The Books: Winter’s Passage (Iron Fey 1.5) and Summer’s Crossing (Iron Fey 3.5) by Julie Kagawa

The Info: Both are published by Harlequin Teen; Winter’s Passage is 59 pages, while Summer’s Crossing is 72 pages; both are only available as e-books

The Summary: Winter’s Passage takes place between The Iron King and The Iron Daugher.  It’s about Ash escorting Meghan to the Winter Court.  Summer’s Crossing takes place between The Iron Queen and The Iron Knight.  It’s about Ash going to the Summer Court in order to retrieve something Titania stole from Leansidhe.

First up: Summer’s Crossing.  It was interesting to see the favor Ash had to pay back, and I liked it more than I thought I would.  Ash and Puck without Meghan?  That was interesting.  Their dynamic has always been interesting, but without Meghan?  It’s amazing they didn’t try to kill each other.  It gets a 4 out of 5.

As for Winter’s Passage, I liked it, but not as much as the rest of the series.  There was something very familiar about it, like I had read it before.  Like it was cut from The Iron Daughter or something.  I didn’t feel like it added anything to the series- it was just there.  It gets a 3 out of 5.

Book: Into The Vietnamese Kitchen by Andrea Quynhgiao Nguyen

Book Info: Published by Ten Speed Press; 352 pages; hardcover; from the library

Goodreads Summary: When author Andrea Nguyen’s family was airlifted out of Saigon in 1975, one of the few belongings that her mother hurriedly packed for the journey was her small orange notebook of recipes. Thirty years later, Nguyen has written her own intimate collection of recipes, INTO THE VIETNAMESE KITCHEN, an ambitious debut cookbook that chronicles the food traditions of her native country. Robustly flavored yet delicate, sophisticated yet simple, the recipes include steamy pho noodle soups infused with the aromas of fresh herbs and lime; rich clay-pot preparations of catfish, chicken, and pork; classic bánh mì sandwiches; and an array of Vietnamese charcuterie. Nguyen helps readers shop for essential ingredients, master core cooking techniques, and prepare and serve satisfying meals, whether for two on a weeknight or 12 on a weekend.

I really liked this cookbook.  Granted, I only made a few things from it, but what I did make, I liked.

There were a bunch of recipes I wanted to make, but didn’t have the chance to, so I’m planning on checking it out another time.  I’m not sure about the authenticity of the recipes, but honestly, I wouldn’t know the difference.

Some of the recipes looked really complicated, but after making them, they really weren’t that complicated.  There’s a lot of steps involved with some of the recipes, so they don’t seem good for weeknight cooking.

A lot of the ingredients were easy to find at the grocery store, but an Asian market would also be a good place to find the ingredients.  Probably.  I think.

My only complaint is there are not a lot of pictures.  There doesn’t have to be one for every recipe, but since this is the 1st time I’ve cooked Vietnamese food, pictures of what things are supposed to look like would be really helpful.

Overall, it gets a 4 out 5.  Things are explained pretty well, but more pictures and a better explanation of the different kinds of noodles are needed.

Book: The Line by Teri Hall

Book Info: Published by Dial; 219 pages; hardcover; from the library

Goodreads Summary: An invisible, uncrossable physical barrier encloses the United States. The Line is the part of the border that lopped off part of the country, dooming the inhabitants to an unknown fate when the enemy used a banned weapon. It’s said that bizarre creatures and superhumans live on the other side, in Away. Nobody except tough old Ms. Moore would ever live next to the Line.

Nobody but Rachel and her mother, who went to live there after Rachel’s dad died in the last war. It’s a safe, quiet life. Until Rachel finds a mysterious recorded message that can only have come from Away. The voice is asking for help.

Who sent the message? Why is her mother so protective? And to what lengths is Rachel willing to go in order to do what she thinks is right?

I’m not sure what to think of The Line.  It was interesting, but something about it was very simple.

There isn’t any resolution in the book, and everything that came up was still a mystery at the end.  I couldn’t connect with the characters or the world in which they lived because we know so little about them.  I felt like everything and everyone was just there.

The basic premise is really interesting and really cool, but it just didn’t come together.  It was also boring, and not much happened.  And the ending!  It didn’t feel like a proper ending.  It felt like someone randomly decided that’s where the book should end…almost like it was supposed to be longer.  And decided to stretch this series out as long as possible.

It gets a 2 out of 5.  The idea was cool. but the story wasn’t as good as I thought.

