Review: Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan

Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan
(The Lynburn Legacy #2)
Reviewed by Noelle: September 25, 2013
Published September 24, 2013 by Random House Books for Young Readers
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Warning: Spoilers from Unspoken (The Lynburn Legacy #1) are mentioned below, specifically the developments leading into Book #2.  Read my Unspoken review here.

I've lost that loving feeling.  Oh, that loving feeling.  I've lost that loving feeling and it died under the weight of a thousand quips. (Whoa-oh-oh-oh.)

You all know I love quips-- I do! But there reaches a saturation point where it all becomes too much.  Must (nearly) everyone talk like that all of the time?  I can't imagine having a conversation with these characters without having to Cher slap them to snap out of it.

Because the stakes are higher than ever for the citizens of Sorry-in-the-Vale.  A crazed blood-thirsty sorcerer is demanding human sacrifices.  Families are falling apart.  Kami and Jared's magical link is broken just when their combined powers are needed the most.  And last but not least there are several post-makeout D-T-Rs to establish.  There are so many important conversations that need to happen between characters but everyone is too busy lock and loading zingers to say what they really think or feel.

It's like talking to Lorelai Gilmore about stopping the apocalypse after she's had 20 cups of coffee.  Funny? Yes. Frustrating? TOTALLY.

Sarah Rees Brennan's writing is charming as always and I still have a lot of affection for these characters and this world.  However, while there are eventually some conversational breakthroughs, in the end, Untold is a rather apt title for this installment: there's so much talking in this book without the characters actually saying anything to each other. The plot suffers from middle book syndrome where not much happens until the end, further accentuating the incessant quip-show.  By the time the talking stopped and the action kicked in I had already emotionally checked out.

There are several intriguing plot developments setting up the final book, so I'm sure many will be back to see how Kami and the gang fare in the finale. Hopefully Untold hasn't talked me out of it. We shall see. Rating 2.5/5.

Back to the Future: The Song of the Lioness Series by Tamora Pierce

Welcome to Back to the Future, a feature at YAA where we revisit young adult books from back when we were well, young adults.  Sometimes we'll be reading these books for the first time, sometimes we'll be rereading to compare how our adult selves interpret the book and sometimes, we'll be doing a bit of both.  

Somehow, Noelle completely missed Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness series the first time around.  Is she now too old to wear an Alanna is My Homegirl shirt? Only one way to find out---To the DeLorean!

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Summary from Tamora Pierce's website:

This story, all four books, is about the making of a hero. It's also about a very stubborn girl.

Alanna of Trebond wants to be a knight of the realm of Tortall, in a time when girls are forbidden to be warriors. Rather than give up her dream, she and her brother--who wants to be a mage, not a knight--switch places. She becomes Alan; Thom becomes a student wizard in the school where she would have learned to be a lady.

The quartet is about her struggle to achieve her goals and to master weapons, combat, polite behavior, her magic, her temper, and even her own heart. It is about friendships--with the heir to the throne, the King of Thieves, a wise and kindly knight--and her long struggle against a powerful enemy mage.

She sees battle as a squire and as a knight, lives among desert people and tries to rescue an independent princess. Singled out by a goddess, accompanied by a semi-divine cat with firm opinions, somehow she survives her many adventures to become a most unlikely legend.

Present Day Noelle: 
Not only am I not too old for an Alanna is My Homegirl t-shirt, I want one for Christmas.

Quick peek at circa 1992 Noelle:  *muppet flailing*

Back to Present Day Noelle: Young adult Noelle would have looooved this series and I'm still surprised I managed to miss it the first time around.  The Song of the Lioness would have felt right at home on my shelf beside Jackaroo by Cynthia Voigt and The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley.  Nevertheless, I'm glad I finally got the chance to remedy my oversight.  I greatly enjoyed Alanna's journey. 

I loved that although Alanna was naturally talented, she also depended on hard work and practice to overcome her deficiencies.  Mini-trials and tribulations built to serious battles, showcasing just how far Alanna grew throughout the series.  Alanna had to work hard for her accomplishments which helped balance out the Everyone Loves Alanna vibe that developed later in the series--- not that I could blame them.  I loved Alanna, too. 

Another great thing about the series is it's handling of romantic relationships.  Like real life, the heroine was allowed multiple romances that had their own natural expiration dates.  There wasn't any of the My High School Boyfriend is My Soulmate crap that can show up in other YAs.  Relationships began and ended for a variety of reasons with no talk of destiny, fate or tragedy.  It was very refreshing.  

Unfortunately, I read this series at the beginning of the summer and took all my notes for this review on my now extinct cell phone so this review is much shorter than I intended.  (If only I had a real Delorean to go back in time and back up my phone!) Still I remember enough to say with confidence: Alanna is definitely my homegirl for life.  I can't wait to read Tamora Pierce's other Tortall series.

