Bibliophile Support Group

Illuminae is the first book of the YA futuristic sci-fi thriller series The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Krisftoff. It started off like a day like any other in the year 2575 on the human inhabited planet of Kerenza. Kady had made the difficult decision to break up with her boyfriend Ezra – and she thought that would be the toughest thing about the day. She didn’t realize her planet would be attacked that afternoon, the victim of two rival mega-corporations battling over the tiny speck of universe they called their home. There was no warning before nearly everything was on fire and people were dying all around them. Suddenly she and her ex, barely speaking since that morning, are forced to flee together – in a desperate attempt to evacuate the planet. Yet even once they are off Kerenza, it is not the end of the nightmare. There is a warship after their refugee fleets. There’s mysterious talk of quarantines. And the AI that is supposed to be keeping them safe may actuall...

Through Waters Deep is a Christian historical WWII era romance by Sarah Sundin. It is the first book in her Waves of Freedom series. In 1941 Massachusetts, Mary Stirling enjoys her position as Boston Navy Yard secretary – she excels at it but happily can avoid any particular attention in her role. There’s nothing she likes less than attention… When naval officer Ensign Jim Avery comes to Boston on a new assignment, they recognize each other as childhood friends – in fact, Mary clearly remembers Jim’s infatuation with her best friend. As their friendship and camaraderie grows, events take a darker turn – someone seems to be sabotaging the USS Atwood . Tensions are growing regarding the divided opinion on potentially entering into the new war… This is a dangerous time on the Boston shipyards… I have previously enjoyed Sarah Sundin’s Wings of Glory series, as they have a rich historical background with WWII. Unlike some other historical fiction romances that brush over detail...

The Masque of the Black Tulip is an adult historical novel with a contemporary mashup and the second in the Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig. Many years ago I read The Secret History of the Pink Carnation and enjoyed it. I am finally getting interested in continuing the series, which last I checked now has twelve novels and is not done yet!! I would definitely recommend reading The Secret History of the Pink Carnation first, as it introduces the reader to the fictionalized world of flowery espionage in England during the days of the Napoleonic wars. We also first meet our cast of characters in it. Though The Masque of the Black Tulip puts emphasis and focus on a different set of characters, they are within the same family and social circle. So, I still recommend reading it first. Okay, now onto deets of The Masque of the Black Tulip! Having discovered the shockingly delicious identity of the Pink Carnation, modern day graduate student Eloise has even more questions....

The Big Fix is the third book in the Ciel Halligan urban fantasy/mystery series by Linda Grimes. As with any other series, it is best to read the novels in order for the most fulfilling reading experience. Therefore, please find links to the prior book titles and my reviews of them here: In a Fix Quick Fix For those of you who have already read these books, feel free to read on. For those of you who haven’t, there could be minor spoilers of the first two books – you’ve been warned!!! Ciel Halligan, aura adaptor, is still determined to make her business work and be self-sufficient. Just because her hot boyfriend wants to help her out financially doesn’t mean she would ever accept. But she WILL accept his referral for a new client, since she so desperately needs one. Plus, this job is a fun one! Getting a chance to take on famous action star actor Jackson Gunn’s aura for a snake handling scene (he’s apparently terrified of snakes, who knew?!) should be a fast way to make a...

Of Noble Family is the fifth and final novel in The Glamourist Histories by Mary Robinette Kowal. I am passionate about this series, primarily due to the absolutely wonderful characterizations and lovely Regency atmosphere. Therefore, I strongly recommend reading these books in order: Shades of Milk and Honey: Here Glamour in Glass: Here Without a Summer: Here Valour and Vanity: Here Of Noble Family As you can see, you can click on each prior title to be swept away to my reviews of those books. Again, if you are not caught up with the series – I ardently recommend reading them, in order, before this review of the final book! After their exhausting time in Italy, Jane and Vincent have been able to do some relaxing with Jane’s family, including her sister’s new baby, whom they both find themselves enjoying immensely. Yet, when news comes to Vincent stating that his estranged, fugitive father has died – his soul is thrown into turmoil. He attempts to push aside the tumultu...

Uglies is a YA dystopian novel by Scott Westerfeld. Still an ugly, Tally is looking forward to her upcoming sixteenth birthday. That is the day she will have her operation to become a pretty, as everyone does at sixteen, and move to New Pretty Town - the place all the newly gorgeous young people in society spend their time having fun all the time. Her best friend Peris has already turned pretty – and the loneliness Tally feels as she waits for her day to join him is hollowing out a hole in her heart. She worries he forgets about her as he adapts to his new, pretty life. When she meets Shay, Tally is shocked to learn that Shay is not as excited to turn pretty. She says odd things, such as not liking the idea of looking like everyone else – not liking that they are unable to consider their current faces pretty. So, Shay running away right before her own operation stuns Tally – but not as much as it might have. Yet, when heretofore unknown authorities in their society approach ...

Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron is the tenth historical mystery in the Jane Austen Mystery series by Stephanie Barron. As I said last week regarding Jane and the Barque of Frailty , these are really books best read in order to get the full impact and understanding of relationships and such. However, I believe they could potentially work as stand-alone stories, as well. When Henry’s adored, animated wife Eliza passes away from illness, Jane and Henry mourn her deeply. Calling on the recuperative, distracting power of the ocean and sea air, the pair head to Brighton to enjoy the teeming, dazzling resort life favored by so many. It is not long before Jane’s path crosses with the famous, possibly mad, undeniably magnetic poet and seducer of women: Lord Byron. His reputation is known to Jane, but even she cannot help but be shocked by the circumstances in which she meets him. So, when a beautiful young girl barely out in society is found murdered and placed in Lord Byron’s be...

Jane and the Barque of Frailty is the ninth in Stephanie Barron’s Jane Austen Mystery series. I thoroughly recommend reading this fantastically imagined, Regency whodunit series from the beginning. You would want to start with Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor . I’ve been a huge enthusiast of this series from the beginning as a fan of both Jane Austen and mysteries! It’s 1811 in London and Jane Austen is enjoying a month-long visit with her brother Henry and his lively wife Eliza. She’s awaiting publication of her first novel, Sense and Sensibility and spending her free time socializing during the height of the Season. When a mysterious, exiled, lovely Russian princess is found dead outside of the abode of a notorious Tory minister, though – even Jane is surprised. The determination of self-murder does not sit right with Jane, and she is happy to investigate further. What is more surprising, however, is that Jane and Eliza manage to thrust themselves into the ca...

The Sin Eater’s Daughter is a YA fantasy novel by Melinda Salisbury. Seventeen year-old Twylla is the Goddess embodied. This means she is impervious to poison but by simply touching another, she kills them. When she was brought to the castle as a young girl, at the time an apprentice to her mother, the Sin Eater, she did not realize that being the Goddess embodied meant being the royal executioner. She knows now. Under constant guard to protect others from her divine, lethal touch, Twylla is avoided as much as she is tentatively revered. Even the royal family, including the prince she is betrothed to, shuns her company despite being the only ones immune to her poison. Her loneliness is permeated only by her guard who has been with her since the beginning. It’s a professional relationship, but she feels that he actually cares for her. But when he falls ill, Twylla is given a new, young guard. He throws her off balance with easy smiles, a lack of understanding of the boundar...

Mark of the Thief is a YA historical fantasy adventure novel by Jennifer A. Nielsen. A slave in the mines of ancient Rome, Nic dreams of freedom for himself and his sister. Yet, instead, he faces certain death as he is forced to enter the recently located cavern allegedly containing the hidden treasures of Julius Caesar. Amidst the jewels and gold is an artifact, a bulla, which has extraordinary magical power – something that some Romans would kill for. Managing to survive the dangerous cavern, Nic is now armed with this bulla and his determination is freedom – however, his possession of this powerful object places him in a conspiracy to overthrow the emperor. To save Rome, Nic must learn how to use his new powers and figure out who he can trust… The beginning of Mark of the Thief reminded me of a Roman version of Aladdin. Felt a little familiar, though adding in a griffin to protect the treasure was a bit more fantastical. I loved Nielsen’s Ascendance Trilogy , but for...