Book: The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

Book Info: Published by Harlequin Teen; 358 pages; paperback; from the library

Goodreads Summary: My name is Meghan Chase.

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who’s sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I’m not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.

I really like the Iron Fey series, and so far, this is my favorite book of the series.

I loved Meghan in this book, and I loved seeing her sacrifice herself in order to save the Nevernever.  One of my favorite things about this series is the fact that faeries have been given a reboot, and there’s the Iron Fey.  I thought it was interesting that Meghan had to combine her regular fairie powers and her Iron fey powers, and have it be successful.

I was surprised that Meghan and Ash were allowed to return to the Nevernever, and I have to say…I want Ash and Meghan to be together.  And they can’t, because Meghan’s the Iron Queen, and it just wouldn’t work out.  But I want it too!

I liked Razor, who reminded me of Dobby!  And Grimalkin was his usual self.  He is one of my favorite characters, and I love every scene he’s in!

I can’t wait to read the next book.  I give it a 4 out of 5!

Book: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Book Info: Published by Katherine Tegen Books; 487 pages; hardcover; from the library

Goodreads Summary: In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.

Oh.  My.  God.  This was such a hard book to put down.  I certainly get the buzz surrounding this book.  I really liked it, and it was well-paced.  It also had a lot of action, and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

I thought the idea of people focusing on one thing, like courage or intelligence or selflessness was really interesting.  I thought Roth did a great job at showing how focusing on one thing above all others can go very wrong.  You really get a sense that picking sides can be really good, really bad, or somewhere in between, and the problems that can arise when people are so focused on something that they lose sight of everything else.

I thought Tris was interesting, but I had a love-hate relationship with her.  I liked that she struggled with the faction she wanted to go with, and that she felt happy with her decision.  But she went from underdog to kick-ass heroine way too fast for me, and that didn’t feel real to me.  There were a few deaths in the book, and I just didn’t care.  It was hard to connect with a lot of characters, because I felt like I didn’t get to know any of them.

I so want to learn more about the different factions, and how they came to be.  It seems interesting, and I want to know more about them!  And the factionless!  I want to know more about them too.  I can’t wait until Insurgent comes out, because I’d really like to know where things are headed and what will happen next!

I give it a 4 out of 5!  It went by really fast, and I hope to see the characters grow more in the next book.

Book: The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott

Book Info: Published by Knopf Doubleday; 306 pages; hardcover; borrowed from the library

Goodreads Summary: Just in time for the centennial anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic comes a vivid, romantic, and relentlessly compelling historical novel about a spirited young woman who survives the disaster only to find herself embroiled in the media frenzy left in the wake of the tragedy.
 
Tess, an aspiring seamstress, thinks she’s had an incredibly lucky break when she is hired by famous designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon to be a personal maid on the Titanic’s doomed voyage. Once on board, Tess catches the eye of two men, one a roughly-hewn but kind sailor and the other an enigmatic Chicago millionaire. But on the fourth night, disaster strikes. 
 
Amidst the chaos and desperate urging of two very different suitors, Tess is one of the last people allowed on a lifeboat. Tess’s sailor also manages to survive unharmed, witness to Lady Duff Gordon’s questionable actions during the tragedy. Others—including the gallant Midwestern tycoon—are not so lucky. 
 
On dry land, rumors about the survivors begin to circulate, and Lady Duff Gordon quickly becomes the subject of media scorn and later, the hearings on the Titanic. Set against a historical tragedy but told from a completely fresh angle, The Dressmaker is an atmospheric delight filled with all the period’s glitz and glamour, all the raw feelings of a national tragedy and all the contradictory emotions of young love.

I liked this more than I expected.  I really liked that this book was about the aftermath.  It was nice to see a book about the Titanic that’s about the aftermath, because I feel like a lot of books would focus on what happened onboard.

It’s not something you really think about it, is it?  I mean, when I hear Titanic, I think sinking ship and horrible disaster.  But I never really thought about what happened after it sunk.  I didn’t know that there were hearings after the Titanic sank, so I definitely want to learn more about that.  I liked that Alcott chose to write her version of the events that unfolded after the Titanic sank.

I didn’t like Lady Duff Gordon at all, and Alcott did a wonderful job of making her unlikeable.  Tess was irritating at times, but you also see a woman who wants to start over and get a chance to become a seamstress.  You see a lot of characters who made decisions that are later questioned in the hearings.  It really makes you think about what you would do, and that everything is not always in black and white.

