Envy is the third instalment in The Luxe series. It picks up right where Rumors left off, with enough scandal to drive even the calmest of readers’ crazy.

Mr Henry Schoonmaker – one of New York’s most eligible bachelors, and the love of Diana Holland’s life – has a new wife, and he’s not one bit happy about it, either. How could he be, when the love of his life is not the woman to whom he is now legally bound? Henry can’t even bring himself to look at Penelope with affection so how is he going to fulfil his physical requirements as a husband? As Henry drinks himself stupid night after night, hoping that the alcohol will numb his senses and dull the pain, Penelope’s scheming ways continue evermore.

Diana Holland – the real love of Henry’s life, and the reason he married Penelope in the first place – is hurting. Although Henry told her that he married Penelope to protect her, that Penelope had threatened to tarnish Diana’s wholesome reputation by telling all of New York that Henry had taken her virginity out of wedlock, seeing him with Penelope all the time is a painful matter indeed. Now that he is no longer in the market for a wife, Diana is doing everything she can to put her feelings for Henry behind her, but love is relentless and he haunts her everywhere she goes. Will she be able to stay away from him, especially when he is asking her not to?

The new Penelope Schoonmaker is watching Henry and Diana with hawke-like eyes. She is no fool and she can see the way the pair of them still look at each other. It makes her sick to the stomach to think of her husband’s eyes searching for someone else in the crowd, but honestly, what did she expect? She bribed him into marrying her in the first place. Penelope knows all too well that the only way she will keep her man is by bribing and manipulating him further. But will Henry put up with it for much longer? If the love of your life was slipping through your fingers, what would you do to be with them?

Elizabeth Holland finds herself in quite the predicament indeed. Mourning the loss of her husband, and former servant, Elizabeth finds herself attracting the attention of a one Mr Teddy Cutting – again. Elizabeth feels alone, in despair. Will she warm to Mr Cutting’s affections this time around? Only time will tell. Elizabeth is honest with Mr Cutting about her feelings for him – that the timing is all wrong and she’s still in mourning. But then something happens, something that will ruin the Holland’s forever if Elizabeth doesn’t find a way to fix it. Being with Mr Cutting suddenly seems like a magnificent idea…

And Carolina Broad is up to her usual tricks. I hate Lina so much that I can’t even bring myself to write anything about her.

Envy delivers the goods. After reading Rumors I wasn’t so sure that Anna Godbersen would be able to top her effort – but I was wrong. She writes brilliantly and reading her work is effortless. Henry’s character is developed further in this instalment and he steps of the pages of Envy like a radiant, shining light. I find myself wondering how much more of Anna Godbersen’s scandalous world I can take. I can’t wait for Splendour (the fourth novel) and I know I’ll re-read Envy obsessively until I get my hands on it.

Praise for Anna Godbersen, who has successfully reignited the 1900’s and made it totally cool to be all proper and old school. I love everything about this series – absolutely everything! This would make one hell of a killer television show.

Rating::

Jenna Fox doesn’t know who she is. After a horrible accident, she wakes up only to find that she can’t remember anything at all. She’s lucky, though, because she’s got two committed parents that documented every part of her life on film and now all she has to do is watch her history on the television and piece all the memories back together. As Jenna watches the tapes, though, she feels like something is … wrong.

And Jenna is right.

You see, she’s not really Jenna anymore. Not in the sense that you and I understand the concept of a human being, anyway. Her parents – incredibly smart scientists – couldn’t stand the thought of losing their precious daughter after Jenna’s car accident, and when they were told that there was no chance she was going to make it, they took it upon themselves to see that Jenna survived – at all costs. Now, only ten-percent of her body is human and her memories are actually data uploads that her parents scanned from her brain before they made the transformation. But ten-percent isn’t enough. It is considered illegal for any one person to possess more than ten percent. So for Jenna, that means she is ninety percent illegal.

Imagine learning these things about yourself. How would you cope with knowledge like that? Personally, I don’t think I would cope. I’d crumble into a thousand tiny pieces. So all things considered, Jenna handles things well enough. As best as can be expected from anyone her age, in her position. But what about the fact that she is illegal? That means she can’t tell anyone about her body. Suddenly, with no one to talk to, Jenna feels more alone than she ever thought possible.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox is a slow moving novel. I found it irritating that it took so long to learn what was wrong with Jenna. By the time the revelation occurred, I was so frustrated that I almost didn’t care anymore. Jenna herself also irked the bananas out of me. She whined a lot, and I know that she has a whole lot to be whiny about, but there was something about the way she whined that annoyed me. As far as protagonists go, she certainly isn’t one of my favourites. But I do think that the story holds some interesting discussion points that people today should be thinking about. With the way we’re progressing with science and technology, society may find itself dealing with those very issues sooner than you think.

All in all, The Adoration of Jenna Fox is a great concept that just lacked a little in its execution.

