Ruin and Rising » Review

I can't believe it's over!  I remember the first time I read book one... It's like a Disneyland commercial — Never Forget the Magic!  ...And then I waited years to read book two, well past its release. Way, way past.

Why did I do this, when I loved Shadow and Bone so much?  I think it was because I was terrified over what would happen to the characters.  I didn't want to read about them getting maimed, or dying, or never being quite the same, like Frodo, at the end of Lord of the Rings.  Because I knew something like that had to happen to make the serious epic and serious and all that.

But, I'm pleased to say that I finally bit the bullet and read Siege and Storm and Ruin and Rising back to back, and it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it'd be!  That's not to say there wasn't maiming, death, and Frodo-fate, because there was. All of that happened, but my heart is still intact.

After a bit of weird pacing in Siege and Storm, Ruin and Rising had a steadier pace and I enjoyed the book more than the middle installment but less than Shadow and Bone.  There were some really excellent plot twists that had me gasping and a proper, finished ending that left me satisfied.  (Granted, my ship sailed, so I had reason to be pleased.)

There's not much I can say about the plot without giving things away.  It wasn't a perfect construction, but I found it to be structurally sound.  My main quibble is that the climax was rather abrupt and a tad of a letdown.  I was expecting a bit more of a drawn-out, epic battle, but we got a skirmish instead.

As for the out of control love rhombus in Siege and Storm, well, it settled the fuck down in Ruin and Rising, thank God.  Things were handled quite skillfully and gracefully in my opinion. (Again, my ship sailed.)  There were plenty of swoony moments in the text, especially after a certain twist took place.  It was a great moment where plot and relationships collide and the effect was just excellent.

Overall, this isn't a book that I ever should have been scared to read, although it definitely kept my heart racing, wondering where the next betrayal was coming from, when the Darkling would manifest to wreck havoc, and what the third amplifier would do to Alina.  It was a magnificent conclusion to a great series.

Shadow and Bone » Review

Even though it was years ago, I still remember when I first read Shadow and Bone.  I started it in the evening... see where this is going? Yes, rays of light were poking through the windows by the time I finished the book.  Those rays of light were so fitting, let me tell you.

The book's premise isn't super unique.  There is a girl who manifest super special powers and finds out she must save her country (and the world!) from evil.  But, you know, there's a reason that general premise is so popular.  It's super compelling.  Add to that Bardugo's Russian inspired setting, vivid description, and worldbuilding and we have something special on our hands.

Alina Starkov, our protagonist, is an unlikely Chosen One.  She's prickly, scrawny, and ordinary. Oh yeah, and really grumpy and insecure.  She's a character that you only sometimes admire, but always root for.  Our villain is the Darkling, an almost omnipotent "grisha,"  who can summon and manipulate darkness.  He's almost a deity and he is pretty freaky.  I rate him up with Sauran in my list of "Near Impossible to Beat Literary Antagonists."  Many readers find him dishy, but I don't feel that way.  This character is a bad person.

As I mentioned before, the setting is in a Russian inspired country at the beginning of its industrial age.  The fitting term used by Bardugo to describe her genre, is "czarpunk."  Our story starts out with teenage Alina conscripted as a mapmaker's apprentice in the national Ravkan army.  Maybe it's due to all of the World War II footage I've seen in my schooldays, but I could picture so vividly the chilly landscape and dirty roads that the army stops through in our opening scenes. Also conscripted in her regiment is Alina's best friend and childhood soulmate, Mal.  Poor Alina has a serious case of the loves for Mal, which, again, isn't exactly original, but was very compelling regardless.

But I'm dancing around the main hook of the story.  There is a magic system in Bardugo's word.  Much like Kristin Cashore's Graceling, certain people are born with powers that bend the laws of the natural world.  These grisha are powerful figures in Ravka, and comprise an army led by their most powerful member, the Darkling.  As mentioned previously, the Darkling summons darkness.  His foil, a summoner of light, has not been discovered. Untiiiiil...

There now, doesn't that intrigue you?

As for faults, I found the middle portion of the book to sag slightly compared with Shadow and Bone's powerhouse opening and ending.  Alina could be insufferable at times, but it's understandable, as she's at the beginning of her character arc.  Got to start from somewhere, right.

All in all, this is a five star YA read and Leigh Bardugo has emerged as a top author in the genre.  If you like YA lit in the slightest, this isn't a book you'll want to pass over.

