author: Marissa Meyer
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2015/12/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Girl Who Fell from the Sky]]> 6449290
In the tradition of Jamaica Kincaid's Annie John and Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, here is a portrait of a young girl - and society's ideas of race, class, and beauty.]]> 264 Heidi W. Durrow 1565126807 Clarissa 4 abuse 3.59 2010 The Girl Who Fell from the Sky
author: Heidi W. Durrow
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2015/04/08
shelves: abuse
review:
A poignant story told with a refreshingly honest voice. This book features multiple POV's telling the story of a girl who experienced a tragedy that framed the rest of her life. The main character Rachel speaks of her experiences of moving to America in the 80's and growing up as a biracial girl. As she struggles to figure out where she fits, she makes missteps and mistakes. I couldn't help but be affected by her choices.
]]> Talon (Talon, #1) 17331828 THE DRAGONS OF TALON: Once hunted nearly to extinction, they are now poised to take over the world.Ěý

THE ORDER OF ST. GEORGE: The legendary dragonslayers will stop at nothing to wipe dragons from the face of the earth.Ěý

These mortal enemies are locked in secret and deadly combat, with humanity none the wiser.Ěý

To take her rightful place in the Talon organization, young dragon Ember Hill must prove she can hide her true nature and blend in with humans. Her delight at the prospect of a summer of "normal" teen experiences is short-lived, however, once she discovers that she's also expected to train for her destined career in Talon. But a chance meeting with a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught.Ěý

As Ember struggles to accept her future, St. George soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian is tasked with hunting her down. But when faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything the Order has ingrained in him—and what he might be willing to give up to uncover the truth about dragons.]]> 449 Julie Kagawa 0373211392 Clarissa 3 3.76 2014 Talon (Talon, #1)
author: Julie Kagawa
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2015/03/23
shelves:
review:

]]> The Dovekeepers 10950924
In 70 C.E., nine hundred Jews held out for months against armies of Romans on Masada, a mountain in the Judean desert. According to the ancient historian Josephus, two women and five children survived. Based on this tragic and iconic event, Hoffman's novel is a spellbinding tale of four extraordinarily bold, resourceful, and sensuous women, each of whom has come to Masada by a different path. Yael's mother died in childbirth, and her father, an expert assassin, never forgave her for that death. Revka, a village baker's wife, watched the horrifically brutal murder of her daughter by Roman soldiers; she brings to Masada her young grandsons, rendered mute by what they have witnessed. Aziza is a warrior's daughter, raised as a boy, a fearless rider and an expert marksman who finds passion with a fellow soldier. Shirah, born in Alexandria, is wise in the ways of ancient magic and medicine, a woman with uncanny insight and power.

The lives of these four complex and fiercely independent women intersect in the desperate days of the siege. All are dovekeepers, and all are also keeping secrets - about who they are, where they come from, who fathered them, and whom they love.]]> 504 Alice Hoffman 145161747X Clarissa 2 4.05 2011 The Dovekeepers
author: Alice Hoffman
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2015/03/21
shelves:
review:
A beautifully written novel, but I did not like it. I liked it enough to finish it, but that's it. The setting was amazing, the characters were complex, but I didn't like ANY of them. They were selfish, husband stealing women who didn't care who they hurt.
]]> <![CDATA[Ender’s Game (Ender's Saga, #1)]]> 375802
But Ender is not the only result of the experiment. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway almost as long. Ender's two older siblings, Peter and Valentine, are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. While Peter was too uncontrollably violent, Valentine very nearly lacks the capability for violence altogether. Neither was found suitable for the military's purpose. But they are driven by their jealousy of Ender, and by their inbred drive for power. Peter seeks to control the political process, to become a ruler. Valentine's abilities turn more toward the subtle control of the beliefs of commoner and elite alike, through powerfully convincing essays. Hiding their youth and identities behind the anonymity of the computer networks, these two begin working together to shape the destiny of Earth-an Earth that has no future at all if their brother Ender fails.]]> 324 Orson Scott Card 0812550706 Clarissa 3 4.31 1985 Ender’s Game (Ender's Saga, #1)
author: Orson Scott Card
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1985
rating: 3
read at: 2012/01/05
date added: 2015/02/14
shelves: 2012-read, science-fiction, ya, books-for-boys
review:

