Poppy & The Movie Version » Mini-Reviews #1

Mini-Review

I almost feel like a TERRIBLE person for just giving this book 2 stars. This is what Ellen would call an 'issue' book. In this case, we tackle how mental illness can affect not just the individual suffering from it, but also the other family members. In The Movie Version, our focus is on Amelia.

Amelia is a typical teen girl with an older brother, Toby, and two younger twin brothers. She and Toby are incredibly close and throughout the book, we get to see instances from the past that really bonded the two together. I am a huge sucker for strong sibling relationships, and I chuckled with nostalgia at their 'Secret Sibling Society'.

Unfortunately, the pacing of the book wasn't for me. Essentially we are experiencing a year in Amelia's life but I couldn't connect to her very much. I liked the portrayal of her family (especially with the twins, making sure they are two separate characters instead of one) and even though I would occasionally get frustrated with Amelia and her friendships, I understood what she was going through. This book also featured the most realistic romantic and sexual relationship in any YA novel I have ever read. I LIKED so many aspects of this novel, but it wasn't a gripping read.

Just a warning, as the title suggests, Amelia is a movie buff. So there are a TON of quotes and movie references thrown about. That did jar me at first because I didn't always get the references, but I managed to keep going without letting it bother me.

It felt too 'meh' for me.

[rating stars="two-stars"]

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[book-info number="1"]

Mini-Review

I read Poppy a little while ago, and can't seem to remember too much about it (not a good sign). It's marketed as young adult but I think it would be more appropriate for middle-grade readers.

I liked Poppy as a character. She is hard-working and cares deeply for her family. When she gets the opportunity to assist the war effort as a VAD (essentially a volunteer nurse), she jumps at the chance and pours her heart and soul into the work. I really liked the historical elements of the novel. We get to see everyone's initial attitude toward the war and the slow shift that takes place as injured and dead soldiers flood back to England. This is also the beginning of women's independence as they shift from the private sphere to the public sphere in order to aid the war effort and to replace jobs that were previously occupied by men.

The romance in this novel is laughable at best. It is very insta-lovey. I have no idea how it happened. Though as I recall, it all began from a glance. A glance like no other.

IS THIS THE GLANCE THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT???

Cause let's be real. I only look at chocolate cake that way. I'm clearly not cut out for human love.

I think this would be a decent historical fiction book for early middle-schoolers. If I knew that from the beginning, I might have been a little more generous with my rating. But because it was marketed to me as a young adult historical fiction novel, I expected a lot more.

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I'm finally getting caught up with my reviews, guys! *does a little happy dance*

The Butterfly Garden » Book Review

The Butterfly Garden was my first read for Booktubeathon 2016, and it made for a wonderful start! I started it at around 10pm and finished it a few hours later (around 1 am). So I have officially completed challenge #2, which is to read a book after sunset.

The Butterfly Garden

Trigger warning for rape and abuse.

I found this book to be an eerie and suspenseful read. I've always had a bizarre fascination with crime cases, especially those that involve long-term kidnapping and cults. Perhaps that would explain my dedication to Criminal Minds. This is a story about a girl, who identifies as Maya. She is a survivor of the horrors of the garden.

I'd highly recommend not going into this book with too much information or expectations. It's how I personally prefer to read thrillers, and it has served me well so far. But if you prefer to know a little more about this book, then keep on reading!

"Some people stay broken. Some pick up the pieces and put them back together with all the sharp edges showing."

The novel is told in two alternating perspectives. First we have the FBI agent (in third person POV), followed with Maya's perspective told in the first person. I really enjoyed that structure because it kept me guessing about Maya's motivations and her reliability as a narrator.

I LOVED this novel, as much as you can love a book that has such triggering and horrifying contents. I really connected with all the characters, and the story was moving. The pacing was excellent. I could not put this book down! I made my sister bring me dinner so I wouldn't have to go downstairs and take time away from reading. Yup, I'm that kind of big sister.

This was on its way to being a stellar 5-star book for me. Unfortunately, the ending was little... underwhelming. I expected more from this story and was left wanting. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this one for anyone looking for an engrossing thriller-esque read. You won't be disappointed!

This book is currently available for free via Kindle Unlimited.

