Into the Bright Unknown by Rae Carson

Into the Bright Unknown by Rae Carson

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Hardcover: 343 pages
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Release date: October 10, 2017

Series:  Gold Seer Trilogy #3

Source: Library

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Leah Westfall’s journey has been one of ever-present peril, hidden magic, harsh realities, loss, life, determination, and love. She has searched for a place to belong and a place to call home, and people who can accept a girl with magical powers that prove to be both blessing and curse.
Rae Carson has been lauded as one of YA’s best writers of fantasy, and fans of Leigh Bardugo, Sarah J. Maas, and Westworld will be riveted by the conclusion of this remarkable historical fantasy trilogy.
Leah is poised to have everything she ever dreamed of on the long, dangerous journey to California’s gold fields—wealth, love, the truest friends, and a home. Thanks to her magical ability to sense precious gold, Leah, her fiancé Jefferson, and her friends have claimed rich land in California Territory. But their fortune makes them a target, and when a dangerous billionaire sets out to destroy them, Leah and her friends must fight back with all of their power and talents.
Leah’s magic is continuing to strengthen and grow, but someone is on to her—someone who might have a bit of magic herself. The stakes are higher than ever as Lee and her friends hatch a daring scheme that could alter California’s history forever.
With a distinctive heroine and a unique interpretation of American history, Into the Bright Unknown strikes a rich vein of romance, magic, and adventure.

I never want Rae Carson's books to end, and this was no exception! Having made a deal with a deceptively smooth councilman for their town charter and needing to retrieve Becky Joyner's confiscated house, Leah Westfall and her band of pioneers journey out of their newly minted town of Glory, California to the big, high-stakes city of San Francisco to secure their future. When they arrive in San Francisco, they stumble into a much bigger extortion scheme and make an ambitious plan to fight for justice.

Most of this book is centered on San Francisco of 1849/1850 before California becomes a state. It brings to life a number of famously historical circumstances including the practice of sinking or grounding ships to establish or build real estate (SF Gate article). In fact, only within the last few years has it been more covered in the media that there are still actual ships buried under the streets of San Francisco (National Geographic article). I found this coverage of history, and my subsequent research, absolutely fascinating! I've been to San Francisco in the last few years, and now I'm kicking myself that I didn't visit the Maritime Museum. Anyway, one of the grounded ships is the vessel that brought Becky Joyner's house to San Francisco, and Leah decides to buy and turn into a sort of home since renting and living in San Francisco depletes their gold funds rapidly. The book illustrates the different uses many of the abandoned gold rush ships served -- as storage, hotels, homes, a jail, etc. -- which were all true in history.

Another of the book's history gems is bringing up the law of coverture (Wikipedia). When Becky Joyner goes to claim her house---and remember her husband is dead, the bank will not let her claim the property because, as they say, "a wife has no legal standing. All her rights are covered by, and thus represented by, the rights of her husband" which was known as the law of coverture. Since Becky's husband is dead and their son is not yet of age, the only one legally allowed to claim her house would be Becky's father-in-law back in Tennessee. This situation describes a very real and widespread problem for women and one of the driving forces behind the fight for women's right to vote as the majority of women couldn't hold property and therefore couldn't vote. It brings the law to life to view it through such strong female characters as Leah and Becky Joyner and hear their feminist voices discuss the ramifications.

Lastly, I love the character arc we've seen in Leah. She rises from scared runaway girl to wagon train leader to establishing a town to partially leading a civil rights rebellion and in this last novel, she certainly doesn't back down from greater heights. She and her fellows start a revolution in San Francisco against corruption and greed. She's also been practicing with her magic too, and manages several amazing feats. I'm not going to spoil any of these exciting plot developments here though. That's something you'll definitely want to read yourself!

The ONE question I still really wanted answered out of this series was just what happened with her mom? This question has been danced and danced around and we get closer here, but I just never felt true closure with this question. Alas, that's exactly how life is too!

We do see a few old friends (and enemies) surface. Relationships are built and furthered including that of Leah and Jefferson, though this is, as always, not the driving motivations in the book but rather a pleasant side-plot. I would love to see this series become a movie or tv show. It would be really cool to watch all of the history really come alive, especially that of San Francisco and the "Oregon Trail" west. I think this series might appeal to readers who loved Ruta Sepetys's Between Shades of Grey and Salt to the Sea and might be looking for something lighter but just as rich. It gives gold rush history a little bit of Leah's gold dust sense.

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by Kara at Friday, June 15, 2018

 Fantasy amp; Magic, Gold Seer Trilogy, Greenwillow Books, Harper Collins, Historical, historical fiction, Into the Bright Unknown, Library, Rae Carson, Review, young adult  1 Person left their mark

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Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken

Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Hardcover: 532 pages
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release date: January 3rd, 2017

Series: Passenger #2

Source: 

Reviewed by: 

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

All Etta Spencer wanted was to make her violin debut when she was thrust into a treacherous world where the struggle for power could alter history. After losing the one thing that would have allowed her to protect the Timeline, and the one person worth fighting for, Etta awakens alone in an unknown place and time, exposed to the threat of the two groups who would rather see her dead than succeed. When help arrives, it comes from the last person Etta ever expected—Julian Ironwood, the Grand Master’s heir who has long been presumed dead, and whose dangerous alliance with a man from Etta’s past could put them both at risk.

Meanwhile, Nicholas and Sophia are racing through time in order to locate Etta and the missing astrolabe with Ironwood travelers hot on their trail. They cross paths with a mercenary-for-hire, a cheeky girl named Li Min who quickly develops a flirtation with Sophia. But as the three of them attempt to evade their pursuers, Nicholas soon realizes that one of his companions may have ulterior motives.

As Etta and Nicholas fight to make their way back to one another, from Imperial Russia to the Vatican catacombs, time is rapidly shifting and changing into something unrecognizable… and might just run out on both of them.

I loved this epic conclusion to the Passenger duology! It was definitely easier to get into than the first simply because it is driven by action and there's not as much set-up needed. Just for fun, you might like Alex Bracken's Pinterest board on the series, which has some fantastic images of an astrolabe and other beautiful imagery. If you haven't read it, there might be a few spoilers below...

In the last post, I promised to talk about Etta and Nicholas's romance, which develops throughout Passenger. Here in Wayfarer, Etta and Nicholas's romance is somewhat tempered by time/space but is no less a part of this novel. In the first, they fell in love, but here they have to overcome odds to even see each other again since Etta's timeline was destroyed and Nicholas believes Etta dead. It makes things more meaningful because they are carrying on without knowing what has become of the other in the hopes that there is some sort of future for them after everything is said and done. For Nicholas, Etta is the first person to recognize him for himself and not for his skin, his status, or his potential. Etta finds Nicholas to be a person she can depend on and who has a good and kind heart but is also self-sacrificing and brave. Their romance is sweet and new for both of them, and for time-travelers, seems to be a first step multi-racial couples!

Because this novel follows two separate storylines of Etta and Nicholas/Sophia, we see how much their first journey has made them change their priorities a bit and show drastic character development from the beginning of the series. Before, Nicholas wanted only his freedom and his own ship but otherwise had accepted his lot in life. Now, because Etta has come into his life and he's seen his grandfather's thirst for power, he recognizes that he is not his skin color/race nor his past and has a real future with Etta and her ideals. Nicholas has grown to realize he has a choice and his own power. Sophia, alternately, has developed from blindly accepting what her grandfather tells her to making her own choices, discovering love, and distinguishing between family who is genuine and family who manipulates. She also has to do all of this with a significant handicap and that makes her more in tune with reality than her former version of the truth. Lastly, Etta, of course, has transformed the most, seeing as she knew nothing about her mom or dad or anything about the past or her time gene. However, we see how she has matured from simply reacting with anger/frustration to understanding and acceptance of her circumstances and determining to make the best possible choices. She now knows of sacrifice and consequences, something she didn't really grasp when it related to her mother. They've all become strong hero/heroines, no matter the outcome of their quest.

