Review: Broken Glass (Mirror Sisters #2)

 Broken Glass
 Mirror Sisters - Book 2
 V.C Andrews


Literally starting off where book one left off, we begin through Haylee's perspective on how she deals with her mother and the police dealing with Kaylee's "running off" with this man she met online. Throughout the story, we go between the two sisters... and as much as I love dual perspective stories, this one left much to be desired.

Kaylee's side of the story feels incomplete; I felt like there needed to be more conflict. There was many points that could have been expanded on (the mother, the cat, the door hinges, the land she is on, her captor himself) but for some reason the author chose to keep it clean and simple.

On the other hand, we have Haylee who is a complete sociopath.  The way she plays everyone around her is astounding. I hope karma comes a'knocking on her door in the next book; she deserves it. However, she spends most of the book just repeating her ramblings from book one on how much her and Kaylee are the same, and the changes she wishes to make now that she is "the only one".

My favourite line of the whole book is definitely that final one. The path the mother takes is very interesting.  Her reaction I feel was very VCA-esque, and I am hopeful that it continues this way into the next installment.

Overall, it was a disappointment. I was hopeful that we would see the classic VCA villain come out with Haylee, but no such luck. However, I will give credit to the cliffhanger ending and it does make me want to know what happens when the twins finally come face to face after all this.

Time to wait again:  #bookwormproblems

Book Tag: Travel -

 I've finally recovered from an insane work trip that had me travelling to Saskatchewan, Canada and then a few different states in the U.S.

I didn't get a lot of time to read, unfortunately, *grumble grumble* but I had a little bit of time to think about books that deal with Travel.  Growing up I didn't travel a lot, and since I met my (now) husband, all my travelling - except this past work trip - has been with him.

This was also my first time on an airplane (I know, right!), and with strangers nonetheless, so it was definitely an interesting trip. 

On to the books! 

p.s this is a general tag of travel. I'm going to ramble about my favourite book-based places that had me traveling. 

Middle Earth

The Hobbit is one of my favourite stories. I have yet to attempt reading the rest of the series, but we had to read The Hobbit  for school in grade 8 and I fell in love with it. I've reread it once or twice since then and this is one of those fabulous stories that teaches you 'it's about the journey, not the destination'. It's also shows that it's important you travel with a good group of ... I was going to say "people" but any creature will work really.

'Eat Pray Love'

This story takes us all over. We start in Europe, where Elizabeth finds herself in Italy and begins her journey with her stomach. All the delicious food she describes makes me proud to be from an Italian background.
Next, we travel to India, where she begins her spiritual journey.  We follow her then to Indonesia where she finds love.
All three countries are described with such passion and motivation to change her life that it does impact your life... even a little bit.

Wonderland 

Whether it's Alice, or a spinoff (like the Splintered series by A.G Howard - just fantastic) any trip down the rabbit hole is a fantastic ride.  Wonderland is filled with such fantastic creatures who encapture both the light and dark of the land they inhabit. 

The Territories of Halla 

The Pendragon series by D.J MacHale is one of my top 5 series ever (and is tied with Harry Potter in my eyes) Here we have a kid who is destined to save more than just the universe (Halla is everything. So, it's the universe and beyond) and to do so, he must travel to 10 different "territories" or worlds and stop them from tipping the balance of their way of live toward evil.  The territories that MacHale has created are absolutely breathtaking.
The great thing about this series is that it's so diverse - the characters and the places they come from are as different as night and day. but on mars. (mars isn't one of them but we do go to a desert that is in a drought so it's pretty hot). If you don't like books that keep you in one place, and you love being on the edge of your seat as you race through time and space, then Hobey Ho, grab these books.


*on a side note, i always tell people that if you even *like* the harry potter series, you'll love these books. they have a similar structure, and there's magic and backstories and all that jazz too. i never can choose between the two which one i love more*

Gulliver 

I read the kid version of this when I was ... well... a young teenager. Maybe 13? but I grew up watching the movie (I know, the book is always better) and I love the different cities that Gulliver finds himself in.
From Lilliput to Brobdingnag to Laputa to England, this book has it all. Unique characters, unique lives they lead, and the Englishman's perspective on it will have you loving every second.

Note to self: get the adult version. 

Alagaesia 

This series is one that pulls at my heart. From Eragon to Brisingr we see so much of this beautiful land and all that it holds. Paolini's imagination is as creative and in depth as that of which we find in middle earth (now I haven't done any research here, so it's possible I am missing some fan-based key points so my apologies) but once you enter this world, you never want to leave. Eragon's adventure, through his eyes and his dragon's, is a breathtaking one that has so much raw beauty and truth to it.
Writing this is making me want to reread it ...  *peeks over at the rainbow spines sitting on my shelf*
Common book 5!!
Oh, and if you've only watched the movie, wash out your eyes and go read the book.
Trust.



Alrighty lovies, that's pretty much it for books that have taken me on travels through different worlds, or different parts of their world, through their pages...Well, that I've actually read ... *glances cautiously over to my TBR pile hoping it doesn't notice*

Of course, I've travelled in a lot of different places through the pages I read, but it's mostly one place per series. The books above actually have a journey aspect.

Did I miss any good ones? Let me know and I'll stack the pile some more ;) 



oxo 

http://emilialua1.tumblr.com/post/16881305932 

Review: Wires and Nerve (Lunar Chronicles)

Wires and Nerve: Vol 1
The Lunar Chronicles
Marissa Meyer


We have read about everyone's story... except Iko. We have seen her help Cinder and the gang through all their adventures, yet we have never seen the story through her eyes.

