July Wrap-Up

The end of another month brings my wrap-up post. It also brings a question: where did July go? Seriously, it's over and I can hardly believe it.

Books of July

The Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz - ***** - Review: August 5th
The Maze Runner by James Dashner - *** - Thoughts here
Valor's Choice by Tanya Huff - ***** - Review: August 12th

Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury - **** - Review: August 19th
Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle - ***
Uprooted by Naomi Novik - *** - Review: August 26th

This Crumbling Pageant by Patricia Burroughs - DNF - My thoughts here
Encrypted by Lindsay Buroker - ****
Thorns of Decision by Breeana Puttroff - *****

Trial and Temptation by Ruby Lionsdrake - *****
The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace - DNF - I've got a rant/review planned for next month. Probably on the 14th.


Books and Blog Thoughts
I actually think I did fairly well this month. Yeah, some of the books could have been better - especially a couple of those that I was really looking forward to - but over all...I did alright. (Except for those DNF's... Some books just make me so angry that I can't read them.)

Towards the end of the month, I got a big package of books in that I'd ordered from book outlet. They don't have a ton of stuff I want there, but whenever I can get a big order together, I save a bunch of money. 9 book for 45 dollars is quite a deal if you ask me. Not quite as good a buy as their stuff usually is, but I ordered a couple of 5+ dollar books. But I also had several that weren't even 3 dollars.

I was going to post this in the next section but...It's hot. I'm suprised July is over, but also so very glad because that means we're getting closer to autumn and winter. (At least, eventually.) Because we've been so hot, I've been even more lazy than usual and my life has been pretty much comprised of 'work, read, television, sleep'. Sometimes we've been so hot that I don't even want to eat. (And that is plenty unusual for me.) I stand outside for ten minutes and I feel all wilted. What that means is that I've pretty much locked myself in with my AC and, instead of going out, I read.

Also, I am so proud of myself. So far this year I have already posted more here on my blog that I did the entirety of last year! It only took me a year to get my feet firmly planted on the ground. So, I'm very happy about this.

Off the Blog

So, remember those lilies I planted? I've actually gotten a few blooms off them but...They're not doing so well. One of the plants turned brown and died already, five or six others are turning yellow and I can't figure out why, they have bugs eating their leaves (I bought some different bug spray) and all four blooms were the same type (I planted three different colors and of all eighteen bulbs, (I planted nine of each) none of the others looks like it's doing anything). I don't know what's wrong with them besides this being the reason that I don't have plants inside: I always accidently kill them. If there is truly such a thing as a 'brown thumb' I have one. I think next time I decide 'oh, I want to plant something' I'm going to get a farm simulation game. I'm good at those.

One of my all time favorite bands (we'll ignore the fact that, technically, 'they' are no longer a band, m'kay?) released their new CD at the beginning of the month. That's Breaking Benjamin, for those of you that...well, for everyone ;) So, I think that the longest stretch that CD has been out of my stereo since I got it has been less than two days last weekend when I listened to some Kelly Clarkson. Even though I've loved all BB's other CD's, this one is even more amazing than usual and I actually love every song. However, I have a new addiction:

This song is one of my favorites of theirs - right up there with Home and Into The Nothing. Everytime I listen to the CD, I have to listen to this song. Heck, even if I don't listen to any other song off this CD, I have to listen to this one.

On TV

I finished rewatching season 3 of Babylon 5. And I read Valor's Choice just as I was wrapping up with B5 and it worked perfectly. Made me hungry for sci-fi though. (If you've got any show or book suggestions for sci-fi, I would love to get some!)

I finally finished a couple of shows that I'd been working on for ages. 1) Season 5 of Vampire Diaries. I took a long hiatus during all the Katherine/Elena stuff because I hate those storylines, but it really wasn't as bad as I had expected. And then I got sucked back into it. & 2) Blood-C. I really wouldn't recommend the show. I had my doubts about it before I ever started watching it, but it is from CLAMP and, even if I don't love all their shows, I watch them. This one wasn't even my least favorite of theirs, but I didn't like very many of the people. There is a pretty awesome storyline there and I love that we finally get some typical CLAMP weirdness. It only took until episode 11.

