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Review: The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

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Featured imageHolly Black is no stranger to Fairies.  This is her third foray into the world of the fair folk.  She first co-authored the Spiderwick Chronicles with Tony DiTerlizzi and then went solo on Modern Faerie Tales, Tithe, Valiant and Ironside. She knows her fairy mythology.  The Darkest Part of the Forest is a return to her fairy roots, so to speak.

Sister and Brother Hazel and Ben live in a strange town of Fairfold, where humans and fairy live side by side.  They have sort of agreement where the fairies leave the townspeople alone but can do what they want to the tourists.  Nice, right? In the center of the wood, lays a glass casket that has an attractive horned fairy inside, sleeping.  Never waking.  Both Hazel and Ben are in love with him and one day are going to wake him and save the town.

Hazel knows to fear the fey.  They may seem harmless but they are not.  She and Ben used to hunt faeries.  Ben has a gift for music, blessed and cursed by a fairy when he was a baby. Ben would lull the faires with his music and Hazel would strike them down.  The Bard and the Knight.  All went well until Ben couldn’t control his gift and got scared.  Hazel makes a bargain with the Alderking, who rules the fairies in the forest.  If Ben gets a scholarship to a music school in Philadelphia, she’ll give seven years of her life to them.  Ben did but things didn’t turn out as planned, as often it does with fairy bargains.  Back in Fairfold, Hazel throws herself at boys to distract her from troubles, while Ben desperately tries to escape Fairfold and be normal.  Everything changes when the mysterious horned fairy boy is freed from the casket and awakes.  Hazel and Ben must finally face all of their secrets and fears and do what they did as kings. Hunt down fairies and save the town.

I liked this book but it wasn’t my favorite.  I don’t know how to explain it but it seems to not have the spark of her other books.  Or maybe since I loved her last book, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown that I just expected more.  The characters are all likable. The most likeable is Jack, the changeling boy who is also Ben’s best friend and Hazel’s long time crush.  I liked how that Ben is gay but it doesn’t define him. It’s not a obstacle he has to overcome or come to terms with, it’s just a fact and accepted.  Or the fact that Jack is a changeling.  People just seem to accept him as is, until things start to fall apart of course.

So really the story isn’t about fairies at all but about finding yourself and being honest with yourself and others. In like most novels, the conflicts could have all been avoided if they didn’t keep secrets from themselves but I guess that wouldn’t be much of a story.  All and all, it was a good but not great.

Series You Should Check Out: The Curse Workers by Holly Black

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In honor of the release of Holly Black’s latest book, The Darkest Part of the Forest (which I finished, review coming) I thought I would highlight my favorite series of hers: The Curse Workers.

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White Cat, Red Glove and Black Heart follow Cassel, who is a bit of an outsider.  He comes from a long line of magical con artists and grifters but he himself has no powers.  So he doesn’t really fit in with his family, who are all curse workers.  His brothers work for the mafia and his mother is in jail because curse work is illegal.  He doesn’t fit in at school because of his family.  His classmates all know who they are and what they are.  Cassel is also pretty guilt ridden because he killed his best friend, Lila.

Cassel may not have the ability to make people forget like his brother or manipulate people’s thoughts like his mother but he’s not completely without his talents.  Growing up in a household of con artists, he’s picked up a few things here and there.  He’s the resident bookie at his swanky boarding school.  He knows how to get what he wants.  If only he could get over the guilt.

Cassel starts to have dreams about a mysterious white cat and things are starting to fall apart around him and not making sense.  He’s starting to wonder what really happened the night Lila was killed.  Maybe she isn’t dead after all.  In looking for answers, he discovers a plot for more power, he attracts the attention of both the FBI and his brother’s mafia boss (who also happens to be Lila’s dad).  Congress is planning on new legislature on curse workers, making things even more tense in his family.  Oh, and Cassel may not be without magic after all.

I really enjoyed this series for one reason, Cassel is Mr. Sassy pants (Kate can attest to that)(speaking of Kate, did you read all three?) The characters and the settings are believable. It is a mixture of crime story, who-dun-it mystery and magic. Cassel is a good guy, who wants to do the right thing but that’s not always easy when your family members are criminals and everyone else is willing think the worst of you because of them.  Cassel uses all of his guile and con artist tricks to solve problems and get him, his family and his friends out of trouble.  You can’t help but root for him.

