Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Review: Reign Fall

Title: Reign Fall (Demon Princess #3)
Author: Michelle Rowen
Genre: YA, supernatural
Rating: 4.5/5
Cover: 5/10

First of all, I want to thank the lovely Michelle Rowen for sending me the e-ARC of this book.

I will admit - I had to go back and re-read the first two, because it's just been so long, and with so many other books in between, I was a bit confused about Nikki's story, but once I was finished with those two, I remembered just how great this story is.

Reign Fall continues Nikki, the half-demon princess's story. One of the things that's so great about the Demon Princess books is that while the supernatural is (obviously) a huge part of the plot and story, the problems Nikki faces - psychological problems concerning people around her, troubles accepting our bodies' change during adolescent years, conflicts between friends, etc - are all very much real, even if the spark behind those problems are a little less conventional.
The whole side story with Clara was something I had never, not in a thousand years anticipated, and I loved that. It's always great when an author can take a character and totally surprise you with it.
Nikki herself made me laugh. She gets annoyed almost as quickly as I do, and she deals with it in pretty much the same way as me - venting to any and everyone who happens to be around.
Michael... I can't say I've ever been a big fan of his (I have a huge, gaping, obsolutely ridiculously big weak point for feary kings), but in this book, he just plain-out bothered me. Keeping secrets is never a good thing in a relationship, and he could have at least told Nikki why he refused to kiss her. Instead, he gets all angtsy and jealous and throws a fit, then screws up.
Rhys, on the other hand, was amazing (although, as mentioned above, I'm probably a tad biased here lol). I love his sense of humor and his sarcasm. I love that he hides his true, broken and young self behind this tougher-than-thou facade. He's a very complex character, and I was sad there wasn't as much of him in the book as I wanted there to be.
Melinda surprised me. I never expected her to do the things she did, but I was glad she did them (well,except for one thing, but she did redeem herself later on, so no harm done).

On the whole, a great book. An excellent sequel to the first two which I'm sure Nikki fans will love. Can't wait for Reign Storm; that ending was just mean, and the fourth one promises great things to come!

Monday, December 12, 2011

Resenha: Fifty Shades of Grey

Aviso: Este livro não é Young Adult!

Eu... amei, adorei, me apaixonei por esse livro.
E os que já leram talvez fiquem assustados com isso, mas deixa eu explicar: Fifty Shades of Grey sempre vai levantar uma baita polêmica, mas o fato é que não foram os métodos... interessantes do Christian que me cativaram, mas sim a história como um todo.

Fifty Shades of Grey conta a história de Anastasia Steele, uma jovem recém-formada que, por ironia do destino, acaba entrevistando o CEO mais influente do século porque a sua melhor amiga, Kate, que era do jornal da universidade e ia entrevistá-lo, pegou uma gripe e não pôde ir à entrevista. Para salvar a amiga, Ana vai entrevistar Christian Grey, o multi-gazilionário de 27 anos dono da Grey Enterprises Holding Inc.
De cara, Ana percebe que Christian é arrogante, dominador, e tem uma necessidade de controlar tudo. Mas ele a deixa intrigada quando ele expressa um desejo ardente de ajudar os mais pobres e alimentar o mundo todo, sozinho, se for preciso. E claro, tem o físico do cara, que é de matar.

Depois de uma entrevista altamente vergonhosa, Ana deixa Christian Grey, grata por nunca mais ter que colocar os olhos nele. Mas parece que o destino tem outras ideias, e Ana vai ter que decidir se conhecer esse homem misterioso melhor valhe mesmo a pena todos os sacrifícios que ela terá que fazer para que o... relacionamento deles funcione.

Sério, eu hiper, mega, super recomendo para todos que não tem probelmas com cenas bastante picantes. O livro começa bem devagar, e à medida que você vai lendo, vai tendo uma ideia de quão picante vai ficar, e dá pra decidir na boa se quer ou não continuar.
Espero ansiosamente o lançamento do terceiro livro do Fifty <3

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Resenha: Wolfsbane

Certo, antes de mais nada, o livro é excelente.
Em segundo lugar, a única razão pela qual ele não ganha um 5/5, e fica com um 4/5, tem nome: Shay.
Olha, sou uma firme Team Ren. Só meu palpite que rezo para estar certo, porque ao meu ver, a razão pela qual a Calla "ama" o Shay é pelo que ele representa: liberdade, e uma vida que ela mesma pode escolher. E eu respeito ela querer isso. Deus sabe que eu também quero.
Mas vamos falar super sério: o amor dela pelo Ren vai bem, bem mais fundo do que isso.
Que foi porque esse livro me fez ficar com tanta raiva. Teve uma hora que eu tive que parar e largar dele, porque eu nunca, em toda minha vida, tive tanta vontade de tacar um livro na parede. E sou leitora assídua da Richelle Mead; eu sei o que é um livro infuriante que te faz querer arrancar os cabelos pela raiz de raiva, mas nunca quis tanto machucar um livro como quis com Wolfsbane.

O que, de uma certa forma, quer dizer que foi um bom livro, porque conseguiu me cativar o suficiente pra me deixar louca...

Fora esse detalhe, foi ótimo. Calla está começando a aceitar seu novo lugar, e o fato de que agora ela pode tomar suas próprias decisões, e está livre para ficar com quem ela quiser, algo que ela nunca pôde fazer antes, mas a memória do bando que ela deixou para trás em Vail, a persegue, e ela está determinada a salvar eles também.
A única pergunta, pe claro, se eles querem ser salvos...

Resenha: Supernaturally

A melhor parte de Supernaturally foi o modo tão lindo e cativante com o qual o fim foi escrito.

