Review: Ink by Amanda Sun

Ink
by Amanda Sun

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 369
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication date: June 25, 2013
Suggested tags: young adult, paranormal, mythology



First in the Paper Gods series. From Goodreads:

"On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.

Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.

Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive."

{ I received this as an ebook ARC from NetGalley. }


For me, Ink's strengths are its dedication to sharing Japanese culture and its use of such an intriguing mythology. First, the detail that Sun put into bringing Shizuoka to life was so great. I've been fascinated with Japanese culture for quite some time, so I really enjoyed seeing Japan through Katie's eyes, a gaijin learning her way around a new school in a new city with a completely different way of life.

Second, the mythology. Paper gods? That's pretty awesome. I loved the scenes where ink dripped and drawings came to life. I haven't read a book with a paranormal aspect quite like this one before, which made it really interesting and exciting.

But I hate to say I kind of lost interest in Ink towards the end when Katie and Tomo got mixed up in two different groups fighting for Tomo's powers. Which is weird, because I feel like this is where the book was really picking up and I should have been really into it. But I kept wanting to just flip back and sit with Tomo and his drawings again.

From the synopsis for the next book in the series, Rain (due out in June 2014), it sounds like the attention is back on Tomo and his connection to the gods (and Katie's connection too), so I feel like I might like Rain more than Ink. Not that Ink was bad - I just didn't really like the direction it took at the end. I know it needed conflict and I'm sure plenty of readers found the run-in with a notorious Japanese group really exciting, but it just didn't do it for me. But I am looking forward to reading Rain and seeing where things go from here.


Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars

{ Ink book trailer }

{ More about Amanda Sun }

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{ Paper Gods series }

Book 1: Ink 








Book 2: Rain 
Expected release date: June 24, 2014

Review: The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

The Testing
by Joelle Charbonneau

Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 336
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Publication date: June 4, 2013
Suggested tags: young adult, dystopia



First in The Testing series. From Goodreads:

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Isn’t that what they say? But how close is too close when they may be one in the same?

The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the next generation’s chosen few who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing—their one chance at a college education and a rewarding career.

Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a Testing candidate; eager to prove her worthiness as a University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on the eve of her departure, her father’s advice hints at a darker side to her upcoming studies--trust no one.

But surely she can trust Tomas, her handsome childhood friend who offers an alliance? Tomas, who seems to care more about her with the passing of every grueling (and deadly) day of the Testing. To survive, Cia must choose: love without truth or life without trust."

{ I received this as an ebook ARC from NetGalley. }


To me, The Testing kind of sounded like The Hunger Games with an academic twist. So since I'm a huge Hunger Games fan and an academically-inclined person (meaning, I'd totally be a professional student if I could), I grabbed up The Testing on NetGalley as soon as I saw it offered. I found it was quite similar to The Hunger Games in a lot of ways, so I guess that might be a negative for some readers. But I thought it had some interesting ideas that made it its own, and I did find myself wanting to read the next book in the series.

The synopsis above sums up The Testing quite well. There's not a lot of time spent getting to know Cia or her world before she goes off to the Testing, which I was kind of disappointed in. I felt like I didn't really get a chance to know who Cia was or who her friends were or how she lived, so that when she left it all behind it was just kind of an "eh" moment for me, rather than feeling her loss. However, the upside of that is that it does jump into the action pretty much right away, so we get right into the story.

The trials in the Testing were interesting, although at some points it did seem a little over the top or a little needless-violence-y. But then again, The Hunger Games was pretty violent, and I liked that. I had a hard time trying to figure out why I felt differently about the two, but I came down to the fact that I guess it's the justification - the Hunger Games are a fight to the death, a fight for survival mandated by a corrupt government, and the Testing is essentially an application process. I guess I had a harder time accepting death and dismemberment when the unsuccessful applicants could have just as easily been sent back home. The corruption and secrets and all that regarding the Testing and the University do start to emerge, but I just felt like it was missing earlier on, or maybe it was there but too subtle for me.

The Testing ends with a good bit of suspense and lead-up into the next book in the series, and as I said I do want to read the next one. But I feel like it might be a make-or-break book. I finished The Testing feeling like the next book, Independent Study, needs to grab me right away in order to keep my interest in the story. I really hope it does.

If you haven't read The Testing yet and you like challenge-type books in a dystopian setting like The Hunger Games, I'd definitely recommend it. It's familiar yet different; it follows the pattern but it adds some ideas of its own. But, in all honesty, if you're a reader who's had enough Hunger-Games-type books, you may want to pass; it might be a little too familiar for you. Personally, I don't mind reading different interpretations of similar ideas, so I liked it.


Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars

{ More about Joelle Charbonneau }

Joelle Charbonneau's website
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{ The Testing series }

      

               The Testing         Independent Study     Graduation Day

                   Book 1                      Book 2                      Book 3

                                        Expected Release Date:     Expected Release Date:

                                         January 7, 2014             June 3, 2014

Review: Twerp by Mark Goldblatt

Twerp
by Mark Goldblatt

Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 288
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication date: May 28, 2013
Suggested tags: middle grade, historical fiction, 20th century



From Goodreads:

"It's not like I meant for him to get hurt. . . .

Julian Twerski isn't a bully. He's just made a big mistake. So when he returns to school after a weeklong suspension, his English teacher offers him a deal: if he keeps a journal and writes about the terrible incident that got him and his friends suspended, he can get out of writing a report on Shakespeare. Julian jumps at the chance. And so begins his account of life in sixth grade--blowing up homemade fireworks, writing a love letter for his best friend (with disastrous results), and worrying whether he's still the fastest kid in school. Lurking in the background, though, is the one story he can't bring himself to tell, the one story his teacher most wants to hear.

Inspired by Mark Goldblatt's own childhood growing up in 1960s Queens, Twerp shines with humor and heart. This remarkably powerful story will have readers laughing and crying right along with these flawed but unforgettable characters."

{ I received this as an ebook ARC from NetGalley. }


I wasn't sure if I would enjoy Twerp or not, since I figured I'm not exactly the target audience (being an adult female), but I still wanted to give it a shot. The journal format intrigued me, and it turns out that was my favorite thing about the book. The story as a whole just didn't grab me, despite being well written and powerfully explored. But I'm pretty sure the fact that I came away with a feeling of "well, I guess it was alright" was an issue with my own personal taste, in that I picked this book up when I had a feeling it wouldn't be my preferred sort of book. So please read my review accordingly, and know that if that synopsis sounds exactly like your sort of book, you will probably really love Twerp, because it is very well done and it does tell a great story.

Twerp is made up of a series of journal entries that Julian writes as an assignment for school. He writes reluctantly at first, but he opens up bit by bit with each entry. I thought the journal format really worked well to share Julian's stories and get to the heart of his feelings and experiences. But I found that I had a problem connecting with Julian, and I think the reason for this is, stated simply, that I grew up a girl in the 1990s and not a boy in the 1960s. I just don't have much in common with Julian, so it was hard for me to really put myself in his place, despite the author's excellent writing.

In a nutshell, I think Twerp is a great book and I can see how lots of readers would really enjoy it. Personally, I thought it was a good book but it didn't really leave a lasting impression on me, because I just felt a bit disconnected from it all. Like I was on the outside looking in. And again, that is no fault of the author's; that's my fault for choosing a book I should have known would not be quite my thing. I just wanted to try something new. But I can't stress enough that if that the synopsis appeals to you, you should definitely give Twerp a read. It delivers everything that synopsis promises: humor, heart, and unforgettable characters.


Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars

{ Favorite Quotes from Twerp }

"I hate the guy, William Shakespeare. If I met him on the street, I'd just keep walking. Because you know, you just know, while he was writing the stuff he was writing, he was thinking how clever he was. He was sitting at his desk, writing the words, and he could've just said what he meant, but instead he prettied it up until it could mean everything or it could mean nothing or it could mean whatever the teacher says it means. That just drives me bananas."

"But it was just common sense. If his brain was right, Lonnie would've been the first to realize that. Which goes to show how love messes up your brain. It worms itself in there, inside your brain, and then there's a short circuit. I'm no expert on the subject. I'm just going by Howie and Lonnie. Love makes great guys into idiots."

{ More about Mark Goldblatt }

Mark Goldblatt's website

Review: A Shimmer of Angels by Lisa M. Basso

A Shimmer of Angels
by Lisa M. Basso

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 321
Publisher: Month9Books
Publication date: January 29, 2013
Suggested tags: young adult, paranormal, romance, angels



First in the Angel Sight series. From Goodreads:

"Sixteen-year-old Rayna sees angels, and has the medication and weekly therapy sessions to prove it. Now, in remission, Rayna starts fresh at a new school, lands a new job, and desperately tries for normalcy. She ignores signs that she may be slipping into the world she has tried so hard to climb out of. But these days, it’s more than just hallucinations that keep Rayna up at night. Students are dying, and she may be the only one who can stop it. Can she keep her job, her sanity, and her friends from dying at the hands of angels she can't admit to seeing?"

{ I received this as an ebook from NetGalley. }


Any YA paranormal book with ghosts or mermaids, I will pick up in a heartbeat. I'm a little more picky with fairies and witches, but I'll usually give them a try too. Anything else, I really haven't read too much of. But I have been trying to branch out and widen my paranormal horizons, so when I saw A Shimmer of Angels available on NetGalley, I decided I should give an angel book a try.

Overall, this was a pretty good intro to angel books. It had a little bit of everything: there was a "good angel" (Cam), a "bad angel" (Kade), an evil force they had to fight against, a mystery with students' deaths at Rayna's school... quite a bit was going on, actually. A good part of the book is devoted to Rayna's interactions with Cam and Kade. I preferred Cam at first, but as the book went on, he seemed to get a little dull. His personality kind of hit a plateau. Kade, however, got more interesting and more complex as the story went on. (SPOILER - highlight to read: Although I'm kind of confused about the hints dropped that there was something between Kade and Rayna's mom? That whole insinuated sitation seemed a little weird to me. Maybe it will be explained more in the next book...)

Rayna's ability to see angels is treated as a form of mental illness, which I thought was an interesting twist. I kept imagining myself in her place - if I had been told all along that I was sick and that what I was seeing wasn't real, would I believe it when the angels started trying to convince me they were real? Rayna has a hard time with it all, especially when her classmates start dying under mysterious circumstances.

A few aspects of Rayna's personality bothered me a little. She was jumpy and awkward, which I could understand from being treated like she had a disorder and being sent away to mental hospitals. But she was a little too clumsy; her accidents and fumbles were kind of over the top sometimes. Also, the scene with her notebook bothered me quite a bit. (SPOILER - highlight to read: I can totally understand that she would want to write down her thoughts and find a way to vent when she thought she was relapsing. But if I did that, I would guard that notebook with my life. I would NOT leave it lying around. And if by some chance I did and I realized it, I would run and try to get it back right that moment, even if I thought it might be too late. If that notebook was the difference between staying home and being sent back to a mental hospital, I would do everything I possibly could to get it back in my possession. I wouldn't just sit at a diner and exchange witty banter with a dark angel, and then casually go about the rest of my day. I understand that having her notebook found was a crucial part of the plot, and I'm not saying it shouldn't have been found at all; I just thought it could have been done a little more believably.)

Otherwise, though, I did enjoy A Shimmer of Angels and I'm curious to see what happens in the next book, A Slither of Hope, due out in January 2014.


Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars

{ I read this book for the 2013 Debut Author Challenge! }

Review: The Panem Companion by V. Arrow

The Panem Companion
by V. Arrow

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 224
Publication date: December 4, 2012
Publisher: Smart Pop
Suggested tags: young adult, non-fiction



From Goodreads:

"-What does Panem look like?
-How does Panem define race?
-How do Panem’s districts reflect the major themes of the trilogy?
-What allusions to our world are found in Panem names like Finnick, Johanna, Beetee, Cinna, Everdeen, and Mellark?

Go deeper into the home of the Hunger Games with the creator of the best-known fan map of Panem.

The Panem Companion gives fresh insight into Suzanne Collins’ trilogy by looking at the world of the Hunger Games and the forces that kept its citizens divided since the Dark Days. With a blend of academic insight and the true passion of a fan, V. Arrow explores how Panem could have evolved from the America we know today and uses textual clues to piece together Panem’s beliefs about class, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexuality, and more. Includes an extensive name lexicon and color-illustrated unofficial map of Panem."

{ I received this as an ebook from NetGalley. }


I'm a big fan of the Hunger Games series, so when I discovered The Panem Companion, I knew I had to give it a go. I don't usually read unofficial guides or criticisms or that sort of thing, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I found The Panem Companion to be an interesting commentary from a devoted fan who knows the subject matter well and clearly did a lot of research, but leapt to a few too many illogical conclusions for my taste.

Perhaps this is obvious, but I still feel like I should say it: If you're planning on reading the whole Hunger Games series, DO NOT read The Panem Companion before you're done. The Panem Companion comments on all 3 books in the series, so if you don't know how the series ends (especially who survives and who doesn't), you're in for some BIG spoilers.

First, the things I did like about The Panem Companion:
- The author's complete devotion to both the Hunger Games series and The Panem Companion. I can't even begin to imagine the amount of time and energy it took to gather all the information from the original books and analyze it all to form hypotheses in her own book. Very impressive.

- The chapter on "The Games as Exploitation, Exploitation as Entertainment." One of the reasons I was so drawn to the Hunger Games series was the way it portrayed the actual Hunger Games event as a sort of extreme reality TV series. As readers, most of us are horrified by the idea of children fighting to the death on live TV as entertainment. But how far away from that are we, really? The reality TV series that we watch now thrive on exploiting humiliation and pain. Is it such a stretch to think that, sometime in the future, a show with a concept similar to the Hunger Games might come to pass? And how many of us will watch it without really considering what we're watching, or the impact of this show on the participants' lives? I studied reality TV from an anthropological standpoint in college, so I may be a little more into this subject that the average reader, but regardless, this was my favorite chapter of the book.

- The author's conclusion. I really liked the way she wrapped it all up. First with this quote, regarding the questions raised by the series and the nuances debated by fans:

"The beauty of the questions with which the series leaves us is that, through fandom--through careful, loving extrapolation--these questions never need to go unanswered. There can be thousands of answers, shaped by different readers' unique experiences and perspectives on the world..."

