Book Review: Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Publication date: February 2012
Pages: 304
Source: e-book from NetGalley
For: Fun (and review...and Debut Author Challenge)!

Will Scarlet is a member of Robin Hood's secret band of thieves, though most people don't know he's actually a girl. Scarlet is a tough girl hiding from a secret past that might just catch up to her when someone from the past shows up in Nottingham - looking to take down the Hood and his band.

Things I Liked:
I am in love with great historical fiction.  I know it doesn't seem like it, when I review so much fantasy, dystopian, and paranormal, but a really well-written, well-researched HF hits just the spot in my reading itch.  I loved the details and the language and Scarlet most of all.  She felt real, she was not glorified or perfect or even nice most of the time.  I honestly started saying "I were" and "it were" sometimes because I was so immersed in the story and the way it was written.  I'm also a big fan of the girl disguised as a boy thing, but I think this one did it better than many.  Not only was she not fooling those closest to her, she wasn't trying to.  I think it's much easier to fool the masses and people you don't interact with regularly and nearly impossible with those you live with every day.  And it doesn't hurt that it had a fabulous Robin Hood that I fell in love with.  There's something so fascinating about his stories and his legend.  Makes me want to read The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley that Suey and Angie have raved about.  Great stuff!

Things I Didn't Like:
The only thing I want is another story, a sequel (I know, great stand alones should be left that way).  Truly, though, I liked how it ended and things weren't instantly fixed.  But I want to know when and how they do get fixed.  I think people might not enjoy the story if they are annoyed by (intentially) poor grammar or if they don't like historical fiction in general. 

Read-alikes:
The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley
A bit like StarCrossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@ 
most of it was religious exclamations

mrg-factor: X 
implied, but nothing described

v-factor: ->-> 
some action fighting and rather horrific stuff, but not truly gory

Overall rating: ***** 

Who's your favorite swashbuckling hero/heroine?

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Retro Friday Review: Ender's Game By Orson Scott Card

Retro Friday is a meme hosted by Angie of Angieville and "focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc." 

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication date: 1985 (originally published as a short story in 1977)
Pages: 352
Source: Audiobook from Library
For: Fun
Series: Ender series, Book 1

Ender is a third child, a rarity in his world where population is strictly monitered. He has been chosen by the military to go to battle school at six years old, after his two older siblings were rejected. Little does he expect to encounter there brutality, cruelty, and no sympathy from adults. Working his way up by skill, strategy, and wits, Ender is being groomed to play a vital part in the war for the planet - one that will decide the fate of all humans.

Things I Liked:
This truly is a clever, original story.  I was completely impressed with how real it felt.  I love the complex plot, the real and completely horrifying world of the battle school, how Card doesn't hold back on what happens to his characters.  Ender feels like a real kid and we feel the horror of the situations he is put into, the reality that there are no adults to look out for him.  It progresses completely to the ending that is ridiculously surprising, yet afterward seems inevitable.  It's smart and good sci-fi and will keep you invested in knowing what Ender will do next, or rather what will be done to Ender next.  He has a lot of internal conflict and I think that is realistically portrayed.  Just plain good storytelling.

Things I Didn't Like:
It can be very depressing at times, not that this is something inherantly bad about the book.  It's just hard to see Ender deal with all the crap thrown at him.  I listened to the audio version this time and I liked having different voices for different characters, but Ender's voice was pretty annoying.  Valentine's was belivable and felt young enough, but Ender's voice was less so - an older man with a rather gruff voice (Stefan Rudnicki).  This was ok at times, but other times it grated on me to have such a young kid read by a person with such an old voice.  Still, it didn't detract much from the really good story.

Read-alikes:
Honestly, I don't know.  I guess I don't read enough sci-fi.
For other books with great plot twists, check out my Twisted Tales book list

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@ 
scattered throughout

mrg-factor: none 

v-factor: ->->-> 
some of it is pretty horrifying, but not overly detailed

Overall rating: ***** 

Have you read it? What did you think?

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Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Publication date: January 2012
Pages: 336
Source: Library
For: Fun

Hazel was not expected to live as long as she has - her cancer has been terminal from the start. But when a new boy comes to cancer support group, she finds that she hasn't truly been living. Augustus brings a new meaning and spark to her life - even if it is at the end.

