The Midnight Palace by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

"The fact is that nothing is more difficult to believe than the truth; conversely, nothing seduces like the power of lies- the greater the better"

Carlos Ruiz Zafon continues to impress me as a storyteller. The Midnight Palace is technically the second book in Zafon's YA series, following The Prince of Mist which I posted about back in February. The two stories, however, are unrelated and can be read in any order. The themes from The Prince of Mist are what are continued in The Midnight Palace. I'm a sucker for books with dark, gothic elements so maybe that's why I like Zafon's stories so much.

Anyway, The Midnight Palace opens with an intense chase scene through the streets of Calcutta. Lieutenant Peake, carrying two small, twin babies, flees from a dark creature who seems to be part man and part something else...
Peake finally gets the babies to their grandmother who decides that the best way to keep them safe in the future is to separate them. (Okay, it's a little cliche- "Twins! Let's split them up!"- we all knew it was coming, but hey sometimes cliche is good.) The twins' grandmother decides to take the girl and go on the run while giving the boy to an orphanage.
Fast-forward to where the bulk of our story takes place: The twins are now 16. Ben, the boy, obviously, has bonded with with other kids at the Orphanage over the years, whom have formed a secret society, The Chowbar Society, but unfortunately it is about to be disbanded. Then, shortly before they call it quits Ben's grandmother and sister show up with danger on their heals. Instead of running Ben and Sheere, his sister, decide to face the evil forces that are pursuing them as they discover their family's dark and troubling past.

Overall, The Midnight Palace was a really enjoyable story. While there are a few moments that leave the reader wondering what's going on or why certain characters are doing certain things things, The Midnight Palace remains a fun, easy read, perfect for summer.

The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty

 Well I thought it was about that time when I finally post something on the wonderful blog! Recently I was in a trendy book store and in the monthly book club they were reading this. So of course, I decided to read it. I also have a weakness for historical fiction, so that also helped my selection process. This book takes us back to summer of 1922 when Cora Carlisle volunteers to chaperone Louise Brooks, who is a sassy teen ready to take over Manhattan. The first half of the book develops the theme of youth, innocence, and change. Louise is everything that Cora fears the world and society will turn in to. As Cora tries to preserve her Victorian values and her fight for suffrage. During the first half of the book there are flashbacks into Cora's childhood... Why she ended up in Kansas and why she has such a desire to get back to New York. The second half of the book finishes the story with how both of their lives end up. Cora goes back to Kansas, while Louise pursues her acting and dancing career. 

One thing I loved about this book was the battle between Cora and Louise over values and morals. Even though they both come from extremely different ends of the spectrum, they almost find a meeting point in the middle. The summer spent together gives Cora a new perspective on life and society, and by the end of the book Cora defends her rebellious friend, Louise. I like that even though Cora started out completely judgmental and hypocritical, she changes her perspective on "social rules". Louise finds the end of her life in poverty, alcoholism, and loneliness. Cora finds the end of her life fulfilling and completely full of her own secret scandals - I'll let you find those out for yourself (I was completely taken by surprise by a couple). 

Okay this is getting long.... Can you tell I liked this book? Crazy that even though this is fiction, times are completely different and have evolved so much. I'm sure some of you will think I need to get back in the kitchen after reading this and to stop focusing on women's rights. Haha but I hope some of you pick up this book too! It's one you cannot put down :) 

From The Small Screen, To The Big Screen, To A New Book Series

While stressing out over finals I decided to take a break. It's been a while since I've read anything for fun so I decided I wanted a nice, easy read to take my mind of things. I discovered Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line. For those of you who have not heard about or seen Veronica Mars it was a T.V show that lasted for 3 seasons back in the early 2000s. Unfortunately it was canceled, but this year they were finally able to get enough money to produce a movie, and now the creator, Rob Thomas is co-writing a new book series. Veronica Mars is basically your modern-day hardboiled detective, and I highly recommend the show if you haven't seen it. For those of you that have seen the show and the movie I highly recommend this book. It picks up shortly after where the movie leaves of as Veronica returns to life as a private eye. I was pleasantly surprised as to how the feel of the show was translated to this new medium so well. It has wit, humor, suspense, and basically everything you could want from anything Veronica Mars. The plot follows Veronica as she tries to figure out what happened to two young girls who have gone missing while on spring break in Neptune, California. I won't give anything else away, but I couldn't put the book down. I wouldn't deem the novel a great work of literature or anything, but it was entertaining, a really fun read, and essential to anyone who likes Veronica Mars.