]]> Get Even (Don't Get Mad, #1) 16005219
Bree, Olivia, Kitty, and Margot have nothing in common—at least that’s what they’d like the students and administrators of their elite private school to think. The girls have different goals, different friends, and different lives, but they share one very big secret: They’re all members of Don’t Get Mad, a secret society that anonymously takes revenge on the school’s bullies, mean girls, and tyrannical teachers.

When their latest target ends up dead with a blood-soaked “DGM� card in his hands, the girls realize that they’re not as anonymous as they thought—and that someone now wants revenge on them. Soon the clues are piling up, the police are closing in . . . and everyone has something to lose.]]> 320 Gretchen McNeil 0062260863 Clarissa 3 ]]> 3.80 2014 Get Even (Don't Get Mad, #1)
author: Gretchen McNeil
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2015/01/21
date added: 2015/01/21
shelves:
review:
Um, this is only half the story! Where is the rest? I really don't appreciate cliff hangers. I'm going crazy here. It feels like a cheap trick, or a lure to get us to buy the next book. The problem is, I will probably read number 2 when it comes out. I need resolution.

]]> <![CDATA[Cress (The Lunar Chronicles, #3)]]> 13206828
Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she's just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a higher price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.]]> 552 Marissa Meyer 0312642970 Clarissa 4 4.40 2014 Cress (The Lunar Chronicles, #3)
author: Marissa Meyer
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2015/01/19
shelves:
review:

]]> I'll Give You the Sun 20820994
Years later, they are barely speaking. Something has happened to change the twins in different yet equally devastating ways... but then Jude meets an intriguing, irresistible boy and a mysterious new mentor. The early years are Noah's to tell; the later years are Jude's. But they each have only half the story, and if they can only find their way back to one another, they'll have a chance to remake their world.

This radiant, award-winning novel from the acclaimed author of The Sky Is Everywhere will leave you breathless and teary and laughing—often all at once.

Printz Award Winner Stonewall Honor Book.]]> 371 Jandy Nelson 0803734964 Clarissa 3 4.14 2014 I'll Give You the Sun
author: Jandy Nelson
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2015/01/19
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet]]> 6419614 300 Jamie Ford 0345505344 Clarissa 4
What wasn't so great: 1986. I didn't feel like I was in 1986 at all. It kind of felt like the year was an afterthought.]]> 4.01 2009 Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
author: Jamie Ford
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2012/01/17
date added: 2015/01/19
shelves:
review:
What I liked: I love books about WWII, this qualifies. I love learning about what it meant to Japanese during that time. The love story was just as described, bitter-sweet and the main character was loveable.

What wasn't so great: 1986. I didn't feel like I was in 1986 at all. It kind of felt like the year was an afterthought.
]]> <![CDATA[Code Name Verity (Code Name Verity, #1)]]> 11925514
When "Verity" is arrested by the Gestapo, she's sure she doesn't stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she's living a spy's worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution.

As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage and failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy?

Harrowing and beautifully written, Elizabeth Wein creates a visceral read of danger, resolve, and survival that shows just how far true friends will go to save each other. Code Name Verity is an outstanding novel that will stick with you long after the last page.]]> 452 Elizabeth Wein 1405258217 Clarissa 4 3.99 2012 Code Name Verity (Code Name Verity, #1)
author: Elizabeth Wein
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2015/01/08
shelves:
review:
I love this book! I finished it and immediately started reading it again. It tore me to pieces though. Oh, and I don't agree with playing God. The mercy killings felt like a political move instead of a plot device.
]]> Ignite Me (Shatter Me, #3) 13188676
With Omega Point destroyed, Juliette doesn't know if the rebels, her friends, or even Adam are alive. But that won't keep her from trying to take down The Reestablishment once and for all. Now she must rely on Warner, the handsome commander of Sector 45. The one person she never thought she could trust. The same person who saved her life. He promises to help Juliette master her powers and save their dying world . . . but that's not all he wants with her.

