What I’m Reading, May 17, 2013

This week I read a selection of books covering readers of all ages. So, I’ll start with the youngest and work my way up.

Sleeping Beauty’s Daughters by Diane Zahler (releases August 27th)
I’ll kick-off the list with a good juvenile read, suitable for ages 8 and up. The book is a twist on the Sleeping Beauty story, this time following the narcoleptic beauty’s young daughters Aurora and Luna as they go on a great sea adventure, seeking to reverse the sleeping curse that threatens to overcome young Princess Aurora (after their mother was saved from the curse it reverted to her eldest daughter). The concept is a fun twist on a well-known plot. It’s pretty easy reading and simple enough for younger readers, but if forced to read aloud, the tale won’t bore parents. Because of the adventure, and a rather brave young boy who aids the sisters on their quest, the book will also appeal to boys, so don’t let the more feminine cover fool you. Overall, a fun read for young kids.

Far Far Away by Tom McNeal (releases June 11th)
This is a difficult one to review. It has many elements that I enjoy: fairy tale theme, paranormal aspect, coming of age, danger; but it just doesn’t come together in an appealing manner. Let’s get the plot out of the way and then I’ll explain the ways the book lost me.

The basic plot is that Jeremy Johnson Johnson (yes, two Johnsons) of the small village Never Better has two problems, he and his recluse father are about to lose their home, and he can speak to ghosts. Jeremy’s ghost just happens to be the late great Jacob Grimm (who is also the tale’s narrator), a spirit trapped in the space between life and death, wandering the Earth in hopes of either finding his brother or finally passing into the afterlife. When the aptly called “Finder of Occasions” finds Jeremy and friend Ginger in the midst of their own trials, he finds a way to exploit them, endangering their lives unless the ghostly Jacob can do something to stop him.

The story is ridiculous, but not in the appealing manner of fairy tales (which it tries to emulate), rather it bounces all over the place, letting the characters dangle over several problems and dangers, but pulling them back on the brink, so when the actual danger appears you end up breathing a sigh that it’s done. This is not the sigh of an enchanted reader mind you, but one of an irritated reader waiting for the story to end. Another issue is the dialogue—it is very stylized, which can work when applied in the right way, but since there is no sense of time period it is difficult to accept such odd discourse. At times it seems as though the story is taking place in the 1950’s, at others current time, and then there’s the notion that the characters are merely stuck in the back of the Mystery Machine, copying the lingo of the Scooby Gang. No matter how interesting the plot, poor dialogue will destroy a novel, and McNeal just doesn’t write decent dialogue.

I wanted to like this one, wouldn’t dissuade anyone, particularly those between 9 and 12, from reading it, but in all this just wasn’t a great book. Nice concept, poorly executed, a middling novel.

Descendant: A Starling Novel by Lesley Livingstone (releases August 27th)
Descendant is the sequel to Livingstone’s Starling, and also a part of the universe she created in her Wondrous Strange series. This YA series is fun, bringing in an entertaining mix of Norse, Greek, and Egyptian mythologies, as well as the Fae world created in the Wondrous Strange books. In Descendant, there is a nice touch of romance, fierce battles, and familial upheaval. It is an entertaining, if not completely solid tale, but do beware of the cliffhanger ending, as it is a typical middle book where nothing is resolved. An acceptable read for genre devotees or fans of Livingston’s other works.

It Happens in the Dark by Carol O’Connell (releases August 20th)
As a big fan of the series, I have to mention the 13th Mallory novel It Happens in the Dark. This time O’Connell pits the sociopathic Mallory against a ghostwriter who is killing off members of the cast and crew of a Broadway play and then sets his sights on Mallory. This is a typical suspense for the series, nothing too exciting happens, and it has none of the brilliance of Find Me (#11), but as a fan, I’m always eager to spend some time with Mallory, Riker, Charles Butler, and the crew of the NYPD Special Crimes Division. One note though, in both this installment and the previous, The Chalk Girl, O’Connell gives us an epilogue from the point-of-view of an elderly Charles Butler, in each it has Mallory long dead and Butler searching his memories for moments of her humanity. Does this mean that O’Connell is preparing us for an eventual kill-off of Mallory and the series? I hope not, but after the revealing Find Me, and then these two epilogues, I just can’t rule it out.