Rating: :

Congratulations to Tiffany Tran from the US and Meghan Strain from Canada. You’re our lucky winners of this month’s competition. If you guys could email us at yareaders(at)gmail(dot)com with your postage details, that would be most fabulous.

yaReads wants to extend a massive thankyou to Maria V. Snyder for kindly providing the winners with their prizes. For those of you that didn’t win, head down to the stores and get your copy of Storm Glass now. You will not be dissappointed.

She’s been uprooted from her small hometown and enrolled at Evernight Academy, an eerie gothic boarding school where the students are somehow too perfect: smart, sleek, and almost predatory. Bianca knows that she doesn’t fit in.

At Evernight Academy nothing is as it seems. The description on the back of the book calls Evernight Academy gothic. I think that’s a little misleading and the writer of the blurb should have told potential readers the truth about Evernight Academy – that it’s not just a school, but is in fact a school for vampires. But Evernight is shaking things up this year and they’ve allowed human enrollments for the first time, too. The humans, of course, are entirely unaware that more than half the school’s population are actually undead Americans. There are strict rules about exposing yourself to a human, though, and vampires are forbidden from biting the human students. But honestly, how cruel is that? Dangling humans under vampire noses is like putting chow in front a dog and telling him that he’s not allowed to have it. How long would poor puppy be able to resist something like that? Not very long, I’d imagine. And it’s the same with the vampires. Put them in living quarters with humans and there are bound to be problems. Problems of the bloodsucking kind.

Meet Bianca – the newest enrollment at Evernight Academy. She’s shy, smart and a bit of a loner. But she gets housed with Patrice, who is more poised and beautiful than anyone Bianca has ever met. She’s so full of confidence that just being in the same room as Patrice makes Bianca feel more than a little uncomfortable. Can an outsider like Bianca and an It Girl like Patrice be friends? Who knows….

Perhaps Lucas knows. Lucas is also a new arrival at Evernight and is instantly drawn to Bianca. And lucky for Bianca because the moment she sees Lucas she knows she’s in love. Life would totally suck if her first true love didn’t return her affections, don’t you think? But there is more to Lucas than meets the eye. He seems well informed about Evernight and its history, and he really, really doesn’t like Patrice and her friends. In fact, he dislikes them so much that he does everything in his power to isolate Bianca and himself away from their prying eyes. Then one night during a hot and heavy make out session, Bianca does something so unbelievably weird and wrong that it changes everything between her and Lucas. This event works as a sort of catalyst for the downward spiral of everything in Bianca’s life, and suddenly Bianca’s world becomes a regular Jerry Springer episode.

I don’t want to give anything crucial away, but I will say this…

- Someone flees Evernight, fearing for their life.

- Someone breaks the Evernight code and bites a human.

- Someone unexpectedly becomes a vampire.

- Someone has an evil, ulterior motive which shakes the foundations of Evernight through history.

- Love is made, trust is lost, hearts are broken and unexpected friendships are formed.
I decided to read Evernight because a lot of people had told me it had a similar Bella and Edward kind of love story happening. I can safely say, with complete and total conviction, that this is not true. For me, Bella and Edward were so real and so alive that I had to remind myself repeatedly that they were fictional and that their connection was fabricated. Not real in any way. Lucas and Bianca’s connection isn’t so intense. Not even half as much, in fact. I felt like Claudia Gray was telling us they had a connection, rather than showing us they did. And just because she was telling me that Lucas loved Bianca and Bianca loved Lucas doesn’t for one second mean that I’m going to believe that. I just wasn’t feeling it with these guys.

Will I read the second novel? Yes, simply because I want to know what happens. Will I loose sleep if I don’t get my hands on it right away? No, I wont.

Evernight is a solid read, but nothing to write home about.

Rating: :

Seven months ago on a rainy March night, Willow Randall’s parents drank too much wine at dinner and asked her to drive them home. But they never made it – Willow lost control of the car, and both of her parents were killed.

Now seventeen, Willow has left behind her old home, friends, and school – numbing the grim reality of her new life by secretly cutting herself. But everything changes when one of Willow’s new classmates, a boy as sensitive and thoughtful as she is, discovers Willow’s secret and refuses to let her destroy herself.

Before I say anything else, let me say that this is a very intense novel. I’ve never been a cutter but one of my friends at school dabbled in it for a while. I didn’t understand her and I don’t really understand Willow. I can’t get my head around the concept of causing oneself physical pain to ease inner pain. That, however, doesn’t mean that I didn’t sympathise with Willow in this novel. If anything, my inability to understand her position only stimulated my desire to keep reading, hoping that the novel might help me understand her by the end. As a non-cutter, I can’t say that Willow actually provided me with any greater understanding of why cutters do this to themselves. I can, however, say that after reading this novel I stand behind Guy’s (her male friend that intervenes) decision to do everything in his power to help her, to show her that there are other ways she can release her pain.

Guy is an interesting character. He hardly knows Willow yet it is very clear that he feels some kind of draw to her immediately. I often wondered if he hadn’t fallen for her immediately, would he have been so interested in saving her? I would like to think that he would have, but how will we ever know?

