Review 16. A.C Gaughen – Scarlet.

Title: Scarlet.
Author: A.C Gaughen.
Pages: 292.
Published: June 7th 2012 by Bloomsbury Childrens Books
Sort: Scarlet #1.
THIS IS A REREAD.

Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance. Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in. It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.

Rating:

This book is a re-read for me, since it was our book club pick for this month. I recently won a copy of Scarlet and I’ll be getting Lady Thief soon, so it was a perfect timing! I’m very happy to rediscover this book and my love for it. Not to mention the fact that I’m ashamed for my previous review, so I’m more than happy to write another one.

Armchair BEA: Ethics.

Photo Credit: Nina of Nina Reads

We're getting back into discussion mode in a big way today with the topic of "Ethics in Blogging." What guidelines must we follow as bloggers--attribution, disclosure, honesty? Have you had an experience with plagiarism (victim or perpetrator?), and how did you deal with it? Do you have recommendations to new bloggers about how to ensure that credit is given to whom/where it's due?

Plagiarism is a difficult subject, because I think sometimes we might do it without really knowing it. Yes, most of the times it’s done with knowledge and I don’t have anything good to say about those people, but I think we can be influenced without realizing it.

Review 162. Justin Cronin – The Passage.

Title: The Passage.
Author: Justin Cronin.
Pages: 994 (my edition)
Published: June 8th 2010.
Publisher: Ballantine Books.
Sort: Part one of ‘The Passage’

“It happened fast. Thirty-two minutes for one world to die, another to be born.” First, the unthinkable: a security breach at a secret U.S. government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment. Then, the unspeakable: a night of chaos and carnage gives way to sunrise on a nation, and ultimately a world, forever altered. All that remains for the stunned survivors is the long fight ahead and a future ruled by fear—of darkness, of death, of a fate far worse. As civilization swiftly crumbles into a primal landscape of predators and prey, two people flee in search of sanctuary. FBI agent Brad Wolgast is a good man haunted by what he’s done in the line of duty. Six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte is a refugee from the doomed scientific project that has triggered apocalypse. He is determined to protect her from the horror set loose by her captors. But for Amy, escaping the bloody fallout is only the beginning of a much longer odyssey—spanning miles and decades—towards the time and place where she must finish what should never have begun.

Rating:

Unbelievable but true: I started to read this book in October 2012 and I finished it in May 2013. 7 months to read a book with 994 pages. You can say that it was a hell of a ride. I’ve read many other books of course and I must admit that I had a hard time to finish is because of the grim and dark atmosphere. This is not a happy book.

Armchair BEA: Development & Fiction time.

Photo Credit: Nina of Nina Reads

The purpose of the conference is to foster "blogger development"--and clearly, that development can go in a variety of directions! Today, we're inviting you to talk about your approach. Have you branched out into your community? Do you partner with other bloggers? Have you gone "pro" or tried generating some income through your blog? If you're a long-term blogger, how has your online personality developed over the years?

Tell us about things you've done to expand your blogging horizons, and the things you'd like to do but haven't managed (or figured out) yet. Come back here to link up your post, and then go see what other participants have to say. Let's foster our development as bloggers and learn from each other!

Armchair BEA introduction & classic time.

Photo Credit: Nina of Nina Reads

For those of you who don't know what Armchair BEA is: it's for the sad bloggers who can't attend this wonderful event. As part of the introduction, we were asked to answer 5 questions. I have a feeling that I've answered most of them already on the blog, so I'm just going to tell you 5 things you might not know about me:

Review 161. Katherine Longshore – Gilt.

Title: Gilt.
Author: Katherine Longshore.
Pages: 406.
Published: February 28th 2013 (first published May 15th 2012)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's.
Sort: Part one of ‘The Royal Circle’

In the court of King Henry VIII, nothing is free--
and love comes at the highest price of all.
When Kitty Tylney's best friend, Catherine Howard, worms her way into King Henry VIII's heart and brings Kitty to court, she's thrust into a world filled with fabulous gowns, sparkling jewels, and elegant parties. No longer stuck in Cat's shadow, Kitty's now caught between two men--the object of her affection and the object of her desire. But court is also full of secrets, lies, and sordid affairs, and as Kitty witnesses Cat's meteoric rise and fall as queen, she must figure out how to keep being a good friend when the price of telling the truth could literally be her head.

Rating:

I consider myself a big fan of the Tudors era. Most of the historical fiction I read are about the queens and the court of Henry VIII. Last year I’ve read my first book about Catherine Howard: Alisa Libby – The king’s rose. I was surprised by the voice of Cat, but this book is completely the opposite. The Cat we see here is the same as the queen we see in the television show. This made it hard for me to rate this book. While I was intrigued by her and Kitty’s story, I had a hard time to connect to the characters. The writing-style was definitely pleasant and the atmosphere for the treacherous court was nicely done. That is why I settled down to a rating of 3.