Things I Liked:
What a heart-breaking book!  Knowing in advance that the story is about teens with cancer, you know the book will break your heart.  But still, the journey was worth it.  I really loved this book, though I am not a professed John Green fan (having only read An Abundance of Katherines).  The teens felt very real (well, most of the time - see below) and the story was never sappy or melodramatic.  It was realistic, painful, and beautifully written.  The development of Augustus and Hazel's relationship was slow and imperfect and therefore I appreciated it more.  And oh, the humor!  This is what keeps the book from falling into a deep pit of despairing sorrow.  The characters, while not being the stereotypical happy-in-the-face-of-tragedy teens, manage to find humor and fun in the different and difficult lives they lead.  Not much I can add to the many accolades and ravings of other readers.  Consider me a John Green convert.  Favorites:

"The whole thing where a boy who is not unattractive or unintelligent or seemingly in any way unacceptable stares at me and points out incorrect uses of literality and compares me to actresses and asks me to watch a move at his house.  But of course there is always a hamartia and yours is that oh, my God, even though you HAD FREAKING CANCER you give money to a company in exchange for the chance to acquire YET MORE CANCER." p  19-20

Sometimes you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.  And then there are books like An Imperial Affliction, which you can't tell people about, books so special and rare and yours that advertising your affection feels like a betrayal.  p 33

Things I Didn't Like:
Ok, I'll just say this at the risk of sounding lame: sometimes the characters did not sound like teenagers.  Yes, they were very smart, very well-read, pretty advanced teens, but even so they waxed philosophical a bit too often.  And they used a lot of intellectual words.  I'm not saying these kinds of teens don't exist, I'm just saying sometimes it didn't feel quite as real.  But, considering all that praise above, you can bet it didn't bug me too much.

Read-alikes:
Reminded me of Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick
Reads like other John Green books - such as An Abundance of Katherines

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@# 
regularly occuring, though only 1 f-bomb

mrg-factor: X 
it happens off page mostly, but it happens

v-factor: none 
though none of the effects of cancer and treatment is glossed over

Overall rating: *****

Anybody out there not fall in love with this book?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Legend by Marie Lu

Legend by Marie Lu
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Publication date: November 2011
Pages: 336
Source: Library
For: Fun (and the Dystopian Challenge)
Series: Legend, Book 1

Day is the city's most wanted criminal, sneaking around causing havoc for the Republic.  Little do they know he's a teenage boy.  June is a genius student preparing to be a top military leader.  When she's commissioned to find and capture Day, she takes it very personally - after all, he killed her brother.  When their two paths cross, they little expect the deadly secrets they are about to discover about the Republic and each other.

Things I Liked:
This book boasts a truly fantastic story.  It's very cinematic, with sweeping scenes and action-packed story lines.  I loved June and Day and the things they deal with and overcome that seem at once so different - rich vs poor, wrong sides of the law - but in the end are the same.  June was so interesting to me and one thing I loved was that she didn't have an immediate understanding of just what her society was doing.  Sometimes characters have completely unbelievable revelations and instantly know their society is evil.  In this, at least, she took the time to think it through.  Complex, layered, and yet still very readable and filled with action.  A fabulous dystopian debut that left me already wanting the sequel!
 
Things I Didn't Like:
I was so swept away with the awesome that is this future look at society that I honestly can't think of things I didn't like.  It was so believable that I can completely see our future looking like this.  A great read.

Read-alikes:
Definitely a Hunger Games readalike
Reminded me just a little of All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
Divergent by Veronica Roth

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: ! 
a little here and there

mrg-factor: none 
just kissing really

v-factor: -> 
some fighting and action violence

Overall rating: ***** 

Do you think we will forever be comparing all dystopian books to Hunger Games? 

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Book Review: How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr
Publisher: Little, Brown
Publication date: October 2011
Pages: 352
Source: Library
For: Fun (and cause I heard much raving about it)

Jill is trying to find a new normal after her father died, and she copes by pulling away from everyone she loves.  Until her mom decides to adopt a baby, probably in order to replace the missing part of their lives.  Mandy is pregnant and doesn't want to stay where she is with her mother who doesn't care, wants to give her child a better life.  When these two girls' lives intersect, can they find a way to get along?

Things I Liked:
This book felt so real.  I mean, I don't read a lot of realistic fiction, but this book reminded me of why it is so good.  The characters are flawed and struggling and reminded me so much of how I feel sometimes that it really drew me in.  The story is fascinating and difficult and makes you want to cry and rage against all that is wrong in the world.  But it is Jill and Mandy that keep you reading, keep you hopeful, keep you invested in the story.  At first, you think they are so different they will never get along, but as it progresses you begin to see things that are the same between them.  I just loved how slow and steady and real the development of their relationship felt.  A wonderful book that reminds us all how it is to learn to trust, to deal with grief, to do hard things.  Loved it!  Some of the lovely writing:

The hardest thing of all is loving my mom without him to show me how.  Loving, maybe, isn't the best way toput it.  Obviously, I love my mom.  Understanding, appreciating, showing kindness and compassion and basic friendliness toward - which, you know, are the things that express love, because otherwise it's just a word, right? - those are the challenges. p 4

It's the quiet kind of crying that can go for hours, when over and over again you try to stop, try to tell yourself it's going to be okay, but another part of yourself can't stop thinking about the thing that's breaking your heart. p 97

Things I Didn't Like:
You know, I'm not sure I could come up with something I didn't really like.  I guess maybe the ending felt a tiny bit too neat, but there didn't seem to be any other way to end it (that wouldn't make you gag).  Just fantastic.

Read-alikes:
Reminded me of Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr
A bit like Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly 

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@# 
regularly throughout, and one f-bomb

mrg-factor: XX 
not explicit, but it definitely plays a part

v-factor: none 

Overall rating: ***** 

What was your favorite thing about this one?

