I had a special post for today thought out, but I just had to write it. However, I've been dealing with a sick dog the past week and she died yesterday morning. Needless to say, I've not been reading or blogging like I wanted to. I have been visiting a few blogs this week, but haven't had the energy to comment.

I do hope that I'll have everything ready to start off with for next month - but I've even fallen behind on those posts this week. I also want to apologize to anyone that's commented this week that I've not responded to. I'll get there soon to.

Just thought I'd give you a quick update and let you know why things have seemed a little vacant around here lately. (Thankfully before Bekki got sick, I had a full week ready to go in February - so I'll have to work a little less like mad next week.)

-Amy

Review: Avalon by Mindee Arnett

Avalon by Mindee Arnett

Series: Avalon #1
Genre: Sci-Fi (YA)
Add on Goodreads

Of the various star systems that make up the Confederation, most lie thousands of light-years from First Earth-and out here, no one is free. The agencies that govern the Confederation are as corrupt as the crime bosses who patrol it, and power is held by anyone with enough greed and ruthlessness to claim it. That power is derived from one thing: metatech, the devices that allow people to travel great distances faster than the speed of light.

Jeth Seagrave and his crew of teenage mercenaries have survived in this world by stealing unsecured metatech, and they're damn good at it. Jeth doesn't care about the politics or the law; all he cares about is earning enough money to buy back his parents' ship, Avalon, from his crime-boss employer and getting himself and his sister, Lizzie, the heck out of Dodge. But when Jeth finds himself in possession of information that both the crime bosses and the government are willing to kill for, he is going to have to ask himself how far he'll go to get the freedom he's wanted for so long. (from Goodreads)

221b: Books

"You may marry him, murder him, or do anything you like to him."

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle rather famously wrote a cable with these words on it in response to William Gillette's query 'Can I marry Holmes?' The response, written after Doyle started to feel trapped by his creation, was sardonic - but he never could have guessed how the simple line would open door a hundred years down the road.

Creature Corner: Golems and Constructs

Welcome to my final new, monthly feature here at Pages of Starlight. In this one, I'll be talking about various creatures, and possibly peoples, from books. I cannot quite explain how this will work, so I'll just show you, starting with a couple of my favorites - and very common creatures in steampunk works and even some fantasy.

Audiobook Review: I'd Tell You I Love You by Ally Carter

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carter

Series: Gallagher Girls #1
Genre: Contemporary/Espionage (YA)
Add on Goodreads

The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is a fairly typical all-girls school—that is, it would be if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses, but it’s really a school for spies.

Cammie Morgan is a second-generation Gallagher Girl, and by her sophomore year she’s already fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways (one of which involves a piece of uncooked spaghetti). But the one thing the Gallagher Academy hasn’t prepared her for is what to do when she falls for a boy who thinks she’s an ordinary girl. (from Goodreads)

Top Ten Books I Want to See Made Into Movies

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

This is a freebie week over at TB&TB and I knew I wanted to do something a little different than the usual. When I found this prompt, I knew almost immediately that I had to do this. Now, I would like to note that this is a perfect world. The movies are not butchering the book in any way, shape or form.

Top Ten Books I Want to See Made Into Movies

221b. Baker Street: On Screen

Welcome to my second feature for Sherlock Holmes birth month. In this post, I'll be taking a look at various versions of Holmes on the screen - both big and little screen.

Bookish Findings - January

Welcome once again, this is a new feature for my blog. Here I post all the cute little bookish things I've found. Some months it might be theme, other months simply whatever book stuff I find. This month it's just going to be something of a hodge-podge of things I think it's be cool to own.

Review: Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen

Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen

Series: The Malediction Trilogy
Genre: Fantasy/Romance (YA)
Add on Goodreads

For five centuries, a witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the ruins of Forsaken Mountain. Time enough for their dark and nefarious magic to fade from human memory and into myth. But a prophesy has been spoken of a union with the power to set the trolls free, and when Cécile de Troyes is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she learns there is far more to the myth of the trolls than she could have imagined. (from Goodreads)

Top Ten 2014 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn't Get To

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten 2014 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn't Get To

Oh, we all have them. 'Ooh, that looks so good.' And then next year 'oops, I meant to read it. Really.' This list was a lot of fun for me to put together, and I was reminded why some of these books sounded so good in the first place.