How fantastic, to acknowledge that there will always be different views and different answers depending on who is considering the question. I liked that she left it all open; she's presented her views as convincingly as she can, but she acknowledges that these aren't the only correct answers. Everything is still open to interpretation. And the final sentence of the book was pretty powerful, reminding us that the Hunger Games series is a fantastic work of fiction, but perhaps it's also a commentary on something more serious:

"The final question behind the Hunger Games series, one that we attempt to answer over and over again, is not What happened to Panem? but What's happening to us?"

With the good comes the bad; here are a few things I didn't like about The Panem Companion:
- The author's use (overuse?) of big words and fancy phrases. I'm sure readers appreciate her developed vocabulary, but I felt like there had to be a better way to word some of those statements so that readers who perhaps aren't as advanced don't feel alienated. Things like "demi-canonical implication," "communiqués,"and "jingoistic" (which apparently is a favorite of the author's, as she uses it A LOT) seemed a little off. They didn't flow with the writing; in fact, they were a little jarring, almost as if the author went out of her way to fit those words in.

- The author's acknowledged use of "grossly oversimplified pseudoscience." She states this in reference to her Punnett squares regarding Prim's parentage in the chapter on "The Curious Case of Primrose 'Everdeen.' " (And I have to interrupt myself here to ask: Am I the only one who didn't suspect that Prim was the daughter of anyone but Mr. and Mrs. Everdeen? After reading this chapter, I sure feel like I am. I had no idea this was such a big issue.) I'm glad the author acknowledges that she's twisting science a bit to prove her own point. But does that make it ok? Her discussion on Prim's parentage involves a lot of assumptions and a pretty simplified version of genetic inheritance. I haven't done my own Punnett square yet, but I'm certainly not convinced by the author's, nor by her reasoning. She states, "We don't know for sure that Mr. Everdeen doesn't have any recessive genes for blond hair and light skin..." Which immediately makes me think, "Hmm. In that case, we seem to be ignoring some key aspects of genetics here in order to make things turn out the way we want." She also says, "It is Katniss and Gale, not Katniss and Prim, who 'could look like siblings.' " Which makes me wonder why devoted readers haven't jumped all over that? Why question Prim's family tree and not Katniss's or Gale's, if they look so much alike? Shouldn't we be asking if Mrs. Everdeen is really Gale's mother, if we're assuming parentage based on looks alone? I don't know. The whole question and argument that made up this chapter wasn't convincing to me at all.

- The author makes some stretches to arrive at her conclusions, especially with regards to the author's intended symbolism and allusions. Being a science-minded girl, I believe wholeheartedly in Occam's Razor, which essentially states that the simplest solution (the one that involves the least leaps of logic) is usually the correct solution. So the author's tendency to grab hold of an aspect of the Hunger Games and then stretch it and twist it to fit her own theory kind of irked me a bit. For example, she argues that Katniss could be meant to symbolize Artemis, the goddess of the hunt in Greek mythology, because Artemis "immortalizes her beloved dead with constellations (as Katniss memorializes Rue with flowers)." I am on board with the idea that Suzanne Collins (author of the Hunger Games series) may have designed Katniss's character with a nod to Artemis because of her prowess as a hunter. However, I think it's a bit of a stretch to say that Katniss is Artemis because she gives Rue flowers. Quite a few people and cultures memorialize their dead with flowers. If Katniss had declared her intent to memorialize Rue with a constellation instead, then I would wholly agree that Collins clearly intended Katniss to be seen as a symbolic representation of Artemis. That's just one example; I found a lot of stretches in "The Hunger Games Lexicon" section, where the author presents her ideas on the selection of characters' names. Most notably here, for me, was the discussion of Collins's possible motives for choosing Delly Cartwright's name. She mentions that a "cartwright" is one who makes carts, and then she lists a few famous "Cartwrights" from history, including Alexander Cartwright. She states, "Alexander Cartwright supposedly invented baseball, which is cool but not necessarily related to Delly--unless one considers that baseball is "the American pastime" and Delly is a strong exemplar of the New Panem: cooperative and willing to trust those from other districts, or even the Capitol, to work together towards a better future." ... I'm sorry, you lost me, weren't we talking about baseball? ... Oh, no wait, we were talking about Delly...

While I wasn't convinced by many of the author's arguments or theories, I did still enjoy reading The Panem Companion, and there were some chapters which I thought were handled very well. I probably would pick up another unofficial guide or companion book in the future, if it was about a book I really liked. It's interesting to see other people's views, to be introduced to ideas that others picked up on that I did not get at all when I was reading.


Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Review: Frozen by Mary Casanova

Frozen
by Mary Casanova

Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition
Pages: 264
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
Publication date: September 7, 2012
Suggested tags: young adult, historical fiction, mystery,
20th century



From Goodreads:

"Sixteen-year-old Sadie Rose hasn’t said a word in eleven years—ever since the day she was found lying in a snowbank during a howling storm. Like her voice, her memories of her mother and what happened that night were frozen.

Set during the roaring 1920s in the beautiful, wild area on Rainy Lake where Minnesota meets Canada, Frozen tells the remarkable story of Sadie Rose, whose mother died under strange circumstances the same night that Sadie Rose was found, unable to speak, in a snowbank. Sadie Rose doesn’t know her last name and has only fleeting memories of her mother—and the conflicting knowledge that her mother had worked in a brothel. Taken in as a foster child by a corrupt senator, Sadie Rose spends every summer along the shores of Rainy Lake, where her silence is both a prison and a sanctuary.

One day, Sadie Rose stumbles on a half dozen faded, scandalous photographs—pictures, she realizes, of her mother. They release a flood of puzzling memories, and these wisps of the past send her at last into the heart of her own life’s great mystery: who was her mother, and how did she die? Why did her mother work in a brothel—did she have a choice? What really happened that night when a five-year-old girl was found shivering in a snowbank, her voice and identity abruptly shattered?

Sadie Rose’s search for her personal truth is laid against a swirling historical drama—a time of prohibition and women winning the right to vote, political corruption, and a fevered fight over the area’s wilderness between a charismatic, unyielding, powerful industrialist and a quiet man battling to save the wide, wild forests and waters of northernmost Minnesota. Frozen is a suspenseful, moving testimonial to the haves and the have-nots, to the power of family and memory, and to the extraordinary strength of a young woman who has lost her voice in nearly every way—but is utterly determined to find it again."

{ I received this as an ebook from NetGalley. }


The synopsis for Frozen really piqued my interest - a YA historical fiction/mystery that touches on prohibition, women's suffrage, and conservation? Sounds great! So much in one novel! ... But ultimately, for me, all the various aspects of the story ended up being a negative rather than a positive. There was too much going on, and too little was really explored with any substantial feeling.

In addition to all the issues mentioned in the synopsis, the novel also deals with prostitution, attempted rape, and mental illness. These are serious subjects, and along with the other issues, it should make for a pretty mature and intense book. But somehow, unfortunately, the story actually comes across a little bit juvenile. Our narrator Sadie just seems a little too removed from everything; she's at the center of the story, facing all these important issues and discoveries from her past, but it was hard for me to get into her head and share her thoughts and emotions on the same level as I usually do in a YA book. There is a good bit of devotion to the mystery of Sadie's mother's past, and I did feel Sadie's pain and frustration as she gathered and deciphered the clues. Unfortunately, the solution to the mystery turned out to be rather expected and predictable (SPOILER - highlight to read: as was the fact that Hans & Aasta are Sadie's grandparents).

