Wednesday, August 31, 2016

August 2016 Recap

HOW is it possible that we're just about in the final quarter of the year? HOW??!! GAHHH! And I've already seen Christmas stuff in a few stores around here. Too soon, people. Too. Soon.

August was both a really good reading and reviewing month. For the moment, I actually have reviews scheduled for the next few weeks, which is something I rarely get to say, lol. As much as I love getting ahead on scheduling posts, it often doesn't work out that way.

Once again, my pick for favorite quote of the month comes from my favorite book of the month:

Gail Carriger's Imprudence was an absolute delight to read, rife with laugh-out-loud humor. To give you an idea of the hilarity, here's one of my favorite quotes from the book:

Mother put down her pins. "Your daughter would like to know if you are still going insane, dear."
Paw considered this. "I've been married to your mother for over two decades. You might allow me certain dispensation for eccentricity."

Happy September reading, everyone!

Reviews Posted:

Monday, August 29, 2016

Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, & Jack Thorne

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, & Jack Thorne
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Harry Potter #8)
By J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, & Jack Thorne
Publisher:
Arthur A. Levine Books
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

Review: Oh man—I don’t know if I’ve ever been more daunted by the prospect of writing a review. I mean, this is Harry Potter. Thanks to my fantastic failure at rereading the series since I started blogging, I’ve never reviewed any of the HP books until now. I wasn’t even going to write a review of Cursed Child, especially since I hadn’t reviewed any of the novels. I thought I might write something about Cursed Child for the blog for next year’s Harry Potter Month event, but now that I’ve finished reading it, I’m finding that I need to talk through my feelings a bit. Now. And in the form of a review.

Before proceeding, I’d like to beg pardon in advance for my vagueness throughout this review because just about every plot element is a HUGE spoiler. Please also excuse all of the italics; I’m feeling some strong emotions about this one.

Going into both reading and reviewing Cursed Child with anything remotely resembling objectivity was impossible. Again, it’s Harry Potter. I did try not to get hung up on the format and kept in mind that I was reading a script of a play meant to be performed on the stage. It was a bit of an adjustment reading about our beloved trio again because seven novels preceded Cursed Child, but it wasn’t a distraction.

Perhaps due to the play format, Cursed Child drops bombshell revelation after bombshell revelation. I can’t emphasize bombshell enough. There are so many plot twists packed into this, maybe because it has to deliver a conflict and its resolution by the end of the fourth act and not a seventh novel, but it’s still a lot to digest. I found some of the surprises plausible within the existing framework of the Potterverse but others . . . maybe not so much? One in particular definitely needed the details filled in but alas, they were not, leaving a rather large continuity gap.

As much as I hate saying this, I also felt that consistency was kind of an issue for the characters. Ron gets shortchanged the most, I think; his primary role in Cursed Child seems to be the comic relief. As for Harry, there was a line of his that makes me wince every time I think back on it. I get that living a normal life probably continued to be tough after he defeated Voldemort because there was no escaping being Harry Potter, one of the most famous wizards ever. I cannot, however, ever picture Harry uttering these words, even at his angriest. They certainly amplify the dramatic tension in this scene, but in my opinion at the expense of Harry acting in a very uncharacteristic manner.

I know that so far, this review sounds like I didn’t enjoy the play, but that’s not the case. Yes, I did have the above-mentioned issues, but virtually nothing was going to cloud the fact that I was reading about the wizarding world again, eleven years after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I admit that an unstoppable wave of sentimentality was always going to be the deciding factor in my overall rating of Cursed Child, and that remains true. The play does, however, feature some merits that are all its own, including the wonderful Scorpius Malfoy, son of yes—Draco. Young Scorpius has already gained quite the fanbase, and you’ll quickly discover why.

I really liked how the play traversed the entire original series, an ambitious and—here I go drowning in sentiment again—wonderful nostalgia trip. I also loved how the play’s title was open to several interpretations of which character it referred to. Family is at the forefront of the plot, and it’s explored in great emotional depth that will often seize your heart in its grip.