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Book Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication date: January 2012
Pages: 400
Source: ARC sent by publisher
For: Review
Series: Lunar Chronicles, Book 1

When Cinder has a chance meeting with Prince Kai, little does she expect so much to come of it.  As a cyborg, she is a lesser citizen in New Beijing, and her stepmother won't let her forget it.  But, when her stepsister gets the plague and she is blamed for it, Cinder might discover that she plays an unusually important role in the survival of her whole world.

Things I Liked:
What a fun, unique book with a stellar concept.  I loved the futuristic twist on a classic fairy tale.  There is nothing I love more than fairy tale retellings, so adding a sci-fi element made it even more fun.  I love Cinder - the tough, vulnerable, realistic cyborg who is trying to figure out where she fits in her world.  I loved the world Meyer has built and the societies she has created to inhabit this bleak future.  The sci-fi elements are simplistic enough to make it accessible for those who don't like sci-fi, but believable enough for the true connesieur.  The original story is there, but with originality and twists that make it much more interesting and fun.  Just a darn good story.

Things I Didn't Like:
Ok, so I had Cinder figured out long before the end of the story, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching her figure it out.  And really, that's all that might have bothered me.  Very much looking forward to the next books!

Read-alikes:
Not exactly like other fairy tale stories and not exactly like anything sci-fi either - it's pretty unique

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: ! 
occasionally

mrg-factor: none 
just some kissing

v-factor: -> 
maybe a little gruesome in relation to the plague

Overall rating: ***** 

What other fairy tales do you think could be great sci-fi?

Check out this clip from the awesome audio version of Cinder!

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Book Review: Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby

Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication date: October 2011
Pages: 336
Source: Library
For: Fun (and then for Cybils)

Solveig and her siblings are sent for their own safety to a small frozen fjord while their father the king goes off to war.  But this isolated place may not be as safe as they first imagined as the small group of servants and warriors appears to be harboring a traitor.  Can they figure out who it is before it's too late?

Things I Liked:
I read this one at the very end of 2011 and you probably don't remember it was one of my favorites of the year.  The whole experience of reading this book blew me away (or more accurately entranced me).  The book is very atmospheric.  I loved how the characters are in this claustrophobic icy prison and the tension is slowly building to find out who among them is the traitor.  Every detail on every page seemed to draw you into this place of unimaginable cold and mounting fear and mistrust. I fell in love with Solveig and the things she learns and the ways she grows up.  Not your usual heroine, she is a plain middle child with no great purpose in life.  It is during this winter imprisonment that she begins to find a place and grow and accept who she is and what she can do.  I love her growth over the novel.  The whole story is constructed so carefully and it comes together so well that I almost never wanted them to leave their frozen prison.  An absolute gem for me!  Some good quotes:

Can your sword grant immortality?  Because my voice can.  You would defend the king's body, an honorable endeavor, but I would defend his legend.  Which do you think will outlast the other, Captain? p 19

A story is not a thing.  The question you must ask is what a story has the power to do.  The truth of something you do is very different from the truth of something you know.  p 64

Stories give you a way to see things.  A way to understand the events of your life.  Even if you don't realize it while you're hearing the tale. p173

The weeks are relentless.  The days are stretching, lengthening, as though someone is spinning the gray wool of winter-light into golden thread.  p 183

Things I Didn't Like:
I honestly can't remember anything I didn't like about this book.  I know some of my fellow Cybils panelists thought there were too many characters to keep track of, but it didn't bothered me.  It might move a bit slowly for some as well, but I didn't notice that either.  I just loved this one through and through!

Read-alikes:
The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer
The Clockwork Three by Matthew J. Kirby

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none 

mrg-factor: X 
maybe a bit implied, nothing on page

v-factor: ->-> 
with berserkers, what do you expect?

Overall rating: ***** 

What book do you adore that seems to get very little attention?

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Book Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton and GIVEAWAY!!

Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: January 24, 2012
ISBN: 9780062071132
Source: ARC provided by publisher

Nikki disappeared months ago without a word and then she suddenly returned home. No one knows where she went or what happened while she was gone.  Now, she must try to pick up the broken pieces of her life with her father, little brother, and her boyfriend, Jack.  But what none of them know is that she is leaving again, and this time she has no choice.  Can she say goodbye properly this time or is it too late for those she loves?