Present Day Noelle's Ratings:
Alanna: The First Adventure: 3.5/5 stars
In the Hand of the Goddess: 4/5 stars
The Woman Who Rides Like a Man: 4/5 stars
Lioness Rampant: 5/5 stars

Early Review: More Than This by Patrick Ness

More Than This by Patrick Ness
Reviewed by Noelle: September 3, 2013
(YAA received an ARC of this book from the publishers)
(Will be) Published on September 10, 2013 by Candlewick Press
Goodreads • Preorder on Amazon • Kindle




Here's the thing with reviewing Patrick Ness books: I don't want you to read reviews of Patrick Ness books.  I want to Panda slap your laptop out of your hand before allowing you to read any details about Patrick Ness books.  I want you to skip GO, do not collect $200 dollars and JUST FREAKING READ THEM ALREADY. Save the review browsing for after.

Which might be a bit scandalous to say as a book blogger (goodbye page views!) but: 1) I don't want you to get spoiled because part of the fun of reading Ness is feeling like you are a reaction GIF brought to life, and  2) Preconceptions and Ness books just don't mix.

Your brain will try to fill in the blanks and make assumptions--specifically that you can try and guess where the story is going in Part One.  Patrick Ness will smile to himself, suddenly amused on the other side of the planet, not quite knowing why.  Part Two comes around and you'll chuckle ruefully.  That Ness, he gets you every time!  But you've read a book before, you know where Part Three is going, right? RIGHT?  Part Four comes along and there you are lying in the fetal position in your driveway as Ness lays down rubber doing donuts around you while screaming "MWAHAHAHAHA!" out the window.

We've all been there.

I always thought one of the best things about Patrick Ness was the beauty of not being sure where he was leading you but being willing to open up and experience the journey. Ness has made that thought into a book.

"I'll just see", he says. "That's all I'll do.  I'll just see what's next."

What's next takes the universal feeling of being sure there must be More Than This, focuses it into a tight close up shot of a teenage boy's dying face and then pulls it back all the way to the atmosphere.  Detailed personal agonies let go to boundless breadths of emotion.

I somehow didn't cry until page 381.

More Than This is unconventional.  It might test your patience and expectations as a reader.  But, as a reader, haven't you ever read a book and wondered, isn't there more than this?  Well, my dears.  This is it.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Series Review: Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness

The Chaos Walking Series by Patrick Ness 
The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and the Answer, Monsters of Men
Reviewed by Noelle: May 23, 2013
Published by Walker Books, Ltd
Goodreads • Buy at Amazon • Kindle • Book Depository

 I won't go into specific detail in this review as I want it to be safe as possible to read at any point in this series, but just know this: the less you know beforehand, the better. I urge you just to try it out and experience the crazy beautifulness of the series for yourself. 

 To put it in the most mundane way possible, I prepare for Patrick Ness books by making sure I'm stocked up on anguish and crying GIFS for my Goodreads status updates. Pick a page and any of these could be an accurate representation of my emotional state:

Yup.

Bask in the pain.

Let it all out.

It might seem over the top but it is true.  Reading Chaos Walking is a catharsis, and will leave you feeling raw, but OH is it so worth it. To try and put it more seriously---

Chaos Walking is set on a planet other than Earth and Ness describes the indigenous species' method of communicating like this: 

“I find I am swimming in a river of voices reaching out and touching mine"

“And I realize he ain’t telling me with words. [...] he’s surrounding me with it, letting me sit in the middle of it, knowing it to be true.” 

And honestly, that is what reading this series was like for me, complete emotional immersion. Ness continually challenges the reader with his exploration of the moral ambiguity and hypocrisy of human nature. He has readers questioning the characters, their motives, their decisions, and examining their own belief system. He asks the hard questions and demands truthful answers (whether you agree with him or not). It results in a level of emotional investment that in my personal experience, is just about unparalleled.

Each book in the series multiplies in complexity. The first is action-packed, the second is a grind of mind games and moral quandaries and the final is a combination of both---cranked to a million. Each book also adds an additional point of view that fills out the world wonderfully. In Chaos Walking, high-stake dilemmas aren't merely used for suspense value. When Ness puts his characters (and by proxy the readers) in horrific situations and forces them to make impossible choices, those decisions have real consequences and cause actual, sometimes irreparable damage. The repercussions don't just disappear, they alter the world of the characters.

Nearly every character is a complex, three-dimensional person. Both heroes and villains are shown to be capable of good and evil.  Not only did I come up with a curse word in honor of the protagonist (TODDAMMIT), I count the antagonist as one of my favorite characters of all time.  

The themes of the series are explored in devastatingly beautiful and honest ways. Vengeance vs. forgiveness. The power of love to save and destroy. Trust, truth and openness vs. suppression, misdirection and lies. Questioning yourself vs. blind certainty. The meaning of redemption.

It’s not how we fall. It’s how we get back up again.  