While I don’t feel that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on quite the same level as the original books, I give J.K. Rowling credit for venturing outside of the novel format. I would absolutely see the play; it would be extremely interesting to compare the experience of just reading the script to watching it performed live by actors.

All in All: Fan reactions to this have been all over the place, and me, I fall somewhere in the middle-ish. I would have bought and read this even if it had received a million negative reviews. For me, Harry Potter will always be among the books that truly changed my life, and I’ll always follow it wherever it journeys. I love it unconditionally, and nothing can ever change that. At the same time, though, I agree with a few of the criticisms that have been made about Cursed Child. So many of us love Harry Potter and his friends so freaking much, it’s hard to say who’s going to adore the play merely because it’s a new HP story and who’s going to be upset by the frenzy of revelations and some of the character portrayals. Reading Cursed Child is most certainly an instance of Your Mileage May Vary.

Sunday, August 28, 2016

Fandom Mashups (68)

Fandom Mashups is a feature hosted by Lunar Rainbows Reviews. There's a different scenario each week, and you choose a "dream team" of five characters from five different fandoms whom you think are best suited for the situation.

This week's topic is:
You were on the train (headed to Hogwarts obviously) when it gets hijacked by bad guys! OMG OMG OMG. Who are the hijackers?

  1. Voldemort: Who else would dare hijack the Hogwarts Express?!
  2. The Joker: I feel like he would do something like this just to amuse himself.
  3. Kylo Ren: Well, he did sort of flunk out of Jedi school and is pretty crazy, so I could picture him attempting to deprive Hogwarts students of their education.
  4. Loki: This guy loves chaos, so why not disrupt the start of a new school year?
  5. The White Witch (The Chronicles of Narnia): She'd probably join in to try and steal everyone's magic or some other evil scheme.

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Harry Potter Moment of the Week (139)

Harry Potter Moment of the Week is a meme hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows Reviews. The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/films/J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! A list of upcoming topics can be found here.

This week's topic is:
Which Non-Harry Potter Characters Would Do Well at Hogwarts?

Ooh, what a fun question! I'd love to see these characters at Hogwarts:

  • Aelin (Throne of Glass): She'd take Hogwarts by storm for sure, lol. And what an asset she'd be to Dumbledore's Army, not only with her magic but also with her non-magical fighting skills!
  • Aang (Avatar: The Last Airbender): Aang really enjoyed his very brief stint attending school, so I think he'd love it at Hogwarts.
  • Kell (Shades of Magic): Kell is a whiz at elemental magic, so classes should be a breeze for him. As a collector of magical trinkets, he'd also probably appreciate all of the magical objects around Hogwarts.

Monday, August 22, 2016

Review: Sabriel by Garth Nix

Sabriel by Garth Nix
Sabriel (The Old Kingdom #1)
By Garth Nix
Publisher:
Harper
Format: Paperback
Source: Gift from Micheline of Lunar Rainbows Reviews

To Sum It Up: As both the daughter of a necromancer and a necromancer herself, Sabriel has had a rather unconventional upbringing. Now eighteen, she’s still not quite prepared to assume her father’s title as the Abhorsen, but Sabriel has little choice when her father disappears and is believed to be in very great danger. To find him, Sabriel must journey into the unknown of the Old Kingdom, where all sorts of evil beings created by Free Magic await. Sabriel fears that these creatures are responsible for whatever has befallen her father, but she’s determined to find him.

Review: Sabriel is one of those books that lingered on my TBR for who knows how long and now that I’ve finally moved it to my Read shelf, I have to wonder why I didn’t pick it up sooner.

I admit to finding the world a tad confusing at first. Sabriel’s quest to find her missing father, Abhorsen, begins in Ancelstierre, where our protagonist has spent most of her life. I think I’d expected more of a medieval setting for some reason, but Ancelstierre seemed rather modern. This wasn’t an issue, but it did take me a bit to get a grip on the magic system. Sabriel practices Charter Magic as opposed to Free Magic, which, as its name seems to imply, isn’t bound by rules. On the other side of the Wall that separates Ancelstierre from the Old Kingdom (I couldn’t help thinking of the Wall from A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones here, LOL), Free Magic has been used to raise the Dead, and they take all sorts of grotesque forms. While the differences between the two types of magic become evident, I still thought a little more explanation would have been helpful here.