The Shatter Me series is perfect for fans who crave action-packed young adult novels with tantalizing romance like Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Legend by Marie Lu. Tahereh Mafi has created a captivating and original story that combines the best of dystopian and paranormal and was praised by Publishers Weekly as "a gripping read from an author who's not afraid to take risks."

Don’t miss Restore Me, the electrifying fourth installment of this New York Times bestselling series, available now!]]> 408 Tahereh Mafi 006208559X Clarissa 3 4.46 2014 Ignite Me (Shatter Me, #3)
author: Tahereh Mafi
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2015/01/08
shelves:
review:
So, that happened. That sums up this book for me. I was surprised and unconvinced through most of this book. When Juliette announced that she would lead the rebellion I started laughing. It was so bizarre. I do think she ended up with the right person though.
]]> Unravel Me (Shatter Me, #2) 13104080
It should have taken Juliette a single touch to kill Warner. But his mysterious immunity to her deadly power has left her shaken, wondering why her ultimate defense mechanism failed against the person she most needs protection from.

She and Adam were able to escape Warner’s clutches and join up with a group of rebels, many of whom have powers of their own. Juliette will finally be able to actively fight against The Reestablishment and try to fix her broken world. And perhaps these new allies can help her shed light on the secret behind Adam’s—and Warner’s—immunity to her killer skin.

Juliette’s world is packed with high-stakes action and tantalizing romance, perfect for fans of the Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard and the Darkest Minds trilogy by Alexandra Bracken.

Ransom Riggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, raved: "A thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love, the Shatter Me series is a must-read for fans of dystopian young-adult literature—or any literature!"]]> 480 Tahereh Mafi 0062085530 Clarissa 3 4.11 2013 Unravel Me (Shatter Me, #2)
author: Tahereh Mafi
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2015/01/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle, #2)]]> 17347389 439 Maggie Stiefvater 0545424941 Clarissa 3 4.22 2013 The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle, #2)
author: Maggie Stiefvater
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2015/01/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle, #3)]]> 17378508
Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs.

The trick with found things, though, is how easily they can be lost.

Friends can betray.
Mothers can disappear.
Visions can mislead.
Certainties can unravel.]]> 391 Maggie Stiefvater 0545424968 Clarissa 3
Also, what happened at Adam's hearing and why add it to the story if you're not going to tell us more about it. It was very frustrating. This book felt long and not nearly long enough at the same time. Is there a fourth book? There better be a fourth book. I'll be ticked if I never find out if they find the King. ]]> 4.26 2014 Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle, #3)
author: Maggie Stiefvater
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2015/01/08
shelves:
review:
I liked this book better than Dream Thieves but not by a lot. The problem with Dream Thieves for me was Ronan. He wasn't someone I wanted to spend a book with. He is violent and sharp edges and lots and lots of f words. This book has a lot of POV's. I mean lots. Adam, Gansey, Blue, two new characters, The Gray Man, were there more? Adam kept repeating in his mind "I'm unknowable." Well Stiefvater definitely created unknowable characters. Not enough time was spent with any of them to really understand their motivations. It's the third book in the series but the characters still feel foreign to me. It's hard to care about people you don't know, same goes for characters.

Also, what happened at Adam's hearing and why add it to the story if you're not going to tell us more about it. It was very frustrating. This book felt long and not nearly long enough at the same time. Is there a fourth book? There better be a fourth book. I'll be ticked if I never find out if they find the King.
]]> <![CDATA[Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass, #3)]]> 20613470 565 Sarah J. Maas 1619630656 Clarissa 5 4.47 2014 Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass, #3)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2014/09/08
shelves:
review:
Wow. It has been a long while since a book has had me in it's grips the way this one did. Amazing.
]]> A Secret Kept 7963208 New York Times bestseller Sarah's Key, plumbs the depths of complex family relationships and the power of a past secret to change everything in the present.