I'm so glad I stumbled across Patrick Ness and Chaos Walking. I cannot recommend this series enough. The beauty and emotions Ness can convey in a phrase, scene and story is breath-taking. I know it will stay with me for a long time.

Chaos Walking: 

I've linked to my individual Goodreads reviews below.  Be forewarned, the reviews will contain small spoilers.

The Knife of Never Letting Go: 4.5/5 stars (review)

The Ask and the Answer: 5/5 stars (review)

Monsters of Men: 5/5 stars (review)

Early Review: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
The 5th Wave #1
Reviewed by Noelle: April 10, 2013
(YAA received an ARC of this book from the publishers)
(Will be) Published May 7, 2013 by Putnam Juvenile
Goodreads • Preorder on Amazon • Kindle

Aliens are coming and everyone knows it. They've been hanging out in orbit for a week or so now, observing Earth. Waiting. Watching. And they like what they see. They like it a lot. Except here's the thing: they don't really do sharing, so nothing against us humanoids, but we've gotta go.

Earth's eviction notice comes in five waves:

Wave #1: Say buh-bye to electricity.
Wave #2: Hope you live above sea-level.
Wave #3: You thought lil' ol' bird-flu was scary? That's cute.
Wave #4: Shhh...what you can't see might kill you.

By the fourth wave, 95% of the human population is dead and those who remain aren't even sure who the real enemy is--or what they look like. The fifth wave is coming, battle lines have been drawn and Earth's greatest weapon is up for grabs: humanity itself.

The 5th Wave is a taut, psychological sci-fi thriller that is destined to be a huge hit and deservedly so. The suspense is well-crafted and the characters' voices, particularly Cassie's, feel alive and three dimensional.

Cassie, a "normal" teenager who suddenly might actually be the last human on Earth, is my favorite. She is isolated and on the run but desperately driven by the chance of reuniting with her younger brother--at much physical, psychological and emotional pain to herself. I loved reading about her struggle to stay pragmatic in the face of paranoia and her moral balancing act with the ever evolving rules of survival in the post-invasion world.

I wasn't as engaged with Zombie's POV but I rather enjoyed the character when he was depicted by others. The strength of his character voice wasn't as dominant as Cassie's and while that made sense with his character's story line, Zombie's guilt (and other extenuating circumstances) gave his voice a muted quality in comparison. I enjoyed the psychological suspense the most and wished those aspects of Zombie's story had been cranked all the way up to the Ness-ian levels they flirted with. (I couldn't help but also wonder what it'd be like with a dual female protagonist POV pair of Cassie and Ringer as well...) There are several other intriguing smaller POVs that have room to grow in future installments of the series and one in particular I would have SO much to talk about if not for pesky spoilers.

The POVs expertly enrich the depth and scope of the invasion and the story is such that even though you'll figure some twists out before the characters, it does nothing to diminish the suspense or emotional rewards. Sure there are some questions that surface when you think too much about certain plot points (the age demographic of the squads for one), but the overall result is so entertaining and well-written that the questions are easy to brush aside. The more the different POVs come together, the stronger the story grows with surprisingly moving results.

I love backing characters into corners to see what they are capable of--and an alien invasion has a lot of corners. Let's face it. Humanity is freaking weird and that will always be our secret weapon. How strong we can be with our weaknesses. How unpredictable we are in our predictability. Humanity has a fluidity than cannot be fully foreseen or contained. You can back humans into a corner and you're never quite sure what you're going to get. The results can at turns disgust or delight, but something will always prevail.

Whether that is to the benefit of Earth's surviving humans or the new invaders, is yet to be seen.  But I'll definitely be reading to find out! Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Read the first 70 pages for free!

*I got a sort of sick relief that Florida (aka me) would get wiped out by the second wave and miss the whole bleeding-from-every-orifice third wave, but that's why I'm a lowly blogger and not the star of an amazing sci-fi action adventure I guess.

**Bonus points for mentioning tampons in a dystopia! What's next--actually acknowledging body hair when all the razors are gone?

Two Mini-Reviews and a Not-So Rory Curtain Review

By Noelle

Ever finish a book and not have much to say? Talk about a blogger's worst nightmare. But somehow, even when I don't have much to say, I always  have something to say so here are a few words on some books I've finished lately.  Rambling, engaged!

Mini-Review: The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd
The Madman's Daughter #1 
Reviewed by Noelle: March 19, 2013
Published January 20, 2013 by Balzer & Bray
Goodreads • Buy at Amazon • Kindle • Book Depository

Okay first of all, a warning---the animal cruelty in this one is hard to take.  Do you know what a vivisection is?  You will after reading this book.

This is a reimagining of the classic The Island of Doctor Moreau (spoilers in link!) and while I haven't read the original I knew enough to expect science experiments gone horribly wrong, an intense, claustrophobic stuck on an island with god knows what atmosphere and hopefully a lot of suspense and intrigue.  And while I got those things for the most part, I also got...a Love Triangle.