July 20th, 2016
UPDATE: There will be a companion novel out next year, entitled Roses of May, and while it’s not a direct sequel, we will be following our Butterflies and FBI team for a time. The bulk of the story shifts to a new case, a new story, but some things don’t leave us so easily. Is it surprising if Butterflies have a way of lingering?

I'm so excited for the sequel! I will be grabbing it as soon as it releases.

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What are your favorite mystery/suspense/thriller books? Let me know! I'd love to check them out.

And I Darken » Book Review

And I Darken was an utterly fascinating and unique YA book that I really appreciated. It is a historical fiction novel set in the 1400s based on a female Vlad the Impaler.

The words fascinating and unique don't do it justice. It was fucked up and brutal featuring characters that are humanly flawed and atypical of YA fiction.

The Characters

Our novel follows two main perspectives, that of Lada and her younger brother, Radu. Lada is no ordinary princess. She is a vicious, brutal girl who seeks power in a world where women are afforded none.

"Lada had a sense for power - the fine threads that connected everyone around her, the way those threads could be pulled, tigthened, wrapped around someone until they cut off the blood supply. Or snapped entirely. She had a few threads at her disposal. She wanted all of them."

She isn't always a very likeable character, but she remains sincere to who she is. She makes choices that alienates her from her only family, Radu. Most of the time, she does it for his benefit, even if he isn't aware of it. There was a scene that almost moved me to tears... [spoiler] when Lada allowed Radu to be beaten for her insolence so that they would never think to use Radu against her again [/spoiler].

Radu is a soft, gentle boy who makes the best of his situation in the Ottoman empire. He is quick to adapt and embrace Islam as a source of comfort, while Lada still rages against the empire for keeping her against her will. While Lada is strength and brawn, Radu learns to use his charm and winning smile to his advantage within the royal court.

Radu and Lada accidentally run into Mehmet one day at the gardens. And from that moment, the trio become inseparable. Mehmet is the son of the Sultan, though he is mostly ignored and left to his own devices. The story really takes off when we see the relationship develop individually between Lada and Mehmet, and Radu and Mehmet, as well as the relationship that unfolds among the three of them. We watch them learn and act upon the concept of love and loyalty, and what it means to be friends with a prince who is destined for great things.

Closing Thoughts

Kiersten White did an excellent job of weaving the story with history, war, and religion. Obviously White took some liberties with the historical accuracy of this book. But I believe that the mark of a wonderful historical fiction book, is when the reader is left with the urge to explore the history surrounding the novel. And I can say that I now have a fascination with the Ottoman empire and intend to do study it further. Especially since I had no knowledge of it prior to reading this book.

My favorite quote:
"I think of you like a sister," he said. "Like a brilliant, violent, occasionally terrifying sister that I would follow to the ends of the earth, in part because I respected her so much and in part because I feared what she would do to me if I refused."
She nodded. "I would do awful things."

Paper Princess » Book Review

Whaaaaaaaat on earth did I just read? And why, oh why, did I like it so??? This isn't quality literature by any means. Ellen described it as having a jaunt through the gutter in her review (here), and I'd have to agree.

I think of Paper Princess as having consumed a Big Mac from McDonalds. You bite into it, and it's delicious and you crave more. But after it's over, you're left with a faint feeling of nausea and/or disgust but also may have developed a mini-addiction to it.

Ella, our Paper Princess

Our main character, Ella, has been supporting herself since her mom's death by stripping. She is a focused student living in abject poverty so as to avoid the foster care system and get herself into college. In walks Callum, her father's best friend, who wants to take her into his mansion so she can live in luxury and comfort with his five teenage boys.

She resists as much as she can, but she ultimately decides that this is what is best for her and tries to make the most out of her situation. And I LOVED her for it. She is a survivor.

The Royal Brothers

THEY ARE ASSHOLES. Actually everyone in the story is an asshole. But we shall focus on our five boys. The oldest is Gideon, who's usually away at college but comes back on weekends. He seems nice enough. Reed is next, and he is the one to be obeyed. He also happens to be Ella's love/lust interest. Then we have Easton, followed by the twins, Sebastian and Sawyer.

Easton was my favorite brother, because he had the most genuine brother/sister relationship with Ella. And I'm a sucker for those kinds of relationships. Probably because I've always wanted an older brother. Instead I ended up with a baby sister and a baby brother that I'm basically another mom to. Thanks parents.

