Showing posts with label Young Adult. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Young Adult. Show all posts

Friday, March 1, 2013

Review: Reached

by Ally Condie
Series: Matched #3
Hardcover, 512 pages
Published November 13th 2012 by Penguin
Age Recommendation: Young Adult

This review will include spoilers for Matched and Crossed.

After leaving Society to desperately seek The Rising, and each other, Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each other yet again. Cassia is assigned undercover in Central city, Ky outside the borders, an airship pilot with Indie. Xander is a medic, with a secret. All too soon, everything shifts again.

Reached was a slow read, but it was worth the time it took to get through. Although I was not initially impressed, it grew on me, especially during my reflection after finishing it.

The chapters were divided between Cassia, Ky, and Xander, who each had a separate role to play in dealing with the revolution and the plague. In Crossed, I preferred Cassia's voice to Ky's, but in Reached, I looked forward to Xander's chapters most. Additionally, in Reached, the three voices seemed much more distinct and individual. I could usually tell who was speaking without relying on the context.

I loved that Reached stayed true to the series, and did not veer off into the average dystopian plot. From the beginning, the characters' journey is centered not around violence but about discovering beauty despite captivity. Thankfully, Reached does not become violent either. Amazingly, Reached is not about destruction but about healing. This distinction is amazing to me, and is what sets this series apart.

I was satisfied with the resolution to the love triangle, but found that the triangle was not what kept me going through the story. In fact, I would not have minded no matter who Cassia ended up with. Mostly, Condie kept the characters true and focused on each character's development rather than the drama of the love triangle.

Overall Thoughts: Reached was definitely a slow read, but if you're a character person, it may just be the story for you. It certainly gets better upon reflection, so I'd be happy to chat with you about it and see what you think.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Review: Article 5

by Kristen Simmons
Series: Article 5, #1
Hardcover, 362 pages
Published January 31st 2012 by Tor Teen
Age Recommendation: Young Adult

Summary (from Goodreads):
New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren't always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it's hard for her to forget that people weren't always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It's hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.

Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.

That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings—the only boy Ember has ever loved.

Looking over the summary now that I've finished Article 5, I wonder what initially drew me to it. Although I don't really understand my reasoning now, for some reason, it stood out among the many, many dystopians published in the last year or so. Whatever the reason,  I had high hopes for Article 5. While it was not a great read, it managed to avoid completely falling flat.

In the beginning, I had some hope for an interesting and engaging dystopian, but what I got was a medium-boring romance that I felt like I'd read before. The book was pretty evenly split between the two main characters trying to find their way to a safe house (pretty much the entire plot) and Ember trying to figure out exactly how she felt toward Chase. That said, in terms of keeping me interested, it was fine, but it wasn't amazing.

The main drawback for me was that I never felt really invested in the characters. Had Article 5 ended with Ember's capture and Chase's death (spoiler: it doesn't), I wouldn't have minded much. Perhaps if there had been more complex characters (and complex supporting characters as well, something Article 5 was noticeably lacking), I would have cared more, but I never connected with Ember or Chase enough to care about their fates.

Another thing Article 5 seemed to be lacking was a reason for the dystopian setting. There was very little explanation either for how the world worked or even why the characters were living in a dystopian society to begin with. How did this highly regulated and militarized society come to be? Without these answers, the dystopia seemed like little more than a backdrop. You could stick the characters into any setting or time period and the story would work with very minor adjustments.

Overall Thoughts: Article 5 wasn't a terrible read, but it wasn't great either. I would recommend it to dystopian fans who have high tolerances for wishy-washy characters.

Friday, January 18, 2013

Review: For Darkness Shows the Stars

by Diana Peterfreund
Series: For Darkness Shows the Stars #1
Hardcover, 402 pages
Published June 12th 2012 by Balzer + Bray
Age Recommendation: Young Adult

Summary (from Goodreads):
It's been several generations since a genetic experiment gone wrong caused the Reduction, decimating humanity and giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology.

Elliot North has always known her place in this world. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family's estate over love. Since then the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress, and Elliot's estate is foundering, forcing her to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth--an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliot wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she let him go.

But Elliot soon discovers her old friend carries a secret--one that could change their society . . . or bring it to its knees. And again, she's faced with a choice: cling to what she's been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she's ever loved, even if she's lost him forever.

Inspired by Jane Austen's persuasion, For Darkness Shows the Stars is a breathtaking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it.

I was initially unsure about this retelling, but in time it won me over completely. In the beginning, there were a lot of names thrown out and things mentioned that weren't explained until later, so I felt a little lost going into the story. Everything was soon cleared up, however, and I was able to enjoy it very much.

The combination of retelling and new material seemed very well balanced to me. I loved connecting events and characters to their Persuasion counterparts, but the story seemed very fresh and new. I especially liked the moral dilemmas and the conflict lent by the post-apocalyptic setting that was incorporated into the story.

I found the whole Reduction / technology struggle fascinating, and it seemed to fit perfectly into the class struggle between the Reduced and the Luddites and into the Persuasion story.

I really enjoyed the added element of the letters between Elliot and Kai from their childhood, as I felt it gave insight into Kai's character whereas without the letters he would have been nearly unreachable. In the main narrative, Kai reveals very little, so I enjoyed seeing what he was like by the letters he wrote years earlier. I didn't find Kai's final letter to be quite as powerful as Wentworth's original, but in large part because of the letters, I grew quite fond of Kai.

The other characters as well were quite likable, although I wouldn't have minded more development for most of them. Ro was the kind of character you couldn't help but like, and her relationship with Elliot definitely became one of the reasons I grew to like Elliot. The Innovations and the other Posts were great characters as well and I loved reading about them. My favorite secondary character was probably Tatiana, though, because she was so incredibly oblivious and so much fun to roll my eyes at (I enjoyed her character equivalent in Persuasion as well).

