The Princess and the Snowbird-Mette Ivie Harrison

So this book was a bit of a lucky find. I happened to chance upon it when I was browsing the library. I had heard about it, but I hadn't known our library had it, so I was very pleased. I saw some reviews for it on Goodreads, and what really puzzles me is that there are so many negative reviews! I don't really understand why people didn't like it, but I guess people are just different in their tastes. As for me, I loved this book. It read like a dream, had no lulls, and was very engaging. I really liked both the main characters, and I really enjoyed reading it. I've read both the two books before this one, and I found myself liking it as much or even more than the previous book. Harrison's writing style is marvellous. The book feels a bit like a fairy tale, only with more substance. I really got into the book. There were definitely a few parts where I was so engrossed, that some of the more dangerous scenes for the characters had me very anxious for them! All in all, I thought this book was great, and it comes highly recommended, especially if you read the previous two books and enjoyed them. 4 stars

In the Forests of Serre-Patricia A. McKillip

I really enjoyed this book. I've never read a book by McKillip, but I think in the future I'll have to. I really loved her writing style in this book. It was languid and flowed well, like a dream or a fairy tale. I loved all the fairy tale elements in this book. I don't think I've read a book like this in a while. Her writing style is very well done, with an excellent choice of words. She knows what should be said and what doesn't need to be. I think the book ended well; the conflict was resolved, but I was left still wondering at what might happen to a couple of the characters. The little bit of wonder left at the end of this book was just perfect. Overall I greatly enjoyed this book, and I highly recommend it to lovers of fairy tales. 4 stars.

Pegasus by Robin McKinley

Goodreads summary
As some of my past reviews have shown, I've loved some of McKinley's books, but disliked others. However, I really loved this book. Her description is just beautiful, and rather than making me lost, it brought me deeper into the world she's created here. She's really thought out the concept of pegasi, and her descriptions of their world make sense. I love the contribution she's made to pegasus mythology here. Although I got annoyed with the character a few times, her actions made sense. The writing of this book is really good, and I loved the story, however when I finished this book I found it was one of two books. McKinley normally doesn't write sequels, but this book will have a sequel sometime in the future. The downside to this was the point in which McKinley decided to end this book. I felt that it ended midscene, which created a really jarring effect when I was done. I think I would have enjoyed it a lot better if she had ended the book at a different point. It didn't make sense to me where it ended, and that was a disappointment to me. However, I really enjoyed the book, and I would recommend reading it if you can stand waiting for the sequel. Or better yet, wait until the sequel is out and then read both. I'm excited to see where she goes with the story, and I'll definitely be reading the sequel with it comes out. Overall, a rating of 4 stars, because of the ending.

Ice

...So I haven't vanished from the face of the earth. I'm just in university. And I went to the bookstore yesterday! Yay me! So I picked up Ice by Sarah Beth Durst, and The Maze Runner by James Dashner. Planning on reading the latter after I've finished my English term paper on Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale. I'm actually excited about this paper. Shocked? Here's why:
One of the topics centers on how the play is kind of like a dramatic fairy tale. What? I get to discuss fairy tales... for my term paper? Sign me up!
So basically I'm quite excited for that paper, especially since in our lecture today, the prof talked about elements of a fairy tale, and I got a new book that I need to read. It's called When Dreams Came True: Classical Fairy Tales and their Tradition.
And now on to the book on my left. Yes, that one with the pretty cover.
Ice is based off of the classic fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon. I know, I've already read (and possibly reviewed) a few of these books. Like Belle of Beauty and the Beast, "it's my favourite!" Sorry, had to put in a reference there. Anyway. Ice is set in modern times, and involves a very practical heroine. Her mother was promised to the Polar Bear King, but things got complicated. Sarah Beth Durst gives a refreshing take on this story. It's completely different from any of the other retelling I've read, and I loved that. This story was compelling and interesting. I did predict in a way the ending, but I didn't mind that. I think the fact that I finished in one day shows how good a book this was. 4.5 stars!

I think I'm going to add something new to my blog in an attempt to have something to actually write about. After all, my lack of posts doesn't stem from a lack of ideas but from a lack of books to read. (and time to read them) So in the future there will be a new style of post. I'm hoping those of you who read my blog before haven't abandoned me. Come back, please! I'd love to hear your comments on this book, or, if you've read it, The Winter's Tale.

-Your time-management challenged friend,
Clairedelune

Fragile Eternity

This book didn't take me very long to read, but for most of it I didn't seem to be enjoying the story. I'm not sure why; I liked Wicked Lovely. What i didn't like about this book was the feeling and pace of the first half. It felt sort of like reading Twilight, where the plot went nowhere and characters agonized over their problems. This is what happened with Fragile Eternity.

I understand why Seth was so concerned over the differences between him and Aislinn. But that didn't mean the first half of the book had to be entirely about that, because it really felt like that. Reading this book, I thought, 'haven't I read that somewhere?' and I had, in Twilight. That same feeling of "I want to be what you are but you don't want me to be" was there. I didn't like it. It's not particularily interesting. But after a while, the pace picked up, and I liked it much better. I didn't know there were more books though. i thought this was the last one. But the book got closer and closer to the end, and I thought, ' isn't she going to finish it?' and I got to the end... and realized there was more. I went to her website, and found that there are two more. What? That surprised me. Hopefully her next book I'll enjoy more. I like her writing style, and the characters, but this one book for me wasn't as good as the first. So, 3 stars, because I like it at the end but did not love it.

P.S. I'm reading a very interesting book right now. It's called How to Read Literature Like a Professor. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in reading literature, or studying it.
...And, Catching Fire is out today! I'll try to buy it in the next couple days, but I'm moving so I'm not sure if I'll end up doing that. But I'd love to have that to read on the ferry!

Cybele's Secret

I absolutely loved this book! It's the sequel to Wildwood Dancing, which is a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses fairytale. It had everything a good story needs: mystery, adventure, romance, and good heart. I also liked the love triangle, and I usually don't. The pace was good, and the story was exciting. I liked that I wasn't able to predict farther than the middle of the story. I liked the characters, especially Duarte. He was an interesting one; not quite who you think he is. Some things I found a bit predictable, but I didn't mind.

In this book we find that first impressions aren't always as they seem. This was a wonderful sequel to the first book. I think I even liked it better, and I loved Wildwood Dancing. 5 stars! Highly recommended.