And speaking of Ms. Black, you should also read her vampire book, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown.

Featured imageThis is one of the best vampire stories I have read.  It’s very modern and with the times.  Vampires were content to staying under the radar until one went rogue and started spreading the disease of vampirism rampant.  The government, in response has quarantined cities where it was the most widespead.  No one was allowed to go in or leave without permission, even if they weren’t infected. Vampires however, discovered the internet and live feeds and made the forced quarantine into reality shows and full of stars.

Tana lives not to far from a Coldtown, what the quarantined cities are called.  One morning she wakes up after passing out in the bathtub after a night of partying.  She finds everyone else dead from a vampire attack, her ex-boyfriend tied to a bed and a very hungry looking vampire also tied up.  With the help of the imprisoned vampire she tries to rescue her ex but gets bit by another vampire in the process.  She can’t go home and risk her family so she, Gavriel, the mysterious vampire, and the Ex go to Coldtown.  Tana is strong in that she is determined to help those she cares about, even if that means leaving them behind.  The Ex is kinda of annoying but that is why he is the ex but Gavriel is real book boyfriend material.  I definitely recommend it to anyone whether you like vampires or not.

Reviews: A Hattrick of Novellas

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After I finished reading A Dance of Dragons, I decided I needed something quick.  So I read three novellas.  It has become a trend for YA authors with successful series to write short stories or novellas to supplement the series.  Most of them are inconsequential.  They may add a little hint of what’s going to happen in the series or they are just fluff. They can write a few stories.  Publish them first as an e-book and then later can republish them all as a collection.  Obviously both the author and publishers can get a little bit more out of a trilogy (not to mention, a little more cash) and keep readers interested between books.

Authors use them to either bridge the gap between the end of one book to the beginning of another.  Sort of a “What I did over the Summer” essay, one does on the first day of school.  Other times, authors write a pivotal scene but from another characters perspective.  Usually, it’s from the love interest’s perspective but not always.  Other times, these novellas give authors a chance to play in the world they’ve created without really messing up the story they are writing.  They can do this by writing a story about a supporting character that takes place outside the current story line.  Sometimes, the stories are prequels.  Giving readers a chance to see the hero or heroine before the series began or give a glimpse of life was before.   Whatever the reason for writing the novellas, they are usually fun to read.

Featured imageThe novellas I read came from very different series. The first is The Queen from the Selection series by Kiera Cass. This is actually the third novella from this series and the first that is a prequel, taking place long before the action of the first book, The Selection. First, if you are not familiar with this series. It’s been dubbed as the Bachelor version of the Hunger Games.  I think that’s not a very good description because the only thing they have in common is that they both take place in a dystopian society and both plots revolve around a sort of Reality TV show premise.  In The Selection, America Singer is one of 35 girls picked to compete in the Selection, and win the heart of Prince Maxon.  It’s all taped and televised and other things happen too.  The Queen is about the Queen Amberly, Prince Maxon’s mother’s own Selection, that she obviously won since she is now the Queen.  It doesn’t add too much to series but it does gives more of a look at King Clarkson, who is sort of the villain in the series.  Why he is who he is and also a little sadness for Queen Amberly.  She is a good person who truly loves him and he likes her because he knows she will do whatever he says and is easy to manipulate.  Not exactly a romance.

Featured imageThe second is Burnt Sugar, a prequel novella of Firebug by Lish Mcbride. You may remember that Firebug was one of my favorite books from last year This short story is about Ava, Lock and Ezra on a job for the Coterie to collect money from a witch who has stopped paying her “protection” payments.  Of course, the job goes awry as they run into some unexpected complications.  As is, the witch lives in a Gingerbread house, eats kids just like in Hansel and Gretel and they get captured.  I love their team dynamic.  Lock the responsible leader, Ezra the fox doing what foxes do and Ava, who sort of just likes to wing it.  It has the same sense of humor as the book but just a small dose.  Just enough for me to pine even more for the next book.

