Chalice by Robin McKinley

Description:


As the newly appointed Chalice, Mirasol is the most important member of the Master’s Circle. It is her duty to bind the Circle, the land and its people together with their new Master. But the new Master of Willowlands is a Priest of Fire, only drawn back into the human world by the sudden death of his brother. No one knows if it is even possible for him to live amongst his people. Mirasol wants the Master to have his chance, but her only training is as a beekeeper. How can she help settle their demesne during these troubled times and bind it to a Priest of Fire, the touch of whose hand can burn human flesh to the bone?

Robin McKinley weaves a captivating tale that reveals the healing power of duty and honor, love and honey.

My Review:

Chalice by Robin McKinley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Mirasol is the new chalice, a position of power and unity for her country. When the new Master is called from the priests of Fire, she knows that it will not be an easy transition for all involved. But it is more difficult that she realized, especially when it is discovered that the new master can burn people with just a touch, and eyes look like burning coals. Will she be able to hold the country together, without getting burned?


This beautiful story is almost a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, with the exception of the Beast being a Fire Elemental Master who was a good person punished by his older brother to become a fire priest.


Mirasol is a quiet and reserved character that slowly develops a back bone. She is unsure that Willowland made the right decision by choosing her as the new chalice. Her doubt, though, slowly disappears and creates a wonderful internal dialogue as she discovers the truth of it all. I personally love how this character develops, where she has to make a major decision and that is... *Spoilers darling, I promise for no spoilers. :)


There is a lot of back story, and sometimes you forget that you are reading a flashback, but overall, this is a wonderful book. Just don't read it while doing other stuff, or you will get lost!!!!


Highly recommend this book!


Happy Reading!


Cana

Waiting on Wednesday: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is: 

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Description:

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

Why?

1. Ooooh, the Everneath/underworld that holds immortals who feed off of human emotions, especially despair.  Nikki is given a chance to redeem herself, and she only has 6 months before she has to go back to Everneath.  
2. Smoldering good looking immortal versus sweet mortal boy... Enough said!
3. To me, it is almost like a Persephone and Hades retelling.  And I love my Greek mythology, so I'll definitely want to read it. 
4. Look at this cover! Beautiful!  You can't seem to tell if she is appearing or disappearing.  Her dress also kind of hints again at the Greek mythology.  

So what are you waiting for?

Happy Reading!


Cana

Rain Plays Barefoot by Jennifer Steen

Description:


It's seventh grade. Uncomfortable at thirteen, Rain watches as her friends morph into 'hair-flinging gossip mines' and the pressure mounts to get 'girlie' using curling irons and make-up. Utterly sick of the table talk revolving around 'boys, boys...freaking boys everywhere...,' she privately wishes that men didn't make up half of the population, so maybe her friends would talk about something else. The only girl percussionist in her Middle School's history, she finds she's surprisingly good at something she shouldn't be, and overwhelmingly flawed at everything else


My Review:

Rain Plays Barefoot by Jennifer Steen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This delightful short story is about Rain, who is a 7th grade girl with a tomboy perspective on the world. She plays basketball, she plays the drums in a school that has never had a girl in the drumline. She is the ultimate tomboy, who doesn't get why all the other girls are acting crazy about boys. But when the boy that she has a crush on starts hinting that he likes her, she decides to go to the school dance with him. Yet, not all is as it seems.


This 18 page short story is a delightful reminder what it was like to be in middle school: The hormones that make almost every girl crazy, the stress when there is a crush or relationship, and just plain stress of middle school!


I really enjoyed this short story, and am looking forward to more of Ms. Steen's books. I recommend this for a good quick read.

Happy Reading!


Cana

Spindle's End by Robin McKinley

Description:


All the creatures of the forest and field and riverbank knew the infant was special. She was the princess, spirited away from the evil fairy Pernicia on her name-day. But the curse was cast: Rosie was fated to prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into a poisoned sleep-a slumber from which no one would be able to rouse her.


My Review:

Spindle's End by Robin McKinley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rosie was just an infant when she was whisked away from her own name day at the palace. Raised to believe that she is just a local fairy's niece, she has no idea that she is actually the princess cursed to fall into a deep sleep on her 21st birthday by pricking her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel.


