Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Adult
Genre: High fantasy
Hardcover: 466 pages
Publisher: Del Rey
Release date: July 10, 2018

Source: Library

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

With the Nebula Award–winning Uprooted, Naomi Novik opened a brilliant new chapter in an already acclaimed career, delving into the magic of fairy tales to craft a love story that was both timeless and utterly of the now. Spinning Silver draws readers deeper into this glittering realm of fantasy, where the boundary between wonder and terror is thinner than a breath, and safety can be stolen as quickly as a kiss.

Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father’s inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty—until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold.

When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk—grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh—Miryem’s fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. Set an impossible challenge by the nameless king, Miryem unwittingly spins a web that draws in a peasant girl, Wanda, and the unhappy daughter of a local lord who plots to wed his child to the dashing young tsar.

But Tsar Mirnatius is not what he seems. And the secret he hides threatens to consume the lands of humans and Staryk alike. Torn between deadly choices, Miryem and her two unlikely allies embark on a desperate quest that will take them to the limits of sacrifice, power, and love.

Channeling the vibrant heart of myth and fairy tale, Spinning Silver weaves a multilayered, magical tapestry that readers will want to return to again and again.

I am so thrilled Naomi Novik continued this same fairy-tale/mythology retellings that started with Uprooted, which I loved. Despite not being in the same quote series unquote, Spinning Silver is in the same vein without being in the same universe or style. Truly deserves the praise for being one of the best fantasy books of this year (and a recent 2019 YALSA Alex Award winner for the Best Adult Books for Teens!). 

It's not easy to get into as the pace is slow and the descriptions are fairly wordy, but that isn't to say that this is boring. It very much kept my attention through the creative events and threads that run through the stories of these three women: Miryem, Irina, and Wanda. Each time you think something could be wrapped up predictably, you're surprised to find the book has a lot more to go and you find you can't wait to discover where it will go. I thought it could be a mishmash of a few fairytales and legends like Beauty and the Beast, the Ice Queen, Scheherazade and the King, and most notably Rumplestiltskin. The words themselves seem to spin from silver and cold detachment of characters and scenery to gold with rich luster of intricate plot and detail and caring about all of the characters, even some of the "villains." There are some beautiful messages and themes in the story, some which are revealed to concern the Staryk king and Tsar Mirnatius. Others are that of family, loving the orphan, caring for the old and sick, honoring your servants, the dangers of greed...you could pick out a number of them.

While there are fantasy elements of the demon and the Staryk, the setting and character details pull from Russian, Polish, and Jewish culture. It delves into Anti-Semitic feeling with Jewish Miryem's family, who are taxpayers but haven't been paid. Russian Irina is the unbeautiful cloistered daughter of a lord. Polish Wanda is abused by her father and bereft of her mother. The real gem of this story is one of feminism, the power of women. All three women come together to embody a depth of great strength to save their families and their kingdom, whether by wiles and self-control, hard work and determination, or wisdom and courage.

I was very surprised (and pleased) by the ending, and sort of wanted it to keep continuing. Not that it wasn't wrapped up beautifully, but because it was so lovely, I wanted maybe an epilogue. Not your typical love story to highlight on this Valentine's Day, but falling in love with a great Galentine's fantasy is better!

Have you read it? What did you think?

Read More

Posted by Kara at 07:00

 Adult, Del Rey, Fairy Tales amp; Folklore, High Fantasy, naomi novik, Random House, Spinning Silver  3 People left their mark

Betrayals by Kelley Armstrong

Kelley Armstrong never ceases to amaze me. She has written yet another novel that is intelligent, mysterious and fascinating. Betrayals has answered so many questions about the Cainesville world yet there's still so much we don't know.

Olivia was living a pretty normal life up until a few months ago. Ever since learning she was adopted and that her birth parents are in jail for murder, life hasn't been the same. Now she's living a life full of supernatural intrigue and visions. Working as a private investigator for lawyer and friend Gabriel Walsh, trouble seems to follow her around. Through one of her visions, she finds out that two girls were murdered and she makes it her duty to investigate. Because these girls are a type of fae, their bodies disappear soon after their death so Olivia is really their only hope for justice. Solving the mystery is even more important since someone is trying to pin an associated murder and disappearance on Ricky, Olivia's lover and the future leader of a biker gang.

