[Review] Prized by Caragh M. O'Brien

Title: Prized
Author: Caragh M. O'Brien
Series: Trilogy (Birthmarked #2)
Published: November 8th 2011 by Roaring Brook Press
Rating: ★★★☆
Goodreads Summary:

Striking out into the wasteland with nothing but her baby sister, a handful of supplies, and a rumor to guide her, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone survives only to be captured by the people of Sylum, a dystopian society where women rule the men who drastically outnumber them, and a kiss is a crime. In order to see her sister again, Gaia must submit to their strict social code, but how can she deny her sense of justice, her curiosity, and everything in her heart that makes her whole? 

Emma's thoughts: 
 **SPOILERS FOR BIRTHMARKED**
When I started this book, I was really, super, extremely excited. Even though Birthmarked wasn't a mind-blowing five stars for me, I believed that there was so much potential and possibilities for the story. I can't say I was disappointed, but when I finished the last page, I was void of excitement and anticipation for the next book.

First of all: LEON. Okay, I was dying for him to reappear in this book after the tragic separation in Birthmarked, but when he talks to Gaia for the first time... I. just. wanted. to. slap. him. I hate that he changed so much, and all he ever was angry, frustrated, scary, and downright rude. He does redeem himself later on, but I was just so disappointed by him! But then again, he does have his reasons to be mad at Gaia. I was mad at Gaia. She's a strong protagonist, but sometimes she just made the stupidest decisions. She's awfully stubborn, and it's mostly admirable, until the joke's on her. The Martrarc made sure of that. Well, concerning the Martrarc, I was mildly confused about her. She was the royal bitch of the society, and also blind. No, I mean, literally. It's no surprise that she's portrayed as the evil mastermind that naturally annoyed the hell out of me, playing Gaia every chance she got. And it's just downright mean to take Maya away from Gaia! She was good for her part though.

And ohh, the Chardo brothers♥! Peter not so much, but Will! I'm sad that Peter had the more dominant part in the novel, but the little things Will did made me giddy! It was everything Leon would've done, if he hadn't turned into such a jackass..! Though Will disappointed greatly at one point near the beginning, I found myself forgetting that not much later. Peter on the other hand, every time he came around, I just wanted to tell him to 'LEAVE.' He can try be all stupidly cute he wants to be, but I am never going to like him! *crosses arms in determination*

Honestly, the whole Sylum society is a bit fucked up. The ratio of girls to boys is one to nine, and yet, girls rule. To me, that's just a tad bit unrealistic. Say, it's 1800 men, and 200 women. Who do you honestly think would win? The actual logistics behind why girls are only born one out of every ten times is really quite interesting, and to say the least, disturbing. As well as the mystery why no one could leave Sylum when they decided to stay, without dying anyways. That confused me a bit. It was explained, but O'Brien never really explained how. I guess though, in a world that doesn't exist, it's hard to elaborate on things like that.

{Okay, I just had dinner, and the woman I'm staying with me told me I need learn how to do stuff around the house since the boys don't have to, but I'm a girl, so I'm required to do housework. I must know how to cook and clean. I must wash and sweep. DO YOU KNOW HOW MAD THIS MADE ME?! I hate the fact that because I'm a girl, I have to this, and I can't do that, because that's what men do. This is reversed in Prized, but the same concept applies. I love that in this book, there's the clear, obvious moral that both men and women should have equal rights. Because, I shouldn't have to do anything I don't want, nobody should. And I don't even know these people for goodness sake!}

Anyways, waay off topic.

The ending of the book, to me, was, I don't know... too ideal? It was cute, and it made me happy, but then I thought about it again. It definitely leaves an exciting plot line for the final novel, but the only real thing that bothered me was Gaia's position. Yes, she's awesome and all, but was that really necessary?

Overall, I did enjoy it. I did love and hate parts. The chemistry between Gaia and Leon in Birthmarked didn't really make it in here, unfortunately. The love 'square' was a little lol worthy, but I really hope it'll sort itself out in the last book. Even though I'm not dying for it to come out, I'll be sure to buy it!

Rating: 3.5 stars~ My expectations were probably too high, but it's good for a sequel!  

First:

 She grabbed the hilt of her knife and scrambled backward into the darkness, holding the baby close in her other arm.

Favourite:

"...Maybe you could ask eight hundred people to carry my cot."

"How do you think we got you here?"

Teaser:

 She was absolutely not going to ask him if his sperm were viable.

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[Review] Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Title: Clockwork Prince
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Infernal Devices #2 (sequel to Clockwork Angel)
Published: December 6th 2011 by Margaret K. McElderry Books
Rating: ★★★★★
 
Goodreads Summary:

 In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.
With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.
Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?
As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

Emma's thoughts:

I hate Cassandra Clare. But I love her so much. My first thought after reading the last page was to scream. Why, why, why must I wait a year for the story to continue?! Now I know I should wait for the entire series to finish before starting any. Clockwork Angel started off the series so well, but surprisingly, I like Clockwork Prince better (which for me, is a first, because let's face it, no sequels live up to the first). Well, when I first found out this had come out, I was so convinced I had to reread Clockwork Angel to remember the story, but after a few pages, it was like slipping back into an old routine. Everything just came flooding back. Tessa, Will, Jem, and the Institute! And oh, I love how Magnus with his cat eyes is a part of this series as well! He's certainly quite the charmer of a warlock.