I guess if there is only one female of marriageable age on an island there's bound to be some competition for her affection but the amount of thought Juliet spends on her love interests really bummed me out.  After years of scrapping by with just her wits and survival instincts, Juliet manages to finally reunite with her estranged father (who disappeared under shady circumstances and horrible rumors).  Now she's stuck with him on a remote island with a LOT of weird things going on including secret experiments and someTHING killing everyone in the woods but she somehow has time for hourly inner debates over which boy is her number one crush?   I get being swept away by hormones but to me the fear of disembowelment proves to be one of the most effective cold showers of all time.

Credit where credit is due, Juliet can be pretty entertainingly ruthless within the love triangle.  For example: she and Bachelor #2 are racing through the jungle running away from a horrible monster who claws people's hearts out of their chest. Suddenly, she finds herself separated from Bachelor #2 and has the epiphany that if she runs in the water there will be only one trail for the monster to follow--Bachelor #2's trail.  I laughed out loud.

Unfortunately, Juliet's ruthlessness gets hypocritical at times, especially at the end.  There are parts of the story I really did enjoy such as the exploration of what was really going on with her father and the island and I actually really liked the ending--including surprisingly enough, how the love triangle resolved itself. Though now that I know this is a series, I might take that part back.  I'll probably consider this as a standalone novel and leave it at that. Rating: 3/5 stars

Mini-Review: The Archived by Victoria Schwab
The Archived #1
Reviewed by Noelle: March 19, 2013
Published January 22, 2013 by Hyperion
Goodreads • Buy at Amazon • Kindle • Book Depository

I'm going to let Goodreads explain this one:

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often—violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn’t just dangerous—it’s a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da’s death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

Sounds awesome, right?  But despite the really creative concept and setting, I just couldn't get fully invested in this one.  I had to return it to the library 200 pages in and almost didn't pick it up again two weeks later when it became reavailable.  I get easily frustrated with stories where the plot necessitates that no one talk to each other about what they know and there were a lot of holes in the whole history of Histories and why things are the way they are in the Archive (which granted might be purposeful for suspense but left me pretty irritated and confused at times).

Plus, another love triangle? This time it's with Bachelor #1 constantly talking about how attractive he was (seriously it got as bad as 3 times in a page and a half) and Bachelor #2 being unavailable in every sense of the word but alas, super hot.  Granted, if I had realized that Bachelor #1 was more of a love interest with a question mark than a Love Interest all capital letters I would probably have given him more of a break but still--the dude wears guyliner. I did appreciate that (non-triangle) Roland was basically David Tennant's Dr. Who, so points for that!

Entertaining at times but didn't grab me by the Goodreads, know what I mean?  This is another first in a series that can mostly be treated as a standalone and for now, I plan to do just that. Rating: 3/5 stars.

Rory Curtain Extracurricular Review: Written in Red by Anne Bishop
The Others #1
Reviewed by Noelle: March 19, 2013
Published March 5, 2013 by NAL Hardcover
Goodreads • Buy at Amazon • Kindle • Book Depository


Not so fast Taylor Doose--put away that Rory Curtain.  What, you say? An urban fantasy without smut? Is that even allowed?!  Yes, readers, it is and I for one really liked the results.  Now before you boo hiss your way stage left, let me assure you, there is a smut foundation built in this one and I feel pretty confident that smut construction will start in the sequel (at the very least romance permits have been filed) and I am definitely going to stick around to find out.

This is an urban fantasy that feels and reads more like a high fantasy.  The world building is very complicated and there is a lot of info to digest about the world and character dynamics.  In short, I'm not even going to try to explain it all here.  Just know it involves a highly advanced species (The Others) that can shape-shift and in the process have begun to take on the characteristics of certain species that are their go-to shifts.  The author really nails the animal mannerisms with some charming and hysterical results.

The heroine is a blood prophet that's on the run and has to take shelter with the Others, as scary as they may be.  At first, the heroine had a few personality traits from her sheltered existence that were pretty frustrating but as she learns the ins and outs of her new situation she really came into her own.

I loved how the Others were actually scary and appreciated the unpredictability of their interactions with the humans.  Rating: 3.5/5 stars (rounded up on Goodreads for GRUMPY PONIES--and for being the only series of these three I'm definitely continuing.)

Review: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Leviathan #1
Reviewed by Noelle: February 20, 2013
Published by Simon & Schuster on October 1, 2009
Goodreads • Buy at Amazon • Kindle • Book Depository


Blisters, I'm rusty at reviewing! Good thing Leviathan is going to make it pretty easy for me:  I mean, any time you can give me action and adventure--most of which takes place in the belly of an airborne whale? Just show me where to sign at the dotted line.

Leviathan has one of the more interesting steampunk set ups I've encountered in my forays into the genre.  Usually I've found that Steampunk worlds are split up into us and them--the people gung-ho about the new steam-related technological advances and the people who want nothing to do with the new-fangled inventions (which I understand fear of the unknown but as someone who is still waiting for a robot to do my laundry, I don't have much patience for.)  In Leviathan's world basically everyone is on board with the technological advances, they just can't agree on the best way to go about it.

