5 Excuses I Use to Avoid Sequels

The weekend is nigh! Your life is already bound for a course of fun and relaxation, so let's throw in some funnies with Front Five Friday. (More)

'Kay I don't need to make this confession, because I'm sure you've heard or noticed that I still haven't read Insurgent by Veronica Roth. Not what you were expecting me to say, eh? Yes, it's truth, my unsuspecting friends, please try to contain your shock if you didn't already know of this. And there are many poor books just like it who face the same dilemma: they can't get me to read them, even if I ALREADY OWN THEM. Now, in the case of Insurgent, you may be thinking something along the lines of



But let me esplain something to you. Sequels can be forces for good. You can look forward to the refinement of an author's writing style, long-awaited quality time with awesome characters, the story continuing and expanding, and, hopefully, the whole experience will be FUN.

They might even be beautiful.



Then there's, well, the shitty side of things. Didn't flush the toilet after shitty, where the sequel is so bad you don't even know how or why you read the first one, and then you remember the first one was SO GOOD. Then, you think, HOW COULD THIS BE?

That crushing disappointment, after you'd waited SO. LONG. for the book is indeed unbearable.



The worst thing about reading a terrible sequel, worse than even that leftover chocolate soup in your toilet bowl, is the buildup of expectations and the dramatic subsequent demolition. Like playing Jenga and losing THE MOMENT you place two fingers on a block. Nothing feels worse than disillusionment, and then the ensuing grief over the loss of that illusion.

And, so, I've come up with ways to convince myself I don't need to pick up a sequel. Yes, all of that was just to get things started. *grins*

#5: "I'm onto you, -INSERTDEVIOUSAUTHORNAMEHERE-, I know your pattern."
One of my favorite things I do to myself (*snickers* I said one of :P) and definitely among the worst I could possibly do is try to predict what the author is going to write in the sequel. Not like I'm Sherlock or some great powerful sorceror or seer. I just THINK that because I read ONE series of the author beforehand, that I KNOW the formula for how every series thereafter will run. Which is undoubtedly a little arrogant, very foolish, and quite pathetic. This is very much a serious problem and character flaw and could act as a strong deterrent, almost powerful enough to get me to stop in the middle of THE INDIGO SPELL by Richelle Mead... thankfully, my brain cells smothered and destroyed that irrational impulse.



Really, though, it's just a poor attempt at a defense mechanism to soothe arising anxiety that is possibly a bit dangerous. But, hey, what's the point if you're not invested, right?

#4: "I'll be sixty twenty by the time I get the next one and/or the following one."
So why should I bother with buying anything now? Starting anything now? It's like I'm asking for the devastation or BRING ON THE FAILURE. And then, what happens if it ends with a terrible cliffhanger or leaves you in the Pit of Despair, where people could be shouting down positivity and hope to you but you can't hear them because you're IN AN UNFATHOMABLE HOLE?

I mean, MAYBE if Allegiant by Veronica Roth were coming out sooner then I might find my way to the liquor store or a friend's basement the courage within myself to finally read Insurgent.

#3: "I loved the [rank here] one so much... so this next one probably isn't that good."
I actually ran into this sly form of self-doubt whilst reading HERO'S GUIDE TO STORMING THE CASTLE by Christopher Healy, which, STOP. Before you say anything, I know. I KNOW. It has nothing to do with trusting the author, not really. Okay, in certain cases, maybe. Although, my GOSH, Healy is a genius... I heard a tiny wicked voice whispering all about the improbability of the sequel living up to the enormous magnificence of the first one. How could my feelings rise that high once again? It SEEMS impossible. Like somebody saying you'll fall in love many times. Possible, sure, but not believable especially when you're a lonely eighteen-year-old who reads during ALL OF LIFE. One time seems so big and important already, imagining more amazing experiences gifted by the same author? Well, that sounds like something to make door-to-door sales. I haven't read THE RUNAWAY KING by Jennifer Nielsen and BOUNDLESS by Cynthia Hand because of this recurring wayward thought.



