Review: Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepard

Title: Her Dark Curiosity
Author: Megan Shepard
Series: The Madman's Daughter #2
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Release Date: January 28, 2014
Source: ARC

To defeat the darkness, she must first embrace it.

Months have passed since Juliet Moreau returned to civilization after escaping her father's island—and the secrets she left behind. Now, back in London once more, she is rebuilding the life she once knew and trying to forget Dr. Moreau’s horrific legacy—though someone, or something, hasn't forgotten her.

As people close to Juliet fall victim one by one to a murderer who leaves a macabre calling card of three clawlike slashes, Juliet fears one of her father’s creations may have also escaped the island. She is determined to find the killer before Scotland Yard does, though it means awakening sides of herself she had thought long banished, and facing loves from her past she never expected to see again.

As Juliet strives to stop a killer while searching for a serum to cure her own worsening illness, she finds herself once more in the midst of a world of scandal and danger. Her heart torn in two, past bubbling to the surface, life threatened by an obsessive killer—Juliet will be lucky to escape alive.

My thoughts:

Sequels are always ify for me and it never fails. No matter how much I loved the first book I’m always hesitant going into a sequel because I have been completely disappointed in the past. So I was very hesitant when I picked up Her Dark Curiosity the sequel to The Madman’s Daughter. I absolutely LOVED The Madman’s Daughter and I didn't want anything to taint a really great story.

I went into Her Dark Curiosity completely blind. I didn't read the synopsis and I really had no idea where this book was going to pick up after that crazy ending of The Madman’s Daughter. Her Dark Curiosity picks up about six months later and Juliet is back living in London and has become the ward of one of her father’s co-workers/friends. I thought it was very convenient that she is now living in wealth and she has her best friend’s company again which allows her excuses to steal away to a low rent apartment where she is working on reproducing her father’s serum and trying to make it better so it can cure her. The first part of the book was slow going, the only interesting parts were the string of murders of people who had wronged Juliet in the past.

Why is Juliet crazy though? WHY? What is this attraction she has to that beast boy who changes into this horrible animal who has a very strong blood lust? I’m thinking maybe it’s the animal parts in her speaking to the animal parts in him. It could be something. But she has enough of a rational mind to know that she shouldn't be having such feelings for a murderer! But then she remembers how he kissed her behind the waterfall on the island and she literally remembers that like 10 separate times!!!

Luckily Her Dark Curiosity gets better towards the end and it turns into quite the adventure. There are some very shocking moments and some revelations that are going to make the third book very interesting. I have a feeling there might be some kind of half human half weird beast animal baby happening. But we’ll see! I’m excited!

I'm giving this book a 3 and that's being very generous.

Review: Gilt

Title: Gilt
Author: Katherine Longshore
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Source: Library/Purchased

When Kitty Tylney's best friend, Catherine Howard, worms her way into King Henry VIII's heart and brings Kitty to court, she's thrust into a world filled with fabulous gowns, sparkling jewels, and elegant parties. No longer stuck in Cat's shadow, Kitty's now caught between two men--the object of her affection and the object of her desire. But court is also full of secrets, lies, and sordid affairs, and as Kitty witnesses Cat's meteoric rise and fall as queen, she must figure out how to keep being a good friend when the price of telling the truth could literally be her head.

My thoughts:

There is just something about historical novels that just enrapture me! Especially the Tudor Era! I love discovering more about kings and queens and beheading people for the smallest of actions. It’s a quite fascinating.

I was definitely enthralled by this story of Catherine Howard told by one of her closest friends named Kitty. Catherine Howard is one of King Henry VIII’s later wives and this story just goes to show how old he really was and the long term effects of his jousting wound had on his marriage and the country in general. Anyone who ever working in his court was always under scrutiny and their every action was watched under a microscope. They never knew who was going to turn who. It’s all very interesting!

Kitty is an interesting character. She’s the plainer more subdued version of her friend Catherine Howard and she’s not obsessed with getting to court like all the other girls her age. But, of course, when the opportunity to go to court arises she does not turn it down. The whole book is pretty much about keeping Catherine Howard’s affair a secret from the King’s spies. I knew what was going to happen in the end but the getting there was really intriguing! I sometimes found myself hoping that they wouldn’t get caught but like I said, I know the history of King Henry VIII and his wives. But I still loved it!!

