Teaser Tuesday: A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
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!

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas.

A Court of Wings and Ruin –
Bloomsbury Children’s Books

She complained that I was flying deliberately slow. So I went fast.
— Chapter 24

My knife clattered to the stones and snow. And I looked into the mirror.
— Chapter 68

Is there a limit on potentially soul-crushing books you can read in a row? Seeing that this is the third book in the series and somewhat of a break (although there are three more books to come) I was slightly optimistic that the end wouldn’t completely destroy me. However, before you get to that end there are 700 pages where you can convince yourself that everything is about to go to hell. Repeatedly. I loved the second book in this series so much and have re-read passages of it over and over, so the bar for this was incredibly high and I don’t blame the book that it doesn’t quite (in my opinion) live up to its precursor. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a great, amazing, breathtaking read, but that one final ingredient that would make it magical is somehow missing. And I couldn’t even tell you what would be needed to make it so. Maybe A Court of Mist and Fury just broke the mold.
Anyway, back to the everything is going to hell part: I’m in awe of the author who can set up a scenario where you care so much about the fate of a fictional world that you constantly worry about it when you can’t read about it (pesky real life again getting in the way of reading time). And the real art is giving glimpses of hope in this horror scenario that then turn out to be spinning everything even closer to total destruction.
It would always have been too early for me to let go of this cast of characters, but I hope that in the books to come they won’t be completely absent. I am wondering though about the significance of certain fighting characters because what happens when such ancient beings with arguably important roles suddenly cease to be able to participate in the running of the world? (Vague enough?)

We’re almost at the exact halfway point of the year, how is your reading pile shaping up? Do you tend to read more or less in the second half of the year? Share your observations and teasers in the comments.

Teaser Tuesday: Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
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!

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare.

Lord of Shadows –
Margaret K. McElderry Books

We fear things because we value them. We fear losing people because we love them. We fear dying because we value being alive. Don’t wish you didn’t fear anything. All that would mean is that you didn’t feel anything.
— Chapter 7

I think you cannot root out love entirely. I think where there has been love, there will always be embers, as the remains of a bonfire outlast the flame.
— Chapter 20

Since this is a second book in a series I won’t say anything about the plot, because everything – and I mean everything – is a potential spoiler that’s how complex and intricately connected all of it is. Sort of blink and you miss a reference. But I will say this: If there was a possibility to safeguard my heart by keeping it outside my body while reading, I would do it. If Cassie Clare gets any better at what she does, she will obliterate me in one of her next books. And while we’re on the topic of obliteration: The word cliffhanger called and says it no longer wants to be associated with Shadowhunter books and will send its older brother suicidal free falling to take on the job. I know that things have to get worse before they get better in these books, but there is worse and there is traumatised-rocking-in-the-corner worse.
It’s been said before that you don’t need to have read all series to understand the others, but I’m completely in love with the glimpses and allusions to the other beloved characters and the glimpses into their lives. Yet at the same time that also means they are not safe. And that is one aspect that really has me worried. Yes, I want to know how they are faring, but at the same time I realise that also means in this world they will remain in danger. The same would be true if their book simply ended and I never heard of them again from a logical aspect yet this feels more immediate. Please, please, please let that one vision not be a literal one ...
And now it’s going to be an almost impossibly long wait for the final book, because Cassie is writing others before it. Perfect for coming up with ever more intricate doomsday scenarios fed by information added through the Queen of Suspense and Foreshadowing. So don’t mind me while I’m hurtling through empty space and try to come to terms with what happened. If there is one thing you need to be aware of with these books, it’s that you shouldn’t let your guard down (or let that treacherous hope off the leash) until the book is over. Seriously, this is at least the second time Cassie has done this to me on the last few pages.

What is the last book that has emotionally devastated you? Were you prepared for it or has it blindsided you? Share experiences and teasers in the comments!

