The Quiet Concert

The Appearance of Annie van Sinderen by Katherine Howe

Title: The Appearance of Annie van Sinderen
Author: Katherine Howe
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 15th 2015

Summary from Goodreads:

It’s summertime in New York City, and aspiring filmmaker Wes Auckerman has just arrived to start his summer term at NYU. While shooting a séance at a psychic’s in the East Village, he meets a mysterious, intoxicatingly beautiful girl named Annie.

As they start spending time together, Wes finds himself falling for her, drawn to her rose-petal lips and her entrancing glow. There’s just something about her that he can’t put his finger on, something faraway and otherworldly that compels him to fall even deeper. Annie’s from the city, and yet she seems just as out of place as Wes feels. Lost in the chaos of the busy city streets, she’s been searching for something—a missing ring. And now Annie is running out of time and needs Wes’s help. As they search together, Annie and Wes uncover secrets lurking around every corner, secrets that will reveal the truth of Annie’s dark past.

Review

The Appearance of Annie van Sinderen was unlike most books I have read lately. It is told through two point-of-views, Wes and Annie; it is not exactly alternating but instead the story is split into parts based on the POVs. The reader is introduced to Annie early on when Wes sees her for the first time at a psychic visit.

The pacing slows at times but the eerie storyline still kept my attention. The Appearance of Annie van Sinderen is a slow moving, slow building haunting story. Katherine Howe weaved a unique character driven ghost story all without explicitly coming out and saying it.

Parts of the romance are not my favorite, it took some interesting turns which in the end comes together but at times I felt like Wes was all over the place with his feelings. Aside from the romance, I really enjoyed the development and personal growth seen in Wes, as well as the underlying mystery throughout. The Appearance of Annie van Sinderen reminded me of a favorite of mine, Anna Dressed in Blood just without the horror/creepier supernatural aspects. I enjoyed this subtle but mysterious ghost story!

A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab

Title: A Gathering of Shadows
Author: V. E. Schwab
Series: A Darker Shade of Magic #2
Publisher: Tor
Release Date: February 23, 2016
Source: ARC received from Publisher in exchange for an honest review (thank you Tor!!)

Summary from Goodreads:
Four months have passed since the shadow stone fell into Kell’s possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Rhy was wounded and the Dane twins fell, and the stone was cast with Holland’s dying body through the rift, and into Black London.

In many ways, things have almost returned to normal, though Rhy is more sober, and Kell is now plagued by his guilt. Restless, and having given up smuggling, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks like she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games—an extravagant international competition of magic, meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries—a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port.

But while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life, and those who were thought to be forever gone have returned. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night reappears in the morning, and so it seems Black London has risen again—meaning that another London must fall.

Review

For those of you familiar with Victoria Schwab’s work, I can promise you that A Gathering of Shadows will not disappoint. This book, this series, is just as charming and impressive as her others, if not more so. And for those of you not familiar with Victoria Schwab’s work, A Darker Shade of Magic is a great place to start. I am completely smitten with these books. The characters, the world, the plot, the writing – they are all perfection.

A Gathering of Shadows picks up shortly after where A Darker Shade of Magic leaves off. And for those of you who’ve already read A Darker Shade of Magic (I am assuming that most of you who are reading this review have), you know that a lot of shit went down. Therefore, our characters are all going through some kind of adjustment period, which is a large focus of this book. Lila becomes an even more prominent character in AGOS and you won’t hear any complaints from me. I freaking love this girl. She’s made a name for herself aboard a ship and through her adventures we meet a whole crew of new characters – the most noteworthy being Alucard Emery who Victoria Schwab once described as the “witty, mysterious, eyebrow-pierced captain of the Night Spire”. I LOVED the dynamic between Lila and Alucard – they were constantly challenging one another as they tried to discover each other’s secrets. It was like a playful power-struggle. And let me tell you, Alucard was FULL of surprises. THERE IS A NEW SHIP AND I SHIP IT SO HARD OMG.

Meanwhile, on the Kel and Rhy front, things are TENSE. The events that transpired at the end of ADSOM changed both of them in pretty significant ways and they are doing their best to find a new norm. Kel is especially struggling in this book. But fortunately for them all, they have the Element Games as a distraction. It is no secret that I love games, and magic games even more so, so I welcomed this addition to the story. A few of our own even compete in the tournament and I loved rooting for each of them.

Although AGOS largely takes place in Red London there are some snippets of what’s happening in the other Londons. White London is going through quite a transformative period but I won’t say any more than that. Just know that every chapter involving White London made my heart race.

AGOS did not move the plot forward as significantly as ADSOM did but it was one hell of a book regardless. I loved reading every second of this book and already wait with bated breath for the sequel. Especially after that ending. It was a tough one to swallow folks and frankly, I am scared for what Victoria Schwab has in store for us. But I definitely know it will bring the feels.

Read this one folks. You won’t regret it!

Stacking the Shelves (161) - February 6th

Stacking the Shelves - hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews - features books that you bought, borrowed, rented from the library, received for review, etc.

Upcoming Reads

Stars Above by Marissa Meyer
The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry

What books are stacking your shelves??