Começou como um livro engraçado, por mais que um pouco bobinho, bem estilo Paranormalcy, e a Evie sempre me fazia rir com as obsessões biazarras e as coisas simples que faziam ela feliz.
Ao decorrer do livro, porém, foi incrível ver a Evie fazer uma amizade nova, apesar das mentiras dela pro Lend me deixarem com ódio dela. Seria de imaginar que depois que ele descobriu a primeira mentira, ela pararia como prometido, mas não, a burrinha tinha que continuar empilhando mentira atrás de mentira, como uma casa de cartas. Lógico que veio tudo abaixo, mas não vou comentar muito por conta de spoilers.

Quanto ao Jack, ele me fascinou. Não posso realmente dizer que em qualquer momento tenha confiado plenamente nele, mas o personagem dele me deslumbra. Ele é provavelmente o persongame mais profundo da série até agora, e eu amei ele quase tanto quanto amo o Reth.
Também adorei como ele e a Evie intergiram. Foi lindo ver a inconsequente, engraçada e frívola Evie crescer. Claro que crescer nunca é fácil, mas sinto orgulho da Evie e de como ela lidou com tudo; e como eu disse antes, aquele final é matador.
Próximo, por favor!

Friday, November 04, 2011

Novembro!

Nossa, gente! Já tava mais na hora de eu dar as caras por aqui, certo?
Só posso pedir desculpas por deixar o blog parado por dois meses. Prometo não deixar isso acontecer de novo; a minha vida pessoal virou de ponta cabeça e pelo avesso, mas agora as coisas já se arrumaram e cá estou eu de novo!

E venho com boas novas! Em dezembro vocês vão ganhar a resenha do ARC do terceiro livro da série de demônios da autora Michelle Rowen.

Por agora, vamos nos satisfazer com os lançamentos da semana? :)

A continuação mega esperada de Matched chegou! Vou dizer já de cara que a capa de Matched tava bem mais linda do que essa! ;)


Aguenta, coração! É o último livro da nossa amado Dru Anderson, e com ele, vem aquela perguntinha; a dúvida cruel que só fica mais cruel com esse final que a Lili deu pro livro... afinal de contas: Christophe, o djamphir lindo, ou Graves, o loup-garou trapalhão? ;)
Meu coração vai com o Garoto das Tortas de Maçã <3


No mesmo dia em que a Dru chega ao fim de sua jornada, outra protagonista da Lili vai junto: Jill Kismet se despede do mundo não com um baque, mas com uma tremenda despedida de sacudir o mundo nas bases. É uma épica batalha entre anjos e demônios, e mais uma vez, a nossa Kiss se vê metida bem no meio do furacão. Claro, com ajuda do dedinho intrometido do Perry, que parece que veio pra ficar... ou será que não?

E finalmente, olhem só a fofura que a Kiersten White revelou hoje:



O que acharam dessa capa nova?

Friday, September 09, 2011

Book Review: Beautiful Disaster

Title: Beautiful Disaster
Author: Jamie McGuire

Genre: Adult

Rating: 5/5

Cover: 10/10


I loved, loved Beautiful Disaster!
I'd had the sample chapters in my kindle for a while, just waiting for the dust to settle so I had time to hunt down a new book, and the second I read those first two chapters, I knew I was a goner: I was hooked like a junkie needing its next fix.

The thing about this book is how entirely different it is from most of the books out there today. Usually, you have the boy and th girl, and maybe they fall in love at first sight; maybe they bicker to death and THEN notice it's love. Regardless, at the end of the day, they kiss and that's the end of the book.
Don't start Beautiful Disaster expecting that. Oh, sure, there's the couple. And yeah, they bicker so much you start fearing for their lives... The thing about McGuire's narrative that had me so hooked so fast, was the utter and complete normal vibe the book just exudes.
When the couple fights, you can actually feel their emotions like you're a character of the book yourself, because the situations are all just so ridiculously stupid, dramatic and with not an ounce of sugar-coating, that it could easily happen to you next week.
All that said, I loved the air of mystery that hung around Abby regarding her father and her past, and I can say with no shame at all that watching Abby and Trav battle it out gave no small amount of amusement, which always comes in handy.

An excellent read, packed with day-to-day situations that will have you alternately cringing, swearing, shaking your head in dismay and/or exasperation and on the floor in stiches. I'm in love.

Thursday, September 01, 2011

Resenha: Succubus Revealed

Sei que sou suspeita dizer, porque tenho uma tendência a amar tudo Richelle Mead, mas ainda assim tenho que dizer: amei, amei, amei Succubus Revealed!



A série Georgina Kincaid sempre foi a minha menos predileta da Mead, em grande parte porque eu sempre tive uma paixonite (nada)secreta pelo Carter, e apesar de ainda achar que o Carter faria um casal MEGA FOFO com a Georgie, é bem verdade que o Seth me incomodou bem menos nesse livro, ainda bem!

Succubus Revealed foi especial em vários jeitos... era o último livro da Georgie, e claro que sempre tem aquele gostinho amargo, mas nada insuportável como foi com outras séries que poderia mencionar... O que foi ruim - ou bom, dependendo do que você chama de livro bom (mas rendeu uma cena fofa demais da conta com o Carter, então acho que valeu a pena!) - foi a subplot que a Mead colocou no livro: o câncer de ovário da Andrea Mortensen. Algumas pessoas já chegaram pra mim, dizendo que esse lado fez elas chorarem enquanto liam, então imaginem eu, que perdi a minha mãe faz pouco mais de um mês pra esse exato câncer. Foi um festival de choro. Mas devo dizer - e podem acreditar, eu sei - que a Mead detalhou com perfeição o dia-a-dia dessa doença de modo tão incrível que quase parecia real tudo de novo.



