Review: Code Name Verity (Audio Version)

Title: Code Name Verity (Audio)
Author: Elizabeth Wein
Narrated by: Morven Christie, Lucy Gaskell

Summary:  Oct. 11, 1943 A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a shot at survival. The other has lost the game before it’s barely begun. When “Verity” is arrested by the Gestapo, she’s sure she doesn’t stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she’s living a spy’s worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution. They’ll get the truth out of her. But it won’t be what they expect. As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage, failure, and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from a merciless and ruthless enemy? Harrowing and beautifully written, Code Name Verity is the story of an unforgettable friendship forged in the face of the ultimate evil.

My Review:  Pardon me while I wipe my tears away after finishing the audio of Elizabeth Wein's Code Name Verity.  This book has been on my TBR list for a while and while I was at my local library I picked up the audio recording.  I've not always been a fan of audio books because I find myself getting distracted and not really listening to the story.  This was not the case for Code Name Verity.

 I was captivated by the story.  I found myself taking the long way around just to hear more.  Verity and Maddie's friendship is, for lack of a better word, amazing.  Verity details their friendship as she writes her confession as a captive of the Nazi regime.  The story had me guessing the entire time.  While listening, I had moments happiness, surprise, and sadness.   (I may have blubbered my way to work a couple of times).

Overall, I cannot rave enough about this story and this audio.  You are missing out if you don't read or listen to this.

Review: Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2)

Title:  Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2)
Author: R.L. LaFevers
Release: April 2, 2013

Summary:  Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price. Naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, the convent views Sybella as one of their most dangerous weapons.
But those assassin’s skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. Her father’s rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother’s love is equally monstrous. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?

This heart-pounding sequel to Grave Mercy serves betrayal, treachery, and danger in equal measure, bringing readers back to fifteenth century Brittany and will keep them on the edge of their seats.

My Review: 

What I loved: Grave Mercy was one of my favorite reads from 2012 and I have been excited to get my hands on Dark Triumph for months. Sybella's story is much darker than even I had expected it to be. She had a painful childhood that has left her emotionally scarred and very untrusting. Sybella's hatred for d'Albret guides the plot and the cast of supporting characters is strong all around.

I also need to give a huge fan-girl shout out to Beast. I think he is one of my favorite historical men I have ever read. He may not fit the bill of everyone's favorite type of male lead but he is up at the top of my list. His brute strength alone makes him fascinating to read but once you uncover his personality you will find a loving, loyal, amazing man. I was surprised how much I ended up rooting for him.

Final Verdict: Dark Triumph is one of the most engrossing stories I have ever read. I was captivated and intrigued from the very beginning and I felt satisfied at the end, although I could have used a little more Beast. I think readers will root for Sybella despite the harshness of her personality and cheer for the successes in life and love that she finds.

Fans of Grave Mercy should not hesitate to pick this second book up. You will not be disappointed. Readers and lovers of historical fiction in the adult or young adult markets should look for this series as well, it is a gem! I am anxiously awaiting the next installment.

Here is a link to my YABC review of Grave Mercy.

In My Mailbox (4)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren as a way for us to share all of the books we received that week.

Just a trip to the library for me this week.

I checked out...

The Name of the Star

Room

Clockwork Prince

More to come this week, I'm sure!  There are a couple of books coming out on Tuesday that I CANNOT WAIT FOR!

 Leave a comment and let me know what you got!

Review: Disney Fairies: The Never Girls Books 1 & 2

Have you checked out the new Never Girls series yet?  I've read the first two and loved them both.  Click on the links to check out my YABC reviews!

In a Blink

The Space Between

Happy Reading!

Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Author: Michelle Hodkin
Released: September 27, 2011

Summary:  Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.

She’s wrong.

My Review:
I cannot believe I waited so long to read this book.  This is an amazing start to the series.  This is a unique story that will not only keep you up at night but it will keep you guessing the entire time.

What I loved: This story had me in suspense.  I had to keep reading because I had to find out what happened next.  I also loved the romance, nothing hot and heavy but the feelings were intense.  This book packed a powerful punch from the very beginning, there was never "down time" in the story.

I can't say anything negative about this book, my only problem is that I didn't read it sooner!

Review: Hide and Seek

Title:  Hide and Seek
Author: Kate Messner
Released: April 1, 2013

Summary:  A fast-paced mystery from the author of CAPTURE THE FLAG!

José, Anna, and Henry are junior members of the secret Silver Jaguar Society, sworn to protect the world's most important artifacts. When they discover that the society's treasured Jaguar Cup has been replaced with a counterfeit, the trio and their families rush to the rain forests of Costa Rica in search of the real chalice. But when the trail runs dry, new mysteries emerge: Who can they trust? Is there a traitor in their midst? With danger at every turn, it will take more than they realize for José and his friends to recover the cup before it falls into the wrong hands.

My Review:

What I liked: The second installment in this series by Kate Messner delivered all that I hoped for. The main cast of characters are back along with some new friends to help them solve their latest mystery. The setting of Costa Rica was absolutely perfect, the plants and animals were described so perfectly, I felt like I was there. 

There was a lot of action in this book, which is sure to delight readers. There are also some funny moments as well, that I can picture kids giggling as they read.

Final verdict: Messner has a flair for writing awesome middle grade novels. This is a book that will delight her fans and hopefully engage new readers.

Thanks, YABC for this one!

In My Mailbox (3)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.  Book reviewers and bloggers can share what books we received for the week.

This week I rediscovered the 'free books' section on my Nook.  I picked up a lot of fun romances that are nice when I need something light.  The DaVinci Code was also free and I'm probably one of the five people on the planet that hasn't read that book so I downloaded that one as well.

             

               

These are just a few of my freebies this week...

And like many of you, I'm sure, I picked up Clockwork Princess.  I'm in the process of reading Clockwork Angel and it will probably be a while before I get to this latest one but I couldn't pass it up.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you got this week and any books you may be looking forward to this week!