In one corner you have the Clankers, which are the more traditional steampunk pioneers who focus their advances on mechanical based innovation such as machines, walkers, weapons etc. In the other corner you have the Darwinists who use genetically modified hybrid animals--hydrogen whale airships, messenger lizards and other beasties--for their advancements.  Leviathan starts with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and veers into it's alternate steampunky history from there.  The Clankers and Darwinists find themselves on opposite sides of the impending World War.

That brings me to another thing that made Leviathan so easy for me to love: it has three of my favorite tropes.  Now, tropes can get a bad rap but they are tropes for a reason--they are classics! And when used correctly (which Westerfeld does) result in a reading experience enjoyment that clicks into place like clockwork (steampunk pun!)

Trope Fave #1: Uptight sheltered prince who gets dumped into the real world and has to survive by his previously unused bootstraps.

Trope Fave #2: That plucky middle class rough around the edges steamship crew member is actually a girl!  (The girl disguised as boy thing not as much as the girl who's crew member of a steamship and could mop the floor with your Clanker boots thing.)

Throw them together and you get one of my fave tropes of all time (I may have mentioned it once or twice): Buddy Cops of Convenience.  Two wildly different personalities/upbringings/cultures who would NEVER work together usually but get stuck together in order to complete a common goal.  Banter, reluctant teamwork and mutual respect ensue and I am pretty much guaranteed to love every moment of it.

Add in adventure, intrigue and expertly written action scenes and you get a book that is practically tailor-made for me to love.  I can't wait to see where the series takes me next.  Rating: 4/5 stars.

This book was chosen by me by Heidi for my 13 in 2013 Book Resolution so thanks for Heidi for such a fun choice!  Only 12 more to go.

ALSO why don't more books have illustrations?  It was wonderful flipping the pages to see an illustrated scene.  Then again I'd make every novel have them if it were my choice.

Review: The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle

Review: The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle
The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy #1
Reviewed by Noelle on October 25, 2012
Published September 19, 2006 by Henry Holt and Co.
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Kate and Emily have just inherited the estate on Hollow Hill but have no idea of the land's cursed history.  Girls have been disappearing off the property for centuries with only crazy legends about magic and goblins for explanations.  Kate begins to realize just how true the danger is once Marak the Goblin King begins to woo her.  Goblin Kings court by kidnapping and the bride is destined to spend the rest of her life below ground.  Kate is desperate to save herself and her sister, but dangers develop from unexpected sources--and sometimes, so does love.

The Hollow Kingdom was one of Catie's book choices for me in The Readventurer's She Made Me Do It Challenge.  Catie wasn't sure how I'd go for the Beauty and the Beast aspect of the story and I must admit, I've been hit and miss with B&B stories in the past.  Luckily, The Hollow Kingdom has several important differentiations from the trope that makes it one of my favorite Beauty and the Beast retellings to date.

First of all, Marak (the Beast in question), isn't an isolated brooding, angsty or self-pitying alpha male.  He's a pragmatist and a confident and compassionate leader.  Above all he's amused and delighted by most things---especially Kate.  He's friendly, he cracks himself up and it's pretty well known how much I enjoy a happy smartass.

Secondly, I appreciated that the Beast was actually, you know, a beast.  I roll my eyes when the Beast has like one scar and everyone screams monster.  Marak has six fingers, silver skin, horse hair, chrome teeth and unfortunate bone structure.  Yet I was also relieved that he wasn't so much of a Beast that the story necessitated him changing into something more socially acceptable for a viable romance to occur.

Although there were No Regrets, I'm not sure I could call The Hollow Kingdom a full on Disco Chicken, Catie.  For the first half of this book I was stressed out of my ever loving mind! (You can't yell "Wheeee!" when you're busy breathing into a paper bag.)  Yes, there was an inevitability about Kate's situation but her panic and desperation were so visceral that I couldn't help but be swept up in those feelings.

I appreciated that Kate's struggle with Marak was a battle of wits rather than a battle of physical strength (another welcome differentiation to the Beauty and the Beast trope).  I was also impressed with Kate's resourcefulness in resisting the Goblin King's abduction attempts but Marak had just enough of a magical and tactical advantage for the whole thing to be truly unsettling.

I also loved that no matter how quick thinking Kate managed to be, she had to constantly worry about being foiled by her sister's naivete.  As someone who growing up constantly had dreams of my sister inexplicably ignoring warnings and jumping into a shark-filled swimming pool, I could relate.  The supporting characters' "back away slowly from the crazy person" attitude toward Kate also added to the uneasiness factor.  I mean, even knowing what the plot was and what would undoubtedly happen, I couldn't ignore that "last night I dreamt I went to Manderly again" feeling in their interactions.