Também foi um livro especial porque, maravilha das maravilhas, eu comecei a gostar do Seth nesse livro. Acho que um bom perdedor sempre tem que saber a hora de se retirar com graça, e eu fiz isso em Succubus Revealed.



Com a vida conubial em total perfeição e a vida no trabalho um inferno, a costumeira mistura de humor, sarcasmo (Carter, estou olhando pra ti!) e as chamadas one-liners, Succubus Revealed me fez morrer de medo, chorar, sorrir, torcer, gritar e xingar o livro todo, até a ultimíssima página. Ao todo, uma leitura incrível para os fãs da Georgie, que deu um fim, se previsível, pelo menos bonito e digno para a nossa súcubo predileta.

Book Review: Succubus Revealed

Title: Succubus Revealed (Georgina Kincaid #5)
Author: Richelle Mead
Genre: Adult
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 10/10


I know I'm a suspect to say, since I tend to fall in love with everything Richelle Mead, but I still have to say it: I loved, loved, loved Succubus Revealed!

The Georgina Kincaid series were my least favorite of Mead's, greatly because I've always had a seceret (ok, not at all secret, but still) penchanct for Carter, and I still think that Georgina would've made a RAD couple for Carter, except I knew from the start that it wasn't to be because of the whole angel thing, and Seth just bugged me. But I couldn't stop loving Georgie, which, being the main character, was really the most important thing.

Succubus Revealed was special on many levels... it was the last one of Georgie's books, and sure there's that bittersweet feeling, but nothing too bad. What was bad - or good, I guess, depending on your definition of a good book... - was the one little side problem that Mead added into the book. I have to say, it added a whole new side and put a nice twist into the plot (plus, it gave us a super-cute Carter scene!). I'm talking, of course, of Andrea Mortensen's cancer. I've had friends come over to me and say that they were almost crying because of it, so it's easy to understand why I, who just recently lost my mom to the exact same cancer and saw in the book a very good description of my life for the past two years, full-out bawled three times. However, like I said, it added a second layer to the novel, and it was good one. And wonderfully written, as usual.

It was also special because, miracle of miracles, I actually started liking Seth in this book. I think a good loser always knows when it's time to concede victory with grace, and that's what happened here.

With Georgina's love life in a bliss and her work life in a pit, the usual amount of wit, humor, sarcasm (hi Carter, I'm looking at you!), Succubus Revealed left me sweating at some times, crying at others, smiling, cheering, swearing and grumbling all the way through the book. All in all, a great read for the Georgina fans, with an end which, if not unexpected, seals off our favorite succubus' life with a golden key.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Resenha: Bloodlines

Vamos lá, então. Antes de começar, aviso que tem spoilers leves na resenha, então cuidado :)



Minhas expectativas para Bloodlines, não vou mentir, não eram lá essas coisas. Em grande parte porque eu acreditava - e ainda acredito, apesar de admitir que não é horrível assim - que ninguém é capaz de contar uma história sobre o mundo Moroi de modo mais interessante do que a Rose.

Ainda acho isso, mas até mesmo eu, amadora da Rose que sou, tenho que admitir que a Sydney deu conta do recado mais do que bem, se não tão engraçada quanto sua predecessora.



Bloodlines tem aquela coisa que a Mead coloca nos livros, que te faz querer nunca parar de ler... e recomendo fazer justo isso: leia mesmo, porque vale a pena.



Tenho algumes confissões para fazer sobre o livro, então vamos pra parte legal.

Primeiro, eu fiquei confusa demais da conta. Tendo passado os últimos 4 livros (eu gosto dele em Frostbite) de Vampire Academy desejando com a maior sinceridade do mundo que o Adrian aparecesse morto e fosse dar umas voltinhas com o Tio-Lá-de-Baixo, foi uma experiência totalmente nova de gostar - e até simpatizar com - o Adrian. Só isso provavelmente teria me levado um livro inteiro de mil páginas pra me acostumar legal. Ao invés disso, teve que ser com umas 500 páginas, da quais nem todas eram focadas nele...

O que me traz para a segunda confissão: A Jill me lembrou muito da Lissa nos primeiros livros; uma princesinha Moroi mimada, acostumada a ter tudo o que quer, e que não tá muito aí pros outros. Sei que não é verdade, e tiveram momentos nos quais a velha Jill saiu do esconderijo, mas na maior parte do livro, ela só me encheu o saco, mesmo que não tanto quanto a Lissa, ainda bem.

Confissão de número 3 involve a Rose. E o que involve ela, agora também involve o Dimitri (*todas gritam*). Senti muita falta da Rose. Mas não posso deixar de admirar o modo como a Mead colocou os dois em Bloodlines. Colocando a Rose no começo, ela se certificou de que os fãs de VA continuariam lendo, na esperança da dona Hathaway aparecer de novo. E pondo o Dimitri no final (tipo, final, FINAL. Pense última linha.), ela selou o livro de um modo que os mesmos fãs de VA vão comprar The Golden Lily, mesmo não tendo amado Bloodlines. Incrível, Richelle. Tiro meu chapéu pra senhora.

A quarta - e última - confissão é um tanto menos legal. Eu achei os mistérios do livro muito fáceis de se prever e adivinhar, e sempre suspeitava da verdade bem antes da coitada da Sydney, que ficou correndo em círculos. Sendo a Mead, eu me acostumei a esperar supresas tão inesperadas que eu nunca, nem em um zilhão de anos, teria conseguido adivinhar, e sempre me deixavam de queixo caído. Não quer dizer que as revelações em si não foram chocantes, mas devo dizer que esperava mais.