On that note, I’d just like to say that this isn’t a teen romance. Guy does not come in and sweep Willow off her feet and then suddenly she is cured of her cutting. Guy suffers greatly through his initial friendship with Willow and struggles with his conscious a lot through the novel. He’s a strong character that simply tries really hard to show Willow that she doesn’t actually want to hurt herself that way. Willow saves herself. Guy just shows her that she actually wants to.

Julia Hoban will strike a chord with many teens and adult readers everywhere with this one. Whether or not cutting is something you understand, you’ll be unable to stop reading. If for nothing else, you’ll want to know whether Willow actually destroys herself. I’m not going to tell you what happens because I think that would ruin the read for you, but I am going to tell you that this is one hell of an uncomfortable read. I hope that someone somewhere reads this and realises that whatever they’re going through, it doesn’t have to be a lonely one. There is help out there, even if you think you don’t need it or you don’t want it.

Willow speaks for itself. I don’t feel like I need to, or even that I should comment on its contents or outcomes. Read the novel and decide for yourself.

Rating: :

One night, while drunk and high and making out with the town loser down by the train bridge Meg and her friends manage to get themselves arrested. As punishment, they’re sentenced to spend a week with the police, ambulance and fire services observing crime and safety and come up with some kind of proposal that the town officials can not only use, but also shows that they’ve learned their lesson. Meg gets stuck riding in Officer After’s police car and Meg couldn’t think of anything worse. Officer After is a staunch, stuck up, law-abiding citizen and as far as Meg is concerned, the exact opposite of her.

But Meg isn’t the only tortured soul in town and little does she know that Officer After is harbouring some of his own dark secrets, too. Having Meg in his car seems to break down Officer After’s hard exterior, little by little.

There’s something about After that gets under Meg’s skin. Maybe it’s his blindingly good looks. Maybe it’s just because she doesn’t understand him. But her lack of understanding makes her want to understand. More than anything.

In a move so out of character that it takes her completely by surprise, Meg finds herself falling for Officer After and that can only lead to bad, bad things. Meg is in her final year of high school. She has big plans for herself. Plans that involve leaving the dead end town where she lives. How can she leave if she’s got something like a boyfriend holding her back? But Meg isn’t the relationship type, so what does she even care?

See her predicament?

When I first started reading this novel, I was worried that it was just going to be another story about a good, wholesome boy taming a wild, out-of-control girl. Boy-oh-boy, was I wrong. Both After and Meg are deeply rich characters with many layers that need to be peeled back before the reader is exposed to the real Meg, the real John After. While I do think that Meg is somewhat “tamed” by the end of the novel, I would argue that After is more the trigger than the reason. Meg doesn’t want to be so empty, so void, and John just shows her that she feels this way.

Going Too Far is unapologetic and refuses to pass judgment, instead transferring that responsibility onto the reader. And there are lots of opportunities to judge but I found myself completely unwilling to do so. Echols doesn’t sugar coat her prose or her dialogue and captures the do or die essence of adolescence perfectly. My only criticism is that we didn’t get enough of After and Meg together. Why do writers do this to us? They always leave the union – the bit we’re all waiting for – right till the last couple of pages. Here’s hoping she’s planning a sequel!

Rating: :

As Storm Glass by Maria V Snyder is our book of the month here at yaReads, Maria is kindly offering two copies of her novel to giveaway. One copy is for US based entrants while the other is open to all entrants internationally. We’ve really been making you guys work hard for your prize packs lately so we thought we would make it easy this time. All you need to do is leave your name at the bottom of this post in the comments page. Make sure you leave an email address or something in the entry fields so we know how to contact you if you win. You also need to say where you’re from, whether you’re a US entrant, or an international entrant. If you’re an international, please list your country of origin.

The competition will close on April 23.

Storm Glass is available for purchase in stores on April 28, 2009.

James is eighteen. He’s been accepted to Brown University and he’s got the whole world in front of him. Except that he doesn’t want the whole world, and he certainly doesn’t want to go to Brown. James isn’t like other boys his age. He doesn’t fit in, or at least, he doesn’t want to fit in. He finds kids his own age annoying, shallow. The thought of sitting through four years of college with other kids his age is like a nightmare to him.

So what does a kid who is smart enough to have been accepted to Brown want to do with his life if not go to college? James wants to move to the Midwest. Buy a house and just get a regular old job. He wants a porch where he can read, sleep and be alone.

James’s parents don’t understand him, and his mother tells him this one more than one occasion. His father is a high flying business executive that has very little time for his parental responsibilities and James’s mother is a bit of an artsy fartsy hair brain that can’t hold down any kind permanent, stable relationships. James looks at his parents and wants the opposite of what they have.

This is one of those novels where not a lot happens, kind of like Seinfeld episode. It’s a novel about nothing but it’s completely unputdownable. James is a quirky character and from the beginning of the novel it’s clear that he’s an unhappy person. I was eager to discover the source of his unhappiness. Maybe this is why I kept reading so incessantly. I can’t say with certainty that the root of his problems is divulged, but I don’t think the reader is supposed to walk away with a sense of finality after reading this book.