From the book summary I was surprised that more than half of the story was devoted to Kate's resistance of Marak's marriage attempts.  I expected more time to be spent in the development of Kate and Marak's spousal relationship.  I wish the reader got to witness more of the bonding scenes alluded to (I swear I'm not just being a perv) rather than just mentions of the milestones and time jumps.  The reader spends so much time viewing Marak as an adversary and the time between their marriage and the crisis that catalyzes the plot is a pretty small window to adjust to their new relationship.  While Kate has years, the reader has a chapter or two.

Still, I was charmed.  The writing was lovely and I was enthralled by the goblin world building.  Little details like the reason a goblin baby looks the way it does were just unbelievably endearing.  I'd call this recommendation a big success, Catie!  Rating: 4/5 stars.

Has anyone read the rest of the series?

Review: The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke

The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke
The Assassin's Curse #1
Reviewed by Noelle on October 15, 2012
Published October 2, 2012 by Strange Chemistry
Goodreads • Buy on Amazon • Kindle • Book Depository

This is an accurate portrayal of me after reading The Assassin's Curse:



In fact. You know, what? Hit it:

Ananna is a pirate, born and raised 

and on the high seas is where she spends her days.  

Sword fightin', riggin', stealing your loot.  

Handy with a lie and a knife in her boot.    

All she wants is to travel to distant lands, 

but her mom and pop are plotting marriage plans.

She'll take adventure over a relationship, 

so on the big day gives her fiance the slip.

She has no idea just what trouble she's in, 

turns out he wasn't joking about that assassin.

Naji's an assassin with a capital A.  

He's got a new target, he's stalking his prey.

He's the shadow behind her in the dead of night, 

knows eighty ways to kill, never lost a fight.

All covered in blood magic, scars and tattoos. 

He'll meet her in the desert for a midnight duel.

But versus Ananna, he experiences a first: 

instead of an easy kill they both get cursed.

Enemies become allies if only to survive.  

The Curse is Impossible but they still have to try... 

Dance Break!

I'm sorry.  I'm not sorry.  This book was so much fun!

There are few things I like better than reading about two adversaries forced to become allies in pursuit of some higher goal.  When Ananna accidentally triggers a curse binding herself with her would-be assassin, Naji, they quickly become one of my most favorite Buddy Cops of Convenience of all time.   The awkward teamwork!  The reluctant bonding! The coordinated sword fights!  Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter!

What makes this particular team so perfect is that both sides of the partnership hold equal weight.  You'd think that might be hard to pull off with one side being a legendary blood magic assassin and all, but Ananna is no wilting flower either.  In fact one of the most enjoyable parts of the book for me was how often Ananna nonchalantly saved Naji's ass.  Perfect heroine is perfect.  Etc. Etc.

As much as I enjoyed this first book, I can already tell the sequel is going to be even better.  I cannot wait to get my greedy hands on it.  As is, though, The Assassin's Curse is a gem and has the perfect blend of hijinks and high stakes.

Rating: 4/5 stars.

Warning: I bought the paperback and the back cover copy includes developments that happen within the last 10 pages or so of the book so just go ahead and stick with the Goodreads summary if you don't want to know the set up for the next book until you get there.

Review: Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan
The Lynburn Legacy #1
Reviewed by Noelle October 10, 2012
Published September 11, 2012 by Random House Books for Young Readers
Goodreads • Buy on Amazon • Kindle • Book Depository


I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)
Mad Girl's Love Song by Sylvia Plath


I've been eager to read Unspoken ever since I caught sight of that beautiful cover and am happy to say that it did not disappoint.

Kami Glass, teen investigative reporter, has always stood out from the crowd. Whether it was not being shy about talking to her imaginary friend in public, or being the only one daring enough to dig around the mysteries of her town Sorry-in-the-Vale, Kami has never quite fit in.  And why should she want to when she's finally running the school newspaper with her best friend and the mysteries of her hometown have just gotten more fascinating than ever? The legendary Lynburn family has returned and with them the rumors of the family's dark history with Sorry-in-the-Vale.  Kami is unable to resist investigating their cryptic hold over the town----especially when it turns out that her imaginary friend is actually a real, live Lynburn.  Kami is determined to discover just what the Lynburns are hiding and what exactly her not-so-imaginary friend has to do with it.

Unspoken is a charming, hilarious, exciting, gothic mystery that emotionally delivers in satisfyingly unexpected ways.  The characters all have wonderfully distinct personalities and Sarah Rees Brennan really excels at natural, humorous character interactions and hilarious yet realistic dialogue.  I was gleefully cracking up the entire book.  She is also wonderful at defying YA stereotypes and tropes, a skill I immensely appreciated and that really elevated Unspoken to the next level for me.

And Kami? Kami is definitely going to be inducted into my Heroine Hall of Fame/ granted a seat at my Lunch Table.