Circle of Shadows by Imogen Robertson (Releases June 13th)

Another series I thoroughly enjoy, Circle of Shadows is the 4th chapter in the Harriet Westerman/Gabriel Crowther mysteries that take place in 18th Century England. In this book Harriet and Crowther travel to Germany in an attempt to save Harriet’s brother-in-law, Daniel Clode from wrongful execution. What they find is a court built on lies, splendor, mysticism, and intrigue; and a murderer eager to make a very significant and creative statement. Crowther’s forensics, and Harriet’s intuition are always a fine match, throw in a rather complex conspiracy involving the Freemasons and you have an entertaining Georgian suspense. Robertson’s writing gets better with each novel, but her structure is still a bit odd, with the narrative bouncing between locations and individuals a little too haphazardly for a reader’s comfort. Still, fans of the light suspense series will enjoy the banter and intrigue, making it a worthwhile read.

Right now I’m reading The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton DiSclafani. Thus far it is fantastic. One of those great fiction reads that is smooth and enchanting from page one. I can only hope that it continues to be as engrossing to the end. Definitely worthy of its own review, so keep your eyes open.


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

What I’m Reading, April 26, 2013

I’ve been a bit of a whirlwind reader this week, plowing through a myriad of YA and adults reads with an incessant need to find something really great. Instead, I found myself faced with a mixture of sequels, odd and slightly disturbing new titles, and disappointing series finales. So, in the order I read them, here’s what’s been in my hands this week.

Black City by Elizabeth Richards (out now)
Okay, this is a bit of a cheat, because I actually read it last Friday, but I thought I would mention it anyway. Black City is another one of those dystopian young adult novels that deals with a corrupt totalitarian government ruling with an iron grip. It differs in that author Elizabeth Richards introduces a bit of a paranormal concept, where Darklings, mutated humanoid-vampire creatures, are the “villainous” others struggling against serious segregation propaganda from the anti-Christ type leader of the humans. Here, the daughter of a corrupt government official/scientist falls for a twin-blood (the product of a human and a Darkling) without a heart. Between extreme religious parallels and violence (really horrific crucifixions of traitors to the government’s cause), and obvious comments on bigotry, segregation, and totalitarianism; the underlying themes are definitely unsubtle—more like a sledge hammer, and the plot suffers for it. Still, the world was interesting enough to keep me reading and the writing was not horrible. I have the sequel, Phoenix, but am still unsure if it deserves my time. I have to say, this book is not for the weak of stomach, or heart, and although it is geared toward those ages 14 and up, I would be hesitant to recommend it to anyone under the age of 17. In all, Black City was not a complete waste of time—it did mash-up genres in an interesting way, but in all, the extremes that it uses to push political, social, and religious tones onto a teen reader takes away from its likability.

Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier (releases 10/8/13)
The final book of the Ruby Red series was a bit of a disappointment. Ruby Red had a lot of promise, an interesting storyline, a likeable heroine, and an interesting twist (see my review Ruby Red: An International Bestseller Making its Way to the U.S.). I found the sequel, Sapphire Blue to be lacking a bit, but let’s face it, most of the middle books within a trilogy do, and still I had hope for a good strong finish. Unfortunately, Emerald Green just didn’t have it. While the primary plot threads were closed, there were still many holes left untouched, and there was a rather unsatisfying handling of what should have been a rather pivotal and emotional reveal for the main character. Basically, I experienced a general feeling of let-down. I don’t know if the better part of the series plot and character development was lost in translation (translated from German by well-known translator Anthea Bell), or if in stretching it to three books, as opposed the one single novel—after all the entire series only takes place over a few weeks—took the spark away, but whatever it was, the finished product was sadly lacking in oomph and pay-off.

The Elite by Kiera Cass (out now)
Yes, I did hit the YA hard this week, and the third book I read is the sequel to last year’s The Selection (for review see "The Selection"—read it before you see it). The Elite continues to follow the story of America Singer, a poor musician living in yet another dystopian setting, who has been recruited to compete in a very public Bachelor-esque competition for the hand of the kingdom’s prince in marriage. In book two we find America, now one of six remaining girls, torn between her confusing feelings for Prince Maxon and her childhood love Aspen, now in the Royal Guard. The machinations of the other girls are fascinating to read about as they continuously vie for attention and the crown, and the underlying political happenings start to take on for meaning—making it a little difficult to figure out exactly how this series will end. Despite its middle book-syndrome premise (nothing ever comes to resolution in the second books), The Elite is still engaging, though often maddening (just choose a guy!), and worth a read if you enjoyed The Selection. I can’t help, but anticipate the yet to be named conclusion to this trilogy, I truly have no idea how it will end.