One of my biggest issues with the book is the handling of Sadie's rediscovery of her ability to speak. From the synopsis, this seems like it should be one of the major moments in the plot. But it happens quite early in the book and, to be honest, I found it pretty unremarkable. I am by no means educated on mutism or speech pathology, but I expected some meaningful moment would spur her words back to her, and that she would struggle a bit at first as she began to learn to speak again. But there really isn't anything significant that happens to inspire her speech. And when she does speak, despite the fact that she hasn't spoken a word for how-many-years, all of a sudden she's back to speaking in complete, flawlessly delivered sentences. The other characters accept all this quite readily, and at times, a little too easily. "Oh, you can speak! That's great! There, I've acknowledged it. Now we can move on with our interaction."

And, Owen and Victor? There are hints of romance, which builds a bit at the end, but it kind of felt like an afterthought. Like an editor said, "Oh wait, this is a YA book, we probably need a romantic element in here. Well, there are two guys in this book around Sadie's age. Let's have her crush on one of them. Or maybe both?" And it reads kind of like it was never really determined if Sadie should be romantically interested in one or both of them - implications of Sadie's possible developing feelings for (or at least mild interest in) both Owen and Victor pop up here and there, but there's no real relationship developed (at least not to my satisfaction) with either of them. (SPOILER - highlight to read: Yes, Sadie does technically end up in a relationship with Owen, but it feels kind of half-hearted and forced, and it wraps up on a rather unsatisfying "meh - if it's meant to be, it will be" note.)

Please don't get me wrong - Frozen is not a bad book. In some aspects, it's quite good! I think its greatest strength is the setting; Casanova really brings Minnesota and Canada of the 1920's to life. I felt most drawn into the story when Sadie was boating up and down the waterways. Casanova writes these scenes spectacularly. I would certainly give another book by Casanova a try. My main problem with this book is that it feels like it deals with just too much. The juggling of so many issues simply didn't work for me as well as it could have.


Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars

{ More about Frozen }

University of Minnesota Press website for Frozen

Review: Sliding Beneath the Surface by Doug Dillon

Sliding Beneath the Surface
by Doug Dillon

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 294
Publisher: Old St. Augustine Publications
Publication date: September 2, 2011
Suggested tags: young adult, paranormal



First in The St. Augustine Trilogy. From Goodreads:

"A new resident of America’s oldest and most haunted city, St. Augustine, Florida, fifteen-year-old Jeff Golden suddenly finds himself up to his eyeballs in frightening paranormal experiences. At the end of his rope in trying to figure out what is happening to him, Jeff decides to rely on his friend Carla Rodriguez, and Lobo, an old Native American shaman, for help.

Despite this guidance, things get even worse. Jeff’s spine tingling encounters increase in number and intensity at an alarming rate, scaring him even more. Eventually, he makes the startling discovery that unresolved circumstances involving a bloody event directly out of Florida’s distant past threatens his sanity and possibly his life.

Finally, overwhelmed by forces he cannot understand or control, Jeff’s world shifts from frightening to downright terrifying. In desperation, and on Lobo’s advice, he leaps headlong into the unknown in order to save himself. What Jeff discovers though is that he has entered a level of reality he is completely unprepared to handle while unwittingly dragging Carla with him.

Like all the books in THE ST. AUGUSTINE TRILOGY, the premise for Sliding Beneath the Surface is simply this: You create your own reality."

{ I was kindly provided a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. }


Sliding Beneath the Surface is a creative mix of Florida history and the supernatural. Jeff learns that there is more to the world than the one reality he has always perceived; he finds himself being dragged into other realities by a spirit from the past that relives the day of his death over and over again. Lobo teaches him about these different realities and how Jeff can slide into them, and Carla is there to help him out.

From the start, Carla is clearly Jeff's romantic interest. The development of their relationship is nice and slow, building to some very sweet moments at the end of the book. Carla demonstrates early on that she has some paranormal abilities of her own, but they are not explored in too much detail, which makes me wonder if (and hope that) she and her powers will take more of a central role in one of the other books in the trilogy.

Readers should note this is is not your typical YA paranormal book. I feel like Sliding Beneath the Surface is more supernatural than paranormal; it explores the idea of reality, how to move into other realities, how people in other realities can affect you, and how to control your own thoughts, actions, and destiny. It's very intellectual. In fact, you could wonder if the whole thing is in Jeff's head, except for some physical evidence he brings back from his journeys into other realities.

A little editing could have really improved Sliding Beneath the Surface. It felt a little long to me; while all the scenes and dialogue seemed essential to explaining the story, I feel like they could have been edited down a little to keep the pace of the plot moving at a good clip. The book could have used more editing for punctuation too; if you are like me and your eyes pick up every single unnecessary or misplaced comma, you'll find yourself stumbling over quite a few sentences. I also found Jeff's voice as a main character a little too interactive; he speaks directly to the reader quite a bit, giving a lot of "I tell you what"s and "know what I mean?"s in his narration. I guess I prefer to be a more voyeuristic reader - I like to be let into the character's thoughts and understand their motivations, but I don't like to feel like they're looking right at me and explaining themselves directly to me. But that's just my personal tastes.

Overall, Sliding Beneath the Surface is an intriguing and thought-provoking story of the supernatural. There are some really exciting moments that lovers of ghost stories will tear through (SPOILER - highlight to read: the scene where Walton comes through the glass was the creepiest in the book for me!), as well as action scenes that history buffs would appreciate (SPOILER - highlight to read: Dillon does a nice job of bringing the battle with the Seminoles to life in great detail). It's a solid introduction to the series and I'm interested to see where the story goes from here.


Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Learn more about Doug Dillon on his website,

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Review: The Other Slipper by Kenechi Udogu

The Other Slipper
by Kenechi Udogu

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 268
Publisher: CreateSpace
Publication date: September 27, 2011
Suggested tags: young adult, fairy tales, retellings



From Goodreads:

"When Jo finds a lone glass slipper on the night of the royal ball, she realises that there is more to the seemingly ordinary object than meets the eye. Searching for its owner, she is led to the palace where the princess sets her on a journey that thrusts her into an unexpected world of magic and illusions. It soon becomes clear that there is a lot more to her mission as she discovers startling secrets about her past and struggles to embrace her destiny."

{ I was kindly provided a free Kindle edition of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. }


The Other Slipper is a fairy tale retelling based on a creative idea: what happened to Cinderella's other slipper? Jo works at the palace where the prince has just found his beloved, thanks to some magic glass slippers. On Jo's way home one night, she finds some curious items in the middle of the path, including one of the slippers. She decides to take these things home with her, which turns out to be a life-changing decision.

This is an interesting story based on a very imaginative idea. The Cinderella character is only in the story briefly as a rather minor character; Jo, the palace worker, is the heroine here. Udogu creates a world with magic and far-off mysterious lands that Jo and her traveling partners navigate to get to their ultimate destination, the Land of Ould, where the slippers need to be returned.