All in all, Gilt is one of my favorite reads of this year so far! It is definitely a great story to get myself lost in!

Review: The Body at the Tower

Title: The Body at the Tower
Author: Y.S. Lee
Series: The Agency #2
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Find it Here: B&N, Goodreads, Mysterious Galaxy
Source: Library

This is another colourful, action-packed Victorian detective novel about the exploits of agent Mary Quinn. At a young age, Mary Quinn is rescued from the gallows and taken to Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls. The school turns out to be a front for a private detective agency. At age 17, Mary takes on her first case (A Spy in the House). In this, the second book of the series, Mary Quinn sets out to uncover the truth behind a suspicious death at St. Stephen's Tower, better known as the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament. The accident occurred after hours in a highly public part of town and despite the presence of night watchmen. Mary, disguised as Mark Quinn, becomes a builder's assistant to find out the truth about the body at the tower.

My thoughts:

I love The Agency series so much! It’s full of great characters, fun plot lines and little bit of romantic interest thrown into the mix! It is so easy for me to let myself get swept up into the story of mystery and intrigue!

Mary is one of my favorite mystery detectives! Not only is she smart but she is embarking on this awesome career during a time when women were expected to marry and take care of the children. Being a detective is the last thing any man would expect her to be. She is also very quick and cunning; she can pick up on the tinniest of clues and unravel it until the very end. The scenes between Mary and James Easton are always my favorite! They have this awesome sexual tension that just continues to brew and eventually boils over when they can’t keep their hands off each other! And they complement each other very well!

The assignments that Mary gets are always so intriguing! The mysteries are just complicated enough to where you can follow along easily but I’m still unable to figure out for myself until close to the ending. These always make for the best type of mysteries, in my opinion! I give The Body at the Tower 4 hearts because there is no doubt in my mind that I will continue reading this series!

Review: Picture the Dead

Title: Picture the Dead
Author: Adele Griffin, Lisa Brown (Illustrator)
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Find it here: Goodreads, Mysterious Galaxy
Source: Picked up at ALA

Jennie feels the tingling presence of something unnatural in the house now that Will is dead.

Her heart aches without him, and she still doesn't know how he really died. It seems that everywhere she turns, someone is hiding yet another clue. As Jennie seeks the truth, she finds herself drawn ever deeper into a series of tricks and lies, secrets and betrayals, and begins to wonder if she had every really known Will at all.

My thoughts:

There is something so haunting and creepy about this book yet so inviting at the same time! The illustrations, the mystery, the letters from other characters and the narrative of the story mixed all together make it one of the most unique books I've ever read! I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more books written with mixed media. 

When Jennie is very young her parent die and she moves in with her aunt, uncle and two older male cousins. One of her cousins, Will, begins to like her and they become engaged.  But before they can get married, he is sent off to fight in the Civil War.  The book begins with Jennie and the family receiving a letter that Will has been killed in battle just as her other cousin returns home very injured.  And so begins the mystery of how Will really died and why she is being haunted by his ghost.  

Jennie is a really great character. She's been through a lot with the death of her parents, the death of her twin brother and living with relatives who don't really want her around.  But she stays strong through all these adversities and is able to pick up on the small signs that the ghost of her betrothed is haunting her and as it turns out for a good reason! Throughout the book Jennie picks up little nick knacks around the house and little pieces of evidence that she keeps in a scrapbook. What I loved is that I would turn the page and be able to see all the things that she picked up because they would be illustrated. 

Picture the Dead was such a fun read! The mixture of the illustrations, the mystery and the story made it very interesting to read! I give Picture the Dead 5 hearts for being a very unique and memorable read!