In Wayfarer, there is a larger element of mystery and secrets as the story of the Ancient One is told and how he is still searching for the last astrolabe and pursuing Rose Linden for years. When Nicholas and Sophia are traveling in search of Rose/Etta, they come across the trail of this Ancient One and its minions, finding themselves stalked by monsters, but making a key ally of Li Min, a traveling mercenary. The looming threat of the Ancient One is what changes the entire story as it wants to destroy all of their timelines except its own.

One of the truly spectacular things about this book is the time traveling and the possibilities. Bracken has some fantastic writing and setting description here. It is quite exciting to visit any point in history just from a time passage and prompts thoughts of when/where one might choose to link to other favorite periods. In this book, we visit San Francisco before the earthquake, Petrograd and Czar Nicholas II, Carthage before it was destroyed by Rome, the Vatican City during the Middle Ages and more. I found these glimpses fascinating! It takes your imagination one step farther because you're picturing the characters navigating these relics of history and experiencing that period of life then jumping to a new one.

The last thing I want to point out is how Wayfarer continues those themes of diversity and challenging the social norms of the period because we meet Julian, who confronts his own idea of racism/sexism, being male and white and the only member who is inconspicuous, and comparing his ease of traveling versus all the others, who have to take precautions to not draw attention, break laws, or embroil themselves in a dispute or timeline change.

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by Tynga at Thursday, April 27, 2017

 adventure, Alexandra Bracken, Disney Hyperion, Fantasy, Library, Passenger, Review, time travel, young adult  Leave your mark

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Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Hardcover : 496 pages
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Release date: January 5th, 2016

Series:  Passenger #1

Source: 

Reviewed by: 

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them—whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home... forever.

I was a huge fan of The Darkest Minds series and thought it was one of the best, most underrated dystopians since it didn't get as much hype as The Hunger Games or Divergent. When I saw she was coming out with something new, I knew I had to wait a bit before beginning it because I'd probably want to read everything at once!

I loved the uniqueness of this book! It was not what I was expecting at all, not that I had much of an idea to begin with. However, let's start with the cover. It's absolutely beautiful. First glance shows a glass bottle with modern day New York inside, and underneath a second faded glass bottle with an eighteenth century ship. It's so understated and yet shows a quick glimpse of the book. Great job, Disney Hyperion Marketing and Design departments!

At first, I had a bit of a hard time getting into it because I was trying to grasp all the details of time travel, how it's possible, and how it relates to Etta. Because Etta is largely in the dark about...well...mostly everything, so is the reader. That got a bit frustrating because we have to wait until Etta meets Cyrus Ironwood to get a little more insight. The two characters closest to Etta, Sophie and Nicholas, are themselves similarly fairly powerless in the scheme of things: Sophie is a girl who can't inherit and is thought to possess frailties due to gender and also is actually a bit of a rebel despite being Ironwood's granddaughter while Nicholas is Cyrus's grandson and a bastard, his mother having been a slave who was assaulted by Cyrus's tyrant son, and remember, during the eighteenth century, anyone black or having mixed blood was still considered of lower status in the American colonies.

Etta, with her modern way of thinking, does not recognize these social norms of the day, and when Sophie and Cyrus treat Nicholas like a servant or furniture rather than blood, Etta rather views him as a partner and her equal, a relationship he's never had before and never known was possible. Etta too is constantly underestimated for being female and merely a pawn for Cyrus Ironwood, though she at least knows what possibilities exist in the modern world. These themes of sexism and racism are explored and Etta herself confronts them when she acknowledges what a privilege it is not to worry about the color of your skin and how that affects various aspects of your life especially if you lived in these periods.

I found the glimpses of historic time periods and exotic locales to be fascinating. From rainforests and temples near Thailand to Egypt to eighteenth century New York and London during WWII...the fun way they skip about history is a gem to discover, especially if you research it at the same time they're flitting about. It gives a fuller picture of the settings.

Overall, I really liked this book despite how it took me about 25% of the book to get into, which other reviewers have pointed out. This is not your usual fast-paced YA because Bracken takes time to really develop the feeling of confusion and the unknown for Etta. Once I was in, though, I was hooked, and was totally caught off-guard by the typical Bracken doozy of a cliffhanger at the end. Absolutely had to get my hands on Wayfarer asap! Look for that review soon as there'll be more about the romance and other secret plot developments!

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by Tynga at Thursday, April 13, 2017

 adventure, Alexandra Bracken, Disney Hyperion, Fantasy, Library, Passenger, Review, time travel, young adult  Leave your mark

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Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Science-Fiction
Hardcover : 468 pages
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release date: January 17th, 2017

Series: Carve the Mark #1

Source: Purchased

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

In a galaxy powered by the current, everyone has a gift.

Cyra is the sister of the brutal tyrant who rules the Shotet people. Cyra’s currentgift gives her pain and power — something her brother exploits, using her to torture his enemies. But Cyra is much more than just a blade in her brother’s hand: she is resilient, quick on her feet, and smarter than he knows.

Akos is the son of a farmer and an oracle from the frozen nation-planet of Thuvhe. Protected by his unusual currentgift, Akos is generous in spirit, and his loyalty to his family is limitless. Once Akos and his brother are captured by enemy Shotet soldiers, Akos is desperate to get this brother out alive — no matter what the cost.

The Akos is thrust into Cyra's world, and the enmity between their countries and families seems insurmountable. Will they help each other to survive, or will they destroy one another?

Carve the Mark is Veronica Roth's stunning portrayal of the power of friendship — and love — in a galaxy filled with unexpected gifts.

This highly anticipated new series starter from Veronica Roth is NOT Divergent (nor should it be). Even when reading blurbs I still didn't know what to expect as there have been a lot of conflicting reviews. Add to that the allegations of racism for poor Miss Roth, and we've got quite a bit of dissension. However, I hope I can shed some light on this book for everyone, since I took a different approach than my fellow reviewer Stéphanie who talks more about the main characters, though I might be proven wrong in subsequent books. This is my interpretation and I encourage everyone to have their own!

First, most readers are going to be expecting another Divergent in this series which it's not. Divergent was fast-paced, relied heavily on action, and used more of the character's reactions to certain events as a plot device. Instead, Carve the Mark is very introspective, and I would argue, very adult in its slower pace and buildup. The main characters sort of force much of the action in Carve the Mark because of the inner battles they are facing-an inward to outward shift of character that is complete opposite to Tris who made a lot of decisions outwardly and then came to understand them inwardly much later in the series. It's going to be hard to get a reluctant reader into this series (very unlike Divergent!) and might even be better off for older teen/young adult (college) or adult readers since it deals with this coming-of-age theme in a much more mature, thought-provoking way.

Second, I think the racism allegations are kind of missing a few key ideas. The Thuvhe live at the extreme north of the planet, where everything is cold and ice etc. Let's try and re-cast them into a modern idea, one that might be the first impression...

• Picture the modern Icelandic people--they are Norse ("nordic" is derived from the word "northern") and have predominantly light colored eyes and blond or brown hair and fair skin (white or red tones). "Icelandic culture has been shaped by isolation and the extreme forces of nature. These conditions have created a resilient people, where family ties are close, the sense of tradition is strong, and the bond with nature is tight. While strongly rooted in customs and traditions, today's Icelandic society is both modern and progressive. A small country by most measures, Iceland has a high standard of living, extensive political freedom, and has taken an active role in sustainable development and commitment to the environment."  In history, the Nords were conquerors (think of the Vikings), but today Iceland is known for being one of the most peaceful countries in the world and one of the most progressive among human rights.