I don't even know where to start when it comes to describing Cainsville. It's not a secret town but you can only find it if it wants to be found. It's a town built by Welsh fae, for the Welsh fae and their progeny. Almost like a safe haven in disguise. Olivia was drawn to the town for a reason, because the elders of the town believe she is a sort of reincarnation of Matilda, a maiden from one of their myths. It is said that Arawn and Gwynn, the princes of the Hunt and the Welsh fae, respectively, were both attracted to Matilda. Their story ended badly, but in our modern world, according to the town elders, Arawn is Ricky and Gwynn is Gabriel. Apparently Olivia must choose a side and the winning side would get the ultimate power to survive in the modern world.

Olivia, Gabriel and Ricky have decided to live out their lives as normally as possible, ignoring the "prophecy." However, Olivia is torn between Ricky and Gabriel. She is definitely attracted to Ricky and their physical relationship isn't suffering despite Olivia being stabbed and almost drowning. However, Olivia's strong feelings for Gabriel is unavoidable. Their calm and unassuming friendship isn't enough for Gabriel, and despite his jealousy of Ricky, he doesn't let it show. He does, however, try to win Olivia in his own way. Most of the time, I'm not a big fan of love triangles, but in this case, it's a drama you don't want to miss.

In my mind, Kelley Armstrong can do no wrong. This series is very different from her previous books but it's so original it makes me crave more. Betrayals is my favourite book of the series so far because of the drama unfolding between Olivia, Gabriel and Ricky. It has also answered many questions yet left us in the dark about so many other things. I can't wait to see how the series unfolds. I feel like the end is near yet I don't want this series to be over.

Read More

Posted by Tynga at 04:08

 Cainsville, fae, Fairy Tales amp; Folklore, gargoyles, greek fae, Kelley Armstrong, Purchased, Random House Publishing Group, Review, signs, visions, welsh fae  Leave your mark

Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs | Sneak Peek!

Hello!  I was super excited to receive an advance copy of a chapter from Ransom Riggs' forthcoming novel, Tales of the Peculiar.  It is going to be a sort of companion to the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children trilogy.  If you've read those books, then you've met the peculiar children:  children who have some sort of supernatural feature.  Maybe they're invisible, or levitate, or eat their supper with the mouth in the back of their head.  They can also travel through time loops, and don't age.  Tales of the Peculiar is half folktale collection/half history book, and tells of some of the first peculiars.  It also gives hints as to the locations of other time loops, other than Miss Peregrine's.

The chapter that I got my hands on was "The Splendid Cannibals."  Talk about shock factor!  It's not every day that you read about cannibals so casually.  The cannibals aren't the peculiars in this case, though:  the villagers in Swampmuck are.  They live happily, farming the swamps around their village.  They work hard for a little money, only just enough to get by.  Then one day some very wealthy cannibals come to the village, and everything changes.  You see, it's a match made in heaven:  Swampmuckians regenerate their limbs whenever they're lost (like a lizard can re-grow it's tail if it's bit off) and the cannibals are hungry.

Tales of the Peculiar has Riggs' expected excellent prose.  As I was reading it, I could totally imagine that I was reading a history book (of a very strange-to-me society).  There was just enough familiarity to the setting to make it believable... even though it was populated with people who could regrow limbs and others who ate those limbs!  And if you've read the Miss Peregrine's Home trilogy, you'll know that one of the great features to those books is the antique photos of peculiar people; in Tales of the Peculiar we get pen-and-ink drawings by Andrew Davidson.  They're gorgeous!

After reading this teaser chapter, I'm totally looking forward to requesting a full-length copy when it's released in September!

Read More

Posted by Tynga at 07:39

 Dutton Books for Young Readers, Fairy Tales amp; Folklore, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Publisher, Ransom Riggs, Review, sneak peek, supernatural, time travel, YA, young adult  1 Person left their mark

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Tiger Lily is a more grown-up, darker re-telling of the Peter Pan story.  Tinker Bell is the narrator, and the book begins slightly prior to the traditional Peter Pan story.  It is so neat to get to see more about Tiger Lily and her family, and to learn the origin of the lost boys and Captain Hook and why no one ages in Neverland.