It all began with a simple seaside vacation, a brother and sister recapturing their childhood. Antoine Rey thought he had the perfect surprise for his sister MĂ©lanie's birthday: a weekend by the sea at Noirmoutier Island, where the pair spent many happy childhood summers playing on the beach. It had been too long, Antoine thought, since they'd returned to the island - over thirty years, since their mother died and the family holidays ceased. But the island's haunting beauty triggers more than happy memories; it reminds MĂ©lanie of something unexpected and deeply disturbing about their last island summer. When, on the drive home to Paris, she finally summons the courage to reveal what she knows to Antoine, her emotions overcome her and she loses control of the car.

Recovering from the accident in a nearby hospital, Mélanie tries to recall what caused her to crash. Antoine encounters an unexpected ally: sexy, streetwise Angèle, a mortician who will teach him new meanings for the words life, love and death. Suddenly, however, the past comes swinging back at both siblings, burdened with a dark truth about their mother, Clarisse.

Trapped in the wake of a shocking family secret shrouded by taboo, Antoine must confront his past and also his troubled relationships with his own children. How well does he really know his mother, his children, even himself? Suddenly fragile on all fronts as a son, a husband, a brother and a father, Antoine Rey will learn the truth about his family and himself the hard way. By turns thrilling, seductive and destructive, with a lingering effect that is bittersweet and redeeming, A Secret Kept is the story of a modern family, the invisible ties that hold it together, and the impact it has throughout life.]]> 303 Tatiana de Rosnay 0312593317 Clarissa 3 3.33 2009 A Secret Kept
author: Tatiana de Rosnay
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.33
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2014/08/20
shelves:
review:

]]> The Tragedy Paper 13628178
Jumping between viewpoints of the love-struck Tim and Duncan, a current senior about to uncover the truth of Tim and Vanessa, The Tragedy Paper is a compelling tale of forbidden love and the lengths people will go to keep their love.]]> 312 Elizabeth LaBan 0375870407 Clarissa 3 3.73 2013 The Tragedy Paper
author: Elizabeth LaBan
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2014/07/28
shelves:
review:

]]> Infinite (Newsoul, #3) 13085374 DESTRUCTION
The Year of Souls begins with an earthquake—an alarming rumble from deep within the earth—and it’s only the first of greater dangers to come. The Range caldera is preparing to erupt. Ana knows that as Soul Night approaches, everything near Heart will be at risk.

FLIGHT
Ana’s exile is frightening, but it may also be fortuitous, especially if she can convince her friends to flee Heart and Range with her. They’ll go north, seeking answers and allies to stop Janan’s ascension. And with any luck, the newsouls will be safe from harm’s reach.

CHOICE
The oldsouls might have forgotten the choice they made to give themselves limitless lifetimes, but Ana knows the true cost of reincarnation. What she doesn’t know is whether she’ll have the chance to finish this one sweet life with Sam, especially if she returns to Heart to stop Janan once and for all.

With gorgeous romance and thrilling action, the final book in the Incarnate trilogy offers a brilliant conclusion to the compelling questions of this fascinating world, where one new girl is the key to the lives of millions.]]> 418 Jodi Meadows 0062060813 Clarissa 3 4.03 2014 Infinite (Newsoul, #3)
author: Jodi Meadows
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2014/07/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Just One Day (Just One Day, #1)]]> 17623975
When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there's an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.]]> 369 Gayle Forman 0142422959 Clarissa 4 3.97 2013 Just One Day (Just One Day, #1)
author: Gayle Forman
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/07/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Just One Year (Just One Day, #2)]]> 12842134 Just One Day. Just One Year. Just One Read.

Before you find out how their story ends, remember how it began....

When he opens his eyes, Willem doesn’t know where in the world he is—Prague or Dubrovnik or back in Amsterdam. All he knows is that he is once again alone, and that he needs to find a girl named Lulu. They shared one magical day in Paris, and something about that day—that girl—makes Willem wonder if they aren’t fated to be together. He travels all over the world, from Mexico to India, hoping to reconnect with her. But as months go by and Lulu remains elusive, Willem starts to question if the hand of fate is as strong as he’d thought. . . .