Things I Liked:
I've been looking forward to this one for a long time.  I follow Brodi's blog quite regularly and I really love her humor and fun.  Her book is definitely not a laughing-throughout book, but it was still fabulous.  I loved Nikki and the way she was coming to recognize all that she did to her family and friends when she left.  I thought it was particularly interesting to see the connections between actions and choices and consequences - that's something that a lot of teens (and adults) don't always consider.  The romance was just perfect, a sweet combination of passion and caring that makes it more realistic.  I just thought it was a such a great story, not crowded with too much action and adventure, but full of slow sweet moments, interactions, and feelings.  That's not to say that stuff doesn't happen (boy, does it), but it had more than just action.  I really liked the mythos, the way the Persephone myth played into the story and yet was changed.  Without ending on a cliffhanger, it manages to make me want to know more about what will happen next and how things will work out.  Great debut worth the read (not to mention, you can ogle the cover - simply gorgeous)!  Some favorite parts:

We'd pluck the spiky chestnuts, leaving their green outer shells intact, and throw them at the neighbor boys.  I always took particular care in aiming for Jack's head.  He told me later that he rode his bike by my house on purpose.  I asked if him if he liked pain. P 44 of ARC

"Because it's not the supernatural abilities that set mythical characters apart."  She leaned forward.  "It's the decisions the human characters make, in impossible situations, that have us still talking about them centuries later.  Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with." p 133 of ARC

Friends don't eat friends' souls. p 223 of ARC

Things I Didn't Like:
It has a bit of awkward phrasing here adn there and the ending was something I saw pretty far in advance, but it had plenty lovely writing and twisty turns, so I was unable to put it down from beginning to end.  Just what I love in a good mythological retelling - new twists with some of the same basic backbone.

Read-alikes:
Some other Persephone retellings:
Abandon by Meg Cabot
The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: ! 
a handful, not much though

mrg-factor: X 
kissing and such like, nothing explicit

v-factor: -> 
a little bit, nothing gory

Overall rating: ***** 

AND, lucky for you, I got an extra ARC and thought I'd share the love so you can get your hands on this one (hopefully) a bit early.  All you have to do is fill out the form below.  I'm offering an extra entry for those who spread the word about this, just provide a link to where you shared (twitter, blog, whatevs).  I'll close the contest about January 2nd and ship it out ASAP.  (US only, sorry I'm still poor.) Good luck!

Contest closed.

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Eona by Alison Goodman

Eona by Alison Goodman
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Publication date: April 2011
ISBN: 9780670063116
Source: Purchased

*Some spoilers for the first book, Eon, are inevitable - read at your own risk!*

Eona is no longer the girl masquerading as a boy, she is the first female dragoneye in centuries and she is powerful. But after witnessing the murder of all the other dragoneyes, she is overwhelmed with all she is responsible for and unable to draw on that power fully. She and her friends are on the run from the evil Lord Sethon and must find the black folio before it falls into the wrong hands. In addition to all of these things, Eona also must choose between two very different kinds of love. Will all of these things pull her apart or simply make her stronger?

Things I Liked:
This book was just as fascinating and action-packed as the first one.  The world Goodman has created is so vivid, colorful, and real that you feel like you are living in it.  The history and the dragons and the dragonlore are just beautifully rendered.  Not to mention the twisting story filled with hints and surprises that will keep you reading just to know where Eona will end up.  I love this book with its gorgeous Asian-inspired culture and heroine who is battling with herself, her motives, and what is right vs what she wants.  Some of the secondary characters are really well-drawn, particularly Kygo and Ido.  An excellent sequel and everything I hoped it would be.

Things I Didn't Like:
It did seem to drag on just a bit too long.  I felt like, while there was a lot of action, there could have been a few things cut to keep us moving the story along.  And I got mad at Eona again, for doing things that you really wished she'd think through and just not seeing what was plain to see.  Just as frustrating and fascinating as last time. 

Read-alikes:
Read Eon: Dragoneye Reborn first
Reminds me of Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
I was too involved in reading to notice, but there were probably at least a few

mrg-factor: XX
some innuendo and it has some sensual parts, nothing explicit

v-factor: ->->->
lots of fighting, lots of action, plenty of description

Overall rating: *****

I've seen mixed reviews of this one - what are your feelings?

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Retro Friday Review: Alanna: the First Adventure by Tamora Pierce

Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Angie of Angieville and "focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc."

Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
Publisher: Atheneum
Publication date: 1983
ISBN: 9781442426412
Source: Audiobook from library

Alanna of Trebond was supposed to go a convent and learn how to be a woman. Instead, she switches places with her twin, who wants to learn magic, and disguises herself as a boy to become a page. But things are a lot more difficult than she imagined they would be, especially hiding who she is and what she's capable of.

Things I Liked:
What a delight - why didn't I read this sooner?  I adore Alanna, her toughness and her inflexibility.  I love how she fought so hard for the things she wanted and how that was both good and bad.  She made the whole book enjoyable, and I'd have loved her even if the story hadn't been intriguing (which it was).  I loved the group of boys she meets and all the things they do together, including fight.  It was a perfect fantasy featuring the girl-dressing-as-a-boy motif, which can sometimes be cliched but was excellent in this instance.  Magic, squires, evil forces, a prince, a thief (chases, escapes, true love, etc): a great combination to make this series a new favorite.  Listening to it on audio was excellent as well, mostly because hearing the intonations of her voice made the Alanna even more real to me - kudos to the narrator.

Things I Didn't Like:
It was pretty short for the number of years that passed in the book.  Which is to say, I wanted more about Alanna and Jonathan and George.  Good thing there are more books in the series.

