Pre-Christmas Book Haul!

This is how The Winner's Curse showed up at my house. How amazingly cool is that packaging?!

It really is cool-looking. I am never throwing it away.

Gifted: 

The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart (Ruby Oliver #1) -- from the lovely Ellis

Sorrow's Knot ARC by Erin Bow

The Outside by Laura Bickle ARC (The Hallowed Ones #2) --- both from the awesome Ashleigh at the YA Kitten

Sent: 

A Different Sun by Elaine Neil Orr (from TLC Book Tours and Berkley

The Winner's Curse ARC by Marie Rutkoski (than you to MacMillan)

Under the Wide and Starry Sky ARC by Nancy Horan (thanks TLC Book Tours, Ballantine Books!)

The Deepest Secret ARC by Carla Buckley (Thanks Bantam and TLC Book Tours!)

Gifted:

Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman (Noughts and Crosses #1)  -- from Ellis at the Random Transliterator

Bought:

The Boy Book by E. Lockhart (Ruby Oliver #2)

eBook Buys:

Also Known As by Robin Benway (Also Known As #1)

Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.

Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover.

So I had an ARC of this but it expired and I went on my way. And then Going Rogue came out and everyone loved it. So, I bought this and got an ARC of the second. Woo!

The Shadow Reader by Sandy Williams (Shadow Reader #!)

There can only be one allegiance.
It’s her time to choose.

Some humans can see the fae. McKenzie Lewis can track them, reading the shadows they leave behind. But some shadows lead to danger. Others lead to lies.

A Houston college student trying to finish her degree, McKenzie has been working for the fae king for years, tracking vicious rebels who would claim the Realm. Her job isn’t her only secret. For just as long, she’s been in love with Kyol, the king’s sword-master—and relationships between humans and fae are forbidden.

But any hope for a normal life is shattered when she’s captured by Aren, the fierce and uncompromising rebel leader. He teaches her the forbidden fae language and tells her dark truths about the Court, all to persuade her to turn against the king. Time is running out, and as the fight starts to claim human lives, McKenzie has no choice but to decide once and for all whom to trust and where she ultimately stands in the face of a cataclysmic civil war.

I've had my eye on this for years, since it came out in 2011. Wendy Darling 5-starred it and that's enough to make me buy it when it's the Kindle Daily Deal.

The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart by Leanna Renee Hieber
 (Magic Most Foul #2)

 For Natalie Stewart, a normal life has never seemed so far away. Her only solace, Lord Jonathan Denbury, is wanted for murder. To clear his name, Denbury must return to England and assume the role of his demon doppelganger.

But Natalie begins to doubt his true motives, especially as a new gentleman begins whispering in her ear. Natalie and Denbury may be able to visit each other in their dreams, but they can’t escape the darkening shadows.

Amid spontaneous explosions, friends turned enemies and dangerous secrets revealed, there’s still a demon who has Natalie’s scent, and someone is trying to resurrect the ultimate evil.

I was a big fan of Darker Still, but this series had fallen off my radar. Once I was offered an ARC of the third book (The Double Life of Incorporate Things) I ran out and bought this ebook. Also -- look closely at this cover. Isn't it fabulous?
 

The Tattered Banner by Duncan M. Hamilton (Society of the Sword #1)

Unique talent always attracts attention…

In a world where magic is outlawed, ability with a sword is prized above all else. For Soren this means the chance to live out his dreams.

Plucked from a life of privation, he is given a coveted place at Ostenheim’s Academy of Swordsmanship, an opportunity beyond belief.

Opportunity is not always what it seems however, and gifts rarely come without conditions. Soren becomes an unwitting pawn in a game of intrigue and treachery that could cost him not just his dreams, but also his life.

I honestly know nothing about this, but it popped up on a lot of best-of-year-fantasy lists. As a huge fantasy nerd, that was enough to convince me.

Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #1)

Angus: My mixed-breed cat, half domestic tabby, half Scottish wildcat. The size of a small Labrador, only mad. Likes to stalk Mr. and Mrs. Next Door's poodle. I used to drag him around on a lead, but, as I explained to Mrs. Next Door, he ate it.

Thongs: Stupid underwear worn by old Swotty Knickers, Lindsay. What's the point of them, anyway? They just go up your bum, as far as I can tell.

