Review: The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

My name is Meghan Chase.

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.

Available at Amazon, Book Depository, Chapters, Harlequin

I'd been working on this series as part of a book club read on Goodreads and I will admit that each book gradually made the entire series grow on me. (My reviews of The Iron King, Winter's Passage and The Iron Daughter are linked here.) The idea of Iron Fairies and how they came about is a very cool concept, but it's the characters and their situations/battles that have steadily improved for me.

Going into The Iron Queen, it was initially with the thought that it would be the end of the series, then, of course, with the announcement of The Iron Knight coming out, it was uncertain whether much closure would come about. Truly, I had certain formulaic expectations of how this book would end. And, wow, I did not expect things to go the way they did (I even said this out loud as I was reading it.) Kudos to Julie Kagawa for surprising me (and going against the grain!)

Review: Triangles by Ellen Hopkins

In this emotionally powerful novel, three women face the age-old midlife question: If I’m halfway to death, is this all I’ve got to show for it? Holly, filled with regret for being a stay-at-home mom, sheds sixty pounds and loses herself in the world of extramarital sex. Andrea, a single mom and avowed celibate, watches her friend Holly’s meltdown with a mixture of concern and contempt. Holly is throwing away what Andrea has spent her whole life searching for—a committed relationship with a decent guy. So what if Andrea picks up Holly’s castaway husband? Then there’s Marissa. She has more than her fair share of challenges—a gay teenage son, a terminally ill daughter, and a husband who buries himself in his work rather than face the facts. As one woman’s marriage unravels, another one’s rekindles. As one woman’s family comes apart at the seams, another’s is reconfigured into something bigger and better. In this story of connections and disconnections, one woman’s up is another one’s down, and all three of them will learn the meaning of friendship, betrayal, and forgiveness before it is through.

Available from Amazon, Book Depository, Chapters, Simon and Schuster Canada

When starting to discuss Ellen Hopkins, the first thought is about her writing style. While it is not new to the world at large, it was a new reading experience for me. Sure, it's in a poetic form, but she tells a narrative tale, even incorporating titles into the main stream of the story, giving the impression (and rightfully so) that constant care has been put into every line; every page.

One particular font is used in the telling of each woman's part until the point of view is about to change. At this precipice between character POV's, there would be a breakdown of sorts. Hopkins moves into a more abstract thought to sum up what she'd just written. I found this served an effective method to withdraw the reader, temporarily, from the intense emotions of each "chapter"; a carefully placed pause to allow the reader time to regroup. And, visually, with each turn of the page, you never knew what the next one would look like. This made for an artful, fascinating reading adventure.

Format and style aside, I was emotionally invested in the story from the very beginning, with her portrayal of a disgruntled wife, a mother with an ailing child, and a lonely single mother. Before page 50, I could barely bring myself to read Marissa's story (the mother with the sick child). The anticipation alone of what might happen in each of her "chapters" was enough to reduce me to tears. Considering the relatively small number of words used to this point, they were chosen and positioned so well as to offer the reader maximum impact....eliciting full on waterworks.

Review: The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory

Jacquetta, daughter of the Count of Luxembourg and kinswoman to half the royalty of Europe, was married to the great Englishman John, Duke of Bedford, uncle to Henry VI. Widowed at the age of nineteen she took the extraordinary risk of marrying a gentleman of her house-hold for love, and then carved out a life for herself as Queen Margaret of Anjou's close friend and a Lancaster supporter - until the day that her daughter Elizabeth Woodville fell in love and married the rival king Edward IV. Of all the little-known but important women of the period, her dramatic story is the most neglected. With her links to Melusina, and to the founder of the house of Luxembourg, together with her reputation for making magic, she is the most haunting of heroines.

Available from Amazon, Book Depository, Chapters, Simon and Schuster Canada

It's no secret I'm a big fan of Philippa Gregory's, though I'm still working on reading her backlist of books. The Lady of the Rivers  represented something new for me: a more complete look at a series (in this case, The Cousins's War).

