Mary Russell #3

My Rating: 4/5

Review: This third book in the Mary Russell series didn't quite have the magic of the first two books, but I still found it engaging.

Book Description: Late in the summer of 1923, Mary Russell Holmes and her husband, the illustrious Sherlock Holmes, are ensconced in their home on the Sussex Downs, giving themselves over to their studies: Russell to her theology, and Holmes to his malodorous chemical experiments. Interrupting the idyllic scene, amateur archaeologist Miss Dorothy Ruskin visits with a startling puzzle. Working in the Holy Land, she has unearthed a tattered roll of papyrus with a message from Mary Magdalene. Miss Ruskin wants Russell to safeguard the letter. But when Miss Ruskin is killed in a traffic accident, Russell and Holmes find themselves on the trail of a fiendishly clever murderer. Clearly there was more to Miss Ruskin than met the eye. But why was she murdered? Was it her involvement in the volatile politics of the Holy Land? Was it her championing of women's rights? Or was it the scroll--a deeply troubling letter that could prove to be a Biblical bombshell? In either case, Russell and Holmes soon find that solving her murder may be murder itself.

Infernal Devices 2

My Rating: 4/5

Review: Clockwork Prince, the second book in the Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare, was a wonderful Victorian romp. The only thing keeping it from getting a full 5 stars is the word beautiful. That word, along with others similar to it, was used so much, it almost became sickening. The story, itself, however, kept the book from being completely ruined. I love the characters, and I love how they interact with each other. I love the Victorian theme mixed with alternative suspense. I love the action, and drama. I am dying to know what will happen next. So, it's an awesome series. Only a little too obsessed with beauty.

Book Description:
In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.
With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

No Goals Met

It's quite a bummer, but I didn't reach any of my reading challenges' goals. Oh well, better luck this year. Happy 2012!

Home of the Shadowhunters

My Rating: 5/5

Review: Such an intense and wonderful series!

Book Description: To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters -- never mind that enter-ing the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.
As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadow-hunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadow-hunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City -- whatever the cost?

Love Finds Mary Russell

My Rating: 5/5

Review: There's something so intelligent and fun about this book that makes me want more. I adore Mary Russell, and I adore her and Holmes together. In this sequel to The Beekeeper's Apprentice, Mary finds herself tangled up in a murder mystery involving a woman she can't help but respect. The murders, the near-death of her friend, and a run-in with a nasty knife can't be denied, however. Margery Childe is involved somehow, and Mary must figure it out before her own life is truly at stake. Naturally Holmes is there to help, but this case is all Mary's, and she is quite determined to solve it on her own. Holmes becomes more and more involved, though, and something changes between the two of them by the end of the book. Nearly losing someone you care about will do that to a relationship, though, right? Great mystery, with a dash of suspense.

Book Description: It is 1921 and Mary Russell, Sherlock Holmes's brilliant apprentice, now an Oxford graduate with a degree in theology, is on the verge of acquiring a sizable inheritance. Independent at last, with a passion for divinity and detective work, her most baffling mystery may now involve Holmes and the burgeoning of a deeper affection between herself and the retired detective. Russell's attentions turn to the New Temple of God and its leader, Margery Childe, a charismatic suffragette and a mystic, whose draw on the young theology scholar is irresistible. But when four bluestockings from the Temple turn up dead shortly after changing their wills, could sins of a capital nature be afoot? Holmes and Russell investigate, as their partnership takes a surprising turn.

Teen Mystery

My Rating: 4/5

Review: I was drawn in from the begining with this story of a teen girl with a mysterious mom. When said mom goes missing, Anne soon learns that there are deep dark secrets about her mother, as well as, herself. There was a good bit of mystery and suspense here, and a little teenaged drama to boot. I liked all of the characters and found them mostly believable. There may have been a time or two that I didn't think someone would act a certain way in real life, but overall, a good book.

Book Description: SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD ANNE ALWAYS thought her mother was kind of quirky. In fact, her mom’s taste in 70s-esque furniture and mysterious frequent business trips were just the tip of the quirky iceberg. When her
mom doesn’t come home on time from one of her long jaunts, Anne isn’t too surprised. But when a day late turns into a few days late, Anne knows something is very wrong.

Magic Under Striped Tents

My Rating: 4/5

Review: This is a book that should not be rushed through or expected to be devoured in one setting. It must be savored and taken in a little at a time. The magic and awe of the circus is so wonderfully imagined that I truly wish I could go there in person. I could almost smell the caramel and taste the chocolate mice on my tongue. There are so many wondrous characters, performances, magical rooms, and dreamy scenes to intoxicate the senses. The romance between Celia and Marco is beautiful in its simplicity. The imagination of this author astounds and inspires me, and I look forward to her future endeavors.

Book Description: The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.