Review: Feast of Fools (Morganville Vampires #4) by Rachel Caine (#4)

Title: Feast of Fools
Author: Rachel Caine
Series: The Morganville Series
Book #: 4
Pages: 242
Reading Level: YA
Book Rating: .8
Published: June 4th, 2008.
by Signet

The wait is over. Dig into the feast... 

In the town of Morganville, vampires and humans live in relative peace. Student Claire Danvers has never been convinced, though—especially with the arrival of Mr. Bishop, an ancient, old-school vampire who cares nothing about harmony. What he wants from the town’s living and its dead is unthinkably sinister. It’s only at a formal ball, attended by vampires and their human dates, that Claire realizes the elaborately evil trap he’s set for Morganville.

Taschima's POV:


Possible spoilers for books 1 (Glass Houses), 2 (The Dead Girl's Dance), and 3 (Midnight Alley). This is book 4 in the series, if you have come here for a review you probably know whats been going on by now.

And thus I've returned to the land of the vampires. Morganville, I didn't really miss you, but I felt a sort of duty to finish you off. A self challenge if you will. Now I look back at myself and pat myself in the back with a grin, because if the first 3 books in the series were "okay" from this point on it seems like it's going to be "awesome!".

Feast of Fools is really a turning point book were the reading goes from "I'll read it cause I have to finish it" to "holy crap I MUST finish it!". What I've always liked about the Morganville series, and this is also the reason I returned, it's that the vampires here are so not black and white. They are not evil per se, but they aren't good either. Most important of all, they always keep you guessing.

Claire is this 16 year old girl who is ridiculously smart. She is so smart that she got into MIT (at 16), but since her parents didn't think she was mature enough to live so far away from home they send her to Morganville, an hour away, to begin her studies. They figured she would be safe there. Boy, they couldn't have been more wrong. All sorts of bad stuff happens in this town, a town were vampires rule all the humans. Claire's, along with her roommates Michael, Eve, and Shane, sole purpose is to stay alive. Claire has also become a sort of "pet" to the main founder of the town, Amelie, and along with Myrnin, a crazy vampire scientist (emphasis on the crazy part) must find a cure for a quiet disease that it's slowly but surely attacking all the clueless vampires of Morganville. But this is not their only problem, at the end of the last book (Midnight Alley) a new big bad vamp comes to town claiming to be Amelie's father, Mister Bishop. And let me just say that he's out for blood.

Something I really liked about this novel was that at the beginning there was a part were the author catches you up on what's happened "thus far". I thought it was a nice touch since I didn't completely remember. But now I'm up to date. See, I was never a big fan of the series so I stopped reading on the third book, but boy was that a mistake. The fourth book is a turning point in the story line, and the whole way the story went took me by surprise. I have to say I like it, I like it very much.

The characters, Claire, Shane, Eve and Michael, are all still pretty much the same though all of them develop in some degree. My favorite character is by far Myrnin, he was the reason I kept reading book 3 in the first place. He is such a crazy, eccentric vampire. I am never sure what he'll do next exactly, and I love it. Also the big bad Mister Bishop is not easy to kill, he is smart and deadly, but like I like my bad guys. It's so boring when they just die fast.

The only annoying part of the novel for me was the romance between Claire and Shane. She is so full of doubt, and the whole "will they or won't they do it" every time they went behind closed doors was a bit of a moo point (Side note: FRIENDS anybody?). The romance didn't keep us guessing, nor was it that passionate, it was just nice. Michael and Eve on the other hand? I'm so rooting for those two crazy kids.

If you, like me, were thinking of giving up on the series, alas don't. You will go through these pages soo quick you won't even know what hit you. Better have the next book (Lord of Misrule) beside you, because after Feast of Fools, it only gets better.

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9/11... Ten Years Later

This morning I woke up, and I didn't remember what day it was. I got up, and went to turn on the T.V. to VH1. I love watching the guy on the VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown, he is always so happy, so cheerful. He makes you want to listen to music and dance along. Today he had his usual cheerfulness, but at the end of the segment he got serious. He started talking about 9/11, and about how VH1 was going to be repeating the New York concert later today from 4-10 pm commercial free. Then suddenly, I remembered what day it was.

