Mundie Moms

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Clockwork Prince Read Along Day #16: Chapter 15


Only 12 more days till Clockwork Princess is out!

If you haven't already, please go sign up for the giveaway. Sign ups close on Friday. 


Welcome to Day 16 of the Clockwork Prince Read Along. You can follow the entire read-a-long and find each of the day's posts here. Remember there's no right or wrong way to participate. Your comments can be as long or a short as you'd like them to be. You can answer 1 or each of the questions asked, it's totally up to you, BUT, in order to be entered into the CP giveaway (which you also had to sign up to win), you do need to be actively participating in the read-a-long. 

Today's discussion is about: Chapter 15
  • *sigh* There's something about this re-reading that really has me rooting for Tessa and Jem. On all my other read throughs I always hoped it would be Will, but this time I found myself smitten with Jem. I loved how Sophie tells Tessa about the way Jem watches her. I admire Sophie for her honesty with Tessa, and these two seem to become much closer in Clockwork Prince. Are you surprised to find that Tessa and Sophie have come friends who can confide in each other? If you're read CP before, are you finding your feelings towards Jem or Will have changed in any way with this read through?
  • We know that Cassie doesn't just randomly insert quotes and poetry into her books without having a reason for them being there. Do you feel there's more to Bridget's ballads than just her horrid signing? I'm starting to suspect there's a reason for them being in Clockwork Prince, but maybe that's just me.
  • Ooh Sophie & Gideon. I don't know about you, but I wanted to find out if he kissed her! Don't laugh, you know you wanted to know do. Are you surprised to find these two hidden together?
  • I love how protective Will is of Jem, and how he tells him he will not let him die like that. I understand Jem's wanting to close the eyes of the werewolf who dies, because I think a small part of him sees himself as the werewolf, an addict. Do you think Mortmain's controlling the supply is another way of him to get to the Shadowhunters, knowing Jem needs this?
Please DO NOT POST SPOILERS. There's some fans who are joining the read-a-long who are reading Clockwork Prince for the first time. 

Book Review: Also Known As by Robin Benway

Written by: Robin Benway
Publisher: Walker and Company
Release Date: February 26, 2013
Source: ARC
Puchase: Barnes and Noble | IndieBound | amazon
Also Known As

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars -- I loved it!

Synopsis: Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.

Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover.

You guys know that I have a weakness for well told spy plots and an absolute love of smart characters. Robin writes both incredibly well. I adored Maggie from the very first page. Here's a sample of how she thinks (page 4):

The first rule of being a spy: Listen. Our family friend Angelo always says that a good spy never asks questions, that people will always tell you what you need to know.

I've know Angelo my entire life. He was friends with my parents back when they were all in Berlin together, and they've stayed in contact every since. Angelo works for the Collecive, too, but I think he's semiretired now, or at least that's what he says. For all I know, he's getting ready by be knighted by the queen or about to go splunking somewhere in the Galapagos. He always gives good advice, too, especially about safecracking and lock picking. It's like if Tim Gunn and James Bond had a baby, and that baby was Yoda. Angelo's response? "Who's Yoda?"

I sent him the Star Wars DVDs for Christmas. And a DVD player.
See what I mean? Maggie is a smart safecracker/lock picker and this talent develops into her first job with The Collective (a crime-solving firm and her parents' employer). But, it's also the very first time she's enrolled in a school and well, it's the very first time she makes friends her own age. Only Robin can write a friend like Roux. She's the former mean girl of the school who's now fallen out of every single social circle because of an unforgivable incident. How I love Roux. She helps Maggie negotiate the waters of high school society and protocol, and the two of them form a tight, believable bond.

Then there's the matter of Jesse Oliver. Robin did this in Audrey, Wait! as well (link to my 5-star review). She writes these types of boys brilliantly. No, I'm not going to tell you what type; you'll have to read the story to find out. But, Jesse's THAT boy. And the sweet chemistry of their first kissy scene makes me smile.

Unfortunately, Maggie has a mission that distracts her (and me) from all the potential kissage. And the mission is full of solid plot turns and lies. Lies that eventually catch up with Maggie. Will Jesse find out who she is? Will Maggie's mission be successful? Will her parents ever understand that living in New Yourk City requires a longer curfew? Much like Maggie's lock picking skills, the tumblers turn just so and then, click, click, click the plot unlocks with precise timing.

If my oldest daughter were just a few years older (she's ten), I would pick this for a mother-daughter read. Currently, it sits on my shelf of books I plan to share with her. If you enjoy quick-paced stories about  a girl trying to find her place within the family business while still being a teenager, pick up Also Known As. And just wait until you meet Maggie, Roux and Jesse.

Cover Reveal: The Wicked Within by Kelly Keaton

Welcome to today's cover reveal for Kelly Keaton's The Wicked Within, hosted by Good Choice Reading. Check out this mesmerizing cover!


What do you guys think of the cover? I like how the theme from the previous two books, carries over into this one. I love it when a publisher has a theme for a book series. I'm loving that snake on the mask.

About the Book:

*book blurb coming soon* 

Published by: Simon Pulse
To Be Released On: September 17th 2013!
Hardcover, 320 pages


The Giveaway:
To celebrate today's reveal, Kelly is giving away a copy of Darkness Becomes Her and A Beautiful Evil, books one and two in the series! This is open internationally.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck!

The Lightwoods Added to TMI Tarot Cards




We are all amazed at how beautifully Cassandra Jean captures our beloved TMI/ID characters in tarot card format. Cassie posted the Lightwoods -- Alec, Isabelle, Maryse and Robert's cards last night. Scroll to the right and you'll see them at the very end. Aren't they gorgeous?

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