Snowflakes and Spider Silk

Round 4 of Bullet reviews features some not-quite-urban-fantasy books . I say not-quite because all three books involve our modern world and some paranormal creatures but none of them quite fit into the stereotypical UF mold. I was initially planning on making this set of reviews the last few books I read in November, but those three books were completely unrelated so I decided to grab a book from December to make the reviews fit better together. Vampire Academy by Richelle Meade Genre: contemporary, urban fantasy Rating: 4/5 stars What I liked: Full disclosure: I only picked this up because it started with a V and I needed to complete my A-Z challenge. That said, I had zero expectations going into this book and I ended up really enjoying it I loved how it focused on friendship. Yes, there were a lot of messy romantic feelings and such but the core of this story is a bond of friendship, and I'm a sucker for stories about amazing friends Lissa and Rose are bo...

Title:  Water for Elephants Author:  Sara Gruen Genre: Contemporary, historical fiction My rating: 4 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary: Orphaned, penniless, Jacob Jankowski jumps a freight train in the dark, and in that instant, transforms his future. By morning, he's landed a job with the Flying Squadron of the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. By nightfall, he's in love. In an America made colourless by prohibition and the Depression, the circus is a refuge of sequins and sensuality. But behind the glamour lies a darker world, where both animals and men are dispensable. Where falling in love is the most dangerous act of all...  I don't often read contemporary fiction, because I usually find it dull compared to my usual sci-fi and fantasy. I had heard a lot of good things about this book, though, so I decided to give it a shot. I read it on audiobook, and I thought the narrator for younger Jacob was great. Older Jacob's voice definitely sounded ...

Title:  The Raven King Author:  Maggie Stiefvater Genre: Contemporary, young adult My rating: 5 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary: Nothing living is safe. Nothing dead is to be trusted. For years, Gansey has been on a quest to find a lost king. One by one, he’s drawn others into this quest: Ronan, who steals from dreams; Adam, whose life is no longer his own; Noah, whose life is no longer a lie; and Blue, who loves Gansey… and is certain she is destined to kill him. Now the endgame has begun. Dreams and nightmares are converging. Love and loss are inseparable. And the quest refuses to be pinned to a path. I have never, ever, been so emotionally bruised and exhilarated by a book before. Serious whiplash, got everything I wanted and more, 200% would recommend. Prepare to cry. Okay, time for an actual review. When I started this series, I was completely hooked by the prologue of The Raven Boys. Blue Sargent sitting across from the church on St. Mark's eve, seeing...

Title:  The Magicians Author:  Lev Grossman Genre: Contemporary, Fantasy, Satire My rating: 4 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary: Like everyone else, precocious high school senior Quentin Coldwater assumes that magic isn't real, until he finds himself admitted to a very secretive and exclusive college of magic in upstate New York. There he indulges in joys of college-friendship, love, sex, and booze- and receives a rigorous education in modern sorcery. But magic doesn't bring the happiness and adventure Quentin thought it would. After graduation, he and his friends stumble upon a secret that sets them on a remarkable journey that may just fulfill Quentin's yearning. But their journey turns out to be darker and more dangerous than they'd imagined. Psychologically piercing and dazzlingly inventive, The Magicians, the prequel to the New York Times bestselling book The Magician King and the #1 bestseller The Magician's Land, is an enthralling coming-of-age tale abou...

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by  The Broke and the Bookish . This week's theme:  Top Ten Bookish Tropes I'm Quitting Here are a list of phrases and tropes that tick me off when I see them. I started out with contemporary/YA tropes and then moved on to SF/Fantasy tropes, so they're a little random...I couldn't think of 10, but here are a bunch of tropes that I'm really tired of! "But she wasn't like the other  girls" This one is inspired by my current read. I'm so sick of the main character of books being "special" and "not like the other  girls". It's subtle girl hate, and it's so annoying! Must every main character be some sort of Chosen One ? "S/he let out a breath s/he didn't know s/he was holding" This one is just SO OVERDONE and it doesn't even make any sense! Love triangles. I'm so, so done with these. Thankfully they're pretty rare in Fantasy/SF so I don't ...

