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: Ally Carter!

I have to apologize for taking another one of our unscheduled blog-cations. I was off on a real-life vacation, which included a visit to the best bookstore ever - Powell's City of Books! Leigh was in LA hobnobbing with famous authors during the SCBWI Summer Conference. (Even our vacations are literary-minded!) To make up for our absence, I am not just rec'ing one book today, but a whole slew of books! Two series by Ally Carter that I am in love with: The Heist Society and The Gallagher Girls.

First, I must thank Sophie for the recommendations on both of these series. I must also curse her for giving me two more book-boyfriends to think about! Honestly, these books are so well-written and perfectly timed - it's hard not to sink into them. In fact, I found it hard to put each one of them down once I had started!

One thing I love about Ally Carter's writing is the voice of her main characters. Both Katarina (Heist Society) and Cameron (Gallagher Girls) are extremely smart, confident (in very unconventional ways), and funny. Aside from the knowledge gained by either growing up in a family of high-class criminals, or growing up in a school for spies, both girls are somewhat naive about boys, and how to decipher their own feelings while they live life undercover.

I also loved reading about the details of heists and spy school. Honestly, it was so much fun to read along while Katarina pulled off the perfect crime, or while Cameron and her friends pulled off their Covert Operations projects - especially those not sanctioned by her school. And Ally Carter doesn't miss a beat. These books never felt boring or drawn out. I wanted more, of course, but she does such a great job of wrapping things up (no Everest-high cliffs here!) that I always felt satisfied when finishing one of these books.

The only downside? Now I'm completely hooked and cannot wait for the fifth book in the GG series: Out of Sight, Out of Time. I can blame Sophie for that too, right? :)

Goodreads for Heist Society #1
Goodreads for Gallagher Girls #1
Sophie's reviews at Mundie Moms