Mesmo assim, aguardo ansiosamente The Golden Lily.

E deixo a dica: leiam Bloodlines. Sydney tomará cuidado maravilhoso do seu entretenimento, surpreendendo com um humor seco e sarcástico que eu nunca imaginava que a Santinha Syd pudesse ter.

Book Review: Bloodlines

Title: Bloodlines
Author: Richelle Mead
Genre: YA
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 3.5/5

Before I start, I'd like to warn that are mild spoilers in here, so if you really don't want to know anything, tread carefully.

I had low expectations for Bloodlines. That was mostly due to the fact that I firmly believed - and still do, though clearly with some significant change of heart - that no one can tell a tale about the Moroi world as enticingly as Rose.
I maintain that feeling, but even I, ever Rose's advocate, have to admit that Sydney was a more than worthy subsitute to the task, if not as funny as Rose.

Bloodlines has that Mead quality to it that just makes you want to keep reding, and reading, and reading... and I advise you to do just that: read it as much as you can.

I have a few confessions to make regarding the book, so let's get down to the juicy stuff.
First of all, it made me very, very confused. Having spent the last 4 (I like him in Frostbite) Vampire Academy books hating his guts (I was and always will be a die-hard Romitri fan haha) and heartily wishing he'd fall off the face of the earth and go on a binge with Mr. Horny-From-Down-Below himself, it was an entirely new experience to like - and even sympathize and feel sorry for - Adrian. That in and of itself would have taken me an entire book of 1000 pages for me to get used to. Instead, I had to make do with about 500 pages, not all of which were centered on him...
Which brings me to confession number two: Jill reminded me a hell of alot of her sister, Lissa, in the first few books; a spoilt little royal Moroi, used to getting what she wants, and not really caring about the others. Now, I know that's not true, and there were moments when the good old Jill came out of hiding, but mostly she annoyed me, though thankfully not as much as Lissa did.
Confession number three regards Rose. And what regards Rose, now regards Dimitri, too, much to my everlasting glee. I missed her. And couldn't help but applaud Mead's slyness in how she placed them in Bloodlines. It showed that masterful cleverness she has in keeping readers engaged. Placing Rose at the beginning ensured that all the VA fanbase followed through in the hopes of more Rose. Then she placed Dimitri right in the end (and I do mean RIGHT. IN. THE. END. Like, last line), making sure thoat same fanbase will go on to Golden Lily, even if they didn't love Bloodlines. Sly, Richelle.
Fourth and final confession is slightly less praiseworthy. I found the mysteries in the book easily spotted and far too easy for me to figure out, eons before poor Sydney did, which left me rolling my eyes at her when she finally did. Being Mead, I got used to expecting twists that were so absurdly impossible to predict, they always left me with my jaw on the floor. Not to say that when I figured out some of the things I wasn't shocked, but I have to say I expected more.

Nonetheless, I anxiously await The Golden Lily.
And while that one doesn't come, I recommed everyone: read Bloodlines. Syndey will take good care of your entertainment, suprising you with her wry humour no one could have guessed goody-two-shoes Sydney could ever have ;)

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Cover Love


I love the style of these covers, and Spellbound doesn't let down. A total eye-catcher!


Even though I didn't love it as much as Wither's cover, there is something hauntingly beautiful about this cover... sort of like with the story in Wither, too! ;)

Book Review: Supernaturally

Title: Supernaturally
Author: Kiersten White
Genre: YA

Rating: 9/10
Cover: 4.5/5 (only not 5 because I personally like the Paranormalcy one better. Must have been the colors I guess)

The great thing with Supernaturally was how beautifully written the ending was.

It started out like a silly, albeit funny book, just like Paranormalcy, and Evie kept making me smile with her weird obsessions and the stuff that made her happy.
As the book progressed, though, it was amazing to see Evie make a new friend, even though her lying to Lend annoyed the living daylights out of me. You'd have thought that after he found out one of the lies, she'd stop there like she'd promised, but no, the silly girl had to keep on pilling the lies one on top of the other, like a house of cards. Obviously, it all came tumbling down, but I won't get into much details so I don't spoil anything.

As for Jack, he mesmerized me. I can't really say I ever trusted him completely, but his character amazes me. He's probably the character with most depth in the series up to now, and I loved him almost as much as I loved Reth.
I also adored how he affected Evie. It was mind-blowing to see silly, funny, frivolous Evie grow up. Now, growing up is never easy, but I feel quite proud of Evie and how she handled it; and the end of the book was fantastically written!
Next one, please! ;)

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Book Review: Wolfsbane

Title: Wolfsbane (Nightshade #2)
Author: Andrea Cremer
Genre: YA
Rating: 4/5
Cover: 10/10 (for this one, which is actually the old cover. The new cover gets a 6/10)

Okay, first of all, the book was brilliant. It was also my first all-nighter wait for books to drop in on my Kindle, which was a wait that almost killed me :P
Secondly, you might be asking yourself... if the book was so brilliant, why didn't it get 5/5?
The reason to that has just one name: Shay.
Look, I'm a firm Team Ren girl. It's just my humble, 90%-of-the-times-right-regarding-shippers-in-books opinion that the reason Calla "loves" Shay is for what he represents: freedom, and a life that is her own.
But let's be real: her love for Ren runs much, much deeper than that.
Which is why this book pissed me off so much, I had to stop reading at one point before I flug my kindle accross the room in a rage. And let me tell you, I've read plenty of infuriating books, but never before was the urge to fling the thing around so strong as with Wlfsbane.
Which, I guess, in a way is good, because it means the story had me gripped enough to move me alot. Except it moved me in the wrong way...