Ms. Gregory is known for her portrayal of historical women, giving life to otherwise one dimensional historical facts. This is very much the case with Jacquetta. What is interesting though, is that all of the characters involved in the Cousins' War are given this same opportunity and, as such, you feel empathy for them all. But the stories throughout this time period are about picking sides. Ms. Gregory gives equal attention to each woman, making it hard to do that. Fortunately, which ever side we would choose today has little relevance to history.

Review: Betsy Wickwire's Dirty Secret by Vicki Grant

Betsy’s life is officially over: Dumped by her boyfriend, betrayed by her best friend . . . how is she ever going to show her face again? 

Determined to avoid everyone and everything from her previous life, Betsy stumbles into an unusual café and an even more unusual girl. Dolores Morris—a mouthy, green-haired outsider Betsy can’t quite remember from school—talks her into starting a cleaning service. Before she knows it, Betsy is down on her knees, dressed like a dust bunny, scrubbing strangers’ toilets. 

It’s a long way for the most popular girl in school to have fallen. But Betsy finds comfort in the wine bottles and prescriptions and other dirty secrets she finds hidden in her clients’ homes. She also finds love with a client’s son, friendship with Dolores and a liberated sense of herself. Her new life soon falls apart, though, when valuables begin to go missing from some of the homes she and Dolores have been cleaning. Betsy discovers the hard way that not all dirty secrets can just be swept under the rug.

Available from  Chapters, HarperCollins Canada,

Betsy Wickwire's story is a completely relatable one: having your heart broken in such an overwhelming manner has happened a million times over. And Betsy's ensuing desire to hide herself from the world....well,who hasn't wanted to do that at one time or another? It's these initial reactions to Vicki Grant's Betsy Wickwire's Dirty Secret  that had me hooked..

Review: Circle of Fire by Michelle Zink

With time dwindling but her will to end the Prophecy stronger than ever, Lia sets out on a journey to find the remaining keys, locate the missing pages of the Prophecy, and convince her sister Alice to help--or risk her life trying. Lia has her beloved Dimitri by her side, but Alice has James, the man who once loved her sister--and maybe still does. James doesn't know the truth about either sister, or the prophecy that divides them. And Alice intends to keep it that way. 

There are some secrets sisters aren't meant to share. Because when they do, it destroys them. This stunning conclusion to Michelle Zink's Prophecy of the Sisters trilogy will make saying good-bye bittersweet for readers.

Available at Amazon, Book Depository, Chapters, HBG Canada, Author's Website

Circle of Fire is the last book in the Prophecy of the Sisters Trilogy, and it was something I had long been waiting for. It is a strange thing though, when you have been anticipating a book like this for so long but when you begin to read, the realization hits that this is truly the end. Such was the case as I read through this book. Initially, I read at such a slow pace, I thought I would never finish! I couldn't keep it up for long, as I really needed to see how things would play out between Lia and Alice.

Part of my enjoyment with this series stemmed from familiar elements that I love built right into the story (standing stones, mystical worlds, etc.). There were also new places, new wonders to be discovered this time around. In Circle of Fire, we get to travel to Ireland, to a series of underground caverns (cairns) and see the ingenuity of people from long, long ago. I've said it before, I love learning about "real" things from fictional books. Thank you, Michelle Zink, for furthering my education!

Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

I'm not sure where to start talking about this book. You see, I started reading it on Friday night last week and reached 1/3 of the way through very quickly. At that point, I was still questioning whether I liked the story or not. Weird, right, that I wouldn't know one way or the other? Well, it's true.

By Saturday, when I delved into it again, I was better able to understand what it was that had me initially confused then, ultimately, enamored with Mara Dyer and Michelle Hodkin. The author has you in the present, then in the past. She has you in Mara's head, which is a touchy area considering her mental faculties are seriously in question. You never know what is real and what is imagined. It is this back and forth feel that keeps you mesmerized, waiting for final clarification of what exactly is happening to this poor, messed up girl. (And did I mention I finished this 450 page book on Saturday?)

Review: A Midnight Dance by Lila DiPasqua

Inspired by the tale of Cinderella, Lila DiPasqua weaves a steamy historical romance that offers a glass slipper, a dangerous deception, and an impoverished beauty determined to find her handsome prince…and make him pay. 