Teaser Tuesday: The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
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 Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

The Problem with Forever –
Harlequin Teen

“You have the power over that. People can say crap. They can think whatever they want, but you control how you feel about it”
— Chapter 17

Forever wasn’t real.
And I guessed, for me, that I was lucky it wasn’t. But for others, I wished it was real, that they had forever.
— Chapter 35

Didn’t we all have that one kid in our class, who could have been nicknamed mouse for all they ever said? Or maybe we were the ones on the silent side? Most quiet kids have their reasons for being like that. Sometimes it’s shyness and sometimes it’s for protection and sometimes it is something completely unfathomable. Whatever the reason it’s always worth it to listen when these people have something to say even if it’s not always easy to coax it out of them.
Jennifer L. Armentrout has a talent for writing very engaging romances and adventure types, but she’s also proven that she can construct compelling realistic stories as well. This book has quite a few elements from the problem-spectrum as I like to call it (like unhappy childhoods due to money struggles or abuse or alcohol problems ...), but it manages them quite well and in addition to that also creates a capturing scenario of character development and (because it wouldn’t be a Jennifer Armentrout book without it) a very sweet love story. Add to that her trademarked charm and witty dialogues and you have what I think is one of the author’s best books to date.

Are you a person to break the silence or more a silence is golden type? Share your thoughts and teasers in the comments!

Teaser Tuesday: We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
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!

We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach.

We All Looked Up –
Simon & Schuster BFYR

“Believe what you want, man.”
“What I believe is that you shouldn’t waste your potential flipping burgers?”
— Page 30

“I mean, aren’t we supposed to care about stuff other than just dances and football? Could we maybe try to do one thing that actually matters in the real world?”
— Page 59

Books in general and YA in particular loves to play in extremes and what if scenarios. And which scenario could be more extreme and question-provoking as the possible end of the world combined with the total annihilation of humanity? If today you and everyone else received the message that in two months’ time an asteroid is likely going to hit the planet and possibly going to destroy it? And not in the sense that it will be really close and then pass by at a distance that seems vast to anyone who isn’t usually calculating in light years and suddenly has to think in something as puny as kilometres – a literal light blip.
What this book does splendidly is impress upon its reader this immediacy. You can’t avoid wondering if two months are enough to change, to rethink, to experience ... to live. Not if you like most people think that you have that much more time.
I haven’t read enough of it yet that I can weigh in on the discussion about this book’s overall quality, but I know that the author has a very distinct style of writing and some very interesting word choices. And yeah, the cover is pretty cool in making you look really closely for the title. What a pity that I found it spine out in the bookshop where the letters are infinitely bigger.

The obvious question would involve asking what you would do if the world was set to end in a blast in two months (as opposed to slowly fading away). And I think I’ll go for the obvious today. Share your thoughts and teasers in the comments.

Teaser Tuesday: Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
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!

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor.

Strange the Dreamer – Little,
Brown Books for Young Readers

It was impossible, of course.
But when did that ever stop any dreamer from dreaming?
— Chapter 2

The end of wondering, he thought, but not of wonder. That was just beginning. He was certain of it.
— Chapter 15

This is not a one sitting book, at least not for me.Not because it is stale or hard to read or anything, but simply because it is filled with a language that demands to be appreciated, to be savoured, to be absorbed. This also doesn’t mean that one sitting reads aren’t beautifully written, just ... I can’t really explain it. Anyway, so far this hasn’t been the action laden adventure, but I’m only about a third into the story and there has already been enough drama and intrigue to more than make up for it. There is quite a bit of unfairness that is heartbreaking to read and to imagine.
As an avowed language-nerd I love the words Laini Taylor invents. There are words in foreign languages that express a complete complex concept or feeling and I always find them extremely fascinating. Like the Welsh word cynefin, which has no direct English translation. And the idea that there is for example a god so petty who if the offerings aren’t adequate grants your heart’s deepest wish to someone else, possibly your very nemesis. Wouldn’t that be horrible and awesome (in every sense of the word)?
Laini Taylor is a master wordsmith and I can’t wait to see where her magic will take me next. At the moment I’m in the middle of a hostile desert with fantastic, horrific beasts. And on the way to a fearsome, foreign city with a mythical problem and mysterious inhabitants. It’s a wonderfully exciting adventure.

Do you know a foreign word that has no known translation but which expresses a whole sentence in one word? Share loved words and teasers in the comments.

Teaser Tuesday: The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
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 Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan.

