The Mage's Daughter - Lynn Kurland

 Book 2 in the Nine Kingdoms series continues the adventure of Morgan the mercenary, as she fights for her life, her future, and the one man who can save her.

Neroche is under assault by a mysterious magic that has stripped its king of his powers and unleashed nightmarish creatures as weapons in a war of evil. Morgan of Melksham is fighting against that menace as well as for her life. Struggling to regain her strength after a near-fatal attack, Morgan realizes that she must decide between two fates: that of being a simple shieldmaiden or accepting her heritage as an elven princess. If only she could forget that she was the daughter of the perilous black mage of Ceangail.

Duty bound to aid his king, Miach of Neroche is torn between what his responsibilities demand and what his heart desires. He is willing to risk his life to rescue Morgan from the darkness that haunts her, but he must do so at the peril of his realm. Forced to choose between love and the burden of his mantle, Miach sets out on his most deadly quest ever.

Beautifully written and delightful to read, The Mage's Daughter is as good as, if not better than, the first book. The storytelling and character development are superb. Miach and Morgan's love for each other continues to grow beyond definition -- they are so romantic -- and the two of them together are quite a force. Seriously, I have no words to adequately describe my love of this series. It's difficult trying to get something written down. Just read the series. You'll hopefully love these characters as much as I do.

My friend still has book 3, but I can't wait to get it back so I can delve back into the world of Miach and Morgan as they finally face the darkness that awaits them. Every difficulty they've faced, every detail of Morgan's past that's been revealed, all the heartache and anguish they've endured . . . it all leads to this final showdown. Together they can do anything, even defeat the black mage Lothar. Or at least I hope they can...

5/5

Star of the Morning (The Nine Kingdoms, Book 1) - Lynn Kurland

Darkness covers the north, since the black mage has begun his assault on the kingdom of Neroche. Legend has it that only the two magical swords held by Neroche's king can defeat the mage. Now the fate of the Nine Kingdoms rests in the hands of a woman destined to wield one of those blades...

The Mercenary

Morgan is a practical woman with no use for magic. Yet she feels compelled to offer her sword to the sorcerer king of Neroche. Her fateful decision will lead her to a magical destiny...and a man whose love will change her life forever.

The King

Adhémar of Neroche's connection to the magic of the land is fading. Helpless to defend his country against the black mage's forces, his only hope is to travel in disguise, searching for the one who was foretold to bring victory.

The Mage
Miach, the archmage of Neroche, is Adhémar's youngest brother -- and duty bound to aid his king. Though they find what they seek, Miach will lose his heart in a way he never could have foreseen.

In this land of dragons and mages, warrior maids and magical swords, nothing is as it seems. And Morgan will find that the magic in her blood brings her troubles she cannot face with a sword --and a love more powerful than she has ever imagined.

I LOVED this book! It was so much fun to read, and such an interesting story. I haven't read much in the fantasy genre, so this was a new and refreshing experience for me. Miach and Morgan are incredible characters, and their journey together, along with Adhémar and Morgan's gang of friends, was exciting. I loved their playfulness towards each other, and the fact that Morgan lightened up when Miach was around. The blossoming romance between them was sweet (and clean), and I look forward to reading more about their adventures together in the next two books in the series (the second is in transit to the library, but the third I'll have to buy, since the library doesn't have a copy. I don't mind, though, since I'll end up buying them all eventually anyway.)

5/5

Graceling - Kristin Cashore

Lady Katsa is a Graceling, a person born with an extreme skill, called a Grace. Gracelings are easy to detect in the land of the seven kingdoms, for they have eyes of two different colors. Katsa, with her one blue eye and one green eye, is well-known throughout the kingdoms. Her Grace is killing, and her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, exploits her Grace by forcing her to do his dirty work, killing people who displease him.

By the time she's 18, Katsa has founded a secret council whose members work to rid the kingdoms of corruption. It is during one of her Council missions that Katsa meets Po, Prince of Lienid, whose kidnapped grandfather Katsa has just rescued. Po, too, is Graced, and his gold and silver eyes mesmerize Katsa.

Katsa and Po join together to unravel the mystery surrounding the kidnapping of Po's grandfather. As they travel together, it is Po who makes Katsa question the path her life is on, Po who makes her heart race, Po who truly understands her. Their journey leads them to the Monsean kingdom, where Po's aunt is queen. It is in Monsea that Po and Katsa find themselves in the middle of a dangerous conspiracy, one that threatens their very lives.