Born into wealth, Sabine Laurent and her twin sister lived a life of luxury, their father’s prestigious theater frequented by royalty and aristocracy alike. And Sabine dreamed of her own prince charming—the devastatingly handsome Jules de Moutier. 

That was before the loss of her sister and her family’s fall from grace—a disaster Sabine blames on the Moutier family. Now, with her father’s death, she’s inherited his sizable debt and the responsibility of caring for his spoiled long-time mistress and her two wastrel daughters. But with the help of Sabine’s eccentric friends—the balance of her father’s acting troupe—she plans to get very close to her old infatuation, seduce the rake—and make away with a fortune. 

Resisting Jules’s skillful mouth and tantalizing touch is not as easy as Sabine supposed. And soon she must decide whether her desire for vengeance is greater than her desire for her one and only prince…

Available at Amazon, Book Depository, Chapters

I had heard great things about Lila DiPasqua's previous books: short stories based on fairy tales with a definite adult twist. So, when I heard about her latest release, I jumped at the chance to review it. It was also an added bonus to discover that she's a Canadian author; I really enjoy featuring "local" talent on my blog.

With the story being based on Cinderella, you know there will be a rags-to-riches feel about it. This story kind of went in reverse, with Sabine on the verge of losing everything dear to her. While Ms. DiPasqua kept many of the familiar elements of the original story within her version, I really enjoyed the spin she put on things like the glass slipper, the ugly stepsisters, etc. There were times that I almost missed the associations, only to think back and see how skillfully the author had inserted them.

Review: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

The first book in Richelle Mead's brand-new teen fiction series - set in the same world as Vampire Academy. 

When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California. But at their new school, the drama is only just beginning. 

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive - this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone's out for blood.

I want to preface my review with a little background information. I have heard great things about the Vampire Academy  series, so much so that I purchased all the books. But, I haven't read them yet. I went into reading Bloodlines, knowing that it was somehow related to the former series, but not knowing how much I would be missing out on because I haven't read them. Mel at He Followed Me Home recommended that I Wiki the series to get some of the details to help me with reading this. Of course, I didn't (she loves telling me "I told you so" when I don't listen to her advice ;). So, I read this book with no prior knowledge of the characters or Richelle Mead's world. I was hoping this would serve as an objective way of reading, to see if it would stand up to the test of a "stand alone" novel.

With the above disclaimer in mind, I have to say, I really enjoyed this book. There was enough world information to make the story flow smoothly and character description to sort of give a heads up on what had happened up till now. I liked that it features Sydney Sage, an alchemist, as the main character. It's funny, alchemists have been popping up in several of my recent reads, in one capacity or another. This makes me wonder if alchemy is the next big thing, as opposed to the formerly popular vampire/werewolf/fairy themes? (Though Bloodlines  does contain vampires with the alchemists working to prevent their exposure to the unknowing humans.) Alchemy, I think, has a flexible quality about it, giving a writer lots of room to work with  chemistry, and not just the idea of changing lead into gold.

Review: City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

Click here to read the book description:

Available at Amazon, Book Depository

From the outset, this third installment in The Mortal Instrument series is all action. I was glad to see the faster pace return, as I thought City of Ashes had started a little slower. But coming into this book, there were so many parts of the story that needed resolution, that jumping in head first kept me distracted enough to not dwell on the things that just weren't sitting well with me (Jace & Clary, specifically).

Jace, being the stubborn guy he is, sets off almost immediately to try to protect Clary from the battle that everyone knows is on the horizon. Seriously, though, he should have known better! And while this could have been aggravating for the reader, it helped to guide parts of the tale that became vital as it reached the climax. In saying this, its Clary's equally stubborn side that makes her end up in the lake, in an effort to join her friends  in Idris. Though the significance of this accident seemed quite obvious (to me, anyway), it was the character interactions thereafter that allowed for the story to take on many other dimensions.