Yes!  You learn about the aging-not-aging thing in Tiger Lily!  You'll have to read the book to find out how it works.  ;)

Tiger Lily is told from Tink's point of view, but it mostly follows Tiger Lily, so that's interesting.  Tiger Lily is 15 and coming of age in her tribe over the course of the book.  We learn that she is an orphan who was adopted by the tribe's shaman, Tik Tok.  This book has really got something for everyone: Tik Tok is a cross-dressing single guy.  That puts a unique spin on the family and tribal relationships that are explored.  Tiger Lily has a fierce love for Tik Tok, who is a sort of outsider in the tribe.  His hut is farthest on the edge of the village, and as shaman he has power but no close friends.  Tiger Lily is also quite a loner, with only two acquaintances.  It's almost painful at some points to read her interactions with these two- the reader sees both how cold Tiger Lily can be in her reactions and conversations, and how hard Pine Sap and Moon Eye try to draw her in.

There is also a political relationship between the tribe and the Lost Boys- they agreed years and years ago to keep to their own areas.  No one from the tribe enters their part of the forest, and the Lost Boys never come near the village.  That is, until the day that Tiger Lily wanders across the boundary.  (This is one of the bigger deviations from the Disney version of events, wherein Peter is friends with the Indian chief.)  The main plot of the book follows Tiger Lily and Peter's love story.  This was also something that I was conflicted about.  Peter has been in Neverland as long as he can remember; unlike the other Lost Boys, he doesn't remember a time when he was ever in England.  He doesn't remember arriving on the island.  He's also perpetually stuck at 15.... yet for all his years of living, he's still incredibly naive and immature.  Tiger Lily is too, but with her it makes sense:  she's 15, and has only been 15 for a matter of months.  You would think (I thought) that Peter's many years of living would give him much more wisdom than is portrayed.  Some of the Lost Boys came across as having more common sense than their leader!  In fact, Peter came across as more immature than 15 even, at times.  This made it hard to root for him and Tiger Lily.  Between Tiger Lily's ice queen stoicism and Peter's immaturity, sometime I was left wondering if they really even liked each other very much.

Their love story played out very realistically.... for what it is.  I mean, there's the whole island-outside-of-time-and-space aspect, of course, and mermaids.  But other than how that affects their maturity and relationships (the mermaids are on Peter's side), the two fall in love just as awkwardly (and sometimes adorably) as any other teens.  The pressures from family and friends affect them in just the same way.  And they react to outside cultural events just like other teens.  That's what I mean when I say that the relationship plays out "realistically."  :)  The plot also progresses at a good speed- there's a nice steady cadence to it, and the ending isn't rushed.  Despite my occasional misgivings about Tiger Lily and Peter's budding romance, I found that I couldn't put the book down- I had to know how it turned out for them!  I think I could say that it's Peter Pan on the rocks with a twist of Romeo and Juliet.  If you're even the slightest Peter Pan fan you'll want to read this book!

Read More

Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Action amp; Adventure, Fairy Tales amp; Folklore, HarperTeen, Jodi Lynn Anderson, Love amp; Romance, Peter Pan, Purchased, Review  1 Person left their mark

Soundless by Richelle Mead

This book is beautifully written. Inspired by Chinese folklore and culture, Richelle Mead was able to paint an exquisite setting for this standalone book. I haven't read anything like it and it's refreshing to read such an intelligent and meaningful story. While the book is quite short, as a reader you develop a strong admiration for the characters, especially Fei who has defied all odds.

The heroine of the story is Fei, a young artist and apprentice. Her main duty for her community is to paint and record everyday events. Her mining village is a small one, isolated in the mountains, and their only way of communication and trade is through a zip line with a township at the bottom of the mountains. Isolated generations ago, everybody in the community has lost their hearing, and many are on their way to losing their eyesight. For Fei, as an artist, her sight means everything, so she dreads the day where vision loss will leave her with no purpose, no duty and no honour. So, quite surprisingly, in the middle of the night, she is blessed with the sense she never born with. At first, noises are a hindrance and she hides her new ability, but then she uses her newfound hearing to travel down the mountain, something no one has done in generations because of the fear of being buried alive in a rocky avalanche.