221b Baker Street: Sherlock Holmes

When Arthur Conan Doyle (not knighted until 1902) created the character of Sherlock Holmes, he had little idea of the enduring sleuth he'd started writing about. Indeed, Holmes was so popular than when he took his infamous tumble off the Reichenbach Falls in in 1881 in the story The Final Problem (published in 1881) it is rumored that British citizens wore black armbands as a sign of their mourning of the great detective. But let's take a look at the introduction of Holmes.

Page to Screen: Sleepy Hollow

Welcome to my second new feature this month: Page to Screen. Here I'll be taking a look at some of the books that were turned into movies or tv shows.

First up, I thought I'd tackle one I'm currently watching;

Review: Terrier by Tamora Pierce

Terrier by Tamora Pierce

Series: Beka Cooper #1
Genre: Fantasy/Mystery (YA)
Add on Goodreads

In 246 H.E., the Provost's Dogs guard Tortall's capital city. Beka Cooper is one of their newest trainees - a Puppy wet behind the ears but eager to learn. But Beka will have to learn faster than she bargained for because she's assigned to the Lower City, Corus's toughest district. It's filled with pickpockets who are fast as lightening, rouges who will knock your teeth out with a smile, and murderers with hidden plans. In the constant battle for the Lower City's streets, Beka will have to use her smarts and her own eerie brand of magic if she hopes to survive. (from Goodreads)

Top Ten Most Anticipated Debut Novels For 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Most Anticipated Debut Novels For 2015

I'm really not known for getting excited for debut novels before they're released. I like getting a few reviews first, seeing what was liked/disliked about the book and also checking out a preview so I can see what the writing style is like before I start saying 'I want it'. So, this is going to be interesting to look back at this list at the end of the year and see how many of these books I actually read.

Special Birthday Announcement

Do you know who is believed to have a birthday tomorrow? Hmm, I'll give you a hint.

Series Spotlight: Parasol Protectorate

Series Spotlight:

Parasol Protectorate

Welcome to a new feature here at Pages of Starlight. There's always those books that you meant to review, the books that you read before you started reviewing, or maybe you reviewed one of the books but it wasn't even the first one. Well, here's my answer to that: Series Spotlight. I'll be reviewing an entire series, and just generally talk about it. So, for this first edition, I wanted to make it something special. A series that I really like, but also one that is popular enough that it could spark some conversations - whether or not you've read it. Based on that criteria alone, it seems obvious to me what series I should use.

January Schedule

Well, it's the start of a new year, and I'm trying for a new start with this blog. I have things planned out and I truly hope I can follow through the way I want to this year.

1st - Happy New Year (Schedule Post)
2nd - Series Spotlight: Parasol Protectorate (new feature the first friday of the month)
3rd - Saturday (no posts)
4th - Sunday (no posts)
5th - Announcing Month-long Birthday Feature
6th - Top Ten Most Anticipated Debut Novels for 2015 (link-up meme)
7th - Review: Terrier by Tamora Pierce
8th - Thursday (no posts)
9th - Page to Screen (new feature the second friday of the month)
10th - Saturday (no posts)
11th - Sunday (no posts)
12th - First in Three Part Birthday Feature
13th - Top Ten 2014 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn't Get To (link-up meme)
14th - Review: Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen
15th - Thursday (no posts)
16th - Bookish Findings (new feature the third friday of the month)
17th - Saturday (no posts)
18th - Sunday (no posts)
19th - Second in Three Part Birthday Feature
20th - Top Ten Tuesday Freebie (still deciding what I want to do)
21st - Audiobook Review: I'd Tell You I Love You by Ally Carter
22nd - Thursday (no posts)
23rd - Creature Corner (new feature the fourth friday of the month)
24th - Saturday (no posts)
25th - Sunday (no posts)
26th - Third in Three Part Birthday Feature
27th - Ten Books I'd Love to Read With My Book Club If I Had A Book Club (meme)
28th - Review: Avalon by Mindee Arnett
29th - Thursday (no post)
30th - Free Day (rant or random discussion)
31st - Saturday (no post)

Hope everyone's having a safe and Happy New Year!

Sorted by Genre

I have noted the books commonly considered young adult with a '(YA)' and a '(MG)' for middle-grade and a '(NA)' for new adult. The ones marked '(Adult)' are explicit and not recommended for those underage.