The Shotet by contrast are a little more hard to understand and picture. Under the Noavek's rule, they are considered brutal, bloodthirsty, violent and fierce, leading raids and dead in their wake. Most Shotet are described as brown skinned or golden. The first idea of them might resemble...

• People from the Mediterranean (think Spain, parts of Italy, Greece and upper Africa) and the idea of the Gypsy or Romani people in history or Native Americans. They have a bit darker skin and hair with more variations in hair, skin, and eye color. Some Native American culture and Romani culture place emphasis on being nomadic and moving from place to place. Both have a high regard for religion and made use of things others would discard. Both have a strong history of oppression and have been described in some instances as violent (or perhaps take violence in more acceptable form - passion).

Let's also note that it is well known that geography and relation to the sun has resulted in the variety of color and skin tones we see in the world today. How should that be no different for the ice-loving Thuvhe and the once-nomadic Shotet?

However, according to Roth's specific writings which she covers in this blog post, the Shotet and the Thuvhesit are much closer than they may appear to be at first glance, which some readers have painted as racist and black vs. white, brutal vs. enlightened, etc. Because of each side's extreme attitude toward the other, they don't have any reference for how they might have commonalities among their cultures. There is light and dark in both Thuvhe and Shotet which Akos himself represents as having a "Shotet name" belonging to a Shotet religious leader and can naturally speak Shotet yet he is fair skinned (and no mention of his parents being anything other than typically Thuvhe). This is the version I've read as Cyra herself describes her brother Ryzek having "skin so pale he looked almost like a corpse [in bluish light]".

As for the Thuvhesit considering the Shotet violent, this is automatically understandable as Ryzek, like his father and grandmother before him, is a power-crazed dictator not unlike Hitler, so their reputation is gained from their leader and his orders, much the way Germany's was in WWII. However, the history of the Shotet that Cyra relates to us is not violent but reverent of the currentstream and following it on a religious pilgrimage every year and using other cultures' castoffs to find use or beauty. This book does not make the idea as generalized as black vs. white, Nordic/European vs. African/Native American etc., barbarian vs. enlightened, but more about two halves of a bloodline that is messy yet prejudiced against the other [I can oversimplify here and say the bloodline of Ishmael or Arabic/Palestinian vs. Isaac or Hebrew/Israeli--not intending to offend people with this oversimplification, but just trying to draw some generic parallels that have occurred in history]. The Shotet and Thuvhesit are very mixed and quite hard to generalize if one pays close attention to the descriptions, the history, and the fact that both cultures misunderstand the other.

As for the ableist remarks, Cyra's currentgift manifesting as chronic pain and use as a weapon and how anyone possessing a disability or having chronic pain and calling it a gift is actually not a gift, one should also be reminded that Roth herself suffers from chronic pain [she revealed this after the book was published and allegations were raised, and we also know that Roth has had certain anxieties from social interactions and her fame, so it's no wonder this didn't come out before! She likes to be super private!], knows others in chronic pain, and her character Cyra does not think of this as a gift no matter that others seek to use it to their own ends. Instead, Cyra is part of the very rare few (currently we do not know of any others but there may be) whose currentgift, which is the current's manifestation of personality, harms herself and harms others. She did nothing to deserve it, does not seek to use it for her own selfish reasons, and doesn't understand it. Neither do any doctors/scholars they seek understand it or how to help her be rid or helped with it. It's true that the terminology makes the ableist accusations problematic, but currentgift is used synonymously with ability. Everyone has abilities and disabilities. Everyone has a currentgift. Most everyone's currentgift (that we know of) is an ability. However, Cyra's is most definitely a disability as it limits her mental and physical functionality. Yet once again, she doesn't think of it as a gift or skill or something to be favored or used, so I would argue that she is a main character with a disability who everyone judges, shuns, uses, or limits/labels her based upon her disability. Thereby, she is a main character exposing the ableism present in her society, but not advocating for ableism. Instead, this illustrates Cyra's powerfulness as a heroine--she suffers from chronic pain and is abused by her brother for her pain, and yet she constantly seeks to function past it--to live, survive, make her own choices--even when she is forced to use it against others.

Nevertheless, like any book with a lot of controversy, the reader should be free to judge for oneself. 

Lastly, Carve the Mark seems more like a (pardon me for oversimplifying again) version of Romeo and Juliet without the level of tragedy and star-crossed romance as two sides who hate each other have two teens who are bridging that gap to change their world. I found it to be really inspiring, thought-provoking, harder to jump into than most YA, but still a great story. Read-a-likes for this title could be other space fiction like Star Wars, Illuminae, the Red Rising series and Starflight.

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by Tynga at Thursday, April 06, 2017

 Carve the Mark, HarperCollins, Katherine Tegen Books, Library, Review, sci-fi, Science Fiction, space fiction, Veronica Roth, young adult  Leave your mark

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Poisoned Blade by Kate Elliott

Poisoned Blade by Kate Elliott

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Hardcover: 468 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release date: August 16th, 2016

Series:  Court of Fives #2

Source: Library

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Jessamy is moving up the ranks of the Fives—the complex athletic contest favored by the lowliest Commoners and the loftiest Patrons in her embattled kingdom. Pitted against far more formidable adversaries, success is Jes's only option, as her prize money is essential to keeping her hidden family alive. She leaps at the chance to tour the countryside and face more competitors, but then a fatal attack on Jes's traveling party puts her at the center of the war that Lord Kalliarkos—the prince she still loves—is fighting against their country's enemies. With a sinister overlord watching her every move and Kal's life on the line, Jes must now become more than a Fives champion...She must become a warrior.

Like the first book, I really enjoyed this second continuation. However, being a second book, you do have to understand certain key elements from the first, one most notably being the royal lineage. I was so confused by how everyone was related that it brought me out of the story quite a lot. Before starting this one, the reader should re-read the first and make a family tree chart for the royal family! It does not so much fall into a typical second book pitfall as the character and plot development are well fleshed out and the action doesn't slow, but there are moments where events pass by so quickly that you might not be quite sure what exactly has happened.

In Court of Fives, Jessamy wanted to be a Fives adversary to live her dream, but in this book, her dream has come at a price and the stakes are much higher for survival. She's a Fives Challenger but she also must keep her status and win more Fives competitions to stay in Lord Gargaron's good graces. Since the political conflicts are ramping up - like the war with Saro-Urok; a possible plot by Prince Nikonos and Lady Menoe to kill the royal family and Kalliarkos; another plot by Lord Gargaron to put Lady Menoe and Kalliarkos on the throne; and the hints of rebellion by the Efeans - Jessamy is caught in the middle with her father's marriage to Lady Menoe, her love for Kalliarkos, her Efean heritage, and her duty as part of Lord Gargaron's Fives stable. With her mother and siblings in hiding (except for the missing Bettany), Jessamy also has to assume responsibility for her family and supply them with money, keep them safely away from Lord Gargaron and his soldiers, and search for Bettany if she can. But most direct plans are thwarted, and she must rely on the Efean rebellion to help them. When Amaya joins Lord Gargaron's household in disguise to help her friend Denya, spy for news, and supply an income, Jessamy finds an ally to search for Bettany and in convincing Lord Gargaron to travel around so she can become a better Challenger. However, in doing so, she unknowingly stumbles into the thick of all the building political machinations. Her unique view has put her at an advantage few others can see, and she must take the step from pawn and small rebel to being a leader and she discovers her mistakes can have disastrous consequences.