Along with her childhood friend, Li Wei, she unravels the mystery behind her village's isolation and deafness. They have been lied to and used for years without realizing they were actually slaves to a tyrannical king. I love Fei and her courage. She's the type of heroine that inspires without fancy abilities or incredible strength. She simply searches for balance and righteousness, and in doing so, she rallies her entire village to stand up for their rights. Fighting oppression is the main theme in this novel, and while slavery has been condemned in the western world, there are still some cultures that consider it justifiable. This is 2016, and we have come a long way as humans, but we can't forget that oppression is still present in some societies. Personally, I feel like this story has a lot to teach.

Fei relies almost entirely on her vision and Richelle Mead conveys that wonderfully through vivid imagery and wonderful description. When Fei starts hearing sounds, I thought it was brilliant how the author was able to convey emotion through sound, such as Fei's surprised reaction when hearing rain for the first time, or the pain she felt when she heard someone cry in anguish. Simple noises like birds singing and teacups clinging might be very ordinary for those people blessed with hearing, but for Fei who had never heard such noises, they were awe inspiring.

As an optometrist, I see patients weekly that are on the verge of losing their eyesight. To have a fictional writer describe that in novel and to convey such a message is wonderful. Pity and sympathy might be something we feel for someone about to go deaf or blind (or already there), but in my opinion, most people afflicted would prefer empathy. That we understand what they're going through but still allow them to function and be a part of society. That's the general feeling I got from the villagers that were going blind. They wanted to keep working, knowing that it was their honour on the line. However, I think it's important that they ask for help whenever the situation it too dire. No one should be forced to work or do something if they are unable to, or if it puts them in jeopardy.

Personally, I thought Soundless was a little bit too short but despite that fact, I think it was able to convey many different lessons, along with a great story rooted in Asian mythology. I wish we could have learnt more about the history and the folklore of Fei's village, but I think what we don't know adds a little mystery to the story. The novel was very well written, and unfortunately, I feel will be overlooked by Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy fans.

Read More

Posted by Tynga at 03:00

 asian culture, Fairy Tales amp; Folklore, Fantasy, folklore, Penguin, Purchased, Random House, Review, Richelle Mead, young adult  2 People left their mark

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

I was so lost for so much of this book. I read Wicked Lovely last year and I guess it didn't really impact me. I spent much of the book trying to remember these characters, and whether or not I should like them.

I didn't like any of them.

The protagonist is in a HORRIFIC life situation, with an absentee dad who can't even manage to pay the power bill and a recent sexual assault and a drug dealer brother. She makes this great ( <-- sarcasm) life choice to get a big tattoo and it manages to wreck her life further by putting her squarely in the middle of a big faery court battle. The guy who gives her the tattoo doesn't warn her and doesn't help her and never falls under any retribution for what he's done. The protagonist's best friend is a queen of a faery court, but she's very laissez-afire about the whole thing and tries to avoid getting involved and helping her friend.

The whole book is so freaking dark and depressing!

But that's just my singular impression.  This series is wide-read and loved by some.  It does have faeries, which I usually love.  These faeries are on the darker side of magic, though.  I could totally see if you like bad-boy romance, you'd like these books.  Also, while not a book series I'd hand to younger teens, I would hand it to an older teen who is looking for edgy romance.  So while I did not get into this book, others may.  Sometimes you just have to be in the right mood.

Read More

Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 Faeries, Fairies, Fairy Tales amp; Folklore, Library, Love amp; Romance, Melissa Marr, Recorded Books, Review, Wicked Lovely, young adult  2 People left their mark

Wake by Amanda Hocking

There was so much to love about Wake! The main character, Gemma, is awesome: she's independent and fun and a good friend and a good sister and a good daughter. She's determined and she works hard, even under less-than-ideal circumstances. These less-than-ideal circumstances include a dad who works hard hours, a mom who lives nearly an hour away in a group home after suffering a traumatic brain injury, and an older sister who is having trouble letting go of her caretaker role as she transitions to college. Through it all, she remains a very active member of her school's swim team, maintains good grades, plan to go to college after graduation, and is a loyal friend who knows how to have fun.