My tiny hiccup with the world-building aside, this was a tautly paced, wonderfully written novel. I loved the imagery that Garth Nix’s prose evoked, even when said imagery scared the hell out of me. Necromancy plays a huge part in the novel, and Nix totally delivers with the thrills and chills. The Dead seemed all too real, and every time they got too close to Sabriel and her companions, my heart skipped a few beats on their behalf.

Despite Sabriel being eighteen, the novel feels like a coming-of-age story in a way. Sabriel is a skilled necromancer (a good necromancer, one who puts spirits to rest, not one who raises them for an army of the undead), but there’s still so much she doesn’t know. All these years, she believed her father’s name was Abhorsen, and now she learns that he is the Abhorsen, a title that Sabriel must now take on, along with all of its burdens. Sabriel is more than equipped for the responsibility, though; she’s such a steady character, resourceful when questing solo but also willing to accept help when it’s offered. And help in locating her father does arrive in the forms of a sassy cat and a young man awakened after being suspended in time for 200 years.

Mogget is a talking cat with snark to spare. His biting commentary provides some of the book’s most humorous moments. Don’t assume that Mogget is merely the comic relief, though; there’s much more to this feline, I promise. As for Touchstone, the third member of Sabriel’s group, my heart went out to him for losing about 200 years of his life because of some extremely powerful magic. What he hasn’t lost, however, is his guilt over an event in the past that continues to reverberate throughout the present-day Old Kingdom. Although Touchstone struggles to avoid dwelling on the past, he also realizes the urgency to Sabriel’s mission. As much as I still would have enjoyed this book even if Sabriel had continued journeying alone, the addition of her two very intriguing companions was most definitely welcome.

I ended up becoming so engrossed in Sabriel’s tale that the ending arrived all too soon. Seriously—I wasn’t yet ready to say goodbye to this brave young woman who owned everything that life and death threw at her. I’ll certainly be visiting the Old Kingdom again and look forward to discovering more of its secrets.

All in All: A good necromancer? Yes! Sabriel is quite a unique fantasy anchored by a very grounded heroine with formidable inner strength and magical talent. Definitely recommended for fantasy fans.

Sunday, August 21, 2016

Fandom Mashups (67)

Fandom Mashups is a feature hosted by Lunar Rainbows Reviews. There's a different scenario each week, and you choose a "dream team" of five characters from five different fandoms whom you think are best suited for the situation.

This week's topic is:
You've stumbled onto THE ONE RING (WHAT THE HELL FRODO?! You had ONE job!) and now you need to take it to Mount Doom to destroy it. Who do you choose as your own Fellowship of the Ring?

  1. Aelin (Throne of Glass): Because I always take Aelin along on these types of missions, LOL.
  2. Harry Potter: If Harry could find and destroy the horcruxes, he's got this.
  3. Aang (Avatar: The Last Airbender): Aang is just an all-around great guy to have on your team for quest-type adventures.
  4. Kell (Shades of Magic): Kell also has some experience dealing with troublesome objects, plus he could stash the ring in his special coat for safekeeping.
  5. Sabriel (The Old Kingdom): Being a necromancer (a good one), not much rattles this brave lady. She's journeyed into the unknown before and knows how to keep her wits about her even under pressure.

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Harry Potter Moment of the Week (138)

Harry Potter Moment of the Week is a meme hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows Reviews. The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/films/J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! A list of upcoming topics can be found here.

This week's topic is:
Which Books Would You Recommend to Dumbledore?

I always have fun with this topic because I get to do one of my favorite things in the world—recommend books, LOL! I really hope that Dumbledore would enjoy these:

  • Charmed Knits: Projects for Fans of Harry Potter by Alison Hansel: It's Harry Potter + knitting! Dumbledore would probably be much better than I've been at working through the patterns in the book; I've only knit one hat in like the 6 years since I've had the book, LOL.
  • The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater: The wonderful friendship that is the centerpiece of this series reminds me a lot of of our beloved trio, plus there's some paranormal stuff going on. What's not for Dumbledore to love?
  • Shades of Magic by V.E. Schwab: I think Dumbledore would totally get a kick out of both Kell and Lila from Shades of Magic and their thrilling, time-traveling adventures that also feature elemental magic.

