Of Duty, Love, & War

Legacy (Legacy Series Book 1) by Cayla Kluver

Duty-bound to wed her father’s choice in successor to the  throne, Princess Alera of Hytanica believes that she is being forced into the worst of all possible fates—a marriage to the arrogant and hot-tempered suitor, Steldor. When a mysterious boy from enemy Cokyri appears bearing secrets and an entirely different view of what's appropriate behavior for a young lady, Alera learns that her private desires threaten to destroy the kingdom. When Narian’s shocking past comes to light, Alera finds herself in a shadowy world of palace intrigue and ancient blood feuds, facing an uncertain future with dwindling options—and must learn to decide between right and wrong all alone.


Alera is a princess that actually wants to rule her kingdom. Which is a nice change from the usual princess who hates her life story. Alera's only problem is that her father is dead set on her marriage by her eigtheenth birthday. It seems she'll be forced to marry Steldor until a boy from her country's sworn enemy shows up and they have embark on a whirlwind romance. Alera was a good character but for me, some of the other characters stole the show. I was drawn to the characters that kept surprising me with their personality and traits. Alera was Alera, I was never left in shock or bewilderment at something she said or did- which is not a bad thing. All I'm saying is that to me while Alera was the main character, she wasn't my favorite character.

Of Afterworlds, Unrelenting Love, & Hidden Evils

Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Can there truly be love after death?

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, Hereafter is a sensation you won't want to miss.

All I can say is AWWW. Hereafter by Tara Hudson is so cute it's ridiculous. It's the sweetest romance but the twist is that the heroine (and she is truly heroic) is a GHOST!! OMG stop the presses! You're probably thinking,,"what's this crazy person talking about?" Well, let me explain. The main character's name is Amelia Ashley, she's eighteen, and she's super beautiful. She tries to save Joshua Mayhew, the sweet boy-next-door type guy, who's like super hot! Now, the twist comes in because Amelia is dead and Joshua isn't. So, basically they are having this Casper the Friendly Ghost and Wendy moment the entire story!  Amazing isn't it. 

Of Love, Murder, & Madness

Across the Universe

by Beth Revis

"Erases genre boundaries with a murder mystery, a budding romance, and a dystopian world"

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone—one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship—tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn’t do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now, Amy is caught inside an enclosed world where nothing makes sense. Godspeed's passengers have forfeited all control to Eldest, a tyrannical and frightening leader, and Elder, his rebellious and brilliant teenage heir.

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Amy must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there’s only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

Amy and Her Parents Are Cryogenically Frozen

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awake on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into a brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Okay so I have to give props to Ms. Revis for writting a Harry-Potter-sized book that is set in outer space. That is pure genius. The plot had me thinking I knew the culprit then doubting myself, so that was pretty legit as well. Plus, Ms. Revis gets brownie points for making the book a two persepective story because, if you don't know already, those stories are pretty awesome.

Within a Magic Box Delivered by the UPS Man

So, as we all know Gilbert won Ann Mauren's: 

Ellery-Style Prize Pack

She received it from the fantastic UPS man (who she missed coming to her house :(...) yesterday evening and literally tore into it! 

in the bag: the book, book business cards, swedish fish,
blogger's guide, hot pink flash drive (with a letter from Ash),
an extremely sweet card with picture of Ann, Jerry (her husband),
and her cute kiddies, melted (but now solid) chocolate,
and a mystery smelling bath bomb

She didn't find a chocolatey explosion like she and Ann thought, but her chocolate was melted and had to be center to the emergency room in the freezer to salvage any of its chocolatey goodness. The only thing that had chocolate on it was her Blogger's Guide to the Mayne Attraction. 

do you see the little bit of chocolate by my finger?

I couldn't stop smiling! I was so freaked out when I saw this shiny box on my doorstep and then I was growling at the box because I couldn't get it open fast enough! LOL! I'm so excited about everything in the box and I can tell how much thought and effort was put into it because of every little note Ann placed on this or that in the box. Ann is a great person and I love her...Gomez and I joke that she's my author-bestie. But really she's someone I respect because of her hard work and dedication to her work and the people who read her books. 