Other than that, it was a good book. Calla is coming to terms with her new place, and the fact that she can actually call the shots to her own life and be free to be with whomever she wants to, something she's never before been able to do, but she's haunted by the memory of her pack, which she left behind in Vail, and is determined to go save them, too.
The only question is, of course, if they even want to be saved...

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Resultado da Promo Harry, A History!

Tá na hora... primeiramente, obrigada a todos que participaram. Eu e minha amiga lemos todos os comentários e escolhemos nossos preferidos, que então foram pro random.org que nos deu o seguinte resultado:



Então Meu Mundo Mágico, por favor entre em contato pelo e-mail mandymione *arroba* hotmail *ponto* com me dizendo seu endereço e nome para que eu possa te mandar os prêmios! :)

Saturday, July 09, 2011

Bloodlines sneak peak: First chapter!

So a friend of mine bought the Vampire Academy mass-market paperback the other day, and I asked her to take pics of the pages with the Bloodlines first chapter... only the crazy lunatic (whom I love to death) actually went one step further: she typed the whole thing down for me.
So, ladies and gents, with huge thanks to Heather, behold the first chapter of Bloodlines, available at the back of Vampire Academy mass-market paperback (or pocket book :P)

Please note that at the author’s discretion,

aspects of this first chapter may change between now

and the final version of BLOODLINES.

Chapter One

"I COULDN’T BREATHE.

There was a hand covering my mouth and another shak-

ing my shoulder, startling me out of a heavy sleep. A thousand

frantic thoughts dashed through my mind in the space of a

single heartbeat. It was happening. My worst nightmare was

coming true.

They’re here! They’ve come for me!

My eyes blinked, staring wildly around the dark room until

my father’s face came into focus. I stilled my thrashing, tho-

roughly confused. He let go and stepped back to regard me

coldly. I sat up in the bed, my heart still pounding.

“Dad?”

“Sydney. You wouldn’t wake up.”

Naturally, that was his only apology for scaring me to death.

“You need to get dressed and make yourself presentable,”

he continued. “Quickly and quietly. Meet me downstairs in the

study.”

I felt my eyes widen but didn’t hesitate with a response.

There was only one acceptable answer. “Yes, sir. Of course.”

“I’ll go and wake your sister.” He turned for the door, and I

leapt out of bed.

“Zoe?” I exclaimed. “What do you need her for?”

“Shh,” he chastised. “Hurry up and get ready. And remem-

Ber--be quiet. Don’t wake your mother.”

He shut the door without another word, leaving me staring.

The panic that had only just subsided began to surge within

me again. What did he need Zoe for? She had nothing to do

with Alchemist business. Technically, neither did I anymore,

not since I’d been put on indefinite suspension for bad behave-

ior this summer. What if that was what this was about? What if

I was finally being taken to the Reeducation Center and Zoe was

replacing me?

For a moment, the world swam around me, and I caught

hold of my bed to steady myself. Reeducation Centers. They

were the stuff of nightmares for young Alchemist like me,

mysterious places where those who grew too close to vampires

were dragged off to learn the errors of their ways. What exactly

went on there was a secret, one I never wanted to find out. I

was pretty sure “reeducation” was a nice way of saying “brain-

washing.” I’d never known anyone who came back to give a

report.

My father’s urging to hurry up echoed back through my

mind, and I shook off my fears. Remembering his other warn-

ing, I also made sure I moved silently. My mother was a light

sleeper. Normally, it wouldn’t matter is she caught us going

off on Alchemist errands, but lately, she hadn’t been feeling

so kindly toward her husband’s (and daughter’s) employers.

Ever since angry Alchemist had deposited me on my parents’

doorstep last month, the household had held all the warmth

of a prison camp. Terrible arguments had gone down between

my parents, and my sister Zoe and I often found ourselves tip-

toeing around.

Zoe.

Why does he need Zoe?

The question burned through me as I scurried to get ready.

Presentable. I knew what that meant. Throwing on jeans and a

T-shirt was out of the question. Instead, I tugged on gray slacks

and a crisp, white button- down shirt. A darker, charcoal gray

cardigan went over it, which I cinched neatly at my waist with

a black belt. A small gold cross – one I always wore around my

neck—was the only ornamentation I bothered with.

My hair was a slightly bigger problem. Even after only

two hours of sleep, it was already going in every direction.

I smoothed it down as best I could and then coated it with

a thick layer of hairspray in the hopes that it would get me

through whatever was to come. A light dusting of powder was

the only makeup I put on.

The entire process took me all of six minutes, which might

have been a new record. I sprinted down the stairs in the perfect

silence. The living room was dark, but from my father’s study,

light spilled out past the not- quite shut door. Taking that as an

invitation, I pushed the door open and slipped inside. Hushed

conversation stopped at my entrance. My father eyes me from

head to toe and showed his approval at my appearance in the

way he knew best: by simply withholding criticism.

“Sydney,” he said brusquely. “I believe you know Donna

Stanton.”

The formidable Alchemist stood near the window, arms

crossed, looking as tough and lean as I remembered. I’d spent

a lot of time with Stanton recently, though I would hardly say

we were friends—especially since certain actions of mine had

ended up putting the two of us under a sort of “vampire house

arrest.” If she harbored any resentment toward me, she didn’t

show it, though. She nodded to me in polite greeting, her face

all business.