I also watched Devils & Realist and Girls Und Panzer. Both were quite a bit of fun. They're both really light and I loved watching them together because you've got the one that's (basically) all guys and the one that's (essentially) all girls.

So, that's my month. Over all, it's been a good month for me and I hope everyone else is doing well.

Rereading The Lunar Chronicles: Month One: Cinder

I'm sure all of you know by now that Winter (the fourth and final book in the series) comes out this November. I have got big plans for the week (possibly even weeks) leading up to that release date. (More on that when it gets closer, but I'll be posting posting special topics and such.)

However, looking at Cress, I realized something important. It's been almost a year since I read Cress (and I had a cold then so my brain was fuzzy) - Cinder will almost have been two years before Winter get's released. It's not a secret, I've read a lot of books since then. I don't remember much from any of these three books. Just that I like each one more than the last.

So I've decided to do something I never do: reread the series in preparation for the next book. Just the main books though. I don't think Fairest will improve for me upon rereading (like I kind of think Cinder might) and I haven't read any of the short stories. (Click here to find out why I'm holding off reading those.)

For the next three months, starting with Cinder in August, I'll be reading one of the main The Lunar Chronicles books a month leading up to the November release of Winter. I plan on doing a little post each month where I let you know what I thought about the book this time and if my feelings have changed. I'd like to call it a re-read review, but I doubt it will be that in depth. Especially considering that I actually reviewed all three of them the first time I read the books. I also have plans to do a couple (two or three) special posts each month where I talk about things from the books or what they were inspired by. (I've already got ideas, but I don't want to say what they are in case plans fall through.)

Is anyone else going to be rereading these books? Or do you not reread books? (Or, at least, do you not reread for the sequel? I usually don't, but this time I think I better otherwise I might not have a clue what's going one.) Or have you reread them already? Or have you read them so recently that you don't need to?

If you're interested in participating in The Book Addict's Guide Lunar Chronicles (Re)Read Along, click here.

Review: The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron

The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron

Series: The Dark Unwinding #1
Genre: Steampunk/Gothic
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When Katharine Tulman’s inheritance is called into question by the rumor that her eccentric uncle is squandering away the family fortune, she is sent to his estate to have him committed to an asylum. But instead of a lunatic, Katharine discovers a genius inventor with his own set of rules, who employs a village of nine hundred people rescued from the workhouses of London.

Katharine is now torn between protecting her own inheritance and preserving the peculiar community she grows to care for deeply. And her choices are made even more complicated by a handsome apprentice, a secretive student, and fears for her own sanity.

As the mysteries of the estate begin to unravel, it is clear that not only is her uncle’s world at stake, but also the state of England as Katharine knows it.

Top Ten Characters Who Are Fellow Book Nerds

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

Love this topic! I don't think it'll be easy for me to come up with ten, but I'm going to give it a go.

"Sometimes, when I have to do something I don't want to do, I pretend I'm a character from a book. It's easier to know what they would do." - Will Herondale - Clockwork Angel (Remind me to never look at quotes from that series again. Now I want to re-read it.)

Top Ten Characters Who Are Fellow Book Nerds

The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen

Character: Mariah Aubrey

In a time when it was considered improper (and just a poor idea in general) for a women to write novels, the main character in the book does just that. After all, a scandal has already ruined her name. How much worse could it get? Seriously, I love the fact that this woman loves writing.

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Character: Will Herondale

It was really a toss up between Will and Tessa Gray for which one I should include on this list. They do like quoting books at each other. However, if memory serves, Will quotes just a bit more than Tessa. Ergo, we'll go with him.

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
Character: Nyx Triskelion

So, as you probably know, this is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Nyx is the character Belle. Hello? Of course she likes books. Feels kind of awful, too, when she can't read all the books in the library.



Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Character: Elizabeth Bennet
Probably one of the best known literary book nerds ever, I couldn't not have Lizzy on this list. No, that's not the copy I own, (I spent like three dollars on one of those teal-ish copies used) but I think this cover is really cool looking.



The Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz
Character: Prince Ben
Ben is the son of Belle and the Beast king (please note, he's never called 'Adam') and to say he takes after his mother is an understatement. One of his fondest childhood memories is spending all day reading in the library with his mother. (Go figure.)



Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury
Character: Agnes Wilkins
Agnes is a fan of the books written by 'A Lady' (the name Jane Austin's books were originally published under) and likes quoting them. In English. And German. And French. And Russian. And Italian. And Greek. And she buys Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust in the original German.



So...not even close to ten. I tried, I really did - but there's not a lot of readers usually in fantasy books and that's usually what I read. I did think of a couple more, but I really don't like those people and wanted to limit this list to the ones I actually like.

Of course, I'll probably see other characters on people's lists and go 'why didn't I think of him/her'. I'm very excited to see what everyone else comes up with. Leave me a link and I'll visit your list. And do let me know what you think of mine!

July Book Haul

I don't often do posts like this - mostly because my books tend to trickle in one at a time. Well, this month they didn't. I ordered to Book Outlet and had all those shiny new books sitting on my desk and I thought 'why not start doing book haul posts?' I used to do them way back when I first started this blog but quit. I'm not really sure why, but I did. So, towards the end of each month, I plan on getting a post together of all the books I've acquired since my last post. Because it will probably never be the very last day of the month, I might not have gotten all these books in that month. (Like I've still got a few more books that could trickle in before August starts, but I'll just put them on next month's Book Haul.)

My Book Outlet Order

From top to bottom

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

The Cloak Society by Jeramey Kraatz

The Secret Box by Whitaker Ringwald

The Girls At The Kingfisher Club by Genevieve Valentine

The Comet's Curse by Dom Testa

The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas

Prophecy by Ellen Oh

The Last Knight by Hilari Bell

Kindle Books

Are you interested in any of these? I'd love to hear if you've read any of them and what you think! Get me excited to read them. I can already highly recommend Lindsay Buroker's books (these are some short stories and novellas that tie into her work) because I LOVE her books. Her The Emperor's Edge fantasy series is one of my favorites! The Breeana Puttroff series is fun if you can handle extreme fluff - or are maybe in the mood for it. And Ruby Lionsdrake series (a pen name of Lindsay Buroker!) is great if you want some sci-fi romance.

Authors 'Copying' Their Own Books

It's happened a few times now: I find a new (or, at least, new-to-me) author and I grab a book of theirs that sounds wonderful and read it. It was great, I mean really, really great. So I either wait impatiently for their next book, or start perusing their backlog. Which ever it is, I finally get my hands on another book of theirs. Excitedly I pop the book open and start reading.

But…It's strange, I feel like this story is familiar. (The people, the plot, something. Admittedly, it's usually the people.) It goes beyond the style of the author. In fact…it almost seems like this book is a rip-off. A rip-off of the previous book by the same author!

I've read some books that feel like copies of other, very popular books. And there's the fads and phases that always occur in books. (The vampire resurgence thanks to Twilight. The dystopia setting gaining popularity thanks to The Hunger Games and Divergent. The fairy tale retelling craze thanks to…hmm, I'm not actually sure what really started that. Cinder? Throne of Glass? Wicked? Something older?)

I'm not one of those people that will rip on a book just because it has some aspect in common with another book. Because, honestly, in this day and age, you won't find a book that's completely original. Everything's a copy of something else. (Even 'original' books like The Lord of the Rings was inspired by - and somewhat based on - Beowulf.)

However, I always can't help but to feel a little cautious of authors when two of their books (or more!) feel like copies of one another. I might have loved the first one, but the second one causes my interest to wane. (Weren't we already here?) What makes it even worse for me is when it's the characters and not the plot that feels recycled.

Because I'm a character reader. (I've got a discussion about that in the works, so I won't go into it any more here.) When the main character in book B feels like a copy (and, usually a bad one) of the main character in book A, I start to wonder - can't this author write any other type of character? Will I be doomed to - assuming I keep reading their books - be stuck with increasingly copied characters until they all seem generic?