Read-alikes:
The Education of Bet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Anything by Tamora Pierce

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: ! 
maybe one or two, but not many

mrg-factor: none 

v-factor: -> 
some, but nothing descriptive

Overall rating: ***** 

What old favorites have you discovered recently?

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Book Review: Crossed by Ally Condie

Crossed by Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Publication date: November 2011
ISBN: 9780525423652
Source: Purchased

*Some possible spoilers for Matched*
When Cassia is sent to the Border Provinces, she hopes to be able to find Ky.  She finally makes her way to the Outer Provinces, with a new companion,  But will she be able to find him before they are all caught, and will it be enough to be together when she does?

Things I Liked:
I simply fell in love with this book.  It is not what I'd call a typical dystopian full of action and excitement, though it does have some.  What I love most is the quiet nature of it, the slow development, and especially the layered symbols and meanings that I see in nearly every sentence.  Condie's writing seems simple, but it also has depth and measure that belies its simplicity.  It was such a beautiful experience to just feel like there was more than the story going on with deeper feelings and ideas.  Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but somehow I felt like I was floating along on an undercurrent with Cassia and Ky in this gorgeous alien landscape (it helps that I adore the geography of Southern Utah).  The character back stories and the delicious depths of the Society and Aberrations and all that stuff just made this a rich and moving experience for me.  I also really enjoy the thought that goes into the love triangle - the feelings Cassia still obviously has for Xander and his own frustrations at being left behind.  Just really well done!  Here are some of my favorite parts:

I thought it was having the picture that made it special, but it's not even that. It's looking at something without being watched, without being told how to see. That's what the picture has given us. p 12

Because in the end you can't always choose what to keep. You can only choose how you let it go. p 21

This happened to him, while I sat in my house on the very same street, eating my premade food and listening to the port and daydreaming about the perfect life that was about to be delivered to me, the way everything always was. p 262

Things I Didn't Like:
I can definitely see how there will be things people don't like about this one: the viewpoints are very similar, the plot is pretty slow sometimes, it seems like the whole book is kind of one big circle and back where they all started, but I was not bothered by any of these things.  I enjoyed it all!

Read-alikes:
Read Matched by Ally Condie first
Other dystopians are kind of similar like Delirium by Lauren Oliver and Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: ! 
one or two

mrg-factor: none 

v-factor: -> 
some, but not graphic

Overall rating: ***** 

What books blow you away that others think are just ok?

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Book Review: Plain Kate by Erin Bow

Plain Kate by Erin Bow
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Publication date: September 2010
ISBN: 9780545166645
Source: Library

Plain Kate grew up learning to carve before she could walk.  But, when her father dies and the carver's guild sends a new master to her town, she is forced to leave behind that life.  When even the townspeople turn against her, calling her a witch, she must place her trust - and her life - in a pale stranger who promises to help.  In exchange for something, of course.  Will Plain Kate make the bargain?  And will she be able to deal with the consequences?

Things I Liked:
This was a gorgeous fairy-tale kind of story.  I adored the writing, which flowed smoothly and brought vivid images to mind with every sentence.  I loved Plain Kate - what an interesting character, flawed and vibrant and one who doesn't have all the answers.  She was made more real with each difficult decision she faced.  The dark and wicked story was touched by just the right amount of humor and light to balance it and not leave me depressed.  And Taggle was the best of all.  I'm not even fond of cats, but he sure made me wish I had one just like him.  I was also really glad the ending didn't try to come off too neatly.  She took it where it needed to go and didn't flinch away.  An all around excellent story, beautifully dressed.  Some favorite parts:

He was a dandy with one ear cocked, a gleam on his claw and a glint in his eye.  He sauntered through the market square elegant and tattered, admired and cursed: a highwayman, a gentleman thief.  His name was Taggle.  p 14

The next evening they anchored in a place where the fields of barley and rye came right down to the river, the grain growing among the riverside tangle of bloodtwig and basket rush.  The grain - as Kate had come to dread - was unharvested, and full of feasting starlings.  As the sunset lit, the birds threw themselves into the sky in tongues of dark fire that flashed back and forth across the river.  Linay stood up on the roof of the hold, playing his fiddle.  The skirling notes wove through the rush of wings.  p 226

Things I Didn't Like:
It was very dark, not at all what I expected, particularly from something I thought was a nice middle grade happy-ending fairy tale.  Still, the unexpected in this situation was very welcome.  It made it deeper and richer and more enjoyable to me.  Give this one to your more mature tweens or teens who love dark fairy tales.

Read-alikes:
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
StarCrossed by Elizabeth Bunce

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
maybe one or two

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->->
it does have some frightening, dark stuff

Overall rating: *****

Have you read this?  I feel like this is an under-the-radar awesome book.

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Retro Friday Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Angie of Angieville and "focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc."



Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books

Publication date: July 2007

ISBN: 9780545139700

Source: Purchased (of course)

Really?  I'm not going to bother with a summary. 


