Book Review: BALTHAZAR

Title: BALTHAZAR

Author: Claudia Gray

Other books by author: EVERNIGHT

Release Date: March 6, 2012

My Rating: 3.5/5-- Decent. It was okay.

One Word Plot: Vampires

Good if...you're looking for something more after the EVERNIGHT series

For hundreds of years, the vampire Balthazar has been alone—without allies, without love.
When Balthazar agrees to help Skye Tierney, a human girl who once attended Evernight Academy, he has no idea how dangerous it will be. Skye’s newfound psychic powers have caught the attention of Redgrave, the cruel, seductive master vampire responsible for murdering Balthazar and his family four centuries ago. Now Redgrave plans to use Skye’s powers for his own evil purposes.
Balthazar will do whatever it takes to stop Redgrave and exact his long-awaited revenge against his killer. As Skye and Balthazar stand together to fight him, they grow closer—first unwillingly, then undeniably. Balthazar realizes his lonely world could finally be changed by her. . . .

My thoughts...

BALTHAZAR is the companion novel to the EVERNIGHT series.  Basically this book picks up right where the last EVERNIGHT book left off...expect now instead of following Lucius and Bianca we're following around Balthazar and his (soon to be) new love interest Skye.  That being said, you don't really have to have read any previous Claudia Gray novels if you want to read this one.  It's basically a brand new story and a brand new start.  Many of the same characters from the EVERNIGHT series are part of this novel, but no prior knowledge is really needed to enjoy this book.  However...

This novel is no EVERNIGHT!  It was alright, enjoyable, and semi-entertaining--I read through it rather quickly--but never once did it sweep me off my feet nor capture the same mystery/intensity I felt while reading EVERNIGHT.  In EVERNIGHT I loved the romance between Lucius and Bianca; In BALTHAZAR I only liked the romance between Balthazar and Skye.  Which was disappointing since I've always been super fond of Balthazar and found him particularly swoon-worthy.  But I guess it just turns out that I prefer the stereotypical 'bad boy' to win the girl.  I prefer my romantic to have friction and that forbidden factor.  Claudia Gray tried to give Balthy and Skye those things, but it didn't really capture what I wanted.  So--like I said before--BALTHAZAR wasn't a bad novel...it just wasn't knock-your-socks-off-spectacular either.  

All in all--the most I can really say for this book is that it was OK. 

If you liked BALTHAZAR; then you might also like...
EVERNIGHT by Claudia Gray
NEED by Carrie Jones

Overall recommendation: Skip it?

My Top Literary Crushes #3

Here it is!  This is my favorite post of the year!!  :)

Every year annually I like to post my top ten literary crushes from YA novels!!!  The crushes don't have to come from books I read that year alone...no, they're a mixture of my all-time-favorites!!  The ultimate list. 

Here are my top literary crushes for 2012 (in backwards order)...

10. Astley from the NEED series.  I'm still slightly on the fence with Astley.  Nick was always the main love interest in Carrie Jones' NEED series and somehow Astley just kind of creeped up in the running over the last two novels.  A 4th book in the series comes out this May and I'm curious to see more of Astley's character. 

9. Ren from TIGER's CURSE.  This novel about an ancient Indian prince stuck as a cursed tiger really swept me away.  SO did Ren.  Read it for yourself. 

8. Tamine from WINGS. From the start I was team Tamine all the way and after reading book 3 of this series...I'm even more hooked!  Great character--emotional, reckless, perfectly handsome, and easy to fall for.  He makes reading the WINGS books worth while.  Without him it would just be another book around fairies.   

7. Peeta from HUNGER GAMES. Loyal, sweetheart, and even if I wasn't crazy about the way MOCKINGJAY ended I will still always love Peeta.  Undeniable. 

6. Varen Nethers from NEVERMORE...this goth guy?  Yes!  He's mysterious, a loner, into poetry, and I fell hard for the building romance in this novel.  When will book 2 ever come out??? 

5. Archer Cross from HEX HALL (real appearance in DEMON GLASS).  What an unexpected contender!  Very surprising.  I only sort of liked HEX HALL and almost didn't read the 2nd novel in the Series, DEMON GLASS, but I'm very glad I did.  There's lots of potential in Archer.  We'll see with book 3.

4. Will from the INFERNAL DEVICES series.  Cassandra Clare does it again.  She sure can write the bad boys!  Stubborn, aggressive, outspoking.  Two books into the series and I already can't get enough of Will.

3. Dimitri from the VAMPIRE ACADEMY series.  In the past year I recently discovered this series--an oldie but a goodie--and no one can deny the charm in Dimitri.  He tops lists easily.  

2. Edward from TWILIGHT.  I'll always be a Twilight fan.  I'll always love Edward.  He is, after all, the one who made me love reading Young Adult novels in the first place.

1. Jace from MORTAL INSTRUMENTS Series. Can he ever be knocked off the top of this list?  Three years running and I guess I still haven't found someone who can quite replace him.  If you don't know who Jace is...you're missing out. Everything single moment I spent reading about him and Clare in Cassandra Clare's MORTAL INSTRUMENTS novels (the first 3 books) was like book-crack. I couldn't get enough. He's hot headed and arrogant with this dark past. But underneath he's kind and loves Clare. Every time they share a kiss, my heart beats faster.  Jace makes these books very worth your while.  (Just be sure to stop reading at the end of novel 3, novel 4 was quite the let down.)   

And a few that just almost made my list:  

Patch from HUSH, HUSH

Tucker from UNEARTHLY

Who are your literary crushes?  Am I missing out on anyone?

