The Mermaid's Sister by Carrie Anne Noble

How far can sisterly love take a person and is there such thing as  too far in such a case?  Those questions never occur for the mild mannered Clara when it comes to her sister Maren.

The Mermaid's Sister is what I would think a modern day fairy tale should be.  It is full of unusual people who are put in extreme circumstances that call on a perseverance of will and character to make it through.  No, it is not modern in the truest sense of the word but, relative to more traditional fairy tales, it's brand new.

As with many fairy tales, the cast of characters is relatively short.  For this story that works very well as it adds to the feelings of isolation or separation at various parts.  While the player list is shallow, the character are not.  While they occupy many of the archetypes we come to expect in stories, there is uniqueness in their development and even a few minor twists and turns as we get to know them.

The setting of the story was never completely clear to me though we do find out bits and pieces about where they are headed at times.  It is set in the U.S.  seemingly at an earlier time in the country's history.  It put me in mind of The Wizard of Oz or Tom Sawyer as far as the era it came from.  I thought that using a time where technology is so underdeveloped helped keep the story at a pace that allowed for things to seem as they were occurring more naturally.  While there are times of urgency, the story is never rushed and we can see things and people for what and who they are.

This is a story that is definitely written with the younger readers in mind.  I would caution that, though it does have a fairy tale feel to it, it is a bit violent in spots and there are some mature subjects discussed.  I would have know problem letting my 14 year old read it that's why I would rate it a soft PG13.

 

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Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 Action amp; Adventure, Amazon Children's Publishing, Carrie Anne Noble, Fantasy amp; Magic, Review  Leave your mark

Fractured by Sarah Fine

If you remember, SANCTUM by Sarah Fine was one of my favorite books ever of last year. Really, when it came to dark stories with a slow burn romance, it was number one. So, you can imagine my shock and extreme happiness when I learned that my name--little ole me--is in the acknowledgements section of book two, FRACTURED. This was an insane privilege that left me with happy tears in my eyes because it was completely unexpected. However, it made book two an even bigger challenge then I initially anticipated. See, my name's in this book. It made me simultaneously nervous and anxious to read it. And while I love Sarah Fine's ability to tell an amazing story, I knew that this book was going to have some plot twists that is really going to make or break this series for some readers. I didn't want to have such a sincere dedication in a book that I didn't love as much as book one.

...But I am so happy to report that I feel honored to have my name in this book. Not only does it avoid suffering from the dreaded sequel syndrome, but the novel is taken places that your average young adult read is not. To put it simply, this novel is ballsy, but it also makes it incredibly polarizing. There are going to be people like me who adored every second of the novel despite the heartbreak because it's taken in such unique directions, and then there are going to be people who feel like this novel was not at all what they expected and they won't be the happiest campers out there. Hell, I can understand that perspective, it'll be a lie if I told you that my heart isn't currently lying on the floor in two separate pieces, but I believe this is in large part due to Fine's ability to tell an amazing story. To elicit such intense emotions in a reader is an enviable trait, and while I'd rather be experiencing other emotions then my intense grief, my hesitancy to write a proper review because of my crazy emotions is a testament to her ability as an author.

My favorite aspect of this novel was Lela's character growth. She is one tough cookie and that makes me love her so much. She's never been in such an extreme leadership position before, so her journey to gaining self-confidence and figuring everything out--including the unfortunate bumps along the way--was very well done. She also learned more about herself as a person because of the new relationships she explored in her high school. Fine made sure that most of her characters were three-dimensional instead of your usual stereotypical young adult cliches. Malachi, as always, was delicious and self-sacrificing, putting everyone before himself. It's impossible to hate him for this. There was also two new Guards named Jim and Henry that I adored entirely. While they're not the easiest to work with at times, they further showcase Fine's ability to take a broken character and set him or her forth on their path to redemption. It seems that everyone has some type of powerful back-story in this one.

The exploration of relationships in this novel deserves a small mention, too. Book one was the process of Lela and Malachi getting together. Now, we get to watch their relationship progress. They're getting more serious, so they have to learn how to conquer and overcome trials and tribulations. To make matters worse, they've got your usual relationship drama on top of creepy Mazikin drama. These two just can't catch a break, can they? Their story is heartbreaking and real, funny and series. These two are just so passionate and powerful--I love them so much. Aside from that, Fine puts a huge emphasis on the simplicity and importance of friendship because it is such a powerful bond. I really appreciated this and often found myself smiling whenever I sensed this underlying theme.