In this beautiful retelling of sleeping beauty, you can't help but love Rosie (sleeping beauty), because she isn't your average fairy tale heroine. She is strong willed, course (she works in a smithy), she can talk to animals, and she is more of a tomboy than a regal princess. But you love her just as she is. Personally, I love Rosie, because she is the character I'd love to be.


The descriptions and the animals are the just one of the great reasons to read this book. You can be sure that you won't be bored, especially when you find out who the 21st fairy is... Of course, no spoilers here!


Highly recommend this book.

Happy Reading!


Cana

Over 100 Followers!!!! So Lets Celebrate With A Giveaway!

So everyone gets excited about reaching over 100 followers.  Well, I'm excited that we have reached over 100 followers as well!!!  To celebrate the joy that I am feeling for reaching this milestone, we are going to have a give away!

So here is what is up for grabs:

 

Legal stuff:

• Open to US only. The winners will be notified within 72 hours of the giveaway.  The winners will have 7 days to contact me with their address.  If no contact is made, then a new winner will be picked. 
• Winners will be picked through rafflecopter.com.  
• Giveaway runs from October 15, 2011 at 1201 am to December 3, 2011 at 1201 am.  

So just fill out the rafflecopter.com form below.  


Happy Reading (and winning)


Cana

Follow Friday (12)

Welcome to Follow Friday Hosted By Parajunkee.com andAlisoncanread.com

Q.If you could have characters from a particular book meet and form an epic storyline with characters from a particular TV series, which would you choose and why?

Oh, that is SO EASY!  I would choose Doctor Who meeting with just about ANY BOOK!  I'm a Whovian, so it can't be helped, everything comes back to the Doctor.  Really and truly though, I'd probably have the tv characters from Doctor Who (Preferably the 10th Doctor, played by the MARVELOUS David Tennant) meet with the book characters from Virals by Kathy Reich  or The Host by Stephanie Meyers.  Or just about anything else.  If you are a Whovian like myself, you know that the Doctor loves Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, Charles Dickens, and many more authors :P, so I'm sure he'd love to play along with any of them.  

 

So what would you like to see joined?




Happy Reading!


Cana

Sunshine by Robin McKinley

Description:  


Sunshine's mundane existence as the head baker at Charlie's Coffeehouse takes an unexpected turn when she drives to her grandmother's secluded summer camp. While she is taking in the scenic view of the starlit sky reflecting off the lake's calm surface, she is attacked by a gang of vampires and brought to an abandoned mansion on the far side of the lake. They strip her of her shoes, dress her in a blood-red gown, and shackle her to a wall. In the semi-darkness of the moonlit room, she realizes that a vampire is shackled next to her. After some tense moments, the two begin to talk and quickly conclude that if they don't help each other escape, they're both as good as dead.


My Review:

Sunshine by Robin McKinley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sunshine is an amazing baker for Charlie's family restaurant in New Arcadia. After the Other Wars (a war that involved wizards, vampires, ghouls, etc), the world is a completely different place. You have to watch out where you go because you can become lunch/dinner/breakfast. But that didn't matter to Sunshine. She decided she had to get away from it all, and went to the lake to relax and remember. There she is attacked by several vampires and then chained to a wall across from a very hungry vampire named Constantine. Through her natural magic, Sunshine is able to free herself and the vampire, creating a bond to destroy the vampire that kidnapped them both.


This is one of the darker books that I've read by Robin McKinley. There is very little to laugh about, very little lightheartedness in a book where death is around the corner. But that doesn't make it a bad book. Sunshine is trying to escape her father's name and magical lineage, while Constantine is trying to survive against his arch-nemesis, Bo. Together they team up in the most unlikely way, in a vampiric bond.


Sunshine's character seems to be burdened with the fact that she is a wizard's daughter, while her mother's new husband and children have no claims to magic. It is the secret that no one talks about, but it still haunts Sunshine. She is constantly questioning whether she is a danger to everyone or not. She also struggles with her attraction to Constantine (which is not always sexual), and why she saved him in the first place.


I love Constantine's character. He is so patient, never forcing the issue with Sunshine, though sometimes I think he should have.




I recommend this book, but be prepared to occasionally have to put it down because of the amount of death involved. And as always, looking forward to the next book Ms. McKinley is writing.

**Adult scenes involved.  Not appropriate for all readers.**


Happy Reading!


Cana