The Other Slipper kept me reading to find out where the story was going to go. However, the narration was a little distracting. The narrator seemed to be a bit too omniscient; we're taken into the head of every character, bouncing back and forth at times. Thoughts are shared even when they don't seem necessary to the plot. Also, Locke was a great character, but I couldn't quite tell whether he was intended to be Jo's romantic interest or not. It was like sometimes there seemed to be a little something between them, and sometimes that would fade into the background entirely. I kind of wish that something had happened between them, because it seemed to be slowly leading towards that, and I think the story would have been nicely spiced up with a little romance. I also wish that the meeting with the Lady of Ould had been a little more dramatic; we are told throughout the book how intimidating and powerful she is, and finding her is the ultimate destination on their journey, but when they finally do get there it's just a little anticlimactic.

Otherwise, I did enjoy The Other Slipper and I would read another book by Udogu, as she is clearly very creative and can weave an interesting story. A little editing would take The Other Slipper from good to great.


Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars

{ Coming tomorrow: author Q&A with Kenechi Udogu! }

Review: Single-handed by Veronica Blade

Single-handed
by Veronica Blade

Available as: Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 27 (Kindle edition)
Publisher: Crush Publishing
Publication date: April 10, 2012
Suggested tags: young adult, romance, short stories



First in the Single Girls series. From Amazon:

"NOTE: THIS IS A VERY SHORT STORY EQUAL TO APPX 23 PRINTED PAGES

Alex single-handedly takes down a bully. A safer school has its perks, but what else did the years of martial arts training get her? Not a prom date, that’s for sure. With only a few weeks left before the big day, can she stop the tough act long enough for the boy of her dreams to see she’s still just a girl?"

This is a really quick read, but it's a nice little story with a good message. Alex has set a sort of reputation for herself by standing up for those who are bullied at school. She's put her jujitsu skills into action and stepped in when other kids are being picked on. Guys might be a little intimidated by a smaller girl taking down big brawny bullies, because she hasn't had any guys show an interest in her. But she doesn't want to pretend to be "frail;" she refuses to change who she is or put on an act just so guys will like her. Which is great because Tommy, the cute guy at school, seems to like her just the way she is.

I love Blade's writing style. She writes great dialogue and she gives her characters very realistic voices. Reading Alex's conversations with her two friends Brittany and Laynie, I felt like I was right back in high school, chatting at lunch with my little circle. This is the second work I've read by Veronica Blade (here's my review of From Fame to Shame) and I wouldn't hesitate to read another.

The only thing that's keeping me from giving this a higher rating is that I didn't really understand the confrontation between Alex and Wes, the bully, which is kind of the major event in the story. Alex already beat him once (literally: she had him on the ground with a knee in his back), which is how she got her reputation...but now suddenly a year later, Wes wants to face her again? Tommy tries to talk him out of it by saying he'll be known for getting beat up by a girl...but isn't that exactly what already happened? And when Alex defends herself with a hit to Wes's neck, he jumps back in shock and retreats with his friends. Did he not remember what happened last time? Maybe he needed that first physical hit to jog his memory?

Otherwise, it's a great story. The romance blossoming between Tommy and Alex is sweet and simple, making for a warm and fuzzy read. It's short, but it's the perfect length for a little bedtime reading or to go along with a cup of coffee.

Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars

{ Check out my author Q&A with Veronica Blade! }

Review: What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor

What I Didn't Say
by Keary Taylor

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 326
Publisher: CreateSpace
Publication date: April 30, 2012
Suggested tags: young adult, romance, contemporary



From Goodreads:

"Getting drunk homecoming night your senior year is never a good idea, but Jake Hayes never expected it all to end with a car crash and a t-post embedded in his throat.

His biggest regret about it all? What he never said to Samantha Shay. He's been in love with her for years and never had the guts to tell her. Now it's too late. Because after that night, Jake will never be able to talk again.

When Jake returns to his small island home, population 5,000, he'll have to learn how to deal with being mute. He also finds that his family isn't limited to his six brothers and sisters, that sometimes an entire island is watching out for you. And when he gets the chance to spend more time with Samantha, she'll help him learn that not being able to talk isn’t the worst thing that could ever happen to you. Maybe, if she'll let him, Jake will finally tell her what he didn't say before, even if he can't actually say it."

{ I received an ebook for free from NetGalley. }


What I Didn't Say was a sweet romance set amid some heavy circumstances. Jake has had a crush on Samantha for quite a while, but he's never told her how he feels. He goes to a party one night with some high school friends, where they all get drunk and Jake, fueled with liquid courage, decides to finally confess his love to Samantha. They get in the car and head for her house, but they never make it there. They veer off the road and crash into a t-post. And now Jake, quite literally, will never be able to tell her how he feels.

Jake recovers and returns to school, where he finds out he'll be studying sign language with Samantha. They have a lot of time to "talk," both with sign language and by writing notes back and forth, and Jake starts noticing that Samantha is dealing with something difficult too.

I thought Taylor handled Jake's transition from an average high schooler to suddenly bearing the label "mute" quite well. I have never known anyone who is mute, so I have no knowledge of what life would be like in reality, but Taylor's interpretation of Jake's struggles seemed realistic to me. He has to learn to communicate in alternate ways, as well as deal with people staring at the scar on his throat and treating him differently because he's now "disabled."

I was a little torn on Samantha's character. Without revealing anything, Samantha is indeed dealing with her own serious issues. She does her best to help Jake and be a friend to him, but Jake has moments where the reality of his new life catches up with him or he feels sorry for himself, and he starts acting less than pleasant. Should he act like that? Probably not. But is it understandable? Completely. Yet Samantha lashes out at him and angrily reminds him that his life is not too terrible, despite what's happened. Yes, she's right, and I understand she's dealing with stress herself, but I just did not like the way she responded to him. I felt like, of all people, she would be a little more sensitive to his moods and reactions, since she's facing new and painful losses of her own.

All in all, this was a nice romance between two teenagers facing some very adult issues. Aside from my wavering feelings about Samantha's character and one rather cliché YA romance moment (SPOILER - highlight to read: Jake gets mad at Samantha, goes to a party alone, and starts talking to Samantha's enemy, the class flirt...and of course Samantha walks in the door right at that moment), I enjoyed What I Didn't Say and would read another book by Taylor. Her writing flows nicely, and she gives her characters realistic, relatable voices. She handles difficult situations smoothly and gets you to feel for the characters. You pull for Samantha and Jake to rise above their circumstances and come together, and then your heart swells when they finally do.

Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Review: Whispers from the Grave by Leslie Rule

Whispers from the Grave
by Leslie Rule

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 272
Publisher: Andrews McMeel
Publication date: April 3, 2012
Suggested tags: young adult, science fiction, time travel



From Goodreads:

"The similarities between Jenna and Rita were uncanny. They looked and acted exactly alike. Each was experiencing the thrill of first love. Each was empowered with a gift of the supernatural. And each harbored dark secrets. Jenna and Rita could have been sisters. Except for one thing . . . Rita was murdered over a century ago.

Out of the yellowed pages of her diary, Rita's frightening legacy is reborn. But the more Jenna reads of Rita's spellbinding past--of murder, deception, and sinister experiments--the more she fears her own future. Because Rita's history is repeating itself, moment by horrifying moment. And Jenna has to live it."