But, aside from the niceties; my heart has shattered into miniscule pieces! I want to cry, and oh, why must Cassandra Clare do this to us?! This book definitely deserves the most heartbreaking tear-jerker novel I've read this year, as well as my favourite (and hated) love triangle. Don't get me wrong, I love Will, and I love Jem and it absolutely sucks that they are parabatai. But it has always been Will for me. His story is so tragic, I want to hold him, let him know that he is loved and he deserves better. And I am honestly surprised by how many people are pro-Jem! I shouldn't be, but me, I'm always pining for the dark, mysterious, haunted hero.

The actual mystery of who Tessa really is intrigues me. Clare doesn't answer many questions, and only leaves more hanging. She cracks me up with Will's witty comments. And although I'm not the biggest fan of reading novels set in the past, I couldn't resist Clare's work. Daunting enchanted clockwork machinery and blue skinned demons? I found myself gasping and gaping toward the end, and I know I will be impatiently waiting for Clockwork Princess to be released next December. Which, my god, I can almost say is this year!

Rating: 5 stars~ It made me laugh, cry and grip my iPad in utter fear for Tessa!

 

First line:

The fog was thick, muffling sound and sight.

Favourite: 

She couldn't have been named something awful, could she, like Mildred. He couldn't imagine lying awake at night, staring up at the ceiling while invisible voices whispered "Mildred" in his ears. But Tessa-...

Teaser: 

"You said he was blue. This one's blue." 

"He is blue," Will acknowledged, stepping closer to the circle of flame. "But the demon I need - well, he was really a cobalt blue. This one's more... periwinkle."

 

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[Review] Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Title: Hallowed
Author: Cynthia Hand
Published: January 1st 2012 by Harper Collins Australia
Series: Unearthly #2
Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads summary: 

Clara Gardner knew that as a part angel she would one day have to fulfill her purpose, rescuing Christian from a forest fire...what she never considered was what might happen if she were to fail.

Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend Tucker, Clara must deal with the repercussions of what happened the day of the fire as the two boys vie for her heart. And, as she is drawn further into the world of angels and part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain after a shocking revelation, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning...

Emma's thoughts:
**SPOILERS FOR UNEARTHLY**
First of all, I have to say I love the Australian cover the most (not to be biased or anything :P). How pretty is the red hair against the dark trees? And I actually bothered to purchase a paperback version of this! I never, ever, ever, buy hard copies of books, ever... I did not regret buying this, because now I can actually feel the pages! 

I think Cynthia Hand is one of the most talented authors ever. Because even though Hallowed has a sad tone to it, I found myself laughing often throughout. Her characters are hilarious with seemingly no effort. And you know what I think is absolutely amazing? I always find so love triangles so unnecessarily annoying, but I loved it in Hallowed. It was realistic (as realistic as one could get in an angel's world) and Clara wasn't the only one having a hard time trying to choose.

When I started Hallowed, I was all for Team Tucker, but the little things Christian did... I just wanted Clara to hold him and let him fly her away into the sunset, because that's how it's supposed to be right? Christian is all kinds of awesomeness. He used to be the god that Clara would admire from afar, but now, they've got this undeniable connection which I want to hate, but I can't help to love. And then there's Tucker, and he's totally disadvantaged in this situation in pretty much every way. Still, he stays brave and so utterly cute! (it's true that he's not in the book a whole lot, which is devastating, but I'm not going to complain because it's perfect the way it is) I found it hilarious that Clara even mentioned how she never thought she'd be 'that girl' in a love triangle. 'Joke's on her.'

Another thing I usually hate Cynthia Hand made me love: secrecy. Okay, I despise it immensely when parents (or older, mature figures) feel the need to hide everything from the younger characters to 'protect' them... and then they all end up hurt anyways.

I admit, all the secrets at the beginning of Hallowed bothered me, but when I found out the truth, I was probably laughing in relief it wasn't something horrible, or gasping in utter shock. Everything just clicked in place. Hallowed is a great sequel, for it answers all the questions I asked at the end of Unearthly, but gave me a whole lot more for the last and final book. (Okay, I cannot believe this is only a trilogy! Unearthly should be an endless series! Hell heck, it should be made into a TV series, and then I'd be able to get a weekly dose of Tucker and Christian :D)

I loved learning more about angel-bloods and Cynthia Hand obviously has done a lot of research for this (admittedly I have read Genesis 6 quite a few times for my own stuff!). And this whole purpose thing! I had an inkling about Clara's mum's purpose and I was right :D But that just leaves a bajillion doors open. The third book needs to come out soon, because I'm dying trying to figure out the answers myself. The twists and turns were exciting and unexpected and I cannot wait to see where they lead!

Rating: 5 stars - Evoked all sorts of different emotions from me. All the good and even the bad, just the way I like it :)  

First line:

 In the dream, there's sorrow.

Favourite:

"This is isn't going to become one of those creepy situations where you show up at all hours of the night to watch me sleep, is it?"

Teaser:

Note to self: buy some nunchucks or something.

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