More Like Prophecy of the Sister

     Title:  Prophecy of the Sisters:  Prophecy of the Sisters #1
Author:  Michelle Zink
Format:  Hardcover
Length:  343 pages
Publisher:  Little Brown and Company
Age Range:  Mid-teen to Adult
Rating:  3 of 5 stars

An ancient prophecy divides two sisters-

One good...

One evil...

Who will prevail?

Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, the girls find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents' deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets.

Lia and Alice don't know whom they can trust.

They just know they can't trust each other.  -Goodreads

This story was not so much "scarey" as eerie. I was drawn in early on by the author's heart-wrenchingly detailed description of the father's funeral and all of the strange happenings that surround it.
The more that the story progressed however, I became more and more aware of the fact that though the story was supposed to be about two sisters, it centered around one and left the other largely untouched.
This story should have been called "The Prophecy According to Lia", because that is how this story was written.
I think this story would have been so much better if the author would have let the reader hear the voices of both sisters. That would have helped the reader to understand just how much more power Alice was in possession of  than Lia and the full scope of her intentions. Instead, we see only Lia whining about her 'lack of power' while Alice's strength and prowess are constantly being eluded to. It was this imbalance in the storyline that kept my review short of the 5 stars that this book would otherwise received.

There's Nothing Boring About "Blameless"

Title:  Blameless
Author:  Gail Carriger
Format:  Audible Audiobook
Length:  11hrs.  59mins.  3 parts
Publisher:   Recorded Books
Age Range:  Late Teen to Adult
Stars:  5of 5
Gail Carriger’s best-selling Parasol Protectorate series reimagines Victorian England with vampires, werewolves, and a dash of steampunk. Blameless is the third in the series starring the parasol-wielding Lady Alexia Maccon, formerly Alexia Tarabotti. After news spreads of her delicate condition—a surprise to everyone since she’s married to a werewolf—Alexia is desperate to escape the London gossip. So she heads to Italy for a change of scenery.  -Goodreads

     This third book in the series was so good that I just stayed in bed all day and listened to it.  I must say that Alexia is one of my favorite characters EVER!
This series never ceases to delight, amaze, enthrall and entertain. 
In this installment of the series Alexia is:
1.  Pregnant and separated from Connall
2.  Thrown out by family
3.  Almost murdered by mechanical ladybugs
4.  Deserted by Lord Akeldama (best vampiric friend)
5.  Kicked out of the Shadow Council by Queen Victoria
....and that's just in the first few chapters.

     The thing that keeps me coming back for more is Alexia's indomitable spirit.  You just can't keep a good "soul sucker" down.  Especially when she has her friends, her sense of humor and her James Bondesque Parasol.  The adventure, storyline, setting and characters are so well-written that you just want to stay in the story forever.
     Emily Grey is the best narrator EVER!  Her voices are so well done that you don't bat an eye at the fact that most of the characters that she is voicing are men.
If you like steampunk, romance, vamps, wares, and killer UMBRELLAS...you will LOVE this BOOK!
Quote
"I mean to say, really, I am near to developing a neurosis - is there anyone around who doesn't want to study or kill me?"
Floote raised a tentative hand.
"Ah, yes, thank you, Floote."
"There is also Mrs Tunstell, madam," he offered hopefully, is if Ivy were some kind of consolation prize.
"I notice you don't mention my fair-weather husband."
"I suspect, at this moment, madam, he probably wants to kill you."
Alexia couldn't help smiling. "Good point                                                  Blameless

Sweep III: Blood Witch

Title:  Sweep:  Blood Witch
Author:  Caite Tiernan
Format:  Paperback
Length:  202 pages
Publishing:  Penguin Group
Age Range:  Young Adult- Mid to Late Teen and Up
Rating:  5 of 5 Stars

Morgan has found her mother's Wiccan tools, and her relationship with Cal is strong. Everything seems perfect. Except that Cal's half brother, Hunter, is stalking them. Hunter claims to be a Seeker who is investigating Cal for the misuse of magick. Whom can she trust?  -Goodreads

     The third book in this amazing series is more of a joy to read than the first two.
This is the book in which we see Morgan start to come into her own.  She is starting to realize who she is as a person and a witch.  She is making choices that are taking her away from what others think is the right course of action for her, and toward what she believes to be right. 
     The author chooses to include entries from both Cal(Sgath) and Hunter (Giomanach) Book of Shadows.  Once again, I find myself a little confused by this until near the end of the book. Though I like the backstory that the BOS (Book of Shadows) entries provide, I sometimes find myself:
 1. Wanting to skip them to get back to the story of Morgan.
 2. Wondering who or what the entries are about until they are
    explained at a later point.
    This is the book of agendas...I really enjoy the fact that I am given a backstage pass in this story and allowed to see who is really pulling the strings.
     This book is about so much more than Wicca.  It is about family, self-knowlegde, trust and love.

