Mundie Moms

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

October Clockwork Prince Teaser

It's that time of month (no that time) where Cassie treats us with another fabulous teaser from Clockwork Prince. Today's post is quoted directly from Cassie's tumblr found here.

October Teaser for Clockwork Prince.Kindly illustrated for me by Charlotte Mattey, who said she could do it overnight, and did. :D

—-

The voices were quite clearly those of the Lightwood brothers. Tessa recognized Gideon’s lower, rougher tones as he said, “There will be a moment of reckoning, Gabriel. You can depend upon it. What will matter is where we stand when it comes.”

Gabriel replied, his voice tense, “We will stand with Father, of course. Where else?”

“You don’t know everything about him, Gabriel. You don’t know all that he has done.”

There was a silence through which Tessa could almost hear Gabriel sulking. At last he said, “If you despise Father so much, why did you ever come back from Spain?”

Gideon replied, sounding exasperated, “I came back for you —”

Sophie and Tessa had been leaning against the door, ears pressed to the wood; at that moment, the door gave way, and swung open. Both straightened hastily, Tessa hoping that no evidence of their eavesdropping appeared on their faces.

Gabriel and Gideon were standing in a patch of light at the centre of the room, facing off against each other. Tessa noticed something she had not noticed before: Gabriel, despite being the younger brother, was lankily taller than Gideon by some inches. Gideon was more muscular, broader through the shoulders. He swept a hand through his sandy hair, nodding curtly to the girls as they appeared in the doorway. “Good day, Miss Collins, Miss Gray.”

Book Review: Between the Sea and Sky


Published by: Bloomsbury
To Be Released on: October 25th, 2011
Source: ARC from publisher at TLA
4.5 stars: I Really Enjoyed It

For as long as Esmerine can remember, she has longed to join her older sister, Dosinia, as a siren--the highest calling a mermaid can have. When Dosinia runs away to the mainland, Esmerine is sent to retrieve her. Using magic to transform her tail into legs, she makes her way unsteadily to the capital city. There she comes upon a friend she hasn't seen since childhood--a dashing young man named Alandare, who belongs to a winged race of people. As Esmerine and Alandare band together to search for Dosinia, they rekindle a friendship . . . and ignite the emotions for a love so great, it cannot be bound by sea, land, or air. - quoted from Goodreads

This is a magical, fascinating historical fantasy that reads like a classic fairytale with it's rich lore, sweet romance and exciting adventure. I fell in love with Jaclyn's writing after reading her debut Magic Under Glass and I really loved the magical world of sirens and winged people she introduced me to with Between the Sea and Sky. Jaclyn's writing is whimsical, magical and completely intriguing to me. True to her creative writing style, she has a richly detailed setting, and an adoring romance that's simple, sweet, and innocent.

The story follows Esmerine, main character who's just become a Siren, an honor that only her and her older sister Dosia share within their family. Having been close and yearning for a sense of adventure, Dosia goes missing after telling her sister she's visited with humans before in their world, a dangerous thing to do for any mermaid. Fearing for her sister's life, Esmerine enters the human world to find her sister and an old childhood crush in Alan, the winged boy she used to play with as a child. What ensures is an adventure into a new world, a beautiful country side, and a rekindled romance. I really liked how these two love interests were re-introduced to each other and how their feelings for one another grew over the course of Esmerine's search for her sister.

Aside from the sweet love story, I loved the story's unique, richly detailed mermaid lore. I was really fascinated with the way Jaclyn coupled the siren myhtology with that of the winged people, also known as Fandarsee, which Alan is. I loved the two different worlds Jaclyn created both under water and above, and the way she merged them together. I never would have thought to merge these two distinct lore together and the way Jaclyn did it was brilliant.

I like it when a story's setting isn't dated, and it has an appealing early turn of the century feel, which this story has. For me, it makes the story feel ageless and it has a fairytale quality to it. I thoroughly enjoy Jaclyn's writing. I know I can sit down and I'll instantly be whisked away into her story. Between the Sea and Sky is one of those charming, delightful, quick reads and that I sat down and enjoyed one sunny afternoon. My only compliant is that the ending felt a little too rushed. I wish it had been a little more drawn out. I highly recommend picking this book up if you enjoy a simple love story, mermaids and a story that reads like a fairytale. It's a clean cut, wonderful read.

The Latest TMI Movie & ID News

There's been lots of goodies floating around the TMI/ID world lately and today we're sharing them with you in case you've missed them.

CA News
TODAY Clockwork Angel was released in paper! We're really excited about this, because these editions have an extra from MAGNUS!! This short story is from Magnus's point of view that will tie both the TMI and ID books together. You can read more about that on Cassie's site here and read why Simon & Schuster included this little treat here.

CP News:
Have you seen this beauty of a picture? It's a still from the upcoming FULL LENGTH book trailer for CLOCKWORK PRINCE by Dirty Robber! Go here to read what Cassie posted about it. I can not wait to see this trailer!

TMI Movie News!

Marlene King will be writing the City of Bones Film Adaptation! Be sure to go and read what Cassie said about it on tumblr here. I am so excited about this news, that means the movie is moving along!! YAY!