I loved that Gemma and Harper, her sister, wasn't perfect. Because that's real. There is never, ever a question of whether or not they love each other: they love each other nearly to a fault. But that doesn't mean that they will always see eye to eye or never say a hurtful word to each other. That's just the way it is, and I love that Amanda Hocking is able to convey that fiercely loyal never perfect sisterly love.

I also love that there may or may not be mermaids in Wake. I love me some potential mermaidness. No spoilers! You'll have to read the book. Either way, the characters live on the coast, and there's lots of ocean interaction.

While I loved Wake and want to give it an enthusiastic five stars, there's one little thing holding me back a little: willing suspension of disbelief. Amanda Hocking does demand a little bit of willing suspension of disbelief at times. And by a little, I mean a good dose of willing suspension of disbelief. If you go into Wake fully committed to a great time and a fantastic story, you're in for a treat. If you're a skeptical person, this book may not be for you. But I loved it, and I also plan to hand over my copy to my own sister in the near future. I think she'll love it as much as I did.

Read More

Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 Amanda Hocking, Fairy Tales amp; Folklore, Girls amp; Women, mermaids, Publisher, Review, St. Martin's Griffin, Watersong, YA, young adult  Leave your mark

The Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz

Have you ever wondered what the kids of Disney's most famous royalty and villains would be like?  In The Isle of the Lost, Melissa de la Cruz explores just that!  In this book, we follow the adventures of the teen kids of Belle & the Beast, Jafar, Cruella de Vil, Maleficient, and the Evil Queen.  I was actually debating at first whether or not to review the book here on Tynga's Reviews, because all of the villains and their progeny have been banished to a magic-less island.  A book with no magic?  That wouldn't do.  But it turns out that Carlos, Cruella's son, is a tech whizkid who has invented a machine that briefly allows magic back onto the island.  This spark of magic set in motion a whole chain of events for the group.

I was definitely drawn to The Isle of the Lost by it's gimmicky nature:  the story of the teenaged children of Disney's most (in)famous villains going on a magic-filled adventure together.  That being said, I do feel that the gimmickiness will draw a clear line between those who will love the book, and those who will hate it.  First, a basic working knowledge of and love of classic Disney is required in order to full "get" all the references.  Also, there is a lot of book before the reader gets to any action, wherein the main characters are hanging out about town, interacting with other minor Disney characters, and developing setting.  Disney fanatics will love this; others may find it a bit tedious to wade through.  Personally, I fell more toward the latter group.  Many minor characters are briefly introduced and then never mentioned again, which I found off-putting.  But I could see a Disney-loving teen totally digging "seeing" all their faves living together on an island!  Second, this book is a "prequel" to a made-for-TV movie.  This isn't a spoiler; it's clearly stated in many places.  Not everyone is into the whole multimedia series experience.  This actually led to a great discussion with a library customer about the pros and cons of the multimedia experience.  Another well-known example of this is the 39 Clues series; there are many books in this series, and all contain hints/clues and special log-in information to allow readers to also interact on a website.  They're very popular.  I didn't watch the movie after finishing this book, and I'd be very interested to talk to someone who does, to see how the total package experience went.

But I digress.  Back to the book!  As I mentioned before my whole gimmick and multimedia experience sidebar, the four main characters embark on a quest of sorts in the second half of the book.  All four are children of villains, and are expected to act as such.  Where most parents encourage their kids to share and play nicely with others, these kids have parents who encourage dirty tricks and graffiti.  So it was very interesting to see how de la Cruz would write them into a "group project" of sorts.  I feel like she did it pretty well!  The characters are definitely a bit caricaturistic, but they're beyond 2D.  For an upper middle grades/young YA book, the writing is superb.  As an adult reading it, it felt a little "young," but I was reading it with the eye of a young teen, and I could totally name a few tweens that I'll be recommending this to.

The best news?  No spoilers, but The Isle of the Lost works as a standalone too.  So no worries if you don't want to try the movie!  No cliffhangers.

You'll just need to read the book to see if the quartet accomplishes their magical goal!

Read More

Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Descendants, disney, Disney Hyperion, Fairy Tales amp; Folklore, Fantasy amp; Magic, Friendship, Melissa de la Cruz, Purchased, Review, young adult  4 People left their mark

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Warning!  This is the sequel to The Raven Boys.  You can read the review of that book HERE.  No spoilers for The Dream Thieves, but I can't promise that there won't be The Raven Boys spoilers ahead.