Full-Frontal Snogging: Kissing with the trimmings, lip to lip, open mouth, tongues...everything (apart from dribble, which is never acceptable). As taught to me by a professional snogger.

In this wildly funny journal of a year in the life of Georgia Nicolson, British author Louise Rennison has perfectly captured the soaring joys and bottomless angst if being a teenager. In the spirit of "Bridget Jones' Diary," this fresh, irreverent, and simply hilarious book will leave you laughing out loud. As Georgia would say, it's "fabbity fab fab!"

Ellis made me. Okay, she didn't, but her love for this series convinces me. It sounds fantastic and if I am reading Noughts & Crosses, I am going to need some lighter fare to stop the tears.

Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon (Kingdom of Xia #1)

No one wanted Ai Ling. And deep down she is relieved—despite the dishonor she has brought upon her family—to be unbetrothed and free, not some stranger's subservient bride banished to the inner quarters.

But now, something is after her. Something terrifying—a force she cannot comprehend. And as pieces of the puzzle start to fit together, Ai Ling begins to understand that her journey to the Palace of Fragrant Dreams isn't only a quest to find her beloved father but a venture with stakes larger than she could have imagined.

Bravery, intelligence, the will to fight and fight hard . . . she will need all of these things. Just as she will need the new and mysterious power growing within her. She will also need help.

It is Chen Yong who finds her partly submerged and barely breathing at the edge of a deep lake. There is something of unspeakable evil trying to drag her under. On a quest of his own, Chen Yong offers that help . . . and perhaps more.

First: ASIAN FICTION YES. Second: amazing cover. Third: I need to read this asap. 

That's it for me. Christmas is in two days, and I hope I have some new books or giftcards on the way! 

Merry Christmas! I hope it's wonderful for everyone!

Review: Going Rogue by Robin Benway

Title: Going Rogue
Author: Robin Benway
Genre: young adult, mystery
Series: Also Known As #2
Pages: 320
Publication: Expected January 14, 2014
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Rating: 4/5

Being permanently based in a local New York City high school as an undercover operative has its moments, good and bad, for 16-year-old safecracker Maggie Silver. Pros: More quality time with her former mark-turned-boyfriend Jesse Oliver and insanely cool best friend, Roux. Getting to spend quality time with her semi-retired and international spy honorary uncle, Angelo. Cons: High school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. But when Maggie's parents are falsely accused of stealing priceless gold coins, Maggie uses her safecracking skills to try and clear their names. Too bad it only serves to put her and everyone she loves in danger. Maggie and her "new team" flee to Paris where they must come up with a plan to defeat their former allies.

I’m really glad I gave this series a second chance.

I liked Also Known As, (really!) but my main issue with it was a lack of actual espionage. There was a botched job at the newspaper owner’s house and the big conclusion, but for the most part the first book is about interpersonal relationships. Friendship, romance, letting your teen leave the nest...typical high school stuff. And I thought it suffered for that.

Have no fear, Going Rogue never once sets foot inside a school. The relationships from book one are carried over: Maggie’s still dating Jesse, still bffs with Roux, still trying to find a kid/coworker balance with her parents, but the actual spy work has been ramped way up.

Maggie’s retired from spying to finish high school, but the whole family’s dragged back in when it turns out that the rogue spy from the last book may not have been the only agent to turn. The Collective accuses Maggie’s parents of using their hacker/linguistic, (that’swhat dad does!,) skills to steal some ridiculously valuable gold coins. Rather than sit back and let the family be burned, Mags teams up with Angelo to clear the family name.

You can guess how that plan goes.

I really liked seeing Maggie do something this time around. Not just safecracking, but casing, researching, and lifting evidence. She still has too much of a tendency to talk about her job in public, but this time she notices shadowy figures, destroys SIM cards, and just generally acts like a spy with a decade plus of training. Very exciting.

Beyond the actual heist parts, the characters really make the novel. Roux and Jesse are officially part of the team, because we can’t just let civvies run around and tell all of our secrets. Roux remains delightfully exuberant and is thrilled to be included, though the new vulnerability she shows is special and very well written. Jesse, too, is struggling in this book, but never falls into the douchebag role that a lot of other YA boyfriends do.

Additionally, the relocation to Paris gives the book a chance to introduce three other teenage spies, Ryo, Élodie, and Ames. All three were fun additions, though Ryo and Élodie could have stood more characterization. I’m afraid I’m still not clear on their “clean up Paris” scheme. Their inclusion lets us see both how the Collective recruits spies and dumps them when they're done.