I can't say I remember much about that day 10 years ago, all I remember was that I was in third grade. The teachers turned on the T.V. and towers were burning. Beautiful grand towers, burning to the ground. My mom picked me up early, me and my brother and sister. We didn't understand what was going on, but my mother did. People were dying. None of my family died, we all lived at Puerto Rico at that time. I am so thankful for this. I can't even imagine what people were going through that day, what they are still going through today.

If you can, please read this article over at Meg Cabot's site. It's her 9/11 real story. Not fiction. Please read it. Also if you have a chance read this other 9/11 story, it's by one of my favorite bloggers/writers.

Go hug your family and friends, tell them how much you love them. Be thankful that they are still here, and take a moment to remember those who aren't.

Blog Question: To Do or Not To Do?

To Do or Not To Do?

I am a person facing a riddle. While I want to give all of you as many reviews as possible I am but one college girl with a job. I read, I do, I write reviews as well and I like to do it. It's just I don't have as much time as I used to when I was in oh High School. So my question is, for a blog that is entirely owned by me where nobody else has been responsible for anything is it okay to have a person who is willing to do the occasional YA review? It would mean more content, and I won't just let anyone touch my baby so they will have to be good writers with a unique style. But what do you think? It's still just an idea, but first I want some opinions on the matter.

The Perfect Iron King Crown (Julie Kagawa)

The Perfect Iron King Crown

I found this at Etsy.com and the first thing that came to mind was The Iron King by Julie Kagawa. It's a french antique from the 1800 hundreds. If they made an Iron King movie this is the crown they should buy for the king. It just looks so rusted and right.

Can you imagine Meghan or any Iron King wearing this baby?

Review: The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

Title: The Girl in the Steel Corset
Author: Kady Cross
Series: The Steampunk Chronicles
Book #: 1
Pages: 473
Reading Level: YA
Book Rating: .5
Published: May 24th 2011
by Harlequin Teen

In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one except the "thing" inside her.

When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch...

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits. Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.
Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help-and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.

But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on, even if it seems no one believes her.

Taschima's POV:

 I've seen both good and bad reviews about this novel, but what can I say about one of the books with the prettiest covers around? Well, I can say that it was pretty fun, had some interesting characters, and the steampunk element was well employed. It also had some annoying characters, the main plot was so so, and the pace was like a roller coaster ride; going up and down and all around (the beginning of the novel captures your attention right away though!).

Finley is two people inhabiting one body. Fighting for control, her darker self is the daredevil bad girl who is not afraid to risk her life or teach gentleman some manners, while the good girl is the total opposite, but not as lame as she could otherwise be. They are two halfs of one hole. We are introduced to Finley in the beginning when she runs away from where she is currently working and gets hit by a motorcycle. Who is riding this said motorcycle? Why none other than the handsome DUKE Griffin King. He takes her under his wing because he feels responsible and then comes to realize what a special girl Finley is when she starts throwing the servants around like they weight no more than a pack of pencils. Griffin, with the help of his loyal friends Emily and Sam is trying to catch one of the baddest guys around town, a man called The Machinist, and he might just need Finley to get the job done.

Hmm this novel was interesting (which is the word I usually employ when something is good and picks your interest, but not as magnificent). It took me a long time to finish it up, but that was my own fault (real life got momentarily in the way). As I said before it has some interesting characters. I liked Finley's two personas, but I have to say that my favorite is Emily, she is just such a smart wonderful girl! I didn't fall in love with any of the male characters (Beware there is not only one but TWO love triangles in this book, DUM DUM DUM!).

I thought the guys were pretty standard, they didn't rock my boat, though occasionally each of them (except Sam) managed to shake me up a bit (specially a cowboy type fellow who shows up once in a while).

Now... for the annoying characters. You are going to find them here. I got mostly annoyed at Sam, he is just such a *&^%head. I cannot stomach him, and I don't know how anyone in their right mind could either. I guess he has redeeming qualities, like being occasionally witty, but not enough for me.

As for the plot it was so so. The big bad guy wasn't as big and bad as it first seemed, he went down pretty easily. Finley's "problem" also seems to resolve itself pretty easily (I was expecting things to get way worse before they ever got better). One of the things I most liked about the novel was the element of Steampunk in the Victorian age. It was a nice background, though most of the time it felt like it was so freaking advanced... Like they used 21st century things and made it pass as steampunk. Maybe the objects just weren't described as fully has they could have been described and so my mind just thought of the equivalent in the 21st century.