The Last Word by Lisa Lutz (releases 7/9/13)
I always enjoy the wit of a Spellman book and The Last Word, which is the 6th “document”, continues the story of Isabel Spellman and her wayward family of Private Investigators. This time the perpetually sarcastic Izzy is losing control of her recently conquered company (she sprung a takeover of the family’s business in Document #5, Trail of the Spellmans)—her parents refuse to behave themselves in any sort of professional manner, her top client and backer makes her jog three times a week, and she’s under investigation by the FBI for embezzlement. Lutz’s characters are sarcastic, sneaky, and downright scary in their ingeniousness. While not my favorite of the series—that’s a tie between The Spellman Files and The Spellmans Strike Again—the characters are still endearing and entertaining, making it of course, a must read for fans of the series.

The Fairest of Them All by Carolyn Turgeon (releases 8/16/13)
This reimaging of the Rapunzel and Snow White stories is a dark and twisted piece of fiction. Ostensibly telling the story of Rapunzel, The Fairest of Them All features the long haired beauty as an amalgamation of the innocent young maiden from the tower and the misunderstood, possibly wicked, Evil Queen from the Snow White tale. This Rapunzel, raised by a witch, enchants the less than perfect prince, only to be ditched by him when he marries the mother of the yet to be born Snow White. What ensues is heartbreak, mischief, love, and revenge as the amazingly naïve young lady with the magic hair evolves into an entirely new and unique version of Snow White’s stepmother. An interesting and definitely adult fairytale remake, I can’t quite say I liked it—these characters were almost too human in their flaws, too dark in their thoughts and deeds, heroes and villains alike, but it might be worth a read if you’re in the mood for a skewed trip into the “happily ever after” zone.

I also read The Never List by Koethi Zan (releases 7/16/13), but will be discussing it later in a full review.

I’m currently reading Rick Yancey’s The Fifth Wave, a post-apocalyptic YA that is looking to be very promising. More on that later.


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Wonder

It’s like people you see sometimes, and you can’t imagine what it would be like to be that person, whether it’s somebody in a wheelchair or somebody who can’t talk. Only I know that I’m that person to other people, maybe to every single person in that whole auditorium.

To me, though, I’m just me. An ordinary kid. (Wonder, pg. 306)

Wonder is one of those remarkable books that manages to utterly captivate; it makes you grin, it makes you cry, and it, at times makes you a little angry (righteous anger to be sure, but anger none the less). A simple story about a boy with an extraordinary face, getting through his first year in a real school, Wonder is anything but ordinary.

Told in multiple narratives, readers get a glimpse into the life of a ten-year-old Auggie, disfigured from birth with extreme facial abnormalities, as he tries to maneuver his way through the harsh world that is middle school. Readers hear from Auggie, his family, and friends as they all struggle to deal with the everyday ups and downs of existence, while also dealing with the sometimes cruel realities of life for someone who is anything, but ordinary. In a time where more and more of the novels for kids and teens deal with dysfunctional families, teen angst, and substance abuse, Wonder is a breath a fresh air. The family, despite dealing with such a heart wrenching issue, is shockingly ordinary. The parents are married (to each other), they care about their children and actually spend quality time with them. The kids have the same issues as most kids do—fighting with friends, struggling through homework and school, dealing with the changes of getting older. This is an average family just doing their best to be happy. I love that for once, I can pick up a book that features a group of people put into one of the most extraordinary circumstances, and instead of imploding and turning on one another, they actually support each other and work together. It sounds sappy and Walton-esq, but it isn’t. They still have their problems, serious ones at that, it’s just the handling of it is a bit more real and relatable to the average reader.

I really can’t recommend this book enough. A book for all ages, Wonder is astonishing in its ability to capture so much in such a simple way. For such an unpretentious book is packs a lasting punch. It’s charming, funny, moving, and everything else you could ask for in a novel. A truly worthy read.


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.