The Dark Prophecy –
Disney Hyperion

“I volunteer for death!” I shouted.
The entire mob turned to look at me. I silently cursed my choice of words.
— Chapter 3

Ever since, I had lived in terror, wondering when and how the spirit of the Styx would punish me. Perhaps, instead of a grand moment of retribution, it would be a slow death by a thousand insults. How often could a music god hear that he had a decent voice before he crumbled into a self-loathing pile of dust?
— Chapter 15

Remember how I said that I miss Percy Jackson? While that is still true I won’t deny and his  that a certain former god and his (not always happy about it) friends are also very dear to me. But then again, Rick Riordan could quite possibly write about the mating habits of sea cucumbers and make it an adventure ... as you may recall I’m a history and mythology nerd (gasp now I’m telling you) and easily amused by ouns and clever allusions. Case in point was my discovery of the software “Nero burning ROM” (about a hundred years ago) ... it took ages for my poor friend to decipher my giggle fit.
Anyway, what’s with the ostriches on that cover you might ask and rightfully so, but I must tell you that these combat ostriches are not to be trifled with. Nor is their ... master, I suppose. But then again whenever this historical figure is mentioned I picture Joaquin Phoenix in Gladiator and suddenly think that maybe we was just misunderstood. For a while and then he went off the deep end so basically what is also told about him here. Might be some truth in that.
Special love, of course, for the haikus. And several other things that I can’t really get into unless I spoil the series and we really wouldn’t want that. I think there’s a little too much monster vaporising (very sensitive word for the fighting business), but I’m possibly also looking at this askepct a tad too much at the moment due to some other ongoing discussions.

How sensitive are you to descriptions of fights in books? Do you try to avoid them or would you say they don’t really affect you? Share your thoughts and teasers in the comments!

Teaser Tuesday: Royal Tour by Amy Alward

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
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!

Royal Tour by Amy Alward.

Royal Tour – Simon & Schuster

‘I don’t think it was that bad ...’
The tone of her voice doesn’t do anything to reassure me.
— Chapter 3

Finally, I hear the sound I’ve been waiting for. The flapping of wings in the sky.
‘Oh my god, what is that?’ asks Anita, her head tilted up to the sky.
‘You don’t want to know,’ I say.
— Chapter 52

This series is so cute! Fluff and sugar, a fun quick read with humour and witty dialogue. And not at all vapid or senseless. I was more than pleasantly surprised with the first book in this series, so I knew that I could expect an entertaining read with this added level of adventure and criminological puzzles. And the stakes are even higher in this second book. I especially love that we’re getting to see a little more of this fantastical world and I enjoyed the exploration aspect. While second books are in danger of suffering from a sort of bad patch within a series this one nicely managed to maintain the first book’s quality.
The first book had a slight cliffhanger, but this one? Let’s just say that there definitely needs to be a next book and I would very much like to have it sooner rather than later. And maybe, just maybe Sam and Zain will finally be able to go on their normal date?

Can you name a second book in a series that was exactly right and didn’t suffer sequel syndrome? Share well-made continuations of first books you enjoyed and your teasers in the comments!

Teaser Tuesday: Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
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!

Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken.

Wayfarer –
Disney Hyperion

“It’s rather remarkable, you know, the resemblance between the two of you. Uncanny, even.”
“Yeah, I didn’t miss the folks in the hall who crossed themselves when they saw me.
— Chapter 7

“My mother met that woman and they both survived it?”
One corner of his mouth twitched, and the parts of her that were still raw, and awkward – and, worse – unsure, eased. “I never said they emerged unscathed.”
— Chapter 8

I was a little afraid of this book simply because its precursor casts such a huge shadow and immediately occupied a spot on my favourite books of 2016 list ... in the first week of January. For several reasons I wasn’t able to read this second and final book upon its publication, but now I feel that it was well worth to wait for uninterrupted reading time, because this is a one sitting read.
At the same time this story is everything I hoped it would be while also not being at all what I expected. Without spoiling the first book let’s just say that I was happy to find the same voices and humour and beloved characters (and also new ones) while I had to get over certain people not sharing much page time.
Time travel books often have the problem that at one point I find the paradox that would mean nothing of all that happens should be possible. Alexandra Bracken has (as far as I’m concerned) managed to construct a solid rule set for her time travellers. At least I’m not expecting the characters to implode at any given moment, which cannot be said for a lot of other books in this genre. And she has chosen places to visit that are not the typical destination when you are able to go back in time. A neat double of books. I’m happy for the characters but at the same time sad to have to let them go. Safe travels, everyone.

