Reading Rainbow: Three Great Series!

I've been a super-happy reader lately as some of my favorite series of books have come out with new, fantastic books.  I thought you should know about three of them in particular, so I'm sharing them all in one, big (but not too big) post!

I'm going to start with a series that I love, and have recommended before: The Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter.

If you've never heard of Ally Carter, then you must sit down and listen: She is amazing.  Her writing is so well-done that you'll find yourself wondering just how she managed to "do that" and still make it cohesive, funny, and leave you wanting more.  A word I've used to describe her writing: seamless.

Add to that the genius storylines she throws at you, and you're hooked.  Gallagher Girls is a smart, fun, romantic series that I cannot get enough of.  Honestly, I never thought I'd say that about YA books about a school for teen spies, but there it is.  The most recent book, Out of Sight, Out of Time, is a great addition to the series, and never once did I feel that things were getting too slow, or even a little boring, as often happens as a series gets past three books. And if that's not enough to win you over to this series, let me just say one word: ZACH.  That is all.

(Read my original rec of The Gallagher Girls here)

Moving on, if you haven't read Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins, then it's obvious that you don't trust our judgement here at WhimFic.  Leigh and I have gushed extensively about our mutual love of this series in the past. And now, with Spell Bound, we've reached that point that is both exciting and a bit sad - the conclusion of the series.

I am very sad to be saying goodbye to Sophie (and Jenna! The best sidekick ever!).  These books were so much fun, I honestly cannot wait to see what Rachel Hawkins comes up with next! 

(You can see all of the gushing from Leigh and I here)

And finally, one of my favorite series out there: The Curse Workers by Holly Black.  Black Heart is coming out next week (!!!) and I had the privelege to read it early.  Let me tell you all - it is PERFECT.

I love it when a final book in a series doesn't just conclude, but throws crazy-new things at us and still manages to make it all work in the end.  Black Heart does just that.  And, there's so much Casselishness to look forward to in this book - trust me and read this whole series just for Cassel.  He's worth it. 

(Read more Cassel-love in my rec for the series, and some from Sophie too, here.)

Reading Rainbow: Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

I feel a little silly recommending Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins. I am pretty sure you all knew that I would love this book. I mean, Leigh and I discussed Hex Hall (and our love for it) enough for you to know this. But, I got to thinking that perhaps you didn't know it had been released? Or perhaps you were thinking, "Oh, Demonglass is out. I will put that on my TBR." And to that I say, "No, no, no. Do not put it on your TBR. Get the book and read it right now." Sorry, sometimes I have to be bossy.


From Goodreads:

Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch.

That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers.

But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

Honestly, this book could have been about nothing and I would have loved it. I thoroughly enjoy reading books by Rachel Hawkins - her writing style is just so much fun. I honestly laughed throughout Demonglass, even though it wasn't really a happy-go-lucky book. Sophie faces some serious situations, both personally, and involving her friends and family, but she does so with snark and sass. I kind of love her.

The great thing about Demonglass is that things do happen. Lots of things. Dangerous things. Exciting things. Kissy things. Dangerous and exciting kissy things. What? I don't want to give away the farm here, but I promise you some Archer and even some Cal - remember him? The quiet groundskeeper at Hex Hall? Yeah, Cal. *swoons a bit* And aside from the hot boys (with veritable swords this time!), there is Jenna , and I love her even more than I did after reading Hex Hall (and that was a whole bunch).

So, GO! You know you want a fun read with lots of action and kissing, right? Yes, you do. And please come back and tell me what you thought. Are you once again pining for the next installment of Hex Hall? Did the ending drive you insane? Do tell!

Casting Call

Am I the only one who's noticed how many great writers are using Ben Barnes (or BinBons, as he's known) as their muse? He has already been 'cast' as a number of my favorite YA HBWS and book boyfriends. I have two thoughts on this:
1. Does BinBons KNOW that he is the ultimate inspiration for Hot Boys in YA lit?
2. Can we spend some time poring over BinBons pics in order to cast him in each of our favorite YA roles? Please?

Let's start with the Urban Dictionary's definition of BinBons, shall we:

"Nickname for English actor Ben Barnes, best known for his work as Prince Caspian, and who may or may not have pupils. BinBons is over there seducing you with his black bedroom eyes."


