SP: Kingdom of the Wicked by Derek Landy

Genre: Dark / Fantasy / Action
Page Count: 607 pages
Series: Skulduggery Pleasant (Book Seven)

GOODREADS SUMMARY:

The seventh installment in the biggest, funniest, most thrilling comedy-horror-adventure series in the universe - and the follow-up to 2011’s number-one bestseller, Death Bringer…

Magic is a disease.

Across the land, normal people are suddenly developing wild and unstable powers. Infected by a rare strain of magic, they are unwittingly endangering their own lives and the lives of the people around them. Terrified and confused, their only hope lies with the Sanctuary. Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain are needed now more than ever.

And then there's the small matter of Kitana. A normal teenage girl who, along with her normal teenage friends, becomes infected. Becomes powerful. Becomes corrupted. Wielding the magic of gods, they're set to tear the city apart unless someone stands up against them.

Looks like it's going to be another one of those days…

(To see my review of the past six books in the series, click here.)

This book was so much fun to read.  It'll make you laugh out loud and the twists are unpredictable.  Loved it!  Reading this made me quite excited to get the next installment, Last Stand of Dead Men, in about two weeks!

The plot was very fast-paced and full of action and twists - it feels like the 607 pages are only 50.  There was a sci-fi twist on this story, and I really liked it.  

Argeddion has been the most interesting villain yet - probably because he was a pacifist.  Very strange to see a villain who really wants the best for the world.  

Skulduggery and Valkyrie are still their witty selves and the finale was fantastic.  The last fifty pages or so were epic.

So if you've read the previous Skulduggery novels, definitely don't miss this one.  If you've never read a book in this series, they're great and I highly recommend them to fantasy readers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

The author of this book was touring in my area, so I picked up this book to read.  By looking at the summary, I was unsure whether or not to read this book; it's not the kind of book I would usually read.  There are tons of good reviews for this book though; so I picked it up.

This book completely exceeded my expectations!

I finished this book in less than 24 hours.  It was fast-paced -- there were barely any slow spots.  I loved the characters and the book is not exactly like the fairytale Cinderella like I was expecting -- it's actually quite different, which makes it really enjoyable and intriguing to read!
I recommend this to fans of YA sci-fi and fantasy.

Summary (from GoodReads):
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

~~~

~thespectacularbookworm

The 13th Reality: The Journal of Curious Letters by James Dashner

Good book.  A little slow at the beginning, but once you get into it it's very exciting.  I would recommend this to people who enjoy fantasy.

About a boy who starts receiving letters from an anonymous person.  He puts his letters in his "Journal of Curious Letters", hence the name. 

Filled with magic, mystery, and excitement, it's a great story! 

Book 1: The Journal of Curious Letters
Book 2: The Hunt for Dark Infinity
Book 3: The Blade of Shattered Hope

For more information, visit The 13th Reality.

~thespectacularbookworm