Specials by Scott Westerfeld

Book Details:
Specials (The Uglies)
by Scott Westerfeld
Published 2006, Simon & Schuster
Paperback, 372 pages
ISBN: 1416947957

Synopsis:
"'Special Circumstances':

The words have sent chills down Tally's spine since her days as a repellent, rebellious ugly. Back then Specials were a sinister rumor -- frighteningly beautiful, dangerously strong, breathtakingly fast. Ordinary pretties might live their whole lives without meeting a Special. But Tally's never been ordinary.
And now she's been turned into one of them: a superamped fighting machine, engineered to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid.
The strength, the speed, and the clarity and focus of her thinking feel better than anything Tally can remember. Most of the time. One tiny corner of her heart still remembers something more.
Still, it's easy to tune that out -- until Tally's offered a chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke permanently. It all comes down to one last choice: listen to that tiny, faint heartbeat, or carry out the mission she's programmed to complete. Either way, Tally's world will never be the same."

I loved this book and thought it was the best of the trilogy. The excitement of Tally and Shay's destruction of the Armory, Tally helping to defend Diego from attack, and other scenes - written so well that I could almost feel the adrenaline pumping through my own veins. The feel and speed of the book had a cinematic quality. I imagine Westerfeld wrote in this style on purpose to capture the style of the Specials, just as the second book had an "airhead" style of writing. The vocabulary also reflects the subculture of the Specials with words such as icy, which indicates the state of being clear-headed. I was saddened by Zane's death and disappointed that Tally could not have had more of a good-bye with him before he died, but I did like that she was reunited with David. I'm rather split as to which boyfriend of hers I prefered, since Zane and David are both very different and compliment Tally in different ways. Fortunately, Westerfeld made that decision for me.

The small glimpse I am given of the city of Diego has me thirsting for more, which I know I can look forward to in the fourth book Extras. I also hope that this book accounts for the lack of attention given to the protection of the wild in Specials.

The Cover: Done in the same style as the previous two titles, the head shot bears some of the tattoo work that all of the Cutters wear, which I think is a very tantalizing image to entice potential readers. Add to that the description of the Specials that the cover gives: "Frighteningly beautiful. Dangerously strong. Breathtakingly fast." I would say it's the best cover of the trilogy.

First Line: "The six hoverboards slipped among the trees with the lightning grace of playing cards thrown flat and spinning."
Beautiful metaphor that really inspires the imagination and accurately captures the nature of the Cutters. I love a good metaphor and Westerfeld is a pro at creating them.

Favorite Quote: "Be careful with the world, or the next time we meet, it might get ugly."

 



Read For: Support Your Local Library Challenge, Speculative Fiction Challenge, Pages Read Challenge

Get Your SwagBucks Here

After my childhood friend Felicia over at Living Just Like Grandma joined SwagBucks, I took a look around the site and then decided to jump on the bandwagon and join myself.

 I am a huge "web surfer" and that is exactly how you earn "digital dollars". The site is not a spam site, nor does it track your searches. You accumulate SwagBucks over time and then can use them in the SwagStore to purchase all kinds of things, such as books, magazines, comic books, and Amazon gift cards.

 I put a search box widget at the bottom of my site, so that any reader of my site can use the widget or the links on this post to register and we both earn SwagBucks for it.




Will you join SwagBucks, too?

I Confess... The Sleeping Beauty Trilogy

Home Girl's Book Blog, formerly known as J. Kaye's Book Blog, had a great idea for a post today that confesses your deepest book secrets, whether you have pretended to have read some great work of literature or you have read something that maybe you should not have. This sounded like too much fun for me to pass up, so here I go. Warning: Rated R Content follows!

Anne Rice wrote a trilogy of books under the pen name A. N. Roquelaure, based on the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. These books were titled  The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty, Beauty's Punishment (Sleeping Beauty), and Beauty's Release: The Conclusion of the Classic Erotic Trilogy of Sleeping Beauty. Yep, you read it right - erotica. The set is the only thing I have ever read by Anne Rice, and the only erotica books I have ever read. I have told maybe one or two other people that I have read the series, because it just does not match up with my "good girl" persona, and it resulted in the shocked expression I was expecting. Why would I read such an abomination? One part boredom, one part fairy tale superfan, and three parts secret naughty indulgence/curiousity (one for each book) - I found the books at a slow point while working at a bookstore, and sneakily read them at the customer service desk when I had nothing else to do.