2010's TOP LITERARY CRUSHES
2011's TOP LITERARY CRUSHES

{Top Ten of the Moment is an adaptation from a meme Swimmer @ Breaking the Bookshelf created.  I miss it, so once a month I do a post of my own.  If you make a similar post please feel free to link it in the comments bellow.  In addition, Broke and Bookish run similar posts weekly.}

Next month's top ten post: THE PERFECT SET UP
Last month's top ten post : Love Triangles

Book Review: CLOCKWORK PRINCE

Title: CLOCKWORK PRINCE
Author: Cassandra Clare 
Other books by author: CLOCKWORK ANGEL 
Release Date: 12/06/2011 
My Rating: 4/5-- I mostly enjoyed it!
One Word Plot: Angels/Demons
Good if...you're looking for something full of romantic tension

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.

My thoughts...
Like any other Cassandra Clare novel, I quickly sped through the pages of CLOCKWORK PRINCE, soaked in the romance, and devoured the detailed descriptions and witty dialogue.  It's hard to give a unique review when this is the 6th book I've read by Cassandra Clare.  Obviously I'm a fan and obviously I will continue being a fan.  SO why the 4/5 rating for this novel instead of the usual 5/5 rating?

The first novel in this second series by Cassandra Clare was CLOCKWORK ANGEL.  Though the concept was similar to all her novels, CLOCKWORK ANGEL introduced a new set of interesting characters and unique situations while being set in 19th century London.  It was easy to get lost in the mystery and action and descriptions that book 1 delivered.  In book 2 (CLOCKWORK PRINCE), things moved a little slower.  The actions wasn't as strong, some of the characters grew on my nerves, and somehow I found myself hoping for a little more.  This novel suffered from the classic "middle novel syndrome".  What is "middle novel syndrome" you might ask?  MNS.  That's where book 2 in a typical 3 book series tends to be merely a stepping stone in the trilogy.  The link between books 1 and 3.  Where nothing much is really resolved, we don't find out which boy the heroine chooses, the bad guys isn't taken down, and the mystery and suspense from book 1 isn't resolved.

Don't get me wrong...in no way was this book bad!   I just didn't like it quite as much as book 1.  That being said, I still read CLOCKWORK PRINCE through in 2 days and was left wanting and wishing greedily for more.  I can't wait to get my hands on book 3!!  I can't wait for more action when the Clockwork army will rise, when Tessa will have to pick between Will and Jem, and will (hopefully) more answers will be learned.

MARCH {Upcoming Releases}

PERCEPTION by Kim Harrington
When you can see things others can't, what happens when someone is watching you?  Everybody knows about Clarity "Clare" Fern. She's the psychic girl in school, the one who can place her hands on something and see hidden visions from the past.  Only, Clare would rather not be a celebrity. She prefers hanging back, observing. Her gift is not a game to her.  But then someone starts playing with her head and heart. Messages and gifts from a secret admirer crop up everywhere Clare turns. Could they be from Gabriel, the gorgeous boy who gets Clare's pulse racing? Or from Justin, Clare's hopeful ex-boyfriend who'd do anything to win her back?  One thing is certain. Clare needs to solve this mystery, and soon. Because the messages are becoming sinister, and a girl in town has suddenly disappeared. Clare needs to see her way to the truth -- before it's much too late.
Release Date: 03/01/2012

BALTHAZAR by Claudia Gray
(EVERNIGHT companion novel)
For hundreds of years, the vampire Balthazar has been alone—without allies, without love.

When Balthazar agrees to help Skye Tierney, a human girl who once attended Evernight Academy, he has no idea how dangerous it will be. Skye’s newfound psychic powers have caught the attention of Redgrave, the cruel, seductive master vampire responsible for murdering Balthazar and his family four centuries ago. Now Redgrave plans to use Skye’s powers for his own evil purposes.  Balthazar will do whatever it takes to stop Redgrave and exact his long-awaited revenge against his killer. As Skye and Balthazar stand together to fight him, they grow closer—first unwillingly, then undeniably. Balthazar realizes his lonely world could finally be changed by her. . . .

Release Date: 03/06/2012

ILLUMINATE by Aimme Agressi
Haven Terra is a brainy, shy high school outcast. But everything changes when she is awarded a prestigious internship at a posh Chicago hotel under the watchful eyes of a group of gorgeous strangers: the powerful and alluring hotel owner Aurelia Brown; her second-in-command, the dashing Lucian Grove; and their stunning but aloof staff of glamazons called The Outfit.  As Haven begins falling for Lucian, she discovers that these beautiful people are not quite what they seem. With the help of a mysterious book, she uncovers the evil agenda of Aurelia and company: they’re in the business of buying souls. Will they succeed in wooing Haven to join them in their recruitment efforts, or will she be able to thwart this devilish set’s plans to take the souls of her classmates on prom night at the
hotel?
Release Date: 03/06/2012

VAMPIRE'S KISS by Veronica Wolff
 (Isle of Night #2)
As someone who has survived her first year as an Acari recruit, Drew's ultimate goal is to become a Watcher and be paired up with a Vampire agent. Except nothing is as it seems. The vampire Alcántara is as sinister as he is sexy, Ronan is more distant than ever, and it turns out there are other vampires out there. Bad ones. They've captured one of the Watcher vamps and are torturing him for information-and Drew is going undercover to rescue him.

But when their vampire prisoner turns out to be a gorgeous bad boy, Drew's first mission quickly turns into more than she bargained for...

Release Date: 03/06/2012

SPELL BOUND by Rachel Hawkins
(HEX HALL #3)
Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident. Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?
Release Date: 03/13/2012

SLIDE by Jill Hathaway
Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister's friend Sophie didn't kill herself. She was murdered.

Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn't actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else's mind and experiences the world through that person's eyes. She's slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed "friend" when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie's slashed body.  Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can't bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting distant lately, especially now that she's been spending more time with Zane.

Release Date: 03/27/2012