Three other Alchemists were there as well, all men. They were

introduced to me as Barnes, Michaelson, and Horowtz. Barnes

and Michaelson were my father and Stanton’s age. Horow-

itz was younger, mid-twenties, and was setting up a tattoo-

ist’s tools. All of them were dressed like me, wearing business

casual clothing in nondescript colors. Our goal was always to

look nice but not attract notice. The Alchemist had been play-

ing Men-in-Black for centuries, long before humans dreamed

of life on other worlds. When the light hit their faces the right

way, each Alchemist displayed a lily tattoo identical to mine.

Again, my unease grew. Was this some kind of interroga-

tion? An assessment to see if my decision to help a renegade

half-vampire girl meant my loyalties had changed? I crossed

my arms over my chest and schooled my face to neutrality,

hoping I looked cool and confident. If I still had a chance to

plead my case, I intended to present a solid one.

Before anyone could utter another word, Zoe entered. She

shut the door behind her and peered around in terror, her eyes

wide. Our father’s study was huge—he’s built an addition

onto our house for it—and it easily held all the occupants. But

as I watched my sister take in the scene, I knew she felt stifled

and trapped. I met her eyes and tried to send a silent message

of sympathy. It must have worked because she scurried to my

side, looking only fractionally less afraid.

“Zoe,” said my father. He let her name hang in the air in this

way he had, making it clear to both of us that he was disap-

pointed. I could immediately guess why. She wore jeans and an

old sweatshirt and had her brown hair in two cute but sloppy

braids. By any other persons’ standards, she would have been

“presentable”—but not by his. If felt her cower against me, and

I tried to make myself taller and more protective. After mak-

ing sure his condemnation was felt, our father introduced Zoe

to the others. Stanton gave her the same polite nod she’d given

me and turned toward my father.

“I don’t understand, Jared,” said Stanton. “Which one of

them are you going to use?”

“Well, that’s the problem,” my father said. “Zoe was

requested . . . but I’m not sure she’s ready. In fact, I know she

isn’t. She’s only had most basic of training. But in the light of

Sydney’s recent . . . experiences . . .”

My mind immediately began to pull the pieces together.

First, and most importantly, it seemed I wasn’t going to be sent

to a Reeducation Center. Not yet, at least. This was about some-

thing else. There was some mission of task afoot, and someone

wanted to sub in Zoe because she, unlike certain other mem-

bers of her family, had no history of betraying the Alchemists.

My father was right that she’s only received basic instruction.

Our jobs were hereditary, and I had been chosen years ago as

the next Alchemist in the Sage family. My older sister Carly

had been passed over was now away at college and too

old. He’s taught Zoe as backup instead, in the event something

happened to me, like a car accident or mauling by vampire.

I stepped forward, not knowing what I was going to say

until I spoke. The only thing I knew for sure was that I could

not let Zoe get sucked into the Alchemist’s schemes. “I spoke to

a committee about my actions after they happened,” I said. “I

was under the impression that they understood why I did the

things I did. I’m fully qualified to serve in whatever way you

need—much more so than my sister. I have real-world experi-

ence. I knew this job inside and out.”

“A little too much real-world experience, if memory

serves,” said Stanton dryly.

“I for one would like to hear these ‘reasons’ again, “said

Barnes, using his fingers to make air quotes. “I’m not thrilled

about tossing a half-trained girl out there, but I also find it hard

to believe someone who aided a vampire criminal is ‘fully

qualified to serve.”’ More pretentious air quotes.

I smiled back pleasantly. “I understand, sir. But Rose Hath-

away was eventually proven innocent of the crime she’d been

accused of. So, I wasn’t technically aiding a criminal. My

actions eventually helped find the real murder.”

“Be that as it may, we—and you – didn’t know she was

‘innocent’ at the time,” he said.

“I know,” I said. “But I believed she was.”

Barnes snorted. “And there’s the problem. You should’ve

believed what the Alchemists told you, not run off with your

own far-fetched theories. At the very least, you should’ve taken

what evidence you’d gathered to your superiors.”

Evidence? How could I explain that it wasn’t evidence that

had driven me to help Rose, so much as a feeling in my gut that

she telling the truth? That was something I knew they’d

never understand, however. All of us were trained to believe

the worst of her kind. Telling them that I had seen truth and

honestly in her wouldn’t my cause here. Neither would

mentioning the blackmail that had also pushed me into help-

ing her. There was only one argument that they might possibly

be able to comprehend.

“I . . . I didn’t tell anyone because I wanted to get all the

credit for it. I was hoping that if I uncovered it, I could get a

promotion and a better assignment.”

It took every ounce of self-control I had to say those words

straight-faced. I felt humiliated at making such an admission. As

though ambition would really drive me to such extreme behave-

iors! It made me feel slimy and shallow. But, as I’d suspected,

this was something the other Alchemists could understand.

Michaelson snorted. “Misguided, but not entirely unex-

pected for her age.”

The other men shared equally condescending looks, even

my father. Only Stanton looked doubtful but then, she’d wit-

nessed more of the fiasco than they had.

My father glanced at the others, waiting for further com-

ment. When none came, he shrugged, “If no one has any object-

tions, then, I’d rather we use Sydney. Not that I even entirely

understand what you need her for.” There was a slightly accus-

ing tone in his voice over not having been filled in yet. Jared

Sage didn’t like to be left out of the loop.

“I have no problem with using the older girl, “said Barnes.

“But keep the younger one around until the others get here,

in case they have any objections.” I wondered how many

“others” would be joining us. My father’s study was huge, but

it was no stadium.

Horowitz spoke up for the first time. “What do you want

me to do?”

“Re-ink Sydney,” said Stanton decisively. “Even if she

doesn’t go, it won’t hurt to have the spells reinforced. No point

in inking Zoe until we know what we’re doing with her.”