I really, really liked this book; it was a captivating read. There were a couple of things that bothered me, but I still highly recommend Graceling! Read it. You'll fall in love with Katsa and Po, and find yourself sighing with pleasure as they fall in love with each other. Po not only took Katsa's breath away, but mine as well, and I have to give kudos to Kristin Cashore's writing skills. She not only wrote a beautiful love story intertwined in a story about killing and survival, but she has written two very strong characters, who will stay with me for a very long time. It's hard to believe that Graceling is her first novel! I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

4.5/5

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

There were thirteen "Districts" in the nation of Panem, once called North America, but District 13 led a rebellion against the all-powerful Capitol and was destroyed as a result. To keep the other 12 districts in line, the Capitol devised the Hunger Games, an annual televised fight to the death. Two tributes from each district, one boy and one girl aged 12 to 18, are chosen to compete in the Hunger Games. Of the 24 tributes thrown together, there can only be one winner; the tributes must do whatever they can to be the last person standing.

When 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen's younger sister Prim's name is chosen as the female tribute for District 12, Katniss steps in and volunteers herself to take Prim's place. Prim asks Katniss to survive; Katniss tells Prim that she'll try her best to get back to Prim and their mother.

The male tribute chosen from District 12 is Peeta Mellark, the baker's son who had once showed compassion for a starving Katniss by sneaking her two loaves of bread from the bakery.

Katniss and Peeta join the other tributes in the Capitol, where they are prepped for the big fight. They are given a team of stylists, whose job it is to make the tributes look as attractive as possible in the hopes of obtaining sponsors who will donate gifts of food and medicine during the Games. These gifts could mean the difference between life and death.

It is during their time in the Capitol that Katniss and Peeta's mentor, Haymitch -- a former District 12 winner of the Hunger Games -- encourages Katniss and Peeta to act like they are in love with each other, hoping to attract fans and support. Peeta is only too happy to comply with Haymitch's idea, and does a great job of acting the part of a young man in love. But Katniss finds the task difficult. When she, Peeta, and the other tributes are left to fend for themselves in a Capitol-controlled environment, anything can happen. Should Katniss and Peeta keep up their lovers' charade for the people watching the Games at home, and try to help each other stay alive? Or should they split up, knowing that one or both of them may be killed?

I loved this book! It was compelling, exciting, and a wonderfully captivating read. I couldn't put it down. My only disappointment came at the end, when the story ended without a resolution and I discovered that The Hunger Games is only the first book in a planned trilogy. I'm not disappointed that I'll have to read the remaining two books to continue the story -- in fact, I am very much looking forward to reading more about these characters (I ended up with quite a crush on Peeta!), and resuming the story where it left off (with quite a cliffhanger) -- but I'm disappointed that I have to wait until the next book comes out in September!

Read this book. You won't regret it.

5/5

My Top 5 books of 2008

I thought I'd list my favorite books of 2008, so here they are:

1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
2. Katherine by Anya Seton
3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
4. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
5. The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure by William Goldman

All 5 of these books scored a perfect 5/5 from me this year, and all are REALLY good!

