Tuesday 24 December 2013

Teaser Tuesday: World After by Susan Ee

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

World After by Susan Ee.

World After – Skyscape

My sister’s face changes instantly from a blank slate to a growling animal as she snaps at the man. Her razor-grafted teeth flash as she moves, emphasizing the threat.
— Chapter 1

Paige and I are used to being stared at. I would just ignore it while Paige always smiled at the gawkers from her wheelchair. They almost always smiled back. Paige’s charm was hard to resist.
Once upon a time.
— Chapter 2

This series has the main title Penryn and the End of Days and considering the feeling one currently gets while entering the vicinity of any shopping outlet (or just attempting travel, but that might just be me – I have seriously bad karma when it comes to trains) I found this oddly fitting. Not because of the post-apocalyptic scenario, it has not come this far ... I hope. But the contrast of these angels with the angel-stores that are also in high demand at this time of year. I’m not very far into this second book at the moment but I hope that it will pick up a little on the plot side and clear up a few holes I noticed in book one. I think this could be a great scenario as the narration itself is already very good. There are only a few plot issues that could have used as little smoothing in book one, but maybe they’ll be covered in this second book. The beginnig makes me very optimistic that I’ll enjoy this.

This will be my last regular post of 2013 ... I’ll hopefully find the time during the holidays for a recap/best-of list like last year. In the meantime, let me wish you all a very merry Christmas if you celebrate it. Have a great week and please share what you are reading in the comments.

Tuesday 17 December 2013

Teaser Tuesday: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown –
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

The Ten Most Important Things To Bring To Coldtown

1. Cash and lots of it. You can barter for lots of things inside, but cash is still the most important tool for bribing guards and getting what you want. You’ve been saving up, right? Bring every last penny. It’s not like you’re coming back.
...
10. A buddy. Trust me, you’ll need one.
— Chapter 14



I promised myself a treat for my Christmas break. And then I decided to take a peek and see if there were any teasers to share within the first few pages. There would have been. I could have teased you from here to Sunday, but that would have meant putting down the book. This is a forced break at the beginning of chapter 14 because it’s a break in the narration as well and it also shows what you can expect from this book. I adore Holly Black’s writing and as you can see it sucked (pun sort of intended) me right in. Other people might suffer from insomnia, but I don’t think I’m fooling anyone.

Most likely this won't last until Christmas ... it’ll be a miracle if I don’t finish this by tomorrow. Share your teasers in the comments, I’ll be in need of something to last me on a 7+ hour train journey on Saturday. Happy Tuesday, and best wishes for your pre-Christmas week.

Tuesday 10 December 2013

Teaser Tuesday: Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier.

Emerald Green –
Henry Holt and Co.

“The ground will soak up your blood!”
I had at least two smart retorts to these sinister words on the tip of my tongue. (Soak up my blood? Oh, come off it, this is a tiled floor.)
— Chapter 1

“Swear by your lives!”
Aunt Maddy was the only one to jump up and put her hand enthusiastically on her heart. The others were still hesitating. “Can’t we swear by anything else?” grumbled Lesley. “I’d have thought our left hands would do.”
— Chapter 4


There aren’t many translated books in English, especially not children’s books. I suppose one of the reasons is that English has such a high number of quality authors that publishers don’t feel the need to look for great stories in other markets. This is one of the few instances where a foreign book series was so persistent in wanting to get noticed that it somehow did. And translated by none other than Anthea Bell, no less (I’m book nerd enough to get excited about translators).So I actually got to read this final book in the Precious Stone trilogy a while ago, but this is one of the series I like to go back to and skim read for favourite scenes. And I dare you to read this and not want a pet gargoyle demon afterwards.

How are you holding up before Christmas? Have you met your reading goal for this year yet? Let’s hear from you in the comments and share your teasers for this week.

Tuesday 3 December 2013

Teaser Tuesday: The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead.

The Fiery Heart – Razorbill

“You’ve got a fortune here. This is platinum. Sell these and you’d have allowance for life. And all the records you want.”
“I’d sleep in a cardboard box before I sold those.”
— Chapter 1

“When he realized he couldn’t eat me, he got enraged and tried to snap my neck—but then I got a fireball out on him.” There was a gleam in her eye as she spoke, as though she were seeing the battle play out in front of her.
— Chapter 4


Maybe it’s because I’m sitting here in a cosy sweater and close to negative degrees outside, but I’m at the moment especially jealous of the Palm Spings setting. I can’t really be jealous of Sydney though, because even though she finally got the guy (or did  he get her?) she now has to struggle with her younger sister on top of everything else. This book seems to have a lot of Adrian chapters, which I hope will make him more relatable while not dispel the mysterious allure of him. So far I like being in his head and seeing his more vulnerable side. I liked him as a character in the Vampire Academy series (not as a partner for Rose, mind you) and I think he’s got some great character potential.

Would you rather see a story from both protagonists’ points of view or remain in the dark about the thoughts of one of them? Let’s hear from you in the comments and please share your teasers.

Tuesday 26 November 2013

Teaser Tuesday: The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa.

The Iron Traitor –
Harlequin Teen

When Keirran went back into the Nevernever, I knew I hadn’t seen the last of him. Still, I had no idea how entangled my life would soon become with his, and how he would be the catalyst…for the end of everything.
— Chapter 1

A thin, pale figure stood a few yards away, perched atop the wooden privacy fence surrounding the lot, silhouetted against the night sky. He stood in profile so that he faced me from the side, and one large, pale eye peered down at me from a narrow face.
— Chapter 8


Who doesn’t love a world-dooming prophecy to set the tone for a book series? Me, that’s who. Well, not really true ... because if it weren’t for that prophecy there wouldn’t be any Call of the Forgotten books to continue the story of a certain former winter prince (and his queen, of course) even if they’re mostly pretty decoration. The new cast is quite acceptable as well and I enjoyed the first book a lot. Maybe not as much as the original series, but I’m curious enough about the fate of the Nevernever and its inhabitants to keep reading. And dang it, I hope that prophecy is just you messing with your readers, Julie Kagawa! I like mind-bending prophecies quite a bit (hence my love for anything Percy Jackson), but at the moment I don’t see how this isn’t spiralling towards said “end of everything”.

What’s your take on prophecies in books? Do you try to figure them out before you continue reading or do you let the plot come at you? Share your thoughts and teasers in the comments.