Reading Rainbow: The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

I have to apologize for being over a week late with this post. I had planned on telling you all to RUN out to get The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa on it's release date, but I got distracted with our spOOky books. But, it's not too late! If you've been around Whim Fic a while, you have heard us gush (and gush, and gush) about Julie's Iron Fey series.  And if you haven't read the series, YOU SIMPLY MUST!  Skip this post (there may be spoilers for those of you who haven't started the series) and RUN out to purchase all of the books in the Iron Fey line-up.  You will not be disappointed.

From Goodreads:
My name- my True Name- is Ashallyn'darkmyr Tallyn. I am the last remaining song of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court.

And I am dead to her.

My fall began, as many stories do, with a girl...

To cold faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing gentler feelings the Winter Prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase- a half-human, half-fey slip of a girl- smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer faery can survive,

With the unwelcome company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through its end- a quest to find a way to honor his vow to stand by Meghan's side.

To survive the Iron Realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. And along the way, Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

In the past, I have always been firmly #TeamPuck, but this book made me want to jump ship.  Okay, not really.  It made me want to join both teams.  #TeamAshuck?  No.  #TeamPash?  It's not working, is it?  Basically, I fell for Ash just as hard as I once fell for Puck.  We finally get to see a vulnerability in Ash that wasn't always there before.  There were hints, yes, but this is his true self, and it is.... *dreamy sigh*  So, yeah.  There's that.

But, in addition to Ash, Ash, Ash, there is an amazing story.  I'm a huge fan of the Spiritual Journey trope in literature, and Ash takes on a big one.  All for Meghan.  *dreamy sigh*  (I swear, I'll stop that.)  It's an adventurous story, and the imagery alone was worth it.  Julie is a master at creating worlds you want to step into, even if they are fraught with danger.

And finally, this book about did me in.  I know I said that after The Iron Queen, but this one was just so perfectly told, I could not help but cry throughout.  It's really well written and was a joy to read (even with the tears).  My tears have once again fed Julie's muse! 

So, NOW I can tell you to RUN out and get The Iron Knight!  You will thank me. 

Waiting on Wednesday: Shatter Me

There are so many great books being released this month, but one that I am most excited about is Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi.  I can't tell you how many times I've gone to Goodreads to check on it's release date.  And, FINALLY, it is only two weeks away!  Based on the many great reviews I've read, this is one book I cannot wait to read!

From Goodreads:

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.

What do you all think?  Are you waiting on this book as well?  Any other books that you are dying to read?

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine

Reading Rainbow Halloween Special: SCARY MOVIES!

Waaaay back when Leigh and I first started this blog, we thought we'd also be discussing movies, but books have basically taken center stage here at Whim Fic.  I've resisted the urge to force you all to watch recommend Doctor Who. (Well I have SO FAR, at least.) But, since it is Halloween, I thought it might be fun if we pull out the movies and discuss our favorite SCARY MOVIES.  I know, you're all probably shocked that I have even watched a scary movie, but I have!  Many!  We will not discuss the fact that I was doing research for a project, or that I watched them during the day.  With the lights on.

I think the movies that scared me the most during that project were both of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre films - the orignal 1974 version (because HOLY ****, it was freaky), and the 2003 version.  I don't usually like remakes, but here you have a Final Girl who can kick some serious ass (unlike her 1974 counterpart), and you all know I love that.  Also?  IT WAS SCARY. 

*clapping* "FRIGHT NIGHT!" HALF NAKED DAVID TENNANT! "FRIGHT NIGHT!"

*coughs* Um, I mean, I'd really recommend that one.

*laughing uncontrollably* Um, can you elaborate on WHY a bit more than NAKED DAVID TENNANT? Although, that's more than enough for me. *runs to look up Fright Night*

*thinks* Colin Farrel in a wife-beater?

 

Sadly, "Fright Night" isn't out on DVD yet. My horror has to have a sense of humor, so how about some "Ghostbusters?"  Everyone loves "Ghostbusters."  Where else can you see Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis almost DO IT?  #iwriteyafolks

You had me at wife beater.  Oh wait, you actually had me at Naked David Tennant.

 But I do love a funny/scary movie.  If a movie can make me laugh AND jump ten feet off the couch - it's good. 




Oh I mentioned "The Shining" in my Anna Dressed in Blood review for a reason.

Who can ever forget "redrum"?!? Last true horror movie I saw. Decades ago. Yes, I'm a wimp. Feel free to judge.



True story, my husband hasn't seen "The Shining" and I refuse to watch it with him because then I won't be able to sleep.
I watched it twice in college. Loved it. But, seriously, the bathtub scene alone is enough to make me hide under my blankets.

Beyond scary. BEYOND. But really well done.

I love "The Shining" too. I like to watch it in the middle of winter. Makes any cabin fever I have seem pitiful to Jack's cabin fever. In a way, it can be considered a therapeutic tool.

But, "The Changeling" is my favorite! The one with George C. Scott. Not the recent Angelina Jolie one, which was not a remake.  And "The Eye." The original Eye, not the crappy Hollywood remake.



Leave it to Nicole, aka "Resident Horror Queen," to think that The Shining is therapeutic.  

Okay, now we want to hear your favorite scary movies!  Nicole might be the only one to actually watch them, but we all want to hear!

And, Happy Halloween from all of us at Whim Fic!