The romantic, emotional companion to Just One Day, this is a story of the choices we make and the accidents that happen—and the happiness we can find when the two intersect.]]> 336 Gayle Forman Clarissa 4 3.90 2013 Just One Year (Just One Day, #2)
author: Gayle Forman
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/07/28
shelves:
review:

]]> Lost Lake (Lost Lake, #1) 13481275 New York Times bestseller Garden Spells comes a beautiful, haunting story of old loves and new, and the power of the connections that bind us forever�.



The first time Eby Pim saw Lost Lake, it was on a picture postcard. Just an old photo and a few words on a small square of heavy stock, but when she saw it, she knew she was seeing her future.That was half a lifetime ago. Now Lost Lake is about to slip into Eby’s past. Her husband, George, is long passed. Most of her demanding extended family are gone. All that’s left is a once-charming collection of lakeside cabins succumbing to the southern Georgia heat and damp, and an assortment of faithful misfits drawn back to Lost Lake year after year by their own unspoken dreams and desires.



It’s a lot, but it’s not enough to keep Eby from calling this her final summer at the lake, and relinquishing Lost Lake to a developer with cash in hand. Until one last chance at family knocks on her door.



Lost Lake is where Kate Pheris spent her last best summer at the age of twelve, before she learned of loneliness and heartbreak and loss. Now she’s all too familiar with those things, but she knows about hope, too, thanks to her resilient daughter, Devin, and her own willingness to start moving forward. Perhaps at Lost Lake her little girl can cling to her own childhood for just a little longer…and maybe Kate herself can rediscover something that slipped through her fingers so long ago.



One after another, people find their way to Lost Lake, looking for something that they weren’t sure they needed in the first place: love, closure, a second chance, peace, a mystery solved, a heart mended. Can they find what they need before it’s too late?



At once atmospheric and enchanting, Lost Lake shows Sarah Addison Allen at her finest, illuminating the secret longings and the everyday magic that wait to be discovered in the unlikeliest of places.]]> 296 Sarah Addison Allen 125001980X Clarissa 5
With other books I read, I often get impatient and skim along until something happens. I never do that with a Sarah Addison Allen book. Each sentence is crafted with care and is so beautifully written that I just want to savour every word. I loved it. ]]> 3.87 2014 Lost Lake (Lost Lake, #1)
author: Sarah Addison Allen
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2014/06/16
shelves:
review:
After a year of battling breast cancer, Sarah Addison Allen has appeared back on the scene with a book that is better than ever. She writes such beautiful stories that are filled with hope and wonder. As always, there are characters with a magic all their own in a setting that can only be described as storybook.

With other books I read, I often get impatient and skim along until something happens. I never do that with a Sarah Addison Allen book. Each sentence is crafted with care and is so beautifully written that I just want to savour every word. I loved it.
]]> Mind Games (Mind Games, #1) 12578294
When the sisters are offered a place at an elite boarding school, Fia realizes that something is wrong . . . but she doesn't grasp just how wrong. The Keane Institute is no ordinary school, and Fia is soon used for everything from picking stocks to planting bombs. If she tries to refuse, they threaten her with Annie's life.

Now Fia's falling in love with a boy who has dark secrets of his own. And with his help, she's ready to fight back. They stole her past. They control her present. But she won't let them take her future.]]> 237 Kiersten White 0062135317 Clarissa 4 3.62 2013 Mind Games (Mind Games, #1)
author: Kiersten White
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/06/12
shelves:
review:
What a rush! This book was full of jagged edges, twisting story lines and packed with action, all while remaining true to a story about the lengths sisters will go to protect each other.
]]> My Man Jeeves (Jeeves, #1) 200572 My Man Jeeves is sure to please anyone with a taste for pithy buffoonery, moronic misunderstandings, gaffes, and aristocratic slapstick.