Six of Crows » Review

I love this book so much I carry it around with me when I go places. I love it so much that I mark it up with colored pens so I can figure out how Leigh Bardugo writes so well. I love it so much that I'm currently reading everything Bardugo has written. I love it so much that I've read the book five times over already, and it hasn't even been a month since its release.

Part of the reason I love it is that I'm currently writing an industrial fantasy adventure and Six of Crows happens to be an industrial fantasy adventure. It's a little niche off of steampunk that I love. So right away the genre of this book had me. There are all the issues that come from the setting being on the cusp of modernity, there's a healthy dose of magic, and there's action, risk, and suspense. Love it!

Another aspect I adored was the character development. The book follows a team of criminals and has an ensemble narration, with clearly defined arc for each character. Mechanically, the character arcs were neat and well done. Emotionally, they were compelling.

My favorite characters, though I loved them all, were Kaz and Inej. Kaz is the perfect anti-hero, a twisted and dark criminal genius, who happens to still be a teenager and working his way to the top. Inej is a former sex slave that Kaz rescued and turned into his own personal spy, redirecting her skills in acrobatic performance.  Their relationship is so compelling.  I could seriously write an essay on their relationship, their dynamics are so complex.

There's also Jesper, a combat savant with a nasty gambling addiction. There's Nina, a grisha Heartrender — a throwback connection to Bardugo's Shadow and Bone series. There's Matthias, a Nordic-inspired giant who worked as a grisha hunter before he was imprisoned on a hellish island. And then there's Wylan. Poor Wylan is the only member of the team who doesn't get POV chapters, so as of now, I'd call him a more peripheral character. He has a privileged background, but threw it all away because of his principles.



The book starts out with a chapter that could turn off readers, because it slides into the action indirectly and gradually, through the POV of a redshirt. Chapter two is when we get introduced to Inej, and from there, I can't see readers having a problem sticking with the book. It sinks its claws in.

As for the plot, I think Bardugo did a marvelous job in making things believable. There were a few instances where I questioned plausibility, but for a heist novel, it was pretty solid. Bardugo also did fantastic work in weaving quiet moments into the action. I just want to give her a standing ovation.

Already, I'm plotting how to get my greedy paws on the sequel, Empire of Crows as soon as I possibly can. Six of Crows ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, setting up book two perfectly. This is going to be an amazing series, everyone.

Also, I entered a contest to get my name inserted in the second book.  This is my entry.



 

Siege and Storm » Review

Siege and Storm is such a middle book.  By that I mean, it is very much a bridge between a beginning and an ending and doesn't really pull too much new stuff out of its hat.  Despite this, it's still a good read.  However, it didn't knock my socks off like its predecessor, Shadow and Bone, did.

The book starts off with Alina and Mal on the run from the Darkling.  Then, mere pages into the book, the plot arrives with a bang.  Seriously, I got some reader whiplash from how fast things took off.  Perhaps I would have appreciated a bit slower of a buildup.

Then, once things get going, they are going, until... the pace drops.  We get chapter after chapter of descriptive summary and very little dialogue.  With the breakneck start, this sudden lull was a bit jarring and noticeable.

As for our romance, it was in a middle-of-the-series state as well.  Alina juggles three romantic possibilities.  Three.  It was a bit much, even for a romance lover like myself.

She continues to pine after Mal, despite, you know, being with him, and their relationship struggles under the weight of Alina's chosen-one burden.  They are most definitely the most insecure couple I've ever encountered in fiction, although Mr. and Mrs. de Winter from Rebecca come in a close second place.  At one point, one of Bardugo's characters comments, saying something to the effect of, "for a case of true love, you two are awfully insecure."  Truth!  But is it any less annoying for being highly intentional on the author's part?

We also meet a bevy of new characters, and the series is stronger for it.  I particularly liked meeting the younger son of the King.  He was a complex, yet distinct, character and scenes were always brightened by his presence.  Vasily, his older brother, made for a great villain as well.  Coming from Kentucky, Vasily reminded me so much of a particular brand of snob that is the rich horse racing aficionado.  Perhaps living in California, Leigh Bardugo is familiar with the breed as well.

As for the Darkling, he was largely absent in the book, which I liked, because that character scares the bejeezus out of me.  A mass murderer who almost claims the omni-trifecta: omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient? Yikes.  I hesitate to say he's a flat character, because a lot of it can be chalked up to his being mysterious, but I've never gotten into the Darkling.  His sins never leave my mind long enough for me to feel anything but creeped out.  But maybe the fact that he provides a lot of food for thought makes him an accomplished character? Perhaps.

This has been a very muddled review, but I hope I got across what I wanted.  Siege and Storm was a good book, yet raised a lot of argumentative feelings in me regarding the plot and characters.