Overall Thoughts: An excellent retelling of Persuasion with just enough new elements to create an original and thought-provoking story. I recommend reading Persuasion first, though. Although prior knowledge of the story is not at all essential, it seems that a reader would get more out of For Darkness Shows the Stars if they were familiar with Persuasion.

Monday, December 3, 2012

Review: Yearbook

by Ally Condie
Series: Yearbook #1
Paperback, 231 pages
Published September 15th 2006 by Shadow Mountain
Age Recommendation: Young Adult

Summary (from Goodreads):
It was the first day of school at Lakeview High, and everyone was afraid of something. Michaela Choi was afraid that Ethan Back was never going to ask her out on a date. Andrea Beck was afraid that someone would find her weak spot, the chink in her armor. She was afraid of knowing what it was herself. Principal Downing was afraid she was going to die. Julie Reid was afraid that no one would notice her. She was also afraid that someone would. And there was a deeper, unnamed fear inside her that she couldn't escape - a fear that she was nothing and no one . . . Yearbook is a captivating story about relationships and heartaches and fears and ideas and doubts and testimonies and everything that a teenage mind and a backpack can contain. But most important, Yearbook is a novel about how everyone has something to offer and something to learn.

I bought Yearbook at an Ally Condie signing last year with no idea what it was about. I am glad that in this case I dove in blind, because I definitely enjoyed this book that I normally would stay far away from. I didn't know that the book had an LDS element, and as someone with very little exposure to those beliefs, it was a totally new experience for me to read about a belief system new to me and different from my own.

Mostly, I enjoyed the beautiful writing - one of the quotes still sticks in my head even though I read the book more than a year ago:
"The doors to the school swung open once, twice, a thousand times, and all the students came in, bumping into each other and walking down the hall together and passing one another. They brought backpacks and watches and notebooks and ideas and heartbreaks and earphones and aspirin and makeup and mirrors and memories and testimonies and doubts and questions. Stories were everywhere. The bell rang, and the school year begun."
The story switches perspectives between a number of different characters (7, I believe) who all attend the same school and follows the ebb and flow of each of their journeys. In any other book, 7 POVs would be too much (looking at you, Rick Riordan), but in Yearbook, it seemed perfectly balanced. Every character (amazingly) had a distinct voice and no one seemed lost in the jumble.

I really enjoyed stepping out of my comfort zone with this books and reading something very different than the usual. I appreciated that while Yearbooks had a religious element, it was not the ultimate solution to all problems. One character especially found solace in religion, but I was able to read (and enjoy) the story without feeling like the characters' values were being preached or shoved at me. For this gentle touch, I thank you, Ally Condie. (A side note: I personally did not find this element be too much for me, but I bear in mind that everyone has their own comfort level.)

Overall Thoughts:
Even as a person who doesn't read contemporary as a rule, I have to say, Yearbook was a beautifully written story that engaged me with its lovely prose and complex characters. Recommended for anyone willing to take a chance on something new.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Review: The False Prince

By Jennifer A. Nielsen
Series: The Ascendance Trilogy #1
Hardcover, 342 pages
Published April 1st 2012 by Scholastic
Age Recommendation: Young Adult and older Middle Grade readers

Summary (from Goodreads):
THE FALSE PRINCE is the thrilling first book in a brand-new trilogy filled with danger and deceit and hidden identities that will have readers rushing breathlessly to the end.

In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.

As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.

An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats.

I loved The False Prince. It had all the elements of my favorite books: fully fleshed out and fantastic characters, intricate plans, and just a hint of fantasy. Sage was practically a reincarnation of one of my favorite characters of all time, Gen from The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner. He had the same irreverent attitude and quick wit along with a healthy disrespect of authority and sharp temper. Also like Gen, he always had a plan up his sleeve and a secret that even the reader doesn’t know about. I loved him. It was like reading my favorite story in a whole new way.

There is no way I can possibly praise the book enough. It begins excitingly, and only gets better from there. Nielsen gives just enough information to keep the reader on the edge of their seat, and it is so much fun to unravel the many mysteries entwined and surrounding each other. Of course no one is as they seem (I wouldn't enjoy it nearly so much if they were).

The plot does not move quickly, but it never seems to drag. It is the perfect pace, and keeps the reader turning pages as quickly as if it were an action-packed thriller.

All of the characters were fantastic, especially as the reader is able to see many sides of each. It is not possible to call even the supporting characters flat. Readers will be eager to uncover the secrets of each character.

Overall Thoughts:
A superb read. Sage alone makes The False Prince fantastic, but all of the other elements - the exciting plot, amazing characters, and the secrets hiding everyone's true intentions - raise it to the next level. Highly recommended.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Mini-Review: Foundling

by D.M. Cornish
Series: Monster Blood Tattoo #1
Hardcover, 434 pages
Published May 18th 2006 by Putnam Publishing Group
Age Recommendation: Young Adult

Summary (from Goodreads):
Set in the world of the Half-Continent—a land of tri-corner hats and flintlock pistols—the Monster Blood Tattoo trilogy is a world of predatory monsters, chemical potions and surgically altered people. Foundling begins the journey of Rossamund, a boy with a girl’s name, who is just about to begin a dangerous life in the service of the Emperor. What starts as a simple journey is threatened by encounters with monsters—and people, who may be worse. Learning who to trust and who to fear is neither easy nor without its perils, and Rossamund must choose his path carefully.

I really enjoyed nearly everything about Foundling, except for one complaint that tainted every other aspect: just as the reader was beginning to get familiar with the characters, something would happen that moved the plot on and away from those characters. Most of the time, they didn’t return before the end of the book (although I’m told some of the characters left behind in Foundling reappear in later books). This prevented me from ever feeling like I knew the characters, and left me a little unsettled for much of the story. Rossamund, the main character, was forever adjusting to new people and new situations, which meant that the reader had to adjust two.

That said, I did like all of the characters, if only I’d been able to spend more time with them. A few pages after each character is introduced, there is an illustration of that character (done by the author) which did help a bit with the large cast of characters coming and going. I looked forward to the illustrations every time I picked it up, and I admit that I skipped to all of the illustrations far before the story got to them. I would have liked to see more and/or other illustrations, but I was quite happy with the ones included.