Contents:
"Leave It to Jeeves"
"Jeeves and the Unbidden Guest"
"Jeeves and the Hard-boiled Egg"
"Absent Treatment"
"Helping Freddie"
"Rallying Round Old George"
"Doing Clarence a Bit of Good"
"The Aunt and the Sluggard"

Of the eight stories in the collection, half feature the popular characters Jeeves and Bertie Wooster, while the others concern Reggie Pepper, an early prototype for Bertie Wooster.

Revised versions of all the Jeeves stories in this collection were later published in the 1925 short story collection Carry On, Jeeves. One of the Reggie Pepper stories in this collection was later rewritten as a Jeeves story, which was also included in Carry On, Jeeves.]]> 256 P.G. Wodehouse 1585678759 Clarissa 4 4.07 1919 My Man Jeeves (Jeeves, #1)
author: P.G. Wodehouse
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1919
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/06/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments, #6)]]> 8755785
Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell.

The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris - but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons?

When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim have ever known is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec must flee - even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms, where no Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever returned...

Love will be sacrificed and lives lost in the terrible battle for the fate of the word in the thrilling final installment of the classic urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments!]]> 725 Cassandra Clare 1481426303 Clarissa 4 4.38 2014 City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments, #6)
author: Cassandra Clare
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/06/04
shelves: audio-book, super-duper-hype, ya, paranormal, kitchen-sink, angels
review:

]]> Pure (Covenant, #2) 9761771
Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome - especially when Alexandria's 'other half' is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom - so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do - and sacrifice - for her.

When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies - lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon... and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude... or killing her. When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.

BONUS: Contains a bonus scene from Seth's point-of-view.]]> 329 Jennifer L. Armentrout 0983157227 Clarissa 2 4.25 2012 Pure (Covenant, #2)
author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2014/05/24
shelves:
review:

]]> Half-Blood (Covenant, #1) 9680718
Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is.

If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.]]> 281 Jennifer L. Armentrout 0983157200 Clarissa 2 4.08 2011 Half-Blood (Covenant, #1)
author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2014/05/24
shelves:
review:
I feel like I've read a version of this story before. The plot is very similar to Vampire Academy. Honestly, it's a bit eerie. So if you like VA, you might enjoy this too.
]]> The Moon and More 16101126
Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo's sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline's mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?

Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she's going?

Sarah Dessen's devoted fans will welcome this story of romance, yearning, and, finally, empowerment. It could only happen in the summer.]]> 435 Sarah Dessen 0670785601 Clarissa 4 3.63 2013 The Moon and More
author: Sarah Dessen
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/05/24
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ruby Red (Precious Stone Trilogy, #1)]]> 8835379 Although I had never seen him before, I recognized him immediately. I'd have known his voice anywhere. This was the guy I'd seen on my last journey back in time.

Or more precisely, the one who'd kissed my doppelganger while I was hiding behind the curtain in disbelief.

Sixteen-year-old Gwen lives with her extended - and rather eccentric - family in an exclusive London neighborhood. In spite of her ancestors' peculiar history, she's had a relatively normal life so far. The time-traveling gene that runs like a secret thread through the female half of the family is supposed to have skipped over Gwen, so she hasn't been introduced to "the mysteries," and can spend her time hanging out with her best friend, Lesley. It comes as an unwelcome surprise when she starts taking sudden, uncontrolled leaps into the past.

She's totally unprepared for time travel, not to mention all that comes with it: fancy clothes, archaic manners, a mysterious secret society, and Gideon, her time-traveling counterpart. He's obnoxious, a know-it-all, and possibly the best-looking guy she's seen in any century...]]> 324 Kerstin Gier 0805092528 Clarissa 4 4.07 2009 Ruby Red (Precious Stone Trilogy, #1)
author: Kerstin Gier
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/05/24
shelves:
review:
Funny story with an innocent and naive heroine who has a lot to learn. Good for younger teen readers.
]]> Requiem (Delirium, #3) 9593913 Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight. After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven. Pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels.

As Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain of the Wilds, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.Requiem is told from the perspectives of both Lena and her friend Hana. They live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.]]> 391 Lauren Oliver 0062014536 Clarissa 3 3.73 2013 Requiem (Delirium, #3)
author: Lauren Oliver
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2014/05/24
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Endless (The Violet Eden Chapters, #4)]]> 12369942 Love will kill us all.