As amazing as this book was, I want to point out that it does have some drama in it. However, this is the way drama should be explored. It's not overpowering of the plot and our characters are so strong that they try to avoid it, though their occasional break-downs just add to the realism. As the synopsis suggests, the main setting is a modern day Rhode Island high school. There's bound to be some catty drama, relationship drama, school-wide drama, etc. It's an inevitability that Fine handled beautifully. This part of the novel initially worried me because it's no secret that I despise drama as a whole, but I never felt like any of their real-life experiences distracted me from the plot and instead I felt as if they made the story realistic. Plus, Malachi's inability to understand the current world and some verbal cues was absolutely hilarious.

Which brings me to the part of this review that I was hoping to avoid...the ending. It's been days since I have completed this book and I still can't think about it. It gets my heart beating fast and my emotions are swirling around me in a tornado. It's terrible and brilliant. It's terribly brilliant! It leaves me literally begging for book three ten times more than I wanted book two. It promises even more triumph and tribulations, character growth and fighting, love and hate, and a final showdown that just got incredibly personal. I'm literally shaking in anticipation and a desire to be inside Lela's head once more. I need this book like a baby needs candy, and I won't rest until I get it.

Sarah Fine has cemented herself as one of my favorite authors ever. Everything that she pens is brilliant. I highly recommend this series to those interested in a unique twist on the afterlife. Perfect for fans of dark stories with amazing romances, I cannot stress how much I love this series.

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Posted by Tynga at 02:06

 Amazon Children's Publishing, BEA, Fantasy, Guards of the Shadowlands, Review, Sarah Fine, young adult  Leave your mark

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco where she’ll risk everything to rescue her sister and he’ll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

When I first received this book, I was a little hesitant because it contained angels, and they’re not usually my thing. I kept putting it off  but Lili kept insisting on how great it was. This last week, she urged me to read as soon as possible, to the point where I folded and removed the dust the cover had accumulated. She even dared all of us to read it in December, but I didn’t listen to her then. However, I should have listened because ANGELFALL ended up being my first 5 star read of 2013. I absolutely adored it and from now on, when Lili tells me to read a certain book or series, I’ll have to listen to her.

That being said, I think I see angels in a totally different way now. I don’t picture them as little cherubs or valentine’s-day-looking cupids anymore. No. These angels can be mean, warrior-like strong and sometimes, even mental. They look down on human beings and that’s proven multiples times as they keep calling humans “monkeys.” For one reason or another, the angels have recently appeared on earth and are slowly killing off the human race. Or at least that’s what it looks like at first. Susan Ee can definitely keep her readers on edge because she reveals just enough information to keep us entertained, yet doesn’t reveal enough to have you guessing the ending.

Seventeen year old Penryn is the type of YA character I love to read about. A strong and self-sufficient teenage girl that admittedly, can sometimes make mistakes and find herself in dangerous situations. The sort of situation that has her kidnap a warrior angel who has just gotten is majestic white wings cut off, and uses the wings as a bargaining chip. This angel ends up being Raffe, a good looking angel that seems to be on the run. Obviously, Penryn makes a lot of assumption about the angels because very little is known about them, especially why they’ve suddenly appeared on Earth. As she slowly befriends Raffe, they join forces to help each other get to their final goal: Penryn wants to find her sister who has been kidnaped by angels, and Raffe wants his wings sewn back on. Their journey eventually leads them to the aerie in San Francisco, but not before encountering “low demons” and a human resistance. Their journey is not only a mission to get from one place to another, but it’s also one of self-discovery and physical challenges.

Please note that the story is quite dark for a young adult book. Some scene aren’t for the faint of heart, especially the one where the angel wing dismemberment is described. Some scenes include gore-y details of wounds and other have awful children-like demons eating their way through human survivors.

It’s safe to say that you can’t always trust your first instincts about books. For a book that I decided to put on standby, I adored every bit of it. Take my word for it (and Lili’s of course) that this is a book you must read. The mix of dystopian elements and vengeful angels definitely works and results in a captivating YA read.  The only thing I regret, is not having read it sooner. Susan Ee has been granted a spot on my auto-buy list.

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Posted by Unknown at 05:00

 Amazon Children's Publishing, Angel, Demon, Review, Susan Ee, young adult  8 People left their mark