Another key element is her relationship with her father and her understanding of his actions. As a military leader and under Lord Gargaron's orders, he had to wed Lady Menoe and set aside his former family, but when hard pressed, he acknowledges Jessamy as legitimate and is proud of her accomplishments, which is significant. Since she encounters a bit of his past in visiting the garrison where he was a spider scout, she comes to understand a bit of why he's made the choices he has, and why his relationship with her mother was so important and different than everyone else's. In examining her father's choices and that of her siblings, she also finds Bettany and how far one might go when you really sacrifice your family for your beliefs...

This book also brings her back to Kal and despite being on different sides, she discovers they are still allies. Since Kal is absent from Jessamy for much of the novel, there is even less romance than the last book. This situation with Kal, I expect, will also be a big part of book three, Buried Heart, coming August 2017. Really looking forward to it!

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by Tynga at Thursday, March 02, 2017

 Action amp; Adventure, Brown Books for Young Readers, Court of Fives, Fantasy, Fantasy amp; Magic, Kate Elliott, Library, Little, Poisoned Blade, race, Review, we need diverse books, young adult  Leave your mark

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Like a River Glorious by Rae Carson

Like a River Glorious by Rae Carson

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Release date: September 27, 2016

Series:  Gold Seer Trilogy, #2

Source: Library

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

After her harrowing journey west to California, Lee Westfall has finally found a new home—one rich in gold, thanks to her magical power, a power that seems to be changing every day. But this home is rich in other ways, too: with friends who are searching for a place to be themselves, just as she is, and with love. Jefferson—her longtime best friend—hasn’t stopped trying to win her heart. And Lee is more and more tempted to say yes.
But her uncle Hiram hasn’t given up his quest to get Lee and her power under his control. When she’s kidnapped and taken to him, Lee sees firsthand the depths of her uncle’s villainy. Yet Lee’s magic is growing. Gold no longer simply sings to her, it listens. It obeys her call. Is it enough to destroy her uncle once and for all?

(Please note for this post: The word 'Indian' is used to describe those of Native American descent due to it being a word culturally used during that period, and is also used in this review since it is in the book and a predominant sub-theme of the novel.)

This second book of the Gold Seer Trilogy has a very different flavor than the first as the first was a long journey narrative. This, by contrast, is more split into two parts, the first being an account of creating their homestead and helping it to survive, and the second of being an unwilling captive in her uncle's camp and joining a resistance movement in a fight for freedom. Rather than being a book all its own, it is decidedly a second book where mostly action carries the novel rather than plot or other drives, so readers will want to read the first before they try this one. The setting is much more localized, but we don't get to see much of California until the very end when there are glimpses of a historic Sacramento. It's possible that Glory, California, their small town (which seems to be fictional), could be Glory Holy Recreation Area, a bit southeast of Sacramento since it is both near mountains, east of San Francisco, and has quite a bit of water nearby as described in the book.

Our heroine Lee has also grown into her leadership role among the group, and most think highly of her judgment and abilities after their trek West. When other groups (men) begin to intermingle with their own, even these men come to recognize Lee's leadership and voice despite her gender. While Lee is captive in her uncle's camp, she must return to the pretense of being a proper young lady and subject to her uncle's authority and that of other men. Even when she is brought in by the leaders of the resistance group, Lee must still keep up much of the act to keep her friends safe. However, the very power her Uncle Hiram wants to use to save him, Lee grows to wield for her protection and as a potential weapon. Also, Lee and Jeff's romance heats up a bit, and Lee is no longer denying her feelings. Jeff is growing to appreciate his heritage, that of being half-Indian, and begins to see their rights as his own rights and speaks out among those who are not Indian.

One of the things I enjoyed most about this novel was how it brought cultural issues of the area to light without being overwhelming such as: the treatment of Indians of the period (capturing them, enslaving them, stealing their land, and treating them with very little human dignity or care for life); the treatment of the Chinese where they immigrate and gain work contracts which made them no better than performing slave labor, sometimes termed a 'coolie gang'; and still continued the issues of women's rights and slavery. Another change from the first novel is the growth of Leah's gold-sensing power. Here she begins to use it more frequently, perhaps because her secret is no longer as secret, and it begins to transform. No longer is it just a calling where the gold appears from the ground, but she is able to make it mold and bend to her will with greater and greater success. Lastly, isn't that cover absolutely gorgeous? Doesn't it really capture a glorious sunrise?

I still can't wait for the third and final volume Into the Bright Unknown coming out in October 2017, and I expect we will see even more of Leah come into her own, both in powers and in the world.

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by Tynga at Thursday, February 23, 2017

 Fantasy amp; Magic, Gold Seer Trilogy, Greenwillow Books, Harper Collins, Historical, historical fiction, Library, Like a River Glorious, Rae Carson, Review, young adult  Leave your mark

✎

Court of Fives by Kate Elliott

Court of Fives by Kate Elliott

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Paperback: 464 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release date: July 12, 2016

Series:  Court of Fives, #1

Source: Library

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

In this imaginative escape into enthralling new lands, World Fantasy Award finalist Kate Elliott's first young adult novel weaves an epic story of a girl struggling to do what she loves in a society suffocated by rules of class and privilege. 

Jessamy's life is a balance between acting like an upper-class Patron and dreaming of the freedom of the Commoners. But away from her family she can be whoever she wants when she sneaks out to train for The Fives, an intricate, multilevel athletic competition that offers a chance for glory to the kingdom's best contenders. Then Jes meets Kalliarkos, and an unlikely friendship between two Fives competitors--one of mixed race and the other a Patron boy--causes heads to turn. When Kal's powerful, scheming uncle tears Jes's family apart, she'll have to test her new friend's loyalty and risk the vengeance of a royal clan to save her mother and sisters from certain death.

This fantasy was so good! I definitely did not expect to like this book as much as I did. It was compelling and action-filled. The characters were engaging. I loved Jes and Kal the best. The whole book revolves around Jes' conflicts and her choices based upon a few events. Running the Fives has been her dream that has always been out of reach. With her father's status as great military leader and his already taboo marriage to an Efean woman that he refuses to put aside, meaning she and her children still have his loyalty which is unheard of for a Patron man and makes him and his wife legendary among the Efeans, Jessamy is cautioned even more to be inconspicuous and obedient. In fact, none of the girls are to ever draw attention to themselves, hard because of their mixed race/status, the attention of Jessamy and Bettany being twins/cursed, Maraya having a club foot, and Amaya being exceptionally beautiful. This makes having a mixed race a key element of the book, which should draw some attention in YA and be part of #weneeddiversebooks movement. It's rare to have a YA fantasy deal with mixed race issues so prominently.

When their family status and future is most insecure than it has ever been due to her father's lord dying, Jes still pursues her dreams with the possibility of ruining everyone else's, which one could argue shows both courage and stupidity. It doesn't hurt that she's met Kal, who she is attracted to, not just for his looks, but because he's smart, honest, and a talented Fives runner who also happens to be a lord. But then when her mother and sisters are shamed as her father's star rises by being taken in to Lord Gargaron's household, Jessamy also faces the hardest choice -- to continue with her one chance to run the Fives in front of her father or be a dutiful daughter and go with the rest of her family.

Having always thought her father was rather hard to reach and would deny her despite her dreams, Jessamy continues with her plans but loses to Kal on purpose; however, Lord Gargaron knows of her cunning plan and forces her into a deal to run for him which also increases her father's status. But when she finds out that her mother and sisters are missing, Jessamy sacrifices her chances as a Fives adversary to possibly be discovered rescuing her family, showing that when faced with the worst odds, she will choose her family's lives over her own. It's quite a turn from selfishness to sacrifice for Jes, but then, if you consider that Jessamy decided not to run the Fives originally, she likely would have been missing with her family and no one would have been in a position to attempt to save them, much less find powerful enough allies to make a difference in their fates. This is one of the reasons that this book is really inspiring because choices of one young teen girl (who starts out selfish yet brave) comes to be the savior of her family, at least in the short term. We'll see what happens in the next book!

The setting was a mix of ancient Egyptian and Greco-Roman society (think playing Age of Empires or Civilization) and myth. For more on the elements Kate Elliott used to create Court of Fives, visit "The Book Smugglers" site. This was a pretty clean read except for the bit about Kal pretending Jes is his mistress to give them more time together to plot and plan. Does contain some romance, but not very much, so this can definitely be read by middle grade readers or upper elementary readers. An interesting bit is how the premise is modeled after a variation of Little Women, which I hadn’t realized up until now. All in all, worth a read! If you'd like to read an excerpt, visit Tor.com. Stay tuned for my review of book 2 coming soon!

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by Tynga at Tuesday, February 21, 2017

 Action amp; Adventure, Brown Books for Young Readers, Court of Fives, Fantasy, Fantasy amp; Magic, Kate Elliott, Library, Little, race, Review, we need diverse books, young adult  1 Person left their mark

✎

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Release date: September 22, 2015

Series:  Gold Seer Trilogy #1

Source: Library

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Gold is in my blood, in my breath, even in the flecks in my eyes.

Lee Westfall has a strong, loving family. She has a home she loves and a loyal steed. She has a best friend--who might want to be something more.

She also has a secret.

Lee can sense gold in the world around her. Veins deep in the earth. Small nuggets in a stream. Even gold dust caught underneath a fingernail. She has kept her family safe and able to buy provisions, even through the harshest winters. But what would someone do to control a girl with that kind of power? A person might murder for it.

When everything Lee holds dear is ripped away, she flees west to California--where gold has just been discovered. Perhaps this will be the one place a magical girl can be herself. If she survives the journey.

The acclaimed Rae Carson begins a sweeping new trilogy set in Gold Rush-era America, about a young woman with a powerful and dangerous gift.

This adventure is a blend of old Western and just a hint of magic (or rather a super-human ability much like our beloved superheroes), but Rae Carson writes just as magnificently with a little element of fantasy as she did in a fully imagined fantasy world like The Girl of Fire and Thorns series. I love the references to local history, especially that of the gold rushes in Georgia and North Carolina, like the note that there once was a gold mint in Dahlonega, GA, (marked with the "D" that Denver now uses). Carson recreates the sense of rural Southern life with deep spirituality, the distrust yet charitable feeling given to strangers, the dangers of the culture especially for women and black folk, and the spirit of the wagon train traveling the Oregon Trail.

Leah/Lee is a wonderful character. She's fiercely independent as she's been providing for her ailing family, but she's also possessed of a strong-will and determination that gives her the fortitude to withstand her parents' murders, masquerade as a boy, and then in the face of hardship travel on her own with little resources all the way across the country. For much of the novel, Lee must rely on herself to get to safety. After she is robbed, she signs on to be a boat hand on a flatboat ferrying people down the Tennessee River through waterways all the way across to the Mississippi. The boat is hired by the Joyner family, and when they reach Missouri, Lee accompanies the Joyners a-ways but is cast out as being a runaway to make her own way to Independence. There, she sees a few familiar faces, and after a few days of not finding Jefferson, Mr. Joyner hires her to manage his wagon and cattle as he only has one other hand. Luckily for Lee, his hired hand is none other than the fellow she's been searching for, her best friend Jefferson McCauley. Together with their wagon train of families, a group of college men, and a group with a large number of livestock, they must travel through the wilderness to make it to California, fighting dangerous illness, mutiny, and other dangers.

I think you'll be surprised how things change for Lee and how, despite being a girl and the cultural attitude towards women, she shows courage, leadership, and responsibility beyond her years and the expectations of those around her. Truly, she's an inspiring role model of a heroine while still staying true to the historical detail. If you liked the Oregon Trail game and adventures, you'll like this book, and stay tuned for book two, Like a River Glorious, as more magic, adventure, and high stakes follow Lee and Jefferson in California.

To read the first three chapters, click here to go to EpicReads. Just for fun, you can also try the name generator for Walk on Earth a Stranger! (For kicks, mine is Jefferson "Crazy" Digger. What's yours?)

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by Tynga at Tuesday, January 31, 2017

 Fantasy amp; Magic, Gold Seer Trilogy, Greenwillow Books, Harper Collins, Historical, historical fiction, Library, Rae Carson, Review, Walk on Earth a Stranger, young adult  2 People left their mark

✎

The Fall of Five by Pittacus Lore

The Fall of Five is Lorien Legacies #4, so there may be spoilers for books #1-#3 in this review.

This is such a cool series!  Teens who are actually aliens who aren't evil and plotting world domination.  No stereotypes.  I like that they're unpredictable.  Since this is book #4, we already know the backstory and we know most of the characters pretty well, so the author is able to concentrate more on plot.  That's fun.

Six of the ten are united and hiding out together in a Chicago penthouse when the book opens.  They're busy working on their plot to fight and defeat the Mogadorians when they get a signal from Five.  Yay!  Finally!  Once they collect him, all living Loriens will be together!  However, things do not go as planned.

The whole "things don't go as planned" bit was actually a bit of a bummer for me.  I don't know if I'm jaded or if I'm just not a teen or if the writing was just a little off in this book, but I saw it coming a mile away.  Browsing some other reviews on Goodreads I see that I'm not alone.  I hate that such a big plot point ended up being too obvious and therefore rather anticlimactic.  I won't reveal what it is, just in case you're able to read The Fall of Five without guessing the outcome.

Five isn't the only character with a big reveal of a plot point!  Tiny, quiet Ten/Ella also plays a large role in The Fall of Five.  I'll admit, in the past I've gotten pretty frustrated with Ten.  She seemed like an overly weak character... almost borderline sexism on the part of the author.  But in The Fall of Five we get to see her strength.  It's a quiet strength, but it's there.  We get to see her struggle with and work through a kind of knotty situation.

While it's exciting to go along with the characters on their quest to save Earth, I also enjoy the quieter moments in these books, when the main characters act very much like everyday teens.  When they tentatively date or go on a joyride or make up silly games.  There are moments where I almost forget that they're aliens!

Overall, The Fall of Five is good but not excellent.  I really enjoyed it, because it's a continuation of a story that I've been enjoying through the first three books.  If you were picking it up without any context you might not like it at all.  I would certainly recommend it to someone who had read the first books.  I just hate that it wasn't very action-full.

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by Tynga at Thursday, January 26, 2017

 Alien Contact, aliens, Fiction, HarperCollins, Library, Lorien Legacies, Pittacus Lore, Review, YA, young adult  Leave your mark

✎

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

I'm loving this wonderful series set in a fictional small town in South Carolina! The magic is magical and the setting is comfortable and the characters are really likable. Beautiful Darkness is the second book in the Caster Chronicles series, so this review may contain a few spoilers. To read the review of the first book, Beautiful Creatures, click here.

I just about started this review with "this is the first series featuring witches/witchcraft that I've enjoyed!" and then remembered Harry Potter.  But aside from Harry Potter, this is the first series featuring this much magic that I've loved.  The setting grabbed me and pulled me in heart and soul.  The books are set in Gatlin, SC, a small fictional town just outside of Summerville, SC, which is near Charleston, SC.  I grew up in SC!  The authors do a great job representing the state.  I love hearing the descriptions of the food and the culture.  Lena even makes a comment at one point about all the different casseroles that show up on her doorstep when tragedy strikes.  So true!  If someone you loves dies in the South, you can totally expect an avalanche of casseroles to be delivered to your house.  This book happens to take place in June, so there's mention of the climate also.  Again- the authors nail it.  There's mention of the weighty, oppressive heat peppered into the story.  It's all very natural and unobtrusive.  Being a YA book, the action continually moves forward without any lengthy descriptive passages.  Still, the setting itself, with the heat and the culture and the traditional magic (like the Gullah magic that Amma works) almost act as a minor character.