First of all, Bwhahahahahaha! And secondly, this will help me so much with my reading of books with boys who have black eyes! I had a hard time picturing black eyes, but no more! I shall just think of this:

Nick

That could be Nick from Demon's Lexicon, no? I don't know that Sarah Rees Brennan has ever said that she was inspired by BinBons, but come on! That's my Nick. In fact, I may cut this out and paste it over the guy on The Demon's Lexicon cover. *grabs scissors*

What other characters do we have? I know Rachel Hawkins, Andrea Cremer, and Julie Kagawa are all inspired by BinBons, yes?

I'm pretty sure that Sophie, our resident BinBons "pic-spiration" dealer, can cast a few roles for us.





*digs into folders on hard drive* *not that there are ANY completely devoted to BinBons* *wistles innocently*

Umm, Ash, from The Iron Fae?

Ash

This one is very Archer-esque. I think he would fit in well at Hex Hall.

Archer

Yes! And how about this one for Ren from Nightshade (which I hope you are all reading for our LBC! #shamelessplug). Just knowing that Andrea Cremer said Ren is Ben Barnes makes me want to jump on the #TeamRen bus. There is a bus, right?

Ren

I know some people think BB would make a good Gale *cough*ME*cough* and I think this one fits:

Gale

See, I was NEVER Team Gale. But this picture could turn me.






Someone please, write the Dirty Biker BinBons...

Not-Yet-Written Hot Dude

.
*makes mental note to write a Dirty Biker BinBons* Can we turn it into a space bike? Maybe?





I'm having difficulty forming a coherent thought while Dirty Biker BinBons is beckoning me to ride him his bike.





*sighs dramatically* What IS it about this man that reduces us all to hormonal teenagers? (And then makes us want to write him as one??)


How about this picture? This is very much my vision of Nathaniel from Saundra Mitchell's The Vespertine (which will be out in March of 2011, at which point you can swoon with Stacie and I.)

Nathaniel

*stops staring and pulls self together* Okay, so what about you all? Does BinBons play any starring roles in the books you read? Is there another actor who keeps showing up? You know we want to hear about it! *returns to staring*

V is for Villain

Image Source: The Great Geek Manual

So ladies, we have files for the boys we love (HBWS!) and the Chicks Who Can Kick Our Asses, but I think we're leaving out a very important filing section - Villains! When I think of YA Lit, my very favorite villain hands-down is Valentine. He's so pretty, but so eeevil and creepy. I love it. I know we have a file folder for him, right?


Ah...Villains starts with the letter V - so I'm all about Vader, Voldermort and Valentine. And apparently, I've been practicing my Letter Sounds with my Kindergartner, too.




Oooh - why do all the Great Villains start with the letter V? Unfortunately, Vader and Voldemort are not pretty. Rather ugly, actually. But they all do make for excellent Love to Hate 'Em characters.




Well, Voldy is not pretty but you know, Vader was Anakin, first. Just misguided. The poor little boo.





Okay, well, I was thinking of the Removal of the Mask scene with Vader. But yeah, I guess you could say Ani went through a pretty phase. But he didn't wear tailored suits like Valentine. And he hid his paternity from his children, while Valentine just pretended to be everyone's father.



You are right. Anakin slaughtered the young paduans in episode 3 while Valentine simply used his kids as genetic experiments. But hey, there was a Sister Kiss in both. Sorry, I'm off on my own Slave-Girl-Leia Style Sidebra.




Why is it that all villainous roads lead back to Darth Vader? He's epic, true, but hardly the first or even most villainous villain I've seen. He's a total Sauron rip-off, with the whole "corrupted by the pursuit of power" thing.

I agree with the observations you guys have made so far. But I think we're missing out on the folder system! I put mine into categories:

Villains Who Might Be Redeemable - Like Vader, some do come around in the end. Even some of our favorite bad boys fit in here. (Spike from Buffy, anyone?)

Villains Who Are Pure Evil - I'm pretty sure we can put Voldemort here. I mean, was the guy EVER good? I think he kicked puppies. And Leck, from Graceling and Fire. I actually really liked that in Fire there was no sob story about why he became evil or excuses for it. Sometimes evil just is. (And he really did kick puppies.)

Villains Who Are Really Cogs In A Villainous Machine: Like President Snow. He was great, and so so evil, but in a very politician-evil kinda way. He wasn't the reason for what was wrong with society. He was more of a product of it. Does it make him any less evil? Of course not. But it DOES make him a symptom of a more pervasive evil, one that doesn't have a face.