Angels are real. They aren't always kind. Violet Eden is certain of all this because she is Grigori - part angel, part human. She has felt the influence of both light and dark.

When Hell unleashes its worst, Violet must embrace every facet of her angel self to save the people she cares about and the world as she knows it. But death is not the worst thing that Violet will face. For her, the endless question 'Can love conquer all?' will finally be answered.]]> 446 Jessica Shirvington 073441272X Clarissa 2 4.50 2012 Endless (The Violet Eden Chapters, #4)
author: Jessica Shirvington
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2014/05/24
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Emblaze (The Violet Eden Chapters, #3)]]> 10567183
Violet has come to terms with the fact that being part angel, part human, means her life will never be as it was.

Now Violet has something Phoenix - the exiled angel who betrayed her - will do anything for, and she has no intention of letting it fall into his hands. The only problem is that he has something she needs too.

Not afraid to raise the stakes, Phoenix seemingly holds all the power, always one step ahead. And when he puts the final pieces of the prophecy together, it doesn't take him long to realise exactly who he needs in order to open the gates of Hell.

With the help of surprising new allies, ancient prophecies are deciphered, a destination set and, after a shattering confrontation with her father, Violet leaves for the islands of Greece without knowing if she will have a home to return to...]]> 415 Jessica Shirvington 0734411863 Clarissa 2 4.38 2011 Emblaze (The Violet Eden Chapters, #3)
author: Jessica Shirvington
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2014/05/24
shelves:
review:

]]> The Beginning of Everything 13522285 The Beginning of Everything is a witty and heart-wrenching teen novel that will appeal to fans of books by John Green and Ned Vizzini, novels such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and classics like The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye.

Varsity tennis captain Ezra Faulkner was supposed to be homecoming king, but that was before—before his girlfriend cheated on him, before a car accident shattered his leg, and before he fell in love with unpredictable new girl Cassidy Thorpe.

As Kirkus Reviews said in a starred review, "Schneider takes familiar stereotypes and infuses them with plenty of depth. Here are teens who could easily trade barbs and double entendres with the characters that fill John Green's novels."

Funny, smart, and including everything from flash mobs to blanket forts to a poodle who just might be the reincarnation of Jay Gatsby, The Beginning of Everything is a refreshing contemporary twist on the classic coming-of-age novel—a heart-wrenching story about how difficult it is to play the part that people expect, and how new beginnings can stem from abrupt and tragic endings.]]> 335 Robyn Schneider 0062217135 Clarissa 3 3.72 2013 The Beginning of Everything
author: Robyn Schneider
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2014/05/09
shelves:
review:

]]> Asunder (Newsoul, #2) 13043180 DARKSOULS
Ana has always been the only one. Asunder. Apart. But after Templedark, when many residents of Heart were lost forever, some hold Ana responsible for the darksouls–and the newsouls who may be born in their place.

SHADOWS
Many are afraid of Ana’s presence, a constant reminder of unstoppable changes and the unknown. When sylph begin behaving differently toward her and people turn violent, Ana must learn to stand up not only for herself but for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

LOVE
Ana was told that nosouls can’t love. But newsouls? More than anything, she wants to live and love as an equal among the citizens of Heart, but even when Sam professes his deepest feelings, it seems impossible to overcome a lifetime of rejection.

In this second book in the Newsoul trilogy, Ana discovers the truth about reincarnation and will have to find a way to embrace love and make her young life meaningful. Once again, Jodi Meadows explores the extraordinary beauty and shadowed depths of the soul in a story equal parts epic romance and captivating fantasy.]]> 406 Jodi Meadows 0062060783 Clarissa 5 3.95 2013 Asunder (Newsoul, #2)
author: Jodi Meadows
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2014/05/07
shelves:
review:

]]> Incarnate (Newsoul, #1) 8573642
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

No soul

Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

Heart

Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.]]> 374 Jodi Meadows 0062060759 Clarissa 5 3.74 2012 Incarnate (Newsoul, #1)
author: Jodi Meadows
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2014/05/07
shelves:
review:
This book and the one that follows are pretty near perfection. Amazing writing, intense story, heart wrenching love story, this book has it all.
]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, #6)]]> 1 652 J.K. Rowling Clarissa 5 4.57 2005 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, #6)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2014/04/29
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, #3)]]> 18335634
THE INFERNAL DEVICES WILL NEVER STOP COMING

A net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray.

