I MADE IT - challenge news and reading update

Yup, I've just finished Scorch - the last book I needed to complete the Sequels Challenge! I really didn't think I'd make it, what with having to finish Ironskin too before it expired and university classes starting again, but I did. My review will be up later in the week because I want to spread them out a bit and I've already posted one on Friday and one today. But yup, Scorch is all read and damn did my eyes grow ever larger on those last two dozen or so pages! Can't wait for the next book!!

So here's the record of my victory:



You can click the first three to read my reviews. As I said, Scorch will be up later this week, as will Ironskin. I'm kinda proud of myself for completing the challenge, as I really doubted that I'd make it. I don't think I would have if Scorch hadn't arrived on release day - I knew this one would be a fast read, while Melissa de la Cruz's Masquerade would probably have taken me longer to finish. So now I'm kinda blinking in surprise at all the sequels I've cleaned up over the summer. I think Masquerade is the last one on my shelf, and it'll have to stay there a while longer while I read all the recent releases I got lately but couldn't read because of this challenge and my NetGalley books.


So here's what I plan to read over the next two or so weeks:



 I've already started reading my NetGalley copy of Death and the Girl Next Door but I'm not far in enough yet to say anything about it. And it nearly killed me to own Carnival and Unspoken and not to be allowed to read them!!! Other awesomeness on my shelf that I might get around to: Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel, Touch by Jus Accardo, Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Foretold anthology edited by Carrie Ryan... I'll get around to them. The only good thing about my book buying ban is that I already own so much awesomeness :P

Have you taken part in any challenges recently? What were they for? Did you enjoy them?

Review: Demonglass, by Rachel Hawkins

Published: February 7, 2012
Publisher: Hyperion
Format: Paperback, 384 pages

Goodreads description:
The critics have spoken--this New York Times best-seller is "impossible to put down " Teens and reviewers alike have fallen in love with Demonglass' humor, forbidden romance, suspense, and delicious paranormal fun.
Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch, which was why she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered she's a "demon," and her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping her kind off the face of the earth. What's worse, Sophie has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is why she decides to go to London for the Removal, a risky procedure that will either destroy her powers forever--or kill her. But once Sophie arrives, she makes a shocking discovery: "someone" is raising new demons in secret and planning to use their powers to destroy the world. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they're using Acher to do it. But it's not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?


Review (no spoilers):

It’s been more than a year since I’ve read Hex Hall and I admit I don’t quite remember everything about the ending, but Demonglass sets in pretty soon afterwards. Sophie’s dad, head of the Prodigium Council, wants Sophie to stay in England with him for the summer. By spending time with her and teaching her about her demon powers and heritage, he’s hoping to change her mind about going through the Removal, a ritual which would strip her of all her powers – if it doesn’t kill her, that is. Her father doesn’t want her to undergo it because the threat of L’Occhio di Dio is greater than ever after Archer’s betrayal has been revealed and the organization has struck an alliance with the Brennans, another set of Prodigium enemies. Also, he wants to show her that it’s possible to be a Demon without being a monster.

Then there is, of course, Sophie’s love life. she knows she should forget about Archer but she’s having a hard time. going to England, where he’s allegedly been sighted, evokes conflicting feelings. Oh , and did I mention that her dad betrothed her to Cal years ago? To be honest I didn’t even remember there was a character called Cal ^^’’ He’s Hex Hall’s groundkeeper and has the strangest healing powers of anyone around. He’s a bit hard to read but a genuinely good, caring guy. After her initial shock of being fiancéed without a say in it, Sophie grows to actually like him.

Then there’s England itself, and Thorne Abbey where Sophie and her friends are staying with part of the Council members. Very strange to Sophie & co. Very British – a little too clichéd sometimes for my taste. And imagine Sophie’s surprise when she meets two other demons there! Nick and Daisy don’t remember anything from their lives before they were forcibly changed into demons, and their attitude to their powers is very different from Sophie’s denial. Sophie begins to use and control magic again but still fears to turn into a monster the way Alice did. When a conspiracy is revealed after multiple attacks and things start going to hell in a handbasket, can Sophie protect those she loves? And does that include Archer after all?

Sophie shows quite a bit of character growth and learns from her mistakes in this installment, which I liked. So does her father and I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop. Also we learn more about Prodigium organization and law as well as Sophie’s faily history. Her feelings for Cal and Archer don’t quite turn into a love triangle but I liked the loyalty conflict they cause for her.

The pace is a bit slow at the beginning but picks up quickly with plenty of mystery and action to keep the reader entertained. The book is very hard to put down near the end, which leaves many questions open and makes me want to pick up the concluding book as soon as it’s out in paperback.

My problem, both with Demonglass and Hex Hall, is that I can’t quite get into the writing, or the voice I should say. The whole teen thing seems a bit forced to me. Yes, there are witty comments and some sarcasm, which I usually love, but here it just doesn’t quite ring true or hit the mark for me. That makes me aware of being a bit above the target audience age, which I’d put at 13-18. I don’t know, maybe younger teens are more into it and it’s just me.

Also, part of the plot was a little predictable, though I didn’t foresee everything and there were some nice twists and unexpected revelations.

All in all, Demonglass is a solid read for teens and takes everything in Hex Hall up a notch. There’s character development and a focus on greater-scale conflict rather than drama, which I liked. There’s action, suspense, and some romance. I liked the novel, it just wasn’t outstanding or one of those books that linger in my mind and truly make me think.

What did you think of this one? I'm really curious whether I'm the only one having a problem with Sophie's voice. Do you like the book/series?

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews to showcase what books we got, traded or bought to clutter those ever-expanding bookshelves.

Bought but not yet read:

Born at Midnight, by C. C. Hunter
Demonglass, by Rachel Hawkins
The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern
A Beautiful Evil, by Kelly Keaton

I'm really late in buying The Night Circus, but I'm excited to finally read it! I've had A Beautiful Evil on the pile for a couple weeks but somehow haven't picked it up yet... I think I'll have to re-read the second half of Darkness Becomes Her first to get into the that world again. Same goes for Demonglass. I'm also curious for Born at Midnight because I'm a sucker for books set in boarding schools.

Books I won:

The Immortal Rules, by Julie Kagawa

The Poison Eaters and Other Stories, by Holly Black

Witch Eyes, by Scott Tracey

Blood Bound, by Rachel Vincent

Hunger, by Jackie Morse Kessler

Yup, I was lucky enough to win the Participation Post giveaway in Fiktshun 's Soul Screamers Reading Challenge :D I just got them in the mail today and now I'm really in a pinch for what to read first... ironically, the one book that I asked for and that didn't arrive yet is Before I Wake, the new Soul Screamers novel whose book birthday is today of all days...

In case you missed the SSRC, Rachel is also hosting a BIW mini-challenge on her blog! You can sign up for that here.

Finally, my current read:

I'm more than halfway in and probably gonna finish today. It's hilarious XD I love it! It's got some of my favorite comparisons and turns of the phrase ever. Not to mention the many death related puns ^^ I love funny morbid.


Have you read any of these books? What's new on your shelves?