Flower Friday - Hollyhock + Friday's Fab Five

Hollyhock - Alcea Rosea 'Nigra'

This week's featured flowers are Hollyhocks!  These dark burgundy Hollyhocks bloom from mid-summer into early fall.  The flowers are so dark that they look black until you see them up close or happen to catch the sunlight shining through them.   This plant gets to be over seven feet tall and puts on a striking display each summer.  Our Hollyhocks have suffered from rust & fungal damage for the past couple of years, so the leaves are not as lovely and unblemished as they could be, but that doesn't seem to stop the flowers from blooming beautifully and they still seem to spread a little more each year.  The buds are also very pretty and are shaped like little green meringue cookies.  I've read that these flowers can be used to make a natural dye and that the flowers, buds, and leaves are all edible.  To learn more about about Alcea rosea 'Nigra', check out the Alcea rosea 'Nigra' page at Heritage Perennials, the Alcea rosea 'Nigra' page at Dave's Garden, or the Alcea rosea 'Nigra' page at Gardeners' World.

A few book and blogosphere updates:

1.  Do you love zombie stories?  If so, you may want to check out The Living Dead 2, a new anthology featuring several fabulous authors including Kelley Armstrong, Carrie Ryan, Brenna Yovanoff, Kelly Link, and Cherie Priest.  Want a sneak preview?  You can read Carrie Ryan's short story Flotsam & Jetsam here.  

2.  Cindy Pon is giving away three fun books - Everlasting by Angie Frazier, Wildwing (ARC) by Emily Whitman, and Entwined (ARC) by Heather Dixon.  You can enter to win all three books here (ends 9/20).

3.  Julie Kagawa shared a teaser from the final book in her Iron Fey trilogy, The Iron Queen.  It is full of Ash-y goodness and can be found here.

This fun meme is hosted by Froggarita's Bookcase.  Every Friday Froggarita asks five questions so we can all get to know each other better.  The only rule is that you can't use the same answer twice within your five!   Ready to play?  Leave your answers in the comments or leave us a link to your own Friday's Fab Five post. 

1. What is your favorite season?

Spring

2.  What is your favorite activity in that season?

Watching the flowers begin to bloom.

3.  Which season do you hate?

Hmm... I don't really hate any season.  They all have good and bad points.

4.  Why?

The pros of each season:  Spring = Flowers!  Summer = Fresh berries in the garden!  Fall = Pumpkins & Halloween!  Winter = Holiday celebrations, sparkly lights, and more hours of daylight from the solstice on!

The cons of each season:  Spring = Wet & muddy.  Summer = Too hot!  Fall = Dark days.  Winter = Gray & cold.

5.  What is the first thing that comes to mind when I say Autumn?

Halloween.  I love Halloween!  :-)

Flower Friday - Graham Thomas + Friday's Fab Five

'Graham Thomas' roses

This week's featured flowers are - 'Graham Thomas' roses!  These pretty yellow roses bloom in large, lovely clusters and smell wonderful.  This is the first time we've featured a flower that is not from our own yard, so I don't have any personal experience with growing this rose, but they happen to be in bloom at our favorite city park right now and I just couldn't resist snapping a couple photos of them while we were at the park this afternoon.  I am excited to learn more about them and am already trying to figure out if we could make space to fit 'Graham Thomas' into our yard.   To learn more about about 'Graham Thomas' roses, check out Dave's Garden's Graham Thomas page, Backyard Gardener's Graham Thomas page, or HelpMeFind's Graham Thomas page.

A few book and blogosphere updates:

1.  Our Stupid Shiny Designs contest ends on Tuesday (8/31), so be sure to stop by and enter if you haven't already!  Click here to enter.  Our Richelle Mead giveaway also ends Tuesday (8/31), so if you would like the chance to win a signed copy of Vampire Academy click here to enter that giveaway.

2.  Julie Kagawa shared an excerpt from The Iron Queen on Harlequin's Blog.  Click here to get a sneak peek of what Meghan and Ash are up to in The Iron Queen.  :-)

3.  Escape from Reality is giving away a copy of Sophie Jordan's Firelight.  The contest ends 8/31.  You can stop by to check out that contest here.

This fun meme is hosted by Froggarita's Bookcase.  Every Friday Froggarita asks five questions so we can all get to know each other better.  The only rule is that you can't use the same answer twice within your five!   Ready to play?  Leave your answers in the comments or leave us a link to your own Friday's Fab Five post. 