The characters are awesome too.  First, the uniqueness of point of view:  the book is told by Ethan Waite, a non-magical male.  Seems like most of the magical/witchy books are told from the female perspective.  (At least in the YA realm.  I haven't tried any "grown up" witchy books.)  Ethan is such a good guy.  I want to be his friend, and also can't help but wonder if I'd be worthy of being his friend.  He's not perfect- he definitely has some moments- but overall he's so good.  So much better than many actual teenage boys I know.  You can really see the influence of his Amma in him.  I love reading about how much he cares for his family and friends.

Lena is almost a secondary character in this book.  The whole plot is driven by her; is about her; but yet she's not a truly active player in all of it.  Instead, Ethan and Linc spend a large portion of the book "chasing" her.  (I don't want to say too much and spoil anything!)  Just like how the first book was all about a build-up to Lena's sixteenth moon; this book is about her seventeenth moon.  Lena is just as communicative as ever... *insert sarcasm*  And of course you'll have to read the book to find out if she claims herself for light or dark!  It's not obvious:  you'll be on the metaphorical edge of your seat as you read this book.  Along the way, you'll experience lots of Caster magic and all the members of the Ravenwood family and lots of mystery.

I listened to Beautiful Darkness, and the narrator did a fantastic job.  He had a Southern accent that wasn't too overdone or anything.  His pacing and enunciation were spot on.  I would definitely recommend this audiobook.  There were also some sound effects scattered throughout too, which is rare!  They were really well done.  Not too many; not too few.  And each time the seventeen moons song came up, it was actually sung by a female, to music.  I think this is one of those rare cases where the audiobook may actually be slightly better than the physical book!

Overall, a great series and a great book.  Two thumbs up!

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by Tynga at Thursday, January 19, 2017

 Brown Books for Young Readers, caster chronicles, Fantasy amp; Magic, Friendship, Kami Garcia, Library, Little, Magic, Margaret Stohl, Review, YA, young adult  Leave your mark

✎

The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige

This series is so good, y'all!  Just the other night I was gushing about it to my mom, and she hasn't even ever shown interest in anything paranormal/fantasy/fairy tale/YA!  I just want to spread the word about this series.  Am I just too late to the game?  Was everyone else gushing about this two years ago and I somehow missed it?  Or is this a sleeper series?  Anyway, The Wicked Will Rise is the second book in this series, so there will be spoilers for the first book in the review below.  To read the review of the first book, Dorothy Must Die, click here.  We also have reviews of the prequel novellas- just check the Review Archive (above) and search for Danielle Paige.

The Wicked Will Rise picks up almost exactly where Dorothy Must Die left off, so we don't miss a moment of the action.  Amy Gunn is still in Oz and Dorothy is still around somehow.  Definitely still wicked.  Amy is going around Oz with some now-wingless flying monkeys and somewhat-brainless Ozma, trying to get back the gifts that the "Wizard" gave to the the Tin Man, the Lion, and the Scarecrow.  Sometimes when reading this series, I've kind of felt like they're building to a giant moral lesson... maybe.  Something about not letting power go to your head or to appreciate what you have or to count your blessings or the Golden Rule or something.  Not only is Dorothy evil, but the Lion, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow are all evil too!  Amy has to figure out what parts of those three characters represent their gift, and then remove it.

This book is not for the faint of heart.  She has to figure out what parts of those three characters represent their gift, and then remove it.  And carry it around.

I often get bored with books where the plot is predictable.  When an author spells out at the beginning of the book that the main character is going on a quest to accomplish X, Y, and Z, then walks us through it... I'm done.  But Danielle Paige throws in plenty of twists to the storyline to keep even the most reluctant reader engaged!  Every time I started to feel even the least bit comfortable, another unexpected thing happened.  Ozma provided quite a few of these unexpected moments with random bits of lucidity, and the queen of the flying monkeys definitely provided a humorous distraction for a moment.  I can't say much more without spoilers, so you'll just have to take my word for it:  this book is not formulaic.  Amy doesn't just set out on a pre-planned quest and accomplish it.  There are pitfalls and misdirections and successes all mixed together.

I feel like the character of Amy gets a lot more rounded out in this volume.  I loved loved loved her in the first book, with all of her snark!  I'm a huge fan of sarcasm in real life and in my literature.  In The Wicked Will Rise we lose a little bit of the snark (not completely; don't worry) but we really get to know Amy better.  She's complex!  There were a few moments where I totally didn't agree with a choice she makes, but that's real life.  No one is perfect, especially when under stress, like she is.  She makes some mistakes.  She gives in to temptations.  She develops and shows feelings for other characters (both friendly and romantic).  I can very much appreciate that.  It takes talent to write as much back story and personality into Amy as Paige does in these books.

Now, the ending:  another cliffhanger!!!  Paige certainly wants to make sure we all keep buying her books!  I can't wait to start in on book #3 (an advantage to picking up an older series: I get to binge-read) and find out if the W.I.C.K.E.D. really will rise and reclaim Oz!

 

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by Tynga at Thursday, January 12, 2017

 Danielle Paige, Dorothy Must Die, Fantasy amp; Magic, Fiction, HarperCollins, Library, Review, Wizard of Oz, YA, young adult  Leave your mark

✎

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas (second opinion)

I recently read Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas.  I know, I know: I'm waaaay behind the game on this series!  I'm kicking myself for not trying them sooner; they're excellent.  On the plus side, I get to binge-read them now, since I waited until so many were released to start reading them!  This is a Second Look on Tynga's Reviews- Tynga herself reviewed this right after it was released in 2013.  You can read her excellent review here.

WOW.  I feel like I've just been on the most amazing roller coaster!  The book's official summary hints at a secret being revealed, but there's no way you could see this one coming.  It's a whammy.  It's going to be so hard to write this review and tell you about this amazing book without telling you the secret!  You will need to go read the book so that we can discuss in the comment section.  ;)

I wholeheartedly agree with Tynga's assessment that the characters really make this book great.  (And the first book, and the third, which I've just started reading.)  Celaena is the most kickbutt heroine I've ever read, I think.  Remember in the first book how hard she worked to overcome immense odds to get herself in shape to win the king's contest?  Now that she's the king's assassin Champion, she isn't slacking!  He has her killing people left and right.  She's dispatching them completely silently- no one in the whole kingdom has any idea how they're happening.  One thing is changing about Celaena, though: she's allowing herself to be slightly (very, very, very slightly) more open.  We readers definitely get to know a lot more about her; Chaol and Dorian get to know her better as well.  I think I mentioned in my first review, of Throne of Glass, that I love how "real" Celaena is.  She has hobbies (books!) and interests (warcraft and martial arts) and favorite foods (chocolate and candy!).  Often this type of book will have a main character with a goal/mission, and that's all they ever focus on.  Maybe they'll have a little romance on the side.  I can't remember ever before reading about how much a character enjoys unwinding with a good book!  I love that.

Chaol and Dorian continue to get rounded out as well.  Especially Dorian!  I think we got to know sweet, tough, chivalrous, smart Chaol in Throne of Glass.  By the end of Throne of Glass I was 100% "Team Chaol."  Even though the books have an almost medieval-type feel to them, I don't feel like Chaol ever looks down on women just for being women.  He might look down on someone who "simpered" or acted foolish, but he totally respects Celaena, and encourages her development.  To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure how to feel about Dorian by the end of Throne of Glass.  He was already showing signs of being quite a complicated person.  That's good- no one likes 1D characters- but it also complicated my feelings toward him.  In Crown of Midnight, however, Celaena isn't the only one with a secret:  we also learn a very interesting fact about Dorian in the second half of the book!