Monday, August 15, 2016

Review: This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab
This Savage Song (Monsters of Verity #1)
By Victoria Schwab
Publisher:
Greenwillow Books
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

To Sum It Up: Kate Harker and August Flynn’s families stand on opposite sides of the divide between the two halves of their city, a city teeming with lethal monsters. Kate’s ruthless father offers paid protection from the monsters to those in North City who can afford it, while August’s father is rumored to be sitting on a massive weapon that could destroy Callum Harker’s hold on North City. As their fathers edge closer to leading their territories to conflict, Kate and August find themselves somewhere in the middle and discovering that there’s a fine line between being human and being a monster.

Review: I am so glad that I read This Savage Song soon after reading Victoria Schwab’s superb adult novel, Vicious. At the very beginning of This Savage Song, there’s a quote from none other than Victor Vale, one of Schwab’s Vicious protagonists. It’s an apt quote, too, about humans and monsters, which lie at the heart of This Savage Song.

The monsters in this book are all kinds of scary and fall into three types: Corsai, Malchai, and Sunai. The Corsai and Malchai are truly the stuff of nightmares with their claws and teeth. While the Sunai come the closest to passing as human in appearance, they’re capable of stealing human souls—with only a song. August Flynn, one of the book’s two protagonists, is one of three known Sunai. The adopted son of Henry Flynn, the human leader of the southern half of a city left divided by a territory war, August struggles with who—and what—he is throughout the novel. Yes, he’s part of a family with human parents and a Sunai brother and sister. But August is also capable of mass destruction, a secret that must remain hidden from Henry Flynn’s nemesis Callum Harker, the iron-fisted ruler of North City and the father of Kate Harker, our other main character.

Kate is a no-nonsense young woman. We’re introduced to her just as she’s about to set the chapel at St. Agnes Academy on fire. Her goal is to get expelled and sent home to V-City and to her father, who’s been shuffling Kate around from school to school for the past few years. Kate finally gets her wish and is allowed to return to North City, although it’s not exactly a warm welcome that greets her arrival. Still, she’s determined to prove to her father that she’s very much the daughter of the man who sells protection from the monsters to those willing to pay for it.

For me, the center of this book was the connection that develops between Kate and August. I’m struggling a bit here to find the right word to describe what’s between them. Refreshingly, there aren’t any romantic undertones to it. The two are drawn to each other’s company when they shouldn’t be, given the enmity between their fathers. In fact, August is sent to Kate’s new school to keep tabs on her, but some thrilling—and chilling—plot twists find them both running for their lives—together. Schwab is just so good at writing deep story lines. She’s also brilliant at writing characters who aren’t exactly good but aren’t exactly bad, exemplified here by a monster with a conscience who doesn’t want to give in to his nature and go dark.

The only teensy hiccup I ran into with this book was grasping some aspects of the world-building. I was expecting a little more backstory to the origin of the monsters and the cataclysmic event known as the Phenomenon, but the novel is very much focused on the present and not so much on how we arrived here. I became so invested in the characters, though, that I was OK with not having all the answers to my questions about the world. Other readers, however, might want those details about the past filled in.

Vicious left me thinking about it for days after finishing it, and This Savage Song has lingered in my mind in a similar fashion. Victoria Schwab’s take on monsters is very unique, and this is definitely the kind of book that you need to experience for yourself. As I was writing this review, I had a hard time putting into words specifically why I enjoyed the book so much. I just got lost in the story, driven by two fantastically written characters. So in short, I really, really liked This Savage Song because . . . I just did.

All in All: Victoria Schwab is a storytelling virtuoso, and here she brings together monsters and music for one hell of a rockin’ concert.

