Incarceron — a futuristic prison, sealed from view, where the descendants of the original prisoners live in a dark world torn by rivalry and savagery. It is a terrifying mix of high technology — a living building which pervades the novel as an ever-watchful, ever-vengeful character, and a typical medieval torture chamber — chains, great halls, dungeons. A young prisoner, Finn, has haunting visions of an earlier life, and cannot believe he was born here and has always been here. In the outer world, Claudia, daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, is trapped in her own form of prison — a futuristic world constructed beautifully to look like a past era, an imminent marriage she dreads. She knows nothing of Incarceron, except that it exists. But there comes a moment when Finn, inside Incarceron, and Claudia, outside, simultaneously find a device — a crystal key, through which they can talk to each other. And so the plan for Finn’s escape is born …

From the moment I stepped into the slimy grime covered prison known as Incarceron I was in awe of the world that author Catherine Fisher created. You can actually feel the despair and longing of the inmates. The characters are amazingly thought out and so well rounded you actually come to fear for their safety as they attempt a grand escape from the prison that is alive and always watching.

The outside world that Finn and his inmates are trying to get to so desperately is not as golden as they think. On the outside we have Claudia who is the daughter of the warden of Incarceron. She is in her own sort of prison. Doomed to marry the not so noble prince and become Queen of a realm that has forced itself back to Victorian times she is a very unhappy inmate of her father’s making.

You follow Finn and Claudia and several side characters on their dangerous games each are playing to relieve themselves of the bonds that hold them back in life. This is a true dystopian romp through a world without a plot hole to be found. I couldn’t wait for the second book so I ordered it in from the UK and am reading Sapphique now. I will buy a hardback in December because I want the matching set and for once the US covers are more stimulating.

Each chapter is started by a poem or song from the legend of the nine fingered one. I have so much fun reading those.

If you enjoy dystopian, or beautifully created worlds I suggest you pick up Incarceron.

Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Sapphique by Catherine Fisher pg. 124

He was talking to all of them but his eyes were on the Queen. And just for a bright second on Claudia.

Title: Inspiration

Description: For centuries the Greek Muses have slept, their power waning
as intelligence in man grew and not one believed still in their existence.
Power drained and bone tired Mount Olympus fell asleep. Under a spell of
sleep and nightmares one awakens, will he find the reason for his
startling return to existence?

Prologue: She was sitting in Hyde Park feeding macadamia nuts to the furry
little tame gray squirrels. At these times she was the most inspire-able. I
would place my hand to hers as the squirrel danced around her and she swiped at
the bits of shell lying around her on the ground. It was then she had the
ideas to go home and write furiously for hours. Sometimes even days. If I
was feeling particularly foolish I would bend down and touch my nose to
her willing every bit of my Olympian magic into her, directly fueling her
with the best ideas and confidence I could muster. She was so lovely in
the park , the squirrels always paid court to her as if she were Victoria
in the flesh.

I am left with a feeling which is at my best guess what humans would call
longing. I long to sit beside her in Hyde Park and watch her lovingly
stare at the little rats with bushy tails as if they were the most
adorable creatures in her world.

I had recently been chastised by my fellow muses and by Zeus himself for
spending too much time in the mortal realm with this charge. Knowing my
place was in Olympus was not enough to keep me from spending my days and
nights watching and inspiring her.

I watched as she laughed out loud at the tiny creature who was tickling
his way up her skirts to reach his prize.

So here is my sheer and utter brilliance, yes you may bask in the glow of my creativity. I do not mind.

Hamlet (Act IV, Scene V) “When Sorrows Come”.

Without reading book two I have no idea if it is relevant. By the way have you seen the cover?

I know you want to pre-order so here are some links. Barnes and Noble I didn’t find it on Book Depository yet.

In stores on March 16th!

Everyone knows the unwritten rule: You don’t like you best friend’s boyfriend.

Sarah has had a crush on Ryan for years. He’s easy to talk to, supersmart, and totally gets her. Lately it even seems like he’s paying extra attention to her. Everything would be perfect except for two things: Ryan is Brianna’s boyfriend, and Brianna is Sarah’s best friend.

Sarah forces herself to avoid Ryan and tries to convince herself not to like him. She feels so guilty for wanting him, and the last thing she wants is to hurt her best friend. But when she’s thrown together with Ryan one night, something happens. It’s wonderful…and awful.

Sarah is torn apart by guilt, but what she feels is nothing short of addiction, and she can’t stop herself from wanting more…

What Others Say:

“Brilliant, touching, and true.” — Carrie Jones, New York Times Bestselling author of Need and Captivate

“Trust Elizabeth Scott to create an exquisite portrait of longing so palpable, I yearned for the Forbidden Boy, too. Trust her to look unflinchingly at the undercurrents beneath the ‘cracked gloss’ of friendship: loyalty and love, jealousy and hurt. The Unwritten Rule is, above all, a superb study of what it means to be authentic when what you want collides with what you cannot have.” –Justina Chen, author of North of Beautiful

“Sarah and Ryan’s relationship, with the visceral thrill of physical attraction, is beautifully captured, but it’s the delicate balance between insecure Brianna’s need to put Sarah down and Sarah’s loyalty to her needy and lonely friend that will stay with the reader. The painfully abrupt ending fits the characters and story, and will leave readers wanting more. Scott’s realistic dialogue and empathetic view of symbiotic relationships will have teens thinking she has been eavesdropping on their conversations. Romance readers will pick up this novel and discover fine, accessible writing many notches about the standard love story.” — Booklist

“Heart-wrenchingly real and brutally honest, Scott’s novel delves into the world of girl politics and love with abandon. Get ready to grow with the characters as Scott explores one of the hardest dilemmas girls face: What to do when you like your best friend”s boyfriend?” –Romantic Times

So there you have it folks. I will be reading this on March 16th how about you?

Books Read in February:

• Fallen by Lauren Kate was quite a disappointing read. I felt it was too long, it could have been edited better. The amount of pages weren’t needed for the story line. Click the link for my review.
• Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins, which I will be reviewing with a quickness when it comes out. I borrowed this copy from Alexa and the book was amazing!
• Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog, needs to be reviewed still. I did like the story and the twisty ending. Great read and twist on the changeling aspect.
• Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception by Maggie Stiefvater: wicked read. If you have read Shiver you really should give her faerie books a go. Still needs to be reviewed.
• Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater: told from James point of view. I may have even loved this better. Still on the to be reviewed.
• Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See: I co-read this with Megan from Posey Sessions. I think I liked it more than she did.
• Witch and Wizard by James Patterson: When I got over the fact that this book was marketed as a YA but really was MG I was delighted in it. I think you dystopian lovers can enjoy it as well as long as you go in with an MG mindset. Reviewed click the link.
• Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough: Will be reviewed. I loved this coming of age. It had mystery, love and family drama. Oh and magic
• Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran: Still to be reviewed. The more I read of Moran’s work the more fascinated I am with her writing style. I love her books. I have Nefertiti waiting on me. Will get to it soon.
• Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev: I thought I wasn’t going to like this when I started reading. I ended up really enjoying the premise. Review can be read by clicking the link.
• Blood Feud (The Drake Chronicles 2) by Alyxandra Harvey: Borrowed from Mitali. I am in love with the Drake Chronicles. If you haven’t read Hearts at Stake (My Love Lies Bleeding) then get to it!
• Rampant by Diana Peterfreund: This will be reviewed very soon. Probably after I finish and review Incarceron. I thought it was fantastic.
• The Sorceress by Michael Scott: I didn’t like it as much as the other two, I didn’t like the ending. I doubt I will review it. I can however say I will read 4th book coming soon.

I started on Incaraceron and am almost done. I am dying of anticipation of where this is going.

Books bought in February

• Incarceron
• Prom Nights From Hell
• Sweep
• The Silver Kiss
• The Den of Shadows Quartet
• Darkfever

For Review

• Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
• Anastasia’s Secret
• The Book of Fathers, Jenn from Devourer of Books sent this to me yay.

Library

• Shanghai Girls
• Nefertiti
• Cleopatra’s Daughter
• Peony in Love
• The Mists of Avalon
• Snow Crash
• The Merry Monarch’s Wife

We are reading Little House on the Prairie and I read it as a young child and had forgotten the comments made about Indians. My Grandmother was a Cherokee and although I am pale, I grew up near the reservation and spent loads of time there. Chilhowie directly translates to land of many deer.

Reading this to my daughter I had to stop and think about whether I should continue reading the book to her or not. Then I thought this is the perfect time to read this to her. Let’s stop every time there is something wrong with these books and talk about it. Let’s talk about why it was written this way, what has changed since then and what still needs to be changed. I am glad we made the decision not to boycott but immerse ourselves in education instead.

What I want to know is how do you handle these issues at your house?

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her “power” to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat left for her. But now that a serial killer is terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he’s claimed haunt her daily, Violet realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved by her hope that Jay’s intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she’s falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself.

If I had to sum this review up in one word, that word would be ‘refreshing’. It was pretty awesome to read a new YA that implements a creative writing style and a very interesting plot and story line. I was sent this book last year from HarperTeen, and I devoured it in one day of reading and the story and characters have stuck with me all this while.

With the imminent release I today pre-ordered my hard copy to have on my shelf. The cover art is gorgeous, there is no person, place or thing there to distract me. I got to know the characters in the book in my own way. Kimberly gives you a basis to go on and your imagination can take you on the rest of the journey.

The two main characters Violet, and Jay are so fun. Through-out the book you are practically mentally screaming at them “HE LIKES YOU VIOLET” or “SHE LIKES YOU JAY”. Violet grew up a bit traumatized from finding a body of a girl her age in the woods when she was a small child. Her family and friends looked the other way as she went into the woods behind her house hearing echos of animals and bringing them home to bury properly.

Violet can also sense an echo on the murderer. Most people have some sort of echo attached to them, the more violent the death they caused (I assume even running over a squirrel would mark you) the louder the echo becomes. So when girls start going missing, Violet takes it upon herself to find the killer by looking for their fresh and distinct echos.

The book is fast paced, very fun, as I said refreshing. If you like mysteries, a little fun romance, and a good YA read then I urge you to pick this up.

Add your own points up and leave it in the comment. The best answers to why you want to read the book will be chosen by me and then Random.org will choose the winner. Contest is open from now until next Friday.

Thanks to Kami and Margaret for the bracelet and dog tag for this contest and the charity auction.

Below are pics from the signing. I had an awesome time, these ladies know how to bring the LOL. If you live in this area author Heidi Kling will be having her release party at this same location in June!

Kami reading from the first chapter of Beautiful Creatures.

Me with Kami and Margaret.

Addie with Kami and Margaret.

1. Make a list of things you need to do, and just stop there. By making the list you have alerted yourself. You have done enough.
2. Read a book and tell yourself you have to get this book read first before you can review the other 7 you just read. I mean you have to read to review right?
3. Watch the movie of a book you recently read. Heck go on out and watch Percy and the Olympians or The Lovely Bones in the theater. Call it review research.
4. Write a quick blog like this one instead.
5. Write your own book.. and then read it.
6. Play Farmville with your book blogging buddies. (Laura is like a master farmer.)
7. Do site maintenance, comment everyone back on your blog and then go comment their blogs.
8. Cook a huge Southern dinner like Amma in Beautiful Creatures. Still book related.
9. Make a Team Gale needlepoint for Michelle
10. Meet me Thursday night at Books Inc in Palo Alto at 7 to see Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.

With a little hard work and a can do attitude you too can be a level 7 master procrastinator.