In the first book, Beauty is awakened from her hundred-year sleep with a deflowering by the Prince. He takes her to his kingdom, where she is trained as a sexual slave and plaything, but she fails to be obedient, so is sent to brutal slavery in the neighboring village. In the second book, she is sold at auction and a power struggle ensues as she refuses to be completely broken by her various punishments. Actual plotline wanes in this one until towards the end some of the psychological aspects of sexual slavery are explored before Beauty is kidnapped for a Sultan. In the third book, the various characters all reach closure in varying forms as the sexual aspects of the plot take on a more religious and philosophical tone, as opposed to the crudity of the European castle and village. By the end of the series, it felt more like I was reading a study of a lifestyle for the education and not so much for the indulgence.

The sexual scenes are extremely explicit and graphic with the theme of sado-masochism replete throughout the text, but amazingly, there is still a plotline and decent character development. The first book was my favorite of the three, simply because that is the only book of the three that actually uses the fairy tale in its plotline, and by the third book much of the sex seemed vaguely repetitive and did not affect me as intensely as it did in the beginning. I would even dare to recommend it to those who are of the appropriate age.

I likely have A. N. Roquelaure's influence to thank for my unquestioning devotion to the Kushiel's Legacy series by Jacqueline Carey, now that I think about it...


So out with it - do you have a literary confession to make?

Reviews by Title

A
Abandon
Abby Finds Her Calling
Across the Universe
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
American Gods
Angel Experiment, The
Ash
At Grave's End
Autumn Winds
Awakened

B
Beastly
Beauty and the Werewolf
Before I Go To Sleep
Betrayed
Between Two Kingdoms
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Birth House, The
Bite Club
Black Magic Sanction
Blackberry Summer
Blood Bound
Blood Promise
Bloodlines
Bone Crossed
Boy Who Came Back From Heaven, The
Bronze and the Brimstone, The
Burned

C
Candyfreak
Carpe Corpus
Catching Fire
Centurion's Wife, The
Chocolat
Chosen
Christians are Hate-Filled Hypocrites ...and Other Lies You've Been Told
Cold Creek Secret, A
Comeback Cowboy, The
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
Cooking With Healthy Girl
Coyote Dreams
Crescendo

D
Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy
Dark Lover
Darkest Mercy
Daughter of the Forest
Dead Girls' Dance, The
Dead Rise First: Rapture Countdown, The
Demon: A Memoir
Demon Hunts
Destined
Destined for an Early Grave
Divergent
Doctor Margaret's Sea Chest
Doctor's Forever Family, The

E
Eat, Pray, Love
Economic Meltdown
Elephant Mountains, The
Elvenbane, The
Enclave
Eternal Rider
Extras

F
Fade Out
Fantasy
Feast of Fools
Fever
Forever
Fragile Eternity
Frostbite

G
Ghost Town
Glass Houses
Glee: The Beginning

H
Halfway to the Grave
Hannah
Harvest Moon
Haunting Jasmine
Havah: The Story of Eve
Heart Most Worthy, A
Heavenly
Help, The
Hex Hall
Hidden Flame, The
Holy Guacamole
Hunger Games, The
Hunted
Hurry Less, Worry Less for Moms
Hush, Hush

I
If God, Why Evil?
In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms
Ink Exchange
Insatiable
Iron Kissed

J
Jesus, Career Counselor
Just One Taste

K
Kathleen's Story
Keridan's Journey
Kiss of Death

L
Last Breath
Last Sacrifice
Lens and the Looker, The
Letters To Ethan
Life of Pi
Life Ready Woman, The
Lightkeeper's Daughter, The
Linger
Lion's Honey
Lord of Misrule
Lost Angel, The
Lover Eternal

M
Masquerade
Midnight Alley
Midnight Dance, A
Million Suns, A
Mockingjay
Moon Called
Morning in the Burned House
My Fair Lazy

