Waiting on Wednesday: Changeless

Because we're all waiting for something.

Alexia Tarabotti, now Lady Maccon, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears - leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria.

But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her into the backwaters of ugly waistcoats, Scotland, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only A soulless can.

She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it.

Series: The Parasol Protectorate
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: August 1 2010


I absolutely adored Soulless, the first book in the series - the world Carriger has created is so vivid, and her characters are so fun to read about. From what I can get from the description of the second book? We're in for a helluva fun ride.

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland
Author: Lewis Carroll
Series: Wonderland
Publisher: A couple different ones, from what I've seen =3
How Received: library

Fall down a rabbit hole into the eccentric world of Wonderland. On her adventures, Alice shrinks, grows, meets a hookah smoking caterpillar, a Mad Hatter, a crazy March Hare, an adorable Dormouse, a baby that turns into a pig...

There's a reason it's a classic.

Love the world of Wonderland and the zany cast of characters that come with it!

That is all.

Book or movie or new movie?: I prefer the new movie - Alice is older, more easier to relate to, and the characters have much more depth to them.

Alice? The Alice?

I had the pleasure of seeing Alice in Wonderland on March 5th. The theater I went to was sold out; I went with two of my best friends (and my brother, poor dear, he gets dragged along to everything) and was prepared with Milk Duds and soda and popcorn.

And I have to say - it. was. fantastic.

The graphics were amazing, the plot line was well thought out, and the 3-D effects were absolutely wonderful. What made the movie, though, was the characters.

The casting was done perfectly. Helena makes an AMAZING Red Queen - if it weren't for the Mad characters, I'd say she stole the show. She's funny and evil and, most importantly, human. Her character is relatable.

But then you have the Mad characters - the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, and the Dormouse. They're all completely different, all raving mad, and all wonderfully lovable. JDepp as the Mad Hatter is fantastic. On the other hand, he could play a telephone and I'd think he was fantastic. But he alternated between a British accent and a Scottish brogue - the brogue came out whenever the Hatter got mad. The Dormouse was adorable. She's a spunky little thing that absolutely adores the Hatter, and I found that to be famazing. And the March Hare? I. Love. Him. He's my favorite of all the mad characters (yes! even more so than the Hatter!) because he'll just stop and stare at something for a good minute, then say what it is. It's hilarious.

I was a bit worried about the Chesire Cat and the Caterpillar, but both worked out WONDERFULLY.

Anne Hathaway made a good White Queen - she captured the character pretty well, I thought. Am I forgetting anybody? OH! Mia as Alice. A very good job, I thought - I can't picture anybody else playing the character, so that's good.

On a side note, I want all of Alice's dresses. Especially the one she wears in the Red Queen's castle.

I'm really excited to get my hands on the book version.

Have you guys seen it yet? What do you think?

The Pirate Queen

The Pirate Queen
Author: Alan Gold
Series: ---
Publisher: Penguin Group
How Received: library
Summary from Barnes & Noble's website.

Grace O'Malley commanded a dozen ships and the obedience of thousands of men. Her empire stretched from Connaught on the Irish coast to the cobalt aters of Africa. Through the daring of her piracy, Grace nearly bankrupted the English treasury-and her outright defiance brought embarrassment to Elizabeth I. Yet the lives of these two amazing women were inextricably intertwined-and their eventual meeting during the most brilliant and romantic era that Europe has ever known would shock the world.

I adore the story of Grace O'Malley, Pirate Queen. I always have. She's a fantastic historical figure-
-and I thought Alan Gold captured her perfectly.

This is one of those books I couldn't put down; it was fun to read, well written, and he managed to capture Grace's personality so wonderfully. I loved reading about all of Grace's many escapades, her trials and tribulations...

Really, it's a character driven story - if you don't like Grace, you're not going to keep reading. After all, the story is all about her.

[SPOILER ALERT] And I can't think of anybody who wouldn't like Grace. (Besides her husband, I mean.) I mean, even her and the Queen of England got along! [/SPOILER ALERT]

Overall Rating & Final Comments: 10/10. Need to buy. Love.
Do I prefer the musical The Pirate Queen or the book?: The musical The Pirate Queen is based off of the book Grania by Morgan Llywelyn - which is in my to be read pile. And while I adore Alan Gold's version, because he DOES capture Grania perfectly, I love the idea of her having a soulmate in Tiernan. Both are excellent, excellent, excellent.

Happy reading!

~ Nicole

Guest Post: Rachel Hawkins

The amazing Rachel Hakwins, author of Hex Hall, has stopped by - for a guest post!

"What's the meaning of my books, what's my inspiraaaaa-tiooooon..."