My eyes flicked to my sister’s noticeable bare—and pale—

cheeks. Yes. As long as there was no lily there, she was free.

Once the tattoo was emblazoned on your skin, there was no

going back. You belonged to the Alchemists.

Horowitz had set up a folding table on the far side of my

father’s study. He patted it and gave me a friendly smile.

“Step right up,” he told me. “Get you ticket.”

Barnes shot him a disapproving look. “Please. You could

show a little respect for the ritual, David.”

Horowitz merely shrugged. He helped me lie down, and

though I was too afraid of the others to openly smile back., I

hoped my gratitude showed in my eyes. Another smile from

him told me he understood. Turning my head, I watched as

Barnes reverently set a black briefcase on a side table. The other

Alchemists gathered around and clasped their hands together

in front of them. He must be the hierophant, I realized. Most

of what the Alchemist did was rooted in science, but a few

tasks required divine assistance. That’s what hierophants—

our priests—were for.

“Oh Lord,” he intoned, closing his eyes. “Bless these elixirs.

Remove the taint of evil they carry so that their life-giving

power shines through purely to us, your servants.”

He opened the briefcase and removed four small vials, each

filled with dark red liquid. Labels that I couldn’t read marked

each one. With steady hand and practiced eye, Barnes poured

precise amounts from each vial into a larger bottle. When he’d

used all four, he produced a tiny packet of powder that he

emptied into the rest of the mix. I felt a tingle in the air, and

the bottles contents turned to gold. He handed the bottle to

Horowitz who stood ready with a needle. Everyone relaxed,

the ceremonial part complete.

I obediently turned away, exposing my cheek. A

moment later, Horowitz ‘s shadow fell over me. “This will

sting a little, but nothing like when you originally got it.

It’s just a touch- up,” He explained kindly.

“I know,” I said. I’d been re-inked before. “Thanks.”

The needle pricked my skin, and I tried to not wince. It did

sting, but like he’s said, Horowitz wasn’t creating a new tattoo.

He was simply injecting small amounts of the “ink” into my

existing tattoo, recharging its power. I took this as a good sign.

Zoe might not be out of danger yet, but surely thy wouldn’t

go to the trouble of re-inking me if they were just going to send

me to a Reeducation Center.

“Can you brief us on what’s happening while we’re wait-

ing?” asked my father. “All I was told was that you needed a

teen girl.” The way he said it made it sound like a disposable

role, making me more adamant than ever about protecting Zoe.

“We have a situation,” I heard Stanton say. Here it was. “A

situation with the Moroi.”

Better than the Strigoi, I thought. Any “situation” the

Alchemists faced always involved one of the vampire races,

and I’d take the living, non-killing ones any day. They almost

seemed human at times (though I’d never tell anyone here

that) and lived and died like we did. Stigoi, however, were

twisted freaks of nature. They were undead, murderous vam-

pire created either when a Strigoi forcibly made a victim drink

its blood or when a Moroi purposely took a life of another

through blood drinking.

All sorts of possible scenarios played through my mind as

I considered what issue had prompted action from the Alche-

mists tonight: a human who had noticed someone with fangs,

a feeder who had escaped and gone public, a Moroi treated

by humans doctors . . . those were the kinds of problems we

Alchemists faced the most, ones I had been trained to handle

and cover up with ease. Why they would need “a teenage girl”

for any of those was a still a mystery.

“You know that they elected their girl-queen last month,”

said Barnes. I could practically see him rolling eyes.

Everyone in the room murmured affirmatively. Of course

knew about that. The Alchemists paid careful attention to

the political goings-on of the Moroi. Knowing what vampires

were doing was crucial to keeping them secret from the rest of

humanity. That was our purpose, to protect our brethren. Know

thy enemy was taken very seriously with us. The girl the Moroi

had elected queen, Vasilisa Dragonmir, was eighteen, just like me.

“Don’t tense,” said Horowitz gently.

I hadn’t realized I had been. I tried to relax, but thinking of

Vasilisa Dragonmir made me think of Rose Hathaway. Uneasily,

I wondered if maybe I shouldn’t have been so quick to assume

I was out of trouble here. Mercifully, Barnes simply kept going

with the story, not mentioning my indirect connection to the

girl-queen and her associates.

“Well, as shocking as that is to us, it’s been just as shocking

to some of their own people. There have been a lot of protests

and dissidence. No one’s tried to attack the Dragomir girl, but

that’s probably because she’s so well guarded. Her enemies, it

seems, have therefore found a workaround: her sister.”

“Jill,” I said, speaking before I could stop myself. Horowitz

tsked me for moving, and I immediately regretted drawing

attention to myself and my knowledge of the Moroi. Never-

theless, an image of Jillian Mastrano flashed into my mind, tall

and annoying slim like all Moroi, with big, pale green eyes

that always seemed nervous. And she had good reason to be.

At fifteen, Jill discovered she was Vasilisa’s illegitimate

sister, making her the only other member of their royal fam-

ily’s line. She too was tied to the mess I’d gotten myself into.

“You know their laws,” continued Stanton, after a moment

of awkward silence. His tone conveyed with what we all thought of

Moroi laws. An elected monarch? It made no sense, but what

else could one expect from unnatural beings like vampires?

“And Vasilisa must have one family member in order to hold

her throne. Therefore, her enemies have decided if they can’t

directly remove her, they’ll remove her family.

A chill ran down my spine at the unspoken meaning, and I

again commented without thinking. “Did something happen

to Jill?” This time, I’d at least chosen a moment when Horowitz

was refilling his needle, so there was a no danger messing up

the tattoo.