Villains Who Are So Hot We Don't Care Either Way - I'm totally not shallow enough to put anyone in this category. Nope. Valentine does NOT appear here. *whistles and walks away*

I love those categories...but hmmm, a Villain So Hot We Don't Care...*puts Thinking Cap on and realizes it's the Sorting Cap*...let me think about this one...





HELLO? ARCHER????? Oh, sorry, I got excited there. But Archer from Hex Hall! He's a POTENTIAL bad guy only - I know this, but he's obviously so hot we don't care!

And Eric Northman. He has his bad-guy moments and really? I care not. I would still take him in if he got hit on the head and had amnesia and needed a safe place to shower. I mean stay.

Ah, see, I think Archer's the Anti-Hero...and so launches that discussion. When is an anti-hero a villain?? LOL. Then you can throw in Oscar from CANDOR. Because, the boy wasn't all good, ya know??

What about a Can't Be Too Sure If They're a Villain category?? I'm thinking of my all time favorite whose cape would swirl at this very label...yes, that's right...Severus Snape!

Oh! You're getting all technical on me. Okay, so Archer might not be a Villain, but he is part of a secret society that aims to hunt prodigum, so he has potential. And Cabe was never going to hurt Jamie - even though he did have a bad boy side.

And yes, Snape! He's the perfect Villain, but is he really a Villain? (And if you don't know the answer to that question - get to reading book 7 please!)

I think Snape counts as a villain. I think sometimes even a villain can do the right thing at times. It doesn't negate all of the past villainy.

Maybe we should put Archer in a "We're Not Sure If He's Really A Villain But Signs Point To Yes And We Really Hope He's Not But Even If He Is He's So Hot We Won't Care" category. I think that works. Ladies?

Yes, that works for me. Absolutely perfect. Do you think that will fit on a file folder label?





If not we'll just have to make his file... bigger. *winks*

SO, did we miss any categories? Who are your favorite villains? Why?

Lazy Book Club for May: Hex Hall Discussion

**SPOILER ALERT**

This is our discussion of Hex Hall. If you haven't finished yet (this is a LAZY Book Club, after all) please just bookmark this post and come back. We'd hate to spoil any surprises for you. And trust us, there are surprises. We've handled this post with a handy-dandy "Read More" link, so if you stumbled here and haven't read yet, DON'T CLICK THE READ MORE BUTTON!!

Read more »

Whimsical Book-ery

Often when Rain reviews a book it inspires me to read it (which great, since that's the point and all.) I'm sure that sometimes you, the reader, feel the same way. And then I want to talk about the book, because I love both books AND talking. I'm sure this happens to you all too, but we've already talked it about it on the blog. I could dig through the old posts and comment on it, but that seems so futile. There's very little chance of actual discussion. So, what's a wordy girl to do?

Well, if you're a wordy girl with a blog and a very well-read partner, you start a virtual book club! Now, I have to be honest, I don't usually "do" the book club thing because of the commitment of time, energy, and the possibility that the book blows. But a virtual (and Whimsical!) club means no responsibility. If you don't want to participate, no big deal! If you've already read the book, here's your chance to discuss it with us!

I love this idea for so many reasons! Mainly because I have a deep fear of the commitment that "normal" book clubs require, but with the Whimsical Fic-ery book club, we can be... well... whimsical about the whole thing. You want to read the book? Great! If not, maybe next month! You want to leave a comment for us? Even better! If not, we're none the wiser! No commitments and you're allowed to be lazy about reading - what could be better? And we promise to pick books that don't blow. *grins*

So, here's the deal:
Once a month we'll pick a book to read and set a "discussion" date. Anytime during the month, stop by the site and leave your thoughts on your progress in the "comment box" which we be on our sidebar soon. (It'll go to a hidden spreadsheet so don't worry about posting spoilers for your fellow readers.)



Then, on the given day, Rain and I will discuss the book and include some of your comments. We'll continue the discussion into the comments on that day's post.

And, if you'd like to recommend a book for the book club, feel free to email us with your suggestions! We have a few in mind for this summer, but we're always open to book recommendations from you all.

Meadow and I have decided our first book will be Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins. I did a rec for it here, and you can find out more about Rachel and her books at her blog (which is so funny, I kept getting distracted when I went to get the link for you all).


So, what do you all think? Does this sound like your kind of book club? Feel free to leave suggestions for the book club here as well! And the Comment Box will be up starting in May, so you'll be able to leave your comments about Hex Hall soon. Happy reading!

Get your copy of Hex Hall:
Powell's Books
Amazon
IndieBound