{ I received this as an ebook from NetGalley. }


I felt a little misled by this one. I had it shelved as a paranormal ghost story, thinking that Jenna lives in the present and Rita is a ghost from the past. But actually Jenna is living in the future, in the 2070s, and Rita lived in the 1970s. And Rita's not a ghost either. I can't tell if the synopsis is intentionally misleading to make it appeal to a wider audience, or if I just assumed from the cover and title that Whispers from the Grave was going to be a ghost story and then interpreted the synopsis accordingly.

Either way... Jenna finds Rita's diary in her attic and realizes that she's reading the words of a girl who was murdered in the town a century ago. Strange things start to happen in her own time, and Jenna thinks that somehow they're connected to Rita's murder. She ends up involved with a psychokinetics study at a science lab along with her friends Suki and Kyle, where she discovers that she has some pretty incredible powers. As she slowly unravels the complicated history of Rita's life and how it's intertwined with her own, she realizes she has to use her powers to try and save Rita, and at the same time save herself.

Without spoiling too much, Whispers from the Grave does have a paranormal element: Rita and Jenna both discover that they have psychokinetic abilities, meaning they can move objects with their mind. At the science lab, Jenna learns that Rita could move objects not only from place to place, but she could move them through time as well. Jenna begins to wonder, if Rita could do that, could she move herself back to Rita's time to try to change the events that led to Rita's death?

Anything else I say about the plot is probably going to spoil things, so I'll hide the rest. (SPOILER - highlight to read:  Jenna does go back to Rita's time, and it was kind of fun to see her go through events from Rita's life, including getting involved with a feminist protest at school. But she has some trouble when she tries to get back to her own time. The "butterfly effect" concept is pretty significant, as Jenna is warned about making changes in the past and how they can drastically affect the future. The ending of the book was a little weak, in my opinion - it's basically saying, "Jenna ignored all the warnings and changed the past, and so she changed the future completely, but she meant well, so it all worked out." I'm a little picky about my time travel books, though, so maybe this ending would be satisfying to other readers.)

I'm typically not into sci-fi, so I can't comment with any sort of authority on the futuristic elements in Whispers from the Grave. I thought some things were a little cheesy (I really hope we don't wear puff suits in the future), but some things I did like, such as the virtual reality program where you can simulate a dream date with your crush or have a picnic with deceased family members (if that actually exists in the future, you'll know where to find me in every waking moment of my free time).

Although it was a little disappointing to start a book expecting a ghost story and end up with a different sort of story entirely, I still enjoyed Whispers from the Grave. The writing is solid and the slow reveal of one secret after another kept me steadily flipping pages. While there are some nice twists, you'll probably be able to figure out most of what's foreshadowed before it comes to pass. Still, it's an interesting time travel read and one that I would recommend to lovers of sci-fi, although not so much to lovers of ghost stories.

Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Review: Let's Face It

Let's Face It
by Jodi R. Moore

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition
Pages: 228 (Kindle edition)
Publisher: Summer Job Books
Publication date: March 16, 2012
Suggested tags: young adult, realistic fiction



From Amazon:

"We’ve all seen the commercials – a pretty pop star promises your skin will be clear if you just . . . For fifteen-year-old Kaylin Bidwell, it doesn’t matter what they say. She knows the truth. Those products won't clear up her acne. She even proved it for a science fair project, hoping to win a spot at science camp with the guy she’s had a crush on for 20% of her life. But the only kind of spot she may end up with this summer are the ones on her face. Kaylin is determined to find a solution, even if it means interning for a company that makes acne products that never work. Could Kaylin help make something better? What she really wants is something better than better – a cure.

Ages 12 and up."

Confession: I had acne before the other kids in my class even knew what acne was. Even now in my late 20s, I still have it, and I'm still waiting to grow out of it.

So I related to this book on a pretty personal level. Some of the things Kaylin deals with because of her acne (like comparing herself to other girls, and wondering if boys don't like her because of her or because of her face) were things that I dealt with growing up too. She has an honest, straightforward voice that makes her quite an endearing narrator.

Kaylin's passion for science was a big part of the book. It leads her from her school science fair, to a summer internship at a company that makes acne products, to meeting with a real scientist who's on her way to developing a vaccine for acne. Any readers who are into science would definitely enjoy reading about Kaylin's experiments and adventures. However, readers who aren't so into it may find Let's Face It a little hard to get through, as science is such a major element of both the plot and Kaylin's personality.

In addition to struggling with acne, Kaylin also has boy troubles. She's crushing on Sean, a guy who will barely give her the time of day. While I was on her friends' side and wanted to help get her over this loser as soon as possible, I still felt for her, because I did the same thing when I was younger. Does any girl make it through middle or high school without falling helplessly in love (or in "love," but it feels like serious love at the time) with at least one guy who treats them like dirt?

But then there's Charlie. I loved how their relationship developed really slowly, and how Kaylin was pretty much oblivious to his feelings for her. The little hints Charlie dropped that she never picked up on were precious. I think my favorite was the trip to get ice for the party. :)  Charlie is a great guy; whenever Kaylin's feeling discouraged, whether in her scientific pursuits or in her pursuit of Sean, Charlie is right there to help pick her spirits back up.

I wasn't crazy about was the book's unrealistic ending, which was just a little too neat and tidy for my tastes. (SPOILER - highlight to read: Companies that make a mint off of acne products that don't work aren't going to suddenly decide to get on the straight and narrow and focus their efforts on donating megabucks to research for a cure. Sad, but true.) However, when I was younger I wouldn't have wanted to read a realistic ending. I would have wanted to read a happy, hopeful ending, which is just what Moore delivers.

Let's Face It is a smoothly paced read with a subtle girl power message. Kaylin pursues her dreams, and when she's thrown off track a bit, she just finds another way to get where she wants to be. Her friends are with her every step of the way, and she finds a little romance along the way too. Older YA readers may find Let's Face It a little on the juvenile side, but it's definitely a great book for younger readers who could look up to Kaylin.


Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Review: The Peculiars

The Peculiars
by Maureen Doyle McQuerry

Available as: hardcover
Pages: 354
Publisher: Amulet Books
Publication date: May 1, 2012
Suggested tags: young adult, fantasy, steampunk



From Goodreads:

"On her 18th birthday, Lena Mattacascar decides to search for her father, who disappeared into the northern wilderness of Scree when Lena was young. Scree is inhabited by Peculiars, people whose unusual characteristics make them unacceptable to modern society. Lena wonders if her father is the source of her own extraordinary characteristics and if she, too, is Peculiar. On the train she meets a young librarian, Jimson Quiggley, who is traveling to a town on the edge of Scree to work in the home and library of the inventor Mr. Beasley. The train is stopped by men being chased by the handsome young marshal Thomas Saltre. When Saltre learns who Lena’s father is, he convinces her to spy on Mr. Beasley and the strange folk who disappear into his home, Zephyr House. A daring escape in an aerocopter leads Lena into the wilds of Scree to confront her deepest fears."

I received this as an ebook from NetGalley.

The synopsis of The Peculiars grabbed my interest as soon as I read it, and this book went right to the top of my "must read soon or the anticipation will kill me" list. It sounded like an epic adventure, a bit of self discovery, and a possible romance, all wrapped up in a fantasy world of peculiar folk. I envisioned something rich in detail and in content, but the book didn't quite live up to my expectations.