Have I mentioned that the brothers are assholes? No?

ASSHOLES.

But they come around. Sort of.

And then, you kind of fall for them as characters.

I don't know how or why it happened. But now I kind of love them all. Please don't judge me.

Recommend?

This reads like a fast-paced, slightly better written version of Fifty Shades with less creepy characters for the new adult genre. If you are in any kind of a reading slump, I would tell you to pick this up. I guarantee you that you'll read it one sitting.

All I can say is that Ellen and I are eagerly anticipating the next installment.

We also have a spoilery discussion post coming up. Stay tuned!

Imitation » Book Review

I hereby make a pledge to myself. I WILL allow myself to 'DNF' books.

This novel was an utter disaster, all the way from its sub-par plot to its incompetent main character. And the romance made me want to claw someone's eyes out. Preferably those of Ven, our protagonist.

The Good

I learnt that I have a surprisingly high threshold of drivel. Apparently, I enjoy having a taste of true suffering.

The God-Awful

Where do I even begin...

Let me start with Ven, our Imitation (aka clone). She has spent her whole life living with other Imitations, training for the day when she might be called to serve her Authentic, Raven. Raven has been attacked and Ven is to take her place and draw out Raven's attackers while living under the thumb of Titus, who is Raven's father and also the creator of the Imitations. A significant portion of Ven's training was spent on learning about Raven and her social circle, and imitating her behavior. And oh boy, is she absolutely INCOMPETENT at that.

I don't get it. If you've spent YOUR WHOLE LIFE (in this case, 5 years) learning to be someone else, why on earth are you so terrible at it?? Not only that, Ven frequently mentions the daily challenging physical routine that she experienced with the other Imitations but she is SO USELESS at taking care of herself it makes me want to throw something.

I abhor incompetency in my main characters.

The only reason she barely makes it through this book is because of her bodyguard/love interest, Linc. He is always saving her, and getting her out of tricky situations because Ven is the most incapable character ever to exist. It takes until we get to 37% of the book for her to realize, hmmm, maybe I should save myself?

REALLY!?! Whatever gave you such an idea that YOU had to take care of yourself?! What a disgrace!!

"Linc always manages to show up when I need him most. I'm so overwhelmed by the sight of him - saving me, once again - that I can barely breathe."

Hmm, that whole taking care of yourself plan went straight to hell, I see.

The romance was nauseating. Within a meeting or two, Ven already can 'feel Linc's disapproval'. In fact, it's really clear that Linc had the hots for Raven, but figured she was too shallow or slutty for him. Which is just creepy.

"You've never turned down a boy," he says quietly. My eyes fall quickly to the floor. "Oh." Suddenly, I'm ashamed for something I've never done."

SLUT SHAMING IS NOT OKAY.

Another thing that irritated me to no end was how obtuse the villainous characters remained about Linc's true loyalties. Everything Raven does is monitored, including where in the house she goes, and her phone calls. She doesn't know this of course, and it's only because it was Linc who observed her (instead of one of the other bodyguards, which is pure dumb luck) that she remained safe. Not only that, Linc has been found in Ven's bedroom SEVERAL TIMES, and still no suspicion falls on him. I refuse to read the rest of the trilogy, but I sincerely hope that Linc is a traitor because all that was too easy.

Let me pepper you guys with some more wonderful quotes in case you need a dose of Ipecac. This will do the job.

"How can I give myself over to defeat now that I've finally found someone else [Linc] to believe in my victory?"

"My world cracks, crumbles, and reassembles itself - with Linc at the center."

"But it's Linc. And I won't refuse him.

*gags*

The blurb promised to keep me guessing till the very end. Do you want to know what the big reveal was at the end?? I figure you guys won't care, I highly doubt my review has convinced anyone to do so, but I shall add spoiler tags just in case.

[spoiler]That even clones are people with feelings![/spoiler]

No shit.

Linc leans in and kisses me lightly. "Thank you for having hope when I didn't," he says. I kiss him back, lingering longer than he did. "You are my hope."

I'm glad one of them has hope. My hope withered and died about 20 pages in.

Poison or Protect » Novella Review

Hooray for my first 2016-release read!