I bit my lip on any other words, imagining the chas-

tisement in my father’s eyes. Showing concern for Moroi

was the last thing I wanted to do, considering my uncertain

status. I didn’t have any strong attachment to Jill, but the

thought of someone trying to kill a fifteen-year-old—the

same age as Zoe – was appealing, no matter what race she

belonged to.

“That’s what unclear,” Stanton mused. “She was attacked,

we know that much, but we can’t tell if she received any real

injury. Regardless, she’s fine now, but the attempt happened at

their own Court, indicating they have traitors at high levels.”

Barnes snorted in disgust. “What can you expect, though?

How their race has managed to survive as long as they have

without turning on each other is beyond me.”

There were mutters of agreement.

“Ridiculous or not, though, we cannot have them in civil

war,” said Stanton. “Some Moroi have acted in protest,

enough that they’ve caught the attention of human media. We

can’t allow that. We need their government stable, and that

means ensuring the girl’s safety. Maybe they can’t trust them-

selves, but they can trust us.”

There was no use in my pointing out that the Moroi didn’t

really trust the Alchemists. But, since we had no interest in kill-

ing off the Moroi monarch of her family, I supposed that made

us more trustworthy than some.

“We need to make the girl disappear,” said Michaelson. “At

least until the Moroi can undo that law that makes Vasilisa’s

throne so precarious. Hiding Mastrano with her own people

isn’t safe at the moment, so we need to conceal her among

humans.” Disdain dripped from his words. “But it’s impera-

tive she also remains concealed from humans. Our race cannot

know theirs exist.”

“After consultation with the guardians, we’ve chosen a

location we all believe will be safer for her—both from Moroi

and Strigoi,” said Stanton. “However, to make sure she—

and those with her – remain undetected, we’re going to need

Alchemists on-hand, dedicated solely on her needs.”

My father scoffed. “That’s a waste of our resources. Not to

mention unbearable for whoever has to stay with her.”

I had a bad feeling about what was coming.

“This is where Sydney comes in,” said Stanton. “We’d like

her to be one of the Alchemists that accompanies Jillian into

hiding.”

“What?” exclaimed my father. “You can’t be serious.”

“Why not?” Stanton’s tone calm and level. “They’re

close in age, so being together won’t raise suspicion. And

Sydney, if I’m not mistaken, already knows the girl. Surely

spending time with her won’t be as ‘unbearable’ as it might be

for other Alchemists.”

The subtext was loud and clear. I wasn’t free of my past, not

yet. Horowitz paused and lifted the needle, allowing me the

chance to speak. My mind raced. Some response was expected.
I didn’t want to sound too upset by the plan. I needed to

restore my good name among the Alchemists and show my

willingness to follow orders. That being said, I also didn’t want

to sound as though I were too comfortable with vampires or

their half-human counterparts, the dhampirs.

“Spending time with any of them is never fun,” I finally

said, keeping my voice cool and haughty. “Doesn’t matter how

much you do it. But I’ll do whatever ‘s necessary to keep us—

and everyone else—safe.” I didn’t need to explain that “every-

one” meant humans.

“There you see, Jared?” Barnes sounded pleased with the

answer. “The girl knows her duty. We’ve made a number of

arrangements already that should make things run smoothly,

and we certainly wouldn’t send her there alone—especially

since the Moroi girl won’t be alone either.”

‘What do you mean?” My father still didn’t sound happy

about any of this, and I wondered what was upsetting him the

most. Did he truly think I might be in danger? Or was he simp-

ly worried spending more time with the Moroi would turn

my loyalties even more? “How many of them are coming?”

“They’re sending a dhampir,” said Michaelson. “One of

their guardians, which I really don’t have a problem with. The

location we’ve chosen should be Strigoi-free, but if it’s not, bet-

ter they fight those monsters than us.”

“There you are,” Horowitz told me, stepping back. “You

can sit up.”

I obeyed and resisted the urge to touch my cheek. The only

thing I felt from his work was the needle’s ting, but I knew

powerful magic was working its way through me, magic that

would give me a superhuman immune system and prevent

me from speaking about vampire affairs to ordinary humans. I

tried not to think about other part, about where that magic

came from.

The others were still standing, not paying attention to me—

well except for Zoe. She still looked confused and afraid and

kept glancing anxiously my way.

“There also may be another Moroi along,” continued

Stanton. “Honestly, I’m not sure why but they were very insis-

tent. We told them the fewer of them we had to hide, the better,

but . . . well. They seemed to think it was necessary and said

they’d make arrangements for him there. He’s some Ivashkov.

Irrelevant.”

“Where is there?” asked my father. “Where do you want to

send her?”

Excellent question. I’d been wondering the same thing. My

first full-time job with the Alchemists had sent me halfway

around the world to Russia. If the Alchemist were intent on

hiding Jill, there was no telling what remote location they’d

send her to.

“Palm Springs,” said Barnes.

“Palm Springs?” I echoed. That was not what I’d been

expecting. When I thought of Palm Springs, I thought of the movie

stars and gold courses.

A small, wry smile tugged at Stanton’s lips. “It’s in the desert

and receives a lot of sunlight. Completely undesirable for Stri-

goi. And Moroi too, for that matter—but it’ll keep her safe. And

our Moroi contact was very adamant about the location—

The sound of a car door opening and slamming outside the

window caught everyone’s attention. “Ahh,” said Michaelson.

“There are the others. I’ll let them in.”

He slipped out of the study and presumably headed toward

the front door to let in whoever had arrived. Moments later, I

heard a new voice speaking as Michaelson returned to us.

“Well, Dad couldn’t make it, so he just sent me,” the new

voice was saying.

The study door opened, and my heart stopped.

No, I thought. Anyone but him."