So, sound off, readers. Have you ever experienced a 'copied' book by the same author? How do you deal with it, if you have? Have you ever had a secondary character's personality change before his/her feature book? (I have! Totally not bragging about that because, honestly!)

The Ultimate Book Tag

Found this over at The Regal Critiques and just had to do it. (And decided it's been sitting on my computer long enough.) Thanks Veronika! So, this got pushed back because another post suddenly cropped up as 'I have to post that' and this was the only thing I could move.

1. Do you get sick while reading in the car? 
Not 'sick' but dizzy. I start getting a bit of a headache and know I need to stop reading right now.

2. Which authors writing style is completely unique to you and why? 
Completely unique...? I'm not sure there is one... I think maybe Barbara Michaels/Elizabeth Peters. (Same author, different pen names. The former is for 'gothic mysteries' the second is mysteries with an archeological twist.) The reason would be because she loves and deconstructs gothics. You know those stories that feature a woman looking over her shoulder back at a foreboding castle while racing along a windswept hill? She follows the pattern and makes my favorite gothic mysteries, but at the same time she...deconstructs them.

3. Harry Potter series or the Twilight Saga? Give 3 points to defend your answer.
Harry Potter series:

1. I've actually read it. (Well, the first six books so far.)
2. It's told in the third person perspective instead of the first (which I hate).
3. It does not have a romanticized stalker as the love interest.

4. Do you carry a book bag? If so, what is in it (besides books…)?
Nope. Unless you mean my messenger bag. Besides the book I'm currently reading, it doesn't often have much else in it. Usually just a hat for those rainy days.

5. Do you smell your books? 
Sometimes. I like new book smell and I even like old book mustiness - but I draw the line at some of those scents you pick up on used books. (Cigarette, mouse, food...) If they're those kind of old books, they don't get sniffed.

6. Books with or without little illustrations?
With! There was a time that I probably would not have said that, but I love the little chapter illustrations that some books have. To me it just really pulls you into the story and the world the author created even more.

7. What book did you love while reading but discovered later it wasn't quality writing? (Ex. I read Twilight before I read HP and thought the writing was amazing but read HP and now think Twilight is a little bit of a joke.)
I don't know. I'm one of those people that can appreciate corny, cheesy things. And then there's the nostalgia factor and ... hmm. All the books that I'm thinking of, the writing style was the least of my problems.

8. Do you have any funny stories involving books from your childhood? Please share!
Uh...No. I...don't actually have stories from my childhood. Involving books or otherwise.

9. What is the thinnest book on your shelf? 
Judging by my Goodread read list sorted by page number (once all those that are 'unknown' and '0 pages' are gotten rid of) that would be: A Certain Crossroad by Emilie Loring! (I do have three other books are all within ten pages to the length of this one.)

10. What is the thickest book on your shelf? 
Do you realize that less than ten pages separate my thickest book from the next? (And for the purpose of this question, I'm assuming that thickest means 'most pages'.)

Clocking in a whopping nine hundred and thirty-two pages is...*drumroll* Heir of Novron, The Riyria Revelations books 5 and 6 by Michael J. Sullivan! (I'm now going to gloat because I got to mention this book in this tag!) And yes, it totally counts even if it is two books, because they're bound together like an omnibus. (Even though I thought that had to be three.)

11. Do you write as well as read? Do you see yourself in the future as being an author?
I do, actually. I don't write as much now as I used to because whenever I start writing something, I don't like the way it turns out. Currently though, I'm working on a fantasy story set in a world with magic/technology similar to the Final Fantasy games. I don't know if I've got the courage to ever try for publishing - even self-publishing - but I would like to someday.

12. When did you get into reading? 
I've always been into reading. My mom used to read to me before bed and when I got old enough to read on my own, I did. I'm somewhat lucky in that I'm the youngest of three kids so I inherited all my older sister and brother's old books. Things like Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, The Hardy Boys - so I've been reading pretty much my entire life.


13. What is your favorite classic book? 
Treasure Island. Of course, I've not read the book in over ten years and, while I've thought about re-reading it, I'm terrified I won't like it any more. (My brother deserves a big 'thank you' for buying this book for my birthday one year, otherwise I'd still think all classics were like: Tom Sawyer, The Three Musketeers and...uh, there was another one... Oh! Edgar Allen Poe's writing. *Shudders*)


14. In school was your best subject Language Arts/English? 
Nope. Probably because I didn't try very hard. No one was ever able to tell me why I would ever need to 'diagram a sentence'. My best subject before high school was Math. It just came so easily to me...right up until Pre-Algebra. Then it lost me and I barely muddled through it. In high school, it was Science. Science has always been my favorite subject and it was the one that I actively worked the hardest on.

15. If you were given a book as a present that you had read before and hated…what would you do?
Thank them, find an out-of-the-way place on my shelf for it until I could get rid of it (give it away or sell it) without feeling guilt. Just please don't let them ask me if I liked it, because I won't lie.

16. What is a lesser known series that you know of that is similar to Harry Potter or the Hunger Games?
Hex Hall? This was the first book that jumped to mind for being similar to Harry Potter. The main girl is a witch that is sent to a bootcamp like boarding school for paranormal misfits. You didn't ask for the book to actually be good, which is good because I found this book painfully annoying.

17. What is a bad habit you always do (besides rambling) while blogging?
I over think things. I get nervous about what I wrote: example: did that make sense? What's the word I want? Did I use too many ellipses, parentheses or hyphens? I sound like an idiot, don't I? I'm not even going to bother posting this. No one would comment anyway. It's not like this actually makes sense. What was my topic idea to begin with?

I'm trying to get better, but if you meet me in person, I'm on the shy side and I get easily nervous so I try to keep my natural insecurity from just spilling out over everything. Yeah.

18. What is your favorite word? 
I don't actually have one, I think. I might have a least favorite word or two (like beautiful) but there's never really been any word that caught my attention as being one I really like.

19. Are you a nerd, dork, or dweeb? Or all of the above?
Can I take a third (rather, fourth) option? Because more than any of these, I'm a geek. If I seriously have to pick between these three, I'm more of a nerd than anything else.

20. Vampires or Fairies? Why? 
Ugh. Vampires, I guess. Because while I've seldom found a vampire story (or, being honest, a vampire) that I like, I've never found a story about fae that I like.

21. Shapeshifters or Angels? Why?
Shapeshifters. Because it's awesome, that's why.

22.  Spirits or Werewolves? Why?

Hmm... Spirits. Because they've not been as done to death.

23. Zombies or Vampires? 
Zombies. *Ahem* Shoot them in the head! (If you'll pardon the Resident Evil reference.)

24. Love triangle or forbidden love? 
Loveless? Seriously, I'd give so very much to find a fantasy young adult series that isn't romance-y. I think this is why I randomly retreat back to adult fantasy.

25. AND FINALLY: Full on romance books or action-packed with a few love scenes mixed in?

Uhh... See answer 24. Can I have action-packed with lots of fighting and explosions and stuff without the romance? Please? (Seriously, if you know of any YA books like this, please suggest them!)

I tag anyone that's interested in doing this. (Hope you have as much fun as I did because I love tag!)

Review: Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund

Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund

Series: Standalone
Genre: Sci-Fi/Romance
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With a past too terrible to speak of, and a bleak, lonely future ahead of her, Aerin Renning is shocked to find she has earned a place at the most exclusive school in the universe. Aerin excels at Academy 7 in all but debate, where Dane Madousin son of one of the most powerful men in the Alliance? consistently out talks her. Fortunately Aerin consistently outwits him at sparring. They are at the top of their class until Dane jeopardizes everything and Aerin is unintentionally dragged down with him. When the pair is given a joint punishment, an unexpected friendship and romance begins to form. But Dane and Aerin both harbor dangerous secrets, and the two are linked in ways neither of them could ever have imagined. . . .

Top Ten Books That Feature Diversity

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

In theory I love diversity in my stories - but in practice, I have a hard time finding books that I like that feature diversity. I think that's partially because so few fantasy books are anything other than 'typical white european' setting. (Seriously, a lot of these books still struggle to have women, much less diversity.) But it's also because I'm not interested in reading a book about a character struggling or coming to terms with who they are. My favorite type of diversity to read about is the kind where they have already come to terms with whatever the diversity is and it's part of the character - but not the main plot point.

Top Ten Books That Feature Diversity

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
There's actually several characters in this series that are POC - not the least of whom is the main character of the first book who is, I believe, half Chinese. There is also her love interest that is Asian (I think, also Chinese?) and, in later books, a black main character. Also, Cinder is a cyborg (human with robotic parts) so that's pretty diverse right there. 



The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson
I did research! (Because I totally couldn't remember. Be proud of me.) Magnus Bane himself is one-quarter Indonesian and bisexual. (For the longest time I thought he was Spanish...)



Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
One of the main characters in this series, Jem Carstairs, is half Chinese. (And I can't believe that fact almost slipped my mind.)




Riveted by Meljean Brooks
In this romance/erotica novel the hero, David Kentewess has a prosthetic eye of some sort and two robotic legs. It's steampunk, otherwise he would have probably been called a cyborg. Because he is.



Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey
Does it count as diversity if the whole story is populated by one ethnicity? Anyway, this is set in historical China with all the main characters being Chinese. (The villains, who I don't think you ever really get to see, are Huns.)



The Hippopotamus Pool by Elizabeth Peters
It was only a matter of time before this series, set in Egypt around the turn of the century, featured a Egyptian main character. David Todros was first introduced in this book. There are many other Egyptians as recurring characters and, later, some half Egyptians. (And unless I'm wrong, I think the 'Master Criminal' might be half Egyptian.)



Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon
A book I didn't much care for (thanks to one stupid plot arc) but it features a non-European fantasy world. Which is awesome! It borrows heavily from Asian history and mythology.



Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed
A book that I flat-out hated due to the depressing characters and the treatment of women. However, the world is great. It's heavily influenced by Middle Eastern culture and mythology.



Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
While I can't say I love his nickname (Soap) this series does feature one Phineas B. Crow, a black boy, as a friend and possible love interest of the main character.



Soulless by Gail Carriger
As much as I would love to say the vampires and werewolves provide racial diversity, I have the strange feeling that's not what this prompt meant. However, I do get to talk about the gay/lesbian/bisexual characters in this series - of which, the most notable is lord Akeldama.



Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Nehemia Ytger, princess of Eyllwe (and BBF to Celaena) is one of my two favorite characters from this series. (For those of you that don't know...Is there actually anyone that's not read this book? Anyway, Nehemia is black and many aspects of her country's culture seemed borrowed from parts of Africa.)



The Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz
This book features the offspring of some of Disney's most famous villains. While it's not immediately apparent at first (except for the case of Jafar's son) there is quite a bit of racial diversity. I offer you this proof.
Seriously, I want a chance to see this movie so badly. (It releases the end of this month, but I don't have Disney Channel so I'm hoping it hits DVD.)




I know, I have twelve books here. Probably for the first time since I started doing these lists, I didn't want to limit it to just ten. Even though I don't love all these books, the diversity is something that I think the book world - especially fantasy books - needs more of. Each of these books give a good example of how that can be done and, in truth, my issue with any of these books has nothing to do with the diversity. I look forward to finding more books like these and would love to hear suggestions for other books to read.

Leave me a link in the comments and I'll stop by. I look forward to seeing your lists and, please, leave me some suggestions too.

Series I'm Waiting For The Next Book Of (As Of June 9th)

This is basically a case of 'okay, I'm all caught up, now I'm just waiting for the author to write quicker'. Even if they are alreadying publishing a book a year. (With some of these, that's nowhere near enough.) Honestly, I expected there to me a lot more books on this list. I wonder if I'm forgetting any...

The Riyria Chronicles by Michael J. Sullivan

Finishing School Series by Gail Carriger

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Falling Kingdoms Series by Morgan Rhodes

(Cover of the first in the series)

A Wicked Thing Series by Rhiannon Thomas

The Custard Protocol Series by Gail Carriger

(Cover of the first in the series) The Rithmatist Series by Brandon Sanderson