#2: "I'm not THAT invested."
Oh, yeah, I'm ALWAYS trying to convince myself of that one. Sometimes it is the truth. The first book could be mediocre, decent, or well-written, but when I see a chance at the sequel, I'm not inspired. Yes, whoa, I have self-restraint. Then there are others that are obviously amazing and that I loved in a twisted way Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan *reveals claws* which force me to pretend I don't really care one way or the other for the sake of my tattered emotional insides. So I let time go on until it SEEMS like I no longer have to pretend and I actually don't care. And on the day where my investment is at it's lowest "Unspoken? What's that again?" then I'll read the sequel. Cue bleeding insides afterward.

#1: "I HEARD IT WILL BREAK MY EVERYTHING."


When someone writes, "OMZFG! THAT ENDING," or "YOU WILL NEVER BELIEVE THE THINGS," what do you think my response is going to be? A smile and a "Thanks, fellow blogger and book connoisseur, I am now scared shitless" "I'm so scared I don't even know where I am but I think somebody moved me to the tundra in the last five seconds, but thanks for the honesty"? You are batshizz crazy if you think I'm grateful after THAT (even if I secretly enjoy it). I am now about as wary of that book as that frog contemplating hopping over that electric fence over there. And maybe ONE DAY that frog will be stupid enough to try to make the leap and escape a fried future, but that day, my friends, is not today.

And you? How long does it take before you're ready to touch a sequel let alone read one? Do you have any avoidance techniques you've caught yourself doing? Do you think I'm insane? Don't answer that, because I think we both know what the answer is going to be, but seriously pros vs cons on sequels? Yay or flay... the author?

I'm Baaaack From Spring Cleaning #Merlin and Here's a #GIVEAWAY to Make You Feel Better About Things

If you didn't want to take FIVE MINUTES away from your life to watch what I have to say, then I don't think I can allow you to participate in this giveaway... without telling you what you need to do to enter! Seriously, I basically wanted to mention a little of why I was away (#Merlin) for a little over a week (#Merlin) after I had been so determined to come up with a workable posting pattern AND introduce you to what books I'm going to be giving away. And there are A LOT, and possibly more will be tacked on depending on the length of the giveaway. I'll be adding any additional updates to the list of books in this post FYI.



So, in part to celebrate upcoming awesomeness (like BEA), the fact that I now have a customized BLOG LAYOUT all for my pretty self, and to act as balm to your pain over our dramatic separation, I've come up with three prize packs of about 4-5 books of ARCS/finished copies I own.

One prize pack will be international and the other two will be US only!



This giveaway will end June 24th 2013.

We're going old school wit dis so to enter, all you have to do is fill out this form.

Reaction to... The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson

TO UNCOVER OR BE COVERED:
I know some people don’t dig the bejeweled covers with the model at their center, but I think they’re all really stunning. It could be for reasons as shallow as they’re sparkly or it could be more obscure than that even to me.

SUMMARY: The epic and deeply satisfying conclusion to Rae Carson's Fire and Thorns trilogy. The seventeen-year-old sorcerer-queen will travel into the unknown realm of the enemy to win back her true love, save her country, and uncover the final secrets of her destiny.

Elisa is a fugitive in her own country. Her enemies have stolen the man she loves in order to lure her to the gate of darkness. As she and her daring companions take one last quest into unknown enemy territory to save Hector, Elisa will face hardships she's never imagined. And she will discover secrets about herself and her world that could change the course of history. She must rise up as champion-a champion to those who have hated her most. Riveting, surprising, and achingly romantic, Rae Carson has spun a bold and powerful conclusion to her extraordinary trilogy.

You guys. This is absolutely… …

…

Well, I was going to say absolutely my most anticipated sequel release of the year but then I started thinking about Thankless In Death, Storming the Castle, The Fiery Heart, Daylighters, and I could go on and I started to think that when I get all rambunctious and excited my memory short-circuits and I start spouting untruths akin to blasphemy.

Even my cat, Sam, is giving me a look that says



Anyway, I can barely remember what I wrote in the message to Harper Collins to convince them to let me read this book (probably that excitement-makes-my-brain-go-kaput thing I mentioned) but I know it probably alluded to willing enslavement among other unsavory behaviors if only I COULD HAVE THIS BOOK.