The most special part of Foundling was the world Cornish created, called the Half-Continent. It was clear from the very beginning that he knew every corner of the world, all the intricacies of the society and the people living there. Cornish was not discovering the world as he wrote. He had been writing stories and creating illustrations from this world for years before he wrote Foundling, and it definitely showed in the writing. It was obvious to me that for every detail that made it onto the pages, there were tons of pages of diagrams and sketches and notes that weren't included.

Overall Thoughts: The characters in Foundling were difficult to connect to, which definitely made it tougher for me, but the incredible world-bulding made up for a lot of that. I've been told that the series only gets better as it goes on, so I might come back to it someday, but for now I am happy with what I got.

Friday, August 31, 2012

Series Review: Stravaganza

by Mary Hoffman
Series: Stravaganza #1
Paperback, 352 pages
Published September 9th 2004 by Bloomsbury (first published 2002)
Age Recommendation: Young Adult

Summary (from Goodreads):
In modern-day London, Lucien Mulholland undergoes chemotherapy treatments, but when he falls asleep clutching a mysterious book his father has given him, he is transported - or "stravagated" - to an enchanting 16th-century Venice-like city called Bellezza, in the country Talia. Lucien can return only if he can get hold of the book again. In this colorful other world, rich with court intrigues and magic, he feels vibrantly alive, as opposed to his pain-ridden days back in England; his hair has grown back and he eats with relish. Bellezza is also where, as "Luciano," he meets lovely 15-year-old Arianna and Rodolfo, who created the book that acts as Lucien's "stravagation" talisman. Rodolfo explains that a stravagante is "a wanderer between worlds," and also the history of this magical travel. Now the secret brotherhood dedicated to keeping the two worlds separate is being challenged by a faction with evil intent. Soon "Luciano" is caught up in their power struggle and learns there is a cost when one cannot stravagate properly.

Although the Stravaganza books may not have exceptional writing or amazingly memorable characters, I was perfectly happy reading all six books back to back and certainly plan to continue with the next books when they are published. There are three things that kept me interested in this series: the alternate sixteenth-century Italy, the intricate politics, and the dual narratives.

Much of the story takes place in Talia, an alternate version of Italy in the 1500s. I really liked this aspect of the story because there were enough references to actual Italian history and cities to either learn about the cities if one is unfamiliar or to create a fun game if one is familiar. For example, City of Masks takes place in Bellezza, the equivalent of Venice. Even though I don't know Venice, I could easily envision the places shown in the novel. The third book, however, takes place in Giglia, the alternate Florence, which I am very familiar with. In that case, it was tons of fun to figure out exactly which landmarks were being talked about (e.g. Palazzo di Chimici = Palazzo Medici Riccardi).

In each of the books in the series, the main character is a teen from Barnsbury, a town in present-day England. Each finds a talisman that transports them while they sleep to Talia, returning them to their bodies in England when they wake. This travel is called Stravigation, and those who make the journey are Stravagantes (which gives the series its name).

In the first book, City of Masks, Lucien, the main character and an especially pivotal character for the rest of the series, finds a notebook that transports him to Bellezza. From that point on, each book focuses on another character and another town. The second book, City of Stars, focuses on Georgia, whose talisman, a statue of a winged horse, takes her to Remora (= Siena), home of the Stellata ( = Palio), an annual horse race between different sections of the city. The third volume, City of Flowers, takes place, as I mentioned, in Giglia ( = Florence) and centers around Sky, who travels by way of a glass bottle. The series continues in this way through Padvia ( = Padua), Classe ( = Classe / Ravenna), and Fortezza ( = Lucca).

Usually I would be put off by all these different main characters and locations, but the thing about this series is that despite these differences between books, the story for the most part continues with a single narrative, uninterrupted between books.

Sure, after a few books it gets a little hard to suspend disbelief that the entire giant cast of characters (or most of the main players in any case) happen to travel from city to city and conveniently coincide with the Stravagante's appearance, but that is one of the things you just have to go with as a reader.

In City of Masks, the politics are pretty straightforward. There are a lot of people trying to maneuver and manipulate the situation to get what they want, but there are very clear "good guys" and "bad guys." One of the things I so enjoyed about this series, though, was that with each book, the "bad guys" gained more and more depth, until, in the most recent book, City of Swords, there are only two or three characters whom I would really label "bad." (Sure, greedy, insensitive, misinformed, etc., but not "bad.")

There's also a giant cast of characters that grows with every book. I was fine without the index of characters in the back for the first five books, but by the time I got to the sixth book, I was checking the lists and family tree constantly for the first 50 pages.

One of the few things that really bothered me about the series was the way that Mary Hoffman broke some of her own rules. In the first and second books, she established that a talisman could only take a person to and from one place. By the fourth book, this became a bit of a problem, so she spent much of the fourth book trying to find a way around this rule, and by the fifth book disregarded it entirely and had Dethridge (the authority on Stravigation) come up with a new discovery of how to travel to various cities with the same talisman, allowing Isabel to travel to nearly every city in Talia. This particular circumstance was my main complaint with the series, since Hoffman ought to stick to the rules she herself created. Once you've established how the world works, you can't just go changing it five books in because it's rather inconvenient.

Overall Thoughts: Other than my one complaint of inconsistency, I quite liked the Stravaganza books. They were nothing amazing but fun and interesting, and exactly what I needed at the time that I read them. If you're in the mood to visit Italy and would enjoy some politics in the mix, try picking these up.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Review: Bewitching

by Alex Flinn
Series: The Kendra Chronicles #2
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published February 14th 2012 by HarperTeen
Age Recommendation: Young Adult

Summary (from Goodreads):
Bewitching can be a beast. . . .

Once, I put a curse on a beastly and arrogant high school boy. That one turned out all right. Others didn’t.

I go to a new school now—one where no one knows that I should have graduated long ago. I’m not still here because I’m stupid; I just don’t age.