Title:  Nowhere But Here Author:  Katie McGarry Genre: Contemporary, romance My rating: 3 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she's curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn't mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both. Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They're the good guys. They protect people. They're…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club's most respected member—is in town, he's gonna prove it to her. So when her ...

Title:  Challenger Deep Author:  Neal Shusterman Genre: Contemporary, YA, mental illness My rating: 5 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary : Caden Bosch is on a ship that's headed for the deepest point on Earth: Challenger Deep, the southern part of the Marianas Trench. Caden Bosch is a brilliant high school student whose friends are starting to notice his odd behavior. Caden Bosch is designated the ship's artist in residence, to document the journey with images. Caden Bosch pretends to join the school track team but spends his days walking for miles, absorbed by the thoughts in his head. Caden Bosch is split between his allegiance to the captain and the allure of mutiny. Caden Bosch is torn. A captivating and powerful novel that lingers long beyond the last page, Challenger Deep is a heartfelt tour de force by one of today's most admired writers for teens.  This book really hit home for me, especially with recent events in my life. Dealing with mental illness is hard...

Title:  The World Before Us Author:  Aislinn Hunter Genre: Contemporary, magical realism My rating: 3 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary : When she was just fifteen, smart, sensitive Jane Standen lived through a nightmare: she lost the sweet five-year-old girl she was minding during a walk in the woods. The little girl was never found, leaving her family, and Jane, devastated. Now the grown-up Jane is an archivist at a small London museum that is about to close for lack of funding. As her one last project, she is searching the archives for scraps of information related to another missing person--a woman who disappeared some 125 years ago from a Victorian asylum. As the novel moves back and forth between the museum in contemporary London, the Victorian asylum, and a dilapidated country house that seems to connect both missing people, it unforgettably explores the repercussions of small acts, the power of affection, and the irrepressible vitality of everyday objects and even...

Title:  Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore Author:  Robin Sloan Genre: contemporary, mystery, humor, adult fiction My rating: 5 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary : The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon away from life as a San Francisco web-design drone and into the aisles of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after a few days on the job, Clay discovers that the store is more curious than either its name or its gnomic owner might suggest. The bookstore’s secrets extend far beyond its walls. I think my goodreads status update for this book says it all: a bookstore, mysterious eccentric characters, cons, San Francisco, and lots of humor. I don't want to tell you anything about this book because half the fun is uncovering all the layers and putting together the puzzle pieces, but how am I going to get you to read this book without a few teasers? So here we go! 1) What do computer coding algorithms and mysterious cults have in common? Apparently, Mr. Penumbr...

Title:  Legion Author:  Brandon Sanderson Genre: Science fiction, mystery, contemporary, novella My rating: 4 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary : Stephen Leeds, AKA 'Legion,' is a man whose unique mental condition allows him to generate a multitude of personae: hallucinatory entities with a wide variety of personal characteristics and a vast array of highly specialized skills. As the story begins, Leeds and his 'aspects' are drawn into the search for the missing Balubal Razon, inventor of a camera whose astonishing properties could alter our understanding of human history and change the very structure of society. I read this in one sitting - short and sweet! This book is very different from Sanderson's usual high fantasy, but I'm coming to see that Sanderson is a jack-of-all-trades and can spin an amazing story in any genre. Even if this is a novella, it has everything you'd expect from a Sanderson novel: eclectic characters, fascinating technolo...

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by  The Broke and the Bookish . This week's theme:  Top Ten 2014 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn't Get To This one is kind of hard because I was pretty good about reading all the books I wanted to. I'm going to include some 2013 releases I wanted to read in 2014, because otherwise I wouldn't have 10 books for my list!