I am officially a die-hard fan of Gail Carriger's. I started off this year by reading her Parasol Protectorate series, and followed up with her Finishing School series. And I plan on reading her Custard Protocol series in July, which is when the second book Imprudence releases. I will read ANYTHING this woman writes. Also, not to toot my own horn, but she does follow me on Twitter and Instagram which made me squeal in delight when I saw my notifications.

I just adore her. And her cat is gorgeous, not that that's relevant to her writing...

The Novella

Poison or Protect (a stand-alone romance) is the first installment in the Delightfully Deadly series which will feature the graduates of Mademoiselle Geraldine's. Our first heroine is Preshea Buss, who was initially introduced in the Finishing School series. She was a catty, spiteful, unlike-able girl who has grown into a dangerous and wealthy woman. On her mission, she meets an attractive Scottish soldier named Gavin Ruthven.

Even though I knew I would enjoy the book because of the familiar world it was set in and the appearance of some of my favorite characters, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I actually LIKED Preshea. She is very self-aware, intelligent, and skilled at her chosen profession. She knows her flaws, and she makes no excuses for them. Her maturity and evolution throughout the novella was not reserved simply for Gavin, but allowed her the ability to form healthier relationships with others.

"Always, there was a tiny part of her that wanted to kill any man she knew. On principle."

Gavin was just a kind, gentle, and swoon-worthy character that complemented Preshea perfectly. Once I started reading the book and realized it was more romance-focused, I was briefly disillusioned. I expected a rake, or one of those regency romance rugged alpha Scotsman tropes that I had left far behind. But that's not who Gavin was at all, and I found it extremely refreshing.

Note: Not that there is anything wrong with the rugged alpha-man stories! I do enjoy a good bodice-ripper romance once in a while. It's just that as I've grown older and figured out my personal wants and desires in a partner, I realize that I actually don't find those kinds of men attractive in real life. And the feminist in me occasionally rages against their behavior.

"He liked knowing she could kill him."

The romantic/sexual scenes were well-written and enjoyable. And honestly, I don't really know what to say beyond that.  It's a sex-scene guys... fill in the blanks :P. I guess what I'm saying is, if I had the opportunity to have a little fun with Gavin, I would not turn it down. Every woman should be lucky enough to have a little Gavin in their lives. *swoons*

The espionage/mystery element of the book was not fully explored to my satisfaction. But I understand that with this being a novella, the author had to narrow her focus and not bite off more than she could chew. I encourage everyone to download a copy of this ebook. At the very least, it would give you an idea if this author is worth adding to your TBRs.

Happy Reading, everyone!

 

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda » Review

Simon is a teenage boy. He goes to high school, loves drama club, and has a tight group of friends. His family is wacky, but are good people.  He has a great life... there's just a major complication at hand. Simon is gay and hasn't told anyone yet, excepting one person. That one person is his internet pen-pal, Blue, who Simon met on his school's tumblr devoted to gossip, secrets, and musings.

Blue is a gay, closeted, teenage boy as well, and he and Simon click through their emails to each other.  They have a lot in common, despite being very different personalities, and Simon is falling in love.

And then Simon forgets to log out of his email on a school computer and a kid named Martin grabs a few screenshots of his letters to Blue.  And then Simon is being blackmailed.

The blurb for the book tells us all of this, but doesn't let us know how Simon is being blackmailed — or for what. So going into Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, I was kind of preparing myself for the worst, like this was a Ellen Hopkins novel.  But we find out very quickly that all this Martin kid wants is an in with Simon's cheerleader friend, Abby. Phew. I was expecting something a lot darker.

But Simon is still absolutely incensed with Martin, and it's easy to see why that is. Martin could have chosen less silly demands, and that's scary.  Also, people are usually blackmailed because they've done something very wrong, something that they don't want others to know about. (An affair. The illegal lining of pockets. Etc.)  Simon did nothing wrong.  The society he lives in is progressive enough that his sexual orientation being known probably wouldn't wreck Simon's life, but the decision to and process of coming out is so personal and important that Martin's threatening to take it away from Simon is an outrage.

All of this — the frivolity of Martin's demands vs. the gravity of being blackmailed — is reflected in the prose of the book.  The tone is light and casual, except when it pauses to reflect on more serious matters.  This kept the book in the middle waters between the shallow end and the ear-popping 10 feet below, and I found it to be a very pleasant depth.

