It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

My Review: This book made me feel like I was driving past a train wreck. I felt bad but couldn’t stop looking. You know this book is going to be sad but you won’t be able to put it down. And oh.my.gosh when you get to the end….

It’s a beautiful story, the descriptions are like nothing I’ve ever read before. The characters are SO real and they grow so much. The narrator is just creepy enough but still maintains kind of an interesting innocence. I REALLY enjoyed this book.

So I promise I will review individual books again, but I just read the last book in this series and it was SO good. Rachel Vincent also writes modern twists on mythology/urban fantasy, but she went in a completely original direction.

Kayleigh is a Banshee. When people die, she screams for their souls. She has no idea what she is when the series starts so when she starts screaming, she’s institutionalized. Then she meets Nash, a male version on a Banshee who has a brother that’s a reaper, an ex that’s a nightmare (literally) and they all discover their high school is on a hell mouth. Okay, not exactly, but the demons concentrating around the high school make me think of Buffy in a good way.

This is a fantastic series, and the characters are so well developed. They grow so much and so realistically throughout he series. It’s absolutely a worthwhile read, and I promise, the last book does not disappoint. You can buy books 1-2 plus a prequel short story in a single kindle edition, books 3 and 4 plus an amazingly heart wrenching short story in a single kindle edition, 5 and 6 plus a short story in a single edition and seven alone. Go shopping, seriously, it’s worth it.

Here’s the blurb for the first 3.

It starts with a scream….
New York Times bestselling author Rachel Vincent’s compelling Soul Screamers series keeps getting better—here, for the first time, the original stories are compiled into one special volume….

My Soul to Lose

—The prequel: never before in print!—

Kaylee is just your average girl shopping at the mall with friends—until a terrified scream bursts from her that cannot be stopped. Taken to a hospital ward, will she be able to save her mind—and her life?

My Soul to Take

She doesn’t see dead people. She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who’ll be next.

My Soul to Save

Going on dates with her boyfriend is still new to Kaylee. But when the singer of the band they’re seeing dies onstage and Kaylee doesn’t scream, she knows something crazy is going on. Soon she discovers souls can indeed be sold….

Three in one book review because I have a ton of catching up to do!

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t get steampunk. I loved Full Metal Alchemist, but to me the setting of a story is secondary to the plot. Still, I LOVE Scott Westerfeld. Ask any of my friends, I’ve made them all read Uglies. So I gave this series a chance.

Here are the blurbs

Leviathan:

Prince Aleksander, would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battletorn war machine and a loyal crew of men.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She’s a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With World War I brewing, Alek and Deryn’s paths cross in the most unexpected way…taking them on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure that will change both their lives forever.

Behemoth:

The behemoth is the fiercest creature in the British navy. It can swallow enemy battleships with one bite. The Darwinists will need it, now that they are at war with the Clanker powers.

Deryn is a girl posing as a boy in the British Air Service, and Alek is the heir to an empire posing as a commoner. Finally together aboard the airship Leviathan, they hope to bring the war to a halt. But when disaster strikes the Leviathan’s peacekeeping mission, they find themselves alone and hunted in enemy territory.

Alek and Deryn will need great skill, new allies, and brave hearts to face what’s ahead.

Goliath:

Goliath is a magnetic beam weapon to encourage peace in 1914 alternative WW1 (between German mechanical Clankers and British Darwinist genetic animal/plant fabricators) by Serbian inventor Nicolas Tesla rescued from remote Siberia by organic 1K’ British airship Leviathan midshipman Scottish Deryn Sharp, disguised as boy Daryl to join the Air Service, and her romantic interest, Prince Aleksander, secret heir to Austro-Hungarian throne. Grey-shaded sketches of fantastical contraptions, creative beasties, and impossibly slender characters adorn most of 44 chapters.

From Russia to Tokyo, California, and New York, the cast includes familiar mentors Dr Nora Barlow, London Zoological Society boffin (and Darwin granddaughter), and fencing master Count Vogel who warns Tesla may need to be assassinated. New faces are revolutionary leader Pancho Villa in Mexico, and newspaper and film mogul William Randolph Hearst showing first cliff-hanger episode from silent movie “Perils of Pauline”. Hungry giant bears, ocean storms, attacking forces from sky, land, and underwater – how can the penniless royal and brave commoner achieve world peace and personal happiness?

I didn’t like this series as much as Uglies (of course). I was a little underwhelmed and it took me a bit to get into, but once I got into it it kept me reading. The characters were interesting and the plot kept me guessing but it felt very gimmicky. I think it was maybe intended for the younger spectrum of the YA audience so that might have had something to do with it.

I was underwhelmed by this series, but I’d still be hard pressed to write something better. Westerfeld is a master of world building and pacing. His books are always fast paced, vivid, and make you feel like you’ve become immersed in a world to the point where you walk away feeling like you learned a new language. I kind of want to say barking spiders when something surprising happens much like I wanted to say bubbly for cool after reading Uglies. My goal is to one day be as good at setting and pacing as Westerfeld, so I can’t give any of his books less than five stars because he’s one of my idols. Read him. He’s amazing.