Happy Labor Day everyone!

I, for one, have always found this an exceedingly strange holiday. Celebrating labor? Hmmm.....But, inevitably I go to school in the town where Labor Day was invented so I can't just ignore it and pretend like its just another day off like everyone else in the world. There are festivities!

There will be a small fair and fireworks tonight, which are usually pretty good despite the fact that the college is bigger than the town. But it will be fun. Maybe I'll post some pictures of the fireworks next time for those of you who are my loyal fans. :)

Now that I'm done with Wings, I'm trying to branch out in the world of young adult literature. Though fantasy is my first love, I do enjoy other genres as well, and one of those is historical fiction. On a recent trip to Barnes & Noble with some fellow book lovers, I resolved to buy some books based upon cover and cover copy only. After scouring the store for about an hour, I picked up two books. A Sweet Disorder by Jacqueline Kolosov, and another which shall be revealed after I read it.

A Sweet Disorder has a stunning cover. Not as blatantly dramatic as the Luxe novels, and just enough to keep you interested. It was the cover that first made me pick up the book. The next os the cover copy, which describes an epic struggle for a young woman independence with the only weapon she has in her arsenal: Embroidery. That along with the promise of backstabbing intrigue and lost love clinch the purchase for me.

I was always a huge fan of the 'Dear America' and 'Royal Diaries' series growing up, so I leave B&N with the hope and expectation that it will give me the same thrill. I started it that night, despite the face that I had mountains of homework looming over me, threatening to topple and suffocate me under a ten foot pile of paper. The book doesn't disappoint. It is by definition, a much slower book than say, City of Bones, which has much more of an action aspect to it. But once I got caught up in the intrigues of the English court I found myself turning pages almost as quickly as an action novel.

In this world where wearing the wrong color can mean your death or exile, it's not a physical battle, but a mental one. Kolosov brilliantly depicts the difficulty of being able to trust no one, even those who claim to be loyal. An added dynamic is the one of love. How must it feel to be in love with the court's most sought after knight, the man who was once betrothed to you. With every girl around her scrambling for the affection of the one she loves, the protagonist has a hard enough time just keeping her heart at a steady pace. Layer on the sting of betrayal and I'm not sure how our girl survives the emotional roller coaster.

My only qualm with this book was that it ended quickly. Once everything was laid out, it took almost no time at all for things to fall into a peaceful, happy balance. This was not at all out of place with the remainder of the book; there were no loose ends left, and the audience comes away satisfied that the character's lives are as they should be. It was only my personal opinion that it seemed like a swift end, and in the grand scheme of things, a very little smudge on the polish of a very well written book. It is very solid, and I enjoyed it very much.

Thank you all for being patient with me through school! I don't have nearly as much time as I would like to post to you all. I'm trying to make time as much as I can. If you have anything you would like me to write about, let me know! I'm running out of book reviews, since my school regimen does not allow me much free time to read anything other than textbooks. Feel free to leave a comment or e-mail me!

CV

P.S. Next time, my thoughts on Suzanne Collins' books: The Hunger Games, and Catching Fire!

P.P.S. Don't forget to fan me on facebook for news and novel updates!