Featured imageAnd finally Carnival of Lies is a novella from the Untamed City series by Melissa Marr.  The first book, Carnival of Souls (now published as Carnival of Secrets) was published in 2013 and sadly there is no plans at the moment to publish a sequel. I’m not sure if it’s one of those things that the first book didn’t do as well as they’ve hoped so the cancelled the rest of the series or if Melissa Marr is too busy writing other series.  She just published another Teen book called Made for You, which was only ok. She is also co-authoring a kids series about Norse Mythology.  Whatever the reason, we must be content with Carnival of Lies. A little background: a class of Diamons runs the City.  They have killed almost all the witches and those who survived have escaped to the human realm. The city holds a carnival where one can pay for murder or death.  Once a generation, a competition that is held.  The winners are raised to the ruling class.  The Losers are dead. In Carnival of Lies, we follow Aya as she decides to compete and her betrothed Belwas, who enters to try to save her.  Honestly, there doesn’t seem to be much of reason for this story.  We know why she entered the competition because it was revealed in Carnival of Secrets.  She was born a witch and her Diamon parents who were bewitched to believe they are her real parents.  If she were to marry Belwas and have children, as she would have too, then she would be revealed for what she is and put to death but if she wins and becomes part of the ruling class, she could live without ever having to marry and have children.  Since there is sequel on the horizon, I was really hoping for something more.  This really didn’t do much for me.

All three were a nice break from the multitudes of characters, subplots and pages of Game of Thrones and revisit some old characters and series that I really do enjoy.  Now back to my regular schedule of novels.

Series You Should Check Out

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So this is something that I’m thinking of making a regular column: Books and Series that I’ve read that I feel are underrated or under-appreciated.  There are some great books or Series that I haven’t seen much written or talked about on other blogs that I really liked!  So I’m going to attempt to give them some love. I’m going to start with the Defy series by Sara B. Larson.

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Defy came out last year and it’s sequel Ignite was just released. The story is about Alexa who has to pretend to be a boy and serve in the King’s army.  Let’s just say it would be very bad if she is ever discovered.  Alexa, now Alex, is a smart fighter and she eventually works her way into the the elite prince’s guards.  When a unbeatable sorcerer kidnaps Alex, the Prince and Alex’s friend Rylan, it becomes even harder to do her duty to protect the Prince and to protect her secret.

What I like about the books is that I found them to be really quick reads that were paced well.  You don’t have to wait too long for the action to start.  Alexa is a fighter and not just physically.  She is one of the best of the Prince’s guards, which comes into play when the Prince gets kidnapped.

The relationship between Alexa and the Prince is at first awkward.  He’s the Prince and she’s pretending to be a guy who protects him.  As they grow closer they realize they have more in common.  Both are trying to pretend to be something they are not to protect themselves.  I think you can guess where this is going to go.

It’s hard to review series because I can’t say too much about the second without spoiling the first. So I’ll say it’s worth checking out.  It’s nice to read a heroine who is strong and doesn’t take anyone’s crap.  Of course in Alexa’s case, she can beat up anyone who gives her trouble.  So go check them out.

Review: I Was Here by Gayle Forman

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Featured imageGayle Forman knows how to make people cry. If you are familiar with her other books, If I stay and Where She Went then you know that.  She took a little bit of a break from the waterworks with Just One Day, Just One Year and the novella, Just One Night.  There were tears in those too but it wasn’t the weepers as her previous novels.  I Was Here, is back to making you cry.

I Was Here is about two best friends, Cody and Meg.  They were inseparable.  Did everything together until Meg went off to college and Cody didn’t.  When Meg commits suicide no one is more surprised and baffled by it then Cody.  How could Meg be so unhappy that she wanted to kill herself and Cody had no idea.  Cody tries to figure out what happened to Meg after she left for college and what does the mysterious Ben McAllister have to do with it.

Really, this isn’t a story about suicide but a story about self-discovery.  For Cody, it was always Cody and Meg.  They made plans together and when those plans fell apart when Meg got a scholarship and went to college and Cody didn’t and stayed in town.  Now that Meg is gone, who is Cody?  Before Meg’s death, Cody still had plans of joining her in College next year.  So what now?  Who is Cody without Meg?  Cody must overcome her own insecurities and fears to face a future on her own.  Meg may be gone but Cody is still here.