They sure know how to read beneath all that flowery language and abundance of compliments and found the desperation I was doing little to hide AND I THANK THEM.

WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS:
I read THE BITTER KINGDOM in April, read THE CROWN OF EMBERS in October of 2012 and I can still tell you what this series is about. That’s skillz, my brethren, so believe it, fear it. What? I meant Rae Carson. Surely you know I have more modesty.

THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS introduces an insecure, unhappy, god-chosen Elisa who’s not comfortable in the shoes of “the chosen one” let alone in her own skin. She’s malleable and is pushed, pulled, toyed with and has no clue as to how much untapped potential and power she truly possesses, which, by far, makes the brightest spot of the series—her growth and transition into one of the most formidable, powerful heroines I’ve ever loved. Her journey to that inner strength begins in GoFaT (funny isn’t it!), climbs in THE CROWN OF EMBERS, and makes the distance at a profound height in THE BITTER KINGDOM. Her opponents range from terrifying pale-skinned magic users to sly dark-skinned country and noblemen, and within that are political disarray and a mysterious prophecy to take on as well. Why wouldn’t you want to read a series in which a girl, through personal struggles and vast accumulation of loyalties, triumphs against them all?

WHERE WE GO:
I’m a character girl all the way down to my underwear (my feet are a little undecided) but even I can appreciate the depth and complications of the story line. Carson takes her beautiful eruption of a fantasy world—so vivid, startling, and well-excavated—and wields it in EVERY INCH of the plot that has spanned the trilogy, filling all the holes at the right moments with the secrets of her world she’s left buried in the desert of Joya d’Arena and under the cold stones of the bitter kingdom of Invierno and calls them to rise. Like a darn pro and I’ve found her machinations of torture against us readers brutal and delightful.



Yeah, probably.

WHO WE ARE WITH:
Storm chuckles. "Queen, chosen one, horse thief. Let it never be said that you are not accomplished."

Oh, God, this review wasn’t supposed to be so long, but I can’t not divulge on each amazing fictional specimen on every page of THE BITTER KINGDOM! Elisa is undoubtedly one of my favorite heroines of all time, and even to my surprise her growth STILL CONTINUES. And it’s marvelous and beautiful and, gosh darn, I’m so freaking proud. Her acceptance of everything she’s become, all that she was, and what she still is is disarmingly FEELS-RIDDEN. But, man, her supporting cast is exactly that, determinedly supportive and fiercely loyal, and deserves as much mention as my keyboard and your attention will allow.

I think what draws these people to Elisa is her willingness to forgive and a power that leaves them awe-stricken. Belen, once traitor always a friend, is on my FAVORITE ASSASINS LIST, and deserves nothing less than the whole heart of Mara, Elisa’s BAMF lady-in-waiting. Then, there’s forever room, OBVS, for Hector, a deep-in-the-bones good, honorable man, friend, and so much more than I could EVER have hoped for my chick. Storm, an unexpected, grudgingly loyal ally, is surprisingly my favorite person for comic relief. Surprising because of his usual stoic nature, but everything that comes out of his mouth is caresses to my very receptive ears. And the newest addition of Mula/Red just caps the awesomeness on these guys. Another lovable child added to the cast, with so much courage and strength and lovable qualities, it makes me glow better than the biggest baddest glowworm that Elisa, essentially, has found a son in Rosario and perhaps a daughter in this fantastic little girl.

She has been with us for such a short time, yet she was willing to risk her life for our cause. "Weren't you scared?" I ask.
"Yes. But it was a good scared."
"There's a good kind?"
"Oh, yes." Her voice drops so low I have to strain to hear. "Orlin made me scared all the time. Scared I would starve. Scared I would get too cold. Scared he would hurt me again or get so mad that he'd throw me to one of the men. That was nasty bad scared." She pauses, scuffing her boots against the floor. "But you never hit me, even though I'm your slave."
"You're not my--"
"And you always feed me. You call me a true name. Now, when I'm scared it's not because of meanness. And today I chose my own scared. It's always a good scared, when you get to pick it for your own self."