This excellent narrative voice was broken up by emails between Simon and Blue, but I never found myself skipping over them.  Instead, they were savored.  Lots of books have their narrations broken up in similar ways these days, and usually, it really annoys me.  But it was so well done in Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. I didn't pass over a single note between these two boys.

If I have any criticism of the book it's that the high school drama sometimes verged on pettiness, and Simon's voice could at times ride an immature  line. The latter was made okay by the fact that the voice was accurate for a teenager. The former was largely saved by Simon's spot-on reflections and observations on these topics that had me thinking more than once — YES! I've felt and thought that exact same thing before but never in such perfect words! 

Overall, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is an important book because it diversifies the mainstream YA genre, is quality work, and it speaks to problems that large numbers of teens face in this progressive, but not totally illuminated, world of ours.

 

 

The Name of the Wind » Review

I enjoyed Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind... at times  At other moments while reading, I was frustrated, impatient, and sleepy.  Yes, sleepy.  Usually, books keep me up at night.  The Name of the Wind put me to sleep during the day.

To be fair, at 662 pages, with ninety-two chapters, The Name of the Wind is much longer than the books I normally read.  It took me two whole weeks to wade through this tome.  I was bound the get drowsy during that time!  But I think I fell asleep more than the common amount while reading this novel.

Part of it, I think, was the gentle, lulling style of the writing.  Rothfuss writes complex, yet flowing sentences that are quite beautiful. They also have an almost poetic rhythm that relaxes instead of excites. His pacing was also unhurried — to an extreme degree. As the first book in a trilogy, I expected The Name of the Wind to be somewhat expository, but I had no idea that the whole book would be exposition.

What I've come to realize is that Rothfuss is writing literary fantasy, to an extent.  Literary fiction, unlike other "commercial" fiction, largely ignores those qualities that draw in readers — juicy hooks, brisk pace, familiar plot structure.  Instead, the author, content with creating a work of art, busies himself with writing with a more unique structure and style.

For example, at the beginning of The Name of the Wind, we learn that our protagonist, Kvothe, has:

• Killed a king


• Spent the night with a deadly woman, and was the only person ever to survive it


• Was expelled from the University at a younger age than most are admitted


• Composed songs that made minstrels cry


• Burned down the town of Trebon


• Stolen back princesses


• Talked to Gods


• And more

All of these mighty accomplishments are "guns on the wall," as it were, and the rule of commercial fiction is that these guns, shown in Act One, must go off by Act Three.  However, out of the slew of flashing guns in The Name of the Wind, only one or two ever go off by the end of the story, despite the reader's waiting. The rest are left for books two and three.

I'm used to each book in a trilogy having an exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution, all to themselves — a microcosm of a complete plot within a larger story.  Rothfuss, in The Name of the Wind, does not do this. This book is exposition for the larger story, and as such, no catharsis is achieved by reading this installment. Only rising expectations are gained.

Now, is this a bad thing? Perhaps not, but I certainly found it frustrating.

Despite this, I did find myself enjoying the book, especially in the latter middle of the story.  As mentioned before, Rothfuss's writing is very smooth and well-crafted, and I enjoyed the style of writing no less than I did the content.

I liked the worldbuilding as well, which was excellently conveyed by showing, not info-dumping.  For example, throughout the book, Kvothe worries over, steals, cajoles, earns, and spends enough money for currency to become a full-fledged motif in The Name of the Wind.  Through integrating the money system so naturally into the plot of the book, I found myself understanding this part of Kvothe's world, better than had Rothfuss wrote an appendix on the subject.

One thing I found dismaying was the treatment of women and girls in the story.  I'm actually writing a spin-off post right now on the subject, which I may or may not share.  I'm not sure how well-founded my complaints are, but I felt that the female characters were not so much characterized as they were categorized by Rothfuss.  There were several passages in particular that dealt in soft sexism, that made me want to bang my head against the wall.  The thing is, though, in another person's view, the passages that drove me insane might be seen as neutral or nothing to cry over. I just don't know.

Overall, The Name of the Wind wound up disappointing me a little, if only because it came so well-touted by bloggers I respect.  It just did not live up to the buzz for me. I will probably read the sequel, A Wise Man's Fear, although I will take a hearty break to read some slimmer fair in between.