1. What is your favorite tree?

Jacaranda!  I absolutely love Jacaranda trees, but they won't survive the winters where we live.  We've tried planting and pampering them several times, but never with any success.  Eventually we settled for keeping a few baby Jacarandas inside (as bonsai-style houseplants).

2. What is your zodiac sign?

Pisces

3. How long does it take you to do your grocery shopping?

If the kids are with me, at least an hour.  If I am alone, about thirty minutes.

4. How often do you ride a bike?

Not very often.

5. Who is your role model?

My mom.  :-)

Flower Friday - American Beauty

Climbing American Beauty

This week's featured flowers - 'Climbing American Beauty' roses!  These deep pink roses fade to a beautiful light pink as they age.  This rose is a hybridized, large-flowered climber that can grow to between twelve and fifteen feet tall (with support).  The flowers grow in fragrant clusters, and it blooms from late spring to mid-summer.  This rose is not quite as disease-resistant as some of our other roses like Duchesse de Montebello, Veilchenblau, and Marianne, but it is still fairly hardy.  To learn more about 'American Beauty' climbing roses, check out Dave's Garden's 'Climbing American Beauty' page, Peaceful Habitations' American Beauty, Cl. page, or The Antique Rose Emporium's American Beauty, Cl. page.

A few book and blogosphere updates:

1.  Julie Kagawa will be participating in a Twitter party to celebrate the August 3rd release of The Iron Daughter, the second book in her Iron Fey series.  The party will start at 8 pm EST tomorrow (Saturday, July 31st) and will last until around 9:30 pm EST.  Julie will answer questions and will be giving away some great prizes including signed books, doodled bookplates, and a hand-painted Grimalkin rock. You can follow the chat on twitter or tweetchat using the hashtag #ironfey.

2.  Robin Benway shared her playlist for The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June, which will be in stores August 3rd, here.  She also included a book excerpt with each track on the playlist.  If you want to learn more about the characters in her book, all three of the fictional sisters now have twitter accounts: April, May, & June.

3.  Simon & Schuster has arranged a live chat with Cassandra Clare on Wednesday, August 4th at 5 pm EST.  If you haven't registered to attend yet, stop by USTREAM to RSVP.  You can read more about the event here.

Book Giveaway!!! The Iron King by Julie Kagawa!

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa!

Update (7/1):  CONTEST CLOSED!  The winner is T.V and Book Addict!  Congratulations!

Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey novella, Winter's Passage, which takes place just after the conclusion of The Iron King and before the beginning of The Iron Daughter, will be available as a free download tomorrow!  [Update (6/1): Click here to download Winter's Passage for free!]  In celebration of the release of Winter's Passage and because The Iron King is one of our favorite debut novels this year, we've decided to give away a copy of The Iron King here on The Eager Readers!  You can read our full review of The Iron King here.  If you would like to learn more about Julie Kagawa's books, please check out The Iron Fey website or Julie Kagawa's website and blog.

The Iron King Summary:

Meghan Chase has never fit in at her small-town high school, and now, on the eve of her 16th birthday, she discovers why. When her half brother is kidnapped, Meghan is drawn into a fantastical world she never imagined--the world of Faery, where anything you see may try to eat you, and Meghan is the daughter of the summer faery king. Now she will journey into the depths of Faery to face an unknown enemy . . . and beg the help of a winter prince who might as soon kill her as let her touch his icy heart. The Iron King is the first book in the Iron Fey series.

The Iron King Trailer:
 

Contest Details:

First prize (one winner) = a paperback copy of  The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Contest deadline:

June 30 at 11:59 pm (PST)

How to Enter:

Follow The Eager Readers and fill out the form below. *required*

(Open to US residents only.)

Extra Entries:

+2 for sharing a link to this contest on your blog [sidebar is fine]

+2 for posting our blog button on your blog

+1 for tweeting the following link to this contest:

Book giveaway! Enter to win a copy of The Iron King by Julie Kagawa @TheEagerReaders! (ends 6/30) >>> http://bit.ly/TheIronKing

+1 for sharing a link to this contest on facebook

+1 for tallying your total number of entries  *required*

Thank you for entering our contest for The Iron King!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Currently Reading:

                                   

The Iron Daughter (ARC) by Julie Kagawa  &   Sisters Red (ARC) by Jackson Pearce

 Up Next in my TBR (to-be-read) pile:

                                  

 Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan   &   Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

What are you reading today?  What's up next in your TBR pile?