THE LITTLE THINGS:

1. Hector’s %(*&^$DGG)^ to Elisa’s &%$@DF@$
2. The Sexy Nervous Bedchamber Scene
3. Mula Becomes Red Sparkling Stone
4. Red Picks Her Own Scared
5. Mara Says No to Belen and Smiles
6. Everything Said By He Who Wafts Gently with the Wind Becomes as Mighty as the Thunderstorm
7. And especially… everything

"You look beautiful," Alodia says.
I startle at the compliment. Then I smile. "I'm beautiful to the one person who matters."
She nods. "*&^^&$FGD's mouth will drop open when he sees you."
"I hope so. But I meant me. I'm beautiful to me."

What more do you need me to say? I’ve told you ALL OF IT. Every ounce of feelings in my overburdened body has been poured into this review. If, after ALL THIS, you don’t read this book I will slay you with whatever is at hand (I don’t know how much damage a keyboard will do, but I’m friggin’ willing to find out).

Hardcover / 400 pgs / Aug 27th 2013 / Greenwillow Books / Goodreads / $17.99

I received a copy that I got in April from Harper Teen via Edelweiss.

Reaction to... Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

TO UNCOVER OR BE COVERED:
I have mixed feelings on the cover. While a part of me is kind of bored with the model just standing in a dark corridor, the other part says that this looks and feels like Sybella. Granted, I think Sybella is even prettier, but she certainly does skulk around dark corners, looking menacing and toting a deadly weapon, or several. So even though it’s not my favorite cover, it does a good job of depicting WHO this story is about.

SUMMARY: Sybella's duty as Death's assassin in 15th-century France forces her return home to the personal hell that she had finally escaped. Love and romance, history and magic, vengeance and salvation converge in this thrilling sequel to Grave Mercy.

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. The convent views Sybella, naturally skilled in the arts of both death and seduction, 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. 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?

I did like GRAVE MERCY by Robin LaFevers, but I couldn’t sum up why I didn’t love it very well until I stumbled across this description of both of her books in LaFevers’s acknowledgements page. This is why she is the author and I am not.

“While Grave Mercy took place against a historical and political backdrop, Sybella’s story is a much more personal one, touching only on the fringes of the political happenings of the time.” And that, my beloved scarecrows, is why I didn’t love GRAVE MERCY in a nutshell. Because I enjoy my historicals, whether fantasy or fiction, to be “on the fringes” instead of directly involved in all the political intrigue. I’m a girl of action and adventure and pre-twentieth-and-twenty-first-century battles. I like a hint of all the court mumbo jumbo, and a little more of one as to who’s going to war with who, but the plot was so embedded in the politics it was easy to get bored. Because DARK TRIUMPH is a more personal journey, and being the character lover that I am, I connected with this book way, way more.

WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS:
It’s fifteenth-century France and A LOT is GOING DOWN. But, mainly the French are looking to invade because the Duchess of Brittany seems to be a chink in the armor of the land and they’re so damn arrogant and probably misogynistic, whatevs. The very real fear of a French invasion aside, one of their own counts has taken to seeking revenge and restitution since the Duchess has married another. Along with other complexities, like I said a lot is going down. Now, Sybella, the daughter of this sadistic traitor must use her time at the convent of St. Mortain to do His will and end this struggle once and for all. (ALSO: You don't need to read GRAVE MERCY to read book two.)

WHERE WE GO:
Right from the start, we are thrust into a heated battle session that is only too familiar if you’ve read GRAVE MERCY. A sprung trap gone awry, Sybella watches the fall of some of the Duchess’s own men, apart from one. Little does she know how essential he is to not only the Duchess but the escape of her own living nightmare. For Sybella has been sent on the deadly mission of infiltrating her father’s palace and reinstating herself among his court once again, and in turn putting herself willingly in his destructive crosshairs as well as in the sights of a brother she only wishes would see her as a sister.