N
Naamah's Curse
Never Let You Go
Not a Sparrow Falls

O
On The Prowl
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
One Foot in the Grave
Out of My Mind
101 Gourmet Cake Bites
Overbite

P
Pale Demon
Penelopiad, The
Perfect Blood, A
Persuasion: A Latter-Day Tale
Pointed Death, A
Prada & Prejudice
Pretties
Proper Care & Feeding of Marriage, The
Pumpkin Roll

Q
Quatrain


R
Radiant Shadows
Ravens of Avalon, Marrion Zimmer Bradley's
Redemption
River Marked
Rugged and Relentless
Ryken's Bible Handbook

S
Sandalwood Tree, The
Savage Nature
Saving Max
Scorpio Races, The
Sea Glass
Season, The
Shadow Kiss
Shiver
Shalador's Lady
She Walks in Beauty
Short History of Myth, A
Silent Governess, The
Silver Borne
Sixteen Brides
Sleeping Beauty, The
Sleeping Beauty Trilogy
Specials
Spirit Bound
Spy Glass
Stardust
Storm Born
Storm Glass
Summer of Secrets
Summers at Castle Auburn
Sweet Chic

T
Tales of Beedle the Bard, The
Tempted
There's Lead in Your Lipstick
13 Little Blue Envelopes
Thirteenth Tale, The
Thorn Queen
Through the Looking Glass
Thumbing Through Thoreau
Thunderbird Falls
Twilight's Dawn

U
Uglies
Uncoupling, The
Untamed
Urban Shaman

V
Vampire Academy
Veiled Rose
Virgin Cure, The

W
Walking Dead
Water for Elephants
Wedlocked
Whole Foods to Thrive
Wicked Lovely
Winter Moon Anthology
Wither

X

Y
Year of Wonders

Z

Disclosure Policy

Disclosure Policy

This policy is valid from 30 January 2010.

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

This blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. We believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored content.

The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

Amazon Associate: jacobs01-20

Reviewer for:
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Bethany House
Penguin Group (Canada)
Tyndale House Publishers
Glass Road Public Relations
Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists
FSB Associates

Review Policy

Review Policy

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Thank you for considering JacobsBeloved.

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How I Review: My reviews are wholely based on my honest opinion, whether positive and/or negative, and that includes books that I have not finished reading. Read my Disclosure Policy and Blog with Integrity for further information.
Inquiry timeframe: All inquiries will be read within 1 week of submission. Acceptance confirmation will be sent at that time. I apologize for not being able to reply to inquiries that I am unable to accept. Please do not let that prevent you from inquiring in the future.

Genres I will review: general fiction, historical fiction, literary fiction, science fiction, fantasy, young adult fiction, biblical fiction, Christian non-fiction, self-help, humor

Genres I will not review: biography, history, sports, new age, horror, western, erotica, true crime, graphic novels, political, children's storybooks

Book formats: I accept galleys, ARCs, newly released and backlist titles for review. I will review books in the middle of a series, but I may request that you send the previous titles if I have not read them and do not own them. I will review each title sent separately. I cannot accept ebooks, audiobooks, or self-published books.

Review timeframe: Review posting can be timed to coincide with release dates or blog tours if arrangements have been made in advance.

Promotional options: Guest blogging and author interview hosting are available. In this case, book reviews will be scheduled to coincided with promotional posts.

Cross-posting: I always cross-post my reviews on Amazon.com. Reviews can be posted elsewhere if requested.

Other: ARCs are never sold.

Waiting on Wednesday: Giada at Home

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:


 

Giada at Home: Family Recipes from Italy and California

by Giada De Laurentiis

Publication Date: March 30, 2010

"Since her debut on Food Network in 2002 with the hit program Everyday Italian, Giada De Laurentiis has been enticing Americans with her updated twists on Italian favorites. Her dedication to ease, healthfulness, and—above all else—flavor have won her a permanent place in the hearts of home cooks. In Giada at Home, she shares a personal look into how she cooks for those dearest to her, with simple recipes inspired by her television show of the same name.