Throne of Glass wrapped up nicely.  Sarah J. Maas almost could've simply ended there.  (We'd all be clamoring for more, because she built an awesome world with an awesome main character, but the plot wrapped up for the most part.)  So there was a blank slate for Crown of Midnight.  I had no clue what to expect!  The opening was just a tiny bit slow, but once it picks up (about a third of the way in) it REALLY picks up!  If anyone were able to make this into a movie, it'd gross millions.  There's action and adventure and fighting and subterfuge oh my!  Then, at the very end, the much-anticipated huge reveal!  I cannot stress enough:  you need to read this book!  You'll be totally surprised by the secret!

I listened to Crown of Midnight as an audiobook, and it was great.  The reader spoke clearly and at a good, even, natural pace.  I love doing sci-fi/fantasy books as audiobooks so that I don't have to think about how to pronounce all the totally-foreign-to-me place and person names!

I definitely recommend this book!

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by Tynga at Thursday, January 05, 2017

 action, Action amp; Adventure, Bloomsbury Children's, Fantasy amp; Magic, Girls amp; Women, heroine, Library, Review, Sarah J. Maas, Throne of Glass, YA, young adult  5 People left their mark

✎

The Wizard Returns by Danielle Paige

The Wizard Returns is the third prequel to Dorothy Must Die.  It can be read as a standalone, no problem, but you can also read reviews of the other books by clicking on the titles:  No Place Like Oz (#0.1), The Witch Must Burn (#0.2), Dorothy Must Die (#1).

These prequels have been so enjoyable that I almost regretted coming to this final one!  I've already got a copy of The Wicked Will Rise from my library so that I can stay in this alternative Oz.  The Wizard Returns was, unfortunately, the weakest of the prequel trilogy.  Not to say that I hated it; it just wasn't as WOW as the first two.  The title is just slightly off- it turns out that the wizard never left Oz!  His balloon crashed, he landed in the field of poppies, and has been asleep for 20+ years.  When he wakes, all of his memories are gone.

This novella traces his journey from the field of poppies to the headquarters of the resistance.  Along the way, he's guided by an Ozian named Pete, who takes him through three "tests" to earn his memory back.  The story wasn't terrible, but it was pretty full of tropes.  I didn't sense a ton of imagination in this one.  Terrible person gets amnesia and needs to redeem himself?  Done before.  Three tests/tasks to earn a big reward?  Done before.  I even saw the grand finale coming, in a way.  (I didn't specifically see fairies, but you know what I mean.)

I also wasn't really "feeling" the wizard, as the young folks say.  ;)  He came across as rather whiny, petulant, and weak.  I understand that life isn't going as he'd planned, but come on!  Pete just explained that he was a terrible guy and that he gets a second chance!  Be grateful, not whiny!  Overall, I'm not entirely certain this particular novella was all that necessary.  :/

Something that made it all much better, though, was the narration!  I listened to the audiobook of The Wizard Returns and the reader was fantastic.  His voice was lively and upbeat; a real joy to listen to.  He also did different voices/accents for each character, without any of them sounding contrived or goofy.  Real talent!  I'd listen to more books read by Luke Daniels.

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by Tynga at Thursday, November 17, 2016

 Danielle Paige, Dorothy Must Die, Fantasy amp; Magic, Harper Collins, Library, Retelling, Review, Wizard of Oz, YA, young adult  2 People left their mark

✎

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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by Tynga at Thursday, November 10, 2016

 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

✎

No Place Like Oz by Danielle Paige (second opinion)

No Place Like Oz is the first of three prequel novellas to Dorothy Must Die, packaged together in Dorothy Must Die: Stories.  I listened to the package as an audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed them.  You can see Stephanie's review of Dorothy Must Die here, but it's not necessary to have read it first to enjoy No Place Like Oz.  And you can read Jonathan's original review of No Place Like Oz here.

No Place Like Oz opens on Dorothy's sixteenth birthday.  Even in the 1920's, this is a big deal birthday for a young girl.  She's going to have a party that afternoon, but everything starts to go wrong.  First, her Aunt Em disappoints her with a smaller-than-expected birthday cake.  Then she catches her friends gossiping about her and her tales of Oz.  The straw that breaks the camel's back?  Her aunt gives her a mustardy brown, long, spartan dress for her birthday instead of a new, hip dress.  She skulks off to her bedroom and wishes very hard to return to Oz.

This novella fills in the back story that is touched upon very briefly in Dorothy Must Die.  In it, we find out how Dorothy could go from the naive little farm girl in The Wizard of Oz to the monstrous sorceress in Dorothy Must Die.  It's not an overnight process.  It's a series of small decisions that change her personality little by little.  In fact, the whole novella could be read as a cautionary tale, or fable:  be careful what you wish for.

I was impressed with how well fleshed-out Danielle Paige's Dorothy was, especially considering the shorter length of this story.  She's complex:  even while feeling shame and anger over the upcycled dress gift she still recognizes that she should be grateful to Aunt Em.  She feels intense love and protection for her aunt and uncle, even as they exasperate her over and over again.  This is so true!  Who hasn't felt exasperation at a loved one?

I had read Dorothy Must Die before reading No Place Like Oz, so I was pleasantly surprised to feel compelled to listen.  I thought it'd be a somewhat ok fluff of a story; just something to fill out the story a little bit.  Wrong!  It's a very good story in it's own right.  Even with "knowing the ending," I enjoyed every twist and turn in the plot.  It wasn't overly predictable at all, with a few unexpected elements.

The narration was good, too.  I really liked the reader, Andi Arndt.  She did a fantastic job!

Another excellent aspect to this prequel novella?  I'm doing the PopSugar Reading Challenge 2016, and this will count as half of my "a book and it's prequel" item!  :)

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by Tynga at Thursday, November 03, 2016

 Danielle Paige, Dorothy Must Die, Fantasy, Harper Collins, Library, Retelling, Review, Wizard of Oz, YA, young adult  Leave your mark

✎

Spells and Scones by Bailey Cates

Bailey Cates has done it again. It seems like she has found the right recipe for the perfect magical cozy mystery and keeps switching up the ingredients to entertain us with a new story with each new release. In Spells and Scones, not only do we unravel a new murder mystery, but we also have the chance to delve deeper into the relationships between characters.

Katie Lightfoot is a witch. She has only known for the last couple of years yet she has grown into her power relatively fast. She's a hedgewitch, sourcing her powers from plants and their magical properties. As a baker, it comes to her naturally, and as part owner of the Honeybee Bakery, she practices her craft daily by mixing positive ingredients and sending positive thoughts into her food. She also happens to be a lightwitch, meaning she's attracted to situations that need help finding a resolution.

Katie often finds herself near murder scenes and it's definitely true in this book. Only this time, it seems like there's very little magic involved in the crime. A Dr. Dana, a self-help guru and famous radio personality is found dead in the bookstore next to Katie's bakery. Katie feels compelled to help solve the mystery, especially when she learns the main murder suspect is an ex-witch, who just happens to be the previous owner of her familiar, Mungo. Her little terrier seems convinced that Angie is not guilty and for Katie, that's enough to convince her to help the ex-witch.

With the amount of murder scenes she "attracts", you would think Katie could start a side business as a private investigator. However, her true passion is her bakery so I highly doubt she would ever be comfortable leaving her business for a new one. She is good at investigating, using her magical powers only when necessary and only using her skills for good. However, even though it seems like she has everything figured out in her business life, it's her personal life she has a hard time dealing with. Her wonderful boyfriend Declan seems to want more (wants to move in more) but Katie is hesitant because of a past relationship that failed miserably. On top of everything, Steve Dawes professes his love for Katie and will stop at nothing to prove to Katie that he has turned his life around for her. That would put a damper on anyone's one year anniversary!