That song will be stuck in your head for the next two weeks. You're welcome, blog readers!

Inspiration or "muse" is a hot topic amongst writers, so I thought I'd talk a little but about mine today! I think sometimes people think that in over to write, you have to be inspired all the time, i.e., the fire of writing must burn brightly within you at all times. But guys? That's not always the case. I'm going to let you in on a little writing secret: Writing Is Hard.

I just blew your mind, right? I mean, NO ONE has ever suggested writing was anything but flowers and sausages!

Sarcasm aside, what I mean is that, while I knew writers had to treat writing like a job, I still thought they always loved the writing, that they always felt inspired that they always knew they had a great story. Therefore, I thought, when the writing felt super sucky and really hard and not like fun at all, it meant there was something wrong with the book (or, at the worst moments, me.)

There were so many times I nearly gave up on HEX HALL because I really felt like the story was too big, that there was too much of a "mytharc" to build. I mean, I'd never written a whole book! What was I doing trying to write an epic trilogy?

Then there were good days, great days even. Days when I was so deep into the story that I felt like my typing couldn't keep up with my brain. It's just that those days seemed pretty rare. Most of my writing days were just sitting down, doing the work until I'd done somewhere around 2,000 words. And occasionally, I had the "Oh my God, I suck so hard!" days.

But somehow, through a combination of those 3 types of days, HEX HALL got written. And I would guess that that's how pretty much all books get written. Sure, some authors do write in a frenzy of inspiration (Stephenie Meyer wrote the gargantuan Twilight over a summer. That's 3 months, people! And she has, like, a bazillion little kids!)but for the rest of us, I'd guess it's more like a really long road trip. Most of the time you're just driving, focusing on your destination. Sometimes, you get frustrated and you're just ready to be there already, dammit, and your butt falls asleep, and you have to pee, and you can't remember why you even wanted to take a road trip. And then there are the moments when you see something truly amazing, like a really beautiful sunset, or a awesome roadside stand selling something you just have to have, and the whole trip, butt fatigue and all, feels totally worth it.

So any aspiring writers, if you're about thirty pages into your novel and feeling a total lack of inspiration, power through it! If I only wrote when I was inspired, I'd write a book every five years, or something. And that would mean eating A LOT of ramen noodles. ;-)

~ Rachel Hawkins

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for Hex Hall here!

Giveaway: Hex Hall

I told you that I'd have a giveaway for you! And I do!

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father-an elusive European warlock-only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

T-shirt: (click images to enlarge)


Hex Hall has just come out, and I've got a t-shirt and book for y'all! It's a fantastic read - check out my review of it here - and it's just come out!

Recap:
[1] copy of Hex Hall up for giveaway
[1] Hex Hall t-shirt up for giveaway (sizes either S, M, L, maybe XL)
[3] winners in the U.S. only
[3] winners announced March 19

How To Win:
[mandatory] Answer this: Which would you rather be - a witch, a fairy, or a shapeshifter?
[mandatory] comment on this post with your email
[+1] comment on the review
[+2] relink this giveaway (include location of link in comment)
[+2] relink to WORD (include location of link in comment)
[+2] tweet this contest (include location of link in comment)
[+8] follow WORD

What are you waiting for? Let me see those comments!

Hex Hall

Hex Hall
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Series: Hex Hall series? I hope.
Publisher: Hyperion
How Received: publisher

Three years ago, on her thirteenth birthday, Sophia Mercer discovered she was a witch. And now, after numerous magical mishaps, she's been exiled to Hex Hall - a reform school for witches, faeries, and shapeshifters. (Oh my!)

Of course, there's a vampire or two thrown in, too. And who does Sophie end up with for a roommate?

And now, with enemies that look like supermodels, a crush on the most desired warlck in the school, a ghost that won't leave her alone, and the most hated person in the school for a best friend - a mysterious predator starts attacking students.

What's a witch to do?

Mad props for an EXCELLENT debut novel from Rachel Hawkins!

I loved all the different creatures in Hex Hall - they were all brought together brilliantly and portrayed creatively. I loved the plot line, the characters - there had better be a sequel, because I'm excited to see what she does with this world.

There were a few predictable bits, but the overall plot line was wonderfully engaging. There were some plot twists I didn't expect at all, and I LOVED them!

Overall Rating & Final Comments: 9/10 - a fantastic fantasy read that'll keep you on the edge of your seat. Well, mostly.
Cover Comments: It's a beautiful cover to begin with, and once you've read the story, go back and look again - it connects!

Psst. Want to read this? Come back tomorrow for a super special GIVEAWAY.