Mundie Moms

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Book Review: Tides by Betsy Crornwell

By: Betsy Cornwell
Published by: Harcourt
Released on: June 4th, 2013
Source: arc from publisher to review
Ages: 12 & up
4 Stars: I Enjoyed It
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Add it to Goodreads

When high-school senior Noah Gallagher and his adopted teenage sister, Lo, go to live with their grandmother in her island cottage for the summer, they don’t expect much in the way of adventure. Noah has landed a marine biology internship, and Lo wants to draw and paint, perhaps even to vanquish her struggles with bulimia. But then things take a dramatic turn for them both when Noah mistakenly tries to save a mysterious girl from drowning. This dreamlike, suspenseful story—deftly told from multiple points of view—dives deeply into selkie folklore while examining the fluid nature of love and family.

What a great debut! Betsy Cornwell delivers a great summer read rich in selkie lore, fueled by romance,  sprinkled with science and bounded by the relationships of family and friendship. I love this cover, and in fact it's what drew me to this book in the first place. I don't know what it is about Summer time, but anything pertaining to selkies, merpeople, and anything pertaining to the beach screams summer read to me, and this book is definitely one that I'd recommend picking up this summer.

Set on the east coast, TIDES is a story has Irish ties, and a rich romance that spans over decades. It's one of those stories that spans generations, as the book's main characters move in with their Grandmother for the summer on an isolated island surrounded by the ocean. It's there that Noah and his sister Lo learn a lot more about their Grandmother, her friend Maebh, and the mysterious girl Mara Noah saves from a near drowning, or so he thought. What a well written story! Seriously. I loved the way the story was written. Betsy took her time giving readers every angle of the story, and I appreciated that. If any part of this story had been rushed, it would have ruined it for me, because this story is so rich in storytelling, and it's details. The way Betsy slowly unravels the plot line, and the history between the various characters was perfect. I felt like I actually got to know the characters, and when we're given the back story on Noah and Lo's Gemm, I felt like I was there in the room listening to her story myself.

Within TIDES is the story of two romances. A story of true love that Gemm shares, and the romance that Noah unexpectedly finds while staying with his Grandmother. I loved how these two love stories bring two together two different worlds, the human world and the selkie world. Within these romances, is also a story of a rich friendship. Everything about the relationships between Gemm, Maebh, Noah, Mara and Lo was believable. Betsy didn't give me everything right off the bat. While I could figure some things out, I still enjoyed the way the relationships grew. I especially liked the one between Noah and his sister Lo. I should say that I loved how protective Betsy made Noah. When his Marine Biologist professor says something about the way Lo looks, Noah jumps into protective mode. It doesn't matter that Lo is his adoptive sister and that she looks different than him, she is his sister and he'd do anything for her. I seriously loved that.

I liked that within the story are other stories. We have the story of Gemm, and Maebh, the story of Gemm, the story of Mara, the Selkies, Noah, his sister Lo, and the danger that threatens the Selkies and the hand Noah's professor has in that. I loved the Selkie legends, but there is one selkie story that does entail abuse. It did make me cringe a bit, though it wasn't graphic. Betsy also includes another sensitive issue for some, and that's an eating disorder with Lo. I appreciated how concerned Noah and Gemm are over it, despite the fact that Lo has already received professional help for it.  I also like how Besty wrote the same sex relationship in this story, and how it slowly unravels, though it is a romance the spans more than 40 years and is one that at the heart of the story, is about finding yourself, and your true love. It's just that, a love story. I'm a sucker for a well written love story, especially one that involves Selkies.

 Can I just say kudos to having a stand alone. Sure it would nice getting a glimpse into the future for each of these characters, but I liked where things ended for them. The way Betsy wrote the relationships was realistic and relatable. The relationships were about love, and sacrifices, and acceptance. There is a lot more to this story that I enjoyed. Given that this is Betsy's first debut, I'm really looking forward to seeing what she writes next.

Did Cassie Confirm the Title to Her New Shadowhunter Series TWP? The Wicked Powers?


Recently Cassie confirmed to Shadowhunter fans that she does in fact have a 5th series in the Shadowhunter world coming out, that she referred to as TWP. That of course sent us fans on a crazy mission trying to figure out what TWP, much like it did with us trying to figure out what TLH, from her other series announcement, meant.