From the grim and gruesome surroundings within the palace walls of Count d’Albret to a journey in the countryside brimming with the promise of capture at every turn, there’s not a still moment in DARK TRIUMPH. Just emotional ones, as many as the physical ones. Between helping the Duke of Waroch escape to fighting for her life and others’, I wonder how anyone can read Sybella’s story, emotional ties aside, and not be thrilled.

WHO WE ARE WITH:
Sybella, you poor innocent frightened child, you poor broken-spirited young woman, I only wished you comfort, happiness, and love the WHOLE TIME. Sybella’s turmoil and fear and shame are entwined in her narration, and you wonder how this tormented soul could have endured so much and retained sanity let alone purpose, however faltering both may be at points. She has a deep well of kindness, one whose whereabouts are easily forgotten when you stare at her cold face, listen to her cutting words, or watch her deliver justice. But it’s there and it’s big and deep and strong, and she has no idea it still exists inside of her any more than she believes Mortain hasn’t abandoned her. But never did I blame her or hold her own emotions against her, however crazily or wrongly they jumbled inside of her. She grew up in a twisted household, where greed, cruelty, and misplaced entitlement thrived. And instead of becoming as broken as those who lived with her intended, she grew to be strong, brave, and came to know the difference between right and wrong. Chose her side.

Of course, when I figured out that the mysteriously imprisoned Duke was Beast, I remembered what happened to him in GRAVE MERCY, remembered my love for him, and then the dots connected and I *fist-pumped* the hell out of my living room. My unexplained shouting for joy is not an uncommon occurrence in my household, but it took me a long while before I realized they were telling me to shut up because I was so stuck on the fact that Beast would, and could, get to her, Sybella I mean. He’s scarred and big and ugly and fights like a demon-wolf tearing into its first sign of prey after weeks of starvation. As L.J. Smith once wrote somewhere, when you rip away the viciousness you’re left with the other side and there’s really nothing like Beast’s tenderness, man. I wanted to wallow in that big ol’ scary bear, in his comfort, kindness, understanding and the aggression I found sexy.

I can’t say there was much in the way of new side characters, other than Yannic, but I didn’t mind, because I preferred the focus on Beast and Sybella and the villains. Eventually, we do cross paths once more with Ismae and Duval and all who accompany them and it made me happy to see them and for them to see their seemingly lost friends but I’ll be so much happier to see Beast and Sybella make their own cameos later on.

THE LITTLE THINGS:

1. Sybella Helps Beast Escape
2. Sybella Treats Beast’s Wounds
3. Beast Kisses Sybella First
4. Sybella’s Heart Is Healed And Soul Recovered
5. Sybella Gets Her Justice

Gah, I’m so damn happy! DARK TRIUMPH is more of what I wanted, and expected, from GRAVE MERCY and for that reason I couldn’t help but enjoy it more. But all the character connections and romances make this book THAT MUCH better. I seriously do not know how MORTAL HEART is going to triumph against the other two, considering I don’t remember liking Annith all that much. But the anticipation of her romance, and who I think it will be with, has me more excited than I would normally be.

I’m so happy I spent my Sunday with this one and these two.

Hardback / 385 pgs / April 2013 / Houghton Mifflin / Goodreads / $18.99

I received a copy from my library, which is ALWAYS on point.

Reaction to... The Mephisto Kiss by Trinity Faegan

TO UNCOVER OR BE COVERED:
Okay, I HATE this cover. Something about the cover of THE MEPHISTO KISS makes me think of a bad photoshop job and I’m clearly unimpressed. But that is the ONLY thing I fail to love about this sequel to THE MEPHISTO COVENANT.

SUMMARY: The eyes never lie. No one’s eyes are darker than Eryx. Not even the Devil’s.

When Jax and Sasha first see Jordan Ellis, they know she is no ordinary teenager. She’s the daughter of the President after all, but she’s also Anabo – a descendant of Eve.

What they don’t know is that Eryx plans to kidnap Jordan and force President Ellis to pledge his soul. If Eryx’s plot succeeds, the consequences would be catastrophic.

But the Mephisto brothers do know about Jordan’s secret identity. And for one of them, she could be the match that leads to their soul’s salvation.