Things I Liked:

Even after reading it before, I am amazed I can still fall into the story so easily again. I know what will happen, but the action is so non-stop and heart-pounding I get caught up in it anyway.  And, having only read it once as fast as possible back in 2007, there were lots of delicious details I missed and needed refreshing.  Rowling is a master of suspense and giving you just the right amount of info at once that you feel like you know something, but then later you learn you didn't really know it at all.  I never once seemed to see any of her revelations coming.  Lily and Snape, Dumbledore's family, the horcruxes, nothing.  Fantastic story, exciting ending, and still fascinating enough to be reread often.  I managed to reread it before I saw the last movie installment (mind you, I didn't see it for several months) and I was reminded how superior the books are to the movies.  In my opinion. 


Things I Didn't Like:
I was struck again at just how nearly ridiculous it becomes that Harry can have so many near-death or near-Voldemort experiences and get out every time.  I think it stretched its believability to the max, but no one cares because we love Harry and his innate ability to get out of scrapes (with luck and his friends).  


Read-alikes:

Nothing quite like it, but you know the first six Harry Potter books

For post-Harry withdrawals, I liked the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan



BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
a few here and there
mrg-factor: none
except occasional snogging


v-factor: ->->->
loads of this, though


Overall rating: *****

Do you have a favorite part of this book?  What do you wish had been in the movie that didn't make the cut?



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Book Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Boneby Laini Taylor
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date: September 2011
ISBN: 9780316134026
Source: ARC provided by publisher

Karou lives between two worlds, one just like everyone else's, an art student in Prague with best friend Zuzana. The other world is filled with fantastic creatures, ones that humans are unaware exist, an underground world and the one Karou grew up in. But when beautiful and terrifying angels show up and shatter the delicate balance of her life, she will learn much more about her past than she ever imagined possible.

Things I Liked:
Oh how I loved the writing.  Taylor had me wrapped around that story from page one.  I fell into it and I couldn't see (nor did I want to) my way out.  I read it slowly and in bits so I could savor every phrase.  And you can tell that Taylor spends time on every phrase so that they sound just right.  I love the spooky, creepy, quirky, but gorgeous style she has for writing fantasy stories with a dark undercurrent.  The world she's created is rich and deep and you think you know about it, until you learn more and realize you haven't learned much.  The story was not original in itself, but the way she's created the world, the characters (I adore Zuzana and Karou and Issa and so on and so on), and the cultures is so fascinating I couldn't stop thinking about it.  I'm even more excited to learn there will be more adventures in store for Karou.  A detailed and dark story that will lure you in.  I adored the details about Prague too - I spent only two days there, but Taylor brought it to life for me again. Here is some of the good:

The streets of Prague were a fantasia scarcely touched by the twenty-first century - or the twentieth or nineteenth, for that matter. It was a city of alchemists and dreamers, its medieval cobbles once trod by golems, mystics, invading armies.  Tall houses glowed goldenrod and carmine and eggshell blue, embellished with Rococco plasterwork and capped in roofs of uniform red.  Baroque cupolas were the soft green of antique copper and gothic steeples stood ready to impale fallen angels.  The wind carried the memory of magic, revolutions, violins, and the cobbled lanes meandered like creeks.  Thugs wore Mozart wigs and pushed chamber music on street corners, and marionettes hung in windows, making the whole city seem like a theater with unseen puppeteers crouched behind velvet. p 24-25 of ARC

The first time she'd come to Prague, she'd gotten so lost exploring these streets.  She'd passed an art gallery and a few blocks later doubled back to find it, and...couldn't.  The city had swallowed it.  In fact, she never found it.  There was a deceptive tangling of alleys that gave the impression of a map that shifted behind you, gargoyles tiptoeing away, stones like puzzle pieces rearranging themselves into new configurations while you weren't looking.  Prague entranced you, lured you in, like the mythic fey who trick travelers deep into forests until they're lost beyond hope.  But being lost here was a gentle adventure of marionette shops and absinthe, and the only creatures lurking around corners were Kaz and his cohorts in vampire makeup, ready with a silly thrill.  Usually. p 185 of ARC

His eyes were hypnotic, his brows black and velvet.  He was copper and shadow, honey and menace, the severity of knife-blade cheekbones and a widow's peak like the point of a dagger.  p 195 of ARC

Things I Didn't Like:
As I mentioned, the story, if you stop and think about its bare bones, is not that original.  The telling and the wrappings and the life Taylor breathes into it brings me hope for more fabulous angel stories.  It is also not something I could devour in a few sittings, it requires time and thought to fully appreciate it.  Even if I felt it lagged a bit in the middle, I never could put Karou quite out of my mind.

