Enchanted Ivy

What Lily Carter wants most in the world is to attend Princeton University just like her grandfather. When she finally visits the campus, Grandpa surprises her: She has been selected to take the top-secret Legacy Test. Passing means automatic acceptance to Princeton. Sweet!

Lily's test is to find the Ivy Key. But what is she looking for? Where does she start? As she searches, Lily is joined by Tye, a cute college boy with orange and black hair who says he's her guard. That's weird. But things get seriously strange when a gargoyle talks to her. He tells her that there are two Princetons—the ordinary one and a magical one—and the Key opens the gate between them. But there are more secrets that surround Lily. Worse secrets.

When Lily enters the magical Princeton, she uncovers old betrayals and new dangers, and a chance at her dream becomes a fight for her life. Soon Lily is caught in a power struggle between two worlds, with her family at its center. In a place where Knights slay monsters, boys are were-tigers, and dragons might be out for blood, Lily will need all of her ingenuity and courage—and a little magic—to unite the worlds and unlock the secrets of her past and her future.
from goodreads.com

Beth says 4.5 Stars…

I’ve enjoyed all of Sarah Beth Durst’s books, so I had high hopes for this novel. Thankfully, it delivered most of what I wanted. I loved the concept and thought it was well executed. I certainly can’t say that this novel is a derivative of another; it comes on its own term and with its own ideas. Parallel worlds are nothing new, but the delightful little twists put on it made it just different enough. As a student who actually looked at Princeton not too long ago, I could picture some of what she wrote about. The plot itself wasn’t actually that mind-blowingly original, but for some reason it felt fresh. Perhaps it’s because this book is distinctly not a paranormal romance, but it absolutely hit the spot for me. The evil-doer took me slightly by surprise, although I think that some people will catch on much faster than I did. I will say that the world was built very well and the concepts explained readily enough. Having Lily as both ignorant of the reality she was stepping into, but smart enough to figure it out worked well. Thus, readers could attempt to determine what was happening, but then not feel foolish if they couldn’t. Durst’s writing remains as delightful as ever and always manages to pull me in immediately. I find her style similar to a warm blanket and fire on a cold day; nothing fancy, but completely comforting and slightly magical.

Lily delighted me. I really felt connected to her, probably due in part to the fact that we have some very similar personality traits. I enjoyed reading a representation of a focused teenager who put academics high on her list. I will say that she didn’t particularly grow throughout the novel in any way other than increasing her awareness of the reality of the world(s) and her role in it. She didn’t have a huge moral change, or become a stronger and more confident person. She actually started out the book as a reasonably well-adjusted and competent teenager, and didn’t need a dramatic change. I would say that some sort of development would have been nice from any of the characters, but alas, none existed. The “love triangle” was just pathetic. There was never any real conflict with Lily, and honestly the romance wasn’t the driving force behind the novel. Tye amused me greatly and didn’t quite fit the stereotypes of tall, dark, and broody – I’m slightly partial to the snarky rebel, the role he did fall into.

This book is absolutely fantastic. It’s super cute – nice and light for the summer. This could be fun on the beach or in the car during a college search road trip. This falls in line with Durst’s other novels, and is for fans of the rest of her work. I’d recommend this for some nice fluff that’s well written and won’t make you feel dirty after reading it.
Book from Library

Ice

When Cassie was a little girl, her grandmother told her a fairy tale about her mother, who made a deal with the Polar Bear King and was swept away to the ends of the earth. Now that Cassie is older, she knows the story was a nice way of saying her mother had died. Cassie lives with her father at an Arctic research station, is determined to become a scientist, and has no time for make-believe.

Then, on her eighteenth birthday, Cassie comes face-to-face with a polar bear who speaks to her. He tells her that her mother is alive, imprisoned at the ends of the earth. And he can bring her back -- if Cassie will agree to be his bride.

That is the beginning of Cassie's own real-life fairy tale, one that sends her on an unbelievable journey across the brutal Arctic, through the Canadian boreal forest, and on the back of the North Wind to the land east of the sun and west of the moon. Before it is over, the world she knows will be swept away, and everything she holds dear will be taken from her -- until she discovers the true meaning of love and family in the magical realm of Ice.
from amazon.com

Beth says 4.5 Stars...

This book was very good, but not the best retelling of this tale that I've read. Everything shall always be compared to Jessica Day George's magnificent Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow. What I loved about this interpretation was that it was just that; it took the basic plot points that make the story what it is, and then changed everything else about it. The concept of the munaqsri was very original and not what I expected. The book was fairly well paced, but ever so often it lagged. I also felt confused once in a while when the dropping of information was improperly times. There were a few things that needed to be explained earlier then they were. These were just minor issues, as neither of them were present often.

I initially really liked Cassie. I felt a camaraderie with her in how rational and scientific she was. As a scientist I understood how and why she was thinking and saying the things she did. During the middle of the book, she began to annoy me with her angst. It was irritating when she whined and complained, not knowing what she wanted. Luckily, that didn't last terribly long. Bear was lots of fun, and the relationship, though more than a little strange, developed nicely. There weren't too many major supporting characters, which I think worked in the book's favor. It made the sparse Arctic landscape more believable, and carried that atmosphere into the rest of the novel.

This is a very good book. It's a good rendition, and the ending is a lovely combination of ordinary and unexpected. If you want a little Arctic chill to help temper the sweltering summer heat, this is for you.

Into the Wild + A Few Notes

We'd like to ask everybody's patience for the next couple of weeks (and for what's been happening now). Both of us will be moving into our schools, so things are really crazy and we might not get things posted as regularly as we'd like. Don't fear, though. Once we get settled everything will be back to normal. Nathan left today for a special program (because he's a special person) and cannot have his computer, and will be absent this entire week. He'd like me to say that he's looking forward to being back already. Thanks for being such great readers.

Happy Reading
Beth & Nathan

Now for the review...

Junior high is tough enough, even when your family is ordinary. And Julie Marchen's family is anything but ordinary: her brother is a talking cat, her grandmother is a bona fide witch, and her mother is Rapunzel. Yep, that Rapunzel -- long hair, tower, prince... Long ago, Rapunzel escaped the fairy tale with her fellow storybook characters to live in secret in our world. But Julie's world, our world, is about to change -- the fairy tale wants its characters back.

Now Julie must fight wicked witches, avoid glass slippers, fly griffins, and outwit magicians in order to rescue her mom and save her town from becoming a fairy tale kingdom

from sarahbethdurst.com

Beth says 5 Stars...
This book was adorable on so many levels. First of all, how can you not love something where a couple of the characters are Zel and Cindy, also known as Rapunzel and Cinderella? I particularly loved the fact that Zel ran a hair salon. This was a perfect blend of the real word and the world of fairy tales. I appreciated the fact that this wasn't just another retelling of one story (although I'm a sucker for those too), but that there were elements of so many different tales throughout the novel. Also, the whole concept of the Wild was fantastic. The fact that it is the place where all fairy tales reside and that it is able to control them is like nothing that I've ever read. I enjoyed seeing the characters as human; trapped against their will in stories they don't want. Even those who play evil roles may not me evil themselves; they could just be under the control of the Wild and not be able to stop themselves. This gave the characters remarkable depth, particularly those from fairy tales. Julie was a great heroine; flawed enough to be realistic, but capable of extraordinary things and sacrifices. There's a sequel to this book, and I can't wait to get my hands on it. This book was amazing, light with enough real substance to make it stick. This is for anyone who loves a twisted fairy tale.