Born in Italy, Giada was raised in Los Angeles by a gregarious Italian family. While her grandmother, aunt, and mother brought her up on generations-old recipes, Giada also became enamored with the bright and clean flavors of California’s abundant seasonal fruits and vegetables. Giada at Home presents recipes from both traditions, all with Giada’s signature style. She shares classic Italian recipes passed down through the years, like cheese-stuffed dates wrapped in salty prosciutto, creamy risotto with the earthy and deep flavors of mushrooms and gorgonzola, and lamb chops basted with honey and balsamic vinegar. New family favorites include grilled asparagus and melon, game hens roasted with citrus and herbs, and a sorbet made with pomegranate and mint, all bursting with fresh, vibrant flavors.
No meal would be complete without the company of family and Giada particularly enjoys bringing her loved ones together over meals. For the first time, she incorporates her go-to brunch recipes—what she cooks when setting up a feast on her back patio for everyone on weekend mornings—from Jade-approved Panini, with gooey mozzarella, luscious raspberries, and a sprinkling of brown sugar, to Todd’s favorite pancetta-studded waffles scented with cinnamon.
No matter which recipe you choose—classic or contemporary—Giada at Home makes gathering the favorite people in your life for fabulous weeknight meals and family celebrations delicious and easy."




What book release are you looking forward to?

 

Teaser Tuesday: February 23, 2010

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!).
5. Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My Teasers:

"Tally glanced down at her hand. The pain had faded to a dull pounding that throbbed in time with her heartbeat, and the medspray was congealing her spilled blood, turning it to a dust that blew away as they rose. The wound has already sealed, leaving nothing but a ridge of skin. The scar cut straight across her flash tattoos, breaking the dermal circuitry that made them dance. Her palm was a jittering mess of lines, like a computer screen after a hard crash." - pg. 97, Specials by Scott Westerfeld

What are you reading this week?

Movie Cast Mondays: February 22, 2010

Natalie at Mindful Musings has this meme in which you create fantasy casts for books of your choice. The rules are as follows:

1) Create your own cast for an upcoming book-to-movie adaptation OR pick a book you'd like to see be turned into a movie and choose a cast.

2) Post the book title, author, and summary.

3) Try to pick at least 3 of the main characters to cast.


This week's pick is...

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

"Everybody gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong with that?

Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world -- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever."

I am currently reading the third book in the trilogy, Specials, when I came across on Scott Westerfeld's blog that Uglies has been optioned for a movie! Before they start casting the movie in Hollywood, I want to make my own choices for the movie, which according to Wikipedia is scheduled to be released in 2011.

Dakota Fanning as Tally Youngblood

Dakota is one of my favorite young actresses, not only for her talent on the big screen, but also for her maturity despite her fame. I think she would play the role of Tally very well, especially if Hollywood decided to make the trilogy. Even though her natural hair color is blonde, she can play a brunette as I found from this picture, and a little makeup can help her adopt the visual transformations of Ugly, Pretty, and Special.

Mika Boorem as Shay

Mika is vaguely familiar to me and she has apparently been a child star in Hollywood for awhile now, acting in both movies and television. Her age is close to that of Dakota Fanning, so they could work well together, and her looks could be adapted for the different surgical stages, as well.

Spencer Treat Clark as David

I found this name in a list of former child stars and recognized a younger picture of Spencer from the movie Unbreakable(2000). He definitely has a rugged look to match the character of David, and his age is only a bit older than Dakota, so I could see the sparks fly between them. It doesn't hurt to have a little male "hotness" in the movie either, even if the books classify him as an Ugly.

Famke Janssen as Dr. Cable

I loved Famke as Dr. Jean Grey in the X-Men movies, and in this picture she even looks like she could pass for a Special, so she is an easy pick for the role of Dr. Cable, the head of Special Circumstances and antagonist to Tally Youngblood.

Who would you like to see cast in the upcoming movie Uglies?