January 2016 Recap

Nicole Read

Ashley Read

January Favorites

Nicole's Pick

Ashley's Pick

January Reviews

What's New With Nicole

Is it really February already? Honestly, I am not sure where January went. It was much calmer than December but it still flew by. Probably because my month was consumed by the Tone It Up Challenge. If you haven't heard of it, it's this 8 week Fitness/Nutrition Challenge which means that for the past 4 weeks I have been exercising nonstop, grocery shopping nonstop, meal prepping nonstop and dreaming about pizza and cinnamon buns nonstop haha. But aside from that, Ashley, Lindsey, Ellie and I did go to Boston for ALA MW which was awesome. I saw the musical Once which was AMAZING (but sad). Philly was hit by a Snowpocalypse so I pretty much just lazed around for a whole weekend. I joined a Bocce Ball league because why not. And I also attended my first Aerial Yoga class and Barre class for the first time! So definitely a good start to the new year!

What's New With Ashley

January was a nice relaxing month for the most part. I was able to get a lot of reading in between being snowed in for almost a week and airport time to/from ALAMW. It was fantastic, I got to explore Boston with Ellie and Lindsey plus I got to meet my OTSPSecret Sister in person! I was on the fence but have decided to sign up for the next round and cannot wait to get to know my new sisters! Aside from reading this month I have decided to re-watch Gilmore Girls and have been really enjoying it :) The end of my winter quarter is coming up so I am getting slammed with some work but have a fun trip to Iceland to look forward to in February.

Favorites Giveaway Hop

Favorites Giveaway Hop!

We have read and enjoyed so many books lately! The winner has their choice of book from the picture below!

GIVEAWAY RULES:
- US residents only (sorry International friends :()
- Ends February 19th, 2016
- Fill out the Rafflecopter to enter
- Winners will have 48 hours to respond before someone else is selected
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Visit Some of the other Blogs on the Hop!

Rebel Bully Geek Pariah by Erin Jade Lange

Title: Rebel Bully, Geek Pariah
Author: Erin Jade Lange
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: February 16th 2016
Source: Copy provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review (Thanks Bloomsbury!)

Summary from Goodreads:

"The Breakfast Club" gets a modern, high-stakes reboot in this story of four very different teens and a night that changes them forever.

The Rebel: Once popular, Andi is now a dreadlocked, tattooed wild child.
The Bully: York torments everyone who crosses his path, especially his younger brother.
The Geek: Tired of being bullied, Boston is obsessed with getting into an Ivy League college.
The Pariah: Choosing to be invisible has always worked for Sam . . . until tonight.

When Andi, York, Boston, and Sam find themselves hiding in the woods after a party gets busted by the cops, they hop into the nearest car they see and take off—the first decision of many in a night that will change their lives forever. By the light of day, these four would never be caught dead together, but when their getaway takes a dangerously unpredictable turn, sticking together could be the only way to survive.

With cinematic storytelling and compelling emotional depth, critically acclaimed author Erin Jade Lange takes readers on literary thrill ride.

Review

I love 80s movies! Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller, Sixteen Candles and of course The Breakfast Club. So to hear that Rebel Bully Geek Pariah was a modern high-stakes Breakfast Club, I was all in!

The book is told from the Pariah's point of view (no multiple POVs here) which was a interesting and nice change considering the story focuses on four main characters. The reader is immediately introduced to the Pariah's mom through a flash forward. The hints of mystery and high stakes events start off right away. The following three main characters are introduced quite quickly. This is where the book gets the comparison to the Breakfast Club. The four very different characters are presented with a crazy intense situation and must band together to get through the next 24 hours. This is a primarily a plot driven book with a secondary focus on the friendship building and new bonds.

Rebel Bully Geek Pariah was darker than I was expecting and at times it had some heavier themes. The book has dangerous adventures, bad guys, drug deals, and police chases. Without giving away too much of the mystery, I definitely enjoyed the (sometimes a bit unrealistic) suspense filled plot with a unpredictable ending.

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

Title: Glass Sword
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Series: Red Queen #2
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: February 9, 2016
Source: ALA MW

Summary from Goodreads:
Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control.

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors.

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat.

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

Review

I am almost too sad to write this review. Last year, Red Queen was one of my favorite reads. I loved it so much and couldn’t wait to read Glass Sword. I even had it pre-ordered which is kind of a rarity for me, reserved for only a few of my most anticipated releases. I fully expected to love it. So what happened?

I was bored, mostly. Glass Sword is 400+ pages of middle book syndrome. There was too little action and too many words. Like, ya know when stuff is going on but it feels like it’s happening at a snail’s pace because you have to read 50 pages of dialogue in between each somewhat significant moment? Or it feels as if too much is happening in the background? That’s kind of what was going on in this book, or at least my best attempt at explaining how it felt to read it. The writing started to feel repetitive and meaningless and I found myself impatient to finish the book so I could move on to something I enjoyed more. And although the ending was good, I didn’t feel like it deserved the 400+ pages it took to get there.

I was also annoyed by Mare. She reminded me a little bit of Juliette from the Shatter Me series and for those who don’t know, I HATE Juliette. She was WAY too self-obsessed and a little too arrogant and I honestly didn’t recognize her at times. In Red Queen she was someone I admired and could easily root for. In Glass Sword, I found myself wanting to wring her neck one too many times just to shut her up. This is obviously not a good feeling to have about your heroine.

But I was more or less OK with everything else to happen. I didn’t mind Mare’s interest in Cal at all. I liked quite a few of the secondary characters. And there were even a couple developments that took me completely by surprise. And again, the ending was strong albeit a little sudden.

I wouldn’t say I disliked this book, but I was disappointed enough by it that I canceled my pre-order. It was not the sequel I had hoped for and I didn’t really enjoy reading it which saddens me like you wouldn’t believe. But I’ve seen some positive reviews on Goodreads so I could turn out to be the black sheep on this one. And I do think the last book has potential, I’ve just lost most of my confidence in this series.