You see, I’m immortal. And I pretty much know everything after hundreds of years—except for when to take my powers and butt out.

I want to help, but things just go awry in ways I could never predict. Like when I tried to free some children from a gingerbread house and ended up being hanged. After I came back from the dead (immortal, remember?), I tried to play matchmaker for a French prince and ended up banished from France forever. And that little mermaid I found in the Titanic lifeboat? I don’t even want to think about it.

Now a girl named Emma needs me. I probably shouldn’t get involved, but her gorgeous stepsister is conniving to the core. I think I have just the thing to fix that girl—and it isn’t an enchanted pumpkin. Although you never know what will happen when I start . . . bewitching.

For the most part, I loved Bewitching, but there were some aspects that felt out of place. For example, the structure of the story is very odd. The book starts with a prologue, Kendra's story, which is more or less a retelling of Hansel and Gretel. Then it moves to the main story, Lisette and Emma, in which Kendra is a secondary charcter. At the end of every part, though, Kendra interjects her own thoughts and speaks directly to the reader about the situation, which inevitable leads her to mention some other story. Then Lisette and Emma's story pauses so that the reader can spend two chapters looking in on some other tale, such as the Princess and the Pea or The Little Mermaid, in which Kendra is also a secondary character. Then, the reader is hauled back to Lisette and Emma. Overall, this format is a little awkward and, although I like these side-stories, I wish they weren't included.

Lisette and Emma's story, the main narrative, is based on Cinderella, but told from the point of view of Cinderella's stepsister, who takes a while to see the truth about her horrible and manipulative stepsister.

Emma was a girl after my own heart. I loved her and totally connected with her, and even though she a bit of a weak character at the beginning, I was rooting for her the whole time. Flinn certainly knew her audience, or else is very similar to her audience, because, as a reader, I am immediately drawn to characters who want nothing more than to curl up with a book.

I was a little frustrated that it took Emma so long to realize the truth about Lisette. It was so very heavily hinted at so many times that it began to get ridiculous that she couldn't come to the right conclusion. She was so overly trusting and forgiving. These are generally traits I like in a character, but not in Emma. It was just too much. And then, to top it all off, she was kind of a wimp about it. I know she's not confrontational, but she has no backbone whatsoever - she won't even stand up to her mom, who is trying to help her.

And Warner, the boy who has a crush on Emma? So. Perfect. Reading the chapters about Emma and Warner was like seeing all my fantasies splayed out on the page. He's not everyone's perfect love interest - he's shy, and a little geeky - but he was perfect for Emma, and reading about it was wonderful for me.

(The above paragraph I actually wrote before I finished the book, so... even though there's a big twist at the end, I wanted to keep it in. I still like Warner, even though Emma doesn't.)

The other stories were nice, but they didn't stand out to me, and while I was reading them, I was impatient to get back to Emma. I liked them both, but they would have worked better in a book of short stories than as side stories in this book.

Kendra's story at the beginning I barely got through. I was not interested in the story, in Kendra, in any of it. I couldn't get invested in the characters or the situation. I understand it was necessary to give the backstory of where Kendra came from, but it was not interesting to me. Luckily, it was pretty short, and as soon as I got to the main story, I was able to fully dive in.

Louis's story was a little better, but still was not my favorite. I liked the clever adaptation of the Princess and the Pea story, but overall I cared more about getting back to Lisette and Emma than about the story itself. For one thing, the voice of the story seemed no different from Emma's, except that there weren't constant references to TV shows, clothing brands, and types of cars. I liked how it ultimately turned out, though.

Doria's story was by far my favorite side-story of the three. A retelling of The Little Mermaid in the setting of the Titanic, it was not only clever but was quite well executed. It was just the right length, it was interesting, and it ended in just the right way.

Overall Thoughts:
Looking back on it, my review seems pretty mixed. For the most part, my final impressions were positive, mostly because of the great main characters and the clever twisting of the fairy tales, one of Flinn's strength throughout her many works. The side-stories were less interesting to me, but I'd love to read a book of Kendra's adventures if the short stories were more even, rather than having a few short stories in the middle of a longer one.

P.S. I can't stand the cover at the beginning of this review, which is the cover on my copy. The girl looks so bored, and everything about her pose, her hair, her makeup is not quite right. It also looks like a stock paranormal romance. My strong dislike of the cover was one of the things that kept me from reading Bewitching for such a long time.  I like this cover that I found much better, although it seems there was some snafu and HarperCollins decided against the image.


Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Mini-Review: All These Things I've Done

by Gabrielle Zevin
Series: Birthright #1
Hardcover, 354 pages
Published September 6th 2011 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Age Recommendation: Young Adult

Summary (from Goodreads):
In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidently poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she's to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight--at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family.

All These Things I've Done seemed really promising for the first 100 pages, but it didn't live up to its potential. In the beginning, all of these really interesting problems were set up; the world was fascinating; the characters were compelling; but the story seemed to turn off somewhere onto a side street and meander off into the far less interesting story of Anya falling for Win. Once she fell in love, everything else went down the drain.

What made this all the more disappointing was that I know Gabrielle Zevin can write a fantastic YA without falling into the regular old formula that she uses in All These Things I've Done. And to make it a trilogy with that kind of ending? That's just frustrating.

So, will I be picking up the sequel? Yeah, probably. But I will not be going in with as high expectations as I had for All These Things I've Done. It's such a shame that so much potential was wasted on such a standard YA Dystopian Romance.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Review: The Night Circus

by Erin Morgenstern
Series: none
Hardcover, 387 pages
Published September 13th 2011 by Doubleday
Age Recommendation: YA, Adult

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

The first time I read The Night Circus I was swept away by the dazzling descriptions and immersed in the world of the circus. The second time was not less magical but I could appreciate even more the care taken with each of the story's many facets. This is certainly not an "action book" but it is wonderfully crafted in its own way.