Going Rogue is a fun, fast paced adventure that was not only extremely enjoyable, but surprisingly tense. The new city and expanded backstories help flesh out the world building. The climax is very satisfying, showing both the full depth of the corruption and the heroes' strengths. It may end a little bittersweet, but the series is left open to grow in any number of ways, just like Angelo’s phoenix.

Review: Also Known As by Robin Benway

Title: Also Known As
Author: Robin Benway
Genre: young-adult, mystery
Series: N/A
Pages: 320 (ARC edition)
Published: expected February 26 2013
Source: publishers via NetGalley
Rating: 3.5/5

Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover.

Reviewed by Danielle.

Margaret [Redacted], AKA Maggie Silver, AKA Peggy, Maisie, Molly, Margie, or Meg. Suspect has a long history of espionage, dating back thirteen years. She is believed to be a member of the Collective, working as the safecracker on a team of two or three other intelligence agents. These team members are believed to be her immediate family. Suspect should not be considered armed or dangerous, but is believed to be exceptionally emotionally volatile.

Maggie learned to pick locks when she was three. Being born to a hacker and...what is her dad’s speciality? (Actually, the first chapter makes her parents seem AWESOME. Orphans who met during the fall of communism in Moscow and became spies together? Spin-off, please.) Anyway, being born to two spies means she was never destined for a normal childhood. Maggie is cracking bad guys’ safes in Luxembourg and Bosnia before her baby teeth fall out. Her family and the Collective are good spies, only gathering information and stolen good to take down baddies. They fly around on private jets, collecting evidence of human trafficking rings and art forgery, living in the shadows, but now a newspaper has information on the group and is threatening to name names.

Maggie is assigned her first solo mission. Enter private school, befriend Jesse Oliver, son of the newspaper magnate, and use him to gain access to Papa Oliver’s files. This turns out to be far harder than expected, because (shock!) high school really, really blows. Maggie befriends the drunken former mean-girl Roux as her ONLY teenage acquaintance, severely limiting her social standing and causing her to have to bail on missions to drag her alcoholic ass home. Fortunately, she does manage to end up in Jesse’s presence. Unfortunately she happens to be shouting into a cell phone at the time that she’s really a good spy, really! Congratulations Maggie, you've blown decades of covers in two seconds because you can’t use code words or wait until you get home to complain to your mom that she’s being totes unfair.

Luckily, Jesse is dumb as a box of rocks and accepts the lie that she was talking to Roux about their Halloween party. That she tries to convince Roux to throw as her alibi. And Roux says no. And that’s not weird to Jesse, because he’s throwing a Halloween party himself and now the girls get to go! Before they leave, Maggie’s assigned her family friend and forger, Angelo, as her tail. She throws a complete shit-fit because grown-ups don’t need back-up, mooooooom!

Now seems like a good point to stop and say all of the “spies” in this book are just terrible. Maggie, despite having 13 years experience, is whiny, petulant, unsubtle, and entirely too trusting of her new friend and boyfriend. Her parents, who would have 22 years of experience and just spent months establishing and infiltrating an Icelandic human trafficking ring, lose their minds that the job isn't done in one day. They nag incessantly, refuse to trust Maggie for a single second, and blame her for their bad intel. Again, Maggie's no saint, but enforcing a curfew on a working spy and almost blowing her cover because you just HAD to go to parent-teacher conferences? I was starting to wonder if they were trying to sabotage her mission.

Angelo is the only one who does anything remotely spy-y for the whole book, and is also the only one who seems to remember Maggie is a trained agent, which of course means he's fooled by fake intel and disappears before the climax. Despite training, Maggie's spy work never moves beyond Harriet the. That works when taking a MasterLock tm off a fence to impress a boy, but to go into the big baddy's hideout with a diamond tipped drill but no lock picks? Sydney Bristow she is not.

In the end, Also Known As isn't much of a spy novel. It's a fish-out-of-water story with a tepid romance, funny sidekick, and a mystery that barely starts until the third act, just in time for Maggie to find her unique voice, rebel to show her parents she's trustworthy, and get the boy. It's an average representation of high school with some completely ludicrous details, fine to good side characters, and wit. That it doesn't take itself too seriously is Also Known As's greatest strength. Still, it's more Goldmember than Goldfinger.