 

Ready Player One » Review

• Are you obsessed with video games? If you are, you need no other inducement to read Ernest Cline's Ready Player One.  


• So-so on video games?  You should still read the book; you'll find your appreciation gives you a bit of a boost in getting into the story.


• You don't care about gaming?  I don't care about sports featuring balls or small discs, but I don't hold that against the various athletic characters in books I read.


• You HATE video games? Maybe you should read Ready Player One and get a fully-fleshed perspective on your stance.

In case it isn't obvious yet, I'm recommending Ready Player One for everyone to read, especially because — and this is my trump card — the movie is coming out in a year or two and it is directed by Stephen Spielberg. Just sayin', don't you want to be the wise person who read the book before the hype becomes a fever pitch?  I know I did.

Sometimes staying up-to-date with literary culture can be a chore, the kind that one takes to with grim determination because the results, if not the process, are known to be desirable.  Take A Little Life, which was a huge book on the literary scene this year.  I intend to read A Little Life in order to be a better informed reader and because I'm curious, but judging by the cover, featuring a young man pressing his face with a clawed hand, wearing a clench-eyed look of anguish on his face, someone is going to have a long, drawn-out downfall in this book and probably die of AIDS or Gut Cancer, or complications ensuing from mental illnesses like schizophrenia and consumptive malaise.

All of this is to say that, on the other hand, reading Ready Player One for cultural purposes was like drinking a can of soda — there was a wonderful pop/crack and then a satisfying guzzle with lots of fizz.

That can be my blurb: "Ready Player One was a satisfying guzzle with lots of fizz." — Quest Reviews

Speaking of blurbs...one of the many accolades on the cover of Ready Player One tells us that we will be reading, "A GROWN-UP'S HARRY POTTER!" This really says something about the confusion around this book's genre.  I have found this book in the Fiction section and the Science Fiction section in bookstores, (the labels on the book read "Fiction — Science Fiction — Adventure." But by a few rights, Ready Player One should be YA.  Wade Watts, our main character, is 18 when the book begins and our chief supporting characters are barely older.  A friend of mine claims the book is "younger" than typical Science Fiction.  But the book is heftier than typical YA books as well, in both content and concept...

When in doubt, get scientific. The AR (Accelerated Reading) Score, used by schools and libraries, ranks Ready Player One as a 6.7, using the ATOS formula. A typical YA book ranks at a 5.  So, Ready Player One ranks at a higher reader difficulty and maturity than your average YA.  But this isn't to say that Ready Player One surpasses all YA.  Just for example, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has an AR score of 6.9.  The Golden Compass is a 7.1.

All of this displacement is very interesting to me, and I could go on at even greater length, but what it comes down to is that Ready Player One can be enjoyed by many ages and readers.

But what about the actual content of the book?  The premise is this — that in 2012, an advanced virtual reality gaming console was invented that basically became the new internet; now, in 2044, the OASIS is a crucial aspect of modern life and many people escape the worsening effects of climate change and the repercussions of the Energy Crisis by making lives in virtual space.  Our protagonist, Wade Watts, has used the OASIS for years to educate himself.  He dreams of one day escaping from the "stacks" — the vertical, urban trailer park where he lives in poverty. He even has a plan to make hundreds of billions.  For he, like many thousands of OASIS players, is a 'gunter,' a person obsessed with finding the prize-winning Easter Egg left behind by the deceased creator of the OASIS.

The story is difficult to put down, due to Cline's winning combination of premise, plot, pace, and stakes.  All of these attributes were solid, especially the pace and stakes.  Where I think Cline stumbled was in characterization.  Wade was a fine main character.  He was someone to root for, even though he wasn't always admirable.  But the supporting cast needed some development.  Wade, as a paranoid anti-social, has his reasons for keeping people at a distance, but our narrator is an older, wiser Wade, speaking from the past tense.  He has the virtue of hindsight and should give us a clearer understanding of peripheral characters.

Also needing work is another element tied to characterization — dialogue!  Each line of dialogue in a book says something important about a character.  It's a powerful tool and helps to shape constructs into believable and understandable people.  Ernest Cline failed to hit the nail with the hammer on this point.  While reading, I often saw conversations centering on juvenile and inessential topics, or lines of speech that were dime-for-a-dozen and gave no insight into the speaker's inner workings.  This was something I noticed again and again, and felt sore over.