First & Then » Review

This was a quick, sweet contemporary read, but it was not without major flaws that keep it from being a standout.

First & Then follows Devon, a young lady entering her senior year of high school.  She has no idea what she wants to do, and feels like nothing about her is special.  In this way, she reminded me quite a bit of Isla from Stephanie Perkins's Isla and the Happily Ever After.  Only more depressing.

Devon was a bit of a frustrating bore at first, always complaining, snarking, and rolling her eyes over pretty much everything.  Worst of all was her initial hostility and disdain for her younger cousin, Foster, who is staying with Devon's family due to the death and drug abuse going on in his own family unit.  Devon eventually comes around to her peculiar cousin, but too little too late, in my opinion. Why couldn't she love the little geek from the get-go?

The story gets rolling, not because of anything Devon does, but because of Foster's sudden prodigious talent for kicking footballs.  He's thrust into the spotlight and taken under the wing of All-American running back, Ezra Lynley.

Devon, who has always followed the football team with interest, gets more caught up with the team's business.  She hangs around their practices, games, and parties... that's pretty much the book.

There are a ton of arcs that had the potential for great drama, but Mills pulls back in every instance.  She shows us plenty of guns on the wall, but none of them ever fire.  I couldn't think of a more perfect example than the oddball teen, Marabelle, who is pregnant. The identity of Marabelle's baby daddy is hung over our heads, there is a romantic angle between her and Foster that is teased. We discover a surprising connection between Marabelle and another character... Then nothing. Marabelle drops off the map.  It's disconcerting, and it isn't the only character that Mills builds up and lets go.  Like Emir Zurivic, a weird Eastern European high schooler and mob-ish character. We meet him, see him periodically, and then his final scene comes and goes, and it's like... wait. Was that it?!

There are more things I could nitpick, but whatever.  Overall, despite the book being seriously flawed, I still read it in one go.  Despite the faults, Mills has a compelling voice that keeps you reading.

A Darker Shade of Magic | Review

As a huge fan of Schwab's Vicious, I was really expecting to enjoy A Darker Shade of Magic more.  This is not to say I didn't like the book — in fact, I thought it was very well-written.  Schwab is an excellent writer. However, I find myself thirsting for the sequel, for the further development of the characters and worlds, far more than I want to re-read the exploits of book one.

The novel begins with a long exposition and a lulled state of action.  We meet Kell, a young man and magician who possesses enough oomph to cross over into parallel worlds.  His stomping grounds are a number of different Londons, which he keeps straight by assigning them colors — red London, grey London, and white London.  (If this novel was ever made into a motion picture, I bet the art directors would have a heyday.)

Kell, with all his formidable powers, was adopted by the royals of red London as a child.  In his brother's, Prince Rye's, eyes, Kell is a part of the family.  Kell, however, feels like a possession.  This resentment causes Kell to lash out in a particularly treasonous way — by smuggling objects to and from different Londons.  His naughty habit is all going well until, one day, someone presses an unstable magical artifact from the fabled, forgotten, forbidden black London into Kell's hands.  In a world of trouble, Kell flees into grey London, where he runs into a wanted criminal by the name of Delilah Bard, who is quite eager to join in on Kell's misadventure, by force if necessary.

What bothered me about A Darker Shade of Magic was the unrealized potential of all of the characters. We only got to know three of them somewhat well — Kell, Lilah, and Rye — and I was still left wanting more detail, more motivations, more backstory, just more!  You'd think that with only three major characters, there would be plenty of room for their development.  However, most of the words of the novel were spent on a plot that I cared quite little about.  I hope that Schwab was just holding back, with books two and three in mind.

These frustrations should provoke me to give this book a lower rating than 3.5 stars, but I am quite eager to read book two.  I plan to withhold my judgement of the series until after I read 2016's A Gathering of Shadows. 

I'll Meet You There Review

My anticipation for this book was really high, despite my dislike for Demetrios' recent novels, Exquisite Captive and Something Real.  I think the concept of a contemporary romance, filthied by such extreme issues as poverty and amputation caught my interest, frankly.  I'm past the point of my life where I find Dessen-caliber contemporaries compelling — I need a little more grit to muster up my enjoyment, as off-kilter as that sounds.

Additionally, the early favorable reviews of I'll Meet You There had me really excited.  I pre-ordered the book on Amazon, and when I woke up at 1am the morning of the book's release day, I grabbed my kindle from my bedside table, and read the entire book before falling back to sleep.