Charlotte Branwell, head of the London Institute, is desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. But when Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem and Will, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever.

As those who love Tessa rally to rescue her from Mortmain’s clutches, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. But can a single girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.]]> 567 Cassandra Clare 1406321346 Clarissa 3 4.55 2013 Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, #3)
author: Cassandra Clare
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2014/03/26
shelves:
review:

]]> Wild Roses 1062304
Seventeen-year-old Cassie Morgan lives with a time bomb, a.k.a. her stepfather, Dino Cavalli. To the public, Dino is a world-renowned violin player and composer. To Cassie, he’s an erratic, self-centered bully. And he’s getting worse. Dino no longer sleeps, and he grows increasingly paranoid. Before, Cassie was angry. Now she is afraid.

Enter Ian a brilliant young violinist, and Dino’s first-ever student. The minute Cassie lays eyes on Ian she knows she’s doomed to fall head-over-heels in love with him.

Cassie thought she understood that love could bring pain, but this union will have consequences she could not have imagined.]]> 304 Deb Caletti 0689867662 Clarissa 4 3.56 2005 Wild Roses
author: Deb Caletti
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/01/29
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dragonswood (Wilde Island Chronicles, #2)]]> 11387458
Wilde Island is in an uproar over the recent death of its king. As the uneasy pact between dragons, fairies, and humans begins to fray, the royal witch hunter with a hidden agenda begins a vengeful quest to burn girls suspected of witchcraft before a new king is crowned.

Strong-willed Tess, a blacksmith’s daughter from a tiny hamlet, wants more for herself than a husband and a house to keep. But in times like these wanting more can be dangerous. Accused of witchery, Tess and her two friends are forced to flee the violent witch hunter. As their pursuer draws ever closer they find shelter with a huntsman in the outskirts of the forbidden Dragonswood sanctuary. But staying with the mysterious huntsman poses risks of its own: Tess does not know how to handle the attraction she feels for him—or resist the elusive call that draws her deeper onto the heart of Dragonswood.]]> 407 Janet Lee Carey 0803735049 Clarissa 3 3.90 2012 Dragonswood (Wilde Island Chronicles, #2)
author: Janet Lee Carey
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2014/01/29
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)]]> 7896527 Meet Celaena Sardothien.

Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.

In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, Celaena, an assassin, is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king’s champion.

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass—and it’s there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena’s fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.]]> 406 Sarah J. Maas Clarissa 3 4.19 2012 Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Clarissa
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2014/01/29
shelves:
review:
Not sure how I feel about rooting for an assassin.
]]> <![CDATA[Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms, #1)]]> 12954620
As the rulers of each kingdom grapple for power, the lives of their subjects are brutally transformed... and four key players, royals and rebels alike, find their fates forever intertwined. Cleo, Jonas, Lucia, and Magnus are caught in a dizzying world of treacherous betrayals, shocking murders, secret alliances, and even unforeseen love.

The only outcome that's certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?

It's the eve of war.... Choose your side.

Princess: Raised in pampered luxury, Cleo must now embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of magic long thought extinct.

Rebel: Jonas, enraged at injustice, lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished. To his shock, he finds himself the leader of a people's revolution centuries in the making.

Sorceress: Lucia, adopted at birth into the royal family, discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.

Heir: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, firstborn son Magnus begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword....]]> 412 Morgan Rhodes 1595145842 Clarissa 4 3.78 2012 Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms, #1)
author: Morgan Rhodes
name: Clarissa
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/01/29
shelves:
review:

]]>