So, Ready Player One isn't a perfect book.  But it is a really good one.  It is a book that I'm glad I bought (without reading it first!) and that I'm looking forward to gifting people with. If you're looking around for something to read, why not give this book a play-through?

 

The Viper and the Urchin Review

This book came to my attention when the author emailed me, saying she'd seen that I'd reviewed and liked Lindsay Buroker's self-published Emperor's Edge series, and would I be interested in reviewing her own book, which held similarities to Buroker's work?

Well.  As an utter fanatic of The Emperor's Edge and its sequels, I search ceaselessly for books that recapture Buroker's style and magic.  Of course, I wrote the author back, saying yes, please send me your book!  At once! — I mentally added.

Now, having finished reading it, I can say that The Viper and the Urchin was a short, solid start to what looks to be a series with potential.  It indeed holds similarities to Buroker's Emperor's Edge —  they are both set in a industrial fantasy setting, with mild steampunk elements.  There are assassins, whose names both end in "us" — although Jeanjean's deadly alchemist Longinus is decidedly different from Buroker's consummate killer, Sicarius.

I didn't know what to make of Longinus at first.  I was slow to wrap my head around such a foppish — at times foolish — assassin.  As the novel drew onwards, I began to find him slightly endearing, although the brevity of the book, 262 pages, was not enough to explain his motivations for killing fully. He seems to be a gentler soul, so why is he drawn to murder? Besides [spoiler]it being his family's trade.[/spoiler] I hope my questions regarding this will be answered in Jeanjean's upcoming installments.

Longinus was not the only protagonist, however.  He shares narration with Rory, an 18 year-old city urchin who harbors ambitions of becoming a great swordsman, like her idol, the Scarred Woman.  Rory was your typical scrappy heroine, who has a heart of gold buried beneath the law-breaking behavior adopted to help her survive the cruel streets.  She discovers some embarrassing information about Longinus, and blackmails him — her secrecy in exchange for lessons in dueling.

Neither of these characters really flew off of the page for me, but I do have hope that they'll slowly be built up over time.

Where The Viper and the Urchin really impressed me was its political intrigue.  The story takes place in a tiny, muggy, little country called Damsport, which used to be the property of an empire about 45 years ago, give or take a decade.  Independence was won by Damsport's young Marchioness who then made a series of brilliant political maneuvers, turning Damsport into an international trade center.  When the empire tried to take Damsport back into the fold, the little country waged a Thermopolyae-esque stand, in time for its allies to push the empire back.  The emperor has been bitter ever since.

This aspect of the story really held my attention.  Going forward, it seems as if the politics will continue to develop, which is excellent.

The style of writing was good, at times showing signs of beginner wobbles, but solid all the same.  I particularly liked a descriptive passage that described Damsport's Wet Market:

The Wet Market was the centre of the Great Bazaar, and therefore the very heart of Damsport. But whereas most hearts pulsate, pumping out life’s blood, Damsport’s heart dripped.  Live fish and crustaceans dripped sea water onto the cobblestones, and dead fish dripped murky viscera. Blood dripped from meat cleavers, whey from cheesecloths, ale through the cracks of poorly constructed barrels, and piss from table legs, attesting to the passage of a stray dog.

Milk dripped from jugs, from udders, from chins; berries dripped juice, makeshift awnings dripped leftover rainwater, and priests dripped holy water. Sweat dripped from the faces of porters, bent under heavy loads, wine dripped down the chins of those checking its quality, and snot dripped from children’s and old men’s noses.  Fat dripped from sausages, dripping dripped from fried fish, vinegar dripped from prawn dumplings, eaten by hand straight from enormous bamboo steamers. Beer dripped from spilt tankards, mud-coloured tobacco water from water pipes, wine from broken bottles, brandy from over-hurried gulps, fire liquor from glasses dashed onto the cobbles, tea from teapot spouts, and more urine dripped from over-refreshed men.

All of it drip-drip-dripped onto the Wet Market’s cobblestones, found its way to the gutters, and trickled off along each of the Twelve, gathering speed thanks to the gentle downward slopes, and carrying the lifeblood and stench of the Wet Market out to the rest of Damsport.

A tad long-winded, but very evocative!

All in all, I give The Viper and the Urchin 3.5 stars — I liked the book and intend to follow the series, but the brevity of the novel and its subsequent lack of development makes me hesitant to rank it higher.  However, The Viper and the Urchin left me wanting more — truly a good sign. I very much look forward to seeing how Celine Jeanjean unfolds her debut series.

 

 

 

Transcendence Review

Want to know something really weird about me? I'm 25 and I've never been in a relationship.  I've given it a lot of thought over the past few years and I think it comes down to lack of opportunity — I'm shy and like to stay in — and not taking opportunities when they come — I don't want to be involved with someone who turns me off, in even the slightest way.  I'm strongly intuitive and idealistic, and I'm convinced that when I meet a person who's right for me, I will know it.

In the meantime, I appreciate reading about romance in books.  Typically, I veer away from romance novels — they can be so cheesy — and instead pick up books from other genres with romantic elements to them.  It's been a long time since I've enjoyed a straight-up romance novel.  Then, I picked up Transcendence. 

I was completely hooked by the premise, which sounded hilarious and lurid.  A caveman, Ehd, discovers a lovely young woman in one of his pit traps.  She wears odd clothing and makes weird sounds with her mouth.  Ehd decides to bring the woman back to his cave and mate with her.

This premise seems like a literal interpretation of the caveman-romantic-hero trope.  But, as you read further into the story, you see Savage's brilliant, beautiful twist on that famous romance genre cliche.  Ehd is a well-rounded, fully realized character, and deeply good.  His only resemblance to a caveman is that he's... well, a caveman.  His behavior however, is that of a decent, young man trying to figure out his first relationship. (I will probably have a lot in common with Ehd when I finally meet someone...)

There's so much I want to write about concerning Transcendence's plot, but I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who wants to read this.  I will only say that the writing was superb — characters, pacing, plot, style... it was all fantastic. I was on the edge of my proverbial seat the entire time, amazed at how deeply moved I was by this little romance book.

I will warn you... I picked up another of Savage's books after reading Transcendence, and was vastly underwhelmed.  I give Transcendence five stars, but go no further than this one book.  Hopefully, Savage will continue to write such smart, imaginative fiction in the future.

 

Girl In the Arena Review

This book is so problematic — I can't stop coming up with examples of how it falls short and messes up. Yet, despite this, I found it oddly compelling.

The premise is that, starting in the 1960's, a combat sport rose in popularity in the U.S. and the across the globe, in the tradition of Roman gladiatorial fighting. Although the sport didn't start out advocating fatalities, gradually grievous injury and death became part of the business. Over time, the sport became cult-like, having strict bylaws and rules of conduct that governed both the lives of the fighters and the lives of their spouses and children.

Girl in the Arena follows Lyn, a young woman whose mother is a professional gladiator wife. Lyn's current stepfather is her seventh gladiator father (and her favorite dad). The book starts out with Lyn's stepfather, Tommy G., preparing for the American title match. He's nervous and off his game, so Lyn gives him her dowry bracelet to wear for good luck. Well, during the match, Tommy's opponent gets ahold of Lyn's bracelet. The rules of the business dictate that Lyn must now marry the man.

From here, I was expecting a lurid romance to bloom, starting with Lyn rejecting her gladiator groom in disgust before gradually and inexorably falling in love with him. (This is cliched, to be sure, but not necessarily an unpleasant reading experience.) To my surprise, however, the book went in a different direction. Lyn makes some unexpected choices that kept me reading, despite my displeasure with the book's many failures.

Haines' writing is notably unusual. She inexplicably uses hyphens to denote dialogue. She ends chapters in weird, abrupt places. She tosses in little tangents and details that quite obviously came to her in the middle of her writing. As a result, the prose is many things — interesting, frustrating, and unsettling to name a few. I could live with the bizzare style, but my major issue was the huge plot holes, big enough to drive my crappy RAV4 through. Also, the fight scenes were a hot mess. Haines doesn't write combat or action well. Another problem was Haines' decision to make her setting a futuristic alternate reality during current times — she juxtaposes holograms who can eat food with Jon Stewart. The book was messy.

Despite all of this, I kept reading. I don't think I was necessarily enjoying myself the whole time, but I definitely felt compelled to reach the end. In regards to recommending this book to others... I'd say you should give the book a shot if it piques your interest. Just be prepared to be taken aback by this novel.