Fantasy

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

Emperor's Edge, The by Lindsay Buroker

Graceling by Kristin Cashore (YA)

High King's Tomb by Kristen Britain

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (YA)

Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed

Monstrous by MarcyKate Connolly (MG)

The Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz (MG)

Wings of Twilight by Hans Cummings

Death Sworn by Leah Cypess (YA)

Tymora's Luck by Jeff Grubb & Kate Novak

Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen (YA)

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas (YA)
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (YA)

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen (MG)

Uprooted by Naomi Novik (YA)

Terrier by Tamora Pierce (YA)

Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon (YA)

Sabriel by Garth Nix (YA)

Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett

Seeds of Discovery by Breeana Puttroff (YA)

The Child Prince by Honor Raconteur
Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes (YA)
Shard Axe, The by Marsheila Rockwell

Sora's Quest by T.L. Shreffler (YA)

The Crown Tower by Michael J. Sullivan
Emerald Storm, The by Michael J. Sullivan
Wintertide by Michael J. Sullivan
Percepliquis by Michael J. Sullivan

A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas (YA)

The Wizard Hunters by Martha Wells

Poison by Bridget Zinn (YA)
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (YA)
Air Awakens by Elise Kova (YA)
Viper's Creed by T.L. Shreffler (YA)
The Dreamer's Curse by Honor Raconteur
Madly by Amy Alward (YA)
Frozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes (YA)
The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines

Kingdom of Ashes by Rhiannon Thomas (YA)
Truthwitch by Susan Dennard (YA)
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
Villains by Necessity by Eve Forward
The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells
Thorn by Intisar Khanani (YA)
Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan

Steampunk

The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare (YA)

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (YA)

Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger (YA)
Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger (YA)

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross (YA)
The Girl with the Windup Heart by Kady Cross (YA)

Lady of Devices by Shelley Adina (YA)

Prudence by Gail Carriger

The Clockwork Scarab by Colleen Gleason (YA)

The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress (YA)

Black Lung Captain by Chris Wooding
Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine (YA)
Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell (YA)
Flash Gold Chronicles by Lindsay Buroker
Rebel Mechanics by Shanna Swendson (YA)

Science Fiction

Avalon by Mindee Arnett (YA)

Invoking Darkness by Jeanne Cavelos

Valor's Choice by Tanya Huff

The Vindico by Wesley King (YA)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (YA)
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (YA)
Fairest by Marissa Meyer (YA)

The Inventor's Secret by Chad Morris (MG)
The Avatar Battle by Chad Morris (MG)

Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund (YA)

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula by Elise Stokes (YA)

All Our Yesterdays by Cristen Terrill (YA)
The Comet's Curse by Dom Testa (YA)
V is for Villain by Peter Moore (YA)
Earth Girl by Janet Edwards (YA)
Timebound by Rysa Walker (YA)
Illusive by Emily Lloyd-Lones (YA)
Wearing the Cape: The Beginning by Marion G. Harmon (NA)
The Web of Titan by Dom Testa (YA)
Starbridge by A.C. Crispin
Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis (YA)
Stars Above by Marissa Meyers (YA)
The Dark Realm by Anthea Sharp (YA)

Paranormal/Magic/Urban Fantasy

A Breath of Frost by Alyxandra Harvey (YA)

The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmburg (YA)
The Master Magician by Charlie N. Holmburg (YA)

The Deep End of the Sea by Heather Lyons (NA)

Beautiful and the Cursed, The by Page Morgan (YA)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (MG)
Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan (YA)
Unenchanted by Chanda Hahn (YA)
Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines

Historical

Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury (YA)

The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron (YA)

Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey (YA)

Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier (YA)

River in the Sky, A by Elizabeth Peters
The Girls at the Kingfisher Club by Genevieve Valentine (NA)
A Tyranny of Petticoats by Assorted Authors (YA)
Warrior by Zoe Archer (Adult)

Contemporary

Also Known As by Robin Benway (YA)

I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carter (YA)
Heist Society by Ally Carter (YA)

Smarty Bones by Carolyn Haines

The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall (YA)

Inside the Shadow City by Kristen Miller (MG)

Introductions by C.L. Stone (YA)
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (YA)

Romance

Riveted by Meljean Brook (Adult)

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge (YA)

The Assassin's Salvation by Ruby Lionsdrake (Adult)

The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Francis Long (YA)

Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster (Adult)

Red Rope of Fate by K.M. Shea

A Change of Fortune by Jen Turano

Full Steam Ahead by Karen Witemeyer
The Scarecrow King by Jill Myles
Beauty and the Beast by K.M. Shea

By Rating

5 Stars

Emperor's Edge, The by Lindsay Buroker

The Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz (MG)

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (YA)