Books read in 2008

DECEMBER
111. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
110. The Goose Girl - Shannon Hale (reread)
109. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer (reread)
108. A Thousand Spendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
107. Shopaholic and Baby - Sophie Kinsella
106. Shopaholic and Sister - Sophie Kinsella
105. Shopaholic Ties the Knot - Sophie Kinsella
104. Shopaholic Takes Manhattan - Sophie Kinsella
103. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer (reread)
NOVEMBER
102. Confessions of a Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella
101. Rapunzel's Revenge - Shannon, Dean, and Nathan Hale
100. Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog - John Grogan
99. Until We Reach Home - Lynn Austin
98. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer (reread)
97. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer (reread)
96. Twilight: The Complete Illustrated Movie Companion - Mark Cotta Vaz
95. Bridget Jones' Diary - Helen Fielding
94. The Undomestic Goddess - Sophie Kinsella
93. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
92. The Lace Reader - Brunonia Barry
OCTOBER
91. Candle in the Darkness, Refiner's Fire #1 - Lynn Austin
90. The Heretic's Daughter - Kathleen Kent
89. Grace - Richard Paul Evans
88. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
87. The Longing: The Courtship of Nellie Fisher, Book 3 - Beverly Lewis
86. The Lucky One - Nicholas Sparks
85. Beloved Emma: The Illustrated Life Story of Emma Smith - Lori E. Woodland
84. I Am a Mother - Jane Clayson Johnson
SEPTEMBER
83. Emma: Woman of Faith - Anita Stansfield
82. Sovay - Celia Rees
81. Suite Scarlett - Maureen Johnson
80. The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure - William Goldman
79. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
78. Almost Heaven - Judith McNaught (reread)
77. sweet love - Sarah Strohmeyer
76. The Adoration of Jenna Fox - Mary E. Pearson
75. Rachel and Leah: Women of Genesis - Orson Scott Card
74. The Moroni Code - Jack Lyon
AUGUST
73. I Hated Heaven - Kenny Kemp
72. In Search of Heaven (Barrington Family Saga, Vol.1) - Anita Stansfield
71. Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
70. When Twilight Burns - Colleen Gleason
69. The Bleeding Dusk - Colleen Gleason (reread)
68. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
67. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer (reread)
JULY
66. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer (reread)
65. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer (reread)
64. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer (reread)
63. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer (reread)
62. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer (reread)
61. Spindle's End - Robin McKinley
60. Can You Keep a Secret? - Sophie Kinsella
59. And Only to Deceive - Tasha Alexander
58. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict - Laurie Viera Rigler
JUNE
57. Katherine - Anya Seton
56. Uglies - Scott Westerfeld
55. The Forbidden: The Courtship of Nellie Fisher, Book 2 - Beverly Lewis
54. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith
53. Remember Me? - Sophie Kinsella
52. Sundays at Tiffany's - James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet
51. Something Wonderful - Judith McNaught (reread)
50. Once and Always - Judith McNaught (reread)
49. The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Brian Selznik
48. Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) - Jerome K. Jerome
47. These Old Shades - Georgette Heyer
46. Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs - Elissa Wall
MAY
45. Love the One You're With - Emily Giffin
44. The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
43. Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë
42. Whitney, My Love - Judith McNaught (reread)
41. Reread
40. The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen - Syrie James
39. The Host - Stephenie Meyer
38. The Queen's Fool - Philippa Gregory
APRIL
37. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
36. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
35. Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life - Alison Weir
34. Beyond Tuesday Morning - Karen Kingsbury
33. Helen of Troy - Margaret George
32. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - Muriel Spark
MARCH
31. At First Sight - Nicholas Sparks
30. The Last Battle - C.S. Lewis
29. The Silver Chair - C.S. Lewis
28. One Tuesday Morning - Karen Kingsbury
27. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - C.S. Lewis
26. Prince Caspian - C.S. Lewis
25. The Horse and His Boy - C.S. Lewis
24. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
23. The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis
22. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
21. Change of Heart - Jodi Picoult
20. Prom Nights From Hell - Meg Cabot, Kim Harrison, Michele Jaffe, Stephenie Meyer, Lauren Myracle
19. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson
FEBRUARY
15.-18.
14. I Love You, Ronnie: The Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan - Nancy Reagan
13. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
12. The Bleeding Dusk - Colleen Gleason
11. Rises The Night - Colleen Gleason (reread)
10. The Appeal - John Grisham
9. Flying Home - Rachel Ann Nunes
JANUARY
8. Meet Your Match - Stephanie Fowers
7. The Widow of the South - Robert Hicks
6. All Moms Go To Heaven - Dean Hughes
5. Shadow Dance - Julie Garwood
4. A Woman's Place - Lynn Austin
3. Enthusiasm - Polly Shulman
2. Atonement - Ian McEwan
1. Shadow Music - Julie Garwood

Shopaholic and Baby - Sophie Kinsella

Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) is pregnant!! She and Luke couldn't be more ecstatic. When Becky hears that a famous celebrity obstetrician named Venetia Carter has opened a practice in Becky's neighborhood, Becky does everything she can think of to get an appointment with Venetia. She drags Luke along to the appointment, only to find that Venetia is Luke's ex-girlfriend. And Venetia's beautiful and glamorous and smart, to boot!

As Luke and Venetia reconnect and start spending more time together, Becky's jealousy secretly rages out of control. She hires a private detective to follow Luke, and the information the PI gathers is shocking.

Not only is Becky's relationship with Luke getting worse, but Venetia admits to Becky's face that she's after Luke -- and that Luke is planning on leaving Becky after the baby is born. Becky is devastated. How could Luke do this to her?

Shopaholic and Baby is the best of the series! It's very, very funny, but it also deals with personal issues such as impending motherhood and spousal infidelity. I loved every minute spent reading it.

And now that it's done, I'm going through Becky withdrawal. Seriously. I finished the book last night, looked at Dave and said, "I don't know what I'm going to do with myself now that the Shopaholic series is done." I'll really miss reading about Becky, Luke, Suze, and all the rest. These books have been such great fun to read!

4.5/5

Shopaholic and Sister - Sophie Kinsella

After a 10-month dream honeymoon around the world, Luke and Becky Brandon are finally back in London. Becky thinks it will be wonderful to surprise everyone -- her honeymoon was supposed to last a full year -- and therefore doesn't tell anyone that she and Luke are coming home early. Imagine her own surprise when her parents act strangely upon her arrival, as does her best friend Suze. Seems Suze found a new best friend while Becky was traipsing around the world. And Becky's parents have recently discovered that Becky has a half sister no one knew about.

Since Suze is happy with her new friend Lulu, Becky decides to turn her newfound sister Jess into her new best friend. Only problem is, Jess hates everything Becky loves. Especially -- gasp! -- shopping. And the two of them aren't getting along very well, either. Not so for Luke and Jess, who have a discussion one evening (which Becky overhears) about how difficult Becky is to live with, what with her frivolous spending and all.

Even worse, Luke tells Becky that she should try to be more like Jess.

When Luke leaves on a business trip without even kissing Becky goodbye, Becky assumes her marriage is in tatters and shows up unannounced at Jess' house so that Jess can teach her how to be frugal. Jess, who'd had a major row with Becky while in London, slams the door in Becky's face. Becky doesn't know what to do. Her husband must not love her or miss her, and her sister hates her guts. Plus, Suze doesn't need her anymore now that she's got Lulu. What's a girl to do?

Things all work out in the end, of course, but the journey there is good fun to read about.

4/5

Shopaholic Ties the Knot - Sophie Kinsella

Oh my goodness, Becky Bloomwood's getting married!! And not only is Luke's mother, Elinor, planning a fairy-tale wedding at the Plaza Hotel in NYC, but Becky's mum is planning a backyard wedding in England -- both for the same day!

I'd had my own idea throughout the book of how Becky might pull everything off, which wedding she'd choose, etc., and I have to say that I was spot on! I guess it's not too difficult to guess, after reading about Becky for three books and knowing how her mind works. It was fun to read about the preparations for both weddings.

Luke was featured more prominently in Shopaholic Ties the Knot, which I liked. The way he proposed to Becky was so sweet. I can't say I really enjoyed the whole storyline with Luke's mother, though. Becky's right: she's a cow.

I'm growing to love Suze, Becky's best friend, more and more with every book. Suze got married and had a baby in this installment, which was great fun. Now Becky and Luke need to have a baby!

This was a cute read. Best of the series so far.

4/5

Shopaholic Takes Manhattan - Sophie Kinsella

Becky Bloomwood is back in this humorous sequel to Confessions of a Shopaholic. She's now host of a financial segment on a popular TV show. She's dating wealthy entrepreneur Luke Brandon. And she's running up her credit cards again, the same cards she'd previously paid off.

Luke decides to start a branch of Brandon Communications in New York City, and asks Becky to go with him. Of course, Becky's in heaven! There are so many trendy shops in the city! And even though Becky's set a budget for herself, it doesn't take much to convince her to buy the latest hot items.

Everything's going swimmingly, until a very unflattering article (with pictures!) about Becky surfaces in one of the newspapers. Becky's secret is out: she's awful at keeping within a budget and dreadfully in debt. What the heck is she doing dispensing financial advice when her own finances are such a disaster?

The article angers Luke; not only has Becky been lying to him about her spending habits, but the prospective financial backers for Brandon Communications' NYC division are getting cold feet. Becky and Luke have a major "row" (a big fight; I really"fancy" the words Brits use, by the way!) and Becky flies back to London, leaving Luke behind in New York.

Is this the end for Luke and Becky? Will Becky ever be able to curb her excessive shopping habits? Will her job still be waiting for her back home? There's only one way to find out -- read the book. Well, I guess two ways, since you could also ask someone who's read it.

Another amusing read from Sophie Kinsella! Don't overthink things too much; just laugh about the scrapes Becky gets into and enjoy the book for what it is.

3.25/5