Peter Cameron writes beautifully and his characters – even those that are deeply flawed – are intelligent and engaging. This is one of those rare highbrow real literary young adult novels and I recommend it to all. It’s not chick lit; there is no Edward Cullen found within its pages but it’s definitely worth your money and your time. Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You is one of those universal novels that will appeal to both male and female readers everywhere. Cameron is a supremely talented author and he will have you thinking about the deeper roots of humanity without even realising it.

Rating: :

A few days ago we posted an interview with Maria V Snyder, author of Storm Glass and the Study Series. Maria was kind enough to sit down and write a review of one of her fave novels at the moment. Enjoy guys!

Maria V. Snyder’s Book Review – Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

After you read this book, you’ll never look at the moon the same way again. The premise of the story is rather straight forward—an asteroid slams into the moon (this isn’t a spoiler – it’s written on the back cover).  The moon is then knocked closer to Earth.  What follows is an extremely realistic account of how life on Earth is altered—and not for the better.

The story is told by 16-year-old Miranda.  She’s writing everything that happens in her journal.  It’s first person point of view.  As most of my readers know, I’m very fond of first person. And it works for this gripping story.  Miranda details the catastrophe.  She has a unique perspective and being in her head is a skillful way for the author to show how Miranda’s family deals with the ensuing craziness.  It’s fun to read about her mother’s quick intelligence while Miranda rolls her eyes and swears she’ll never wear the long johns her mother buys.  The reader can see the importance of the mom’s actions, without it being preachy.

The only thing that bothered me with the journal format is I had to wait to find out where Miranda lives.  The author’s efforts to be true to life should be commended—a person writing in a journal wouldn’t use their names or the city’s name very often (maybe not at all).  However, I was annoyed—especially when tidal waves are taking out New York City and I wanted to know where the story characters are in relation to them.  Readers get a hint on page 43 that she is in northeastern Pennsylvania, but I didn’t learn her town name until page 174 (Howell).

This story really made me appreciate the basic things in life, like hot food, a warm house, and electricity.  And as the story progresses, it’s like watching an auto race knowing a big crash is coming and unable to look away. I also wanted to start stockpiling can goods and medicine in my basement.  This is definitely not for the feint of heart – but Miranda’s character arc is well done and by the end of the book, I was very proud of her.

When I’m reading a book, I’ll get to page 50 and ask myself this question: Do I care?  If the main character were to die on page 51 would I be upset?  If the answer is yes, I keep reading.  If no, then the book is tossed into my library donation box.  Did I care about Miranda and her family?  Yes – very much!  I even thought about them when I wasn’t reading the book (another sign of a good story).

My favorite part was when Miranda’s mom asked if she or her brothers were doing any school work, “Well, of course not.  We tried to look shamefaced.  Bad us for not doing algebra when the world is coming to an end.” I loved that last line!

There is a companion novel to this book called The Dead and the Gone.  It is from the point of view of a teenaged boy living in New York City during the same time.  I’m not sure I have the courage to read it, yet I can’t stop thinking about it.  Guess I’d better fill my basement first.

Hi yaReaders,

We’re starting a new thing here at yaReads. We want to hear what you’re reading and which authors you love the most, so we’re starting an awards system and we’re calling it the Readers’ Choice Awards. All we want you to do is head on over to the forum and vote according to the categories. Now we know that your time is precious and we don’t expect you to do something for nothing so we’re giving our readers the chance to win one of three prize packs simply by voting. Included in the prizes are titles such as:

Jessica’s Guide To Dating On The Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell
The Fetch by Laura Whitcomb
Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten
Fade by Lisa McMann
The September Sisters by Jillian Cantor

Here is a simplified list of rules:

To enter:

1. Vote on each categories here:

http://www.yareads.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=105

2. Answer the following questions here:

together with your name, email address, and what prize you are gunning for (International or U.S.).

Best Book Blogger:
Nominate a book blogger for next month:
Nominate a book released on March ‘09:

If you’re not comfortable showing your email addy to the public, email us at yareadscontest (at) gmail (dot) com with your name (you still have to post on this thread, just w/out the email).

3. For additional entries, you can do 1 or more or all of these:

-post about the contest on your blog
-leave a link on your sidebar telling people about the contest

Tell us which of these things you did and post the link for proof.

Please share the word because not only will it be fun and you get to win something, you will also be supporting YA authors.

Happy voting and good luck to all!

Maria V Snyder is the author of the popular Study Series. Her new novel, Storm Glass, is scheduled for release in April of 09. Maria sat down with us recently for a quick Q&A. The interview contains a few minor spoilers about Storm Glass, but nothing too major. Storm Glass is our book of the month here at yaReads, so grab a copy, get reading and tell us what you think!

Your new novel Storm Glass incorporates both the art of glassmaking and a knowledge of the weather. How much research did you have to do into both of these areas, or did you already have all the knowledge you needed?

I already knew quite a bit about the weather since I have a college degree in Meteorology ☺ However, for the glassmaking, I needed to take a bunch of classes in how to blow glass and work with molten glass.

Are you more interested in glassmaking, or the weather?

My interest is about the same. I always enjoyed being creative. I danced, painted and acted while in High School, but I also liked math and science. The best thing about being a writer, I can have interests in a wide variety of subjects and I have a good excuse to take classes.

This is your fourth novel, is the writing process getting easier for you now?

I wish! While it’s not easier, I do have a little more confidence that I can finish a novel. Otherwise, the writing is the same—getting my butt in the chair and getting the story out.

How did your writing experience with Storm Glass compare to that you had during the Study Series?

I had more stress with Storm Glass. Everyone loved Yelena in the Study Series and wanted more books from her point of view. I needed a break and wanted to write something new. So while I was excited about Storm Glass, I worried my readers would be disappointed. I’ve gotten a few reviews and, so far, they’ve been positive. (sighing in relief!)

Is Opal’s tale planned out as a trilogy?

I don’t plan anything when I’m writing. I was surprised Yelena’s story spanned three books. Right now, there will be three books in Opal’s tale. However, I don’t think of those three as a trilogy, but like a series because I tried very hard to make each book have its own beginning, middle and end. And I hope to add more books in both series eventually.

Opal is a very different character to Yelena from the Study Series and each character has their own distinct voices. Did you find transitioning from Yelena to Opal challenging?

YES! Yelena wanted to take over and I re-wrote the beginning a few times to try to get into Opal’s head. Once I figured out that Opal is an artist and she would view the world with more of an artistic flare, I was able to tell her story.

With regard to the Stormdancers, can you explain what it is about their abilities that enables them to harness the weather?

The Stormdancers are considered magicians. However, they use their magic to draw the storm’s energy into a glass orb, rendering a strong storm into a mild rain. They are also connected to the atmosphere, and can use their magic to make the wind blow or have someone struck by lightning. They’re very critical to Sitia since they calm potentially lethal storms and provide a source of energy to the factories.

If it is so dangerous for the Stormdancer clans to live in the caves by the beach, why don’t they relocate to higher ground where it’s safer?

Only the Stormdancers live in the caves, and only during the two storm seasons. The rest of the clan lives on high ground—some are indigo farmers and others work in factories, producing metal goods. When a big storm comes in, the Stormdancers want to be out on the sea rocks so they can harvest the energy before the storm reaches land. The others who work with them will relocate to the higher caves to avoid the waves.

If Opal weren’t a glassmaker, what would she be?

I think she would find a career that helped others, but I don’t know what it would be. Being a glassmaker is part of who she is ☺

Would Kade still be interested in Opal if she were less talented with glass?

I don’t think they would have met if she weren’t a glass magician. The Master Magicians thought the problem with the orbs could be related to magic and she’s the only one in Sitia who has the glass magic it made sense to send her to help the Stormdancers out.

Opal has no confidence. Why is this, did something happen to her during childhood to make her feel that way about herself?

Opal’s lack of confidence is due in part by her childhood. She’s the third child. Her oldest sister, Mara is a stunning beauty who received all the attention. Her other sister, Tula was her best friend, and her younger brother Ahir, was the baby of the family and a boy so he was unique in his own right. Opal couldn’t blow a bubble into molten glass, which is the way to craft vases, tumblers, bowls etc… what she was blowing was magic, but she didn’t know that until she was 14.

When Tula died, she lost her closest friend and sister. The events in Magic Study—her kidnapping and what happened after also took away any feelings of self worth. Add to four years of school at the Keep being called a One Trick Wonder…and she’s in serious need of some confidence. Although, she is quite competent with her glass skills. When it comes to sand receipts and working with molten glass, she’s in her element.

Yelena has a cameo in Storm Glass. Are we going to get to see Valek in the next novel? I know I speak for all when I say I’m dying to know if his relationship with Yelena goes the distance (there is a lot stacked up against them).

Valek is in the third Glass book (untitled for now). Since the Glass books are focused on Opal, I really couldn’t add Valek into the story unless he had a reason for being there (other than we all love him ☺). I mentioned in the answer to question #5, that I see these books as a series. I’m hoping to go back to Yelena and Valek in the future and see what troubles they get themselves mixed up in.

Besides your own, what was the last novel you read?

I just finished reading Life as We KnewIt, by Susan Beth Pfeffer. It’s the book I’m reviewing for you. ☺ I’m reading a bunch of YA books right now. One reason is because I enjoy them so much, and the other is that I’m writing more YA books. My first “official” YA book, Inside Out will be released in April 2010. The interesting thing is I wrote that book the same as all my other books, it’s just shorter and the protagonist is a little younger.

What do you like to do on the weekends?

What I like to do is usually very different than what I end up doing. My preference would be to play with my kids, read, do sports (skiing, volleyball, or walleyball), or take a weekend trip. What I end up doing is running the kids to soccer games, or their friends’ houses, cleaning the house, doing laundry, food shopping, and catching up on sleep and emails. I’ll also have book signings on weekends or I’ll be at a conference for the weekend.

Are you a dog or a cat woman?