Writing a review for this book is very difficult because every part of the book, like the clock that plays a large role in it, is connected to and entwined with so many other parts that it's impossible to explain what is going on without explaining everything else first.

The writing is amazing. I was completely immersed in Morgenstern's world, experiencing the circus myself together with the other characters. Every few chapters there is a short section describing your - the reader's - experience in the circus: the sights, the sounds, the various tents you enter. And there is also description upon description for every place, every person, every event. I never tired of it. I wanted more.

I really cannot talk about what happens plotwise, but I will say that although the story itself progresses slowly, there is so much going on, so many overlapping layers of plot, that I could not put the book down. The story jumps around both in POV and time, and there are several stories going on at the same time. The first time I read The Night Circus it was a little bit difficult to sort out what was happening when, since I rarely pay attention to dates, but it is not jarring at all to switch from one point of view to another.

There is quite a large cast of characters, and although I felt I didn't know many of the characters well (even some of the main characters remain quite mysterious) I fell in love with all of them. Every character has a special part to play, and they are all memorable and unique.

Overall Thoughts: The Night Circus is truly a gem of a book. It is not for everyone, but for others, including myself, it is absolutely amazing. The writing, the characters, the atmosphere, the world: everything is intricately woven and so lovely. I can't get this magical story out of my mind.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Review: Grave Mercy

by Robin LaFevers
Series: His Fair Assassin, #1
Hardcover, 1st Edition, 549 pages
Published April 3rd 2012 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Age Recommendation: Older YA, Adult

Summary (from Goodreads):
Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

Grave Mercy was absolutely fantastic. It's a bit different from what the summary would suggest, and I'm really glad I read Small Review's review before I began the book, since it gave me much more accurate expectations. Not to say that I had to lower my expectations, but the plot is far more centered around political intrigue and the various machinations of the different characters. Yet even though I didn't get a rollicking action plot, I adored the story I ended up with.

The story begins in a less-than-nice way. Ismae is leaving a brutal childhood for an arranged marriage that seems a no better situation. She manages to escape after some rather nasty incidents and is taken to the convent of St. Mortain, where she dedicates her life to fulfilling the wishes of the god of death. You can read the first chapter on Robin LaFevers' website here. (A note before you click over: as I said before, this chapter has some less-than-nice things in it. The rest of the book is not nearly this harsh.)

The scenes in the convent were pretty darn awesome. Ismae doesn't just say, "I learned how to use a dagger..." but actually describes her different lessons and totally immerses the reader in the world of the convent. Daughters of Mortain (Ismae is literally a daughter of Mortain) often have special abilities granted to them by the god, and Ismae's is immunity to poison. She, therefore, specializes in learning about different poisons. In Ismae's time at the convent, she and the reader are both introduced to Annith and Sybella, the main characters of the other two books in the trilogy (Yes, it is a trilogy, but don't worry! Grave Mercy works wonderfully as a standalone).

In fact, Robin LaFevers just released a scene from the convent that was ultimately cut from the novel. You can view it here at the blog Feeling Fictional. It takes place at the convent and is an excellent example of how LaFevers describes Ismae's training.

Ismae is a fantastic character. She is a strong person but has just enough weakness to steal your heart. For all her fantastic assassin skills, she is struggling to find her place. She is so eager to get out there and start killing people (as is the reader), but she is forced to keep up her pretense as Duval's mistress in order to root out the secrets of the palace.

There is not a lot of action and not a lot of assassinations. I think Ismae kills around four people, total, in all 550 pages. There are a few people whom she helps to die, but she doesn't actually assassinate them herself. But if you were expecting lots of action and Katsa-like awesomeness, prepare to change your expectations or be disappointed.

At this point, some of you may be thinking, "This doesn't sound like a very interesting book. No action? No killing?" Never fear. I could barely tear my eyes away from the pages. The story flew by. I didn't ever feel like I was reading a 500+ page book. I was too engrossed in the story. I finished the entire book in two days, largely because I practically refused to put it down. Even though Ismae is not killing everyone off or using her amazing convent training, there is so much going on.

The majority of the story takes place in the court of Anne of Brittany. Every single character has some plot to carry out or some scheme they are trying to keep secret. Ismae has her hands full figuring them all out, while at the same time, trying to fulfill her mission from the convent. All the complex politics were really fun to read about, and as Robin LaFevers writes in her author's note (some slight spoilers), they are all true. In reality, there was actually even more going on, but she trimmed some of the characters and plots because it was getting to be just too much, and the book ended up at nearly 550 pages regardless.

Part of what kept me so interested was the superb world building. As I mentioned in the last paragraph, much of what is in the book is completely true. LaFevers certainly did her historical research, and it shows in the execution. I totally felt like I was there: at the convent, in the court; anywhere Ismae went, I was instantly transported.

And then, finally, there is Duval. I'm spoiling it now: Ismae falls in love with Duval by the end of the book. But I loved the super-slow, hate-to-love romance. Duval is a wonderful character, love interest of not, and he was Ismae's perfect counterpart. I loved the scenes they were in together (which, I suppose, is nearly the whole book), because they worked together so well.

The other characters were great as well: no cardboard cutouts to be seen. I couldn't always get into the heads of the side characters, but I was fascinated with how they played this complex game.

Overall Thoughts:
Quite a spectacular book. There are so many layers upon layers, and lots of different political schemes. Although the action is limited, I was enthralled by the unfolding plots and Ismae's character development. Highly recommended.

Age Recommendation:
I almost never put an age warning at the end of my reviews, but I think this book needs it. This is definitely not a book for younger teens. There is nothing too explicit, but there are many adult themes and references, and the book is written for a mature audience. I would recommend for 16+.




Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Review: Everneath

by Brodi Ashton
Series: Everneath #1
Hardcover, 370 pages
Published January 24th 2012 by Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins)
Age Recommendation: Young Adult

Summary (from Goodreads):
Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

Everneath was really well written and interesting, but it wasn't the right book at the right time for me. I'd just finished All These Things I've Done, which has a romance that makes me want to throw the book across the room,  so what I needed from Everneath was a nice non-romance. Which, as I should have realized, is not what Everneath delivers.

Even though I wasn't really in the mood for a romance, I could easily see that Everneath was a great book. The characters were full and relatable, and the story was intriguing and kept me turning pages.

I really liked the characters because I understood all of them. In some books, the author presents a motivation for the character, but the reader doesn't really get into the character's head. In Everneath, every character had so much depth, and the reader gets glimpses of that depth throughout the book.

I'm also a huge mythology fan. I am very familiar with both the Hades and Persephone myth and the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, so I loved that they were woven into Nikki's story. Everneath wasn't a retelling of either myth, but they played a large part in the story. I liked how, unlike The Goddess Test, Nikki knew about the myths and used them to figure out what was going on.

The pace is fast but not rushed. As the reader, I was astonished how quickly six months went, mirroring Nikki's own feelings that six months is far too short. I liked how Brodi Ashton used flashbacks both to give the reader more information as the story continued and to contrast Nikki's life before and after the feed. It gives the reader much more insight into how much her life has changed because of her decision.

Overall Thoughts:
Everneath was an excellently written book that I wish I could have enjoyed more. Brodi Ashton is quite a talented writer, and I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel, Everbound.





Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Review: The Selection

by Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection #1
Hardcover, 327 pages
Published April 24th 2012 by HarperTeen
Age Recommendation: Young Adult

Summary (from Goodreads):
For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Before The Selection came out, it seemed like the entire blogosphere was excited over this new book. Not only did it have an absolutely gorgeous cover, the summary seemed to pique everyone's interest. It popped up wherever I went. After I bought the book, however, I looked at its Goodreads page and found overwhelmingly negative reviews. People complained that the characters were shallow, the world-building was nearly non-existent, the writing was mediocre... but most of these reviewers seemed to be expecting a serious dystopian. Several times I've heard the Selection described as "The Hunger Games, but with princesses." First of all, that statement is totally inaccurate, but more importantly, this should clue any reader in that they're probably not going to get a serious dystopian.

This book was more accurately semi-dystopian fluff. Granted, it was highly enjoyable fluff, but not a serious anything. If I'd gone in expecting something like Legend or Shatter Me, I would have joined the ranks of the other Goodreaders who complained about the lack of substance. But going in, as I did, with the expectation that it would be nothing too amazing, all fun and romance and pretty dresses, I enjoyed it quite a lot.

For a book that didn't have all that much plot to begin with, Kiera Cass did a good job keeping the pace up. The plot didn't drag in the least, and overall The Selection was a pretty quick read. I also really liked how she incorporated history and background information for the reader in the form of lessons for the girls competing. I liked learning about what was going on beyond the smaller story of America and Maxon.

The names were... unusual, to say the least. They might bother some readers, especially the name America, which stood out the most to me. I did my best to ignore the strangeness of the names and just go with it. Some of the characters had familiar names used in our time, and some were very odd, possibly to reinforce the idea that the story takes place in the future, once our society has crumbled. The main characters tended to have more unusual names (America, Maxon, Aspen) and the secondary characters had the more "normal" names (May, Marlee, Celeste, Jenna, Lucy, Anne, Mary). And then the tertiary characters' names were very strange (Tiny, Bariel, Kota). Basically, it wasn't very consistent, but it wasn't much of an issue for me personally.

Overall Thoughts
Sure, there's a lot to complain about if I wanted to complain about The Selection, but taking it for what it is, it was a great break from all the more serious fare out there.


Friday, June 15, 2012

Mini-Review: Dragonhaven

Slogging through the archives, I found this review from October of 2011 that I had written but never published. I polished it up a bit, and here it is now. I tried to keep as much of the original review as possible, which is why the review still has last year's formatting for the book information and signature.

by Robin McKinley
Start Date: 23 September 2011
End Date: 28 September 2011
Hardcover, 272 pages
Published September 20th 2007 by Putnam Juvenile

Summary (from Goodreads):
Jake Mendoza lives at the Makepeace Institute of Integrated Dragon Studies in Smokehill National Park. Smokehill is home to about two hundred of the few remaining draco australiensis, which is extinct in the wild. Keeping a preserve for dragons is controversial: detractors say dragons are extremely dangerous and unjustifiably expensive to keep and should be destroyed. Environmentalists and friends say there are no records of them eating humans and they are a unique example of specialist evolution and must be protected. But they are up to eighty feet long and breathe fire.

On his first overnight solo trek, Jake finds a dragon—a dragon dying next to the human she killed. Jake realizes this news could destroy Smokehill— even though the dead man is clearly a poacher who had attacked the dragon first, that fact will be lost in the outcry against dragons.

But then Jake is struck by something more urgent; —he sees that the dragon has just given birth, and one of the babies is still alive. What he decides to do will determine not only their futures, but the future of Smokehill itself.

In Dragonhaven, the strongest point for me was the voice of the main character, Jake. The writing doesn't sound like an adult trying to write in a teen's voice; it sounds exactly as a teen like Jake would sound in his circumstances. Because the reader was able to get inside Jake's head in this way, I found it very easy to connect with him. However, he is not an inherently likable character, and if I hadn't connected with Jake, I can see how it would be difficult to find redeeming value in the book.

The main turn-off for those who might already be frustrated with Jake is the pace. The story moves along at a very leisurely pace (although not nearly as slowly as McKinley's most recent book, Pegasus) and the chapters are quite long, so it's difficult to find a good stopping place.

By the end, I was ready to wrap up the story; after 200+ pages even I was getting a little bored of it, but, somehow, it just didn't end. The epilogue went on for nearly 50 pages! Once I actually finished the epilogue I could see why McKinley chose to end it where she did, but the ending, along with much of the book, could benefit quite a bit from some major cutting.

Overall Thoughts
Even through the slow bits, however, I never considered putting the book down. The story drew me in, and I was stuck with it until the end. I did ultimately enjoy the book, but I hope McKinley's future books are a little leaner. 