We meet a lot of new people in City of Glass, as the battle plans are discussed and debated in Idris and this allowed for more intrigue in the story. The different factions that had been previously just barely mentioned, were in full view here, and the in-fighting added to the mounting tensions. Truly, through the three books, you were never sure which of the Shadowhunters were still in allegiance with Valentine and which were honestly opposed to him. In this sense, Clare keeps you on your toes; it is a terrible thing for these young people not knowing exactly who to trust at any given time. Then again, despite his crazy hair and flamboyant wardrobe, I'd trust Magnus any day :)

Review: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

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Available at Amazon, Book Depository, Chapters, Scholastic Books Canada

I was nervous going into my reading of Forever, knowing that this would be the last book in the series. First, because it was a series that had grown on me, considerably, between Shiver (book one) and Linger (book two). Secondly, because I don't like endings! But I put on a brave face and dove in.

Having spent so much time away from the books since I had read Linger (a whole year), it was nice, early in the book, to have a reminder of why I've enjoyed this series so much. It is this: Stiefvater's writing takes on the essence of what is beloved in poetry; the tone mournful yet full of observation,. It makes the reading feel surreal; slightly mystical. For example: (pg. 71 of ARC) "Overhead, thunder rumbled, seemingly in advance of the storm cloud, which was cupping around the tops of the trees like a hand hiding a secret." I think this imagery is just stunning! But more than that is when these little bits of insight are revealed. It could pop up just after one of the characters had been discussing a mundane element of life, then bam! something beautiful and intuitive shows up. It always makes me wish I had realized it myself, but happy that someone else had, and found a way to share it with me (and all of the other readers).

Review: City of Ghosts by Stacia Kane

Click here for the book description.
Available at Amazon, Book Depository

City of Ghosts is the third installment in Stacia Kane's Downside series and despite my desire to smack the main character, Chess, upside the head in the second book (Unholy Magic), I was more than willing to give her another chance to win back my heart.

Once again, the time frame isn't much beyond the previous book, and with that, all the fallout of Chess's actions and their effects on Terrible are still fresh . This for me was the biggest part of the story that I needed cleared up coming into City of Ghosts. Things are never that simple, though, and we have to allow for Kane's delivering the tale her way, to see if we're going to get what we want.

This story contained some new characters, Lauren, the Black Squad member that Chess has been asked to assist, and the strange man with all of the kids were major parts in the storyline. But it was the kids, the descriptions of their infirmities, how this could have happened that saddened and shocked me. Kane we true to form in her no holds barred way of story telling. As ever, the grit of the Downside world is evident in every element of the tale..

Review: River Marked by Patricia Briggs

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Available at Amazon, Book Depository, Penguin.ca

Per my usual method, this is the first book in The Mercy Thompson series that I have read. So, why did I want to read it? Well, I've heard great things about the series and I was completely intrigued by a female mechanic as the main character. All my life, I've been around mechanics and this seemed like something I might be able to relate to.

The story starts off with Mercy's concern for Stefan, the vampire, which I can only assume was how the last book ended. From that part of the story to her impending marriage to Adam, I did feel somewhat out of the loop. Fortunately, I think, Ms. Briggs does a good job of filling the reader in on what's happened up till now without being overwhelming (the whole how much is too much in back story has become my latest obsession.)

I enjoyed the serious versus humourous elements in the story. It appears Mercy has been through a lot in her life and this proved no exception in River Marked. It felt, initially, that it was going to be a slow go throughout, as there was more talk of the wedding than anything else. But, this changed quickly and it became full of intense action.

Review: Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

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Available at Amazon, Book Depository, Penguin.ca

I was hoping by now that I would've had time to go back and read all the books in between Dead Until Dark (book 1) and Dead in the Family (book 10) to get caught up to speed. Well, it still hasn't happened but I wasn't going to let it deter me from reading the latest offering in the Sookie Stackhouse saga, Dead Reckoning. I must admit though, that things are becoming a bit blurry for me between the backstory that has been eluded to in the last two books and what I have watched over the last three seasons of True Blood. I really need to read up and get the skinny on the written version in a much more complete way.

Dead Reckoning started off with a bang, with action in the first chapter.  I was hopeful that this exciting pace would continue throughout the book. Well, it didn't, I'm sad to report. But what intrigues me, as I'm reading about Sookie, is how in my mind I conjure up a scene of sitting on porch, swinging, and drinking lemonade while hearing far out tales that would make any traditional southern woman fan herself rapidly in shock and dismay.

