The "Lady Emily" Mystery Series (Adult)

Okay, so it's not YA, but Tasha Alexander's mystery series featuring Lady Emily is excellent enough that I decided to break out of the genre to recommend it. Featuring a strong heroine with a penchant for sleuthing, antiquities, and breaking the constraints of Victorian society, this series is chock full of intrigue, romance, theft, murder, and waltzes. The first novel, And Only to Deceive, sets the stage when Lady Emily discovers the man she married to escape her mother's clutches was actually passionately in love with her. As she reveals that her husband was far more than he seemed, she realizes she's falling fast for him. The only problem? He's dead. And his murderer is dogging her every step. As she struggles to understand who she can and cannot trust, she crosses paths with the charming Mr. Hargreaves, the flippant Mr. Andrew Palmer, and the iconoclastic Madame du Lac, among many others.

Lady Emily's adventures are continued in several sequels, where more shocking scandals and suspicious deaths come to light. Giving away more of the plots of the second and third books would probably spoil too much, but they are certainly engrossing. I haven't read the fourth yet but am anxiously awaiting it!

Waiting on Wednesday: A Spy in The House

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick is A Spy in the House, the first novel in the Agency series by Y. S. Lee. I've got it on hold at the library but it's still being ordered, so it will sadly be a while until I get it. Anyway, I've read some great reviews of it and I'm excited for any book set in the Victorian time period with a strong female protagonist (and depending on how the mystery is handled, I may enjoy that as well).

Summary from Amazon: "Rescued from the gallows in 1850s London, young orphan (and thief) Mary Quinn is surprised to be offered a singular education, instruction in fine manners — and an unusual vocation. Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls is a cover for an all-female investigative unit called The Agency, and at seventeen, Mary is about to put her training to the test. Assuming the guise of a lady’s companion, she must infiltrate a rich merchant’s home in hopes of tracing his missing cargo ships. But the household is full of dangerous deceptions, and there is no one to trust — or is there? Packed with action and suspense, banter and romance, and evoking the gritty backstreets of Victorian London, this breezy mystery debuts a daring young detective who lives by her wits while uncovering secrets — including those of her own past."

Magic Under Glass: Review

Jaclyn Dolamore's first novel Magic Under Glass was an intriguing fantasy read involving a young girl Nimira who is hired by a sorcerer to sing with an automaton. When she finds out that the "clockwork man" is really a fairy prince trapped by a malicious enchantment, she vows to do her utmost to free him. However, those on the Sorcerer's Council are vowing the opposite... and time is running out for Nimira to save the man she's fallen in love with.

I really liked Dolamore's unique take on enchantment as well as the nature of her characters. Nimira is a gutsy protagonist and the sorcerer Hollin is very ambiguous (I didn't know what to make of him for a good part of the book). I couldn't help pitying the poor fairy prince Erris, and I am eager to read the sequel to find out exactly how his dilemma is solved. In fact, the only quibble I really have with this novel is that it ends with no resolution in sight (but I understand the adventure will be continued in Magic Under Stone, so I suppose I will just have to sit tight and wait!) Altogether I'd say it's a 4 out of 5 stars.

Waiting on Wednesday: Mockingjay

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

There are so many books coming out this summer I am waiting for but I have to say Suzanne Collins' Mockingjay is at the top of my list. I thoroughly enjoyed her first two novels - The Hunger Games and Catching Fire - and am dying to know how it all ends. Her approach to dystopian fiction is refreshing and her writing style really packs a punch (I was on the edge of my seat reading Catching Fire for the first time!) Also must have the love triangle resolved! (Though seriously, is there a choice? One word: PEETA).

Book summary from Amazon: "Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year."

In the Name of God review

Paula Jolin's In the Name of God is an interesting look into the pull of Muslim fundamental beliefs on a young girl living in Syria who is struggling to maintain her faith. Nadia has always been an excellent student and a strong follower of Islamic law. When the secular Syrian authorities arrest her cousin for blasphemous talk, Nadia feels she must fight back. A young man named Walid soon has her convinced that violence is the solution to preventing Western influence from taking over the Syria she desperately wants to protect.



While the topic of religious extremism is a touchy issue that is handled relatively well by Jolin, I really felt unable to connect with the main character at all. Her constant criticism of others being not "Islamic" enough grated on my nerves, frankly, and I was unable to relate to her tunnel-visioned focus on putting her religion (and what she believes it stands for) above all else, including her education and her family. The ending redeems the book somewhat (I won't spoil it), but it is a little too abrupt and I could have done with some more resolution to the story. The book did raise some interesting questions I hadn't really considered before then, but it isn't one I would read a second time.

Overall, I'd rate it a 3 out of 5 stars.