I Spy a Lie Part 2

 Title: The Agency Novels/Mary Quinn Mysteries:

                                                 A Spy in the House

                                                The Body at the Tower

                                                The Traitor in the Tunnel

                                                Rivals in the City

                                      Author: Y.S. Lee
                                      Previous Work: None

                                      Summary: When orphan Mary Quinn is sentenced to the
                                      gallows for thievery, she is instead rescued and educated at
                                      Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for girls. She finds out the
                                      organization is more than they seem, and agrees to start
                                      spying for them. Between her new job, London's general
                                      mistrust of foreigners, and a growing attraction to a man who
                                      seemingly appears at every turn, can Mary satisfy her need
                                      for freedom? Or will the constraints of England in the 1800's
                                      cripple her spirit forever?

                                      Rating: I'd give the series a 4.
                                      Awards:
                                      (For A Spy in the House)

                                      2011 CCBC's John Spray Mystery Award

                                      2011 Agatha Award Finalist

                                      2011 Red Maple Award Finalist

                                      (For The Traitor in the Tunnel)
                                     
                                      2013 Arthur Ellis Award Nominee for Best Juvenile/YA
                                      Crime Book

                                      Opinion: I love this series. You can't help but root for Mary,
                                      and it's nice to read a historical fiction where women have
                                      opportunities. The story has a real yet unreal feeling. The
                                      only issue I have is that while the characters always stayed
                                      with me, sometimes the finer details of the plot didn't. That
                                      said, I'm still sad the series is over. This is definitely a series
                                      worth reading.

                                                                       

Magnificent Monsters

 Title: The Foundling's Tale/ Monster Blood Tattoo Series

                                                  Foundling

                                                  Lamplighter

                                                  Factotum

                                      Author/Illustrator: D.M. Cornish
                                      Previous Work: None

                                      Summary: Rossamünd is an orphan boy with a girl's name and 
                                      some unusual quirks. He lives in the Half Continent where 
                                      everymen and untermen (humans and monsters) live locked in 
                                      constant battle. The monsters kill humans and the humans, in 
                                      turn, kill the monsters and make a tattoo from their blood called a 
                                     cruorpuxnis. As Rossamünd goes on a journey to start his new life,
                                      he begins to suspect not all monsters are evil. But to think such a
                                      thing is a great crime, and could put Rossamünd's very life in
                                      danger.

                                     Rating: A 4.5 because the series feels unfinished.
                                    Awards:
                                    (For Foundling)
  
                                    2007 Aurealis Award Winner

                                    (For Lamplighter)

                                    2009 Aurealis Award Nominee

                                    2009 Locus Awards Top 15

                                    2009 Andre Norton Award Finalist

                                    (For Factotum)
                                    2011 Locus Awards Top 15

                                    Opinion: These books were interesting because I didn't feel like I 
                                    was reading about a made up world or fake people. The author has 
                                    a way of transporting people there, as if he lives there and wants to 
                                    tell you about it. I understood the struggles of the people, and 
                                    while it was a fantastical world, it didn't seem so perfect it couldn't
                                    be real. He even included a glossary and gorgeous illustrations (as
                                    shown below) to increase the reality of the land. However, the 
                                    author did one thing that really annoyed me. You would get 
                                    attached to characters and then they would just disappear. 
                                    Rossamünd would get a letter from them once in a while and 
                                    wonder about them constantly. My favorite character, Threnody, 
                                    was a victim of this method. She appeared in the second book then
                                    disappeared except for one letter in the third book. The author
                                    ended the series making a character disappear; the finale was                   
                                    very unsatisfying. Other than that issue, the books were great.

From Left to Right- Europe the Branden Rose, Rossamünd, and Threnody

Dream Dancing

  Title: Someday Dancer (In England it's called: Dreamer
                                      Ballerina; Germany: Ein Traum und zwei Füße- A Dream
                                      and Two Feet; The Dutch call it: Dansen tussen de sterren-
                                      Dancing Among the Stars)
                                      # of Pages: 256
                                      Author: Sarah Rubin
                                      Previous Work: None.

                                      Summary:  The year is 1959 and Casey Quinn knows she is
                                      meant to dance. Working hard to save up money, she goes to
                                      New York for an open ballet audition. New York is the city
                                      of dreams, so maybe even a farm girl like her can succeed.

                                      Rating: This is a 2.5.
                                      Awards: None

                                      Opinion: This book was an interesting fun read with well
                                      developed characters. However, now, months later, I
                                      remember little of the book. There were some interesting
                                      scenes and ideas explored, but the overall plot was lacking.

For International Readers Part 2

 Title: Ruby Red (Rubirot in German)
                                   # of Pages: 330
                                   Author: Kerstin Gier
                                   Translator: Anthea Bell
                                   Country: Germany
                                   Previous Work: 
                                                             The Ruby Red Trilogy 
                                                             (The other two books are not yet fully translated
                                                              to English.)
                                                             Many books for adults with German names
                               
                                   Summary: Gwyneth Shepherd has known her whole life her
                                   cousin Charlotte is going to travel through time. So when she
                                   does, she is taken completely by surprise. Soon her life is a
                                   whirlwind. She's time traveling every day, and taking turns
                                   being annoyed by and crushing on, the handsome Gideon.
                                   There's lots to think about. Why did her Mom lie about her
                                   birthday? How did she hide it? And much more.
                                   Rating: I give this book a 5.
                                   Awards: 
                                   International Bestseller
                                   Opinion: This book was full of mystery. You don't know who
                                   the "bad guys" are, and she finds out that her Mom has been
                                   hiding something from her, for her whole life. This book is
                                   definitely a must read!

For International Readers Part 1

Recently, I figured out how to find out exactly where the people who read my blog come from. To my surprise, I saw five views from Russia, four from the UK, and one each from Germany, South Korea, Turkey, and South Africa. Now I don't know if they read my blog by mistake, or if they're even kids around my age. But in honor of whomever they might be, I'll be reviewing two International books, with the country they were written in listed beside them. I will still put out the reader's choice book sometime next week.


 Title: Flyaway
                                      # of Pages: 260
                                      Author: Lucy Christopher
                                      Country: United Kingdom
                                      Previous Work:
                                                                Stolen
                                      Summary: (For this summary I think an excerpt from the
                                                         book will best explain it. Isla the main character
                                                         is speaking.)
                                                        One cold winter morning, Dad gets sick – and 
                                                        goes into hospital. It’s there I meet Harry, with 
                                                        his scruffy hair and firefly eyes. From his window
                                                        we watch a wild swan on the frozen lake outside. 
                                                        There’s something different about her, truly 
                                                        different. Almost magical. Perhaps, if we can help
                                                        her, everything else will begin to make sense.
                                      Rating: I give this book a 2, which is excellent. It was very in
                                      depth at the beginning, and towards the end it was very sweet,
                                      but slightly unbelievable. The rest of the book makes up for
                                      that, though.
                                      Awards:
                                                    Short list for the Costa Awards
                                      Opinion: Flyaway was a great book about believing in the
                                      impossible. Isla thinks if she can just save a swan, her father
                                      and Harry will be all right. As things change in her life, the
                                      swan helps her fly.