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

Book Details:
Pretties
by Scott Westerfeld
Published 2005, Simon & Schuster
Paperback, 370 pages
ISBN: 0689865392

Synopsis:
"Gorgeous. Popular.
Perfect. Perfectly wrong.
Tally has finally become pretty. Now her looks are beyond perfect, her clothes are awesome, her boyfriend is totally hot, and she's completely popular. It's everything she's ever wanted.
But beneath all the fun -- the nonstop parties, the high-tech luxury, the total freedom -- is a nagging sense that something's wrong. Something important. Then a message from Tally's ugly past arrives. Reading it, Tally remembers what's wrong with pretty life, and the fun stops cold.
Now she has to choose between fighting to forget what she knows and fighting for her life -- because the authorities don't intend to let anyone with this information survive."

I found the second book in the Uglies trilogy to be an excellent pick-up from the first book. I was very curious about the subculture of the Pretties when I read the first book, and this one opens up right in the middle of it, thick with the new vocabulary of the Pretties, with words such as bubbly, bogus, surge, pretty-making, fashion-missing, spinning, criminal, etc. At first, I liked being immersed in the world of the pretties, a mixture of familiar and foreign aspects, but it quickly became very apparent how much of the Pretties were complete air-heads! Being shallow is the social norm, and if anyone even attempts to have a little depth, the authorities are quick to step in. I admit, being a Pretty is not completely unattractive, what with an improved immune system and perfect skin, teeth, and eyesight. The focus of the book was mainly on escaping the Pretty society with more development of the world of Uglies, Pretties, and Specials. I found the discovery of the reservation that the Pretties maintained to study Pre-Rusty civilization very interesting and a great way to reveal how deeply people are being controlled by the authorities. She made an excellent observation about the Smokies, that even though they lived in the wild and lived similarly to both Pre-Rusty and Rusty civilization, they still had not completely escaped from the influence of the Pretty / Ugly society because of the devices they depended on and how their mindset has changed in regards to violence and caring for the earth.
Even though I had no doubt that Tally would be turned into a Special in the end, I can't help wondering how the people in charge think they can keep a leash on her, since it has become very apparent that she will always try to escape. I look forward to the final book in the Trilogy, Specials.

The Cover: The cover is done similarly to that of Uglies, but with two people to represent whom I would guess to be Tally and Zane, both Pretties. Thier faces match what would be considered the surgical aspects of becoming a Pretty, such as flawless skin, full lips, big eyes, lush hair, etc. If I had not read the first book in the series, I would not have been attracted to the cover of the second book.

First Line: "Getting dressed was always the hardest part of the afternoon."
A very bland first line at first glance, but it actually shows the typical mentality of a "pretty" - vapid, lazy, and vain, as well as the fact that the "day" of the life of a pretty begins in the afternoon

Favorite Quote: "At least one thing was consistent about her life: It just kept on getting more complicated."





Read For: Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge, Pages Read Challenge, The 2nd Challenge, Speculative Fiction Challenge

About Me

ABOUT ME

I grew up a bookworm and excelled in school simply because I was an avid reader. Books were my closest friends, my safehaven from the world, my reward for hard work, and my secret indulgence. My first full-time job was in a bookstore - it felt like coming home. The sight of rows and rows of books, the new book smell every shipment, moving books around all day every day, talking about books, was like balm for my soul. I was there 3 years before I moved away. Only recently have I discovered the world of book blogging, and I can't get enough of it.

Oh yea, and I love cooking, being a mom to my two beautiful girls, and wife to my wonderful / infuriating husband!

MY READING INTERESTS

My biggest interest regarding genre is Fantasy. Since having children, parenting books have become very useful to me, and I appreciate cookbooks, though I wouldn't call them "reading" material. I also enjoy biblical fiction, christian non-fiction, self-help, general fiction, young adult, some classics, and a small amount of science fiction. Many of the titles I read come from a collection of favorite authors. Sometimes I pick random books from library discards or bargain stores, and I also peruse the suggestions that Amazon makes to find new titles and authors. Since becoming a book blogger I add to my Wish List from the reviews I read on other book blogs.

ABOUT JACOBSBELOVED

My husband came up with this nickname years ago when I was stumped on a forum nickname to use. I loved it instantly. The Biblical story of Jacob and Rachel is one of my favorites, and those that are familiar with the Bible will understand that it means my real name is Rachel. Those that aren't familiar with it may simply be intrigued by the name and be enticed to find out more.