Forman knows how to make dynamic and sympathetic characters.  I really felt bad for Cody.  She comes from a broken home with little support.  Her mother is really just a roommate and not a mother.  Meg’s family really helped take care of her.  So it was a real blow when Meg went off to college and Cody couldn’t afford it and stayed home.  She cleans people houses to make money and goes to the library but little else.  Her life is on pause.  With Meg’s death, what little hope she had went with her.  By the end of the book, she is in much better place but I won’t say more.  My only problem is the resolution seemed to quick and sudden.  After all the discoveries and mysteries, the reason seemed too simple and really obvious that how could Cody not have figured it out long before Meg left.  Other than that it was a satisfying read but have your kleenex near by.

GoT Update

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So the Dance of the Dragons is going much better than A Feast For Crows did. I’m already on page 400!  I think it helps that so many of my favorites are back. Tyrion! Jon Snow. (You know nothing, Jon Snow) and Davos. Yes, the Onion Knight is one of my favorites.  He is really one of the only truly decent people in Westeros.  He’s trying to make the best of what’s he’s got and god, is he loyal.  I’m not sure Stannis deserves it though.

I like Dany but she’s not my favorite but I think that might be her story line.  I sort of lost interest in her when she was raiding Slaver’s bay and now in Meereen, the same thing. Isn’t it time for her to get to Westeros. Let’s move things a bit.

So happy that Davos is still alive. I was worried.  Tyrion, you sly bastard.  Messing up the Spider’s plans.  Oh, btw, where is Varys?  Does anyone else get the feeling that Jon Snow isn’t going to be Lord Commander much longer? Poor Theon.  Yeah, he was a git but no one deserves to be tortured like that.  And man, those Northmen are sneaky.

Let’s Do Some Reading: Goals for 2015

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So today Kate and I will discuss our reading goals for 2015.  It’s hard to believe that this year is almost over.  Like, Seriously!  Where did the year go?

I hit my apex in 2012 when I read 94 books.  My goal that year was 90. So yeah, me, I made it! but it left me with little time to really enjoy the books I was reading.  It meant that I had to immediately start a new book as soon I finished one.  I also had to rush through books when I started to fall behind in my goal.  I think there were a lot of books I read that year that I would have enjoyed more if I had given the time to really let them sink in as I read.  Let’s just say, it was stressful.  I promised myself that I would never set a goal that high again.  Last year, my goal started at 65.  Totally doable but half way though the year, I lowered my goal to 50.  I know cheating! but it was taking me forever to get through the first 3 books of Game of Thrones.  I guess when you reading 300-400 page teen novels the pace of GoT was a snail’s pace.  It turns out I didn’t need to worry since I ended up reading 74 books this.

I’m going to set my goal again for 65. Why? Obviously, I know I can read that many books in a year since I’ve read more than 65 in the last four years running.  I’m purposefully setting a low goal because I don’t want to be rushed and also there are a lot of books that I want to reread.  Books that you have already read don’t count in your total book count.  (So really, I read more then 74 books this year, if you count my rereading of The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves before Blue Lily Lily Blue came out, also my yearly read of Wuthering Heights, etc.)

I know I should say something, like my goal is also to whittle down on my to-read stack and I will but maybe I’ve come to the realization that my to-read is really never going to shrink.  There are far too many new books going to come out this year that I can’t wait to read.  There are so many books and authors that I have yet to discover and who knows what ARCs publishers are going to send out.  So, I’m going to do my best and read as many books I already own as I can but I will refuse to feel bad if the stacks pile up.  At least I know I will always have something to read.

Oh, one more goal for 2015. To finally buy more bookcases!

So Kate, whats your goal?

Thanks, Beth! I think it is wise to accept that one’s to-read list will
never really shrink. I get really excited thinking about the new year and what the next year is going to be like. (I get really excited about the same thing at my birthday, too.) What will the next 365 days bring? Will there be adventure? Romance? Sadness? Bravery? Victory? Travel? The answer to these questions is always yes because no matter what else will be in the next year there will always be books. In the past I’ve put together lists of things to read in the next year and while that has been fun this year I’m giving that a pass. I am setting myself a number and some guidelines and then I’m just going to let myself go.