This fun meme is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books.

Book Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Title:  The Iron King
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Genre: YA
Paperback: 363 pages
ISBN: 0373210086
Summary: Meghan Chase has never fit in at her small-town high school, and now, on the eve of her 16th birthday, she discovers why. When her half brother is kidnapped, Meghan is drawn into a fantastical world she never imagined--the world of Faery, where anything you see may try to eat you, and Meghan is the daughter of the summer faery king. Now she will journey into the depths of Faery to face an unknown enemy . . . and beg the help of a winter prince who might as soon kill her as let her touch his icy heart. The Iron King is the first book in the Iron Fey series. (cover photo & summary from Goodreads.com)

Overall rating: 9/10 flowers 

To buy this book:  Powell's | The Book Depository | IndieBound | Amazon

Add this book to your:  Goodreads | Shelfari | LibraryThing | Visual Bookshelf

Urban fantasy blends deliciously with a spooky fairytale ambiance in Julie Kagawa's debut novel, The Iron King.   This book was much creepier than I expected it to be, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!  I love reading about brave heroines who are thrust into challenging circumstances.  I am also a fan of excellent world-building, particularly when that world happens to include a beautiful boy, a clever illusionist, and old grudges colliding with new rivalries.  This book was a lot of fun!

What I Liked:

• The dark fairytale world.  From the eerily hazardous Nevernever to the dangerous fey-filled streets of New Orleans, it was easy to get caught up in the fabulously spooky atmosphere of The Iron King.
• Ash!  Who doesn't love a dangerous ice prince?  Beneath his cold, handsome exterior lies an honorable and surprisingly gentle heart.  Plus, the boy can dance and is exceptionally handy with a sword.  ;)
• Puck.  He is more than just a playful trickster.  It is impossible not to be charmed and amused by Meghan's devoted friend and protector.
• The creepy creatures.  From nixies to gremlins to chimeras and goblins, this book is brimming with mysterious fey creatures & many of them are seriously scary.  There are several nightmare-worthy moments & characters to be found within the pages of The Iron King.
• Grimalkin, a clever & snarky cat with his own agenda.  He reminded me of a cross between Lewis Carroll's mischievous Cheshire Cat and Tamora Pierce's intelligent constellation cat. 
• The blending of traditional fey mythology (Seelie Court, Unseelie Court, Shakespearian fairies - Oberon, Titania, Puck, and Queen Mab) with totally new & intriguing elements like the Iron fey.  
• The conflict that has been brewing between Ash and Puck since long before Meghan entered their lives, which is only made more complicated by their newfound rivalry & desire to help Meghan.
• Lines that made me laugh in the midst of tense scenes.  For example, when Megan thinks "Good God, the Ice Prince was making jokes now; the world must be ending."
• The first book, while leaving much to be explored in the rest of the series, is still conclusive enough not to be frustrating. 

What I Wished:

• More Ash!  More Puck!  Okay, I suppose those two characters probably could not logically have been on all 363 pages, so I know this is a slightly unfair request.  But a girl can dream, right?  Luckily, there are two more books to come, so there should be plenty of time for Meghan to find herself dealing with forbidden romance & unrequited love (aka shirtless winter prince Ash & devoted 'I would've given everything for you' Puck).
• I wanted Meghan to experiment with her abilities a little more.  Hopefully, more time will be devoted to that in books two and three.
• A few of the human characters leaned toward cliches (the obnoxious jock & the snotty cheerleader), and they probably could have been reworked or developed a little further.
• Occasionally, I wanted Meghan to be a little less naive or ready to jump into fairy bargains, but she'd generally redeem herself with her unflinching determination so I never held that character trait against her for too long. 

If you enjoy modern faery stories or traditional fairytales, I would highly recommend this book.  Fans of Neil Gaiman, Melissa Marr, or Holly Black should definitely check out The Iron King.  This book also has elements that reminded me of Alice in Wonderland, The Neverending Story, and Labyrinth, so if you enjoyed any of those stories, you will want to pick up this book.  I am looking forward to reading the next two books in The Iron Fey series - The Iron Daughter (August 2010) & The Iron Queen (February 2011).  For more information about this series, follow the links below & watch the lovely Iron King trailer.  You can read the first three chapters of The Iron King online at The Iron Fey website.

Julie Kagawa's:  website | blog | LJ | twitter 

March update:   Blog with Bite is featuring reviews of The Iron King this month.  Click the banner above to read other bloggers reviews or to submit your own.