It was pretty fast-paced, and Alcott did a good job with keeping things moving. The characters were interesting, there was a lot of detail, and fact and fiction were hard to tell apart.

It was an enjoyable read, and I give it a 4 out of 5.

Book: The Adoration Of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson

Book Info: Published by Henry Holl And Co; 266 pages; Hardcover; borrowed from the library

Goodreads Summary: Who is Jenna Fox? Seventeen-year-old Jenna has been told that is her name. She has just awoken from a coma, they tell her, and she is still recovering from a terrible accident in which she was involved a year ago. But what happened before that? Jenna doesn’t remember her life. Or does she? And are the memories really hers? 

This was a really interesting book.  It definitely gets into the ethics of science and where to draw the line.  You can’t help but wonder where to draw the line and how far is too far.

It’s a fairly linear story, but at the same time, there’s something about it that’s non-linear.  You see Jenna learn things and remember things, and you’re never sure who you can trust.

I liked that Pearson didn’t take a side.  You have Jenna, who, in essence, is illegal.  But you also have her friend Allys, who thinks that artifical life is unethical.

But it’s not just about Jenna and the fact that she’s now considered illegal.  It’s also about who she is as a person, finding your identity and relationships between parent and child.  I like that she tries to be perfect, because she tries so hard to make them happy and proud of her.  I think it’s something we can all relate to.

In a way, it reminded me of Unwind by Neal Shusterman.  Both deal with where to draw the line and when enough is enough.

My only complaint is the epilogue.  She lives a good, long life- the epilogue is 260 years later, and while certain things are brought up, it feels as though the ethics thing is never truly resolved.  It just doesn’t fit, and felt out of place.

I give it a 4 out of 5.  It makes you think, but like I said, the epilogue felt a little out of place.

Book: The City Of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

Book Info: Published by Yearling; 270 pages; paperback; Source: from the library

Goodreads Summary: The city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. Two hundred years later, the great lamps that light the city are beginning to flicker. When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she’s sure it holds a secret that will save the city. She and her friend Doon must decipher the message before the lights go out on Ember forever! This stunning debut novel offers refreshingly clear writing and fascinating, original characters.

This is an interesting book.  I liked the plot, but something about this book fell flat for me.

It was very simple and straightfoward.  There was a lot of mystery, but at the same time, the mystery felt very obvious.  Somethingh about it was dumbed down, and it is definitely aimed for the really young end of young adult.

I liked the city of Ember, but that was really about it.  There were a few things that were hard to believe.  Like when Lina’s grandma dies and Lina didn’t seem to really care that she died.  Or the fact that she didn’t seem to care about her younger sister.  Oh, and in 2oo+ years, no one has really tried to get out of the city?  Seriously?  Anyway, the characters weren’t very interesting, and no one was particularly interesting.

Overall, it was just okay.  I give it a 2 out of 5- it’s a simplistic story, and I felt like it was dumbed down a little.

Book: Fire by Kristin Cashore

Book Info: Published by Dial; 461 Pages; Hardcover; Source: from the library

Goodreads Summary: She is the last of her kind…

It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. In King City, the young King Nash is clinging to the throne, while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. War is coming. And the mountains and forest are filled with spies and thieves. This is where Fire lives, a girl whose beauty is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of everyone around her. 

After reading Graceling, I thought I would read Fire, the 2nd book in the series.

Quite honestly, I was bored.  Nothing particularly interesting happened, and while the world-building was good, the story felt a little convoluted.  Things didn’t really make sense to me, and Cashore didn’t really explain things.  Fire is half-human and half-monster, and is really attractive.  But…some people want to kill her and others want to sleep with her.  It seemed a little weird.  Oh, and she needs a guard when it’s that time of month because it makes her even more attractive?  How on earth did Cashore come up with an idea like that?

While it was nice to see another part of the world that Graceling took place in, it didn’t have the same charm that Graceling did.  Actually, there are a lot of similarities between Graceling and Fire.  It’s almost like they’re the same book, just with different characters and a different world.

The prologue was great, but unfortunately, it went downhill from there.  Things mentioned in the beginning randomly showed up in the book.  Like Leck, a character introduced in the prologue.  He randomly shows up halfway through, only to disappear again.

I didn’t really like any of the characters.  Fire was obnoxious, especially because she felt sorry for herself.  She was pretty bratty, and I’m not entirely sure if we’re supposed to love her or if we’re supposed to hate her.

Overall, it gets a 2 out 5.  It was okay, and the world was cool and interesting.  It’s just too bad the characters weren’t so interesting.