In 2014 I read 53 books (I just finished Junot Diaz’s Drown); this means I surpassed my goodreads goal by 13 books. This year, I am setting the number to 50. It is a nice round number. It will be a challenge because I do a lot of reading for my day job. In fact, I should probably do more reading for my day job. That’s a post for a different day. And, now the restrictions: the books have to come from my endless stacks, the library or be ebooks. I am not to buy physical copies. That’s going to be the real challenge.

Books that Rocked My Face off, Part two

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Kate has already posted her list. We have some of the same books in common but unlike my sister, I don’t have any qualms about reading only fiction and mostly teen fiction.  There are a few non-fiction novels I do want to read.  I’m quite interested in the Secret History of Wonder Woman. I’ll get to it eventually.  Anyway, this is about what I read this year so let’s get on with it.  I omitted a few books from contention because I read them as ARCs and they have not been released yet.  That will have to be a post for another day.

1.Blue Lily Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater.

I love her. I might have mentioned that before but I really do love Maggie’s writing style.  Blue Lily Lily Blue is the third book of her The Raven Cycle.  The search for the Welsh King, Glendower, is back with more earnest as Blue’s Mom, Maura has gone missing. Blue, Gansey, Ronan, Adam and Noah all have grown up so much in the last three books and yet, if we know anything about Maggie, they have so much to learn before the series ends in the next book.

2.The Heroes of Olympus: The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

I’m going to miss Percy, Annabeth, Nico, Leo, Hazel, Frank and Reina.  I’ll even miss Jason and Piper too.  They both did grow on me.  I thought it was a fitting ending for a great series. As a team, the Heroes came together, defeated the Giants and brought the Greeks and Romans together.  They all got a happy ending and there was a little bit of opening for some to return in Rick’s next series.

3. Landline by Rainbow Rowell

This was such a satisfying book. Georgie McCool is a TV screenwriter on a crappy show but she and her writing partner finally have a chance to get their own show going.  The problem is they have to write six episodes over Christmas, meaning Georgie has to stay in LA, while her family goes to Omaha.  Georgie’s marriage is already on thin ice; can it survive this?  While spending the night in her old room at her Mom’s house, she plugs in her old landline phone and magically calls her husband Neal in the past.  It soulds fantastical but it is based in the real world.  Rainbow has such a way of creating characters that you can’t help but fall in love with and want to be friends with.

4. The Young Elites by Marie Lu

In a revision of history, after the blood fever in the middle ages, the children who survived are left with scars.  Some were left with mysterious powers. They call themselves the Young Elite. Adelina is one of them. The blood fever left her disfigured with a scar over her left eye.  She has been shunned and abused by her father and when her powers surfaced, she’s a danger to herself and everyone else.  Marie creates a world with so much atmosphere that it was easy to get lost in it. Adelina, is filled with anger about how she is treated; you feel that it’s valid.  There are so many other layers of intrigue and one shocking ending, that the next book can not come too soon.

5. Cress by Marissa Meyer

I really do love the Lunar Chronicles.  A retelling of fairy tales with an alien twist.  I think they are really clever and the characters are so likable.  Cress is a take on Rapunzel.  She is a lunar and is hidden away in a satelite so she can spy on Earth for Queen Levana.  She is rescued from her prison but of course things don’t go as planned. She and Throne crash land in the desert.  Cinder seeks the doctors help for wolf, who is injured and Scarlet is captured by the Lunars.  Oh, and they only have a few days to stop Prince Kai from marrying Queen Levana.  I’m kind of mad that I have to wait until October or November for Winter, the final book but I’m sure it will be worth the wait.

6. Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

In the final book of the Grisha Trilogy, the Darkling has taken over Ravka and only Alina, the Sun Summoner can stop him.  I feel in the past, I have been too hard on Alina, especially how she treated Mal in the last book.  It really started to get me to think how far more critical we are on female characters then we are of male.  Alina, is a  young girl who discovers she has a frightening power that can save them or destroy them.  It is a lot to take in.  She needed someone to understand and for a while, the Darkling was really the only one who could or so she thought.  It is a fitting ending to a dark series.  I felt like all the stories were wrapped up right and they all found some kind of peace.