Can you think of a book that was at the same time everything you wanted and also not at all what you expected? Share your thoughts and teasers in the comments!

Teaser Tuesday: Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
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!

Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan.

Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods –
Disney Hyperion

Now, in modern times, we have a word for this sort of behavior. We call it psycho.
Back then, the rules of behavior were a lot looser. Maybe you’ll feel better about your own relatives, knowing that the first family in creation was also the first dysfunctional family.
— Chapter 1

Sisyphus’s problem was that he didn’t want to die.
I can relate to that. I wake up every morning and think: You know what would be good today? Not dying.
— Chapter 9

Today is the publication date of the next Rick Riordan Demigod book featuring Apollo. Time, I thought to brush up on my knowledge of Greek mythology. And once again I realise how much I actually miss Percy and the gang. Yes, Rick Riordan captures the voices of all his protagonists in a unique and entertaining way and I enjoy them a lot, but Percy was the first and I reserve the right to miss him and Annabeth and hope for more than just glimpses of them.
Anyway, this is a perfectly fine overview of the major Olympian pantheon with the tongue in cheek tone that is to be expected when this author is involved. If you’re already well-versed in Greek mythology, this book will not provide you with anything new, but that should not deter you if Percy’s voice is your thing. A perfect companion to the series. And the illustrations are a perfect fit. Seriously, picking the right illustrator for a story can make or break a book and here it is definitely the former.
Can I just say that the voices of accusing Riordan of milking a cash cow here are decidedly fewer than with other authors with multiple books in the same universe ... could it be because he is not a woman? Which is sort of funny if you read the book and discover the underlying narrative of feminism throughout the book. If you like writing in the same universe and there are readers for it (or even if there are not) by all means go for it!

Do you pay attention to the criticisms of your favourite authors or do you (try to) ignore it? Share your habits and teasers in the comments.

Teaser Tuesday: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
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!

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter.

I'd Tell You I Love You,
But Then I'd Have to Kill You –
Disney Hyperion

Times like this are when it's no fun being the headmistress's daughter, because A) it's totally annoying when people think I'm in a loop I'm not in, and B) people always assume I'm in partnership with the staff, which really I'm not – Sure, I have private dinners with my mom on Sunday nights, and sometimes she leaves me alone in her office for five seconds, but that's it. Whenever school is in session, I'm just another Gallagher Girl (except for being the girl to whom the aforementioned A and B apply).
— Chapter 1

Crouched on the roof between Bex and Liz, I wasn't a girl who had just broken up with her boyfriend; I looked at my watch and checked my gear instead of crying. I had a mission objective and not a broken heart.
— Chapter 27

Did I spend my Easter vacation binge-reading the wonderful Gallagher Girls series? I’m not saying anything that could incriminate me. I will, however, say that if these books have not been on your radar, you’re missing out on a great, enjoyable and entertaining series. The humour hits all the right notes and had me in a constant good mood. I especially love the character development over the course of the series. What never changes is the level of girl power and friendship. Sure, there is the boy topic (since things would have taken a very different turn if ... well, isn’t that always the case?), but it never detracts from the overall awesomeness that is the group of girls around Cammie Morgan.
In many stories it would have been an major development arc of the girls discovering that they are capable of becoming world class spies, but that is not this book. On the contrary, that is never called into question because all of them have their special talents and abilities. It starts out harmlessly enough with Cammie being noticed by a boy while out on a school assignment. The problem? Cammie is the perfect chameleon, which means that she doesn’t get noticed unless she wants to be. And while this attention itself isn’t dangerous it does something to Cammie and her friends, who might be able to hack into high security networks, but are terribly sheltered when it comes to boys. Fun and hilarity ensue ... among other things.
The series has published its tenth anniversary edition (I love the new covers and will have to do something about all that bonus material in the new publications), but it all began with the plead skirts which adorn my bookshelf. I don’t want to call the series a classic my age can’t take that hit right now, but if I’m honest if a book is still in print after a decade that title is well deserved. Maybe let’s call it a modern classic? Ally Carter is unquestionably one of the defining authors of the YA category and I for one am very glad that she writes for this audience.

