"I promise to bring some of Mum's cookies to school and share them with you. Don't think of it as a present. Think of it as a bribe for your silence." from Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan
The Lynburn Legacy series is one that I'd seen at the bookstore and it was even recc'd to me on Amazon a few times, but it took me several months and too many book duds before I gave this series a try. Boy am I glad I did, because it so much better than I thought it would be for two super cool reasons;
First, the main character, Kami Glass, is sassy. She's a smartass, wisecracking fount of asides and questionable wisdom. I freaking love her. There isn't enough sass in YA fiction and reading the first book in this series, Unspoken, illuminated this terrible void. There is an abundance of angst, naivete, melancholy, straightlaced prudery and needless rebelliousness but pert and cheeky girls, not so much. Every situation Kami encounters she faces with a witty rejoinder and brave effort.
Second thing I love the most is the intriguing worldbuilding. On the surface, Sorry-in-the-Vale is a normal, boring English village. But in reality otherworldly events have shaped the village and its people in surprising ways, Not the least of which is Kami and her imaginary friend (secret voice in her head that turns out to be a real boy, sorry for the spoiler, but Untold is the second book in the series and the voice-in-the-head mystery is revealed in book one). The worldbuilding is doled out in small amounts, so you don't have to wade through chapters of explanations about what the world is like and why.
The strangeness of Sorry-in the-Vale (Best name ever, am I right?) explodes when the plots of book one come to a head, leaving me breathlessly waiting for book two, hallelujah, Ms. Brennan is a fast writer. Hearts are broken, evildoers revealed and Kami is left alone as the one person she thought would always be on her side has left her.
Right off book two jumps into the battle with Scarecrows that reminded me a bit of a Doctor Who episode; The Family of Blood. Anyways, the story goes on from here with Kami doing her best to protect the people she cares about.
More secrets are revealed and the battle for the Vale isn't just on the horizon its starting. Now that the Lynburns and magic have returned, the reader realizes that the village was never what they thought it was and that magic was always meant to be there.
I can't help but comment on Kami and Jared, the main pairing for the book. There is definitely some romance but I'm not sure if there will be a happily ever after for this couple, either way, I love the book and the series and cookies. Read it while eating these cookies, you won't be sorry.
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| Yep, those are mini reese's cups. |
Here's my take on Mum's Cookies;
adapted from this recipe; Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Mum's Cookies
1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp rum extract
3 cups unbleached flour
1 tsp baking soda mixed into 2 tsp hot water
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups milk chocolate chips - I used 1 cup milk chocolate, 1/2 cup dark chocolate and 1/2 cup reese's minis
1 cup toasted pecans or just regular pecans, whatever tips your boat
Directions;
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix the butter and sugar until it is uniform in color and texture.
3. Add eggs, extract and baking soda/water mix, stir again. Now add all the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly before adding the chocolate and pecans*.
4. Scoop by tablespoonfuls and place at least 2 inches apart on a prepared baking sheet or parchment and bake in the preheated oven for 10 -12 minutes or until golden around the edges.
*If you want your cookies to look picture ready, save a few of the chips, nuts and reese's minis for last, simply press these into the tops of the uncooked cookie balls. Your cookies will come out of the oven looking even prettier than usual, practically bursting with chocolatey nutty goodness.