Sookie goes about her life as though it's normal, then has these crazy moments of paranormal mayhem. She even questions the sanity of it all and how/if she can handle anymore. I liked this reflective aspect in the story. That Sookie is made aware of how screwed up her life is, rather than just the reader seeing it and screaming into the book, "Wake up, Sookie!" , is a refreshing quality (yes, the yelling still happens but if fictional characters realized too much about their own lives there would be no story at all).

What I'm getting a bit tired of is all the fence sitting in Sookie and Eric's relationship. Maybe it's because I love the Eric character so much it makes me biased. I just want Sookie to make up her mind, but something always seems to get in the way. And there's no exception here. The story is left wide open for more books, which is good when you love the characters as I do. BUT, when most of the story is told in that languorous, porch swinging way, it starts to get a little drawn out. I haven't yet given up on Sookie, but I would've liked much more action and intrigue than what was delivered.

There were some great scenes, including a funny one with Bill, and another intense one near the end with Bubba. My heart really went out to Pam, and I'd have been feeling murderous too, if I'd had to endure what she went through. All in all, there was some great story building, some partial resolutions, but still lots of story lines that have been working through the last two book (and probably longer, though I haven't read the other books yet) that need resolving and soon! Saying all that, I still look forward to what Charlaine Harris cooks up in future offerings for Sookie and the gang.

Review: First Grave of the Right by Darynda Jones

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Available from Amazon, Book Depository

Still relatively new to the audiobook format, I listened to First Grave on the Right as a recommendation from Caroline at Secret HEA Society and Book Lovers Inc. (she's very influential on my listening these days :-) Again, Caroline was dead on the money with this book.

The concept here is quite different, that Charley is a Grim Reaper, and, what in fact the Grim Reaper has the responsibility of. But I really liked the twist. To have Charley with this major responsibility but also as a human private detective, trying to solve the wrongful deaths, is a great blend.

The story is told with lots of humour, which always keeps me engrossed and entertained. There were also times when some seriousness was needed, especially as a subject like human trafficking arose, and it was handled well, I thought. All in all, I liked the way the stories intertwined.

But then there's Reyes. As First Grave in the Right unfolds, this man that has impacted Charley's life so much from when she was a teenager, is slowly uncovered for what or who he really is and THAT promises to become way more interesting in further novels. Darynda Jones portrays this characters as full of mystery and you feel for him, as his initial story comes out. Then, as even more is revealed, there's a wariness I felt about his motives where Charley is concerned. I really want to believe he's on the up and up, I really do...

I really enjoyed all of the elements in First Grave on the Right and found the audio helped to emphasize the humour. I will be trying to get my hands on Second Grave of the Left as soon as it is released. This was a great story with a cozy mystery feel, mixed in with potential for apocalyptic disaster...how can you go wrong?

Review: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

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Available at Amazon, Book Depository, Chapters, Harlequin

The Iron Daughter is my third foray into Julie Kagawa's version of the Faery world and its interactions with the human world (I am including the short story, Winter's Passage in my calculations :-) As I mentioned in my review of Winter's Passage, I had thought this book would start with the travel to the Winter Court, but it starts smack dab with Meghan in Mab's domain.

We get to really meet Ash's whole family here, and I know they're supposed to be cold and all, but that they'd make great candidates for the Jerry Springer Show was surprising to me. Ash's mother (Mab) is portrayed as a raving lunatic, at times. Granted, she's been around a long, long time and has felt the enmity against the Summer King for just as long,  it stands to reason that a raging war is always just brewing under the surface. I think this is where I really started to feel something for Ash; he's trying so hard to maintain his cool facade around his mother, while battling his growing feelings for Meghan. Poor guy!

Review: Winter's Passage by Julia Kagawa

Meghan Chase used to be an ordinary girl...until she discovered that she is really a faery princess. After escaping from the clutches of the deadly Iron fey, Meghan must follow through on her promise to return to the equally dangerous Winter Court with her forbidden love, Prince Ash. But first, Meghan has one request: that they visit Puck--Meghan's best friend and servant of her father, King Oberon--who was gravely injured defending Meghan from the Iron Fey.