Must Have Middle Grade Reads

Welcome to this week's edition of Must Have Middle Grade Reads, a weekly feature here on Mundie Moms where I spotlight last week's middle grade books I reviewed on Mundie Kids. This week's Must Have Middle Grade reads are:



Illustrated by: Kei Acedera

To Be Released on: October 4th, 2011
Ages: 8-12
5 stars: I Loved It

Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice—until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.

That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable
Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.
From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver comes a luminous and magnificent novel that glows with rare magic, ghostly wonders, and a true friendship that lights even the darkest of places. - quoted from Goodreads
A beautiful, heart warming story with a timeless adventure that all of us can relate it.

This poignant story starts off with a letter from Lauren talking about her journey with Liesel and her inspiration for her story. This personal letter is so moving, that it made me teary eyed, and I admire Lauren even more so for sharing it. It really set the tone for her book and often times through out the story I thought back to what I read. I really hope they keep it in the published copy. Though the story was a personal one for Lauren, it became personal for me as well. I really love that she wrote the story in that manner. It's one that anyone who's every lost someone close to them can relate to. It's story about love, heartache, despair, hope, adventure, friendship and so much more.

You can read the rest of my review here.




Published by: Walden Pond Press
Released on: September 27th, 2011
Ages: 8-12
5 stars- I LOVED It & Highly Recommend It

Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. They had been best friends since they were six, spending hot Minneapolis summers and cold Minneapolis winters together, dreaming of Hogwarts and Oz, superheroes and baseball. Now that they were eleven, it was weird for a boy and a girl to be best friends. But they couldn't help it - Hazel and Jack fit, in that way you only read about in books. And they didn't fit anywhere else.

And then, one day, it was over. Jack just stopped talking to Hazel. And while her mom tried to tell her that this sometimes happens to boys and girls at this age, Hazel had read enough stories to know that it's never that simple. And it turns out, she was right. Jack's heart had been frozen, and he was taken into the woods by a woman dressed in white to live in a palace made of ice. Now, it's up to Hazel to venture into the woods after him. Hazel finds, however, that these woods are nothing like what she's read about, and the Jack that Hazel went in to save isn't the same Jack that will emerge. Or even the same Hazel.

Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," Breadcrumbsis a story of the struggle to hold on, and the things we leave behind.

A breath taking story about friendship, magic, imagination and growing up, Breadcrumbs is a story that will capture your heart, your mind and your imagination. Anne Ursu's writing is inviting, beautiful and vivid. This story is one that will leave you yearning for that moment in time when the world was your play ground and you were free to run around and pretend, allowing your imagination to take to you to far off places, and on exciting adventures.

You can read my review & enter to win a copy of Breadcrumbs here.






Published by: Holiday House
Released on: March 11th, 2011
Ages: 10 & up
4 stars- I Really Enjoyed It

Possum Summer is a heartbreaking novel about a girl and her father whose fractious relationship is healed by the hard lessons they learn about love and letting go. Eleven-year-old P (short for Princess, a name she loathes) longs for a pet, but her father insists that all animals on their Oklahoma farm must earn their keep. While he's away on combat duty in Iraq, P tries to turn his cattle dog into her pet—with disastrous results. Then P rescues an orphaned opossum that she names Ike. She hand-feeds the beguiling critter, smuggles him into school, and teaches him to follow her everywhere. But when her father is reported injured, P knows that before he is shipped home, she must betray Ike's trust and force him to survive in the wild.-quoted from Goodreads

This is a heartwarming story with a realistic portrayal of growing up on a rural farm in the heart of the midwest. Eleven year old P's adventure during one heartbreaking summer are relatable to anyone who's grown up in the country and has learned to deal with love, lost, and growing up.

You can read the rest of my review here.






Published by: Aladdin
Released On: September 7th, 2010
Ages: 8-12
4 stars - I Really Enjoyed It

Life’s no fairy tale for Jack. After all, his father's been missing ever since that incident with the beanstalk and the giant, and his grandfather keeps pushing him to get out and find a princess to rescue. Who'd want to rescue a snobby, entitled princess anyway? Especially one that falls out of the sky wearing a shirt that says "Punk Princess," and still denies she's royalty. In fact, May doesn't even believe in magic. Yeah, what's that about? May does need help though--a huntsman is chasing her, her grandmother has been kidnapped, and Jack thinks it’s all because of the Wicked Queen . . . mostly because May’s grandmother might just be the long-lost Snow White. Jack and May's thrillingly hilarious adventure combines all the classic stories—fractured as a broken magic mirror—into the first of an epic new series of novels for the ages- quoted from Goodreads

James Riley does a brilliant job at throwing in numerous beloved fairy tales and twisting them into an engaging, fast paced plot that both middle grade and adult readers will enjoy. There's action, there's adventure, betrayal and of course plenty of sarcasm and wit that make this a one of kind story.

You can read the rest of my review here.

Twitter Tuesday - Maggie Stiefvater

We are so excited to read Maggie's The Scorpio Races (release date is October 18th) and wish we could make it to one of these tour stops. If you're in WA, OR, Southern CA and NY be sure to take a look at her tour schedule for The Scorpio Races.


Are you getting excited for "Horse! Racing! Action!"? Then be sure to join us on October 20th for our live chat with Maggie. 

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