From the start, Scree is touted as a mysterious, dangerous, almost mythical place. It's in the back of Lena's mind at all times. It's the ultimate destination on Lena's grand journey, which the whole book is centered around. And yet, when Lena finally reached Scree, it just didn't come alive for me. I liked the idea of it as a sort of wilderness, but for all the build up, it was kind of anticlimactic when Scree became the main setting at last.

The seaside town of Knob Knoster, however, was described beautifully. I felt like I was there - I could feel the salty air and hear the seabirds calling. I could picture the town as clearly as if I were strolling down the streets alongside Lena. I just wish Scree had come alive this way. I hate to say it, but in comparison, Scree was a little dull.

Jimson was a great character - totally my kind of guy. Bookish, unintentionally charming, and genuinely kind. I liked the interactions between him and Lena, at times tender and at other times heated. (SPOILER - highlight to read: I thought Pansy's part in the story was a little weak. I realize the significance of her showing up and voicing her opinions, but it was a bit rushed; she was there, she said her piece, and then she faded into the background.) Mr. Beasley and the characters in his household grew on me, especially Mrs. Mumbles. There are some revelations about the household that are a little predictable, but I didn't mind. (Slight SPOILER - highlight to read: That's not Lena on the cover. I'm sure that's a silly thing to point out in a review, but when I realized that Lena's goblinism traits don't include wings and her hair is dark, I was kind of disappointed. Which I know is also silly. But I just assumed the girl on the cover would be the main character.) Lena's dealings with Marshal Saltre made me want to smack myself in the forehead sometimes. I understand that, for the sake of the plot, Lena needed to work with him, but she stayed on his side long past the point when some of his actions should have made her suspicious.

The idea of self-acceptance is present throughout the book. Lena struggles to accept herself for who she is, regardless of how she looks or who her father was, little by little as the story goes on. Some of my favorite lines in the book came from significant moments as Lena learns to accept herself as she is. At one point she exclaims, in an effort to defend herself against someone quite prejudiced against Peculiars,

"I don't know who I am. But do you know who you are? Does anyone really? What makes a decent person? Does being the same as everyone else mean being better than people or does it just make it easier to look down your nose at them?"

Later, in Scree, as Lena worries that her father's personality and choices may have influenced her, she is told by a significant character,

"It's not your family who defines you; they're an influence, all right, but they don't have the final say. We answer for that ourselves."

The ending was a little abrupt for me. Things wrapped up quite neatly (SPOILER - highlight to read: the "she's with us" plot at the jail worked a little too well, and the lawman turning on Marshal Saltre was a little too convenient), although it leaves things open for another book to continue Lena's story. If this book is the beginning of a series, then the ending works. They got to Scree, which was the goal, and now the next book can cover what happens to Lena from here, which I'm very curious to read about. However, if this book is not the start of a series, then the ending was pretty unsatisfying for me. Lena got the answers she was seeking rather quickly, and then it was over. It just didn't feel like an ending; it felt like it was leading into something else. Maybe I was hoping for too much. I just felt like it cut me off right when I was getting to the good stuff.


Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Review: Death by Petticoat

Death by Petticoat: American History Myths Debunked
by Mary Miley Theobald

Available as: paperback
Pages: 144
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Release date: June 5, 2012
Suggested tags: non-fiction, history



From Goodreads:

"Every day stories from American history that are not true are repeated in museums and classrooms across the country. Some are outright fabrications; others contain a kernel of truth that has been embellished over the years. Collaborating with The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Mary Miley Theobald has uncovered the truth behind many widely repeated myth-understandings in our history in Death by Petticoat including:

* Hat makers really were driven mad. They were poisoned by the mercury used in making hats from furs. Their symptoms included hallucinations, tremors, and twitching, which looked like insanity to people of the 17th and 18th centuries--and the phrase "mad as a hatter" came about.

* The idea that portrait painters gave discounts if their subjects posed with one hand inside the vest (so they didn't have to paint fingers and leading to the saying that something "costs an arm and a leg") is strictly myth. It isn't likely that Napoleon, King George III, or George Washington were concerned about getting a discount from their portrait painters.

Pregnant women secluded themselves indoors, uneven stairs were made to trip up burglars, people bathed once a year, women had tiny waists, apprenticeships lasted seven years--Death by Petticoat reveals the truth about these hysterical historical myth-understandings."

I received this as an ebook from NetGalley.

Death by Petticoat is a collection of fun, brief explanations of historical myths. Each myth is covered in a few paragraphs, making for a sufficient explanation, but I wouldn't have minded a little more depth. Some of the explanations ended a little abruptly, leaving me wishing there was more to it. But the short style makes it perfect for picking up here and there whenever you have a moment: before bed, in a waiting room, over breakfast, etc.

I would recommend this book to history lovers, especially those looking for an interesting, quick read. Serious history buffs may already be familiar with the truths behind the myths, but for the average person with an interest in history, this would probably expand upon their knowledge of the common myths and introduce them to some new ones too. (It did for me!) The ebook version that I read didn't include the photos that the text mentions, but I'm looking forward to picking up a paperback copy when it's released to see how the photos complement the myths.


Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Review: Entwined

Entwined
by Heather Dixon

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 472
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Publication date: March 29, 2011
Suggested tags: young adult, fantasy, fairy tales, retellings



From Goodreads:

"Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her . . . beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing . . . it’s taken away. All of it.

The Keeper understands. He’s trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation. Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest. But there is a cost. The Keeper likes to keep things. Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late."

Fairy tale retellings are totally my thing. I've got a few of my own versions in the works among the YA novels-in-progress I've been writing. So when I heard about Entwined, a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, it was on my to-read list immediately. I was really excited to read it, and perhaps my hopes were a little too high, but it just didn't quite live up to what I expected.

Don't get me wrong: Dixon is an excellent writer who weaves a very elegant prose. In fact, her writing alone was so good that I knew I couldn't give this book less than 3 stars. There are scenes that are beautifully detailed, scenes that are touching and sweet, and scenes that are hilarious. She gives her characters some great quirky lines, one of my favorites being:

"Down with tyranny!" Bramble cried. "Aristocracy! Autocracy! Monocracy! Other ocracy things! You are outnumbered, sir! Surrender!"

But the feeling that developed as I read was that she's a wonderful writer who is trying to dress up a slow, wandering plot. The storyline gets a little repetitive as the girls go to the silver forest every night and do basically the same thing every time. Issues with their father and budding romances for the older girls are added into the mix, but it still didn't really hold my attention. (Although the scenes with Lord Teddie, Bramble's suitor, were some of my favorites in the book. And they also involved another of my favorite quirky quotes:)

"He's around the twist," said Azalea. "Breaking all the windows? He's mad."
"Ah, no," said the King. "It's only madness if you actually do it. If you want to break all the windows in the house and drown yourself in a bucket but don't actually do it, well, that's love."

There were a few things that were never really explained (to my satisfaction, anyway). Such as why the royal family was poor. Or why, although Azalea began to get the feeling that Keeper was dangerous, she kept allowing her sisters to visit him every night. Wouldn't that fall under her promise to her mother to protect them? There were also a few things that were a bit irritating. Such as the fact that Azalea apparently really likes to dig her fingernails into her palms in anger, because she must do this at least once per chapter. And the fact that Azalea sometimes seems to not really put a lot of forethought into her visits to the silver forest. (SPOILER - highlight to read: She sees her mother there with her lips sewn shut and reaches for the scissors she always carries in her pocket, but they are not there. If I were Azalea, and I saw my dead mother (or at least her spirit) trapped in an enchanted part of my house, I would be down there every spare moment trying to save her. I would not let my younger sisters go near a place where such mysterious and possibly dangerous things were happening. And for goodness sake, I would NOT forget to bring a pair of scissors the next time I went there! But apparently, Azalea and I do not think along the same lines.)