These books have so many things to love!  There's the dynamic cast of characters:  Gansey, the rich eccentric kid; Blue, the only non-psychic in a family of psychics; Adam, the hardscrabble poor kid; and Ronan, quiet Ronan; and Noah the ghost.  (Yes!  Maggie Stiefvater gives so much live to a ghost; he's definitely a "real" character.)  There's the setting:  the South.  Oh, how I love books set in the South!  And at a boarding school!  Last but not least, the supernatural plot:  the cohort is questing after Glendower, an ancient Welsh king who lays at rest somewhere upon the ley line (magic vein) that runs through town.

While the first book focused much more on Gansey and Blue, this sequel focuses much of it's attention on Ronan.  Ronan has a secret (this isn't a spoiler; it's talked about on the book jacket):  he can bring actual factual physical objects out of his dreams.  It starts very small; while Gansey is away visiting his family, he dreams himself up a set of keys to Gansey's Camaro for a joyride.  But soon he is dreaming (literally) much bigger.  The passages when we readers get to journey into Ronan's dream world are spectacular.  The imagery is very vivid and the danger feels very real.  There's also still a little romance.  It's definitely not the focal point of the plot, but there's that unique tension between Blue and Adam.  You'll remember that all her life, all her family members have had premonitions that Blue will doom her true love to death with the first sweet kiss.  And you can imagine the kind of tension that would bring into a relationship!  I wouldn't call it a love triangle; not by a long shot; but there is a little ambiguity as to who her true love is.

I also find the group's quest to be quite unique:  a long-deceased Welsh king.  And whoever finds his resting place first will be able to harness the power of the ley line to grant a wish, so to speak.  I only truly enjoy books that contain magic if the magic is logical.  And let me reassure you:  the magic in Henrietta, GA is logical.  The group is always figuring out new parameters to the line as they seek to follow it to Glendower.  I won't give anything away by revealing what they learn about the line in this book, but you'll remember that in The Raven Boys they learned that the ley line is what allows Noah to hang about.

I'll wrap up with a note on the narration, as I listened to this on CD during my commute.  The reader is Will Patton, who is an incredibly talented actor and voiceover reader.  He is, however, also about 60 years old.  I spent the first part of the book a bit distracted by deja vu.  He sounded so familiar!  I finally remembered one evening to look up what other books he's narrated, and saw that he did Doctor Sleep by Stephen King.  I listened to that earlier this year, and he did a bang-up job with it.  However, all the characters in that book are definitely adults.  And some of them are evil.  Patton uses the same voice and cadence for The Dream Thieves, and it doesn't quite fit.  Nearly all of the characters are teens, and I don't think the story itself is quite as dark as Patton made it feel.  So it might not make any sense, but I would say the reader is excellent, but not excellent for this particular book.

Overall, a unique plot with 3D characters.  I would recommend the print book over the audiobook, but the important part is that I'd recommend it.

Read More

Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 dream travel, Fairy Tales amp; Folklore, Fantasy amp; Magic, ley lines, Library, Maggie Stiefvater, Mystery, Review, Scholastic, The Raven Cycle  2 People left their mark

Fairest: Levana's Story by Marissa Meyer

Fairest has been one of my most anticipated books of 2015. That and the final book of the series which is coming out fall 2015. Marissa Meyer keeps wowing me with every new book she writes. Although Fairest is more of a novella than a novel, it's longer than most novellas and long enough to give us a good analysis of Levana, the lunar Queen that reader love to hate.

As far as antagonist origin stories go, this one is pretty toxic and twisted. It introduces us to a sad and pathetic Levana, and honestly, after reading all those awful things about her in the other books, I never thought I would actually pity her. Her loveless childhood is probably the reason she is the way she is now. Being raised with no real affection from her parents is probably the reason why, as a queen, she wants the love of all her people. We see her transition from a pathetic teenager looking for love in the wrong places, to a Queen that wants the be the fairest of them all.

