The Witch Must Burn by Danielle Paige

The Witch Must Burn is the second book of the prequel trilogy to Dorothy Must Die.  It's not necessary to have read Dorothy Must Die or No Place Like Oz in order to enjoy this one, but you can read reviews of them by clicking on the titles.

No Place Like Oz, the first prequel in Dorothy Must Die: Stories, was kind of dark.  Dorothy was the quintessential nasty, angsty teen... to the umpteenth degree!  So it was really refreshing to get into The Witch Must Burn, told from Jellia's point of view.

Jellia is a servant, the head ladies' maid, in Dorothy's castle.  Even though she's just a teen herself, she's still old enough to remember what Oz was like under Ozma.  Right from the beginning of the novella, the reader can sense her depression regarding Dorothy's rule.  She misses Ozma, and worries about her.  She despairs that things could ever improve again.  On top of that, she still has to work for the very mercurial and often mean Dorothy, and keep a big secret.  (You know I never give things away in my reviews!  You'll have to read the book to find out more!)

My heart went out to Jellia!  She's trying so hard to please Dorothy and to shield her subordinates from Dorothy's wrath.  She's not a naively blind follower, though- she knows that Dorothy is in the wrong.  She just doesn't know what to do about it.  Yet.  (*wink wink nudge nudge*)

If you've read Dorothy Must Die, you'll know what needs to be done.  Even if you've read it, though, you'll still be surprised at the path that Jellia takes to get there.  I know I was!  It was heartbreaking in places, but always inspiring, what with Jellia's never-say-die attitude.  There were even a few parts that were almost reminiscent of mad scientist horror tales, so it was a perfect October read for me.

The only small quibble I had was with the reader (I listened to the audiobook of The Witch Must Burn)- she just wasn't my taste.  I can't exactly put my finger on anything in particular that was wrong; I think the accent just wasn't my cup of tea.  It wasn't bad enough to distract me from the story or anything, so there's a good chance that other people will love the narrator.

 

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Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 Action amp; Adventure, Danielle Paige, Dorothy Must Die, Fantasy, Fantasy amp; Magic, General, Harper Collins, Library, Retelling, Review, Romance, Wizard of Oz, YA, young adult, Young Adult Fiction  Leave your mark

Side Jobs - Dresden Files 12.5 by Jim Butcher

Anybody who has followed my posts over the last few months would not be surprised to see another Dresden Files book make its way into a review.  This one is special:  It's the last one I read of the series (until the next book in the series comes out).   Reading this last may puzzle anybody familiar enough with the 15 book series.  Yes, 12.5 comes before 15 but, I found this to be an excellent wrap-up for the series to date.  This way, I was able to keep the narrative going by reading the  regular books in order and then, later, get into all the in-between stories that Jim Butcher had written about Chicago's only openly practicing wizard.  I have to say, I'm glad I did and suggest anybody who hasn't made it that far in the series to do the same.  I'll do my best not to get to spoilery.

Side Jobs is a collection of short stories written about Harry Dresden and his friends.  Each was written for different purposes and Jim Butcher introduces the stories with the reasons behind them being written.  Sometimes he gives a little bit of background or insight to the subject or inspiration of each.  It was a touch that I thought gave them a bit more context  and clarity.  There are even a couple of stories written from perspectives different Harry's.  Jim Butcher did an excellent job of shifting into these voices.  I never got the feeling I was reading some reworked story of Harry's.  This book even contains the story that started it all: the story Jim Butcher wrote as an assignment for a college writing course.  The book is full of spoilers since so much of it is placed between books with one that takes place right after book 12.

Another, more notable, significance of this book is what it means for me.  I mean, now, I'll have a Dresden sized hole in my upcoming reading selection.  If anybody has any suggestions for an established book series I can play catch up on, I'd love to hear them.  Or better yet, is there a book series you've been afraid to try and you want me to be your "toe-in-the-water"  as it were, I'll welcome those as well.

I've loved the whole Dresden Files series thus far.  It has gone from mildly grown up to very grown up.  Definitely not for the little ones unless their heading off to college.  It's only a scene or two per book but, when you find them, you'll know it!  I hope some of you give this series a try!

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Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 Fantasy, Fiction, General, Harry Dresden, Jim butcher, Penguin, Review, short stories, The Dresden Files  Leave your mark

Mitosis by Brandon Sanderson

What do you do once the bad guy is gone.  How do you teach a population to take charge of their own destiny.  How do you convince them they should?  These some of the questions that are brought up in this, the book between the  books.   Mitosis also gives us an opportunity to spend a little time with David and the team of Reckoners he is a part of while they deal with yet another Epic.  Can you guess the Epic's name? Yep, Mitosis.  This winds up being more than just a story of how to rid a city of an overbearing super-human.  This story is a beginning.  This is the beginning a new city and a new society.

Brandon Sanderson, as always, does a masterful job of not just telling the story but, bringing it to life.  Like making the perfect martini, blending science-fantasy with real world concepts to the point of near believability is more than art, it's a craft.  Mr. Sanderson uses one of my favorite devices in this endeavor: anecdote as allegory.  Some book series do an excellent job of illustrating that world's political intrigue with nuanced conversation and clever manipulation.  Sanderson uses things like a hot dog.  It may not be the most elegant way to impart information but it does start to pin point some of the problems and supposed solutions to the situation David finds his city in.

Most of the characters we loved from Steelheart are back.  There wasn't much need for development.  For me, it was like seeing how an old friend was doing.  The one who does show a bit of maturing is, of course, our hero, David.  The rest of the crew is a bit older than he is so, for him to be on the steepest learning curve only makes sense.

I think this is a very worthy addition to the franchise.  More than that, I believe it helps the audience transition from Steelheart to Firefight.  The series reads well without it but, it reads much better with it. This is a YA book and I won't hesitate suggesting it to my teenage son.  There is some violence and some relationship discussions so, it is still in the PG-13 range.

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Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 Action amp; Adventure, Brandon Sanderson, Dystopian, General, Publisher, Random House Children's Books, Reckoners, Review, Science-Fiction, young adult  1 Person left their mark