Dog! I grew up with a dog and love dogs. My yellow lab, Hazelnut is almost 16 years old and she’s here snoring by my side.

What are your three most prized material possessions?

My wedding/engagement rings, a letter and picture from a special reader, and the Compton Crook Award Plaque.

Plug your next novel here…

Sea Glass is coming out in September 2009. Like the colorful pieces of sea glass washed up on shore, Opal has weathered rough waters and twisting currents. But instead of finding a tranquil eddy, Opal is caught in a riptide. Her unique glass messengers which allow instant communication over vast distances have become a vital part of Sitian society. Once used solely by the Councilors and magicians, other powerful factions are now vying for control. Control of the messengers equals control of Sitia. Unfortunately that also means control of Opal.

If that isn’t enough of a problem, Opal’s determination to prove blood magic is still being used is met with strong resistance. The Council doubts her, her mentor doubts her, and even her family is concerned. When her world is turned upside down, she begins to doubt herself. In the end, Opal must decide who to believe, who to trust, and who has control—otherwise she will shatter into a million pieces and be lost at sea.
Check out our review of Storm Glass here

The two winners of the City of Glass giveaway are … Jenny and Lesley. Congratulations guys. Thanks so much for your participation.

If you guys could email me your postal addresses at yareaders(at)gmail(dot)com so I can ship your prizes off!

Celeste has body image issues, but its no surprise considering she cops it everywhere she goes. At school the kids constantly taunt her about her body and at home she’s in the shadow of her two cousins who are so beautiful that they’re model material – literally. Her cousin Kathleen has been entering herself in beauty pageants for ages now, and Kirsten is a supreme athlete. Celeste is … well, Celeste is just Celeste.

Then one day, Celeste’s Aunt secretly enters her into a plus-sized modelling competition. Celeste’s mother is overjoyed and thinks this is just what Celeste needs, but Celeste doesn’t agree. Don’t they understand how the kids at school will treat her if they see her modelling for a plus-sized clothing company? It would be the most humiliating thing ever, and Celeste isn’t sure she’ll survive it. So she devises a plan to spoil her chances of being selected. You can’t be a plus sized model if you’re not plus sized, right?

Right.

So Celeste decides that in order to preserve her dignity, it might be time to step away from the cookies, just for now. She embarks on a weight loss plan and is determined to lose enough weight so that the judges will think she’s not big enough for their competition.

Losing weight is hard. Actually, it bites the big one – badly. Apples are not nearly as interesting as cookies, not even close.

Celeste has other problems, too. Her long time best friend seems to have ditched her for the most popular girl in school – who also happens to be Celeste’s enemy number one. How will Celeste deal with this rejection on top of everything else?

Models Don’t Eat Chocolate Cookies raises some interesting discussion points about body image. As Celeste begins to lose weight, everything in her life seems to fall into place. I have some pretty firm opinions about body image and when I was reading this I actually found myself feeling a little irritated that Celeste’s happiness increased as a direct result of her weight loss. I found myself asking ‘what kind of message does this send to the kids of the world?’ But I realised that because of my own views on the subject, I approached the novel with a very closed mind. Models has a whole stack of really important messages that I think are worth a detailed discussion. For example, yes, Celeste’s life does get better the smaller she becomes but she never lets herself become obsessed with dieting and it is important to note that she ends up at a much healthier body weight at the end of the novel. I think its important to realise that there are important messages about inner health woven into the text as well as messages about body image. If you approach the text with a body-image mindset only, you’re likely to be unsatisfied with the end result. You need to read it as a multi-faceted text, because that’s exactly what it is. While it may seem that Celeste’s family approach her weight-loss from a superficial perspective, if you read a little closer you’ll see that they’re all about Celeste’s health and mental well-being.

Models is like a really pretty dress made from two tone colour fabric: pretty and fresh whichever way you look at it.

Like with any novel that approaches a sensitive subject like this one, I’m sure anyone that reads it is going to want to discuss it somewhere. I am chomping at the bit to talk to someone about this so we’ve decided that we’re going straight to the source. We’re in the process of interviewing Erin Dionne about her novel and her views on the issue of health and body image. Stay tuned for more.

Rating::

Cassandra Clare is the author of the popular Mortal Instruments series. The third and final novel in the series, City of Glass, is due out on the 24th of March, which, is today for most people. Cassandra answered some questions for us about her beloved characters – we hope you enjoy!

Did you always know that the MI series was going to be a trilogy?

Yes. I sold it as a trilogy, three books.

If so, have you had the entire story plotted out from the beginning, or have you been creating as you’ve been writing?

I always had the story plotted out from the beginning. I sold the series as a trilogy, which means I had to submit a detailed outline to the publisher of each book in the series. Your publisher wants to know not just that you know how to start a story but also that you know how to end one, and that nothing too crazy happens. So I had the story plotted out, because it was required. I also always knew it would be a trilogy. It is structured on the hero’s journey to the Underworld — the theme of the first book is descent, thus each epigraph makes reference to descent (“The Descent Beckons”, etc.). The theme of the second is hell or the underworld, and all the epigraphs make reference to hell or the underworld (“the Gates of Hell”). The third book’s theme is ascent or heaven, and all the epigraphs make reference to ascent or heaven (“The Road to Heaven”.).