Also what is it with Steampunk in the Victorian era? It just works!

The possibilities for the second novel are endless! I expect to be picking up that novel whenever it hits bookstores near me (hopefully there will be bookstores still around by then). Then again, don't expect me to be tripping over myself to get it.
 

T's Reading Trajectory:

 

Steady process if there ever was one >.<

 

Cover Winner of August; New Covers for September!

Goodreads Page

Amazon Page

Elemental reality won by 10 votes. Not much of a shock considering what a looker it is xD Has anybody read this one? Is it really good? =D I wanna buy it, but now my options boil down to Books-a-Million and Barnes and Noble, it's not a happy site, though I prefer B-A-M.

Breakdown Time:

Elemental Reality by Cesya Cuono - 36 (31%)

Fury by Elizabeth Miles - 26 (22%)

Delcroix Academy: The Watchers by Inara Scott - 22 (19%)

 Prophecy of the Sisters: Circle of Fire by Michelle Zink - 14 (12%)

Possess by Gretchen McNeil - 14 (12%)

The Flappers: Ingenue by Jillian Larkin - 3 (2%)

Total Votes: 115

New Covers for September:

      

   

Honorary Mentions:

      

      

All the covers are linked to ther respectuive Goodreads Page.

Remember to vote because at the end I will be giving away the books... so you want to win something you really want right? The more votes the better!

PS; All of these covers, and many many more, you can find at Bloody Bookaholic's Facebook Page. Check it out and "like" it please!

 

Dinning on Borders Bones

As many of you know Borders, my dear and lovely bookstore (not to mention my favorite) is closing down. I hate this fact, but oh well. I supported them for years, and it still didn't keep them from going bankrupt. I will forever miss you, oh dear holy house of books.

Having paid my respects, now comes the juicy part. I went to Borders to help them a bit more. When I went they had everything 40%-60% off, and oh gosh did I take advantage!

I got all the titles listed below, which are:

All You Desire, sequel to The Eternal Ones

With a much prettier cover. Can't wait to read this one!

Slices of Cherry, "sequel" to Bleeding Violet

Bleeding Violet was creepy and awesome, though it left me hanging a bit at the end.

Will Slices of Cherry live up to my high standards?

IF the cover is any indicator I would say hell yeah!

Echoes

Girl who can read minds with an extremely appealing cover,

who wouldn't have bought it?

Rampant

I have the sequel, but haven't read this one... I might as well.

Jealousy and Defiance

I started this series and never really continued it. I always said "Oh, I'll buy it later" but later never seem to come. Now I got both! Time to catch up!

My Soul to Take and My Soul to Save

Everybody tells me this series is awesome, so I bought the first two books (I kind of have the others). I know I get frustrated when people don't follow my advise to read a great series, so I'm following the advice of friends and finally going for a spin on this gravy train.

Broken

Aaaam... Too steamy for this blog, so don't expect a full on review, but nevertheless expect some kind of comment. Megan Hart is a terrific author.

The Vampire Dimitri

An impulse buy! The title has it all, vampire, Dimitri... I can't wait to read about another Dimitri. It's kind of the second one in the series, but I don't think it matter much from what I read from the summary.

The Morganville Vampires:

Feast of Fools, Lord of Misrule, Carpe Corpus, Morganville Vampires: Volume 4 (The Morganville Vampires #7-8 Omnibus; Fade Out and Kiss of Death)

I started reading this series ages ago, and then just stopped. It didn't hold my attention as others did. But now I'm back and I'm willing to give it another shot.

I Heart You, You Haunt Me

I've wanted to read this one for the longest time. I love the cover, and it's written in verse!

So, that was my haul. The total came up to $112, which is pretty cheap for so many books! Specially with two hardcovers thrown in the mix. Now Borders is going up to 50% off... I'm going back... soon!

Have you been able to pick through Borders ashes? What did you get? Are you going soon, or did Borders already close it's doors next to you?

PS; Remember to go ahead and "like" Bloody Bookaholic at our Facebook Page!