7. Unmade by Sarah Rees Brennan

Part Gothic Novel, part Nancy Drew.  Not your usual combination but it worked for the whole trilogy.  It was funny, scary and heartbreaking without missing a beat.  It was also one of the rare YA novels that not all of the main characters get a happy ending. I sometimes feel that authors feel they have to keep them alive or they will upset their readers but lets be honest.  That’s not realistic.  How many near death experiences can one character live through?  Kami is smart, resourceful and brave and really someone I would love to be friends with.  I’m going to miss this series but I am happy with how it ended.

8. Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

Yet another conclusion to a fantastic Trilogy.  Excluding the last half of the first book, this series grabbed me and never let me go.  It was heartwarming and heartbreaking.  The sacrifices that had to be made were real gut punchers but necessary. In the end Karou and Akiva achieved what they set out to do and a surprising relationship for Liraz was perfect.

9. Firebug by Lish McBride

Firebug doesn’t have the clever names as Lish’s other books but has the sense of humor and urgency.  Set in the same world as Hold Me Closer, Necromancer and Necromancing the Stone (see what I mean about those titles) but in Maine and not Seattle.  Ava is a firebug, a rare gift. She is forced to work for the Coterie, a magical mafia.  When she refuses to kill a family friend, she and her team, Locke, a dryad, and Ezra, a werefox, go on the run.  It really is funny.  Lish has such a great sense of humor that comes out in such surprising ways.  I can’t wait for the next one.

10. Raging Starr by Moira Young

Apparently 2014 was the year to end trilogies.  This is the last book in the Dust Lands series.  A dystopian series that goes beyond what the Hunger Games did.  Miss Young has no problems killing off characters or being seduced.  Saba has found her brother and reunited with Jack and is now ready to take down DeMalo.  The problem is that Saba does not disagree entirely with what DeMalo is trying to do.  Maybe not with how he is going about it and it puts her in direct conflict with both Jack and her brother, Lugh.  I really had no idea where this series was going to take me and it was quite a ride.

Books I loved so much, that I read the whole series:

A Song of Ice and Fire aka A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Ok so I technically haven’t finished all the books that are out.  I just started A Dance of Dragons.  Also, I did take a 8-month hiatus to watch the series and then read other things but I do love this series.  It’s so rich and challenging.  So many characters and places and plots.  How does he keep them all straight?

Obsidian, Onyx, Opal, Origin and Opposition. The Lux Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Daemon is a jerk and I love him for it.  He is also loyal and will do anything for his family and the ones he loves.  So the jerk with a heart of gold.  Obsidian got me hooked and well, I immediately bought the other books.  Were they the best books I’ve read this year.  No but damn, they were entertaining.

Legend, Prodigy and Champions by Marie Lu

I’ve been wanting to read these for a while and finally gave in and I’m glad. June and Day are perfectly matched heroes,  The ending was bittersweet but it did leave us with some hope.

Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door and Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Sometimes you just need a couple of good romances.  It’s really not a series but three companion novels that happen to have overlapping characters.  Anna is a new girl in an American high school in Paris, who falls for the charming St. Clair. Lola is a girl who knows exactly what she wants, except when it comes to Cricket, who lives next door and Isla has been in love with Josh, all for years of school but was to shy to do anything about it until a chance meeting over the summer. Isla is my favorite with Anna close second. Lola is ok but I just didn’t relate to her as much as the other two.  If you are looking for a sweet story with a lot of heart, you couldn’t do much better then these three.

Etiquette and Espoinage, Curtsies and Conspiraces, and Waistcoasts and Weaponry.  The Finishing Series by Gail Carriger

Sophronia is a handful for her mother. Always getting into trouble so when she is accepted into a prestigious finishing school, she’s sent packing.  However, this is no ordinary finishing school.  Not only do they teach the finer points of being a lady, they also teach the best ways to hide weapons in your skirts and what is the best poison to use.  All for Queen and Country, of course.  This steampunk look at Victorian Englad is full of humor that I did literally laugh out loud.