Book Review ⋯ Crossed

Title: Crossed
Series: Matched ⋯ Book 2
Author: Ally Condie
Pages: 367
Stars: ★★★★


Summary: In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.



Review: Slight SPOILERS AHEAD! Read on at your own risk.

Loved the book, but it took me awhile to get into it. I felt like it dragged along in some places, and I didn't like Indie because she was really shifty, especially when her and Cassia found Ky and Eli. Other than that, I thought the book was good. I loved the detail that was used when Cassia and Ky described the canyons, and the paintings, and all of the colors. I also loved how the author switched between Cassia and Ky's perspectives every chapter. I liked how we got to see into Ky's head that way. Overall, it was a great book.

My review of the first book, Matched, can be found here.

Book Review ⋯ Matched

Title: Matched
Series: Matched ⋯ Book 1
Author: Ally Condie
Pages: 369
Stars: ★★★★★


Summary: Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.


Review: I absolutely loved this book! I haven't read a dystopian in forever, so this was a refreshing change. I loved how the book was written, it made me feel like I was in a different time. The wording kinda reminded me of Victorian times, and I loved that. Another thing I loved was how grown up Cassia sounded in her thoughts and how she figured everything out. I can't say it enough, I loved this book! If it's not on your Christmas lists, it should be.

In My Mailbox {Week 4}

Title: Switched
Series: Trylle ⋯ Book 1
Author: Amanda Hocking
Pages: 293
Format: Advanced Readers' Edition
Release Date: January 3, 2012


Summary: When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - a world both beautiful and frightening, and Wendy's not sure she wants to be a part of it.

I received this book Tuesday, and I have already finished it. I loved it, and will be posting a full review soon.

Title: Ciudad de hueso (City of Bones)
Series: Cazadores De Sombras (The Mortal Instruments) ⋯ Book 1
Author: Cassandra Clare
Pages: 505
Format: Paperback


Summary: En el Pandemonium, la discoteca de moda de Nueva York, Clary sigue a un atractivo chico de pelo azul hasta que presencia su muerte a manos de tres jóvenes cubiertos de extraños tatuajes. Desde esa noche, su destino se une al de esos tres cazadores de sombras, guerreros dedicados a liberar a la tierra de demonios y, sobre todo, al de Jace, un chico con aspecto de ángel y tendencia a actuar como un idiota. (When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder—much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing—not even a smear of blood—to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare’s ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.*) 

I ordered this because I'm learning Spanish and figured reading my favorite book in Spanish might help. My review of City of Bones is here. *This is the English summary, not a translation of the Spanish summary.

Title: Magic in the Mirrorstone: Tales of Fantasy

Series: Anthology

Editor: Steve Berman

Pages: 295

Format: Hardcover

Summary: In this anthology for teen readers, fifteen best-selling and acclaimed authors--including Holly Black, Cecil Castellucci, Cassandra Clare, Eugie Foster, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, and Gregory Frost--weave all-new stories filled with magic. Comic and dark, epic and entertaining, these stories will introduce readers to the new voices of Mirrorstone beside the treasured favorites of Young Adult fantasy.

Ordered this because I ordered So Fey last week, and was looking through Steve Berman's other works.

Title: The Faery Reel: Tales from the Twilight Realm
Series: Anthology
Editors: Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling
Pages: 528
Format: Paperback


Summary: Faeries, or creatures like them, can be found in almost every culture the world over—benevolent and terrifying, charming and exasperating, shifting shape from country to country, story to story, and moment to moment. In The Faery Reel, acclaimed anthologists Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling have asked some of today’s finest writers of fantastic fiction for short stories and poems that draw on the great wealth of world faery lore and classic faery literature. This companion to the World Fantasy Award–winner and Locus bestseller The Green Man is edgy, provocative, and thoroughly magical. Like the faeries themselves.

Ordered this because I read Teeth: Vampire Tales, which was also edited by Ellen & Terri.


I also picked up Fury by Elizabeth Miles and Crossed by Ally Condie from Barnes & Noble over Black Friday, but they didn't come in the mail, so I decided not to included them fully in this post.