Review- A Spy in the House

Title: A Spy in the House
Author: Y.S. Lee
Series: The Agency #1
Publisher: Candlewick
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: Purchased

Rescued from the gallows in 1850s London, young orphan (and thief) Mary Quinn is surprised to be offered a singular education, instruction in fine manners — and an unusual vocation. Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls is a cover for an all-female investigative unit called The Agency, and at seventeen, Mary is about to put her training to the test. Assuming the guise of a lady’s companion, she must infiltrate a rich merchant’s home in hopes of tracing his missing cargo ships. But the household is full of dangerous deceptions, and there is no one to trust — or is there? Packed with action and suspense, banter and romance, and evoking the gritty backstreets of Victorian London, this breezy mystery debuts a daring young detective who lives by her wits while uncovering secrets — including those of her own past.

My thoughts:

Historical fictions involving some kind of mystery are always appealing and super fun for me to read. In modern times, solving a mystery usually involves some sort of high skilled computer work, fancy gadgets and overcoming expensive alarm systems. Even though those are fun to read as well, I’m always going to be partial to the cloak and dagger type of mysteries.

In the beginning of this novel we meet Mary Quinn as a young girl who is about to be hanged for thievery. She is given a second chance and is sent to live at a school for girls and given an education in the hopes that she can make something of herself by the time she reaches the age of eighteen. Fast-forward five or six years, Mary has become a teacher at the school for girls but finds herself unsatisfied in her position. That is when she is given the chance to become a part of the Agency, a female detective agency.

Mary is a very strong main character whose survival instinct is very intense. She’s not like most young ladies in that century who have fragile sensibilities and faint every time they have a fright. She’s on a mission and she won’t let anyone get in her way.

I absolutely loved James who becomes somewhat of a love interest for Mary. He is very much her equal and blew me out of the waters with his mysterious way of finding information and almost one-upping Mary. I liked that it was more mystery than romance and even by the end their relationship is still in the very early stages.

A Spy in the House really was a fun read. It was intriguing and held me at the edge of my seat while throwing in bits of comedy and romance. I think it’s going to be a very interesting series!

Review- Born Wicked

Title: Born Wicked
Author: Jessica Spotswood
Publisher: Putnam
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: ARC compliments of Putnam Publishing

Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they're witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship—or an early grave.

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word . . . especially after she finds her mother's diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family's destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.

If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren't safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood—not even from each other.

My thoughts: 

I read Born Wicked way back in December and I have literally been mulling over writing this review for two weeks now. Not because I didn’t like it, but because I really loved it. When I first started reading YA, I would say without a doubt, hands down, no hesitation that books about vampires were my absolute favorite (I’m sure Twilight contributed to my vampire adoration). But of course the lack luster has worn off and I realized that many vampire stories are very cookie cutter.

Witches have really grown on me and they have become some of my favorite stories in YA right now. As a history major in undergrad, I was always fascinated by the Salem Witch Trials and I would have taken that class in an instant if it had been offered. But sadly it was not and it was just a subject I dabbled in on my free time.

I loved the history of this story and that it is set in the past. It is set in a little town where at any indication that someone may be a witch, their sent off to an institution or hanged! In this world that Spotswood created, the witches used to be in charge and they openly practiced their magic. But they were overthrown by the Brotherhood who now impose their religious beliefs on the townspeople and rule with a strict hand. And all the witches are female.

The subplots were reall great as well! We have the whole story with Cate and her decision of whether or not she is going to marry or join the sisterhood. I'm kept on the edge of my seat just hoping that her or her sisters are not going to get caught doing magic. And then there's the whole intermingling of the Brotherhood and the Sisterhood and their roles in the community and the impact they have on the sister's lives. Then when Cate finds her mom's diary, so much more is revealed and the story just comes together with what is really going on and what could possibly go down in the next books!

Cate is such a great character. She is strong, protective of her family and is determined to help raise her sisters as her mother would have wanted. Finn, one of her possible love interests, is so cute and awkward but he is willing to accept her for who she is. Maura was one of my least favorite characters only because she was so annoying. There were times when I wanted to just slap her! But then after finding out about the prophesy, it seems like things played out they way they were supposed to.

I really loved this book! There are very few books that keep me up into the wee hours of the early morning because I just have to finish it and this one definitely did that to me! I was crying, it left on a cliffhanger and I just have to know what happens next and this first book hasn’t even been released yet! A great debut from a fantastic writer!