ABOUT THIS BLOG

I started this blog in November of 2009. I love to write, but I could not find the time to do any "serious" writing, what with three daughters to care for. I ran across a book blog while internet surfing, and thought blogging would be a great "non-serious" outlet for me, giving me a chance to write when I felt the need, without any specific goals in mind. I originally aimed to make this a personal blog, but it quickly became a "Book Blog", since, as my husband says, "I am books." I will occasionally throw up something about my personal life as I feel the need, but the main focus of this blog is to write about books in any and all ways I can possibly think of. That means book reviews, book lists, author interviews(hopefully), book challenges, book blogger interviews(eventually), book-related internet finds, etc. Suggestions are welcome!

AUTHORS, PUBLISHERS, AND OTHER BOOK PROMOTERS

I would love to hear from you. Please visit my review and disclosure policy page for information about book review submissions and other promotional opportunities.

REVIEWS

Books are reviewed and rated based on my personal response to the book, not its literary merit. I am not a professional reviewer. My reviews are simply my honest opinion of the book - no more, no less.

DISCLOSURES

I occasionally receive free books from authors and publishers. Reviews and ratings are in no way influenced by promotional or advanced reader's copies. Read my Review Policy and Disclosure Policy for more information.

CONTACT INFORMATION

All questions, comments, and pitches can be sent to hopester777(at)gmail(dot)com.

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

Book Details:
Glass Houses
by Rachel Caine
Published 2006, Penguin Group
Paperback, 239 pages
ISBN: 9780451219947

Synopsis:
"From the author of the popular Weather Warden series. Welcome to Morganville, Texas.
Just don't stay out after dark.

College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation, where the popular girls never let her forget just where she ranks in the school's social scene: somewhere less than zero.
When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life. But they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood."

I found this book to be a nice change from the typical high school setting that so many Young Adult books take place in - with good reason, of course. So what if she's still only 16, she's in college! Unfortunately, she still has not outgrown the evil female clique syndrome that plague so many stories. Some elements of the story remind me of my own days in university, but the book takes them all to the extreme. On a side note, it's a good thing she's so dang smart, because from my experience, skipping classes like she does throughout the text should, in reality, result in failing grades. I guess that's the beauty of fantasy literature - you can skip all the drudgery and go straight for the exciting bits of life.
The part I did not really understand - and I am still waiting for an explanation after finishing the book - is how the psychotic Monica seems to get away with more than the resident vampires do. I mean, if the vamps both built and run the town of Morganville, it makes more sense that they would want to appear more nefarious than the lowly humans.
I also found it strangely refreshing that the vampires were wholely and completely the bad guys - no human-vampire romantic happenings, and no, Miranda the vision-plagued goth  and her undead boyfriend Charles do not count. But I did find the head vampire Amelie very intriguing, since she seems less interested in  bloody deaths and widespread property damage and more interested in maintaining power and protecting her assets, a trait that no other vampire in the novel seemed to exhibit.
I can not wait to get my hands on the next novel in the series, The Dead Girls' Dance, since Michael's state of ghost / not-ghost / Glass House incarnate has not been resolved enough for me at all!

The Cover: The photo of a girl dressed in Goth threw me off at first because I originally thought she was supposed to be a representation of the main character, Claire Danvers. The house in the distance was an easy explanation for the title, though, which I appreciate. The sentence on the cover helps to add a bit more explanation to the synopsis, which I also appreciate: "Peer pressure sucks. So do vampires..."

First Line: "On the day Claire became a member of the Glass House, somebody stole her laundry."
The opening line seems vague and slightly confusing, but is actually a very short summary of the events that follow. The sentence by itself intrigues me just enough to want to keep reading to find out who her laundry was stolen and what the Glass House was.

Favorite Quote: "She felt like there was light dripping from her fingertips. Spilling out of her toes. She felt full of light, in fact, warm buttery sunlight."




Read For: Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge, Pages Read Challenge, Take Another Chance Challenge, New Author Challenge, 1st in a Series Challenge, 101 Fantasy Reading Challenge, Twenty-Ten Challenge