I'm rating I'll Meet You There at 3 stars, because the book kept my interest so well. It was well written.  I didn't roll my eyes at any egregiously stupid parts, as I'm doing more and more with YA books these days (to my dismay).  I did, however, frown a lot while reading this novel.  Let me explain...

Although I've read a lot of reviews that note how I'll Meet You There has a slow-to-progress romance, that the romantic element of the book is more of a side note, I'm of the opinion that the book is a flat-out romance, no doubt about it.

I have no problem with this.  I love romances.  However, that means that Josh Mitchell, our male protagonist, is technically a romantic hero.  And Josh Mitchell is a, um, different romantic hero than I'm accustomed to.

Normally, this would be outstanding.  There's a lot of discussion out there about how characters in the romance genre are cliched up the wazoo.  So any diversions from tired tropes are good.  It's great when characters are recognizable as flesh-and-blood people.  Josh Mitchell is a recognizable human character.  I know a ton of douchebags just like him.

Seriously, this character that Demetrios has served to us, is a dick.  The first time readers meet Josh, he calls one the heroine's friends a faggot.  Not okay!  Although Josh makes an apology later (although to the heroine, not to the person he actually, you know, was a homophobic asshole to) he makes lots of douche-bro, meathead faux pas along our romantic journey with him.  Like an emotional imbecile, he repeatedly calls himself a pussy for experiencing PTSD symptoms. He has those nude-girl silhouette bumper stickers on his truck like a big, panting neanderthal. His favorite outlet of frustration is to throw beer bottles out of his truck window at abandoned gas stations like some sort of unimaginative goon.  I could go on, but I won't.

So my problem with I'll Meet You There is that, although Josh Mitchell is representative of many young men, he didn't light my fire.  At all.  For a romance, that's a deathstroke.

So, Something Real, Exquisite Captive, and I'll Meet You There. That's three strikes.  Unless future Demetrios books get utter raves, I'm going to pass on this author's works.

Vicious Review

I am kicking myself for not having picked up Vicious sooner.  I knew it was well-received, but for some reason I thought the book would be boring.  I'm not sure why I got that impression, but I was wrong, wrong, WRONG! Vicious was a complete and total page-whipper!

The book opens with a man, Victor, and a young girl, Sydney, digging up a grave.  Quickly, we learn that this grisly task is all part of a mad scheme for revenge, years in the making.  Victor has just broken out of jail.  And he has one hell of a grudge against his old college roommate, Eli.

This decision to pit two former college roommates against each other is just inspired.  In my experience, your relationship with your college roommate is one of the most intense and bizarre relationships you ever have.  You're both "young adults," living in an oxymoronic state, under the influence of higher education, sleep deprivation, intoxication, and whatever the hell else you put into your system.  Your roommate becomes in turn, your friend, your ally, your enemy, your obsession, your nightmare. V. E. Schwab deftly captures all of these dynamics that bounce between Victor and Eli.

Eli and Victor's vortex of envy and murderous loathing begins ten years before the current events of the novel, when they choose their college thesis topics.  Victor chooses to study [spoiler]adrenaline.[/spoiler]  Eli chooses to research [spoiler]ExtraOrdinary abilities.[/spoiler]  The events that follow, during their spring semester of their senior year, are shocking.

Of course, Eli and Victor have back-up personnel to aid them.  Two talented sisters, Sydney and Serena, find themselves on separate sides of the vendetta.  And of course, Victor has his cell-mate and break-out buddy, Mitch.  And there's the dog, Dol.  All of these labels — hero, villain, sidekick, mascot — get tossed around and mixed up.  Who is who?

These characters were all fantastic.  I especially appreciated Victor.  He was a highly complex character, but Schwab still managed to keep him consistent.  I was at times, horrified by Victor's decisions, but somehow kept rooting for the man.  I loved hating the self-righteous Eli. Sydney and Serena were used as effective foils to Victor and Eli's twisted brotherhood.  I appreciated what it said about the nature of conflict that these two mirror-image sisters wound up on opposite sides of someone else's fight.  And Mitch was a steady column of normalcy and reason that balanced the other characters out. These were fabulous players in a fabulous plot.

The pacing was also a strong point in Schwab's novel.  The narrative flipped around in time, but this hardly phased me.  At first, I had a preference for the present events over the past, but very soon I was fully engaged in the entire story, past and present.  I was so absorbed in the book that at times I forgot that I was flipping paper pages and reading symbols made of dried ink.  I was inside the story.  What a  rare and wonderful experience!

So, in short, I HIGHLY recommend this book.  Five north stars out of five!