I don't want to go too far into the mystery or plot of Unspoken (go! read! enjoy!) so that leaves the perfect opportunity for me to go into a psychic connection stress spiral tangent.  Because oh my god, can you even imagine?! For example, let's say your imaginary friend turns out to be real.

I've read a couple of books lately featuring some kind of psychic or emotional connection and am I the only one whose mind leaps straight to pure HUMILIATION Do Not Pass Go?  How freaking embarrassing would it be if the guy you thought was some inner imaginary voice your entire life--the guy who you told all your most mortifying adolescent feelings and insecurities--was actually real?

How awkward would it be that this guy you have been completely emotionally open and vulnerable to suddenly was a real life person with real life personality flaws and issues? It's like if God started answering Margaret...and then turned out to be a maladjusted teenaged boy, a boy who now has all this extra personal knowledge and emotional collateral on you?  Can you even imagine?!

Luckily for the readers, while I'd be taking a floor nap in the fetal position for the rest of the book, Kami is a less emotionally stunted individual than myself and handles the complexities of her and Jared's new situation with a maturity that made me so proud.  Kami--wonderful, smart, ambitious Kami-- has a wealth of supportive, healthy relationships in her life.   Jared--volatile, furious, scared shitless  Jared-- has virtually no connections with anyone or the world around him. Kami has a strong friend network and family foundation.  Jared has...Kami.

Jared also had believed that Kami was imaginary and thus his own creation and I really think that he used her as proof to himself that there was some goodness and light inside of him.  He took comfort that Kami's sheer amazingness came from somewhere within him and when Kami turns out to be just as real as Jared, he's desperate to assign a higher purpose to their special connection, because he sees it as his only redeeming quality.  To Kami, the reality of their connection makes her less trusting of it and skeptical of what it means for her future.

Sarah Rees Brennan handles the emotional complexities of Jared and Kami's bond so masterfully.  Even as their codependency wavers back and forth from constructive and destructive and the edges between their individual feelings increasingly blur, the situation is always handled with refreshing perspective and maturity.  I couldn't help but love both characters all the while questioning what their relationship should even be.  I loved the depth of the dilemma.

I agree with the Book Smugglers that I can't really consider the ending to be a cliffhanger in the WTF?! NOOO! sense since what happens is 100% in line with the character development thus far, and I knew in my heart it was what would naturally occur in that particular situation with those particular characters.  To me it was more a cliffhanger in the I'm very, very excited to see what happens next sense.  (Especially after seeing this on SRB's tumblr hehe.)

Rating:  4/5 stars.

Review: Friday Brown by Vikki Wakefield

Friday Brown by Vikki Wakefield
Review by Noelle: September 17, 2012
Noelle received a copy for review from the publishers.
Published August 22, 2012 by Text Publishing
Goodreads • Buy at Text • Fishpond


What makes a person who they are? Is it some magical combination of experiences, memories and family? What happens when those things are stripped away, are proven false or leave you behind?  Who are you then?  And do you actually have any say in the matter?

Friday Brown has spent her entire life traveling from town to town with her mother Vivienne.  Never in one spot long enough to know anyone.  Never needing anyone else but her mother to know her.  But then Vivienne dies.  Left alone with a grandfather that's a stranger, Friday is lost.  Vivienne not only physically created Friday, she mentally shaped her as well.  Vivienne's stories built her up but now the truth is breaking down.  Friday doesn't know who she is without Vivienne... but it's time to find out.

Reverting to her nomadic instincts, Friday runs away to the streets and finds herself a part of a new kind of family--broken people fitting their jagged edges together trying to become whole.   But is Friday finding herself or merely letting the next charismatic mother figure mold her into someone else?  Sometimes it's just easier to allow yourself to be swept away with the current than exhaust yourself struggling to swim against it.  And no one knows they are caught in a riptide until it's too late.

Friday Brown has a more subdued style than All I Ever Wanted but the story is just as intense. Wakefield's prose is as beautiful as ever with an exquisite tension thrumming throughout.  When the setting switches to an abandoned, isolated town in the Outback, the stress fractures formed by the effort of keeping the family together begin to strain, crumbling apart to chilling results.  Friday's journey and portrayal are painfully honest and once again, Wakefield's characters are so vividly drawn their strength reverberates off the page.  From devotion to desperation to horror, every emotion rings true.

If I had to describe Vikki Wakefield's novels using one word it would be "fearless".  If I could choose two words they'd be "required reading".  Rating: 4.5/5 stars.


GIVEAWAY!
You'd have to pry our personal copies of All I Ever Wanted and Friday Brown out of our dead cold hands, but if sharing is caring, sharing Vikki Wakefield is true love.  Don't ever say we don't love you, readers!  That's right, enter below to win a copy of your choice of All I Ever Wanted or Friday Brown. YA Anonymous will order you a copy from Text and send it straight to your doorstep.  International readers welcome to enter.