Yet Meghan and Ash's detour does not go unnoticed. They have caught the attention of an ancient, powerful hunter--a foe that even Ash may not be able to defeat....

An eBook exclusive story from Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series.

Available at Harlequin, Amazon

Being a short story, I guess it's okay for me to write a short review, right?  Let's see how that works out, as I can, at times, tend to be verbose :-p

Reading this e-book right after The Iron King, I was surprised that it dealt with the voyage to the Winter Court. I thought for sure that would be an integral part of The Iron

Review: Hounded by Kevin Hearne

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Available at Amazon, Book Depository, Chapters Indigo

Thanks to Caroline from The Secret HEA Society (and also one of my co-horts at Book Lovers Inc.), Kevin Hearne's book Hounded was put on my radar. I am now fast becoming one of Kevin's biggest fans!

Based on Caroline's recommendation, I borrowed the audio book from the library to start me off. This is a truly fantastic audio book! Read by Luke Daniels, the characters really come alive, especially Oberon, who is my personal fave (though Atticus is definitely no slouch either!) But more than how it was read, it's the what that was being read that made this book one of my faves in a long time.  After starting it, I ran right out and bought my very own print copy, along with Hexed, in preparation.

Review: Switch by Tish Cohen

Click here for the book description.

Available from Chapter Indigo, Amazon, Book Depository (note: Switch is available in Canada now, but releases elsewhere in August 2011)

Likened to the movie Freaky Friday, Switch has two girls switching lives based on a wish (with an imaginative conduit, I might add). Having seen both versions of the movie, I had a good idea what I was in for.

Immediately, I felt that Tish Cohen seemed on the money, giving the main character, Andrea, the right type of "voice" for a teenage girl. The vernacular was not too old for someone in high school, nor was it too young. What irked me though was her (Andrea's) constant wallowing in self pity. But this actually turned out to be an important factor in why I ended up really liking the book.

I think we can all appreciate the desire to live life in someone else's shoes; we've probably made a passing wish ourselves at some point in our lives. Of course, fiction always comes around to prove that the grass is indeed greener on the other side. It was the real life situations that initially made Andrea make her wish, but it's the other girl, Joules', reality that really opens her eyes. Joules was also the biggest mystery for me; what were her motivations, how would her part of the story end?

Review: The Witch of Babylon by D J McIntosh

Click here to read the book description.

Available at Amazon, Chapters, Penguin

I received The Witch of Babylon from Bronwyn at Penguin Canada, and was very excited to get started reading it. I was most curious to read about the history of Mesopotamia and the related areas that were described in the book description.

True to its word, it was chock full of interesting tidbits that I had no idea about. What also impressed me were the ties that these cultures had or are asserted by the author in this novel. References to books in the Bible and Greek mythological people are only two elements that made the history more understandable to me, through the associations and quotes provided.

Review: The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Click here to read the book blurb on Goodreads.

Available to purchase from: Amazon, Book Depository, Book Depository UK

Thanks to Melanie at Hachette Book Group Canada, I was able to review The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide. So, when it arrived in the mail, my first thought was "Holy smokes! That's one heavy little book!" This is due in large part to the lovely paper used in the book, of encyclopaedic quality. It is a well produced book that appealed to me and my daughter (who was more into it for asthetics only).

This Guide has a Q&A with Stephenie Meyer, a chapter by chapter summary of all the books including a timeline starting at 1400 BC, character pages, family trees and so much more. There is even a section with fan art, which I thought was a fantastic tribute to Meyer's fans, displaying her attempt at connecting with them despite the difficulty she must have doing this now.

It's a stunning book on its own, as the book that ties everything together in a concise manner. But, really looking at it, you can see its potential for future writers as a resource, highlighting the kinds of elements that went into the novel writing process. From the locations, character sheets, types of vehicles, etc., you can see just how much background is needed to write a complete novel. It appears Meyer spent a lot of time getting things just right, which obviously paid off overall.

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide could quite as easily been referred to as 'The Twilight Encyclopaedia'. I'm very happy to have it sitting on my shelf, next to the four books that started the Twi craze. I also look forward to having something my daughter will enjoy more when she is just a little older. It's a true collector's piece.