Sweep II: The Coven


Cal, now Morgan's boyfriend, helps her accept the truth: Wicca is in Morgan's blood. As Morgan learns more about Wicca, she realizes that she needs to find out more about her parentage. The answers are there, but she doesn't know how to find them.  -Goodreads


     The second book of the series is just as captivating as the first. The reader is treated to not one, but two stories. Morgan's and her mother Maeve's, as told in the pages of her BOS. The aspect of Maeve's BOS (Book Of Shadows) cofused me somewhat, because I spent duration of the book trying to figure out if Morgan had the book, or if the author was just using the entries as a flashback technique.
Ok...on to the story. Morgan is a witch and she is also adoped! As is almost always the case, almost everyone in the family knew. Though there is a rift in the family; I am happy to see they they do manage to weather that storm intact.
On the love front...Cal and Morgan are getting closer than EVER! if they get any closer they are going to be joined. Cal has formed a new coven called Cirrus and Bree hung in there for a while as a member, but she and her new fast friend Raven, have left.

I am making the journey of self-discovery along with Morgan. I really want all the promises that Cal is making to her to be true. I also love seeing her powers reveal themselves. Alyce and David are proving to be of great help to her as well.
The one thing that I am not sure of is Cal's mother and her true motives.
 


Swept Away By Sweep I

Title:  Sweep:  Book of Shadows
Author:  Kate Tiernan
Age Level:  Young Adult
Rating:  5 of 5 stars

Morgan and her best friend, Bree, are introduced to Wicca when a gorgeous senior named Cal invites them to join his new coven. Morgan falls for Cal immediately— and discovers that she has strong,inexplicable powers.  -Goodreads
     I started reading this book because I kept seeing it when I visited my online library. I must admit that I was not overjoyed when I added it to my TBR list. I just thought, "Oh well...what can it hurt."
I am so happy to report that I was so very wrong. Morgan and Bree were the best of friends...until Cal. Everything was joy and butterflies and everyone knew their place...until Cal. Bree was the beautiful Alpha to Morgan's wallflower Beta...until Cal. Morgan had no idea that she was a witch and so much more...until Cal. Morgan had never known love...until Cal.
I love the straightforward way that the characters speak and relate in this book. The author doesn't waste time with a lot of "teen speak" that I have found in a great many other YA books.
The story flows and the way that the characters behave makes sense to the story. I really love the way that the author ushers the reader into the world of Wicca through the eyes of Morgan and Cal. This is done with a great deal of care and respect. I also love the way in which the story and the Wicca aspects are woven together, with neither taking the focus from the other.
I also like the fact that Morgan has a strong family unit that doesn't disappear when her love of Wicca surfaces; even though their dislike of the practice and their Judeo-Christian values are clearly evident.

Are You Divergent?


Title:  Divergent
Author:  Veronica Roth
Age Level:  Young Adult
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
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.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance. - Goodreads

     I finished this book two days ago, but I was so impressed with this book that I had to think before posting a review.  Triss is really impressive as a character.  I really love the way that she is written to question all that she doesn't understand.  She is not afraid to be different, smart, or brave.  She reminds me of the Energizer bunny.  The more that her new found faction, friends, love, and life throw at her; the more will she has to go on.
     I really want to know where the love that is in bloom between Triss and Four is going to take them and if they will get there together.  I was sad by the loss of Al, but I knew that he wouldn't make it through training.
This is a very well written, action packed read.  I can't wait for the next.

Gotta Love Those Fins

Title:  Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings
Author:  Helene Boudreau
Age Level:  Mid-grade
Rating:  4 of 5 Stars
This was a really sweet coming of age story with fins! I was really happy when I saw this book on the shelves at the library. I thought, "Yay, a mer-story." This tale didn't let me down.
It seems that Jade gets the perfect tank-kini, her first period, and her first fins on the same day. PRICLESS!
Don't worry...things do get better. Jade finds and rescues her mer-mother from her freshwater prison. Mom and dad reunite sorta after Dad realizes that she did not drown in the lake as was believed. Jade finds out that the cute boy that she like not only likes her, but also know that she is a mer and is one himself. (Eat your heart out Ariel!)
I just hope that the two of them can manage to stay out of her best friend's saltwater pool until the next book
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