Now it’s a desperate race against time to save Jordan and prevent Eryx’s haunting eyes from discovering her true identity.

I honestly don’t know why it took me so long to read this book. Well, yes I do. After THE MEPHISTO COVENANT, I wasn’t burning with anxiety and need-to-know feels for the sequel and so it didn’t cut it to my Actual Priorities list. But I requested it. And don’t give me that look. Yes, I’ve requested a lot, but usually because I’ve SOME kind of invested interest. In this case, I knew I’d be reading THE MEPHISTO KISS I just wasn’t sure when. Picking it up after months of having it was an impulsive decision, I now realize, BUT I’M SO HAPPY that I did it. Because it’s as if Trinity Faegan took all my small though many gripes about the first book and made a phenomenal book that I just want squeeze to my chest and serenade it whilst it remains in my arms. YEAH.

WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS:
All together there are seven sons of Hell. A long, long time ago, the eldest of those sons did something unforgiveable and cast himself out of the Mephisto—sons of the dark angel Mephistopheles and the Anabo Mana who were neither acknowledged by God or Lucifer—and has since become the enemy of the rest of his family. Because of their origins the Mephisto are earth-bound, immortal, and, if killed, headed straight to Hell with absolutely no passage into Heaven. Unless they’ve fulfilled the Mephisto Covenant—a promise from God that says each of the Mephisto will find peace and love with an Anabo—an infallibly pure soul resistant against temptation and the wickedness of man. But as Ajax, or Jax, has so proven in THE MEPHISTO COVENANT, that proves to be as difficult as can be, and will be even more difficult when Kyros, or Key, is given his own chance for redemption.

WHERE WE GO:
Yes, Trinity Faegan has made so many improvements to this second book in the Mephisto series. You have to understand, the first book wasn’t a bad book. It was a little weird at times—a lot of people still seem to question the sexism (would that be the word?) that seems to be embedded within certain aspects of the story—and the plot had been a little too choppy. The villain took FOREVER to show up, if my review is any judge, and the pacing needed work too. Not the case at all in THE MEPHISTO KISS.

We are given a brief introductory step into the minds of Kyros and Jordan before we are thrust into the fast-paced kidnapping that changes everything. Jordan is the president’s daughter, and was never any interest of the Mephisto or their sworn-enemy Eryx, until she becomes an essential piece to the chess game the President is unknowingly losing against Eryx and his plot to overtake the American government. With Jordan taken, it is revealed that Jordan is suspected to be one of whom the Mephisto are always looking for, and before he can prepare himself for what is about to happen, Kyros is assaulted with the scent of bluebells coming from an item of Jordan’s, changing everything.

What I loved so much about THE MEPHISTO KISS is the constant adventures, all the terrible outcomes, risk-taking, and fighting against evil whereas in THE MEPHISTO COVENANT all that didn’t seem so important. I had been too busy wishing Jax and Sasha together, just because, but with this book Faegan figured out if we are invested in the characters as much as humanly possible so will we be in their mission. It’s now imperative to stop Eryx, to keep him from tempting more souls and from taking the only happiness that really counts among the Mephisto after a thousand years of their own individual loneliness. From the Carpathian Mountains to Bucharest to Washington to the Mephisto stronghold, all that we learn and everywhere we go is thrilling, exciting, and compelled a range of emotions from me with every turn of the scene.

WHO WE ARE WITH:
True to my tastes, even more than I loved the plot, I loved this deeper development and better presentation of characters I liked in this first book. I saw the potential in the bromance between the Mephistos and how it might touch me deeply but it didn’t go that far in the first book whereas now I can’t imagine ever not reading a book with them in it. They are more of a presence, grounded in emotions and pasts and personalities that didn’t feel this close in THE MEPHISTO COVENANT. I finally feel like I know them, like I can sense family and feel home, their home, and enjoy all the struggles, arguments, and joyous occasions that come with that family.

