Review: Drowned Wednesday

This book counts towards the Shifter challenge.

On the first day, there was mystery.
On the second day, there was darkness.
On the third day, there were pirates.


Arthur is resigned to another showdown in the world of the House, despite his broken leg and reluctance to have anything to do with the other Days.  He's been expecting to have to defeat Lady Wednesday and take the third key... he didn't expect to be invited to lunch.

Turns out, Lady Wednesday - or Drowned Wednesday, as she has become - needs his help to break the curse laid on her by the Morrow Days.  But first Arthur will have to survive pirates, seafaring clerks, Rats, storms, and the Border Seas.  And of course, he'll have to avoid being eaten by Wednesday, who shape shifts into a gigantic, starving white whale that devours everything in her path...


Entertainment: ★★★★


The third installment in the series was just as witty, fun, and enjoyable as the first two.


Plot: ★★★★


Nix does a good job of staying true to the general format of the series (Arthur must overcome trials to obtain another Key and therefore dominion over another portion of the house) - while still mixing it up and keeping the story new, exciting, and interesting.


Characters: ★★★★


The third portion of the Will is particularly enjoyable, and in addition all of the old favorites are back.  There are a few new characters, like Lady Wednesday, who were only so-so, but the strong main characters made up for that.


Writing: ★★★★★


As always, I loved Nix's writing.


End Result: four stars.  A good book, definitely worth your time.

Wishlist Wednesday (11)

This week, I can't wait to read Luminous by Dawn Metcalf!  It was the cover that caught my eye - it's gorgeous! And then I read the description (courtesy of Goodreads):

When sixteen-year-old Consuela discovers she can remove her skin, revealing a lustrous mother-of-pearl skeleton, she slips into a parallel world known as the Flow, a place inhabited by archetypal teens with extraordinary abilities. Crafting skins out of anything – air, water, feathers, fire – she is compelled to save ordinary people from dying before their time. Yet now someone is murdering them, one by one, and Consuela finds herself the focus of an intricate plot to end the Flow forever when all she really wants is to get back home, alive.  (More information: Goodreads)

I don't think I've ever read a story about a person with the superpower to remove their skin.  To be honest, it creeps me out a little.  But it also makes me want to read Luminous even more!

What do you think?  Will you be reading Luminous when it comes out?

Music Monday

Pas de Cheval - Panic! at the Disco

"It's the greatest thing you'd ever imagine - imagine knowing me."  Need I say more?  It's utterly self-absorbed, completely egotistical, and one of the greatest songs ever.  It's just plain fun to listen to.

Review: Grim Tuesday

Arthur survived Monday - barely.  He's ready to get back to a normal existence in his normal world.

But Tuesday isn't about to let him rest.  Grim Tuesday, the second ruler of the mysterious House, is determined not to let Arthur inherit the second Key...

Entertainment: ★★★★

Although I didn't enjoy it quite as much as Mister Monday, I still thought it was a fabulous read.

Plot: ★★★

I took away points because, honestly, it was a little predictable.  But it was still entertaining and interesting.

Characters: ★★★★★

I love Nix's characters - both the ones that carried over from Mister Monday and the new ones introduced in Grim Tuesday.  I like Arthur, both as a protagonist and as a person.  The clever references to the Mariner poem made me laugh, and I am still fascinated with the Will - both parts of it.

Writing: ★★★★★

I thought the action was written well, the narration was interesting and nicely paced... really I have nothing negative to say.

End Result: four stars.  A good book, definitely worth your time.

Blog Hop/Follow Friday

Hi, fellow blog hoppers, welcome to novapsych!

Follow Friday Question: 

What is your favorite hero-type? Stereotype wise. Do you like the strong silent type or the brute macho man?

I'm a huge fan of the clever thief stereotype, actually.  Gen from The Thief, Artemis Fowl, Neal Caffrey... 

Blog Hop Question: 

 Tell us about one of your posts from this week and give us a link so we can read it (review or otherwise)!

How about I go a step further and tell you about multiple posts from this week?

-I reviewed two books: My Invented Life and Mister Monday
I enjoyed both, although I must say Mister Monday was my favorite.

-I also posted an opinion post on old books
Weigh in, if you'd like, I'd love to know other readers' opinions.

-And there was a meme: Music Monday

The Long Weekend Winner

And the winner of their very own copy of The Long Weekend is... drumroll please...


Angelica, comment #5!  Congrats, Angelica!  Hope you enjoy your book!

Review: My Invented Life

A high school's production of As You Like It turns out to have more drama and gender-bending backstage than on stage.  Roz, theater geek with an overactive imagination, has landed the lead in As You Like It.  But instead of being thrilled, she can't help but be worried: her older sister, Eva, has been acting weird.

Roz examines Eva's recent behaviour and concludes that Eva must be lesbian.  Furthermore, she decides that Eva needs some encouragement to come out of the closet.  So Roz decides that she'll pretend to come out herself, despite being heterosexual.  Roz launches the entire cast of As You Like It into a confused romantic adventure...

Entertainment: ★★★★

So this is basically not my usual genre, at all.  But I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to!  Roz's narration was clever and open, the theater-geek references were funny, and My Invented Life turned out to be a very memorable book.

Plot: ★★★★

I thought it was cool how As You Like It's cast mirrored, somewhat, the actual play.  I also thought Roz's explorations of orientation and sexuality were very realistic without being tacky.  Most of the romances were well done, although some were a little cheesy.  I felt that the ending was nice, in that it had closure but wasn't a dead-end Happily Ever After; there was room for the characters to continue to grow together.

Characters: ★★★

Although Roz was a good narrator, Roz as a character I'm not so sure about.  She's taunted horribly at school and yet none of it appears to bother her.  She acts really, really childish at times and says things that are just, well, stupid.  I just wasn't sure what to think about her.

That said, I liked the side characters immensely.  They were wacky, weird, and fun.  I loved how they would insult each other in Shakespearian.  The side characters really came to life for me, and made up for the somewhat-lackluster star.

Writing: ★★★

I was just honestly confused at some points.  There's no warning when the actual storyline segues into Roz's imaginary "improved" version of reality, leaving me wondering what actually happened.  Continuity issues aside, however, I did feel that My Invented Life was well-written overall, and reading it was a very enjoyable experience.

End Result: four stars.  A good book, definitely worth your time.