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Review: Bitterblue

by Kristin Cashore
Series: The Graceling Realm #3
Hardcover, 563 pages
Published May 1st 2012 by Dial
Age Recommendation: Young Adult

Summary (from Goodreads): Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle—disguised and alone—to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past. Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck’s reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn’t yet identified, holds a key to her heart.


My Review
Bitterblue was very different from Graceling and Fire, and although both Graceling and Fire are favorites of mine, I fell in love with Bitterblue. There were so many layers of the story that Cashore seamlessly weaves together.

It took Kristin Cashore three years to write Bitterblue, and it shows in the careful craft and weave of the story. This is not a book that could have been written quickly. It is complex and layered, and has clearly created by a master's hand.

The cast of characters is quite extensive, and at first it's easy to mix up some of them (the advisors especially take a while to gain their own personalities) but after the story is completed, it's hard to imagine each one without such distinctive traits. There's also a list of characters in the back, but it gives away some spoilers, so it's better to let the story define each character slowly.

I love Bitterblue the character. She's so different from Katsa and Fire, and most relatable of the three for  me. There are no great journeys, and she doesn't have any special powers to deal with, but at the same time she has so much power that she can't necessarily control. No one in the story is completely truthful, and every step is a journey. Bitterblue has to find herself in order to find how to save Monsea.

Other than Bitterblue herself, my favorite character was the unsociable and sullen librarian, Death (pronounced to rhyme with "teeth"), graced with reading inhumanly fast and remembering every word he's ever read (I want!). At first even the reader is not supposed to like him, but he goes though such a transformation that I couldn't help but cheer up every time he was mentioned. Not to mention he is the one of the products of Kristin Cashore's subtle humor, which is of just the right type for me.

The first question most people ask when hearing about Bitterblue is, "Are Katsa and Po in it?" Happily, yes, Katsa and Po are in it, and they have some wonderful scenes together along with plenty of their usual banter, but the book really isn't about them.

Although the story does not follow a formal mystery plot, there is an element of mystery to the story. Or rather, several elements of mystery. No matter the situation, every character is keeping secrets, and its up to Bitterblue to discover the answers.

The pace is a bit slower than Cashore's usual fare, but it was just perfect for Bitterblue. Rather than dragging, it was immersive, and I loved every moment.

Overall Thoughts:
Bitterblue is a book I can't stop thinking about. When I finished, I immediately wanted to begin reading it again. I didn't want to leave the wonderfully real and beautiful story Cashore has created. I will certainly be reading it again, and it has earned itself a place with my favorites of 2012.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Review: Under the Never Sky

by Veronica Rossi
Series: Under the Never Sky #1
Hardcover, US, 376 pages
Published January 3rd 2012 by HarperCollins
Age Recommendation: Young Adult

Summary (from Goodreads):
Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered. This was worse. Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland - known as The Death Shop - are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild - a savage - and her only hope of staying alive. A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile - everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

When I started Under the Never Sky, it was a struggle merely to continue reading. I was easily bored and uninvolved in the story. As the book progressed, however, I began to see what made the book so special: the development of both of the main characters.

Before I read Under the Never Sky, I had conflicting expectations. On the one hand, I had read very good reviews of it, (an especially memorable review was by Enna at Squeaky Books); on the other hand, the summary didn't seem especially original or intriguing. Well, my expectations were false on both counts.

Throughout the book, the plot was not what captured my attention. The characters were obviously invested in the tension and conflict of the situations, and sometimes even running for their lives, but I as a reader felt detached from the imminent danger that seemed to hang over much of the book.

However, as the story went on, and I forced myself to keep picking it back up every day, I slowly began to admire the character creation - their interactions, development, realism - was fantastic. It kind of crept up on me, liking these characters and liking this story. By the end, I still didn't care much about what was happening in terms of plot (yes, it was interesting, but I could take it or leave it) but I was fully invested in the characters. The two-POV narration really worked for this story, and it was never difficult to distinguish the narrators.

Another aspect I found lacking was the explanation of the world Aria and Perry lived in. The descriptions were great when they were describing a scene or landscape, but I had little to no idea how the society worked, how they got to that point, what daily life was like both inside and outside the domes – I understood the characters, but not the world around them.

Yet the thing is, I didn't even notice the lack in world-building, or even my lack of interest in the plot, until after I'd finished. While I was reading, I was fully engrossed in these characters. The reader gets to see these characters shed their outer shallowness and become fully realized.

And the love story - my gosh. This is the very opposite of insta-love. It takes around 300 pages for Aria and Perry to fall in love, but every page of waiting is worth it. The reader gets to see the slow unfolding and realness to the characters relationship - not only in a falling-in-love way, but through their alliance, their friendship, and eventually, their bond.

Overall Thoughts: Some elements of Under the Never Sky bothered me, but ultimately the excellent character creation and development led me to really enjoy the story. I look forward to seeing where Veronica Rossi takes it next.


Friday, March 16, 2012

DNF Review: Elemental: The First

by Alexandra May
Age Recommendation: Young Adult
Paperback, 280 pages
Published July 22nd 2011 by Pauma Publishing
Series: Primord Series, Book 1

Summary (from Goodreads):
Just who is Halíka Dacomé?

To Rose Frost, moving house every six months is normal. Another new town here, another new school there, her ability to adapt is as easy as breathing. But everything changes when her parents go overseas and Rose moves in with her grandmother. She enjoys meeting new friends and catching up with old ones from her childhood holidays — except now she must hide a precious secret from everyone, a gift from birth that defies modern day science.

Her dreams become riddled with a warrior woman called Halíka Dacomé, but are they visions or messages from the future? She starts her own investigation but encounters more questions than answers. Living right on the edge of Warminster in Wiltshire doesn’t help with its folklore and myths about strange lights in the sky and ghost stories of the Salisbury Plain.

Not only that, her troubles really take hold one night when the mysterious Aiden Deverill with his alluring smile, his gorgeous dark looks and hypnotising blue eyes, saves her from a freak fire. Or did he?