Which character in the MI world came first for you?

Clary. I think one’s viewpoint character often comes first.

Who is your fave MI character and why?

I don’t have one. It’s like picking favorite children. Even the characters I don’t like, like the Inquisitor, I like, because they’re fun to write or useful to the story, or interesting in some way. The most fun to write is probably Magnus, and the one most like me is Simon.

I’ve tried to work it out a few times but failed miserably, just how long is the time period over which the MI series is set?

You’re not supposed to be able to figure it out, really, as the gap between books is usually just noted as “a few days” or ‘some time.” The first book takes about a week, the second another week, the third, about two weeks.

You deal with some challenging issues that I’d like to discuss in relation to the MI world…

Alec & Magnus are gay – the Clave’s position on homosexuality sends some pretty negative messages to potential queer readers, was that a conscious or unconscious decision you made while writing?

I am certainly saddened by the idea that “the Clave’s position on homosexuality” might send a negative message to queer readers. Including positive gay characters like Alec and Magnus is about inclusivity and representation — the world we live in isn’t a heteronormative one, so I wouldn’t want to represent it as such. Of course, that also means dealing with issues like bigotry and homophobia — things I wish didn’t exist in the world, but which, in fact, do.

It is worth noting, though, that the bigoted members of the Clave are bad guys, and are presented as such. Merely articulating a position, or representing that a belief exists, in fiction does not mean that you support it. I believe my readers — straight and gay — are smart enough to understand that when the villain is the one expressing a viewpoint (in this case, a homophobic one), that probably means that the message of the book is that that viewpoint is bad. And, you know, “homophobia=bad” is a message I’m willing to stand behind.

Magnus and Alec seem pretty different – what was it about Alec that Magnus was drawn to?

Exactly the fact that Alec is not like him. Alec is sweet and completely sincere, whereas Magnus is sarcastic and guarded. (This is also why Magnus would never be interested in, say, Jace, who is much more like him.)

Is the Clave supposed to be a metaphor for our own contemporary institutions that govern the free world, or am I over thinking this too much?

It’s not a metaphor. Perhaps it could be described as an extrapolation — I mean, the Clave is based on my research into secret organizations rather than research into government. If anything, I based it a bit on research I did into secretive offsprings of, say, the Catholic Church — I mean, there’s an Inquisitor, and Conclaves, all those are church terms. I should hasten to add that the Clave is not meant to be the Catholic Church, not even the Catholic Church of hundreds of years ago. I just feel that things in fantasy worlds are often made more realistic when you use real-world structures as models, and in this case, religious organizations were models.

Clary and Jace are allegedly brother and sister – their desire for each other continues feverishly through all three books. Have you had any negative feedback about presenting a relationship that borders on incest?

No. I mean, I am sure someone out there has fussed about it, but not in any way that has ever reached my ears or my publisher’s (not that they would care, mind you.) It’s such a common trope, and as far as the first two books goes, nothing physical happens between Clary and Jace that does not happen between, say, Luke and Leia in The Empire Strikes Back, a movie that has been enjoyed by five year olds the world over. The difference is that Clary and Jace have real romantic feelings for each other and there’s a lot of longing in their relationship. However, no one ever fusses about longing. They fuss about sex and language.

I’d like to talk about GLASS now…(so obviously spoilers follow, guys)

When Alec is introducing Magnus to his parents at the end of Glass, we don’t really learn the outcome of that meeting. Are Alec’s parents accepting of their Alec’s revelation and how do they feel about him dating Magnus?

I absolutely feel that they are. We see the Lightwood parents meeting Magnus and shaking his hand, which is a sign of respect, and Maryse hugging Alec. I know we don’t get a lot of time to dwell on these characters, because as fond as I am of them, they’re still secondary characters in the book, but I hoped that would be enough to indicate that the family’s accepting of Magnus and Alec. And obviously Jace and Izzy are.

When Sebastian kissed Clary, he knew he was her brother. Clary was grossed out by the situation but we never really found out how Sebastian felt about that. It looked as if he actually enjoyed it. Did he?

Sebastian is not someone who gets enjoyment out of the things normal people get enjoyment out of. He enjoyed it, but precisely because he knew he was screwing with Clary by doing it and his emotions about her are a complicated mixture of fascination — she’s his sister — and hatred, and for him, hate and sex and desire and rage are all bound up. I’m sure he liked it better because she was his sister.

Is Simon going to end up with Maia or Isabelle?

See, the honest answer to that is that I have no idea. I don’t know what happens to the characters after the book is over, because that’s all “the unwritten future.” If some day I sat down and plotted out a sequel, or a sequel series, then I would start taming my vague ideas into a more concrete story, and then I would know — but now I don’t. I will say that if I ever wind up doing sequels to the MI series, they will probably focus on Simon, so presumably his love life will get a workout then!