Across a Star-Swept Sea is a YA sci-fi, dystopian retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel by Diana Peterfreund. Though this story stands on its own, it brings back characters from Peterfreund’s wonderful For Darkness Shows the Stars – so I personally would recommend reading that first. You can read my review of For Darkness Shows the Stars here – but there will be no spoilers for it in this review, no worries! New Pacifica’s two separate islands are all remaining of the world after centuries of war and destruction. Even the prior horror of the Reduction – a brain disorder that caused many of the wars and left much of the population without fully-functioning minds – is a thing of the past. After all, there is now a cure. Yet on the island of Galatea, there has been a revolution – a revolution against the aristocracy that has morphed into the ultimate revenge. A drug has been created to cause Reduction – and the revolutionaries are forcing anyone who disagrees with them to take i...

All Fall Down is the first book in Ally Carter’s YA Embassy Row series. Returning to embassy row in the small, but powerful, European country her mother grew up in does not change the three truths Grace knows to her core: 1. She’s not crazy 2. Her mother was murdered 3. Someday she WILL find the murderer But no one believes her – not her ambassador grandfather, nor his formidable secretary – just like no one at home believed her. So why should her new friends? There’s Alexei, the Russian boy next door who wants to watch over her per her brother’s instructions, her appointed best friend, Israeli Noah, and a couple others who Grace finds herself surprisingly drawn to being friends with – an oddity for her. Yet knowing that there’s no way they would understand her determination to find her mother’s murderer over the last three years – after witnessing it at thirteen years old – keeps her at a lonely distance. So she puts on her smile that says she’s normal and tries to contr...

The Witch Hunter is a YA fantasy novel by debut author Virginia Boecker. Elizabeth Grey has worked hard, training her slender frame into one of the king’s best witch hunters – meant to locate those practicing witchcraft and bring them to justice. So, when Elizabeth is accused of being a witch herself – she knows the future that lies ahead of her. Fire and death. Clinging to the fact that she is innocent, she grows increasingly ill as she waits in her cell – sure that one of her fellow witch hunters will free her. Instead the very last person she ever expected to show up arrives: Nicholas Perevil, one of the most wanted, most powerful wizards in the kingdom. He offers her freedom in exchange for her help to break a curse that has been placed upon him – a curse that is killing him. Suddenly thrust into the other side of the world she has been living in, Elizabeth finds herself among witches, ghosts, pirates and an uncomfortably attractive healer. Everything she is meant to hunt...

Seeker is a YA futuristic fantasy novel by Arwen Elys Dayton. After years of training, Quin Kinkaid and her two fellow trainees, Shinobu and John, they are finally ready to take the Oath that will officially make them Seekers – protectors of the weak and wronged. Yet – once the Oath is taken, Quin finds the truth is much darker. After centuries of nobility, the life of a Seeker now is not what it once was. Everything has changed. Nothing is what she thought – her family, the boy she loves, the life she’s been preparing for since a little girl. And it’s too late. Seeker looked kind of cool and interesting, so I went ahead and put it ahead of some other books on my shelf. Sadly, that was not a correct choice. First off, trying to get a handle on the period we are in is very difficult – I finally landed on some sort of futuristic world with a medieval Scottish highlands vibe. Sort of odd. Seeker starts with an action sequence featuring an oily weapon that can change sha...

Cinder is a YA futuristic sci-fi fantasy retelling of Cinderella, and the first book in The Lunar Chronicles , by Marissa Meyer. Being a cyborg is almost as shameful as being an android – despite the fact that Cinder knows she is human, there are many in New Beijing who would argue that fact. So, as she spends her days utilizing her gifts as a mechanic to provide income for her derisive adoptive mother and sisters, Cinder doesn’t advertise her cyborg parts. Not good for business. Yet, she’s never felt the weight of being a cyborg as strongly as when her path crosses with Prince Kai – an admittedly attractive and charming young man. Not to mention royal. Soon, Cinder is pulled deeper into the most concerning struggles of Earth – a ravaging, deadly plague that they’ve been trying to find a cure for without success in twenty-five years and a possibility of war hinging on nothing more than the whims of a mad queen from the country Lunar, on the moon. There are secrets to Cinder...

Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover is the third book in the YA contemporary spy school series Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter. If you haven’t read the first two books, I strongly recommend not reading this review to avoid inevitable spoilers. Got it?!? A visit to Boston to visit one of her best friends Macey during her summer vacation sounds like fun to Cammie. After all, it’s not every girl that gets to watch their best friend’s father campaign to be the next vice president of the United States! Yet what was believed to be a friendly visit turns deadly – not necessarily surprising considering the line of business Cammie and Macey are being groomed for. But this time it is not a test. It’s not a practical exam. It’s real. When a kidnapping attempt leaves Cammie and Macey battered – their best friends Liz and Bex join them to try and figure out who is after Macey and why. Even if the Secret Service wants them nowhere near the investigation… Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cov...

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy is the second book in the YA teen spies-in-training series Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter. To avoid any spoilers, you’ll want to have read the first book I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You before you read this review. Deal? Returning to school after having to give up her civilian boyfriend, Josh, Cammie is hoping to be fully distracted by her spy skills training to think of him – or that he is just outside the highly secure walls of the Gallagher Academy. Alas, her troubles with the male gender have not ended it seems. For a long time, there has been supposition that there must be a boy-version of the Gallagher Academy out there somewhere … Then the code name Blackthorne starts being thrown around – during some innocent eavesdropping on her mother the headmistress, ahem – and a wing of the Academy is being prepped for guests – determined after some just-as-innocent reconnaissance. Blamed for security breaches that – t...

Shadow Scale is a YA fantasy novel, and the long awaited follow-up to Seraphina , by Rachel Hartman. Though it is said you could read Shadow Scale without having read Seraphina , I strongly believe you will get far more impact from the sequel if you read the books in order. For my part, I actually re-read Seraphina before reading Shadow Scale – and I’m glad I did! To read my review of Seraphina , click here . Consider avoiding the below review for inevitable spoilers of the first book. Final warning! Seraphina’s secret – that she is half-dragon, half-human – is now known to the kingdom of Goredd at large. It’s something she never expected – but has become an advantage now, as the potential victory in the brewing war may lie in her kind. And she can find them. Locating all of the grotesques from her mind garden appeals to Seraphina – she thinks of them as a family, wants to gather everyone together to be happy and free from the shame that has dogged them since birth. Y...

I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You is the first in the YA contemporary spy school series Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter. As a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, Cammie has espionage in the blood. Her mother is the headmistress and her father’s life in the spy scene cost him his life. Now she’s “the Chameleon”, great at blending in and utilizing the academic education she is receiving – which isn’t what the town’s impression of a snooty girl’s boarding school is. Instead, Cammie and her friends are taught advanced martial arts, how to assimilate into various cultures, different languages and accents and so on and so forth. Essentially, a training ground for genius girls meant to be future spooks. But despite knowing how to kill someone with her bare hands and what is the latest in chemical warfare science, Cammie has no idea what to do when an ordinary boy talks to her like she’s an ordinary girl. Is it possible to enter into a r...

The Well of Ascension is the second book in the high fantasy trilogy Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. If you haven’t read Mistborn yet, I would strongly suggest you do not read this review. Instead, go read Mistborn ! Though Vin and her group of thieves-turned-rebels have ended a tyrant government that had been held for a thousand years, the final words of the Lord Ruler haunt Vin. She may not want to believe that the Lord Ruler was holding something even worse back, but she cannot ignore the growing threatening nature of the mists and the figure that is watching her amidst them. Beyond the supernatural concern, Elend’s new freedom-focused government of Luthadel is being confronted with multiple outside armies who’ve decided they’d like to take the kingdom from the young king. Defeating the Lord Ruler was only the beginning… The Well of Ascension was quite something. Just as when I entered into Mistborn , part of me wondered if The Well of Ascension could possibly be w...