I love this series because it's light and easy to read compared to some of the other darker books I tend to read. The small town feeling, the sense of community and the wonderful food keeps me coming back for more. One of these days I'll try one of the recipes included. The Pumpkin Spice Softies sound delicious and yes, I just happen to be one of those people obsessed with pumpkin spice anything. Perfect for autumn, fans of Bailey Cates and cozy mysteries will fall for this book.

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by Tynga at Monday, September 19, 2016

 A Magical Bakery Mystery, Bailey Cates, bakery, cozy, food, Library, Magic, murder mystery, Mystery, NAL, Penguin, Review, Witch  Leave your mark

✎

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus is one of those books where I can totally understand the people who give it five star ratings on Goodreads and the people who give it two star ratings.  So weird when that happens.  For me, the prose and setting and magic swept me in and kept me entranced- I give that part of the book five enthusiastic stars.  But then there's the plot, which left some key questions unanswered- I give that part of the book only two or three stars.

Les Cirque des Reves arrives in towns without any warning.  No advance man, no advertising posters.  In fact, most people aren't even sure how it arrives- no one sees or hears a train pull into town.  (The book is set at the turn of the twentieth century; no airplanes or tour buses.)  Once it arrives, it only opens at night.  By the light of an elaborate bonfire, guests can explore the many black and white-striped tents.  They're full of the circus usuals, like acrobats and tarot card readers, plus the fantastic, such as a tent full of dreams.  At the heart of it all is a pair of magicians who have been pitted against each other since childhood.

The Night Circus is beautifully written.  I never wanted to put it down.  At times the prose seemed almost lyrical.  Erin Morgenstern truly brings the night circus to life in your imagination as you read.  I could smell the sawdust and hear the crowd and see the flames of the bonfire... I swear my fingers felt caramel corn-sticky at times!  I'll admit that I'm predisposed to enjoying circus books, but this one was better than most.  I also loved the setting.  Because it's set at the turn of the century, we get to picture all the beautiful gowns on the female characters and nice suits with top hats on the guys.  The book takes place over the course of many years, but many of the pivotal scenes are set in fall, my favorite time of year.  The leaves are changing and the winds are blowing and there's a little crisp to the air... to me, fall is the most magical season, so it makes sense to place a magical book in the fall!

I would consider knocking a star or two off of my rating, though, for the plot.  I got very frustrated with trying to understand the game that the two main characters are playing.  They're supposed to be in a competition, but they're both working on the circus?  What are the rules?  Are there any rules?  How is a winner decided?  Don't get me wrong- I loved reading about the circus, the result of their competition!  Morgenstern could've skipped the whole competition thing and just done a romance and it would've been fine.

Overall, the writing and the circus make this a book I heartily recommend!

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by Tynga at Thursday, September 08, 2016

 circus, Doubleday, Erin Morgenstern, Fantasy amp; Magic, historic, Library, Magic, magicians, Mystery, Review  1 Person left their mark

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Where the Wild Things Bite by Molly Harper

You know you're reading a Molly Harper book when the main characters are stuck in a crazy, life threatening situation but the author still manages to make you laugh. Molly Harper has this wonderful recipe for paranormal romance novels and it's infallible. I've never been disappointed by one of her books, probably because I understand her type of humour. Her characters are relatable, despite their peculiarities and you can't help but get attached to them. Where the Wild Things Bite, despite being short, is a wonderful addition to the Half-Moon Hollow series.

Anna, a rare book expert on the paranormal, is on a mission to return a valuable book to none other than Jane Jameson, after having appraised it, and confirmed it as an authentic and important document in the history of shifters. However, things go wrong as soon as she enters the plane that is supposed to bring her to Half-Moon Hollow. The pilot is deranged and threatens to kill her with a knife if she doesn't hand over the book, and when that fails, he tampers with the plane and crashes it in the middle of Kentucky lakeland. Anna would have crashed and died in it if it wasn't for Finn, the only other passenger of the plane. Anna accuses him of throwing her out of the moving plane but Finn guarantees her that he jumped, cradling her in his arms.

Together, they're lost in the woods, with no supplies and no sign of civilization. Only an old, but valuable book. So valuable that people are willing to kill for it. Anna, a germaphobic and very anxious person, quickly learns to survive in the woods. With shifters after her, she relies on Finn, who happens to be a vampire, to find her way through the woods. However, smart as she is, she soon realizes that Finn has somewhat questionable reasons for helping her. A liar, a thief and a con man, Finn tries to convince skeptical Anna that he really wants to help her, despite his previous motives.

Anna is a wonderful and realistic character, despite her neuroses. Her tendencies to learn every survival statistics and her obsession in reading survival guides to everything, helps her survive the Kentucky woods. Finn might be a liar and deceitful but I think he really wants to help Anna. I don't know exactly when he started to like her, but their close proximity leads up to steamy scenes. They're the most unlikely couple, but I think that's what so charming about the pair.

I really wish we could have gotten more out of Anna and Finn's story. Their trek through the woods was hilarious and entertaining, but what happened after the woods just went by so quickly. I'm glad Jane and the Half-Moon Hollow gang made an appearance but they didn't have much to do with the story. In a way, that made Anna and Finn the focus of the story. A delightful read, Where the Wild Things Bite is a must read for Jane Jameson fans.

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by Tynga at Monday, September 05, 2016

 Half Moon Hollow, Library, Molly Harper, Paranormal Romance, Pocket, Review, Shifters, Simon amp; Schuster, Vampire, werewolves  Leave your mark

✎

Mary Poppins in the Park by P.L. Travers

I'm continuing to read through the Mary Poppins series, and continuing to love them!  Mary Poppins in the Park has a slightly different layout and tone to it, but it's not a bad change.  (You can read reviews of the first three books, Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins Comes Back, and Mary Poppins Opens the Door, here.)

In the previous books, each chapter had a predictable pattern:  one of the Banks children would encounter a moral decision and then they would all go on a magical adventure with Mary Poppins.  The child would learn a moral, and Mary Poppins would deny that any magic had taken place.  In Mary Poppins in the Park, the morals are either more deeply veiled or not present at all.  The Banks children and Mary Poppins go on a couple of magical adventures just for fun!  From the park across from their house, they meet the Goose Girl and Swineherd, meet talking cats, meet tiny people (like seriously tiny, a few centimeters tall), meet princes from a story book, and attend a party of shadows on Halloween.  Another difference between this book and the previous three:  Mary doesn't make a grand entrance nor a grand departure.  When the book opens, she is already in the park with the Banks children, as though she'd never left.  (And all of the adventures start and stop in the park, hence the title.)

While Mary is still rather abrupt in her manner of speaking to others, she seems a bit softer yet in this book during the magical moments.  At the Halloween party they even catch her dancing!  Readers of previous books will also delight in seeing cameos from favorite characters in this book, such as Nelius and the bird woman.  And I won't spoil it for you, but you do get a glimpse of where Mary might just go whenever she leaves the Banks' for a season!

I listened to Mary Poppins in the Park.  Fantastic narration by Rosalyn Landor.  She sounds just like I would imagine the literary Mary Poppins to sound!  (We have already discussed how the literary Mary Poppins is not much like the Julie Andrews Mary Poppins.)  The recording has well moderated volume (I never had to turn it up or down in the middle of a story) and Ms. Landor has a very comfortable cadence.  I give it two thumbs up!

This series continues to be one I would recommend to old and young alike... even better, for old to share aloud with young!  :)

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by Tynga at Thursday, August 04, 2016

 Fantasy amp; Magic, Fiction, historic, HMH Publishers, Library, Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers, Review, young adult  Leave your mark

✎