For Rose, her new life is beginning but she soon realises that despite assurances people are not always what they seem. What she always believed to be a happy family and a friendly town soon turns on its head when she discovers that her family secret, Aiden Deverill and the truth behind Halíka Dacomé is at the heart of the whole conspiracy.



N.B. I only got through 15 pages of Elemental: The First. I cannot speak about the entire book, only the section I read.


I must begin with a disclaimer: I rarely, rarely DNF books. Nearly always, I struggle through to the end of a book even if I am not enjoying it. In this case, however, I don't think I can get any further.

I am in a bit of a reading slump right now, and this was not the book to get me out of it. I have been putting off reading Elemental: The First since September and I don't think I can postpone it any more. I will just have to say that this is not the book for me.

The beginning reads much like a creative writing project. There is an overuse of adjectives and an overuse of similes, and even the first line is a little bit awkward: “The cavernous room was windowless.” Somehow that line seems strange, like the words don’t quite fit together. Much of the first few pages felt similar.

What really got to me, however, was the minor mistakes in grammar and punctuation. I stopped on page 15 because I couldn't take any more misused commas (there are 4 examples on pages 14 and 15) or incorrect verb/subject agreement (such as on page 15). The mistakes are, admittedly, all very minor, but  I am the type of person who gets distracted  and even frustrated by a misplaced comma (and who would notice a misplaced comma), so it was difficult for me to immerse myself in the text.

The plot, however, even from the few pages I read is very intriguing - and I'm sure I haven't even gotten to the interesting part yet. If the writing had been a little bit more polished and the copyediting more thorough, I think I would have really enjoyed the story.

Overall Thoughts: I'd love to come back to Elemental: The First at some other time, but right now, every page is a struggle, and I need to read something else.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Series Review: The Books of Bayern

When I decided to reread the Books of Bayern, I wasn't planning to write reviews for them, but I realized, as I always do when reading Shannon Hale books, that I had forgotten just how amazing they are.

The Books of Bayern are true works of art. They make me sigh, they make me laugh, and if I was one who cried when reading, they'd make me cry.

The Goose Girl
Hardcover, 400 pages
Published November 3rd 2003 by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Summary (from Goodreads):
Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, spends the first years of her life under her aunt's guidance learning to communicate with animals. As she grows up Ani develops the skills of animal speech, but is never comfortable speaking with people, so when her silver-tongued lady-in-waiting leads a mutiny during Ani's journey to be married in a foreign land, Ani is helpless and cannot persuade anyone to assist her. Becoming a goose girl for the king, Ani eventually uses her own special, nearly magical powers to find her way to her true destiny. Shannon Hale has woven an incredible, original and magical tale of a girl who must find her own unusual talents before she can become queen of the people she has made her own.

The series begins with The Goose Girl, a retelling of the Grimm Brothers tale. Hale introduces the reader to Bayern in a story as lovely as its beautiful and whimsical cover.

Ani, the Crown Princess of Kilendree, feels uncomfortable in her position throughout her whole childhood, prefering to spend time with the swans outside the palace than performing her royal duties. Stifled in the palace, she confides only in her lady-in-waiting, Selia. When, against her will, she is sent away to marry the king of neighboring Bayern, Selia leads a revolt, taking Ani's place, and Ani, presumed dead, must run away. She gets a job tending the king of Bayern's geese, and must both learn to fit in there and plan how to take back her rightful place.

There is magic in this story in that people can be born with or learn the languages of animals, people (in order to influence them), and nature, but the magic for me was not animal-, people-, and nature-speaking as much as the journey through this vibrant world and Ani's transformation from the timid and unhappy girl in the beginning, always feeling like she's done something wrong, to the strong, confident woman that even I look up to.

The characters in this story are full and I've grown to love them all. No character is unimportant or out of place. From fiery-spirited Enna to mischievous Razo, or even the unceasingly sweet Finn, I love all of these characters, and am always happy to revisit them when I reread the series.

The romance between Ani and the handsome palace guard, (haha) Geric, develops slowly and naturally. Beginning when she calms down his horse and he mistakes her as a lady and continuing so that the reader is rooting for them every step of the way.

Shannon Hale's writing is lovely, and almost poetic in that each word is in place and creates a picture of this world between a fairy tale and our own.

Minor Spoilers below for The Goose Girl


The other three books in the series, Enna Burning, River Secrets, and Forest Born, are all as wonderful as the first. In Enna Burning, Bayern's neighboring country, Tira, attacks. Enna, having newly discovered her own talent at fire speaking, must battle both the Tirans and her own self, twisted out of shape by the fire. Enna is a supporting character in The Goose Girl, but wholly worthy of a book to herself.

In River Secrets, Bayern's Own travels to Tira in order to protect the Bayern ambassador as she begins to repair the ties between the two countries. There is a mystery pervading the bright Tiran capital, and Razo, who stars in this volume, is in a unique position to discover who is responsible. Although not a strong soldier, he is "the best sling Finn ever saw" and always notices small details, so he is able to find out the secrets of the city. Razo is, as ever, delightful, and the new characters introduced to the Bayern cast, such as Dashsa and Radiance, are wonderful. Not to mention that it has the absolute sweetest scene ever – but I won't spoil it for you.

Forest Born takes the story back around to complete the cycle. Focused on Rin, Razo's younger sister, it follows the journey of a girl who must find who she truly is, much in the way that Ani had to find herself in The Goose Girl. At the beginning of Forest Born, Rin calls herself "Mama's shadow" and shifts into the temperament of anyone she was around in order to hide from herself. She leaves the forest for the first time to join Ani (Gack! I keep writing Isi!) in the castle, and joins Ani, Enna, and Dasha on a journey where they meet some unexpected enemies. Rin must then accept who she is in order to save the group.

Overall Thoughts: I'd have to say that of any books, these four have affected me the most. I've read them countless times, and they never lose any of their charm. If they seem at all your type, pick up these books. You will not be disappointed.

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