Review: Maid of Secrets

Maid of Secrets by Jennifer McGowan

Seventeen-year-old Meg Fellowes is a wry, resourceful thief forced to join an elite group of female spies in Queen Elizabeth’s Court. There she must solve a murder, save the Crown, and resist the one thing that will become her greatest freedom–and her deadliest peril. 

For Meg and her fellow spies are not alone in their pursuit of the murderer who stalks Windsor Castle.

A young, mysterious Spanish courtier, Count Rafe de Martine, appears at every turn in the dark and scandal-filled corridors of the Queen’s summer palace. And though secrets and danger are Meg’s stock-in-trade, she’s never bargained on falling in love…

Maid of Secrets was a lot of fun! I know that based on the description, a lot of people would think it wouldn't be fun. Why not intriguing? Or thrilling? Beautifully written, fast paced or thought provoking?

And the truth is this novel is all of those things. But first and foremost it is fun. And I don't mean in a laugh-out-loud kind of way. I mean in a scary, awesome roller coaster kind of way. There is heart-pounding, action, interesting dialogue, quirky characters make this so enjoyable and not to heavy even though the book has quite a handful of pages! 

Meg was a very good protagonist she had a strong but at the same time unsure voice and developed beautifully throughout the book. She is not quite sure where she belongs, if anywhere, but she has some killer spy traits. (Actual maybe not "killer". That's Jane!) Anyways, Meg can do perfect mimicry. Isn't that insane? This also makes Meg unsure of who she is though.  Is she an independent person or just a copycat that can be anybody but herself?

The other characters all have cool traits to. They are able to see the future, assassins, really smart, or kind of manipulative. Sophia, Jane, Beatrice, Anna , and Meg make a perfect group. Although they were introduced weirdly and untimely. Actually, the whole introduction was kind of off-putting, just whizzing through scene after scene which were months apart in the first 30 pages. That is my only complaint though, so readers, just get through the intro!

The romance in the book was fun, although we didn't dwell on it. Mostly we are talking about conspiracies against the queen. These parts were fun, entertaining and interesting. I definitely loved all the plots and the author's take on how the queen acted. I am still not sure if I like the queen, although I definitely admire her. She has guts! She endures insults, proposals, gossip, plots and still manages the entirety of England on her own. 

Overall, I really enjoyed Maids of Secrets. This is recommended to anyone who wants a fun, interesting read, with memorable characters.

4/5 bookcases

Newbie Blogger Diaries #6

Okay, I am not sure how I came up with this topic. However, here it is!

Anybody who has read City of Bones would know that epic line Clary has when Jace asks her what Ebay is.

"A magical place of great mythical power."

When I read this though, I don't think of Ebay though, I think of Goodreads. To book lovers all around, Goodreads is pretty darn magical. But, when you become a blogger on Goodreads, the site turns from Hogwarts to the dark, spider filled area of The Forbidden Forest.

Okay, maybe I am exaggerating. In all seriousness though, being a blogger opens up a lot of windows on Goodreads. You just need to know how to get through them.

Stacking the Shelves #6

Check out Tynga's Reviews!

For Review:

The Faerie Prince

The Faerie Guardian

Holding On and Letting Go

Guardian of the Realm

I am so excited to read these!

                                 

Borrowed:

Twin Tastrophe 

 The Bat Pack

Thank you Sadie! We both love these fun books :)

 

Bought:

Lock and Key

Jellicoe Road

Got them used at my local bookstore for a sweet deal!

What did you add to your bookcases this week? Link me up!

(the pile)

And don't forget to check out my 150 followers giveaway, two winners get to choose a book from the pile! Also, stay tuned for one next week...

Review: Of Poseidon

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen — literally, ouch! — both teens sense a connection. 

But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma's gifts. Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom . . .
 

Told from both Emma and Galen's points of view, here is a fish-out-of-water story that sparkles with intrigue, humor, and waves of romance.

This is not a book I have read recently, but I was just thinking of Of Triton, the sequel which is coming out this month (*squee*) so I decided to post a quick review to get me even more excited and to tell people how awesome this book is!

The truth is I have read Of Posidon three times. The first time I read it, I gave it 2.5 stars on Goodreads. (Shocking, I know.) But, then, I read it again. And somehow changed my rating to 4.5 stars. And then I read it again. I now love, love, love this book. I don't know why I didn't like it the first time. Maybe I was just in a bad mood?

Okay, the characters. Galen is awesome, and so is Emma, Rayna, Rachel, and Toraf. What I loved most was how they all said such epicly funny things, whether they realized it or not. And, I mean, some things Syrena say are pretty humourous. Plus, all the characters are charming. Rayna and Emma both have their unique tempers, Toraf is plain laugh-out-loud funny, and Galen just kinda makes you smile. And there is sarcasm aplenty.

The plot is pretty quick but not too complicated. Although there is a major twist in the end. The good thing is that most of this book isn't too predictable. I whizzed right through without yawning or just waiting for something to happen. (At least the second and third time I read Of Poseidon.) I also loved how the story was told in both Emma and Galen's point of view.

As, I haven't read this recently I can't remember a lot. (Please tell me if I got anything mixed up in the comments!) I just remember epic dialogue, cool characters, a vivid setting, and a certain uniqueness. This book is everything I love! So, I cannot wait for Of Triton! I already have it preordered. I hope the end of May comes quick...

All in all, I loved Of Poseidon and I wrote this review to introduce people to this book or get old readers jazzed up about Of Triton! And also (guiltily admits) to show off the cover on my blog. Isn't it beautiful???

Also, It is reccomended you read Of Poseidon more than once! (See first paragraph)

4.45/5 bookcases

Feature and Follow #10

Q: School is out! What is your favorite Summer Reading book?

I have to say that for me when I think of "Summer Read" I conjure up the book Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix. I read this fun book a lot in summer!

Also, The Percy Jackson books... Go Camp Half-blood!

What about you???

And please, please, please check out my 150 followers giveaway,

 two winners will get to pick a book from the pile!

Waiting on Wednesday #9

Frozen by Melissa De La Cruz and Michael Johnson

Set in 111 C.D., one hundred and eleven years after a Catastrophic Disaster has wiped out 99% of humanity and left the earth covered in ice, this new series introduces readers to a ragtag group of friends and the dawning of a new time. The world of reason, of mathematics and science, is ending, and a new civilization is being born from the ice: a world of magic and mayhem, sorcerers and spellcraft.

FROZEN is the first in a trilogy and is set to release in September of 2013..

This is not much a synopsis, I know, but Frozen sound so intriguing! Plus isn't that cover gorgeous?  I love how they have the dragon for the O, and the water effect with the girl, submerged except for her face.

I do love a good fantasy...  I can't wait for Frozen's release.

What are you waiting on this week?

And, please, please, please check out the 150 followers giveaway! There will be two winners that get to choose a book from the pile.

Book Blitz: The Forgotten Ones

The Forgotten Ones

The Danaan Trilogy

Book One

is now available exclusively on Amazon!

And until May 19 it's only 99 cents!

Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.

What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.

About Laura Howard

Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. 
Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.

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