While Cassie's has NOT officially confirmed/posted on any of her sites other than Twitter what TWP means, a fan tweeted her with this:

@HeavenlyFray asked Cassie on Twitter: "I bet TWP means "The Wicked... something" am I right?

@CassieClare responded with, "It's in the poem."

That poem she's referring to is from her second to latest City of Heavenly snippet we posted here. In the poem it says, "And bronze to summon wicked powers."

When two fans tweeted: "The Wicked Powers"

 @CassieClare replied with, "Y'all are so clever"


If that's true, this is what The Shadowhunter Chronicles would look like:

The Series Timeline

The Infernal Devices: Victorian London

TLH: After The Infernal Devices (the generation following these characters)

The Mortal Instruments: NYC, 2007

The Dark Artifices: LA, now days (5 years after TMI)

The Wicked Powers: Future, (3 years after TDA)

If Cassie stays true to including the family lines we first meet in The Infernal Devices, that could mean that like her previous series to The Wicked Powers, we'd get to know more of the characters from The Dark Artifices in the new series, and see the continuation to our favorite shadowhunter bloodlines.

Even though Cassie tweeted this, we are awaiting OFFICIAL confirmation from Cassie about the title. Meaning when Cassie officially announces the title on her site. 

Cassandra Clare Confirms The Mortal Instruments Time Line


Recently Cassie shared on Tumblr the time line of the books for her The Mortal Instruments series. See her full post here:



“Hey Cassie! I’ve read all the TID and TMI books but the whole [redacted] Brother Zachariah thing confuses me a little bit still. What confuses me is the whole time span of it all with respect to the TMI books. Can you clear that up? (And also I can’t remember what TMI books he did appear in). — roerig”

I had to redact a bunch of this ask’s spoilery bits but I think I managed — in essence, I’ve gotten a lot of asks about where the epilogue of Clockwork Princess fits into the timeline of TMI.
Here’s the basic timeline of the TMI books:
CoB: takes place in August 2007, the year the book was published.
CoA: begins in very early September 2007-  a few days to a week after CoB ends. 
CoG: begins in September, about 1 week after CoA ends. The whole book takes place in 1.5-2 weeks. It is mentioned that the leaves on trees are beginning to turn fall colors.
CoFA: begins in Mid-October (Halloween decorations are up, Simon mentions the month) and ends around the third or fourth week of October. In CoFA, it is also mentioned that Clary has been training to fight demons for 7 weeks.
CoLS: The prologue is set in late October. The first chapter begins two weeks later, in the 2nd week of November.
October had 5 weeks in 2007. Here’s a link to a 2007 calendar:
The Clockwork Princess prologue takes place in 2008.
We don’t know when in 2008, but we do know enough to know it takes place after the events of City of Lost Souls. It is either during or after the events of City of Heavenly Fire
As for Bro Z, he appears in City of Fallen Angels and City of Lost Souls. It is explained in City of Fallen Angels that he was among the few Silent Brothers who was not in the Silent City when Valentine attacked, and therefore survived.
So yes, basically, the epilogue of Clockwork Princess takes place in the future of the characters in City of Lost Souls. You can search it for clues about Heavenly Fire if you want. :)


Can we please already have City of Heavenly Fire!?!? This wait is killing me! 

Waiting on Wednesday #186: All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill



By: Cristin Terrill
Published by: Disney-Hyperion
To Be Released on: September 3rd
Pre-Order it from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Add it to your Goodreads

“You have to kill him.”
Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.



Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present-imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside.




Marina has loved her best friend James since the day he moved next door when they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America's most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’ life crumbles apart, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Now someone is trying to kill him. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it. At least not as the girl she once was.




“All Our Yesterdays” is a wrenching, brilliantly plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable sacrifice, and the infinite implications of our every choice.

Since I was first asked to debut All Our Yesterdays cover reveal (here), I've been hooked with this book! I can not wait to feature my review for it here on Mundie Moms. I have a feeling this is going to be one of those debuts everyone will be talking about. This is one upcoming release you guys want to add to your TBR lists. 

What book are you waiting on?

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