I moved part of my library this weekend (part because I don’t have enough shelf space yet) and the hardest part was deciding which books absolutely had to come and which will have to wait in storage for a while longer. Which books do you have to have on display or your place doesn’t feel like home? Share treasures and teasers in the comments!

Teaser Tuesday: United by Melissa Landers

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
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!

United by Melissa Landers.

United – EverAfter

“It’s a new record,” Aelyx said. “Less than an hour on this planet, and already someone’s trying to kill me.”
— Chapter 5

“It’s all right. None of us died in the cold void of space. I call that a win.”
— Chapter 8

Despite the dreamy idea that publishing is a benevolent place (which is true most of the time) the industry is also a business that at the heart of the matter needs (and let’s be honest also wants) to make money. So when a book or series doesn’t match the expectations chances are that the publisher won’t commission a third book if they initially bought two. Second books are always hard, but they become a totally different beast when the author is asked to wrap up the story earlier than they originally planned and I somewhat suspected this in the second Alienated book when the end was anything but a conclusion. And seeing that this third book is self-published/published with a different publisher than the initial books ... well let’s just say it’s nice when instincts appear to be on point. (By the way, it also works the other way around that publishers sometimes ask a writer to expand a series beyond the initial books when they are performing better than expected. Both scenarios are not always beneficial to the story, but that’s a matter of opinion.)

Not-So-Short publishing excursus aside this is the end to the series as intended by the author and I’m glad that Melissa Landers was able to conclude her story in a way of her choosing. The loos ends from the second book are wrapped up and Cara and Aelyx are released into a future that will hopefully not include another attempt on their lives or their entire species. It may be a little over the top cheesy in some aspects but overall I’d say that the series is complete with this third book and better for it.

Do you have a series that you suspect or know has been cut short? I’m a little on the fence about let’s call them rogue sequel publications, but in some cases I’m happy to be positively surprised. Share your thoughts and teasers in the comments.

Teaser Tuesday: Windwitch by Susan Dennard

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
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!

Windwitch by Susan Dennard.

Windwitch – Tor Teen

No more tiptoeing around a room because women oughtn’t to run. To shout. To rule.
And above all: no more blighted regrets.
— Chapter 4

For although the holiest might fall—and Merik had fallen far, indeed—they could also claw their way back up again.
— Chapter 6

Second title in this truly wonderful series of (again) four books. When did I pick up the habit of starting series that will keep me busy for so many years? Must be a childhood disease I never quite overcame ...
I loved the first book for plunging me into this rich, confusing, almost incomprehensible and yet clearly outlined and lovingly detailed world (and yes, the number of adjectives is necessary and I haven’t recently fallen into a Thesaurus/Lexicon). And this second book expands this world not by adding more places but by adding more levels and making it more understandable. It felt a little like learning new nuances of an acquired language. Instead of just grasping the bare bones of a conversation you suddenly also pick up on messages between the lines. Not yet at native speaker level, to stay in the metaphor, but possibly getting there.
I miss (really, really miss) the shared pages of Safi and Iseult as their inspiring friendship was one of my primary reasons to love the first book yet their separation and subsequent other page companions are an almost adequate compensation. As are the additional perspectives of other characters. After all just because you’re geographically apart and making new friends doesn’t mean that you’re no longer connected. (But can we please work on getting people back to other people? (Vague-McVagueness))

Speaking of bookish childhood infections: What is the first series where you remember waiting for the following book to publish? For me it is (I think) a toss up between the third His Dark Materials and the second Abhorsen book – both great choices because they definitely didn’t publish in an annual rhythm. My poor bookseller must have been near madness when I kept coming back every month asking where the next book was. (An impatient child? Me? What makes you think so?) Share your experiences and teasers in the comments!

ETA  04/11: I’m on holiday this week and won’t be adding a new entry. Happy Easter if you’re celebrating and have a wonderful week in any case.