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Review: Shadows by Paula Weston

Shadows by Paula Weston
The Rephraim #1
Reviewed by Noelle September 13, 2012
Published July 2, 2012 by Text Publishing
Goodreads • Buy at Text • Fishpond


You might not know this about me since I don't review them but I'm a huge Urban Fantasy fan--check that, a huge adult Urban Fantasy fan.  I've never found a YA Urban Fantasy that came close to what I considered belonging in the genre (or particularly enjoyed any of the ones that kind of sort of came close.)  Let's just say that before today, my Venn diagram of my love of Urban Fantasy and YA had no overlap.

Not anymore!  Shadows is the most successful Urban Fantasy** YA I've ever read and it might be because it's can barely be considered a YA novel.  It's like when you're watching True Blood and the viewer warnings come on the screen--the more extensive the warnings, the better the episode and Shadows has it all: graphic violence, language, steamy situations.  AND FUN.  Did I mention fun?

Gaby is just a normal 18 year old trying to live her life.  Sure she's grieving and recovering from the car accident that killed her beloved brother a year earlier but she has her friends, her job and her writing to get her through.  What else but an active imagination could explain the vivid nightmares she has every night beheading hell beasts and battling demons?  If she were honest with herself, there would be one aspect of her nightmares Gaby wouldn't mind being real--the intriguing (and hot) guy who fights by her side every night.  However, when mystery guy walks out of her dreams and into her bar speaking of a past history with her brother that Gaby can't remember, her whole world gets turned upside down.

Someone has gone to a lot of trouble making sure Gaby doesn't remember her true identity (or sword-wielding skills) and now Gaby is scrambling to catch up, unsure who her true allies are amidst all the hidden agendas and competing factions.  Who is the real Gaby? And what really happened that tragic night?

Despite being put in the weak position of knowing nothing about what is going on, Gaby still manages to be awesome.  It was fun discovering everything with her and ooh boy, is there a ton to discover.  No one is quite what they seem and there are no easy answers.  The ever unraveling mystery and action keeps you wanting more.  The pace was so excellent that I stayed up until 3am to finish which my love of sleep rarely allows to happen.  I can't wait to see what happens next.

If you like an action-packed book that keeps things moving (and swooning), Shadows is the book for you.  Rating: 3.5/5 stars.

** Despite the Goodreads blurb name-dropping that book, I would not call Shadows a paranormal romance.  I agree with Jeannie Holmes definition of urban fantasy vs. paranormal romance and Shadows definitely falls under the former.

Also! Shadows was picked up for North American publication so watch out for it stateside later this year!

Review: Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama
Reviewed by Noelle: September 4, 2012
YAA received an ARC for review from the publishers
Published September 4, 2012 by by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Goodreads • Amazon • Kindle • Book Depository

 A mermaid found a swimming lad,

Picked him for her own,

Pressed her body to his body,

Laughed; and plunging down

Forgot in cruel happiness

That even lovers drown.

The Mermaid by William Butler Yeats

Syrenka, an immortal creature of the sea has learned the hard way that loving a human can have catastrophic consequences but when she meets Ezra, a naturalist in 19th century Plymouth, Massachusetts, she dares to dream of a life shared together and is willing to sacrifice anything for the chance.  Hester, a 21st century teenager has begun to suspect that the affliction causing generations of mothers in her family to die within weeks of childbirth isn't so much a genetic defect as it is a curse.  When Hester begins to research her hunch, she uncovers much more than she could ever anticipate.

Yes, Monstrous Beauty is a story about mermaids, but it's also a story about love, sacrifice and the unexpected repercussions they create.  It's about how something beautiful can spawn something so wretchedly tragic that it echoes in time for centuries.  

There was a delicious undercurrent of creeeeeepy in Fama's writing, a feeling I described akin to listening to the Jaws theme.  You knew something was surfacing, but what? And would the damage be lost limbs and carnage or just peeing your pants in false alarm?  Fama doesn't shy away from darkness or violence and horrible things happen to characters in an nondiscriminatory manner.  No one is safe from tragedy or physical peril.

There were several times while reading that I wondered if the story could end happily for anyone involved.  It would be so easy to understand why Hester might be doomed to repeat Syrenka's calamitous mistakes because although some of the tragedies of Monstrous Beauty were perpetuated by hate, a majority of the destruction was motivated by love---sometimes short-sighted and selfish love, sure--but love nonetheless.  

The history-rich setting, including Burial Hill and the details of Hester's job as a historical reenactor added additional depth to the already dark mythology and almost tangibly oppressive atmosphere. However, the construct of the plot (Hester is not privy to the flashbacks to Syrenka's story) placed the reader several steps ahead of Hester for much of the book and it could be exceedingly frustrating when Hester unwittingly waltzed into dangerous situations or failed to pick up on things the reader has long since guessed.  But just when I was about to throw my hands in the air and plead, "Get with it already, Hester!" Fama added enough suspense and surprises to bring the story home with a satisfying smash.  

Rating: 3.5/5 stars.