Read-alikes:
Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr
Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor
Demon's Lexicon series by Sarah Rees Brennan

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@
pretty regularly, though not overwhelming

mrg-factor: XX 
it does have it, but doesn't describe the actions

v-factor: -> 
not a lot, but they do fight and kill

Overall rating: *****

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Publication date: September 2011
ISBN: 9780062026484
Source: e-book provided by NetGalley

 

Elisa has always been told she'll do something remarkable - after all, she was chosen by God to bear the Godstone.  But, as the younger daughter of a distant king and feeling wholly inferior and useless compared with her older sister, Elisa is not sure if she'll ever do anything.  When she's married off to a foreign king, one who only wants her for her Godstone, her life is about to change forever.  Will she be able to discover what her purpose is before her life is ripped away forever?

Things I Liked:
I really liked the world Carson created here.  What I think sort of fed that love, at least initially, is that it felt like The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley, a favorite book of mine.  But this book was great on its own.  I loved Elisa.  She was a real person to me, with weaknesses and doubts and I love how she dealt with her body image - most of the time, she didn't care what people thought of her.  It hurt, the things people said, but it didn't consume her.  I liked the original cover they had for the book, but not after I'd read the book.  So glad they got rid of the one with the thin model on it.  The love interest in the book also was unique and didn't feel like the same thing I've been reading - it was so different from what I expected.  This was a really well created and interesting story, not the mention I loved that God and religion were just a part of the world, a part of Elisa.  It was a positive and also balanced portrayal of religious people.  For coherent thoughts on that, check out Kiersten White's post.
 
Things I Didn't Like:
I was a little disappointed at how quickly things were resolved at the end.  It really came down to the wire and I thought maybe it was going to have a sequel to wrap up this story (and thank heavens, if there is a sequel, there wasn't a cliffhanger).  It just seemed a bit rushed at the end.  Still, it was satisfying and not completely perfect, just the way endings should be.

Read-alikes:
The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
I think one or two mild words

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->->
there is fighting and death, some a bit gruesome

Overall rating: *****

Anybody else read and loved this? Or not loved it?

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Book Review: Leaving the Bellweathers by Kristin Clark Venuti

Posted as part of Tween Tuesday, hosted by GreenBeanTeenQueen.

Leaving the Bellweathers by Kristin Clark Venuti
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Publication date: September 2009
ISBN: 9781606840061
Source: Library

Tristan Benway, butler to the Bellweathers, has decided it's time to find a new position.  He's put up with dangerous animals inhabiting the lighthouse, tricks and antics from the obnoxiously loud triplets, and good deeds gone awry from their sister.  After all, there is only so much a respectable man can handle from this zany and incorrigible family, right?

Things I Liked:
This was a sweet, quirky, awesomely crazy middle grade read.  I adore the Bellweather family, complete with evil up-to-no-good whispering triplets, saving humanity sister, and endangered-dangerous-animal-lover brother.  This book inspired much laughter and made me want to be a kid again so I could love it properly.  A delightful romp that will make you think your family is very normal, even if the butler doesn't think so.  I loved this

Wanted: One gentleman possessed of nerves of steel and impeccable  organizational skills.  Applicant must know how to set a formal dining table as well as the best method of large-animal sedation.  Lunatic-asylum experience is helpful.  Interested parties please reply to Tristan Benway c/o Lighthouse on the Hill. p 68-69

Things I Didn't Like:
You know, I'm just going to stick with I loved every minute.  Sometimes being an adult can really be a drawback when enjoying a nice wacky kids book.  Hand this to your middle graders who like a bit of silliness.

Read-alikes:
Reminded me of Savvy and Scumble by Ingrid Law
Also a bit like the Secret series by Pseudonymous Bosch

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none
(unless being snapped at by an endangered albino alligator counts...)

Overall rating: *****

What's your favorite quirky kid book?

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Book Review: Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt

Posted as part of Tween Tuesday, hosted by GreenBeanTeenQueen.

Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt
Publisher: Clarion Books
Publication date: April 2011
ISBN: 9780547152608
Source: Library

 

Doug Switeck has never had it easy.  But when his family moves to Marysville so his father can get a job, things become even worse.  Everyone soon accuses Doug's brother of some local burglaries and Doug becomes guilty by association.  His teachers at school, especially the gym teacher and principal, have it out for him and life is just as crummy as possible.  But, can discovering a new talent and some new friends make Doug's life a little more bearable?

Things I Liked:
Wow.  Mr. Schmidt is a master at the middle grade novel.  This book has everything from feeling like you stand in the shadow of your older siblings to thoughts on the Vietnam War and dealing with a crooked father.  Doug has more than his fair share of rotten days and rotten experiences, but the best thing about the book is how just one or two beautiful things that happen to him can change the way he thinks.  When one teacher decides to help Doug out, when one friends sticks by him, when one person praises him, you can really feel what an impact that has in his life.  Schmidt creates these pitch perfect voices for his characters.  Doug is the right mixture of vulnerable, punk, and sarcastic humor that he literally feels like your surly younger brother.  I laughed and then cried and then did more of the same through the entire book.  I cheered for his successes and mourned his sorrows.  One of the very best books I've read in a long time.  And if you liked The Wednesday Wars, you'll love Okay for Now.  Here are some favorite parts:

When she finished, she took the bottle away from her lips - she was still smiling - and she sighed, and then she squared her shoulders and kind of adjusted herself like she was in a batter's box, and then she let out a belch that even my brother couldn't match, not on his very best day.
It was amazing. It made birds fly out of the maples in front of the library.  Dogs asleep on porches a couple of blocks way probably woke up.  p 29

She came over and looked at the picture.  Then she took my hand.
You know what that feels like?
Like what the astronauts will feel when they step onto the moon for the very first time...
Like someone seeing what a chump you are and getting you a cold Coke anyway.
Like possibility.  p 226-227

In English, Miss Cowper was throwing us into the Introduction to Poetry Unit like it was as all-fired important as the moon shot.  You know, there are good reasons for learning how to read.  Poetry isn't one of them.  I mean, so what if two roads go two ways in a wood?  So what?  Who cares if it made all that big a difference?  What difference?  And why should I have to guess what the difference is?  Isn't that what he's supposed to say?  Why can't poets just say what they want to say and then shut up? p 235

And you know what I was going to do?  I was going to shriek like an insane woman who has been locked in an attic for a great many years.
In front of Joe Pepitone.
You know what that feels like?
You can't know what that feels like, because no one has ever had to shriek like an insane woman who has been locked in an attic for a great many years in front of Joe Pepitone.  
I couldn't do it.  
I wouldn't do it.  
Not in front of Joe Pepitone. p 313

Things I Didn't Like:
This is not an action book.  It is fairly slow moving and focuses definitely more on characters than action.  Also, I was a little surprised at the changes his dad made at the end.  They seemed a bit sudden.  Still, this is truly one of the best I've read.  Ever.

Read-alikes:
The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none

Overall rating: *****

I can't think of anyone who writes quite like Schmidt. Can you?

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Book Review: Entwined by Heather Dixon

Entwined by Heather Dixon
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Publication date: March 2010
ISBN: 9780062001030
Source: Purchased

 

When their mother the queen dies, Azalea and her eleven younger sisters aren't sure what to do.  Their father places the palace and all his daughters in deep mourning, cutting off all outdoor activity and fun activities, including dancing.  But the princesses discover a secret place where their father can't find them to dance.  What they little expect is to discover dark secrets about their mother and the Keeper of their secret place.

Things I Liked:
I just have to say - fantastic!  The book was gorgeous and written so beautifully.  I loved how Dixon described the motivations for why things happened, especially for why the sisters wanted to dance and how they got into the situation to begin with.  I must say, Bramble and Lord Teddie stole the story for me.  I adored them and I'm just hoping Dixon decides to write a story all for Bramble, because she was hands-down my favorite character.  She was so fabulous that I thought Azalea paled a bit in her shadow.  I loved the sweet romance that actually seemed to take the time to develop.  And the story had just the right touch of creepy too!  I loved having the disturbing and weird stuff that made the story balanced - not too sweet with something wicked hidden beneath the surface.  I obviously really enjoyed this retelling - it's taken a place as one of my favorites.  Some lovely bits (much of them from Bramble, of course):

Mrs. Graybe made cinnamon bread, a treat they could only afford on holidays, and Mr. Pudding walked about the palace, singing "Huzzah" in wheezing, out-of-tune tones.  The Harold Herald, alive with news of the war, even printed an extra edition the next day, and among the news on the front page, the girls discovered that Minister Fairweller had been wounded.  Clover, so tenderhearted, cried.  
"Oh, he's probably all right," said Bramble.  "It would take a lot to kill him.  Like garlic and a stake through the heart." p 126-127

"Down with tyranny!" Bramble cried. "Aristocracy!  Autocracy!  Monocracy!  Other ocracy things!  You are outnumbered, sir!  Surrender!" p 148

The dancers were masked with ornate, gilded animal heads.  A golden-furred jackal, and his lady, with feathers and a gold beak.  Masks with eyeholes rimmed in gems and embroidery clung to the dancers' faces.  This was a masked ball, something Azalea had only heard of.  In her imagination they had been more innocent; gentlemen dressed as hussars and ladies with white, glittery masks attached to a stick.  Not this chaotic meshing of gilded beasts and opulent monsters. p 258

"Sir!" whined Lord Teddie.  "You forgot my birthday, too!"
Bramble gave a surprised laugh, then slapped her hand over her mouth, as though shocked at letting it out.  The tension broke.  The girls laughed sheepishly, and Lord Teddie beamed.  He probably did not have many ladies think him funny.  In fact, he probably got slapped by a lot of them.  p 297

Things I Didn't Like:
It did start out a bit slow.  The book is long and a lot of it is build up to the story, but for those who love a well-developed and complex fairy-tale retelling, this is perfect.  I adored it, honestly.  I think a story with twelve separate sisters is like a writers' nightmare, because it's impossible to have them all well-developed.  But, I loved them, when I could remember who was who.  The oldest three are the most important and they certainly were better developed than the others.  

Read-alikes:
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->
just a touch creepy, not really violent

Overall rating: *****

Do you have a favorite retelling of all time?

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