Kyros was especially distant in THE MEPHISTO COVENANT, as the leader of the Mephisto, but that is no longer a problem. To protect himself from too deep of emotional investment, to hide all the emotional scarring and pain that comes with it, and to keep himself rigidly in check, his distance, or the cause thereof, is one of the saddest things I’ve ever known in a book. For the sake of his father, his brothers, all of them, and his long-dead mother, Kyros is an unbearably sad character though there is no outward sorrow to show. I couldn’t help but be relieved and happy at the promise of Jordan, or life with her. Seeing them stumble their way through love was so much more gratifying than what I found in the last book. It’s real and raw, full of mistakes and misunderstandings of each other’s characters while they figure out what those characters really are, and ultimately full of hope and acceptance and I am TOTES behind that. Yes, Jordan, like Sasha, battled with what was right for her, whether Kyros was wrong for her or not, but unlike Sasha, seemed strong and perfectly scared and somehow more real about her indecision. But there is a realization of the balance they have together that keeps them in check as much as happy.

THE LITTLE THINGS:

1. Kyros Begs Jordan To Stay Alive
2. Phoenix Tells Kyros About Jane
3. Jax Gives Jordan Advice
4. Kyros Wants Jordan For Jordan
5. Kyros Decides Jordan, Every Time

I’ve done the best that I could, putting my love of this book into words. And only now after finishing early this morning (I’m talking around five am people!), and after I try to make myself guilty for sleeping in and not studying for my final tomorrow because I stayed up late reading THE MEPHISTO KISS, do I realize how unequivocally excited I am for the rest of the books in the series! It makes me so sad that Faegan’s publisher decided against another book, like BEYOND sad.





But, I’m not bedridden with ragefever or pulling my own hair out because Trinity Faegan made the brave decision to continue the series on her own. And I can’t truly, deeply thank her enough for it because I genuinely love these characters she’s brought into the fictional world and who knows how much blacker my soul would’ve gotten if she hadn’t decided? Because she spared me a fate of long-lasting anger and took pity on all of us desperately waiting for the next part of the story, I think she is even more amazing. Really, people, you are missing so much by skipping this book.

I can’t tell you how much my blood sings at the thought of reading Phoenix’s story, which is the next book in the series called THE MEPHISTO MARK. Even though I must wait until September, in this book especially, Phoenix, the first brother to find an Anabo and lose her, has gotten to me and I’ve decided to be patient. I trust you, Trinity, to make me love Phoenix, Mariah, and their story so very much. And oddly enough it’s a scene with the guy in question that I find even more oddly compelled to share with you.

After a while, Phoenix said, "Jane wasn't what I expected."
Jerking his attention away from the dust motes, he saw Phoenix staring at the clock. "You never said so."
"I thought I'd find a girl who was strong and independent, who liked to ride as much as I did, who had a spirit of adventure and would go with me to places like the Himalayas, or the pyramids in Egypt. Instead, I got Jane, who couldn't walk and was afraid of horses. She was shy, reserved, and a homebody." Phoenix shifted in his chair and rubbed an invisible spot from the brown leather armrest. "Looking at it from her side, she thought she'd marry an aristocrat who would be as passionate about social change in England as she was, who could take her to church. Instead, she got me."
"Who healed her so she could walk. That had to rank higher than social change."
"Not to Jane."
Key was floored. "I thought you and Jane were crazy about each other."
"We were."
"But you just said--"
"All that was in the beginning, Key. Once I really knew her, I didn't care so much about the pyramids. She could be funny, which isn't something I ever considered important. She had quirks, like hiding dime novels inside her hat so she could sneak away from parties and read. You don't think about things like that while you're waiting. You build up this perfect girl in your head, but she doesn't exist. What you get instead is a real human being, and if you're lucky like me, she'll be a million times better than what you imagined and expected."
"In her hat? Really?"
Phoenix nodded and reached for his book. "She loved scary stories."
Key got to his feet and walked to the doorway into the front hall, then stopped and said over his shoulder, "Do you ever imagine another girl?"
"All the time, but now, instead of a girl who's into pyramids, she's always Jane."

Now, maybe, you know what I mean.

Hardback / 448 pgs / Sept 25th 2012 / Egmont USA / Goodreads / $17.99

I received a copy from Egmont via Netgalley back in October.