Faery Tales & Nightmares

Salute Your Shorts is a weekly (ish) meme featured over at Bunbury in the Stacks highlighting and reviewing short stories and novellas.

Dangerous promises and beguiling threats swirl together in a dozen stories of enchantments dark and light by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr. Uncanny and unexpected creatures appear from behind bushes, rise from beneath the seas, or manifest from seasonal storms to pursue the objects of their attention—with amorous or sinister intent—relentlessly.

From the gentle tones of a storyteller’s cadences to the terror of a blood sacrifice, tales of favorite characters from Marr’s Wicked Lovely novels mix with accounts of new characters for readers to fall in love with...or to fear.

Full disclosure: I did not read the Wicked Lovely stories in this novel, I have never read the Wicked Lovely series so I didn't want to ruin anything for myself!

"Where Nightmares Walk," "Winter's Kiss" and "Transition" were all beautiful stories. I was especially interested in "Winter's Kiss" and found it to be truly fairy tale-esque with very sweet details. I thought Marr did a nice job with her vampire story, "Transition," vampires with attitude have a special place in my heart, especially snarky female ones!

The story "Love Struck" is where I fell in love with Marr's writing. Though I have been reading some mermaid books lately I was so interested in the way Marr twisted the traditional selchie tale into something different. I found myself wanting more and wishing that it was a full length novel and not just a short glimpse into the selchie world.

I also wanted more from "The Art of Waiting" and the messages of this and "Flesh for Comfort" were not lost on me. Both of these stories read like fairy tales but were also somewhat dark and twisted in a way that I really enjoyed.

Finally, "The Sleeping Girl and The Summer King" was the last story I read and I absolutely loved it. The descriptions of the winter world in contrast with the summer land were vibrant and gorgeous in my mind. This story has been described as a sort of sequel for Marr's Wicked Lovely series and I can assure you that after reading this short story I will definitley be picking up the series very soon.

The only book by Melissa Marr that I had read before this novel was Graveminder (which I loved) but it is not really a "fairy tale" and therefore I was wary that I was missing something by not reading her Wicked Lovely series. Reading this short story really made me understand how Marr weaves different elements into her story, she sets up a vibrant setting that really draws the reader in and makes you long for more.

Waiting on Wednesday

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

Undeadly

By Michele Vail

November 20, 2012

The day I turned 16, my boyfriend-to-be died. I brought him back to life. Then things got a little weird...

Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper—and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath. Within days, she’s shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath. Who seems to hate her guts. Rath will be watching closely to be sure she completes her first assignment-reaping Rick, the boy who should have died. The boy she still wants to be with. To make matters worse, students at the academy start turning up catatonic, and accusations fly—against Molly. The only way out of this mess? To go through hell. Literally.

Zombies, Anubis and a trip through Hell? Yes please! I am really digging the whole necromancer thing (lovee me some Anita Blake) and this one sounds like a pretty interesting rewrite. Plus, a reaper named Rath sounds sinfully delicious!!

Top Ten Tuesday!

Top Ten Books That Were Totally Deceiving

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish which I adore and therefore chose to adopt into my weekly blog posts!

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostava - This was more of a title deception, I was not interested at all in the book based on its title or cover. Thankfully I read the blurb because it turned out to be a pretty awesome Dracula rewrite!

Sunshine by Robin McKinley - I picked this book up because a friend told me how amazing it was, I still remember him handing it to me and me thinking how boring it looked because the cover was not at all intriguing.

Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer - Honestly still not really sure what she was doing there. Metaphors I guess? Not impressed, Ms. Meyer.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett - I wouldn't have picked this book up based on its cover, it's definitely a beautiful cover but didn't draw me in as others have.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor - I hesitated picking this book up for a long time, the cover was strange and I didn't really like it. After reading the book I do have to say that though it was one of my FAVORITE books this year and its basically amazing, the cover is still a little confusing to me.

Snow White and Rose Red by Patricia C. Wrede - The "newer" version of this book is downright ugly. I LOVE this story and the older cover was pretty and old fashioned and reminiscent of fairy tales.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater - I had no idea that this book was about werewolves when I first saw the cover. I understand the whole mystery aspect but I really wasn't drawn in. Ironically, I didn't really enjoy the story much either.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - Being a librarian I saw this book waaaayy before it became popular (I actually cataloged the library's first copy) and I remember thinking how bland the cover seemed. After reading the story I can see how things fit but it was definitely a book I was pleasantly surprised by after getting past the cover!

Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay - This cover has nothing at all to do with the story!! I assume the cover is to show Juliet's conflict by brooding near the sea and so forth but really she wears jeans the whole time and doesn't go near the water at all. Even more confusing is the cover to the sequel, Romeo Redeemed. Granted I am only half way through but so far there have been no trysts near the beach..

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - I have read A LOT of opinions about the cover of this book. People are so annoyed/confused because they don't understand why Mara is drowning in some random body of water in a really cute dress. I like to think its a metaphor for her "drowning" in her thoughts/anxieties and Noah is metaphorically pulling her out of the abyss. However, upon seeing this cover I didn't expect a paranormal romance but some sort of murder mystery type of book.

Lies Beneath

Lies Beneath 

By Anne Greenwood Brown 

June 12, 2012

Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistible good looks and charm on unsuspecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined…and just as his sisters are losing patience with him.

I have been dying for a good mermaid story since I read Lost Voices last year and so I was very excited when I was given the opportunity to download this from NetGalley.

These are not your typical Disney inspired mermaids. They are monsters. Evil, conniving and downright scary monsters that thrive off human essence much like a vampire thrives off human blood. However they are not all powerful. Like vampires are bound to walk only by night, these mermaids are bound to water. Though they have the ability to walk with two legs upon land they also must be near enough water so after a few hours they can submerge themselves and rejuvenate (for lack of a better word), if they are away from water for too long they will die.

Calder and his three sisters return to their home at Lake Superior yearly to stalk the home of The Hancock family. It is believed by the mermaids that this family is responsible for their mother’s death. Though Calder agrees with avenging his mother’s death, he is not like his sisters. Where they are cold creatures that kill mercilessly, Calder yearns for a solitary life away from them and finds other ways to survive instead of murdering innocents. His sisters tell him he is a freak for behaving this way and determine it must be because he was “made” a merman and not born one. His sister Maris puts him in charge of enacting a plan to kill Mr. Hancock. He is to seduce the eldest daughter and find a way to lure Mr. Hancock into the lake so that the three sisters can drag him in, torture, and kill him. As time progresses, Calder becomes mesmerized by Lily and eventually comes to a point where he must make a hard decision between his family and the girl he has unsuspectingly fallen for.

I was pleasantly surprised with this book, I really liked the characters and the story was nothing like I expected. I was somewhat annoyed by Lily at first but after a while she grew on me. I really liked that she didn’t immediately fall for Calder but instead was straight up like “Dude, you’re creepy and you stalk me so back off a little, k?” which really made me like her a bit more than some of the other female characters I have come across (I’m lookin’ at you, Bella Swan). Also Calder’s sisters were terrifying and beautiful and Brown wrote in a way that really made me loath them yet be drawn to them as Calder was. I was worried that I wouldn’t appreciate this book as much as I should because I tend to shy away from male narrators. However, I really kinda loved Calder and his somewhat confused, twisted personality.

The plot was very entertaining and I really loved how much the ending surprised me. I really did not enjoy the twist added with Tallulah but it was a small enough part that I was able to get over it in light of the whole story. As I read this book I wasn’t aware that it was the first in a series, though I can see how Brown set it up this way. I would have liked if Lies Beneath had been a standalone novel but I don’t think that will keep me from reading the sequel. Overall I think this was a great debut novel from Anne Greenwood Brown and I look forward to read what she writes next.

“Mother, may I go out to swim?

Yes, my darling daughter.

Fold your clothes up neat and trim,

But don’t go near the water."

- Anonymous

Thanks to Random House Children's Books, Netgalley and of course, the author for providing me with an ARC.

Waiting on Wednesday

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

The Ghost of Graylock

By Dan Poblocki

August 1, 2012

Does an abandoned asylum hold the key to a frightful haunting?

Everyone's heard the stories about Graylock Hall.

It was meant to be a place of healing - a hospital where children and teenagers with mental disorders would be cared for and perhaps even cured. But something went wrong. Several young patients died under mysterious circumstances. Eventually, the hospital was shut down, the building abandoned and left to rot deep in the woods.

As the new kid in town, Neil Cady wants to see Graylock for himself. Especially since rumor has it that the building is haunted. He's got fresh batteries in his flashlight, a camera to document the adventure, and a new best friend watching his back.

Neil might think he's prepared for what he'll find in the dark and decrepit asylum. But he's certainly not prepared for what follows him home. . . . 

I'm a tiny bit obsessed with any paranormal happenings in relation to abandoned asylums...

Ghost Adventures just might be a guilty pleasure of mine and episodes relating to asylums might be the only episodes I DVR so I can watch them over and over again (don't judge me). Therefore, I was very excited when I saw this book over on The Book Smugglers radar this week. I sincerely hope that it is terrifying, I love scary stories!

What are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Top Ten Tuesday

Top 10 Books To Read in a Day

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish which I adore and therefore chose to adopt into my weekly blog posts!


Ack! I am a failure today and can only think of eight, I think this means I have been reading books that are too long! :]

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede – This series is one I still pick up when I want a quick read I know I love.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum – Any books from this series really, they are whimsical and fun so they make me happy.

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling – I can’t really choose a favorite though since this is strictly “to read in a day” I would have to go with one of the first 3 books because then the books get extremely long!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Though I honestly don’t know if I will ever read these again (I didn’t love them) they were still very entertaining and I breezed through all three.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman - What is better than The Princess Bride? Nothing! The film adaptation is also my "sick movie" that I watch whenver I am feeling down. It's totes "wuv, twu wuv" forever.

Fables by Bill Willingham – Okay these are not books they are graphic novels and therefore I read through them in about 30 minutes but I still love them enough to know that I will want to finish them in one sitting.

Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris – Not prize winning writing but these are short and fun books that I breeze through and enjoy reading.

Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton – This series is what I call my guilty pleasure; they are quick reads with a lot of action so they are read rather quickly.






Obsessed with this artwork

In My Mailbox

In my mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren in which you share the books you added to your collection in the past week.

Madame Bovary's Daughter
By Linda Urbach


I was lucky enough to win this from a giveaway over at Faded Parchment last week and I was so excited that it came in the mail so quickly! I will have to read Madame Bovary again since this book begins right after the ending of the classic novel.

The Thief
By Megan Whalen Turner


I have read about this series on many blogs and have heard nothing but rave reviews. My friend Heidi has reviewed the entire series thus far and I am a little jealous I have let these slip me by!










That's it from me this week, I long for spring break when I can read for days!! What's in your mailbox this week?