The Child Prince by Honor Raconteur

Seeds of Discovery by Breeana Puttroff (YA)

The Crown Tower by Michael J. Sullivan
Emerald Storm, The by Michael J. Sullivan
Wintertide by Michael J. Sullivan
Percepliquis by Michael J. Sullivan

A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas (YA)

The Wizard Hunters by Martha Wells

Poison by Bridget Zinn

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross (YA)

Prudence by Gail Carriger

Valor's Choice by Tanya Huff

The Avatar Battle by Chad Morris (MG)

The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmburg (YA)

River in the Sky, A by Elizabeth Peters

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge (YA)

The Assassin's Salvation by Ruby Lionsdrake (Adult)
Unspoken by Sarah Reese Brennan (YA)
Earth Girl by Janet Edwards (YA)
The Web of Titan by Dom Testa (YA)
Air Awakens by Elise Kova (YA)
The Dreamer's Curse by Honor Raconteur
Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis (YA)
The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines
Beauty and the Beast by K.M. Shea
Kingdom of Ashes by Rhiannon Thomas (YA)
Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell (YA)
Flash Gold Chronicles by Lindsay Buroker
Villains by Necessity by Eve Forward
The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells
Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan

4 Stars

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (YA)

Monstrous by MarcyKate Connolly (MG)

Tymora's Luck by Jeff Grubb & Kate Novak

Terrier by Tamora Pierce (YA)

Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett

Sora's Quest by T.L. Shreffler (YA)

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (YA)

Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger (YA)
Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger (YA)

The Vindico by Wesley King (YA)

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (YA)

The Inventor's Secret by Chad Morris (MG)

All Our Yesterdays by Cristen Terrill (YA)

A Breath of Frost by Alyxandra Harvey (YA)

Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury (YA)

Heist Society by Ally Carter (YA)

Introductions by C.L. Stone (YA)

Red Rope of Fate by K.M. Shea

A Change of Fortune by Jen Turano

Black Lung Captain by Chris Wooding

The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress (YA)

The Comet's Curse by Dom Testa (YA)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (MG)
V is for Villain by Peter Moore (YA)
Timebound by Rysa Walker (YA)
Viper's Creed by T.L. Shreffler (YA)
Starbridge by A.C. Crispin
Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine (YA)
Madly by Amy Alward (YA)
The Scarecrow King by Jill Myles
The Dark Realm by Anthea Sharp (YA)
The Girls at the Kingfisher Club by Genevieve Valentine (NA)
A Tyranny of Petticoats by Assorted Authors (YA)
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
Rebel Mechanics by Shanna Swendson (YA)
Thorn by Intisar Khanani (YA)
Warrior by Zoe Archer (Adult)

3 Stars

Graceling by Kristin Cashore (YA)

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas (YA)

Uprooted by Naomi Novik (YA)

Fairest by Marissa Meyer (YA)

Beautiful and the Cursed, The by Page Morgan (YA)

The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare (YA)

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes (YA)

Full Steam Ahead by Karen Witemeyer

Lady of Devices by Shelley Adina (YA)

Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey (YA)

Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula by Elise Stokes (YA)

Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund (YA)

The Deep End of the Sea by Heather Lyons (NA)

The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Francis Long (YA)

Also Known As by Robin Benway (YA)

Invoking Darkness by Jeanne Cavelos

Riveted by Meljean Brook (Adult)
Stars Above by Marissa Meyers (YA)
Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines

2 Stars

Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon (YA)

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

High King's Tomb by Kristen Britain

Death Sworn by Leah Cypess (YA)

Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen (YA)

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen (MG)

The Girl with the Windup Heart by Kady Cross (YA)

Wings of Twilight by Hans Cummings

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (YA)

The Master Magician by Charlie N. Holmburg (YA)

The Clockwork Scarab by Colleen Gleason (YA)

The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall (YA)

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Avalon by Mindee Arnett (YA)

The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron (YA)

Inside the Shadow City by Kristen Miller (MG)

I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carter (YA)
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (YA)
Illusive by Emily Lloyd-Jones (YA)
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (YA)
Frozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes (YA)
Unenchanted by Chanda Hahn (YA)

1 Star

Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed

Sabriel by Garth Nix (YA)

Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier (YA)

Smarty Bones by Carolyn Haines

Shard Axe, The by Marsheila Rockwell

Wearing the Cape: The Beginning by Marion G. Harmon (NA)

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard (YA)

DNF

Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster (Adult)