Magic Study

Just finished Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder. It was really good just like the first one (this is book 2) and now I am ready to read the next one (Fire Study). I'm quite curious to see what new trouble Yelena can get into. Here is the summary from the back cover of Magic Study:

A lesson in loyalty - a master class in intrigue

So far, I've managed to survive. You would think after being kidnapped as a child, imprisoned in my teens and released to become a poison taster, I would have endured enough. But no. The discovery of my magical abilities - powers forbidden in Ixia - has resulted in an execution order. My only chance is to flee to Sitia, my long-lost birthplace.

But Sitia is unfamiliar. I'm treated like an enemy - even by my own brother. Plus I can't control my powers. I want to learn about my magic, but there isn't time. A rogue magician has emerged and I'm targeted as his next victim.

Will my magical abilities save me...or be my downfall?

Poison Study

Just finished Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder and loved it! I don't really know what I was expecting from this book because I have never read anything by this author but it definitely exceeded my expectations. I'm starting on Magic Study (book 2) as soon as I'm done here. Here is the summary from the back cover of Poison Study:

Murder, mayhem and magic...

Locked in a coffin-like darkness, there is nothing to distract me from my memories of killing Reyad. He deserved to die - but according to the law, so do I. Here in Ixia, the punishment for murder is death. And now I wait for the hangman's noose.

But the same law that condemns me may also save me. Ixia's food taster - chosen to ensure that the Commander's food is not poisoned - has died. And by law, the next prisoner who is scheduled to be executed -me- must be offered the position.

City of Ashes

I just finished City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare. This is book two in the Mortal Instruments series. I could not put it down! I love this series! I borrowed the first two books from a friend and REALLY need to find the next one but my library is not very up to date in its books. I would absolutely recommend this series to anyone who likes paranormal romance. Even if you don't usually do YA this is a great series. Here is the summary from the back cover:

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? Clary would love to spend more time with her best friend, Simon. But the Shadowhunters won't let her go - especially her handsome, infuriating newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rouge Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil - and also her father. When the second of the Mortal Instruments is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor suspects Jace. Could Jace really be willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

City of Bones

I just finished City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, book one in the Mortal Instruments series. I LOVED IT!!!! It was on my list and looked good but I didn't really know what to expect so I wasn't in any hurry to read it but I went to Louisiana for spring break and borrowed some books from a friend (City of Bones, City of Ashes, Poison Study, and Magic Study) and started with this one. Here is the summary from the back cover:

Their hidden world is about to be revealed...

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder - much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Clary knows her should call the police, but it's hard to explain a murder when the body disappears into thin air and the murderers ore invisible to everyone but Clary.

Equally startled by her ability to see then, the murderers explain themselves as Shadowhunters: a secret tribe of warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. Within twenty-four hours, Clary's mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a grotesque demon.

But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know...

Sugar Daddy

I recently re-read Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas. I think this is a really good book and not very predictable like a lot of other romance novels. Here is the summary from the inside cover:

She's from the wrong side of the tracks

Liberty Jones has dreams and determination that will take her far away from Welcome, Texas - if she can keep her wild heart from ruling her mind. Hardy Cates sees Liberty as completely off-limits. His own ambitions are bigger than Welcome, and Liberty Jones is a complication he doesn't need. But something magical and potent draws them to each other, in a dangerous attraction that is stronger than both of them.

He's the one man she can't have

When Hardy leaves town to pursue his plans, Liberty finds herself alone with a young sister to raise. Soon Liberty finds herself under the spell of a billionaire tycoon - a Sugar Daddy, one might say. But the relationship goes deeper than people think, and Liberty begins to discover secrets about her own family's past.

Will they find their hearts' desires of will heartbreak tear them apart?

Two men. One woman. A choice that can make her or break her. A woman you'll root for every step of the way. A love story you'll never forget.

I Won Yet Again

I won another contest! Sorry, not bragging but this is just really awesome! I never win anything and I have already won 4 times since I started entering these contests on this site. I LOVE BLOGGER.COM!!! HaHa! I won a copy of Spider's Bite by Jessica Estep on Patricia's Vampire Note. Thank you so much Patricia!!!

The Friday 56: Rebel Angels

Rules:

* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.

* Turn to page 56.

* Find the fifth sentence.

* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comment section of http://storytimewithtonya.blogspot.com

* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Ok this is the first time I have ever done this so I hope I get it right.

Rebel Angels by Libba Bray, page 56, sentences 5, 6, and 7.

The lights are lowered. A hush falls over the crowd. There is no sound but the incessant tapping of cold rain against the martyred windows.

Hmm...well i'm not this far in the book yet so I have no idea what is going on in those few sentences. Not a very good teaser to get people wondering about the book if you ask me but those are the rules... Fun little game though. I like turning to a random page in the middle of a book I am about to start and reading a couple of lines. It is usually pretty interesting trying to figure out in my head how the characters are going to end up there.

Rebel Angels

I am just starting Rebel Angels by Libba Bray. This is the sequel to A Great And Terrible Beauty. I really liked the first one (so much so that I bought it and re-read it several times). I have heard great things about this one and the next one so I am expecting to love it. Here is the summary from Amazon.com:

In this sequel to the Victorian fantasy A Great and Terrible Beauty, Gemma continues to pursue her role as the one destined to bind the magic of the Realms and restore it to the Order--a mysterious group who have been overthrown by a rebellion. Gemma, Felicity and Ann, (her girlfriends at Spence Academy for Young Ladies), use magical power to transport themselves on visits from their corseted world to the visionary country of the Realms, with its strange beauty and menace. There they search for the lost Temple, the key to Gemma's mission, and comfort Pippa, their friend who has been left behind in the Realms. After these visits they bring back magical power for a short time to use in their own world. Meanwhile, Gemma is torn between her attraction to the exotic Kartik, the messenger from the opposing forces of the Rakshana, and the handsome but clueless Simon, a young man of good family who is courting her. The complicated plot thickens when Gemma discovers a woman in Bedlam madhouse who knows where to find the Temple; Ann shows signs of being enamored of Gemma's loutish brother Tom, and their father's addiction to laudanum lands him in an opium den. A large part of the enjoyment of this unusual fantasy comes from the Victorian milieu and its restrictive rules about the behavior of proper young ladies, as contrasted with the unimaginable possibilities of the Realms, where Gemma has power to confront gorgons and ghosts and the responsibility to save a world.