I thought I'd check in quickly to say hello and also give some fun news. And also do a quick review.
Item #1:
Julie Kagawa has a fifth Iron Fey novel coming out this fall! It is currently untitled and the release date has yet to be set, but on August 28th, you can get a sneak peek. Her two e-novellas, Winter's Passage and Summer Crossing, along with a new one entitled Iron's Prophecy are to be combined into a anthology, The Iron Legends. Plus, you'll get to read the first chapter of the fifth Iron Fey novel.
Item #2:
I saw The Hunger Games (at midnight of course!) and it was AMAZING. I sat in the movie theatre at the end thinking "AGAIN!"
Item #3:
I have won and soon will have an ARC of Shine by Jeri Smith-Ready in my hands. That's right, the conclusion to the Shade trilogy. My hands are very excited. And as soon as I finish, I'll be posting a review. But that's not all, I will be giving away 10 Shine bookmarks to commenters. :) And lastly, to one winner I will give away a signed bookmark!
Review of Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins
Summary (from Goodreads): Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.
Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.
Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?
Published: March 13th, 2012 by Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 327
Series: Hex Hall #3 of 3
I'll admit it, I'm kind of in love with this series. If I could, I'd take these books everywhere. The third and final installment is no exception. This novel provoked tears, squeezed and twisted my heart in 100 directions, and simultaneously made laugh. And that's hard to do. I don't know what to say, these characters have penetrated my heart and won't let go. I cried for an hour after finishing this book. In the most random of moments, I will think of these books, find some connection to them. I don't want to let them go. I don't want these chapters to be closed. I love these books, can't they go on forever? But alas, this must be the conclusion. Spell Bound perfectly wraps up the series in the best way one could hope for.
While I was reading, I unfortunately had to make due with my Nook, gah! Barnes and Nobel you killed me when you didn't have this lovely gem in stock. Before you read this book, you might want to get comfortable and surround yourself with everything you need for the next however many hours, because there is NO way you're going to be able to put it down.
There were many things I loved about this book. Rachel cleverly used some foreshadowing which I LOVED. There's a specific trick to using this device which Rachel got perfectly. In some series the author tries to introduce characters and explain what happened in the last book to readers, in case some are just tuning in. Or the audience needs to refresh their memory. Thank you, Rachel for not doing too much of that. It's one of the things that gets me because most smart people would read a series from the beginning. I get the need for the refresh, I do. But I hate it when the recap goes on for-EVER. Another thing I adored? The humor. Sophie's wit never fails to make me laugh. And I do love her sarcastic banters with her dreamy warlock Boyfremesis, Archer Cross. Archer is a whole other category. He knocks so many YA guys out of the park. But when it really gets down to it, the thing I loved most was Sophie.
Sophie undergoes a major character growth in Spell Bound. Although she stays the same quick-witted Sophie, I felt a change in her. She sees death, fights back, takes on major responsibilities and must figure out for herself the differences between good and evil. Although the entire series had a sort of darker edge, this book really brings out the stuff that will give you nightmares. Sophie is torn between two scenarios, not knowing which side she's on, good or evil. At the end of her development, Sophie is a confident, sure footed person who knows exactly who she is and what defines her.
There is one tiny detail that I wish could be changed. It's the lack of epilogue. For most series I love epilogues. I can see how it wasn't necessary to wrap up this series, but I always find it a nice addition.
In all though, I still give this book 5/5 stars, even without the epilogue. That's to say, this book really shines.
So let's all slow clap for Rachel Hawkins who magically created an amazing wrap-up to the Hex Hall series. Thank you for writing.
That's all for now,
Jill
EDITED TO ADD:
I give this fabulous book 5 stars! Congrats on such an awesome book, Rachel!
Item #1:
Julie Kagawa has a fifth Iron Fey novel coming out this fall! It is currently untitled and the release date has yet to be set, but on August 28th, you can get a sneak peek. Her two e-novellas, Winter's Passage and Summer Crossing, along with a new one entitled Iron's Prophecy are to be combined into a anthology, The Iron Legends. Plus, you'll get to read the first chapter of the fifth Iron Fey novel.
Item #2:
I saw The Hunger Games (at midnight of course!) and it was AMAZING. I sat in the movie theatre at the end thinking "AGAIN!"
Item #3:
I have won and soon will have an ARC of Shine by Jeri Smith-Ready in my hands. That's right, the conclusion to the Shade trilogy. My hands are very excited. And as soon as I finish, I'll be posting a review. But that's not all, I will be giving away 10 Shine bookmarks to commenters. :) And lastly, to one winner I will give away a signed bookmark!
Review of Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins
Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.
Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?
Published: March 13th, 2012 by Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 327
Series: Hex Hall #3 of 3
I'll admit it, I'm kind of in love with this series. If I could, I'd take these books everywhere. The third and final installment is no exception. This novel provoked tears, squeezed and twisted my heart in 100 directions, and simultaneously made laugh. And that's hard to do. I don't know what to say, these characters have penetrated my heart and won't let go. I cried for an hour after finishing this book. In the most random of moments, I will think of these books, find some connection to them. I don't want to let them go. I don't want these chapters to be closed. I love these books, can't they go on forever? But alas, this must be the conclusion. Spell Bound perfectly wraps up the series in the best way one could hope for.
While I was reading, I unfortunately had to make due with my Nook, gah! Barnes and Nobel you killed me when you didn't have this lovely gem in stock. Before you read this book, you might want to get comfortable and surround yourself with everything you need for the next however many hours, because there is NO way you're going to be able to put it down.
There were many things I loved about this book. Rachel cleverly used some foreshadowing which I LOVED. There's a specific trick to using this device which Rachel got perfectly. In some series the author tries to introduce characters and explain what happened in the last book to readers, in case some are just tuning in. Or the audience needs to refresh their memory. Thank you, Rachel for not doing too much of that. It's one of the things that gets me because most smart people would read a series from the beginning. I get the need for the refresh, I do. But I hate it when the recap goes on for-EVER. Another thing I adored? The humor. Sophie's wit never fails to make me laugh. And I do love her sarcastic banters with her dreamy warlock Boyfremesis, Archer Cross. Archer is a whole other category. He knocks so many YA guys out of the park. But when it really gets down to it, the thing I loved most was Sophie.
Sophie undergoes a major character growth in Spell Bound. Although she stays the same quick-witted Sophie, I felt a change in her. She sees death, fights back, takes on major responsibilities and must figure out for herself the differences between good and evil. Although the entire series had a sort of darker edge, this book really brings out the stuff that will give you nightmares. Sophie is torn between two scenarios, not knowing which side she's on, good or evil. At the end of her development, Sophie is a confident, sure footed person who knows exactly who she is and what defines her.
There is one tiny detail that I wish could be changed. It's the lack of epilogue. For most series I love epilogues. I can see how it wasn't necessary to wrap up this series, but I always find it a nice addition.
In all though, I still give this book 5/5 stars, even without the epilogue. That's to say, this book really shines.
So let's all slow clap for Rachel Hawkins who magically created an amazing wrap-up to the Hex Hall series. Thank you for writing.
That's all for now,
Jill
EDITED TO ADD:
I give this fabulous book 5 stars! Congrats on such an awesome book, Rachel!
Thank you for the thoughtful post Jill.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
RK Charron
Thanks for the comment!
DeleteIt was fun meeting you at the Rachel Hawkins signing tonight.
ReplyDeleteGood review. I agree with many of your points...I'm also looking forward to the spin off series. Hopefully we get to see some more of the Hex Hall gang again.