Now, it's her turn.

Wires and Nerve takes place after Winter when Cinder has been Queen, and Kai is back on Earth as Emperor. The relationship between Luna and Earth has been improving significantly since Queen Levana's reign, and finally, people can be happy again.

However, there is still a problem at hand. The hybrid wolf-soldiers that Levana made are still out there and one Alpha has it in his mind that the technology used to create them can also put them back to their human form.

For this, he wants to attack Cinder.

To get to Cinder, he must go after what she loves: her friends.

However, what he is unaware of is that Cinder has sent her most trusted friend and fighter to try and put a stop to these soldiers who are causing panic and mayhem throughout the cities. That fighter? Iko.

The wolf-soldiers were not expecting to be fighting an android.

Moral of the story? Don't underestimate the "help".


Meyer does it again! I have never read a graphic novel before (unless Archie comics count? which I doubt they do) but I couldn't wait to get this book in my hands; Iko has to be near the top of the favourites in this gang of ragtag misfits.
 Meyer's writing is just as witty and on point as ever. I did miss the long descriptions -being a reader, that's what I love - but the art was so beautiful and so descriptive that I felt like I was in the story nonetheless.  The story flowed wonderfully and the graphics perfectly fit the character descriptions (even if they were different than my versions. Does anyone ever find someone else that has the same idea as them 100%? doubtful).  
I loved that it was a continuation from where we left off. I was cautious when I heard this book was happening, and what direction Meyer was going to take, but she has yet to disappoint me with these characters.  I never want to leave the universe she has created.

My only question is: can I have volume 2 yet?!

Review: The Wicked will Rise (Dorothy Must Die #2)

The Wicked will Rise
Dorothy Must Die - Book 2
Danielle Paige


When we left Amy, she had just discovered the secret to succeeding at her task: she can only kill Dorothy if she weakens her closest friends first. So now, on top of being on the run from Dorothy and Glinda, she must steal the Scarecrow's Brain, the Tin Man's Heart and the Lion's Courage.

Easier said than done, but she manages to succeed at getting two out of three before she goes and finds "sanctuary" in the Queendom of the Wingless ones while she plans her next step alongside Ozma. and Pete, if you want to be technical.

One more piece to the puzzle and Dorothy is done for.

But she cannot stop wondering what happened to the Order. She knows she must find them too.
With a small stroke of luck, she is told to seek out Polychrome, the daughter of the rainbow. Polychrome has helped the Order before and should be able to help again. However, finding the door to her place is darn near impossible... unless you have some magic up your sleeves. Or in your ear.

Getting lost, getting found, traitors to the crown, and to each other are just the beginning of this story. Amy is in over her head, and when she starts to lose control, the magic takes over in a unique way.

To top it all off, the Wizard is not who he said he was. Not that he really said who he was... but, who we thought he was, he isn't. Keeping up? No, me either. but here comes a tornado to pick up Amy and take her right back to dear old Kansas.

I suggest you look at Kansas on a map before you read this one. Geography may come in handy.

Paige continues her spellbinding tale as she takes us through the land of Oz. Some of our questions are answered, most aren't, and we get to ask a whole lot of new ones. We get a lot of background about Ozma in this story since she is our main sidekick (I personally think she is a riot.) and we see different parts of Oz throughout Amy's journey as well.  A quicker read than book 1, you will find yourself turning the pages faster than your eyes can absorb all the trouble Amy and the gang find themselves in.  
Onto the Road of Yellow Brick we go...

Review: Dorothy Must Die (Dorothy Must Die book 1)

Dorothy Must Die
Dorothy Must Die - Book 1
Danielle Paige


Have you ever watched a movie and thought "I wonder if this is real?" Well, for Amy Gumm, one movie is.

Amy lives in a small town in Kansas. She's the "white-trash" girl of the school, and she knows it, but when a tornado hits and it takes her and her broken down trailer home with her on a wild ride, she never thought she'd end up in the infamous Oz. After all, "The Wizard of Oz" was just a story, right? Wrong.

Landing in Oz, and within minutes she loses her home into the abyss. She is saved by a mysterious boy who introduces himself as Pete. Pete briefly explains where they are, and that Oz is ruled by Dorothy.  The Dorothy that rules here is not the Dorothy that us living in "the other place" (basically, if you are reading this and the map of your world has Kansas on it, you live in the "other place") are familiar with. This Dorothy has been mining Oz for it's magic, with the help of Glinda, and it has changed her.

Amy begins her walk toward the Emerald City - She can feel the magic in the land pulling her in the right direction. On her way she meets some interesting characters... and all of this leads her to The Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.

The Order is a group of witches set against everything that Dorothy stands for and what she has done to the land of Oz. They know that Amy is their saviour. They will train her and guide her to do the one thing that will stop all this madness and return Oz to what it once was: Amy must kill Dorothy.


The first time I read this book, it messed with my head. I love "The Wizard of Oz" and watch it constantly. After reading this book, I had to take a break from it. I kept picturing Dorothy as Judy Garland and all the twisted points of this book started to play tricks with me.
This story is absolutely amazing. The writing is so captivating and Paige draws you in with all these unique characters who are filled with secrets upon secrets.  Thankfully, there isn't a wait anymore for the next in the series and to find out what happens to all these beloved characters. (although, by the end of it, who you love and who you hate may change).   The story we once knew has taken a new road and it's one that is worth every step.

To be Good or to be Wicked have different meanings now.