As Queen, she really wants the best for her people but in trying to achieve too much, she's running out of resources. That's why she turns to earth and we finally learn the origin of letumosis, a deadly disease the people of Luna are immune to but that is deadly to the people of Earth. The beastly soldiers the scientists are building for Luna are also introduced, but we don't actually get to meet any of them. As far as Evil Queens go, Levana's probably not the worse one out there. She really thinks she's doing the right thing for her subjects, but she's definitely going about it the wrong way. She wants to be loved by all her subjects, probably because she suffers from low self esteem and is trying to compensate by getting what she never got from her parents. I get that she suffered a horrible accident as a child that left her scared and disfigured but frankly, she is very good at glamour and can look like anyone she wants. Still, the illusion of beauty isn't enough for her. The things she does are truly evil, but to her, they are just means to an end. I shiver at all the evil things she did. In a way, I understand why she did them all, but I still don't agree with her reasoning

Timeline-wise, this story begins before Cinder was ever born so I guess it can be seen as a prequel to Cinder but honestly, I think everyone should read this after the three full length novels that were published prior to this one. I think the author made the right decision in not sharing too much information about Levana in the previous books, keeping her a mystery as long as possible. Now is the perfect time to publish Levana's story, right before the full length novel about Winter, Levana's stepdaughter, is released in the fall. I can't wait to find out more about Winter and to see how all the other characters live's unravel.

Read an excerpt

Read More

Posted by Tynga at 01:37

 fairy tale retelling, Fairy Tales amp; Folklore, Feiwel amp; Friends, Macmillan, Marissa Meyer, Purchased, Review, Science Fiction, Science-Fiction, The Lunar Chronicles, YA, young adult  3 People left their mark

Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis

I thought Stitching Snow was fantastic!  But then, I haven’t read the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.  Anything negative that I’ve heard is only that Stitching Snow isn’t the Lunar Chronicles.  Well, of course not!  Does Marissa Meyer hold a patent on fairy tale retellings set in space?  So for me, this book was incredibly fresh and exciting.

I started the book and was immediately sucked in by the main character, Essie.  I wanted to know more, and to see where she was going.  Do you remember the old TV show Firefly?  I was getting to know the main character, Essie, and I was picturing Kaylee from Firefly.  Like Kaylee, Essie is a very strong, independent young woman who is incredibly talented at mechanics and computer programming.  In fact, the title of the book refers to Essie’s hobby of “stitching” computer circuits to repair a malfunction in equipment or to create a new computer program.  I will always be a big fan of highly intelligent heroines.  A bonus:  not only is Essie smart, she also kicks butt.  Literally.  She’s definitely not a “damsel in distress,” and her gritty, rough edges only serve to add  to her humanity.

Coming in a close second in my list of favorite characters is Dimwit, a mining drone who helps Essie.  I think it’s safe to say that he’s “Dopey” of the famous dwarves.  The author gives so much “life” and personality to Dimwit the drone!  Dimwit is just one of seven mining drones that Essie works with, but he’s definitely the most developed.  I do think that the author could have given a little more personality to the other drones to add to the story, but this wasn’t enough of a hang-up to ruin my enjoyment of the story.

Stitching Snow also has good world development.  The action moves between three planets, and I really felt like I could picture all of the different landscapes in my head.  The book never tends toward dry descriptions; rather, the author has the characters make observations about their environment as the plot advances.  There is a time and place for lengthier, more detailed passages, but that would have drastically slowed down this stand-alone novel.  For this book, the subtle setting descriptions are my favorite.  For example, when Dane and Essie land on Windsong (her birth planet, and the capital), she observes how much sunnier it is, and how she wears lighter clothes than on Thanda (the planet she’s been hiding on) due to the warmer temperatures.  On Thanda, a secondary character reminds Essie to wear a coat, as it’s cold outside.  Showing is always better than telling when it comes to setting (and character) development!

While this wasn’t the most exciting, edge-of-my-seat read (it’s a fairy tale re-telling; of course there will be a little predictability), this was definitely an enjoyable ride.  The space setting; the active rather than passive Snow White character; the action; and, of course, the drones make this a one-of-a-kind novel.

 

Read More

Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 Disney Electronic Content, fairy tale retelling, Fairy Tales amp; Folklore, Publisher, R. C. Lewis, r.c. lewis, Review, stitching snow, young adult  2 People left their mark