Anyway, thanks Ann for all the fantastic things and the really sweet card. I'll cherish all of your gifts forever...or until I eat them or something along those lines. Then, I'll have the pictures for my memories :).

Here's Gilbert thanking Ann Mauren for her awesome prize! 

Of Rings, Royalty, & Pickpocketing

The Faerie Ring  by Kiki Hamilton

The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring belongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and the realm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group of faeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic and blood—Tiki’s blood.

Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched—and protected—by Rieker, a fellow thief who suspects she is involved in the disappearance of the ring. Rieker has secrets of his own, and Tiki is not all that she appears to be. Her very existence haunts Prince Leopold, the Queen’s son, who is driven to know more about the mysterious mark that encircles her wrist.

Prince, pauper, and thief—all must work together to secure the treaty…

So let me just say that if this book was a cookie it would be one of those fresh out the oven gooey chocolate chip cookies that you consume in like two bites. In other words, I really, REALLY enjoyed reading The Faerie Ring. 

Warning: Spoilers below

 (because I HAVE to talk about my adoration of this book and plot censoring is now beyond my capacity)

Of Greek Tragedy, Love, & Family

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini


How do you defy destiny?


Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.


As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.




*Thud* *thud* *thud* *sobbing* WHY!!!!!!????!!!! What do I do to deserve this torment? Why must I be tortured by wonderful books that  leave me with cliffhangers and unanswered questions that won't be answered for years?! Is this  pay back for not having to wait for Harry Potter and trying to read a whole series once it came out??? Ugh. I think I'm cursed.


No I think WE are cursed because it always happens....but mostly its my fault for telling you to read them. Sorry Gomez but they are just to good to keep to myself and you know it. When I told Gomez about this book I just vaguely described the end because I know how she gets. It's like attack of the Gomez Monster and I'm the victim. LOL. But, she can never say that she doesn't love anything I say is amazing, especially this book.

Of a Cover Reveal

So to all the Iron Fey series fans, the time has come to reveal the cover to The Iron Knight, which shall be released in October 2011. 


But, this isn't it! Julie will be revealing the back cover on June 15th. So be on the look out for that! 


Leave a comment about what you think of the cover. 


Thanks! :)


- Gilbert & Gomez

Of Secret Friendships, Court Loyalties, & the Ultimate Prank

Summer's Crossing 
by Julie Kagawa

A novella told by Puck

A Midsummer's Nightmare? Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Summer Court prankster, King Oberon's right hand, bane of many a faery queen's existence—and secret friend to Prince Ash of the Winter Court. Until one girl's death came between them, and another girl stole both their hearts.

Now Ash has granted one favor too many and someone's come to collect, forcing the prince to a place he cannot go without Puck's help—into the heart of the Summer Court. And Puck faces the ultimate choice—betray Ash and possibly win the girl they both love, or help his former friend turned bitter enemy pull off a deception that no true faery prankster could possibly resist.

***If you haven't read The Iron Queen, do not, I repeat DO NOT read this post***

So, I just read Julie Kagawa's novella that shows a peek of what the dynamic duo, Ash and Puck, shall face on the rode to being with Meghan. We all know that in the last book, The Iron Queen, Meghan Chase, our heroine, became the Queen of the Iron fey, leaving Ash, her love, and Puck, her best friend, behind. The book ends with Ash thinking of his plan to be with Meghan no matter what (aww.) and Puck saying he is tagging alone for the fun (typical Robin)! Well, being the nice person she is, Julie decided to make a little novella for us so that we aren't to stressed about The Iron Knight, which will be coming out in the fall of this year. And, to top it all off, it is told by our trusty friend Robin Goodfellow (AHHHH so much awesomeness I can't even describe)!*COUGH*He's WAY better than Ash*COUGH*