Sunday, August 14, 2016

Fandom Mashups (66)

Fandom Mashups is a feature hosted by Lunar Rainbows Reviews. There's a different scenario each week, and you choose a "dream team" of five characters from five different fandoms whom you think are best suited for the situation.

This week's topic is:
FIGHT CLUB! For some reason, you've decided to start up your own Fight Club. Who's going to be a part of this ass-kicking and painful endeavor?

So I ended up with an all-female team this week, and believe me, I wouldn't want to mess with any of these ladies individually, let alone working together as a single, unstoppable unit:

  1. Aelin (Throne of Glass): I wouldn't actually want to be her opponent, LOL. I'd just hope to pick up a few of her badass fighting techniques.
  2. Black Widow: With all of her training, Black Widow would make sure that we could take on anyone!
  3. Arya Stark (A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones): Not only is Arya lethal with a sword, but she's also trained with the Faceless Men in stealth and other deadly arts. A girl knows how to take care of herself.
  4. Lila Bard (Shades of Magic): Lila has a lifetime of street smarts and a knack for handling knives in her arsenal, along with burgeoning elemental magic. Think twice about taking on this pirate.
  5. Rose Hathaway (Vampire Academy): Rose is one of the fiercest characters I've read about, and she's never one to back down from a fight.

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Harry Potter Moment of the Week (137)

Harry Potter Moment of the Week is a meme hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows Reviews. The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/films/J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! A list of upcoming topics can be found here.

This week's topic is:
What Shop Would Be Your First Stop on Your First Third Year Trip to Hogsmeade?

HONEYDUKES! I've got a bit of a sweet tooth, all right? Just point me in the direction of anything chocolate, and I'm good! XD

Monday, August 8, 2016

Review: These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker & Kelly Zekas

These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker & Kelly Zekas
These Vicious Masks (These Vicious Masks #1)
By Tarun Shanker & Kelly Zekas
Publisher:
Swoon Reads
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased

To Sum It Up: In Victorian England, Evelyn Wyndham longs to travel and see the world rather than constantly attend local social gatherings in the hopes of fulfilling her mother’s wish to see Evelyn marry well. The sudden disappearance of Evelyn’s sister, Rose, however, pushes all other matters aside. Evelyn’s sole focus becomes finding Rose, even if she has to break social propriety to do so. Evelyn’s search uncovers a startling discovery—that some individuals develop special abilities, and this may be precisely why her sister has been taken.

Review: Hmm . . . it seems we have another case of It’s Not This Book, It’s Me here because a ton of readers enjoyed These Vicious Masks. Going into the book, I had been all set to be one of those readers because These Vicious Masks was being touted as a mashup of Jane Austen and the X-Men. I also went into this right on the heels of the incredible Vicious by V.E. Schwab, another novel about extraordinary beings. I very much wanted to make it 2 for 2 with the superhero reads, but alas, it was not meant to be.

These Vicious Masks left me with an overall feeling of needing more: more depth to the characters and the plot, more world-building, and more urgency to the conflict. The novel begins on a promising enough note, with protagonist Evelyn quickly establishing that she has a sassy side to her and isn’t afraid to say what she’s thinking. Later, though, as she searches for her missing sister, Rose, in London, Evelyn also shows a more reckless side, one that had me shaking my head at the danger she threw herself into. I’m not saying that she should have played the damsel in distress; rather, she took her thinking too far to the other extreme at times, believing that she needed zero help.

There’s a strong scent of a love triangle here, and I can’t say that I found either Mr. Kent or Mr. Braddock particularly intriguing. Mr. Kent is quite the wit and Mr. Braddock quite the brooder, but like most of the characters in this book, there’s not much more to them than a singular, defining personality trait. I definitely wanted to know the history between Evelyn and Mr. Kent, as they already seem very well acquainted in their first scene together on the page. I never felt that those details were satisfactorily filled in, though. While I thought that Mr. Braddock was a slightly better developed character than Mr. Kent because at least we get some backstory for Braddock, it’s still not quite enough to make him seem like a fully fleshed out character.