You’re working on a prequel trilogy – The Infernal Devices. Are any of the characters in the MI series going to be in the ID books?

Magnus is in it. Other of the more immortally inclined characters are in it — the head of the New York vampire clan, who Raphael is always talking about and who we never see, is in it.

Can you share any other info about these novels?

The main characters are all related to Clary and Jace and the Lightwoods via bloodlines. I think part of the fun of reading them, for MI fans, is going to be figuring out how everyone is related to who. There are Herondales, Waylands, Lightwoods, and some new families.

And lastly, we’ve been trying to cast the MI characters on our forum. In an ideal world, if the books were ever made into a movie (is that likely to happen?) who would you want playing your characters?
The list, with photos! http://www.cassandraclare.com/cms/faqs/imaginary-casting

Amid the chaos of war, the Shadowhunters must decide to fight with the vampires, werewolves and other Downworlders – or against them. Meanwhile, Jace and Clary have their own decisions to make: should they pursue the love they know is forbidden?

As City of Glass opens Clary, Jace and the other Shadowhunters are on their way to Idris. Valentine is up to no good again and the very foundation of the Shadowhunting community is at risk. He’s waging a war and he’s asking all Shadowhunters, old and young, to pick a side: fight with him, or feel his all mighty wrath. But the Shadowhunters know that they can’t face Valentine alone – there aren’t enough of them and they would surely loose. Then someone has a genius idea: maybe the Downworlders will fight alongside the Nephilim. Their army would unquestionably increase in size, and with a bigger army, the Clave has a better chance of defeating Valentine. But will the Nephilim and the Downworlders be able to put aside their differences to fight for their lives?

Meanwhile, Clary and Jace are struggling with more than the evil actions of their father. Jace decides that being in love with Clary is just too hard, and he sets about finding himself a distraction. Aline doesn’t know about Jace and Clary’s history and when she makes a play for Jace, he doesn’t exactly stop her. Clary has tried distracting herself before with Simon, and that didn’t work. But seeing Jace with Aline hurts – a lot – and maybe its time for Clary to try the whole distraction thing again…

Enter Sebastian. He’s sexy, smart, charming, and seems totally interested in Clary. The question on everyone’s lips, however, should be, interested in what? Clary decides that she’d like to at least try and figure that out. Sebastian is a multi-layered character that provides a whole lot of entertainment for fans. Reading Sebastian is like riding an emotional rollercoaster. I sighed and cooed with delight, laughed at him, cheered for him, screamed at him and seethed as my blood curdled furiously at one point, too.

But Jace and Clary realise that watching each other cavorting with other people is just too hard. It hurts way too much…

“And I’m supposed to sit by while you date boys, fall in love with someone else, get married…?” His voice tightened. “And meanwhile, I’ll die a little bit more everyday, watching.”

Society says that Jace and Clary can’t be together, right? Maybe, just maybe, Jace and Clary don’t care what society says anymore. Jace and Clary, however, aren’t the only ones having romantic issues. Magnus and Alec seem to be stuck between a rock and a hard place, too.

“I’m tired of you only wanting me around when you need something. I’m tired of watching you be in love with someone else – someone, incidentally, who will never love you back. Not the way I do.”

Magnus has been avoiding Alec – big time. As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and being away from Magnus forces Alec to deal with some of his inner demons. Can he let his feelings for Jace go and save his relationship with Magnus? And what about his parents… Alec has worked so hard to hide his sexuality from his parents and the Clave. Does he have the courage to open up to them and be true to himself? Its time for Alec to decide what kind of life he wants to lead. Will he chose a lonely life buried in the confines of the closet, or will he sacrifice everything he’s ever known for love?

There’s a whole lot more going on, too. Simon gets himself locked up, Izzy falls for someone very unexpected, Clary turns out to be a whole lot more talented than anyone expected she ever would, old friends return, and one of our beloved Shadowhunters will leave us forever…

But I’m sure you all want to know about Valentine, right? Is he really Jace and Clary’s dad? And for the love of the angel, are they going to take him down already? Everybody loves a good fight, and a good fight you shall get. Who will make it out alive, and whose lives will be shattered for all of eternity? I have the answers but I don’t feel like sharing right now… I suppose you’ll just have to grab yourself a copy of the book and find out for yourself.

There’s a whole lot of action, a little smooching, and one huge bombshell surprise after the other. I recommend coffee – lots of it – snacks, and a super comfy reading spot because this is one of those books that you wont be able to put down. Not for anything.

Cassandra Clare is a force to be reckoned with. Her use of imagery to create a real and vivid picture of her world is commendable. There was not one scene in the entire novel that didn’t appear in front of me like I was watching a film. Not only can she unpack an awesome story, but she writes beautifully, too. This is one of those rare, high-quality young adult reads that you don’t come by too often. The literary world should be thankful Miss Clare decided to grace us with her amazing talent.

A perfect ending to a perfect trilogy. If it were possible to award it a six star rating, I would.

Rating::

Stay tuned – we’ve got an interview with Cassandra Clare coming your way tomorrow.