That being said, there was a lot about the book that I really did enjoy. Dixon's writing, as I said before, was delightful. I would not hesitate for a moment to read another book she had written. And I loved the details she gives in Entwined of dancing and dresses. It was all very romantic and luxurious; it made me feel like I was a part of that world of old-fashioned royalty in a far away land. But I really wish Dixon had played up the dance of the Entwine a little more. It's described beautifully at the very beginning of the book, and I was envisioning this dramatic, climactic scene where Azalea and Keeper alternately entwine and evade, with the end of the dance determining Azalea's fate. Unfortunately, this never really came to pass the way I had hoped. They do dance the Entwine, but it just didn't do it for me. I wanted more.

And ultimately, that was how I felt about the book as a whole: it simply left me wanting more.


Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars

(This did not factor into my rating, but I just have to mention that I read this as an audiobook and the narrator was perhaps one of the most annoying narrators I have ever heard. She had a beautiful accent, and usually I appreciate when narrators give each character a distinct voice. But for some reason, this narrator's little voices for all 12 sisters just drove me up a wall.)

Review: 13 Hangmen

13 Hangmen
by Art Corriveau

Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition
Pages: 352
Publisher: Amulet Books
Release date: April 1, 2012
Suggested tags: middle grade, mystery



From Goodreads:

" “Some people won’t believe any of this story. You might be one of them. But every single word is true. Tony DiMarco does catch a murderer, solve a mystery, and find a treasure—all in the first few days after he moves, unexpectedly, to 13 Hangmen’s Court in Boston. The fact that he also turns thirteen at the same time is not a coincidence.”

So begins the story of Tony and his friends—five 13-year-old boys, all of whom are living in the same house in the same attic bedroom but at different times in history! None are ghosts, all are flesh and blood, and somehow all have come together in the attic room, visible only to one another. And all are somehow linked to a murder, a mystery, and a treasure."

I received this as an ebook from NetGalley.

13 Hangmen kept me up late at night reading about Tony and his four new friends, all working to solve the mystery of 13 Hangmen's Court. Tony, a mystery lover, explores the house and town in search of clues. He meets Sarah Pickles working at Ye Olde Curiosity Shop in town; she's around his age and proves to be a helpful ally. Tony struggles with his suspicious neighbor, Mr. Hagmann, as well as with his own weight and confidence. With the help of his friends, he solves the mystery and proves to be more of a leader than he ever thought he could be.

This book is perfect for history lovers. It made me want to move to Boston like Tony and his family did so that I could live in the middle of all that rich history too. The characters each come from a point in time across nearly 300 years, and they meet some famous historical figures. There is a really interesting fact vs. fiction section at the back of the book that explains what actually happened in history and what the author made up.

I loved the idea that six teenagers from different periods in history could communicate with each other across time. The explanation behind this was very interesting, but very intricate and very scientific as well. I wondered as I read if perhaps it might be a little over some middle grade readers’ heads. I think it would be perfect for readers with a strong interest and knowledge base in math or physics, or Native American spiritualism. But otherwise, it may be a lot to take in and pretty hard to comprehend. It was for me, anyway.

Tony made quite a few big steps over the course of the book. The struggle with his weight is something readers could easily relate to, especially with the pressure from his family. Luckily, he has the support of new friends and the dedication to follow the new ways of eating and exercising that he learns. He comes across as a little unsure of himself at the beginning of the book, but as he makes friends and follows clues, his confidence grows. By the time the mystery of 13 Hangmen's Court is solved, Tony is finally able to recognize his own ability to be a strong, loyal leader.

I wish we could have seen a little more of Sarah throughout the book. She was definitely an important character (SPOILER - highlight to read: I was so happy to see her coming out of the hidden room at the end! I was really hoping she'd make one last significant appearance after all the help she had given Tony!), but she was kept to the periphery of the story. The lack of information made her seem a little mysterious; I kept waiting for a big reveal as to who she really was or what her ties to Hangmen's Court really were. I just would have loved to have learned a little more about Sarah, the way we learned more about the other characters.

Corriveau's writing had a quirk to it when he needed to insert a backstory that I found a little distracting. In the midst of a pretty solid narrative style with good dialogue and nice descriptions, Corriveau would introduce a backstory with a sentence to the effect of "Here's what happened: ... " What followed read more like his own notes for what he would eventually flesh out into a finished version; it was written with a matter-of-fact tone and simple, sometimes choppy sentences, a distinct contrast from the rest of his writing.

Even though there were a few aspects of 13 Hangmen that I didn't love, I enjoyed unraveling the mystery with Tony and the others. I can definitely see this being a favorite book for lots of middle grade readers, especially mystery lovers and history lovers. It's one of those books that could be read again and again; I'd like to read it again myself to see what clues I missed or misinterpreted the first time around.

Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Review: The Dresskeeper

The Dresskeeper
by Mary Naylus

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 238
Publisher: Prospera
Release date: June 25, 2010
Suggested tags: young adult, time travel



(Please note: Somehow, my original review for this book was erased from my blog. This is the abbreviated review I posted elsewhere, along with the bits and pieces I could remember from the original review. This has been a lesson in backing up all reviews before posting. *grumble grumble*...)


Picky Robson is a 13-year-old who finds herself in 1680s London after trying on a dress in her grandmother's attic. She is still in the same attic, but someone else is there with her - someone who calls her Amelia and is trying to kill her. She escapes back to her own century just as the murderer's knife presses into her, but from the blood on the dress, she assumes Amelia was not so lucky.

Picky goes back and forth from her own time to the past by putting on and taking off different dresses in the attic, trying to find out who Amelia was and how she can save her from her fate. She has a hard time fitting in with the 17th century; she uses modern phrases that others don't understand, she asks to use a phone, and she actually suggests to one character that they download a book from the internet. (In the oft-repeated words of Picky herself: "No. Seriously.")

I really liked the fact that this wasn't a fluffy, "everything's peachy in the past!" type of time travel novel. Naylus introduces issues such as poverty, servitude, sanitation, and disease, which are almost foreign to modern-day Picky. The overall tone of the book is light, though; Picky is an entertaining, and at times hilarious, narrator. She springs little one-liners in now and then that catch you off guard and keep things from getting too serious.

The book has a solid, engaging pace that kept me reading for hours on end to see how Picky handled her own time and the past. The only downside was that the end felt a little rushed to me, and the reveal of the murderer was a little on the hard-to-believe side. (SPOILERS - highlight to read: I don't know, I just felt like Picky might have realized that it was a woman's hands on her when she was first attacked. And also regarding the end, I reeeally hope that whole 70% offer to her dad was just an act to gauge his reaction. I can think of 70 better things she could do with that 70%. However, the hint at Edwina's fate really appealed to the side of me that loves overly happy endings. :) ) I really enjoyed Naylus's style and her handling of the time period, and I will definitely be checking out her next book, The Plaguemaker, which sounds like it's in progress from the posts on her blog.

Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars