Etiquette & Espionage

Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School #1)

by Gail Carriger

3 stars

307 pages
Published Feb. 5, 2013 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

 
After reading Gail Carriger's adult Parasol Protectorate books, I thought I'd give her YA ones a try. This one didn't disappoint, although there was a bit less adventure contained within its pages. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing, characters, and the plot. Mostly the writing. Exquisite vocabulary usage.

Completely YA appropriate - no swearing, sex or other ickiness. I may be checking out the next in the series.

Heartless

Heartless (Parasol Protectorate #4)

by Gail Carriger

3 stars

385 pages

Published July 1st 2011 by Orbit

 

A solid fourth performance by Gail Carriger. I love these books! The wit, the charm, the manners! 

So why did I rate this only 3 stars? Unfortunately, the story was weak. The plot thin. In my view, the book only acted as a bridge to the next book in the series.

Yet, that major flaw was oddly easy to overlook because Carriger's writing style is so entertaining and engaging. Her vocabulary is incredibly extensive. After reading a few chapters, I always feel smarter!

I will read the next book in the series.

Blameless

Blameless (Parasol Protectorate #3)

by Gail Carriger

4.5 stars

374 pages

Published Sept. 1, 2010 by Orbit

I can't get enough of this fabulous series! The writing is plain fantastic, and the repartee between characters is witty and whip-smart. Pull out your dictionaries, people, because Carriger sure can use her huge vocabulary for literary hilarity! There are too many great quotes to choose from.

The pacing was fast. The plot well-defined and action-packed. No swearing, and only half a page of sexiness.

The only reason I docked a half star is that the whole explanation on what exactly the kid is going to be and why the Templars were interested in the whole situation was a mite confusing.

Thank you, Gail Carriger, for writing a series that uses an extensive vocabulary - there's no dumbing down for this author!

I can't wait to get my hands on the next book!

Sisters Red

Sisters Red (Fairytale Retellings #1)

by Jackson Pearce 

3 stars

328 pages

Published June 7, 2010, by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

I finished this book a couple of days ago, and the more I think about it, the more I am not thrilled with it, but I'll still give it 3 stars - I'm feeling generous.
Why the underwhelming feeling? It's the ending. The whole book rocks (hence the 3 stars) - until the last 25 pages or so. Great action, decent pacing (sometimes it gets slow), character development is pretty strong, plot is intriguing.
The whole book revolves around answering the question: Who is the Potential? And once that question is answered, things come to a head. Exciting, exciting, exciting. What will happen?? But then ... nuttin'. The whole denouement was a bait and switch for me - a Just Kidding resolution. It was not organic. It didn't flow or even match the pacing and style of the rest of the book. Even the Epilogue wasn't very good. Everything that the epilogue told us about what the sisters were doing after the end of the main story was completely opposite of what the whole book taught us about the personalities and thinking of the sisters.
Also, the blurb on the back of the book says that there was "a sizzling romance" contained inside. Meh. I didn't see it. There was a love story - but it wasn't developed well.
There is some unnecessary strong swearing. The f-bomb is dropped a few times - I guess to give the story more of an urban, gritty feel. No sex, which was nice. Also, it was pretty dark and twisty and had some gory parts.
I'm not sure I will read any more by Jackson Pearce.

Changeless (Parasol Protectorate #2)

Changeless (Parasol Protectorate #2)

by Gail Carriger

4.5 stars

I am always happy to deviate from my usual YA books for this adult fiction series.

Why?

The writing is like nothing I've ever read before. Fantastic and colorful vocabulary is used to describe the most normal things. My favorite quote in the book is from Ivy: "Has something untoward happened? Everyone is gesticulating!" That line made me laugh out loud! All the characters are fabulously written. It is difficult to choose my favorite. I love them all!

The repartee between Lady and Lord Maccon is clever, witty and just plain fun to read. You can tell that the two characters are truly in love.

But don't think that these books belong in the Romance category. Oh, no. They are firmly in ... well, a few genres. Paranormal and Mystery, obviously. But there is some Steampunk and Mary Poppins, too. It's such a wonderful and imaginative combination of genres; it just works.

There is little to no swearing, a touch of sex and some of the characters swing the other way.

Can't wait to read No. 3!

The Reckoning (Darkest Powers Trilogy #3)

The Reckoning (Darkest Powers Trilogy #3)

by Kelley Armstrong

2 stars

What a disappointing ending to a series that had such potential.
What was the point of the changing colors of the crystal? Where had Mr. Bae been all that time? Didn't he ever try and get in touch with his sons? What about Chloe's dad? What about her mom?
Is Rae really gone with her mother? What happened there? What a sloppy end to a character's story.
Too many questions left unanswered. Too many plot lines dropped.

The Awakening (Darkest Powers Trilogy #2)

The Awakening (Darkest Powers Trilogy #2)

by Kelley Armstrong 

3 stars

 
A solid, yet somewhat uninspired sequel to The Summoning. It had just enough action and plot to keep me reading and ultimately to pick up the last book in the trilogy.
Still no swearing - yay! - and just the inkling of a beginning of a love story. Nothing too distracting.

Soulless (Parasol Protectorate #1)

Soulless (Parasol Protectorate #1)

by Gail Carriger 

4 stars

 
I'm not sure what genre to put this in ... paranormal for sure, but it also is a mystery, with steampunk and romance overtures and a dash of Mary Poppins. Definitely a fresh take. I enjoyed it quite a lot.
There are a few over-written sexy scenes, but if you can skim, the rest of the book is really quite good. I'm a sucker for a good, strong female protagonist.
Will be reading the next in the series!

The Summoning (Darkest Powers Trilogy #1)

The Summoning (Darkest Powers Trilogy #1)

by Kelley Armstrong

 4 stars

The Sixth Sense meets Goonies. This is pure paranormal kids vs. adults. A nice change of pace. And there are some scary parts - one in particular - that was great! And without much of a love story! Or swearing of any kind!
Engaging writing, decent character development, and correct pacing combine to make this very readable. I've already got my eye on the next book.
What a great find.