The world-building felt similarly light and didn’t create the immersive experience that reading, say, Gail Carriger’s Victorian steampunk novels does. These Vicious Masks is also a bit light on the plot elements; Evelyn is on a mission to find her sister, and that pretty much sums up the book. The superhero aspect was a letdown, too; I picked this book up specifically because of the combination of the superpowers plus the historical period, but these characters and their abilities could have been transplanted to any era. Nothing made them unique to this one.

Unfortunately, I was not the right reader for These Vicious Masks. There are plenty of other readers who did find it to be their cup of tea, though. It might be yours as well, but it just wasn’t mine.

All in All: More of a sense of being in Victorian England and more character/plot complexity were what I was looking for here. There are some very clever lines of dialogue to be sure, but the book’s wit couldn’t quite make up for what it lacked in other aspects.

Sunday, August 7, 2016

Fandom Mashups (65)

Fandom Mashups is a feature hosted by Lunar Rainbows Reviews. There's a different scenario each week, and you choose a "dream team" of five characters from five different fandoms whom you think are best suited for the situation.

This week's topic is:
You've gained ELEMENTAL MAGIC! First tell us which element(s) you have an affinity for and then tell us: which characters are going to train you up?

I'm going with FIRE, just because I want to hang out with this crew:

  1. Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender): Ummm, I kind of chose fire because of him? XD
  2. Aelin (Throne of Glass): If you want to learn how to be a fire-breathing bitch queen, you need to learn from the best.
  3. Dumbledore (Harry Potter): The scene in Half-Blood Prince when Dumbledore ignites the cave with fire to drive back the Inferi and rescue Harry still gives me the chills.
  4. Kell (Shades of Magic): Kell is adept at every type of elemental magic, so I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving me a few fire lessons.
  5. Christian Ozera (Vampire Academy): Fire is Christian's specialty, and I have the utmost confidence in his training skills.

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Harry Potter Moment of the Week (136)

Harry Potter Moment of the Week is a meme hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows Reviews. The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/films/J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! A list of upcoming topics can be found here.

This week's topic is:
Favorite Quote from Prisoner of Azkaban

GAH—so much pressure with this topic, because PoA is my FAVORITE book! Dumbledore has some absolutely brilliant quotes in this one, but in the end, I HAD to go with a quote from my favorite character, Sirius Black:

"We'll see each other again," he said. "You are—truly your father's son, Harry . . . "

Now please pardon me while I go sob loudly in the corner.

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Book Loot (26)

So a little book called Harry Potter and the Cursed Child released on Sunday, LOL. Ahhh, it was so wonderful to experience the feeling of a new HP book in one's hands again.

I grabbed this lovely on Amazon Prime Day:

I can't wait to return to the world of AtLA and be with the gAang again!

I also received an ARC and won a Goodreads giveaway:

For Review:

Cloudwish by Fiona Wood
Thanks to the Novl!

Won:

The Fifth Avenue Artists Society by Joy Callaway
Thanks to Goodreads and Harper!

Have you read any of these yet? Do you plan to read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child?

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

July 2016 Recap

Hello there, friends! I hope everyone is having a fantastic summer! It was an incredibly hot July here, the hottest I ever remember it being in the 7 years I've lived in Florida.

July was all about Mr. Harry Potter! Of course Harry Potter and the Cursed Child released on July 31, and I also participated in Harry Potter Month again. I can't recommend this wonderful event enough to anyone who loves HP; many thanks to our lovely hosts, Faith of Geeky Zoo Girl and Micheline of Lunar Rainbows Reviews, for organizing this fantastic event again this year!

Since I spent the majority of July having way, way too much fun writing HP-related posts, rewatching the HP movies, and playing the Lego HP games, I didn't get a whole bunch of reading and reviewing done, lol. But I did absolutely LOVE this, my favorite read of July:

Morally gray characters are so my thing, and Vicious showcases them brilliantly. Everything about this book was phenomenal, which is why I'm also choosing a quote from Vicious as my favorite quote of the month:

"You aren't some avenging angel, Eli," he said. "You're not blessed, or divine, or burdened. You're a science experiment."

Reviews Posted:

Harry Potter Month Posts: