Cristina's Book Blog

The Replacement

2011-10-24T23:36:00.000-07:00

The Replacement is a Young Adult novel by Brenna Yovanoff about a misfit teen who only wants to be normal.

Mackie is a special sort of outcast: The kind that can't enter consecrated ground or tolerate being around iron. He lives in a town where mothers hang steel over cribs to protect their babies and where quartz buried in their backyard will cause the yard to stay green longer in the fall. The folks of Gentry know that Mackie is different but as long as he pretends to be normal, they are more than happy to pretend along with him.

Mackie can no longer pretend to be normal when a stranger from beneath the slag heap tells him that he's dying -- and that he knows someone who can help. Life becomes even more complicated when Mackie's schoolmate, Tate, experiences the death of her sister. However, Tate insists that it wasn't her sister that died, but a lookalike. Tate also starts to demand answers from Mackie, but all Mackie wants is to blend in.

Life takes an unexpected twist when Mackie starts to hang out with the Morrigan and feels at home among the dead that no one else wanted. In the process, he learns more about his heritage and refuses to choose between the humans that raised him and the Fae who can keep him alive. To make matters worse, Mackie discovers that not only is Tate's sister still alive, but that she is scheduled to be sacrificed for the prosperity of Gentry if Mackie doesn't step in.

I was initially drawn to this book because of the creepy cover; more specifically, why you would need to dangle sharp, metal objects over a baby carriage. I was also fascinated by the words chosen to describe this book: eerie, haunting, and beautiful. When I read the back, I was hooked. I love Fae stories and it isn't very often that changelings enter the story, let alone be the main character.

The author's interpretation of the replacements, the ritual sacrifices, and how they were related was fascinating. Even Gentry and its involvement with the Fae, along with its gradual decline into ruin, creates an interesting history for a town that once mined iron.

I think one of the main themes in this book is tolerance versus prejudice, and about how familial love and acceptance can shape who you become, regardless of the circumstances of your birth. The friendships in this book essentially state the same thing.

In terms of character development, I think only Mackie changed. He finally accepted himself as a whole rather than trying to hide his true nature from those closest to himself. By pretending to be wholly human, he was literally killing himself, and it wasn't until his sister took a chance on him that he felt better.

The only part of this book that I was confused by was the semi-naked make out scene. I didn't think it fit the story or the characters. Mackie read into it as her way of saying thanks, but there was nothing prior to that to indicate that Tate was into giving sexual favours for information, unless I completely missed something before that.

I would highly recommend this book. I found that Brenna asked questions that she answered later, which made for an informative read. While the ending seemed a little dull compared to the build up, it also fit the self-discovery theme of the story. I kept expecting the book to turn creepy, but it never did. Even the spookier characters were written so the reader would feel sympathetic to the character. The only word I can think of to describe this book is fascinating and it definitely lived up to my expectations.

Changes!

2011-08-31T10:57:00.000-07:00

So, here's the thing: I want to streamline this blog so that it will be easier to follow story lines, especially since many of my posts are about books in a series. I'm just not sure how to do that. And I've also read a couple books now that are part a couple series already blogged about, so now I'm behind in my posts.

I want to keep updating, but I need to think about how I want this blog to read so it may take a while before I get back to it.

The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy

2010-10-13T17:56:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've blogged about a book and I feel a little guilty. One, it isn't like I have stopped reading - quite the opposite! - but more because I haven't felt like blogging. Two, it's because I have another blog that keeps me more active (and interested). Thirdly, since I'm no longer working, I've been idling away my time with fluff romance books that I'm a little embarrassed to admit to reading. And sometimes the time and thought processes that go into a book review, I feel, just aren't worth my time if I'm reading something that isn't provoking any actual thoughts.

That being said, I just finished a book that not only made me laugh, a lot, but made me also want to pass on the advice I learned. Recommended by my very good friend, The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy by Vicki Iovine is hilarious. It's a no-nonsense (and entirely nonmedical) approach to pregnancy; more like having a coffee date with your best friends and chatting about their experiences and what they learned while pregnant. It is forthright and non-judgemental while still being informative. And entirely non-PC! She tells you that what you're feeling is normal, while giving you examples from her own pregnancies or that of her friends, and if it isn't, she suggests heading to your nearest OB to get it checked out. Covering everything from infertility and miscarriages to delivery and life after pregnancy, Vicki's commentary is funny, frank, and sometimes gory, in her desire to cover all the bases.

From a Canadian perspective on an American pregnancy book, the only differences would be the medical practices and tests. Otherwise, giving birth is giving birth, with all the terror and confusion included, regardless of which country you call home. One of the things I admired most was her ability to cover the little aspects of pregnancy as well as the embarrassing ones. And the way she tells her stories makes you believe you're sitting right there hearing them!

I highly recommend this book - but only if you're already pregnant or have already had children. Otherwise, the graphic nature of this book may compel you to decide against ever having children of your own. And be warned if you are pregnant: my hormones caused me to laugh hysterically and then promptly bawl my eyes out.

Specials

2010-09-12T18:01:00.000-07:00

The third book in his trilogy, Scott Westerfield continues Tally's story in Specials.

As predicted, Tally has been turned into a Special; however, as one of Shay's Cutters, she's a special Special. As the name suggests, the Cutters use self-mutilation as a way to stay "icy". Tally is unsatisfied as a Cutter since Zane is not a part of their group. Finding him crippled, Tally and Shay decide that if he escapes from New Pretty Town that Dr. Cable will have to make him Special. And to help him, they break into the Armory to find a cutting tool that will remove the tracking collar he has around his neck. Unfortunately, when they were discovered by the guard, Shay released nanos that ended up eating through the building, destroying it in the process.

After releasing Zane, Tally follows the Crims at a distance, staying undercover and helping them when they are nearly discovered. At the pickup point, Tally stows onboard and is taken to another City which has a more liberal point of view than the one Tally grew up in. For example, there are no standards for cosmetic surgery, so Tally is able to hide out in the open with her Special face. While there, she finds Fausto, a kidnapped Cutter that Shay had set out to find. However, he attempts to make Tally un-Special; in the escape, Tally winds up in a hospital where she is deemed a deadly weapon and is scheduled to be de-Specialized.

When Shay shows up to free Shay from the operation, she explains how Dr. Cable has declared war on the City, since she doesn't believe that the Crims or Smokies could have destroyed the Armory. The aftermath of Dr. Cable's revenge has left Zane brain-dead and Tally spends the next 3 days flying back to the Special Headquarters to turn herself in. Meeting David in the Ruins has strengthened her resolve to make things right, and he also gives her an antidote in case she changes her mind about being Special. Reaching HQ, Tally is tricked and trapped; but manages to slip Dr. Cable the antidote in the process. Due to her changed perspective, Dr. Cable ends up ruining her own position in the war and all of the Specials are de-Specialized. Just before Tally's operation, Dr. Cable saves her from the procedure and Tally runs off to the Ruins to meet up with David again.

In the end, all of Tally's friends become allies of the new movement; however, Tally is determined to keep them from becoming like the Rusties and has declared herself (and David) to be the enemy of their cause.

I liked the book and I think Tally matured in this story. And I liked how it ended, with Tally setting herself up as the antagonist. I know there's another story, Extras, which I'm assuming ties up the story, although the author could have let it end there.

The next story that I'm reading is Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut as part of the Banned Book Club.

Pretties

2010-09-06T21:52:00.000-07:00

Yay! Book two of the Uglies trilogy, Pretties, by Scott Westerfield continues the story of Tally Youngblood after she turned pretty. After her operation, Tally turned into a fluffy pretty whose biggest worries were what to wear to the next party - with a hangover. With the help of Shay and Peris, Tally is voted into the hippest clique in New Pretty Town, the Crims, and her life is complete! On the same night, Croy comes to Tally and leaves a "bubbly riddle" for Tally and her friend, Zane.

Discovering a note written from herself, Tally splits the pills with Zane that will cure her of the lesions implanted in her brain. Their trick results in Tally and Zane having to wear metal cuffs that could potentially eavesdrop on their conversations; however, this doesn't deter them from finding new ways to stay bubbly. Zane and Tally have decided to run away and they use all the members of their clique to create a diversion so they can head out to New Smoke. On the way, Peris chickens out and Tally jumps from an incredible height to a river to avoid being recaptured by the Specials. After her crash landing, Tally finds herself on a reservation with pre-Rusty tribes, built for the sole purpose of studying human nature such as revenge. So, what does Tally do? Steal a hovercar, of course! When Tally finally makes it to the ruins, she discovers that she is all alone, except for David - someone that she had forgotten about.

Special Circumstances placed a tracker on Zane and followed the signal to New Smoke. They also brought their newest Special, Shay. And I think that in the next book Tally will be one of them.

I still really liked this book, but Tally has a huge complex where she believes that everything is her fault. I'm hoping that she learns to forgive herself in the next book. I was a little annoyed when Tally was reunited with David and wasn't sure what to do; however, I feel like it was taken care of appropriately at the end of the book and I was incredibly thankful that it ended in this story. Having just read The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, which was 3 books of one girl having to decide between 2 boys, I was so glad when Tally made a quick decision.

This book wasn't as scientifically driven as the last, but it was anthropologically interesting with the study of human nature on the reserve. I find it fascinating to read about the Rusties: a society 300 years ago that pretty much describes our current culture and state of mind. It makes you wonder if the oil plague, or something similar, will happen and how will that shape the future?

It was a little annoying when the characters spoke fluent pretty, but it made the difference between being pretty-minded and bubbly more obvious. I am really excited for the next book though, since I am convinced that Tally will be turned into one of the Specials. I'm also curious as to whether or not Shay is as crazy as she lets on. And off I go to read the next story, Specials!

Uglies

2010-09-05T22:25:00.000-07:00

The first book in a trilogy, Scott Westerfield introduces us to the concept of a world where everyone is pretty. Before they are surgically altered at the age of 16, teenagers start out as an ugly; or, in other words, normal. Gawky, acne-prone and all the other things that make being a teenager horrible are magically erased when you turn.

Enter Tally Youngblood, a teen who has looked forward to being pretty since she was little. Her best friend, Peris, has already turned and a disastrous undercover trip to New Prettytown has her missing him even more. On her way back to Uglyville, Tally meets Shay, another ugly who also shares the same birthday as Tally. However, Shay has a secret: she doesn't want to be pretty. Instead, she wants to escape to the Smoke, a secret community that lives off the land and where you get to keep your face. Shay invites Tally to come along, but Tally wants to become a pretty face and stays. Unfortunately, Special Circumstances has heard of the escapees and has given Tally an ultimatum: infiltrate the Smoke and give them up or Tally will never be pretty.

Once Tally has arrived, she discovers that she enjoys the hard work and honest living of the Smoke. She especially likes David, a man who has never lived in the city. And he likes her. In a fit of defiance, Tally destroys the pendant that would've allowed her to contact Special Circumstances. However, the destruction actually calls them and they capture everyone present. Tally manages to escape and finds David in a tunnel. Together they decide that they're going to sneak back to the city and rescue everyone.

Breaking into Special Circumstances actually isn't as hard as they thought; but they're too late: Shay is already pretty. They rescue her anyway and create a new Smoke in the ruins outside the city. When David's mom discovers a cure for the lesions implanted in a new pretty's head, Tally tries to convince Shay to take the pills. Shay refuses, so Tally decides to turn herself in, thus giving a willing subject to test the pills.

I really, really liked this story! The biology and evolution behind becoming a pretty is fascinating; and the concept behind why and how being a pretty made the world a better place is interesting. In this dystopian society, the population is brainwashed into believing their lives are better when they're pretty. Children purposefully (and equally) give nicknames to their cohorts that draw attention to their faults; for example, Squint, Nose and Skinny. Even the symmetry behind being a pretty is about equality; pretties around the world have the same standard of beauty.

This future world also talks about the Rusties: a past civilization who built the cities, tore down the trees and polluted the air and water. A bacteria that affected the oil caused a plague that devastated their world. In the era of the pretties, renewable resources and green power have replaced oil and gas power.

The scientific concepts behind this book has made this story absolutely fascinating! I highly recommend it if you have a thing for biology, like I do, as well as an interest in dystopia. So, really, this book is pure perfection for someone like me. I also have the next story, Pretties, which I'll start reading as soon as I'm finished typing this review.

Mockingjay

2010-09-02T22:41:00.000-07:00

Mockingjay! The long-awaited finale to Suzanne Collin's Hunger Games trilogy!

And....!

I didn't love it.

Katniss Everdeen returns as the rebel's icon: the Mockingjay. In an effort to overthrow the Capitol, the rebels have banded together to take back Panem, district by district. Katniss' only request is that she herself wants to be the one to kill Snow. Peeta, Katniss' fake lover, was captured at the end of the last book, and it is evident in this book that he has been tortured. In a desperate rescue attempt, he is saved but his mind has been hijacked and perceives Katniss as a threat and tries to kill her.

In theory, the storyline is good, but Katniss herself is angsty as she still waffles between Peeta and Gale. And to make matters worse, both guys are aware of her struggles; they even come to an agreement that she will choose the guy that she can't survive without. Katniss also strikes me as sulky for most of the book; while others are going about their business (going to classes, etc), Katniss wanders off and does what she pleases, when she pleases. It isn't until near the end of the book that she accepts authority, but it is still for her own purposes: to sneak off and kill Snow. Katniss also spends a large majority of the book in the infirmary, so it seems like much of the story is happening behind the scenes. And it seems like Katniss doesn't care.

I also found the writing style to be jarring. I don't know the proper term, but it is written in first person present tense; meaning that it is written as it happens. However, I didn't like that style and I'm surprised I didn't notice it in the other books.

Even the ending was anticlimatic: Katniss assassinated the wrong person (the correct person in her thinking) and then tried to kill herself with a poison pill. In the end she was exiled back to District 12. There's an epilogue included as well: a 20 year look into the future. Which would've been fine if it wasn't written in the present tense.

Like I said, I was disappointed by the story. Maybe I'll re-read it in the future, this time with the books back-to-back (instead of reading the third book several months later) to see if it makes a difference. When I read them before, I really enjoyed the series, so I'm rather surprised that I didn't care for this one.

So, read it if you want. And let me know what you think.

Fragile Eternity

2010-08-26T20:57:00.000-07:00

Written by Melissa Marr, Fragile Eternity is book 3 in the Wicked Lovely series.

This book follows Seth as he struggles to deal with his humanity in a circle of immortals - including his girlfriend. On his quest to become Faerie, Seth meets the reclusive Sorcha, Queen of the High Court, and strikes a deal: one month a year in Faerie to become one. Unbeknownst to him, one day in Faerie is 6 in the real world. When he finally serves his month, 6 have passed and Aislinn has turned to Keenan to give their Summer Court a true queen to his king.

I did not like this book at all. While the bits about the High Court and his deal with Sorcha were fine, the angsty love triangle/rectangle was a little much. Keenan was still trying to win over Aislinn, and when that didn't work, he stuck it out with Donia. However, when Seth went missing, he immediately dumped Donia to be at Aislinn's side. Aislinn starts to feel strongly about Keenan with the approach of summer, so instead of being open with Seth, she hides it from him. Seth, for his part, knows that something is up with Aislinn and decides to completely change to be with her.

Those elements are wrong on so many levels. I can forgive Aislinn and Seth since they're young and dumb, but Keenan is 900 years old. You'd think that having to back off for 100 years-ish, would be super easy, especially now that his powers are unbound. Instead, he actively tries to seduce Aislinn and then when Seth is gone, he jumps at the chance to soothe her. His only saving grace is that when she offers her body, he turns her down.

Aislinn's behaviour at Seth's disappearance is pathetic. She becomes reclusive, to the point of shutting out her grandmother and close friends, and she leans heavily on Keenan - who I believe she had no right to demand that kind of attention after turning him down so often. She even offered to sleep with him to make herself feel better!

And Seth? Seriously? He seemed to be the only character who was completely satisfied with who he was. Until he got it in his head that he needed to be with Aislinn forever and went against everyone's wishes to do it. I believe that compromise is necessary in a relationship; but changing who and what you are to be with someone? On top of that, Seth has a Persephone-esque contract: 6 months in Faerie and 6 months with Aislinn. As much as I like happy endings, I almost hope this ruins their relationship. I think it would be too tidy to have Keenan and Donia together, as well as Aislinn and Seth.

I guess I'll find out eventually. The next book, Radiant Shadows, is available now. I, however, am going to read Mockingjay next, book 3 of the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins!!!

Magic Bleeds

2010-08-19T22:54:00.000-07:00

Magic Bleeds - book 4 of the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews - explored Kate's relationships with various people and groups in the different aspects of her life.

For familial relationships, Kate meets her crazy aunt Erra - and has to stop her from killing everyone Kate has ever loved. Going against every lesson taught her by Voron, Kate has finally accepted others in to her life and in order to save her friends, Kate is willing to sacrifice herself. Even disposing of her aunt could draw unwanted attention from her father and Kate doesn't believe herself strong enough for that confrontation yet (and really, Ilona Andrews is contracted until book 7 so it can't end now!).

Regarding romantic relationships, Kate and Curran have finally hooked up. However, due to their stubborn personalities - plus the shapeshifter politics - has caused huge headaches and huge compromises for both parties. Kate has officially chosen Curran, and his Pack, over The Order, and as Curran's mate, she is now the alpha of all alphas. Changing her status within the Pack caused a huge upheaval, especially when Curran was in the coma; however, Kate was determined to prove herself worthy - against the better judgement of her advisors!

Kate's friendship with her best friend Andrea is now strained, since Kate was free to quit The Order when the Pack needed her. As an estranged beastkin who could have been killed in her youth by other shapeshifters, Andrea feels more loyal to The Order. Even the prejudices of Moynohan aren't enough to dissuade Andrea's faith in the core belief of The Order.

There was an interesting take on biblical stories as well, keeping with the author's theme of mythology. The author chose to use the story of Esau and Jacob, with Esau being the first vampire created by Roland. Another take was on Samson; in this version Samson being one of Erra's crazy offspring - who was growing out his hair because he was balding.

This book was a good read. It wasn't as action packed as the others and Kate's heartache coloured her decisions; however, it was nice to see Kate act more human for a change - it's hard to relate to a character who feels no fear and doesn't have the same emotions as everyone else. I definitely think it's a shame that I'm going to have to wait 8-9 months before I can read the next book. I also do look forward to reading more about Kate's world, her friends and even her family.

Ink Exchange

2010-08-11T22:47:00.000-07:00

Melissa Marr is an amazing writer with a soft spot for tattoos - this affection is apparent in her book Ink Exchange, book 2 in the Wicked Lovely young adult series.

This book follows Leslie, Aislinn's best friend, who goes in for a tattoo and ends up as an energy conduit to help feed the Dark Court. Coddled in the Dark Court, Leslie's spirit starts to wither and she starts to tend towards destructive behaviours (ie, starting fights) just for a fleeting glimpse of any emotion, even pain. Only the combined power of Aislinn and Donia (the Summer and Winter Queens, respectively) can free Leslie since she desperately wishes to belong to a world that does not include the faeries.

What struck me the most about this book was the spirituality placed on the tattoos. To Leslie, a tattoo was the one thing that she had control of and the inking was her way to reclaim her body. Looking at the process of picking a design and getting it etched permanently onto one's body was fascinating from the perspective of someone who has never gotten a tattoo (but who really wants one!). The machinery, the inks, the whole process was interesting and was told so vividly that for someone with a curiousity like mine, it was greatly appreciated! And at the end of the story, Leslie comes to realization, with a maturity that is not too common, that it was her own actions and choices that defined her and changed her situation - not the tattoo itself.

I was also greatly surprised when at the end of the story Leslie opted out of the Faery world and out of the lives of Irial and Niall. While I believed that Leslie would have to make a hard choice at the end, I honestly believed that it would be a choice between the guys - but not choosing to leave them both. Again, that shows a maturity not normally found in books for young adults.

Overall, I'm highly impressed by the character of Leslie in this book: on the outside she doesn't seem like such a wonderful person, but she's a survivor and her story is one of survival. I would definitely recommend this story to others - if you like stories involving faeries, even better! I already know the next story follows Niall and his leadership in the Dark Court but I am still looking forward to reading about it!

Magic Strikes

2010-08-08T16:33:00.000-07:00

Be still my heart!

I am absolutely in love with this series. In book 3, Magic Strikes, Ilona Andrews returns us to Kate Daniels' alternate Atlanta, and she has done a remarkable job of including many more styles of mythical creatures from other cultures, such as Viking, Hindu, Japanese and Chinese.

When Derek returns on the verge of death from a secret mission involving a fighting group called The Reapers, Kate takes a personal affront to it and demands vengence. In order to get her revenge, she must fight in an underground tournament called The Midnight Games - a pasttime which Curran has strictly forbidden all shapeshifters from becoming involved in. When Kate and Jim investigate The Reapers, they discover that they are rakshasas - born warriors who are masters of illusion and have no problem eating human flesh. The rakshasa have also teamed up with Roland to destroy The Pack, with the aid of Hugh d'Ambray, past apprentice of Kate's dad.

Now Kate has the double worry of keeping her friends alive in the ring as well as keeping her identity a secret from Hugh - and by extension, Roland.

Kate is remarkable. She cares so much about her friends that she is willing to impale herself on a sword to save her friends and destroy her enemies. When Derek finally pulls through, Kate is so emotional that she dry heaves with relief. She is also willing to step in to a ring and potentially face discovery, just so her friends don't have to fight short-handed.

Kate is reckless, impulsive and has authority issues; but she is also funny, protective and willing to put on airs so her ward will no longer be alienated at school. She also has a cool head - when she stops to use it. Despite the electricity flowing between her and Curran, she refuses to give, since she is convinced that Curran only wants her because she refused him. And I love that aspect. Eventually she'll give in, but she's making him work hard for it and it's fun to see her deny any sort of mutual attraction - even to herself.

I can't wait to read Magic Bleeds, and see what sort of fun Ilona will come up with next!

Magic Burns

2010-08-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

I've decided to catch up on this series (I have books 1-4) before reading any new ones. If I don't catch up, I may never get around to finishing it. Plus you lose the flow of the story and characters and then you start to wonder which name belongs to which person. And I'm especially glad I continued since the second book was laden with mythology, both Greek and Celtic, a subject that I absolutely adore. If I thought it would be a viable job option, I would study mythology for a living. Honestly.

Magic Burns is book 2 in the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews.

In Kate's world, technology and magic are at war for complete supremacy, with magic slowly winning. According to Kate, "[t]heory said that magic and tech used to coexist in a balance. Like the pendulum of a grandfather clock that barely moved, if at all. But then came the Age of Man, and men are made of progress. They overdeveloped magic, pushing the pendulum farther and farther to one side until it came crashing down and started swinging back and forth, bringing with it tech waves. And then in turn, technology oversaturated the world, helped once again by pesky Man, and the pendulum swung again, to the side of magic this time" (p 16). Every seven years a magical flare arrives, where magic and tech shift more frequently, with the magic building up each time, and never truly going away. And right now they're leading up to a flare.

This book you learn more about Kate's magic: Julie, an orphan that Kate takes under her wing is a human m-scanner: a sensate. She can determine the magic used by its colour. She is also able to blend into the magic so it doesn't sense her; however, when under attack, Julie finds Kate's magic too alien to blend with. It is also impossible for Kate to ever be infected with the Lyc-V (lycanthrope virus) or the vampire bacterium.

The story explains how Kate's mom sacrificed herself so that Kate and her father may survive. And how Kate's father (who is actually not her birth father) was a warlord by the name of Voron (meaning 'raven') and how he left it behind for Kate.

Mostly, the story focuses on mythology: first Greek, with the sightings of the Stymphalian birds and then on to Celtic myths; more specifically on Morrigan, her son Morfran and their battles with the Fomorian. Since, y'know, every deity needs a foe to fight. There's even an triumvirate Oracle to consult, which lives in the belly of a giant tortoise.

This book was extra fun because of the mythology. It has made me want to read up on Celtic myths, as well as Merlin and King Arthur, since Morrigan and Morfran are part of the stories. Due to the magic waxing on and becoming more powerful, I expect the next book to contain even more mythos! I also do expect something to happen between Kate and Curran. My favourite part of the story was right at the end when he leaned in for a kiss, then said "psych" and walked off.

I find Kate and her many boys interesting. Normally it annoys me when all the guys want to get into the pants of the main female; however, I think Kate's attitude towards it is refreshing. She knows that Saiman only wants her because she said "no" and that Bran is only doing it because she's female. And she doesn't think of them that way. The way she looks at Curran now makes me laugh because she is convinced that the only reason why she finds him sexy is because she needs to get laid; however, to listen to her talk to Julie about sex, it makes me think that there's more to Kate than she lets on. While she definitely isn't waiting for marriage before having sex, I think that she does place more importance on it than just a one-night stand. And I find it refreshing.

Magic Bites

2010-08-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

Magic Bites is book 1 in the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews.

In this urban fantasy series, magic is contantly competing with technology for supremacy in the world. As it fluctuates back and forth, the people of the world have adapted to both by having access to both magical and nonmagical items: for example, feylanterns when magic is in control and electrical lights when tech is in. However, it seems like magic is currently in the lead, since Kate comments on how "[f]ew people owned cars that ran during tech. There was no need to invest in them, since it was plain that magic was gaining the upper hand" (page 90).

Magic also brought back the creatures of legends: vampires and shapeshifters. Part of a group called The People, the vampires were piloted by necromancers - or necronavigators - who would use them to spy on others from the safety of their office. The necronavigators would keep the vampire like a pet, feeding and raising them, but the mindlink between them would prevent the vampire from mindlessly destroying everything in its path during bloodlust.

The Pack, the faction of shapeshifters, were led by Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, who ruled over all the different alphas and their small groups. He was, of course, a lion. Most of these creatures were were-something (ie, werewolf, werecat, etc) which were creatures born human who could turn into an animal. However, there were also some creatures who were born animal and could shift into a human. Corwin was one such animal, a cat-were.

Another major player in this world is The Order: known as The Order of Knights of Merciful Aid. These people were trained and devoted to the destruction of harmful beings to humanity; unfortunately, they were also a form of justice unto their own. If enlisted, they would destroy anything that threatened humanity - even if it was your elderly aunt who would turn in to a harpy and sit in your tree.

Due to the fanatical nature of The Order, Kate dropped out before she became a full-fledged member. It was her failure to follow in the footsteps of her guardian that caused the rift between her and Greg. Armed with her magical saber, Slayer, she is determined to find out who killed Greg, even if it means going back to The Order.

During the investigation, many interesting clues come out as to what Kate actually is. Her connection with the undead and being able to cross a blood ward to destroy a powerful vampire hint that she has blood ties with Roland - the legendary father of the undead. However, a standoff with a necromancer at the end of the book suggests that her actual father was much more powerful than Roland. And much older. It explains why she destroys any traces of her blood left behind with fire and why she never allows Nataraja (the vampire leader) to force her to show her full power. Unfortunately, the nature of Kate's ancestry isn't explored any further in this book.

I found this book to be an easy read and I liked how the author left some things to the imagination (like Kate's history) and is gradually doling it out in small doses. Since I read a lot, there are times that I'm able to guess the storyline before it happens - which can ruin surprise endings if I have it figured out well in advance. I did like how Crest was painted poorly and ended up innocent in the end; I had him pegged as suspicious from the moment he met Kate, so I was surprised that I was wrong.

I love new angles to old stories, so I'm excited to see how this pans out. The next book in the series is Magic Burns, but I'm not sure if I'll read that one next or another one. I downloaded some cool new books on to my Kobo that I'm really excited about, so right now it's a case of not being able to choose which story to read. For the sake of continuity, I may read the next one, but we'll see.

Kobo, Continued

2010-07-26T23:07:00.000-07:00

So, I have my Kobo now, and I feel like I've used it often enough to make a decision.

I love it!

The screen was larger than I had thought - I could have just taken out a tape measure and figured out the size sooner, but where's the fun in that?! - and I also find it very readable. The screen width is skinnier than the page of a paperback so I find I'm constantly "flipping" the page - but that just makes it seem like I'm reading faster than I am. I like the fact that you can adjust the font size, and that there are 2 fonts to choose from. I was brushing my teeth one night and changed the font size so I could read the chapter while the Kobo was resting on the counter. What? It was a good story!

The Kobo desktop application uploaded immediately once the Kobo device was plugged into my computer via USB, which meant no CD's or websites to find before using. The only instructions were a 4 panel fold out showing what the buttons meant, even though there are labels on the eReader. 100 classic stories were included on the device, including Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and many other stories that I already owned. On the plus side, many stories were included that I had just never gotten around to buying, so you can imagine my excitement when I found it on there! And you'll have to, because I'm not uploading a video of me re-enacting it.

I also found that my Kobo was thinner and lighter than most books, so it really does fit well in my purse. I loved being able to eat and read at the same time, without having to find creative ways to keep my book open while still using both hands to eat. It's an art, really.

The website, so far, is easy to navigate: the home page highlights the newest releases and top 50 downloads, as well as categories (which then break down in to subcategories). There's even a Free eBooks page! Which, by the way, you don't need a Kobo to read them: you can use your computer! The Kobo that I refer to is just the eReader, which allows me to read my books on a smaller scale than my computer.

Downside? It's hard reading only one story at a time! With so many options to choose from, it's difficult to start a book and keep at it. Another downside is that if I want to read one of my hardcopy books (I'm pretty sure I made that phrase up, but it means a real book) I'll have to remember to bring it with me. And once I start downloading more and more books, it may be more difficult to remember which books I have in which format. I am a little worried about the potential for computer failure and losing all my stories, but a good friend of mine has suggested using a USB key or external hard drive for backup. And it makes sense.

I am still learning to use my device and haven't figured out any more of the perks/cons of it, or even if I do love it more than a real book. So please don't egg my house in the middle of the night because of it! Oh, and if you are interested in buying a REAL book, stop by my favourite book store: I'm sure they wouldn't mind siding with you against me for my sacrilegious use of an eReader.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

2010-07-26T22:22:00.000-07:00

This story requires little introduction; however, you'll get one anyway.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was written in 1865 by Reverend Charles Dodgson, under the pen name Lewis Carroll. This story can be read on different levels - ranging from innocent child's story to a story written by a pervert with a drug problem who likes little girls too much. Some common FAQ's about the story can be found here, as well as some alternate explanations here. So I don't have to do it, a synopsis can be found here.

It had been a while since I'd last read it so I thought the story was incredibly confusing, as well as fun and nonsensical; fortunately, that seems to have been the author's intent. The writing was interesting with play on words running rampant, enabling a change of subject or change of context to what was being said. It seemed like just when I started making sense of the story, it would change again - out of the blue! Even the ending was abrupt: a deck of cards flying in Alice's face wakes her.

Earlier in the year I read The Looking Glass Wars, so I was finally able to contrast the real story with the spin-off. (Which I had meant to do shortly after I finished the book, I promise!). And just for fun, here's a link to the Johnny Depp movie (you're welcome).

Due to when the story was written, I know that there are social and/or political nuances that I've missed. Despite that, I really enjoyed the story and will be reading the sequel, Through the Looking Glass soon. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is on the Banned Book Club list of potential stories to read, so if chosen, I'll be one up on the others!

Wicked Lovely

2010-07-24T23:30:00.000-07:00

Wicked Lovely, written by Melissa Marr, is Book 1 in a Young Adult series by the same name. It starred Aislinn, a normal teenager...who just so happened to see faeries, much to her chagrin.

Aided by Seth, her buddy-turned-boyfriend, Aislinn strives to figure out why faeries are suddenly paying attention to her. Eavesdropping on faeries who believed themselves invisible, Aislinn discovers that the gorgeous guy following her around is the Summer King, Keenan, who believes Aislinn to be his missing Queen. An unexpected friendship with Donia, the Winter Girl and also the last woman who tested to be the Summer Queen, enables Aislinn to understand that her mortality was surrendered when Keenan chose her. And this would have worked out fine if it weren't for Beira, Keenan's mother, the Winter Queen. Beira actively working to prevent Keenan from testing Aislinn actually helped convince Keenan and Donia that Aislinn was the Queen.

This was a cute story and the first one that I read on my new Kobo. One of my good friends is an avid reader of Melissa Marr's work, which is one of the reasons why I chose this story. I found Aislinn to be a great character and easy to relate to - even her relationship with Seth was delayed because she didn't want to be another notch on his bedpost. This book did hint at sex between Seth and Aislinn, but it was a decision that wasn't taken lightly by either parties. I found Aislinn to be a fair person who didn't let her prejudices against the faeries prevent her from helping them, despite the fact that she was totally screwed over by them. She was also strong enough to demand the right to live her life as she sees fit.

I loved Seth. He was patient with Aislinn as she discovered the potential between them. He was also strong, and self-assured, enough to love Aislinn in her new role as Queen. Keenan was annoying, whiny, and too pushy at first. He did end up growing on me, but I still thought of him as a little pathetic; however I'm definitely happy with the way the book ended. It was a happily ever after for everyone involved, I thought.

I also liked Ms. Marr's take on faeries and how they live in the modern world, but that they're invisible. It makes it interesting to think that they live among us, only unseen. It was also interesting to see how the author separated the courts into Summer, Winter, Dark and High Courts. I'm hoping that the next books will show the differences between the courts and how they interact.

I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series: Ink Exchange.

Magic in the Storm

2010-07-18T18:33:00.000-07:00

It seems like I'm ripping through these books, but the truth is that I read some of them and just waited a few days before posting. But I am finally caught up in the Allie Beckstrom series. And wow, did it ever end in a cliff hanger!

The magic in Portland is being drained and a wild storm is approaching. The Alliance is split into different factions and Terric, Shame's possible Soul Complement, has returned to help save the city. Allie is called away to hound a scene involving one of her Hounds and at the hospital learns that Greyson has escaped. Chase and Shame go to hunt Greyson while Zayvion goes to Allie to protect her on the off-chance that Greyson has found her there. When they arrive to help Shame and Chase, they learn that Shame has been attacked by Chase. Enlisting the help of Terric, they attempt to locate her. In the process, Shame is manipulated by Chase to attack Allie and Zayvion takes a big hit, with his soul being sucked in to a gate. Terric and Shame, both injured, help Allie to keep Zayvion's body alive.

When Allie wakes up the next day, magic is gone. She learns that her step-mother's house has been ransacked for secret technology: disks that hold magic. She also learns that the Authority is behind it. Finally, there's a meeting in the park in St. Johns and Allie is ordered to ground the wild magic to the disks. And that's when all hell breaks loose.

Chase and Greyson crash the party, splitting the Alliance down the middle. With the help of Jingo Jingo (a death magic master), Greyson opens a solid gate and the only thing holding back the Hungers is the spirit of Cody. Allie's dad convinces Allie to rescue Cody and that Allie's mom, of all people, will protect him. Somehow, through the part of him still attached to Greyson, Allie's dad was able to talk to Allie's mom to strike a bargain. Anyhow, Allie also learns that by closing the gate, Zayvion will be permanently stuck and will consequently die. So, what does she do? She goes in. Of course.

Umm, yeah. She has the same reckless attitude and she's still being manipulated by her dad, but at least her heart is in the right spot, even if her head isn't. So, needless to say, I will be reading the next book, even if it's just to see what happens next. Sometimes I really hate reading series.

Kobo

2010-07-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of Kobo? Or how about Kindle? These little gadgets are eReaders and they work a like an iPod - only for books. You download a book to your computer and then upload it onto your eReader. With differing storage sizes, you can carry up to 1000 books - on a device that is about the size of a (skinny) paperback novel!

And I'm getting one! I've ordered the Kobo eReader (read specs: here) and it should arrive in about a week. Soo excited!

One of my reasons for ordering it is that I simply have too many books. I have 3 book shelves crammed with them (granted, one does contain textbooks) and many of the books that I buy are just to try them out. In a house where bookshelf space is at a premium, I should be reserving those hot spots for my favourites, not just handing them out to whatever fits.

Another reason is because I like to read several books at once, depending on what I'm in the mood for. And now I can carry hundreds of books at once, while taking up much less space in my purse. This is really going to help when I go travelling, especially since hardcovers take up way more space than paperbacks.

Another perk: getting new release novels up to 50% less than what you'd be paying in-store. Also, there is more privacy offered when you buy a book online. I get razzed at work when I buy a romance novel, so if I was interested in something more exotic, I can buy it and no one else would know.

I have a hard time getting rid of books once I've bought them. I usually buy them for a reason, so why would I get rid of it? Well, with an eReader, the story would only use up storage space, and if I only paid $3 (or less!) for a mediocre story, I wouldn't hesitate to delete it.

One of my cons for buying an eReader was that I was worried it would read like a computer screen. And I hate reading off of a computer screen. Having done it for many years during University (and again in College), it just reminds me of doing research. But, since this little device isn't as wide as my computer screen, I'm hoping that it'll be easy to read.

Another con was that when I browse books, I honestly judge them by their cover. If it looks interesting, I pick it up and read the synopsis. If it intrigues me, I buy it. Simple as that. However, if I'm browsing books online, I'm worried that I'll be missing out on some great stories simply because they aren't on that page. Or maybe I don't have the patience. Or that I'm simply looking for something specific. Or that there are too many choices.

After weighing the pros and cons, I decided to get one. The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. Like I said, I read a lot and despite an initial price of $150 (plus tax), I think that in the long run it'll allow me more freedom buying books and not having to worry about storing them. I can keep up with some of my series that are just taking up space at a lower price.

Don't get me wrong, I'll still buy books at my favourite book store! I'll just be more picky about the books I buy. And I'll think of them more as an investment, instead of a passing fling or fad.

PS - Did you notice Kobo is just "book" rearranged?

Magic in the Shadows

2010-07-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

Magic in the Shadows is book 3 in the Allie Beckstrom series by Devon Monk. This time around, Allie is dealing with spirit of her dead father taking up residence in her head. Nola, her best friend in the whole wide world, is also staying at Allie's place while she deals with the custody battle surrounding Cody. And Zayvion? He's helping Allie cope with the stresses and training involved with the Alliance, because if the Alliance decides that Allie is too unstable, they will Close off her magic, and memories, of anything to do with the Alliance, including Zayvion.

And Allie is definitely unpredictable. Using tricks that she learned from her father, the Alliance is scared of her. However, despite the fact that she opened a gate in a highly warded area, they need Allie and decide to keep her around (memories intact). This has some of Allie's new found friends pleased (Shamus, Zayvion's best friend, and Maeve, Allie's teacher and Shame's mother) while pissing off others (namely Chase, Zayvion's ex-girlfriend and possible soul complement to Greyson, the fellow who killed Allie's dad and was also the necromorph running around town killing things and setting the Hungers free). Did I mention that Allie animated a gargoyle that now lives with her and likes to talk to her sink?

Yeah, Allie's life does sound like a rather ludicrous soap opera, hey? And it sort of reads as one, since Allie acts like a girl who has something to prove. The Alliance is afraid of her because she holds the power of light and dark, on a scale that may be greater than Zayvion's (who is a Guardian of the Gates), but Allie is almost too stubborn to take the training properly, making her dangerous since she has a hard time controlling her magic. Now that they are recognized Soul Complements (magic users who, on top of being able to use their magic in such a way to enhance the other's powers, are also able to touch each other's minds in the process - a technique that is rare and has the tendency to drive the couple involved insane) they are even more dangerous. And Allie can't even take that seriously.

The storyline is interesting. Some of the people are interesting. But the rest of the time they're angsty and read like teenagers. I keep thinking that they're around my age, but they're not (I think they're in their early 20s?) and that makes a world of difference. And the main thing that annoys me, is that when Allie is thinking sex, she can't keep her head in the game.

I'm hoping that now that Allie is taking self-defense training and magic training that it'll make her a more capable character who won't rely on her tough girl attitude to bluff her way through situations. I just hope she doesn't turn in to a character with superhero abilities.

I've already started book 4, Magic in the Storm, so I hope that I'm not getting in to things that haven't started since the end of book 3.

The Running Man

2010-07-12T22:06:00.000-07:00

Now that I finished The Satanic Verses, I have TONS of time to read other books! Plus, I'm currently on vacation, so I hope to get heaps of extra reading done. If I'm going to spend money for the books, I might as well read them, right?!

The Running Man is a novel by Stephen King, written during his Richard Bachman phase. Made into a movie in the late 1980's, it is loosely based on the novel. By loosely, I mean that it involves running from people trying to kill Ben Richards. And that's it.

In this dystopian novel, set into the not-so distant future (2025!), the social gap has been split even further. The rich are still living the high life, but the less fortunate are so poor that in order to make money they vie to be contestants in game shows that may cause injury or even death. Ben Richards, the novel's hero, is a 28 year old man who is desperate to keep his wife from making money "on her back" to pay for the medicine that their 18 month old daughter needs to treat her influenza. In a last ditch effort to provide for his family, Ben goes through the extensive physical and mental testing required by the game show corporation and ends up on the highly acclaimed, and highly paying, Running Man show.

In this game, the contestant runs for his life: for every hour he survives, he earns $100 and for every hunter he kills, he gets $100. On the flip side, the public is encouraged to help the hunters find the contestant: for a reported sighting, the person gets $100 and for a sighting ending in a kill, the person gets $500 and if the contestant makes it 30 days, he'll receive $1,000,000. However, the longest record for survival is only 8 days.

Ben's plan of attack is to stay low; using his first 12 hour head start, he attains a fake ID to fly to New York. Convinced that his mandatory twice daily tapes to the studio are being traced, he buses to Boston and stays in a run-down hostel. Bored and watching cars, he realizes that the men outside the window are hitmen; to solve this problem, Ben sneaks in to the basement and blows up the hostel on top of him. On the other end of the sewer, he meets a kid by the name of Stacey and his older brother, Bradley.

Turns out, Bradley is an educated gang member who enlightens Ben on the issues of the poor air quality. In his videos, Ben attempts to address this problem, but the games corporation does its own form of censorship: voice overs to increase hostility towards Ben. Bradley helps Ben by smuggling him through road blocks and sending him to meet his contact: Elton. Unfortunately, Elton's mother tips off the hunters, resulting in a car chase.

Separating, Ben ends up in a small town and he hijacks a car driven by an upper class woman named Amelia. Bluffing his way through a few road blocks, he demands a jet and for the head hunter, McCone, to join him onboard. While on board, Ben is offered the job of head hunter by the head of the games corporation, Killian. When Ben refuses, he learns that his wife and daughter were murdered at the start of the show. In a fit of madness (or perhaps clarity) Ben kills everyone on board and crashes the jet in to the building of the games corporation.

I really liked the concept of this book: running for your life and money. I honestly believe that reality tv will end up this way in a few years (hopefully decades). I mean, look at UFC! Sure, that isn't to the death, but it could end up that way eventually. For example, Roman gladiators and hangings of the past were for the entertainment of the public. However, I didn't really care for the personality of Ben Richards - who was too cynical and too quick to flip off everyone.

Having read books by Stephen King in the past, I figured that there was a 50/50 chance of Ben surviving this show. However, I didn't like the ending: sure, the building was destroyed, but who did that benefit? Definitely not Ben or his family; and he sure didn't help out the poor by breaking the news of the poor air pollution and nose filters. Essentially, he destroyed the building out of spite.

So, honestly? If you like dystopia, you might like this book. If you've watched the movie, you may get a kick out of the book to see the differences. Otherwise, I don't know if you'd like it. The language is racist and coarse, the hero really isn't a hero and some scenes are unnecessarily graphic (which is typical of Stephen King).

the perks of being a wallflower

2010-07-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

the perks of being a wallflower is a story by Stephen Chbosky about an antisocial teenager who writes a series of anonymous letters to a recipient that is never named. His advanced english teacher tells him to truly live life, instead of just watching it happen and so "Charlie" ends up befriending a guy in his shop class.

As Charlie's friendship grows with Patrick, Charlie begins to party and use drugs, making friends and gaining a girlfriend in the process. However, Charlie's home life, while stable with good parents, begins to deteriorate after he sees his sister get hit by her boyfriend. A comment to his teacher, which in turn makes its way back to his parents causes his sister to alienate Charlie after their parents forbid her from seeing her boyfriend again. There are continuous references to an Aunt Helen who was always in an abusive relationship, before she passed away due to a car accident on Charlie's birthday years ago.

As the reader delves further into the story, more carnal subjects appear: homosexuality and teenage sex (which, for one character, leads to an aborted pregnancy). Charlie's life becomes more complicated as one of his friends puts the moves on him, and Charlie, for the sake of friendship, doesn't stop it. Not even a girlfriend will prevent him from pining for his elusive Sam.

Charlie is brutally and whimsically honest with his friends, which they pass off as "Charlie-esque" and cute. He is emotional and never truly tries to be someone he is not. He is protective of his friends and will (literally) fight anyone who threatens them.

He is damaged.

It is not until nearly the end of the story that you realize that he has been molested by someone close to him when he was a child. It was buried in his subconscious until Sam attempts to be intimate with him.

He is also a survivor.

His final accounts are of his rehabilitation and counselling. He believes that he no longer needs the support of his unknown reader to live life. And that he'll be just fine. His final letter ends with: "So, if this does end up being my last letter, please believe that things are good with me, and even when they're not, they will be soon enough" (page 213).

I found this story to be bitterly sweet. Charlie is a likeable character who is intensely in love with Sam, but was told to "not think that way" at the start, so he's truly fighting it every step of the way. He's a good kid with a good family, but they have problems just like everyone else.

There's a poem that I want to share with you, from the story (pages70-73) that I find mesmerizing and tragic. You'll see why:

"Once on a yellow piece of paper with green lines / he wrote a poem /
And he called it "Chops" / because that was the name of his dog
And that's what it was all about
And his teacher gave him an A / and a gold star
And his mother hung it on the kitchen door / and read it to his aunts
That was the year Father Tracy / took all the kids to the zoo
And let them sing on the bus
And his little sister was born / with tiny fingernails and no hair
And his mother and father kissed a lot
And the little girl around the corner sent him a / Valentine with a row of X's / and he had to ask his father what the X's meant
And his father always tucked him in bed at night
And was always there to do it

"Once on a white paper with blue lines / he wrote a poem
And he called it "Autumn" / because that was the name of the season
And that's what it was all about
And his teacher gave him an A / and asked him to write more clearly
And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door / because of its new paint
And the kids told him / that Father Tracy smoked cigars
And left butts on the pews
That was the year his sister got glasses / with thick lenses and black frames
And the girl around the corner laughed / when he asked her to go see Santa Claus
And the kids told him why / his mother and father kissed a lot
And his father never tucked him in bed at night
And his father got mad / when he cried for him to do it

"Once on a paper torn from his notebook / he wrote a poem
And he called it "Innocence: A Question" / because that was the question about his girl
And that's what it was all about
And his professor gave him an A / and a strange steady look
And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door / because he never showed her
That was the year that Father Tracy died
And he forgot how the end / of the Apostle's Creed went
And he caught his sister / making out on the back porch
And his mother and his father never kissed / or even talked
And the girl around the corner / wore too much makeup
That made him cough when he kissed her / but he kissed her anyway / because that was the thing to do
And at three A.M. he tucked himself into bed / his father snoring loudly

"That's why on the back of a brown paper bag / he tried another poem
And he called it "Absolutely Nothing"
Because that's what it was really all about
And he gave himself an A / and a slash on each damned wrist
And he hung it on the bathroom door / because this time he didn't think / he could reach the kitchen"

This story reveals itself in bits and pieces. When Charlie mentions a poem that he read, the reader doesn't imagine it could be anything so sad. However, later, Charlie writes down the words and one of his friends comments on how it was a suicide note.

I really can't say too much more about it, except what I've already said: bitter sweet. I loved this story; I read it in one night and honestly didn't feel like I could write a blog about it without thinking about it first. Unfortunately, my internet went down and I subsequently forgot most of what I would've said. The story is beautiful and joyful mixed with sad and tragic. Which is pretty much the definition of adolescence.

The Satanic Verses

2010-06-29T00:17:00.000-07:00

I finished it!

Salman Rushdie was sentenced to death after the publication of his book, The Satanic Verses. His novel follows the lives of two actors, Gibreel Farishta and Saladin Chamcha, starting with their fall from a hijacked airplane over England. Not only do they survive their fall, they transform into a living incarnation of an angel (Gibreel) and devil (Saladin), to the point where they take on the physical characteristics of each: a halo for Gibreel and a goat-like body for Saladin.

After losing their divine/fallen characteristics, they attempt to regain their normal lives; however, they are obsessively drawn toward each other - both for purposes of revenge. For Saladin, he wishes to destroy Gibreel's life the way his was ruined. When Saladin returned to his home in his goat form (after being brutally beaten and humiliated by the police), he discovers his wife in bed with his friend. He left his home and stayed at a bed & breakfast above the Shaandaar Cafe. His presence causes a disturbance in the dreams of the people living nearby, forcing him out of the B&B and into a club called Hot Wax, where he has a hissy fit in the basement and regains his human form. At this point he's determined to destroy Gibreel.

Gibreel, the Golden Boy who fills Saladin's days with misery, has problems of his own. He finds himself haunted by an ex-mistress, who flung herself (and her children) off of her apartment complex after Gibreel ended it to fly to England to find Alleluia Cone. And after wandering throughout London in a daze, he miraculously ends up on Alleluia's doorstep, much to his relief. After a huge fight, Gibreel storms out in a jealous rage and is convinced that he is the archangel Gibreel (granted, talking to the Man Upstairs helped sway his opinion) sent to convert the world. He tries for a while, but ends up back with Alleluia and his agent, Sisodia. He has visions (one involving a girl by the name of Ayesha who tells the people of her village to go on a pilgrimage to the ocean; another involves the prophet Mahound) which Sisodia figures can be used as screenplays to boost Gibreel's return to the movie world.

At this point their paths cross again at a party: Gibreel, heavily medicated, describes his perfect life to Saladin but reveals his jealous streak when Gibreel beats Saladin's friend (who is sleeping with Saladin's wife) over the head with an oar! In a bid to ruin his perfect relationship, Saladin plants the seeds of doubt in Gibreel's mind, causing Gibreel to destroy Alleluia's apartment, and their relationship. Gibreel ends the night treking through town, again influenced by the notion of being an avenging angel and leaving a path of fire and destruction behind him. Finding his enemy, Saladin, at the Shaandaar Cafe, he realizes the truth and yet somehow manages to forgive Saladin, to the point of carrying him out of the burning building.

Finding forgiveness from a man he was determined to ruin, Saladin decides that it is time to go see his father, who is now on his deathbed. Caring for his father has given him a new view on life, so when Gibreel comes to him the night of his father's funeral and points a gun at him, Saladin is scared. Gibreel then turns the gun on himself and ends his nightmares. Saladin, who has re-adopted his real name Saladduhin Chamchawalla and has reconnected with a fling-turned-love feels pity towards the man who seemed so perfect, but was haunted to the point of killing his lover and taking his own life.

Wow - was this book ever difficult to wade through. Salman has a poetic way of writing that is very beautiful to read, but has caused this book to be at least 4 times longer than it would've been if he spoke more plainly. The story has a tendency to jump around from one man's view point to another and then it will jump back in time to explain the story up until that point. It also goes into detail about the visions that Gibreel has and which I'm not entirely sure if they were dreams or something more. I don't understand certain aspects of the story, like whether it was a coincidence that certain names from Saladin's life were repeated in Gibreel's dreams; if Saladin's wife and lover were set up to take the blame for a terrorist group or if they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I imagine this is a book where several reads are necessary to understand the whole story - as long as you have a dictionary, a science dictionary and several religious texts nearby so you can put the stories in to context.

I enjoyed this book very much: I love the way he writes and I like the way he challenges you to think while reading. As you go through the book there are several "ah-hah!" moments where you feel like you're finally starting to understand the storyline. And then he promptly switches directions, leaving you scrambling to catch up again. I was a little surprised when Gibreel and Saladin have their confrontation in the burning building only to have them forgive eachother. There was so much buildup at that point and I was really excited to see how it would end. By the time the end did come, it was anticlimatic and out of the blue. And the revelation of Alleluia's death was a shock. I had read the Wiki-version of the story, so I knew that it ended in tragedy but it definitely didn't happen the way I expected!

In short, don't read it if you expect an easy read, but I thought it was worth the trouble.

In The Works: The Satanic Verses

2010-06-09T11:25:00.000-07:00

The next book to be read for the Banned Book Club is called The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie. I'm about half way through and am, so far, enjoying the book.

The story can be confusing at times, especially at the beginning. It also jumps around a little in the timeline, so by the time you've figured out what's going on, it's switched again. However, despite that, I am enjoying it.

It starts out with the main characters falling out of the plane and it leaves them there to go on to their respective childhoods and formative years. It also explains about how they ended up on the plane in the first place, and about the terrorists who end up denotating a bomb onboard. It then jumps to a desert town where water is evil and considered the destroyer; in this town there is a Messanger by the name of Mahound who has been consulting with an angel, Gibreel. The story then takes us back to where the two main characters have landed, unharmed, upon a beach in England and meet an elderly woman. Gibreel stays with her and Saladin is arrested. At this point, Gibreel has a halo and Saladin has grown horns and hooves. Both eventually make their way back to their respective homes in London proper.

Like I said, a little confusing. However, because the story jumps around so much, I find myself compelled to keep reading on, to know how they got to that point. How did Gibreel end up being an angel in the middle of nowhere when he's currently living in London? And whatever happened to Saladin? See, now I'll have to keep reading to find out!

Shalador's Lady

2010-05-29T23:24:00.000-07:00

Shalador's Lady, by Anne Bishop, was a much anticipated continuation of the Black Jewels series that I've read in the past. The Shadow Queen (the previous book in the series) started the story of Lady Cassidy and Gray, with this book continuing the story.

In this story, Theran Grayhaven has met Cassidy's rival, Lady Kermilla, and is determined to put Kermilla into position as Queen of Dena Nehele. Cassidy is devastated when she learns this and runs away to Shalador, leaving her rival at Grayhaven. Kermilla uses Cassidy's absence to abuse the staff, rack up huge bills with the local merchants and cause trouble. However, in Shalador, Cassidy used her time to help enrich the land and the lives of the people around her. Even Gray has started to flourish with the help of Daemon Sadi's tutelage and has taken it upon himself to learn the role of First Escort to prevent his cousin from disbanding Cassidy's court.

When Cassidy split Dena Nehele into two with her own Territory to rule (Shalador Nehele), the Warlords in the provinces left behind quickly join ranks with her. The ones who do not give Theran an ultimatum: get rid of Kermilla or lose Grayhaven. Since Kermilla has caused many of the Warlords to remember what it was like to live under the rule of bad Queens, the Warlords refuse to serve under her. Taking Talon's advice, Theran breaks his own heart instead of breaking his honour.

While I think this story will continue, I think that Gray and Cassidy (as the main characters) are finished - now that Theran has a new Queen, a Sceltie by the name of Lady Rhahn.

I really like Anne Bishop's books - all of them. She has strong female characters and tender males (which, I'll be honest, confuse me sometimes). I'm used to male authors who have graphic war scenes; however, with Anne Bishop, her war scenes are more anti-climatic, simply because the issues are solved in only a page. As such, I feel almost cheated when, instead of going to war, Cassidy's Steward solves the issue by dividing the Territory.

Another disclaimer: the later books are milder than the first three. The witches in the Dark Jewels Trilogy are much crueler and the rule under those Queens involved rape and torture to control their subjects. Sometimes graphic, sometimes just implied, it is a way of life for the characters until Jaenelle created the Witch-Storm. So, if you can't stomach that sort of thing, don't read the Trilogy. It is possible to fully enjoy the series without having read the Trilogy.

Having said that, I would call this a chick lit series as there is a huge focus on family and family ties. There is brotherhood between brothers, comrades and strangers with common goals. Though the men can rise to "the killing edge" they are also quick to rein in their brothers, as well as offer advice and friendship which is something that you don't normally see in books with warriors. Unless it's written by a female author. The one thing that I think the author has nailed is the dynamics of female cattiness and female friendships.

While I do recommend the book and the series, I do think a reader's preferences for a series should be taken into account. I personally really enjoy the series, but others may not.

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation

2010-05-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig is a book within a book.

It starts out in contemporary times with Eloise Kelly, an Harvard grad student searching for information about the Purple Gentian for her dissertation "Aristocratic Espionage during the Wars with France: 1789-1815". However, her real passion lay with uncovering the true identity of the Pink Carnation. Luckily for her, a relation of the Purple Gentian had kept the correspondences and diaries of Lord Richard Selwick (the Purple Gentian) and Miss Amy Belacourt, a half French girl bent on joining the Purple Gentian's League.

Reading the papers, the focus shifts from Eloise's perspective to that of Amy and Richard. A chance meeting on a boat to cross the channel separating the French and English countries ignites a spark of interest between them that grows each time they encounter each other. Amy's discovery of Richard's work (he was Napoleon's Egypt Antiquities specialist) causes Amy to think of him as a traitor to the country; however, Richard decides that her dislike is for the best as it will prevent her from distracting him from his mission - which is to prevent Napoleon from invading England.

While hiding in her brother's study, Amy meets the masked Purple Gentian and offers help, without knowing that it is Richard. After that meeting, Richard is determined to keep her from his alter ego, but decides that courting her as himself is safe. Confused, Amy eventually discovers his true identity - after both her chaperone, Miss Gwen, and her beloved cousin, Jane, have figured it out.

In an attempt to thwart Amy from following him on a raid of Napoleon's treasure, Richard, as the Purple Gentian, repudiates her and breaks her heart in the process. So, after finding out who he really is, Amy and her cohorts decide to form the League of the Pink Carnation and to steal the treasure from the Purple Gentian. Unfortunately, Amy was captured and Richard was forced to reveal himself to the Assistant Minister of Police, Delaroche. A rescue was planned and executed, causing Richard and Amy to flee Paris for England.

At the end of the tale, Eloise finds out that there is more information to be found at Selwick Hall and agrees to a weekend jaunt with Colin Selwick, the current occupant of the hall. And the tale continues in the next book, The Masque of the Purple Tulip.

There's only one word to describe this book: cute. Or fun. They both work. The flavour of the stories as it switches between Richard and Amy to Eloise and Colin doesn't change. The bantering is equal in both, as is the behaviour between the couples. Since the relationship between Colin and Eloise develops much slower (being stretched out over the next several books), it will be interesting to see it play out in full as Eloise learns more about Colin's ancestors.

This book has been repeatedly referred to as chick lit, a genre that I had always associated with romance novels. Apparently the main difference is that the character's relationships with their family is just as important as their romantic relationship. Thank you, Wikipedia! And the other characters in this book are just as fun, especially Richard's family. Amy's brother is a deplorable toady (described as such several times), but Richard's family is warm, protective and hilarious. Jane, is refreshingly level headed, considering Amy's impulsiveness, and Miss Gwen is surprisingly romantic beneath her shrewish chaperone demeanour.

Like I said, it's cute and fun. I laughed, repeatedly, throughout the book at Amy's antics and the repertoire between the main characters. It is entirely fluffy and fictional, so if you are looking for a serious book based on historical events, you will be disappointed. But, if you're looking for brain candy, you will be well pleased. I really liked the story and will continue on with the series. And if Lauren Willig's other books have the same dialogue I will definitely venture into her other novels.

Fahrenheit 451

2010-05-16T20:29:00.001-07:00

I finally finished reading it! I postponed writing this until after the B&C Banned Book Club meeting, but I don't think I'll wait in the future. The main reason being that it contaminates my thoughts on the subject if I discuss different aspects of the books that we covered at the meeting. Especially if it was a subject that I didn't even think about. The only downside to writing immediately is that sometimes I remember something that I did/did not like after I've finished the blog. Ah well.

On to the book!

Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopic novel written by Ray Bradbury in 1953. Originally written as a short story called The Fireman for a Sci-Fi magazine, it was later expanded and then published in Playboy for $400.

This story features a society that lives in a fast-paced world, teaches destruction in school and promotes an introverted way of life plugged in to the radio or watching the wall screens. It is also a society that has chosen to stop reading anything more substantial than comics and has taken to burning books as well as the homes they're found in.

When Guy Montag, a fireman by trade, meets his new neighbour, Clarisse McClellen, he begins to question the world as he knows it. A conversation with his fire chief leads Montag to read the books that he'd been stealing from homes as they burned and a meeting with an old man in a park proves the old man to be a scholar - a closet book reader by the name of Faber. After an outburst (involving poetry) in front of his wife and her friends, Montag's hidden cache of books is burned. In the confrontation, Montag murders the fire chief and goes on the run. The infallible mechanical hound is sent to track him down and he runs to Faber for help.

To hide his scent, Montag travels downstream on a river until he comes to a farm on the outskirts of the city. Montag then meets up with some fellow scholars to discuss books and who has retained what book in their memories. In the end, the city is obliterated after repeated warnings on the radio regarding the incoming war.

I found this book to be incredibly interesting - and informative. Considering this book was written over 50 years ago, it is almost scary how Bradbury could have thought this stuff up. I found that the parts of the story that I was most intrigued by really didn't have anything to do with the immediate story: it provided information to the society that Montag was a part of and the problems that were prevalent in that era (ie, how groups of kids aged 12-16 would joyride around and run people over for the fun of it; how little parents interacted with their children outside of shipping them off to school or plunking them down in front of the tv; how people stopped interacting with eachother and would "interact" with the characters on tv - their "family").

In an age where books are already losing a battle with the internet and cell phones, it is fascinating to read about a world that is already there. And it's frightening to think that one day we may soon arrive.

The next book on the Banned Book Club list is Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie.

Magic in the Blood

2010-04-24T18:42:00.000-07:00

Magic in the Blood is the second book in Devon Monk's Allie Beckstrom series.

In this book, Allie still hasn't recovered her lost memories of Zayvion Jones, but her physical reaction to him makes her think that she had fallen hard for him. She also starts to see ghost-like apparitions when she is casting magic. Unfortunately, they can see her and their touch can steal magic from her and leave a rash-like wound behind. On top of that, she's being stalked by a thug out of prison who will kill her if she doesn't deliver a fellow Hound, Martin Pike, to him. Allie is also approached by the MERC side of the police to Hound a job involving some missing girls. Overwhelmed, she goes to visit her father's grave, but her magic reveals that the coffin is empty.

Allie goes to a Hound meeting to speak with Pike and ends up with one of the members promising back up while she's working. Afterwards, her Hounding job goes bad when the ghosts show up and jump her. And the blood magic she finds at the scene of the crime belongs to her friend Pike, but as it feels wrong, Allie is determined to find out what really happened. A meeting with Zay explains the ghosts as the remnants of magic users in the past. While on her way to meet with the police, Allie is magically called to visit the thug - and sees a critically wounded Pike along the way. Retracing his steps, Allie finds a few dead bodies along the way and finishes the thug herself. Pike's dying words about a doctor having her blood leads her to Hound her own scent to an abandoned warehouse.

In the warehouse is Pike's protege, Anthony, along with the missing girls. And her father's body. The doctor shows up and attempts to open a gate between the living and dead using her and her father's blood. All hell breaks loose as Allie's father's spirit attempts to possess her body to stop the doctor. In the end they win, but Allie loses memories of her father in the warehouse. Zayvion lobbied on her behalf to gain Allie entrance into his secret magic club and Allie is glad to learn magic that would allow her to gain control of her powers.

This book is interesting. I like several things about this book: how any magic used has a price - whether it's a cold or headache; the Veiled creatures; and how Allie's father tried to possess her. I like how Allie is a magical conduit, with her arms having a positive and negative end - despite how everyone else in that book is determined that it isn't possible.

And that is also what I don't like about it. Allie is a smart-talking lone wolf (not literally - not weres in this book!) how is almost obsessively anti-social. She chalks it all up to being a Hound, but she has some serious trust issues that I hope she grows out of. I get how she doesn't trust Zayvion - how could she when she's forgotten him? - but it's a little painful to watch, especially since he is aware that she doesn't trust him either. She also gets thrust into a leadership position by her fellow Hounds and immediately has an uprising as one of the younger female Hounds storms out stating she'll never follow her. The younger Hound's issues stem from jealousy - how annoying.

I think I'll read the next book (Magic in the Shadows) in this series immediately. The next book after that (Magic on the Storm) is out May 4th, so I might as well catch up on this series ASAP.

Silver Borne

2010-04-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

In Silver Borne, book five of this series, Patricia Briggs returns to the Tri-Cities and my favourite coyote-shifter, Mercy Thompson.

Unfortunately, a date with Adam goes bad after Mercy realizes that someone in the pack was messing with her mate bonds. That same night, Samuel is taken to the hospital after a car accident and Mercy realizes that his Wolf counterpart, Sam, has taken control since Samuel tried to commit suicide. Mercy's attempt to keep Sam's condition secret gets found out after a Bounty Hunter tries to kill Sam at Mercy's garage. Fortunately, the police arrive with Adam and they notice that the warrant for Adam's arrest is forged.

Adam agrees that Sam deserves a chance to prove himself, but when Mercy and Sam go to return a book to its owner, the fae torch Mercy's home. Thinking Mercy was home, despite some of his pack knowing otherwise, Adam runs into Mercy's place looking for her and receives serious burns. After sorting out that mess, Mercy and Adam return back to his place and Mercy confronts Mary Jo. Unfortunately, Adam is challenged for the Alpha position while Mercy is occupied.

Adam takes care of that debacle and then promptly passes out from his injuries. And that's when Mercy finds out that Gabriel has been kidnapped by the fae, who tries to exchange him for the object that she carries. Knowing that Adam wouldn't approve, Mercy sets off with Jessie and Sam to meet Zee and another fae, Ariana (which means Silver). Ariana also happens to be a long-lost love of Samuel's. Seeing her gave him a reason to take back control of his wolf - it also gave him a new reason to keep on living. Using magic, Ariana locates Gabriel at a fairy mound and Zee creates a back entrance. Unfortunately, it was a trap and they are forced to bargain their freedom, which results in Mercy getting left behind. While attempting to force Mercy under thrall, Bran makes contact and helps Mercy out.

I absolutely love this series. Mercy is funny, she's outspoken and she bluffs her way through almost every situation. Honestly, I wish I could be as insightful and calm as Mercy. She confronts people as needed and with a clear head. And when that doesn't work, she shoots them. Seriously.

Here are two of my favourite quotes from this book:

After a dominance fight for the Alpha position between Adam and Paul:

I'd been keeping an eye on Henry throughout the fight. I glanced at him just as he stepped up to the mat.
"Alpha," he called. "I chal-"
He never got the whole word out - because I drew my foster father's SIG and shot him in the throat before he could.
For a split second everyone stared at him, as if they couldn't figure out where all the blood had come from.
"Stop the bleeding," I said. Though I made no move to do it myself. The rat could die for all I cared. "That was a lead bullet. He'll be fine." Though he wouldn't be talking-or challenging Adam-for a while. "When he's stable, put him in the holding cell, where he can't do any more harm."
Adam looked at me. "Trust you to bring a gun to a fistfight," he said with every evidence of admiration. Then he looked at his pack. Our pack. "What she said," he told them. (page 248)

and after Mercy gets captured by the fairy queen who is attempting to enslave her through hypnosis:

The fairy queen had continued to talk in my head, but I wasn't paying attention to what she said.
"Whom do you serve?" she asked aloud....Not as though she were interested in the answer.
"'Choose this day whom you will serve....But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.'" It seemed appropriate to quote [the Book of] Joshua at her.
"What?" she asked, startled.
"What were you expecting me to answer?" I asked, feeling a little let down. Some of the very old fae react poorly to scripture, but this one didn't seem to mind-not the scriptures anyway. (page 317-318)

I have several reasons for those being my favourite quotes. In the first quote it shows Mercy's impulsiveness and protective nature (by shooting a man to prevent him from challenging Adam when he's injured) and it also shows Adam's respect and admiration for her (by backing up her order to the Pack).

The second quote just makes me laugh - especially when she states that she stopped paying attention to what was being said to her. It also shows her being quick-witted (both with the reference to the Bible verse, but also to her knowledge of fairy-lore).

I love the relationship between Adam and Mercy: it's still very new, but they would do anything to protect each other - even from themselves. Despite Mercy always getting in to trouble, she knows that Adam will always show up to rescue her. And I especially love the fact that though there is a relationship in this book, this isn't a paranormal romance!! As a friend described it, a paranormal romance is urban fantasy whose storyline wouldn't be able to stand on its own without the relationship. And I'd like to say that as much as I like Adam and Mercy together, they were friends first in this series and if their relationship had never evolved, the story could've kept going.

I think this series could be appreciated by many people. While there is sex in the series, it's fairly mild and left mostly to your own imagination, as it should be. If you like smart female leads (as I do) you'll like this series. A good friend of mine borrowed the first book thinking she couldn't make fun of it without reading it first - and she's since asked me for the rest of the books. :)

Just read it, it's cute.

Banned Book Club

2010-04-20T21:44:00.000-07:00

I have exciting news! I'm in a Book Club. But! Not just any Book Club - it's a Book Club that will read books that were banned and/or burned in the past.

The first book? Fahrenheit 451. Coincidentally, that is also the latest book that I've been attempting to finish. Now this will give me the excuse to finally finish reading it.

I've never been part of a Book Club before, and after having read the book list (of which I already own 3-4 books), I'm super stoked - both for the books themselves, as well as the discussions. Part of the reason why I even started writing this blog was so that I could talk about books (my favourite subject). However, as much as I like talking about books, I like discussing them even more. I'm just nervous that I'll have nothing to contribute since I don't know anything about literature.

However, I'm game. Two of my very good friends are in the club as well so this will be a fantastic way to spend time with them as well as meet more like-minded individuals.

Can't wait!!

New Moon

2010-04-10T21:13:00.000-07:00

New Moon is the second book in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. This book starts out with Bella's birthday, in which she will officially be older than Edward - and she melodramatically argues with him about it. At the party she cuts herself and Edward has to protect her from the teeth of his brother. To protect her from himself and his family, Edward breaks up with her and moves away.

Time passes and Bella survives. Barely.

She discovers that by doing things that Edward would disapprove of, she is able to hear his voice. As such, she starts to engage in reckless activities (ie, talking to strange boys outside a bar, learning to ride a motorcycle, walking in forests that are known to have bear attacks and cliff diving). It is the cliff diving that, ironically, brings the vampires back to Bella. Alice witnesses Bella jumping off a cliff and drowning. After mentioning it to her sister and before checking on Bella herself, Edward hears about it and sets off to die.

When Alice learns of his behaviour, she takes Bella to Italy to prevent it, thus meeting the Volturi family. Alice promises to turn Bella in the future to spare her life, much to Edward's dismay. They return to Forks and Bella is convinced that Edward is still a dream. After talking it out for a while, Bella goes to the Cullens for a vote on her mortality; the majority votes for her to turn. Back at Bella's house, Jacob (Bella's rock while Edward was gone; he's also a werewolf) tells Edward that if any one in his family so much as bites a human, the treaty is over and war will break out between the werewolves and vampires. Bella is horrified at the implication that her becoming a vampire will start a fight between the pride and the Cullens.

I had a discussion at work about this series: I really didn't care for the first book and I heard that this one would be worse. And at first it was, especially post-breakup. However, once Bella started to get on with her life, with the help of Jacob, I started liking her more. And I found that if the author had substituted Edward's voice with her own common sense, I would've liked it a lot more. I definitely liked Bella more when she was around Jacob; the only exceptions being when she started referring to herself as broken and how she could never love again.

I adored Jacob. Not so much when he first turned, but after they hashed that out, I liked him again. I thought it was kind of sad when he was willing for a relationship with Bella where she had no emotional input, but given time (and no Edward), she probably would've been able to love him for real.

Edward still pissed me off and once he and Bella got back together, they both reverted back to their previous behaviours. After Bella talked to him rationally about how she was certain he would leave again, I assumed that she had grown up, but she lost all of her own strength when she realized that he was there to stay. I really really don't like how they parallel their relationship with Romeo & Juliet's - everyone knows how that one ends.

Like I said, I did like this one better (probably because there was less Edward) and so I am a little excited about the next one (Eclipse) since everyone says that it is better than New Moon. Maybe I ended up jumping on the bandwagon, but I won't be sure until the end of the series.

Twilight

2010-04-05T16:36:00.000-07:00

Twilight is the first book in a young adult series of the same name about a teenaged girl, Bella Swan, and the creatures she encounters in her small town in Washington state.

Bella insisted on moving to her father's home in Forks after her mom got re-married (the new husband is a basketball player so they would've been gone most of the time travelling). Coming from her sunny home in Phoenix, Forks is dreary and way too green. Luckily, the folks are friendly and Bella quickly makes new friends, despite her miserable attitude to the contrary. At lunch she has an across-the-room encounter with Edward Cullen and is confused by his continual glaring. Biology is even worse when she has a class with him and the only empty seat is at his bench. The whole class consisted of him glowering in her general direction and leaning as far away as possible. At the end of the day she sees him again in the office, trying to switch into a new class. Miserable, she goes home and can't stop thinking about him.

After about a week, he finally comes back to school and is friendly, much to her surprise. After he saves her from being crushed by an oncoming vehicle, they become friends and start hanging out more. An outing with her friends in a nearby town causes Bella to become lost and harassed by some locals; Edward saves her and she discloses that she knows his secret: that he's a vampire. With that out of the way, they admit to being in love with each other and are ready to meet each other's families. However, while watching the Cullen family play baseball in the rain, some strange vampires show up and notice that Bella is human. When Edward comes to her defense, the vampire James takes it upon himself to personally kill her. Running away to Phoenix doesn't help and Bella surrenders herself to save her mother. Fortunately for her, Edward shows up in time to save her life, yet again. The story ends with Edward taking Bella to prom, much to her horror and dismay.

I had put off reading Twilight since Christmas, mainly because I wasn't sure what to expect. I've heard reviews that ranged from terrific to terrible; however, when a friend of mine rented the movie the other day, and liked it, I decided that I would read the series.

Unfortunately, I found it to be mediocre.

I found that it took too long to finally get into the story. Bella is moody and depressing to have as a lead character - especially since it is read in the first person. She is constantly shooting herself down and putting Edward on a pedestal. Everything she has to say about his looks are filled with dismay, and is always followed by an "I'm not good enough" sentiment. She is clingy, and if I knew someone who was that obsessed with their partner, I'd be afraid that a breakup would drive them to be suicidal.

Edward really isn't that much better: he moods are very mercurial and it doesn't take much to set him off. As much as Bella torments herself with her own insecurity, Edward hounds himself about potentially hurting her - physically - if he gets carried away.

The worst part of the storyline are probably the two main characters. I didn't like how much both Bella and Edward beat themselves up over hurting the other (Bella couldn't stand it if one of his family members were hurt helping her and Edward couldn't stand it if she were hurt simply because she knew him). One of my main pet peeves was found in Bella: how every guy she came across was drawn to her and wanted to go out with her.

However, I did like Stephenie Meyer's take on vampires and how some vampire myths stayed as such (ie, burning to ash in the sunlight). I also liked how she made the Cullen family into "vegetarians," how some traits found in humans are magnified as vampires and I especially loved the baseball scene.

I think that if I were a romantic teenager wanting to read about the star-crossed lovers (which is a stupid term for them since both families support the relationship), I would really love this series. I don't think I could've identified with it since Bella isn't a typical teenager: her mother refers to her as 17-going-on-35 (I would disagree about her relative maturity).

Like I said, overall I found it mediocre. It could be that I went in with high expectations and therefore didn't enjoy the book as well as I could've. I will keep reading the series, just to see how it ends, but I don't think I'll raise my expectations for the next book, New Moon. Especially if Bella is going to continue brooding.

The Reckoning

2010-04-04T00:03:00.000-07:00

A couple notes first: I totally veered off reading "Fahrenheit 451" for a couple reasons. One, I was informed that the third (and final) book in a series I was reading was in, so of course this post is actually about that. Two, it's very "1984", in that its an older, dystopia-style book that takes a while to wrap my brain around. Three, I may be able to get back into it now that I've started reading "Twilight". I'm really not digging that book so much.

Now onto my real post.

The Reckoning, as I said earlier, is the third and final book in a young adult series by Kelley Armstrong. First, a quick recap, since I didn't review these books. This series features Chloe Saunders, a teenage girl who can see ghosts. Unfortunately, she became brutally aware of this fact after she was traumatized at school by the ghost of a formal janitor. After being sent to the psych ward, it was suggested that she go to a special school where she could be treated for schizophrenia. While there she meets other teenagers being treated for various mental disorders. One of the guys suggests that she isn't schizophrenia...she's a necromancer.

After that, things get interesting. The teenagers break out, get caught, escape, and finally meet up a contact that can help them. And that's where book three comes in.

This review is a little harder to do since it is in the middle of the story and it'll be a little harder to explain without going back to everything and I can't avoid spoiling at least a little of the story for those who haven't read it yet.

Chloe, Derek, Simon & Tori are being housed in a safe house from the Edison group with a friend of Kit's (Derek & Simon's father), by the name of Andrew. However, despite knowing that they're genetically modified supernaturals, Andrew & his fellow rebels can't help but be afraid of the powers that the teens are displaying. A freak encounter between Chloe, Derek & a couple of werewolves turns out to have been a staged event by someone claiming to help them. And that someone doesn't care if they end up dead.

A betrayal at the safe house causes the teenagers to end up back at the Edison group hospital, where Chloe learns her aunt is still alive, but held captive. Chloe frees a demi-demon to save herself and Kit finally makes an appearance.

This review probably makes no sense, and probably sounds super anti-climatic. Which, in fact, it was. I liked the story overall, especially how it ended between Derek & Chloe, but it really felt unfinished. The story ended with them being on the run. A story can't end like that since there's always the chance of them getting caught - either by the bad guys or by the good guys.

This story had a lot of the same threads as her other series, The Women of the Otherworld: werewolves, witches, sorcerors & necromancers. I kept expecting to read about Paige or Elena showing up as a mentor. Especially with the book feeling unfinished, maybe they'll cross paths in a future book.

With Chloe being a necromancer, this book was pretty spooky & gory at times. She really grew stronger and more self-confident through the series and it's really apparent when she meets up with her aunt again. In fact, Chloe mourns her own loss of innocence for her aunt's sake.

Overall? I think if you like The Women of the Otherworld series, you'd like this. It's very cute & innocent when it comes to teenage love. It's about self-sufficiency and the bonds of friendship to overcome obstacles.

I also need to get better at writing endings for my reviews. :)

Oh, Darwin

2010-03-28T00:26:00.000-07:00

How much is too much?

A friend of mine told me that I read alot, like crazy much, which, well yeah, I guess I do. I read for pleasure, to escape the stresses of the everyday world (I manage a Cafe), to live vicariously through someone else and maybe, just maybe, to see the world from a different angle.

And that angle, right now, is dystopitarian (which probably isn't even a real word). Dystopia, however, is a real word and this is what Wikipedia has to say about it:

Dystopia is a vision, of an often futuristic society, which has developed into a negative version of Utopia. A Dystopia is often characterized by an authoritarian or totalitarian form of government. It often features different kinds of repressive social control systems, a lack or total absence of individual freedoms and expressions and a state of constant warfare or violence.

I think one of the reasons why I like those books, along with post-Apocalyptic ones, is to see how the world would function or change in the aftermath of a cataclysmic event. In Ariel, for example, the Change itself was the introduction of magic and the end of technology.

These events really show the determination of our species to survive on a whole, to adapt to new circumstances and to conquer what we don't understand. It also brings out our more basic, animalistic tendencies. As a Biology major, I have a special place in my heart for natural selection and these books just prove again and again the power of Darwin's ideology: survival of the fittest.

Catching Fire

2010-03-27T23:26:00.000-07:00

In her second book of the Hunger Games Trilogy, Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins returns us to Panem, which used to be formally known as North America.

In Hunger Games (book one), the heroine Katniss was introduced and forced to play the Game. In the end when she was told that only one would be allowed to return, Katniss and her partner, Peeta, made a suicide pact; her minor rebellion against the Capitol provided the spark for an uprising.

In Catching Fire, Katniss and Peeta hear whispers of rebellion in other Districts. Two figures from District 8 are found hiding in the woods, searching for the destroyed remains of District 13; however, Katniss is recognized and the two strangers have a wafer with a mockingjay on it. Katniss finds out that the TV reportings on District 13 keep showing the same footage and a conversation with the Head Games Master, Plutarch, has a mockingjay on his watch.

After it is announced that the 75th Hunger Games will have the tributes reaped from the victor's pool, Katniss and Peeta are forced back in to the arena. During her live interview, Katniss models the wedding dress she'll never wear and is shocked when it starts to smolder and burn away to resemble that of a mockingjay.

When she returns to the arena, Katniss has sworn to herself that she will protect Peeta and that he will be the one to make it home alive. However, protecting him is proving difficult as her allies are trying to keep them separated, even though they seem to be willing to die to protect the both of them. In the end, Katniss ends up blowing up the force field that traps them in the arena and is picked up by a hovercraft. Inside, she finds out that she is the symbol of rebellion: the mockingjay.

The first book was more straight forward: Katniss was determined to live at all costs. Having met Peeta, she tried to keep them both alive. In this book, she has resigned herself to death since the Capitol is trying to kill her anyway. She also figures that by protecting Peeta, her family will be able to live as well. So this book is more about politics and hidden agendas than the last one was. Throwing them back in the arena was a surprise for me.

I was disappointed at first since that was what happened in the first one and didn't want a replay. However, while I figured out that the Mockingjay was a rebel's symbol earlier than she did, I didn't expect her being placed back into the arena was part of the larger picture. Or that the other players were aware of it and were trying to further their cause.

Needless to say, the story was good. Katniss still hasn't deepened in character and she's still clueless about guys, but I don't think that will change much in the next book either. She still wavers between Peeta and Gale, between staying and going. It's inevitable that something will happen between her and Gale now that they're in the same place since she's affectionate with Peeta when they're in the same vicinity. However, I'm hoping she'll shed some of her cowardice and bluffing to reveal a real backbone.

Unfortunately for me, the newest book, Mockingjay, won't be available until August 24, 2010. Which sucks because the author ended after disclosing that Katniss was the figurehead for their uprising. So that means that I'm going to have to wait a few months until I can read the next part, when, clearly, I'm dying to find out right now.

The Hunger Games

2010-03-23T23:22:00.000-07:00

The Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins, is book one in a series by the same name. This series centers on Katniss Everdeen, a 16 year old girl who supports her family with the game she hunts and the greens she forages for daily. Living in the Seam, a seedy part of District 12, she does what she can to protect her small family. Even if it means taking her sister's place in the Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games is a fight-to-the-death amongst the tributes (ages 12 to 18) on a televised program. A macabre combination of Running Man and Lottery, but with all the flash and pomp of a beauty pageant, the tributes are paraded in the Capitol, show off their talents before a panel of judges in private and then interviewed live on tv. By doing so, the tributes attempt to gain sponsorship by showing the crowd that they will win; sponsors will then return the favour by sending gifts into the arena (which is a closed, controlled environment) to help the tribute survive.

Katniss, along with Peeta (her fellow District 12 tribute), are told to act like a couple in love and Katniss keeps this strategy in mind throughout the game. During the games a new rule is announced: if tributes from the same District are the last two standing, both will live. This rule allows Katniss to open up to Peeta and she plays up the love angle knowing that her affection will gain them gifts from sponsors. Unfortunately, this is not an act for Peeta and when they win, Katniss is worried for her life if they don't keep it up. Peeta finds out on the train ride home and this is where the book ends.

This book was very morbid but very captivating. The book is set in a futuristic North America, where the Hunger Games were a means of putting an end to a rebellion. By creating the games, and forcing the people to watch it, the Capitol showed their citizens that rebellion was useless: afterall, weren't their children chosen at random for a duel that only ever yielded one survivor?

Katniss proves herself to be a strong (if clueless when it comes to boys) female lead. She's capable and has the drive to succeed - which is why her sister & mother were still alive - and why she was able to win. She also had a level head - another reason why she was able to win. I think these are traits that are important to be featured in female lead characters since most are portrayed as fluffy.

Overall, I really liked this book: after hearing my coworker rave about it, I moved it to the top of my "to read" list and the second book "Catching Fire" will be next. Unfortunately for me, the third and final book, Mockingjay, won't be out until August. However, I've already pre-ordered it so I'm good to go.

The Sweet Far Thing

2010-03-21T20:07:00.000-07:00

"Rose of all Roses, Rose of all the World!
You, too, have come where the dim tides are hurled
Upon the wharves of sorrow, and heard ring
The bell that calls us on; the sweet far thing.
Beauty grown sad with its eternity
Made you of us, and of the dim grey sea.
Our long ships loose thought-woven sails and wait,
For God has bid them share an equal fate;
And when at last, defeated in His wars,
They have gone down under the same white stars,
We shall no longer hear the little cry
Of our sad hearts, that may not live nor die."

-From The Rose of Battle by W.B. Yeats

The third book in the Gemma Doyle series, The Sweet Far Thing (Libba Bray), is a voyage of self-discovery as Gemma and her friends approach their debut; a rite of passage for English ladies from children into womanhood.

Gemma tries to unravel the mystery of Wilhemina Wyatt, a former Spence girl who has been appearing to her in visions with the note "The Tree of All Souls lives". To learn more about the Tree of All Souls, Gemma speaks with Circe, an enemy trapped within the well of eternity who was put there by Gemma in the previous book. However, while the door of light will not appear to Gemma, they discover another entrance in the rubble of the East Wing which has started to be rebuilt.

Unfortunately, the line between sanity & madness starts to blur after Gemma and her friends venture into the Winterlands: after which Gemma starts to see creatures from the realms in the human world. Men from the work camp start to go missing and trouble breaks out between the workers & the gypsies when symbols in blood are written on the new stones.

Can Gemma figure everything out before the magic drives her mad?

This book was definitely the longest and had the most information in it. Due to that fact, it took longer for me to read, making it difficult for me to even remember my favourite quotes (which, you'd think by now, I'd start marking with post-its). The first book delved into choices & their consequences; the second talked about secrets. This book covered both topics as well as self-discovery. It covered love & love lost; getting what you want from life instead of using "magic" to make it happen; courage & strength; and most importantly, loss. It was very fitting that the author ended this book with the debut of Gemma and Felicity into society, as this event marked a girl's entrance into womanhood.

This book also spends more times in the realms than the last one. A battle is brewing as the magic is leaking into the Winterlands from the Tree of All Souls. This is definitely the darkest book as the characters are forced to face their deepest fears and desires to gain what they want most. The story turns spooky when Gemma starts to see things that no one else can and has what others think of as fits of madness. And when Pippa starts to talk about herself as being the Chosen One.

The ending is sad & a little heartrending, but I don't think it was possible to end any other way. I'm sure I'll kick myself for not mentioning this-or-that later, but like I said, this book was the largest and has definitely been my favourite. I'm happy to say that the final books lived up to the expectations of the first and that the story progressed without cheating the readers or making light of the situations at hand. It also ended on a hopeful note: about a girl choosing her own destiny in an era where that was unheard of.

Rebel Angels

2010-03-14T12:14:00.001-07:00

The title of the book Rebel Angels (by Libba Bray) was inspired by John Milton's Paradise Lost, a poem about the angel Lucifer trying to overthrow heaven.

In this second book of the Gemma Doyle Trilogy, the girls are back and dreaming about Christmas; all except for Ann who, due to a lack of family, will be staying behind at Spence. Felicity comes up with the genius idea of reinventing Ann as the long-lost niece of some Duke who can trace their ancestry back to Russian royalty so she can enjoy the wonders of the London elite as well.

There is a mysterious new teacher at Spence, Miss McCleethy, who seems to have an immediate dislike for Gemma. Her very presence also causes Gemma to slip into horrifying visions of three girls in white dresses, who are obviously ghosts. Gemma, Felicity and Ann discover that they can still enter the realms and that Pippa is there! However, Kartik warns Gemma that by smashing the runes she loosed the magic in the realms for anyone to use; therefore she must find the Temple and bind the magic to the Eastern Star, which, unbeknownst to Gemma, would allow the Rakshana to control the magic. Kartik is also told that once she has done this, he is to kill her.

Upon their return to London, Gemma meets a young man, Simon Middleton, who is the son of a Viscount and who takes an immediate liking to her. Ann is met with smashing success and treated kindly. Felicity discovers that her father is home again and that her young distant cousin, Polly, has been orphaned and will be staying at her house.

However, Gemma's visions turn more horrifying as they also show Pippa as a creature of the realms. The ghosts plague her even more and she discovers Nell Hawkins, a member of the Order, in Bedlam. After meeting her, Gemma learns that Nell has deliberately driven herself mad to prevent Circe from discovering where the Temple is. Miss McCleethy is also in London and following her leads the girls to a bookstore where she purchases a book on secret societies. Reading the book they discover that many member of the Order use anagrams of their names when in hiding. They also learn that Claire McCleethy spells out: They Call Me Circe.

Each trip into the realm shows the garden growing more wild and dangerous as they discover that other creatures also live in the realms: the water nymphs who lure you into the water for your skin; the gorgon head that has been spelled onto a boat who may not cause harm or lie to a member of the Order but who also lies by omission; the horrible skeleton warriors; and even ghosts who have yet to pass that have been tempted into staying and are heading into the Winterlands.

However, the mad ramblings of Nell offer light as to where the Temple may be found:

"Where shall we go, maidens? Where shall we go? You must leave the garden. Leave it behind with a sad farewell. Down the river on the gorgon's grace, past the clutches of the slippery, nippery nymphs. Through the golden mist of magic. Meet the folk of the fair Forest of Lights. The arrows, the arrows, you must use wisely and well. But save one. Save one for me. For I shall have need of it. ...

"Offer hope to the Untouchables, for they must have hope. Travel on, far beyond the lotus blossoms. Follow the path. Yes, stick to the path, maidens. For they can lead you stray, away, with false promises. Beware the Poppy Warriors. The Poppy Warriors steal your strength. they will gobble you up. Gobble, gobble! ...

"Do not leave the path, for it is hard to find again once lost. And they will take song to the rock. Do not let the song die. You must be careful with beauty. Beauty must pass. There are dark shadows of spirits. Just beyond the Borderlands, where the lone tree stands and the sky turns to blood...in the Winterlands they plot and plan with Circe. They will not rest till the army is raised and the realms are theirs to rule.
"Go where no one will, where it is forbidden, offer hope....go where the dark hides a mirror of water. Face your fear and bind the magic fast to you!" (pgs 360-361)

Like I said after reading A Great and Terrible Beauty, I was terrified to read this story for fear that my expectations would be set so high that this book couldn't possibly live up to them.

In essence, I was right.

However, this book did not try to do what the last one did. I believe that the last book was of choices and living with the consequences of them. In this book, the underlying theme was secrets and lies: Gemma's family is falling apart because her father is addicted to laudanum; however, they are not to speak of it. Ann's experiences in London is because of a huge secret. Felicity's behaviour toward Polly and her parents is due to yet more secrets. Kartik has a secret mission from the Rakshana that was divulged in the beginning of the book.

This book explored more of the realms and the horrible burden of trying to live a lie; to pretend that a girl is what she seems to be: a girl but one who doesn't have a terrible secret that could ruin them in society's eyes. You learn that there is more to each person than what you'd expect. Like Felicity and the secret to why she is the way she is. Gemma's dysfunctional family and irritation brother, Tom, are more of a focal point and how they rally together to hide their father's laudanum addiction. Even beautiful Pippa, the independent Miss Moore, priggish Miss McCleethy and mad Nell are not what you expect.

This book was fantastic and I'm happy to say that I'm looking forward to the third and final book in this trilogy: The Sweet Far Thing, which, I'm sure, will be as well written and enjoyable as the first two. However, I am curious to discover the underlying theme in that book as well.

A Great and Terrible Beauty

2010-03-11T20:24:00.001-08:00

' "Shall I tell you a story? A new and terrible one? A ghost story? ... Are you ready? Shall I begin? Once upon a time there were four girls. One was pretty. One was clever. One charming, and one...one was mysterious. But they were all damaged, you see. Something not right about the lot of them. Bad blood. Big dreams. Oh, I left that part out. Sorry, that should have come before. They were all dreamers, these girls."

"One by one, night after night, the girls came together. And they sinned. Do you know what that sin was? No one? ... Their sin was that they believed. Believed they could be different. Special. They believed they could change what they were - damaged, unloved. Cast-off things. They would be alive, adored, needed. Necessary. But it wasn't true. This is a ghost story, remember? A tragedy. ... They were misled. Betrayed by their own stupid hopes. Things couldn't be different for them, because they weren't special after all. So life took them, led them, and they went along, you see? They faded before their own eyes, till they were nothing more than living ghosts, haunting each other with what could be. What can't be. ... There, now. Isn't that the scariest story you've ever heard?" ' (pgs 314-316).

The above quote came from A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray, a book about a Victorian era girl who is sent to a finishing school in London after her mother dies tragically. Gemma Doyle, the heroine, is a 16 year old outcast who sees terrible things happen in visions - and then it comes true. Her roommate, Ann, is a scholarship student (read: poor) who wants nothing more than to be seen - and to be beautiful. Her unlikely ally, Felicity, is the school leader and bully until Gemma saves her from expulsion by shoving her in a lake - thus allowing her gypsy admirer to escape unnoticed. And Pippa, beautiful Pippa, wishes only for true love - which her parents can't allow to happen in case her seizures become public notice (and thus expose her genetic defect which would prevent any future offers of marriage).

However, they live in a time when "a man wants a woman who will make life easy for him. She should be attractive, well groomed, knowledgeable in music, painting, and running a house, but above all, she should keep his name above scandal and never call attention to herself" (pg 27). This stifling attitude prevents the four girls (or, really, any at all) from doing what they wish. As evidenced by one of the characters, "Well, it's not as if we can do what we want, is it?" (pg 163), when Felicity comments on how Pippa doesn't wish to marry the first man that comes along with a sizeable fortune.

In a drunken pity-fest, the girls re-create The Order after reading the diary of Mary Dowd, which describes a magical garden of power. They take a blood oath and "swear loyalty to each other, to keep secret the rites of [their] Order, to taste freedom and let no one betray [them]. No one. ... This is [their] sanctuary. And as long as [they're] here, [they] will speak only truth" (pg 153).

And so begins their true journey into self-discovery. Their characters deepen as you learn more about them: Pippa is being used by her parents simply to alleviate her father's gambling debts; Ann self-mutilates so she knows that she can still feel; and Felicity has been abandoned by her parents and for power in a powerless situation. It is at this point that the ghost story is told. The girls are at their lowest points and feel absolute failure coming upon them.

Weaving itself into the story is the poem, The Lady of Shallott by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. In the poem the Lady of Shallott is cursed to view the world outside her window through a mirror. One day she decides that she is "half sick of shadows" and looks out the window. When her mirror cracks, she leaves her tower, climbs into a boat and floats down to Camelot, where she dies.

Setting the pace for the rest of the book, the school teacher Miss Moore finally reaches the heart of the story when she talks about the poem and that "the lady dies not because she leaves the tower for the outside world, but because she lets herself float through the world, pulled by the current after a dream" (pg 102).

In essence, I believe that this book is about the characters striving to live life to the fullest and to attempt to break the bonds of society's demands to do what they want to do: which is to make their own choices.

I was captivated by this book right from the start and despite owning the rest of the books in this trilogy, I'm terrified that the rest of the books won't be as good. Having peaked my interest for what is going on in this book and the lives of these girls, I'm worried that the author will have opted for an easy way out. Or that in the end, they fail miserably.

Gemma and her friends, despite living in an age long past, still face issues that are relevant for today: peer pressure, the urge to fit in, sexual curiosity, the need to please and the desire to be free. While Gemma may not know her own mind, she does refuse to give in to society's pressures and I do believe that she does a good job as a strong female lead character. Even Pippa, who takes the easy road out in the end, still makes a choice that she believes is right for her.

Need I say more? I love this story and I think everyone should read it. It reminds me of the magical sisterhood found in the movie The Craft as well as a subdued version of the sexually charged friendship found in Summer Sisters by Judy Blume.

The Looking Glass Wars

2010-03-07T14:08:00.000-08:00

The Looking Glass Wars is the first book of a trilogy created by Frank Beddor. This series is a darker take on the children's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

In The Looking Glass Wars, Princess Alyss Heart's world is turned upside down on her 7th birthday when her crazy Aunt Redd invades the palace. In a final act, her mother, Queen Genevieve sacrifices herself by sending Alyss through the Crystal Continuum with Hatter Madigan to the Pool of Tears. After narrowly escaping The Cat, Redd's favourite assassin, Hatter & Alyss become separated in the Pool, with Alyss emerging from a puddle in London circa 1859.

Trapped in Victorian London, Alyss is adopted by the Liddell's and later is befriended by Charles Dodgson. In a desperate attempt to have someone believe her, Alyss tells him of Wonderland. Later he writes his own version of her story, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland under the name Lewis Carroll. At this point Alyss completely immerses herself into the persona of Alice, a normal English girl.

After her 20th birthday, Alice meets Prince Leopold who falls for her and asks for her hand in marriage. On her wedding date, Cat finds her and she is rescued by Dodge Anders, a childhood love whose father was murdered the same night as Alyss's mother.

After returning to Wonderland, Alyss finds that she is the figurehead of a group of rebels who call themselves the Alyssians. Her albino tutor, Bibwit Harte, informs her that she must see the Caterpillars in their Valley of Mushrooms to find the Looking Glass Maze so she can reach her full potential and power as the future Queen.

Can Alyss live up to everyone's hopes and save Wonderland despite having lost her power of Imagination?

This book was really cool. Already knowing the story of Alice in Wonderland, and seeing what was happening to Alyss made for a neat cross-over of past and future. Coming from Wonderland, Alyss notes that the lamp posts on the streets came from Wonderland, except instead of fire, they can be turned on by a switch.

The characters were also different: Bibwit Harte is the White Rabbit (with rearranged letters), and Hatter Madigan is the Queen's personal guard. His signature top hat is really a weapon in disguise. The caterpillars still smoke hookah's, but the smoke allows them to see the future and act as an oracle. Card soldiers are mechanized and their intelligence increases as the number reaches 10. The other ruling families in Wonderland are the Spades, Clubs & Diamonds.

The writing itself isn't that great, but it is interesting enough to keep me going. There aren't any twists of the story, except to recognize the certain aspects that parallel either Lewis Carroll's book or the Disney movie.

There isn't really any character development, except for Alyss, and even that isn't unexpected. Dodge is a revenge-obsessed character; Bibwit stays scholarly; Hatter remains a faithful guard. Alyss only truly changes in the Maze, but even then she only gains confidence in her abilities. The hardships faced don't shape the characters in any life changing way.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy read. With all the hype out there from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland movie, I'm sure there will be tons of people wanting to read this book.

My Soul To Save

2010-03-01T18:09:00.000-08:00

My Soul To Save is the second book in Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamers series.

Our heroine is Kaylee Cavanaugh, a 16 year old who discovered in the last book that she's bean-sidhe - or in English, banshee. One of the side effects of being bean-sidhe is that Kaylee has an uncontrollable tendency to scream hysterically when someone nearby is about to die. Her boyfriend Nash is bean-sidhe as well, and his voice can calm her down, not to mention Influence others.

At a concert Kaylee & Nash watch as the star, Eden, drops dead; however, Kaylee doesn't scream. As a Soul Screamer, Kaylee realizes that Eden has no soul to sing for because it has been bartered away to a hellion in exchange for fame and fortune. When they learn that the opening act, Addison Page, is next, they go on a wild hunt to retrieve her soul before her time is up.

I like this series for a variety of reasons. The biggest one is the bean-sidhe concept. I'm always sold on an idea that has a different take. The second reason is that the main character is an outcast. At high school she is labelled a freak by her popular cousin and her cheerleading clique.

Though Kaylee has a big heart and an apparently steel spine that may get her killed one day, I find that strength a little hard to swallow. Risking her life for someone she doesn't know? It is explained away as making up for those she couldn't save in the previous book, but her altruistic abilities, while commendable, aren't very realistic.

The sexual tension is this book can get pretty thick at times between Kaylee and Nash. While they both want it, it is really only poor timing and a little insecurity that keep them from going all the way (read: Nash is/was a man whore and Kaylee is worried about him losing interest if they do the deed). Granted, it is toned down some from the previous book.

I've had discussions with Vyxen about teen sexuality in the past and we have differing ideas.

Mine: I prefer it to be practically nonexistent; if I want to read about sex, I'll read an adult romance. I think it's cute when they act shy around eachother and when holding their crush's hand is a huge accomplishment. I am also not a teenager.

Hers: it is a huge issue nowadays and should be discussed; they do want it, so why not present it in an elightened way to show teens that they have options when it comes to dealing with sex.

She has a good point and while I personally am not a big fan of teen sex, I'm also not the target audience since I haven't been a teenager for nearly 10 years. (Though neither has Vyxen.)

It will definitely happen for those characters, but I hope it's done in a tasteful and smart (ie, birth control & condoms) manner. I think Kaylee also needs to learn to let up a little on her self-doubt before that ever happens. Otherwise I predict bitter fights.

Another reason I like the book is because the main character doesn't know a thing about being bean-sidhe so she's learning from her boyfriend's mom. The bonus being that the reader learns about it at the same time without it seeming dumbed down for the readers.

I also like the main character is this series way more than the main character in Rachel Vincent's other series, Shifters. She even gets grounded for being out late (saving lives), so at least she doesn't have a free ticket just because she's supernatural.

Note: Vyxen left me this message about what she has to say about teen sex:
"I have to say that I don't advocate it. I, in fact, adore Meyer for having her characters abstain until marriage. I think you have to be hugely responsible as a YA author, these days, and present information. I also think that this information should be presented to a strong female protagonist (actually, though. Not some half wit we see as strong initially, only to find out that she is "nothing without her man." [Cough]BellaSwan[/Cough]) who, wisely, says no to her suitor and isn't judged a prude because of it. I want "no" to be an okay option is all. (But I don't want an author to candy coat life, either. I'm all for kids being kids, but this is a big deal.)

YAs won't read novels that present a fluffy world. It's insulting to their intelligence and generally pisses them off. I figure don't hide the real world and recognize that, for the most part, they're smart enough to make their own decisions, we just have to equip them with whatever knowledge we can."

I stand corrected. :)

Bone Crossed

2010-02-27T22:11:00.000-08:00

Bone Crossed is the 4th book in the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs.

Mercedes (Mercy) is a VW mechanic who can also turn herself into a coyote at will. Unlike werewolves, Mercy's transformation is painless, instantaneous & she is not influenced by the moon. She is the acknowledged mate of the local werewolf pack's Alpha, Adam Hauptman, as well as a good friend of a powerful vampire, Stefan.

This is the first time that I've reviewed a book that is part of a series without doing the previous books first, so I'm not sure how this will go. Since this book is a continuation of the others, it might be difficult to review this book without going into the others.

I really like this series. Despite its similarities to the Anita Blake series from Laurell K. Hamilton (ie, creature of magic dating a werewolf and friends with vampires), Mercy has a more level head and though tough, she is not untouchable to relate to. She also doesn't sleep with every guy she encounters.

In this book in particular, Mercy leaves the Tri-Cities area at the request of a college friend, Amber, to look into Amber's haunted house in Spokane. Mercy's abilities as a skinwalker include an affinity for ghosts, which has been hinted at in previous books. This book explores, and explains, more about the ghosts that she can see. Another reason Mercy leaves town is so that she can escape Marsilia (local vampire queen) for a few days. After killing one of Marsilia's favourite henchmen, Andre (because he was crazy), Mercy gets a traitor's mark on the door of her garage.

While in Spokane, Mercy runs into the master vampire of Spokane at Amber's house. After finding the hauntings at Amber's to be real, she flees back to the Tri-Cities and ends up getting stuck in the middle of vampire politics.

This book really tied up a few loose ends from previous ones, and each book explains more and more of Mercy's abilities. There was also a traumatizing event at the end of the previous book; however, this book didn't dwell too much on it and there was healing and closure for Mercy.

I find Mercy to be a likable character: she's strong, funny and does what she will. She's frustrating to everyone that knows her and wishes her to obey, but I think that's part of the reason why I like her. She has a good heart, and will bleed herself dry for those she loves. Her new - yet not quite so new - relationship with Adam is endearing and her desire to fit in with everyone around her makes her someone that you can relate to.

Another book will be coming out in April 2010 called Silver Borne and I will definitely be buying it!

The Last Herald-Mage Trilogy

2010-02-27T12:12:00.000-08:00

The Last Herald-Mage Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey follows the adventures of the soon-to-be sole Herald-Mage Vanyel Ashkevron.

Vanyel is not your typical hero: he's pretty, he sings amazingly well, and wants nothing more than the love of his family. When his father banishes him from his home for being a coward, Vanyel dramatically thinks his life is over. Little does he know that his life has just begun. For it is away from his family that he realizes that he is shay-a-chern (ie, homosexual) and that he is in love with his mentor, Tylendel. Within a short period of time, they become life-bonded and are blissfully happy.

Until Tylendel goes insane after the death of his twin brother and seeks revenge against his enemies. As a result, his Companion (his horse-but-not-a-horse) repudiates him, dies in a fight to the death, and Tylendel kills himself. This in turn drives Vanyel to suicide, but is saved by his own Companion, since Tylendel's magic somehow ripped open the channels to Herald-Magery that were previously dormant in Vanyel.

All within the first half of the book.

Now what, I asked myself, could possibly be left? The answer: a lot of dramatics.

Despite being a lover of fantasy, this series, unfortunately, did not appeal to me. In general, I really liked the idea. However, and maybe because I read mainly male authors with a flair for warfare, I found this whole series to be anticlimatic. In each book, there is whining (although Vanyel does grow up, and while you can't blame him for mourning his lost love, it is incessant), and super cheesy lines.

When facing his first real enemy, the fellow hits on him, and wants him for his own. He even offers Vanyel a partnership if he joins him.

[Side note: This reminded me of the movie Labyrinth, where at the end the Goblin King offers the heroine his kingdom if she will love him and end her quest for her baby brother.]

Instead, Vanyel fries him with magic. And, does the same to his enemy in the second book. Seriously. I found the journey leading up the fight scene to be good. I found the dialogue, for the most part, to be entertaining. However, the anticlimatic scenes nearly killed me.

In the third book of the Trilogy, Mercedes Lackey even added a twist by revealing that Vanyel's lover, Stefan, was a re-incarnated Tylendel. However, she must really love having tortured souls as her heroes, since Vanyel ends up "dying" in his Last Strike against his enemy, Master Dark (honestly, that's what he called himself). Instead of a true death, Vanyel became a spirit that protected the Forest of Sorrows. He revealed himself to Stefan after Stefan went there to kill himself. However, Vanyel said that they could be together again in the distant future so Stefan, I'm sure, lived a lonely existence until he was an elderly man, when he was finally re-united with Vanyel.

I've read several books about soul mates (or life mates, or life bonded, or whatever the author chooses to call it) and it has never bothered me so much as it has in this series. Mainly because one partner has never died before. In her series, Mercedes Lackey essentially said if one half of the life bonded pair dies, the other half will never love someone else that way ever again. And not just the dramatic essence of it. They will never feel that strongly about someone else ever again. And they know it. And this makes me glad that we don't have those sorts of bonds in real life.

Criticism aside, I think the series is okay, and I've heard that her female leads in other books are strong women, so it could be just this single series that didn't appeal to me. I think that it could be that I'm used to a different style of writing as well, so went in with my normal fantasy expectations. I think that if I were younger too, it would have appealed to me more. Being the same age as Vanyel in his second book and hearing him constantly whine about his life made me lost some respect for him.

While I wouldn't extol the virtues of this book to others, I would probably suggest it if they weren't in to the fantasy books that I love.

Future Post?

2010-02-14T18:35:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how busy I am. I never would have thought it possible that I could be too busy for reading! It's ghastly & entirely criminal. I read & blogged more in one month than I have in the past 3!!

I have been sporadically reading a book series by Mercedes Lackey: The Last Herald Mage Trilogy, for those that have heard of it. I'm just waiting till the end of the 3rd book before posting a single post about it. Why? Because I didn't care that much for the first one: the main character was too whiney (he was 16). However, since the 2nd book takes place when he's 28 (and much less whiney) I figured I'd do an overall review about the 3 books. That way some criticism would be less harsh.

However, I am super SUPER excited about a book I just bought called The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor. It's an Alice in Wonderland take...except that it's about a princess named Alyss who escaped from her crazy aunt Redd & told her story to Lewis Carroll...who promptly got everything about her wrong! Even the spelling of her name! It looks pretty good, and it definitely trumps all of my other books right now. Well, for right-this-second-now. I could change my mind again at any time.

So, I hope to get on here more often: books are still my escape & my solace from reality. Weekends are pretty much the only time I have left to me and even then they're taken up by chores.

Oh, & Happy Valentine's Day!

The Lovely Bones

2010-01-24T17:26:00.000-08:00

I chose to read The Lovely Bone (by Alice Sebold) mainly because it was made into a movie, and the movie previews looked interesting. Going into the book I expected (from the trailers) that it would be a murder mystery, with the victim (Susie) assisting her father's quest for the murderer from beyond the grave.

What I did not expect to find was that the book was about moving on and how the characters found the strength to live, despite the death of their daughter/sister/neighbour/crush.

Don't get me wrong, the father tried in vain to bring the murderer to justice. They even knew who it was after 2 years, but the man escaped. When that happened, I didn't know what to expect for the remaining half of the book. Would they chase him across the state and drag him to face time for his crimes?

Instead, they lived their lives. First, for Susie, then for each other. The remaining children banded together to take care of their father after their mother left. In the end, they lived for themselves. They were survivors. And while they never brought the murderer to justice, justice was found in the fact that they did not allow this tragedy to kill them too. They became a family again after 6 years of estrangement and a heart attack. While they never forgot Susie, she no longer consumed their lives.

I still want to go see the movie, but I doubt that the movie will capture this aspect of the book. How can they? There was too much going on: what Susie saw and how she followed the thoughts and lives of her family members, friends and acquaintances as they grew, first apart and then back together.

I enjoyed this book. I went in expecting one thing and came away with a much greater appreciation for life. Susie always yearned for the life she never had in the book; after reading that, how can you not appreciate your own life? Susie never experienced love - can I take mine for granted?

It makes you think, too, about life after death. And those that have gone on already. Are they there watching over us like Susie watched her family?

Poltergeist

2010-01-02T01:51:00.000-08:00

In her second book of the Greywalker series, Kat Richardson revises Harper Blaine's character to solve the mystery of a ghost-haunting that doesn't involve a real ghost. However, since Harper's client doesn't believe in ghosts, despite the fact that the group created one, Harper is charged to prove that the ghost does not exist. The plot thickens when one of the group members is murdered.

Utilizing the help of her friends Mara and Ben, as well as that of Carlos, a necromantic vampire, Harper needs to find and stop Celia's ghost from hurting others, as well as conceal her abilities from Solis, the human detective on the case of the murdered group member.

In this book Harper is more adept at sliding into the Grey and can actually slip through time (only the ghostly timeline; if there is a building in Harper's time but not in an earlier one, she can slip through time to go "through" the building instead of around).

Harper's relationship issues still haven't been resolved at this point. She chats with him briefly on the phone a couple times and then at the end he shows up. I think he offers her a companionship that she needs but doesn't want the relationship that goes with it.

I still liked this book and series, but I honestly stopped reading it for a month when I was about 85% of the way through, simply because I had a paranormal overload and needed a break. The story drags on a little and most of the action happens in the beginning and near the end. The middle of the book is just fact-finding and sleuthing that is necessary for a private investigator to solve a crime.

There is still a third book in her series called Underground, which I will get around to reading eventually. :)

Stardust

2010-01-01T01:51:00.000-08:00

First post of the New Year!

This is the first book that I've ever read by Neil Gaimon, much to Vyxen's shock and horror.

In this story, the half-fairy hero Tristran Thorn sets out on a fool's quest to find the fallen star for his one true love. Since he is not the only one searching, he must outwit his enemies to stay alive and to keep his star safe from their clutches. Along the way Tristran encounters witches, a unicorn, a cloud-sailing ship and receives help from a tree.

I was surprised and more than a little confused when I was reading this book. However, the story, no matter how obscure it seems at the time, flows together to wrap up in the end. Considering how the story begins (a female fae seducing a human male, although he is attached to a different female), I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into.

There does seem to be more to the book than what I got out of it. For example, there were references to the Unseelie court and the Castle Fellowship that I didn't understand. However, I'm a sucker for a good fairy tale, an errant knight on an impossible quest for his fair lady.

I'll definitely read this again at another point. And hopefully I'll manage to understand more of it next time!

The Thirteenth Tale

2009-12-27T15:01:00.000-08:00

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield is the fictional biography of an elderly author, told from the biographer's perspective. Known for her best-selling stories, Vida Winter is on her deathbed and the ghosts of her past demand a true accounting of her life.

Chosen for her amateur biography of sibling writers, Margaret Lea immerses herself into the telling of Vida's life. However, Vida demands that the story be told in its proper order: the beginning in the beginning, the middle in the middle and the end at the end. Not satisfied, Margaret sets out to determine the ending before Vida arrives. Consequently, Vida is also racing against time to tell her story before she dies.

Margaret also has some secrets of her own that come to light in this book. As you read on, you learn more about her own twinness and the burden she carries in her heart and at home.

I was enthralled by this story from the first page. The language, so reminiscent of older-style books, captured my attention right away. The story of Vida was a mystery in itself, with the mystery already solved from her point of view. However, from Margaret's, it was new and fresh and needing a solution. There are a few twists and turns that were surprises, some less so.

One of the best parts of the book is that there is a finalization to the story at the end: all the loose ends are tied up, all major items are solved and even some of the little bits are accounted for. It actually ended, something that I haven't seen too much of lately (having read countless series).

Overall, I absolutely adored this book. I found myself thinking about the story when I wasn't reading it: trying to solve the mystery or rationalizing what was going on or even just attempting to wrap my head around some of the oddness of the characters and their personal habits. A second reading will definitely occur, just so I can see some of the clues as they're presented and recognize them for what they are.

The Wayfinders: Posted!!

2009-11-25T15:33:00.000-08:00

Now I can finally post my review! Well, more like my review is finally finished and handed in. :D

Either way, you can now read it on the Books & Co website!!!

Greywalker

2009-11-17T18:47:00.000-08:00

I just finally finished reading Greywalker by Kat Richardson. Loved it.

Harper Blaine, the heroine, is a private investigator who in the course of work died for 2 minutes. As a result, the paranormal realm "sticks" to her allowing her to walk with one foot in the daylight and one foot in the Grey.

As a heroine, Harper is witty and smart. You learn about walking in the Grey as she does, but the author doesn't dumb it down, and she also doesn't make the main character seem like a ditz or idiot in order to explain everything. In fact, since Harper's mentors include a two university professors (one of which is a witch - haha!) and so they have a tendency to overdo it with the science jargon.

Another thing I like: Harper catches on fast. There were times when I was practically yelling at the book, because the forshadowing was so strong that I was worried Harper was an idiot. Nope - instead, she was figuring it out as well, and was, in fact, two steps ahead. You don't follow all of Harper's moves, despite it being written in the first person.

One of the things that I found I didn't like was the action scenes. Things are flying out of nowhere and maybe it's a lack of imagination on my part, but I found myself lost when she was in the Grey and battling creatures. I'd have to wait until she spoke with her mentors to be able to actually understand what was happening.

Also, I found her a little hard to relate to, and even emotionally barren. She's a PI and thus needs to be able to keep her mouth shut on certain issues, but she does it at the cost of friendship. She also shuts out her (then - and maybe later) boyfriend, Will. Personally, I would've been a wreck, but she takes it in stride. She expresses fear and anger well enough, but not her softer side. But, that could just be me.

Overall? Loved it. I liked the paranormal suspense and liked the characters.

PS - I have a prediction: Quinton is a werewolf. Let's see if I'm right when I read the next book by Kat Richardson in her series: Poltergeist!

*** Fun Fact: Kat Richardson is on twitter! ***

The Wayfinders: Update

2009-10-30T22:59:00.000-07:00

Heya! So, I've finally finished The Wayfinders by Wade Davis and the review is written. It's in the process of being edited by my wonderful friend Vyxen and once that's done and posted on the Books & Co website I'll post it here too. :)

Wonderful news! Devon Monk's book, Magic in Shadows, is in my grubby little hands! Well, not literally, at least not yet, but tomorrow! I have seen the future and it is at Books & Co!

The next series of books to be reviewed will be the Greywalker series by Kat Richardson.

Stay tuned....

In Progress

2009-10-25T18:57:00.000-07:00

I'm in the middle of reading The Wayfinders by Wade Davis. So far it's pretty good. The book is a 5 part CBC Massey lecture series on cultural anthropology and it's written from a scientific background. So far, so good. The author has very poetic phrasings and makes the lecture interesting to read and you feel like you're almost there. Since I've never been much of a history buff, I find it easy to read and follow along. And it makes me want to keep reading!

I'll let you know more when I finish. :)

Magic to the Bone: Chs 13-17 (end)

2009-10-17T23:32:00.000-07:00

Wow. I just finished the book and felt the need to write while it was still fresh in my mind. And I'm not going to give away the ending!!

Cody was captured and is with the Snake man again.

Allie had been shot and was overloading with magic, healing herself like she had healed Cody. Zayvion took off and she left his apartment in the search for Mama. When she found Mama, she found Snake man, Cody, and Bonnie. She also found Zayvion.

What happened next? You'll have to read the book or ask a friend.

I will say that the ending of this book was really strong. It smacked of betrayal, loss and, finally, hope. I was initially surprised, thinking that the author was going to use Allie's wish to turn back time, which I thought was a coward's way out. And then I thought that Allie was going to go on her merry little way not knowing what was happening. I'm pleased that Allie was strong enough to go on her instincts where Zayvion was concerned. She may end up hurt again (it is a book series after all!) and she knows that he is lying about something, even if she doesn't remember what. I'm a romantic at heart, so the scene in the coffee shop in the end nearly made me cry.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I like strong female characters with attitudes, and I don't think Devon Monk overdid it; Allie definitely knew when to keep her mouth shut. When Allie gained her burns/tattoos/markings, I was worried that she was going to become this invincible magician of sorts who no longer had to pay for her magic use. It's a pet peeve of mine when a fallible character gains Superman-like abilities over the course of a book or series.

I really like how the author worked the magic angle in this series - about how when you use magic, it uses you right back - it has a karma ring to it. Human nature has decreed that when given an ability with consequences, we immediately look for loopholes, and Devon Monk has stuck to this motto: Allie made a point of saying that one of the first things people discovered was how to unload the curse on someone else so they didn't have to suffer any consequences themselves.

I definitely look forward to reading the next book in the series, "Magic in the Blood", and to having the next book, "Magic in Shadows" come out in November 2009. That is definitely on my to-buy list!

Unfortunately, I have a different book to review first, and a buddy lent me a 3 book series, so it may be a while before I'm able to return to this series.

Fun fact: Devon Monk is a die-hard knitter and gives away her knitting as prizes to her fans on her website.

Magic to the Bone: Chs 6-12

2009-10-17T19:09:00.000-07:00

Hmm. I don't think I like doing it a few chapters at a time. I think I go too far in depth with the story and it becomes a really long summary. Plus, if I'm covering books I've already read before, I don't want to do a few chapters when I already know what's going to happen later. Originally I had thought it would be a good idea if I want to make predictions about twists the story may take, but I think if I'm making long updates, everyone might as well just read the story themselves, lol!

To the story:

Allie's dad was found murdered and she's the main suspect. When running from a fellow (bitchy) Hound, Allie takes a detour along the river and garbage dump to lose her scent trail and stumbles across Cody's near-dead self. She somehow heals him and gains some nifty burns in the process. She takes him along and Zayvion magically shows up to help her out. The 3 of them (4 if you include Kitten) go to Nola's farm in Burns. While there, you find out that Cody either made Allie kill her father or forged her signature. Regardless, he was there, but before Allie can find out what he knows, Bonnie (the bitchy Hound - hah!) shows up and vanishes with Cody in thin air.

Knowing this to be impossible, Allie and Zayvion go back to Portland to talk to Allie's stepmom, Violet, who is a scientist and seemed to genuinely care for Allie's dad. Violet discusses her research regarding a portable power source and it seems plausible that Bonnie somehow acquired this technology during a supposed fire in the lab.

Allie and Zayvion go back to his place and have amazing sex and he admits to being in a secret magical society - an Authority on Magic. He also tells Allie that her burns-turned-tattoos have negative and positive ends (like a battery, but cooler) where she receives and dispenses her magic. They also discover that they are Soul Complements - their magic is complimentary and the flow of magic between them causes minimal backlash.

The next morning, Allie gets shot by an intruder and releases an uncontrolled flow of magic towards him. Then blacks out.

Ariel: To Capture a Unicorn

2009-10-16T09:16:00.000-07:00

I had this amazing idea to do a research essay-esque thing on unicorns and to talk about how Pete and Ariel has this weird relationship that was hampered by the fact they were different species. I also wanted to discuss how Pete couldn't have a normal relationship with a woman without losing Ariel. Then I started to read up on unicorns and I wanted to talk about the religious parallels and how sex caused the downfall of the unicorns. And maybe even talk about the irony of how unicorns are anti-sex and must reproduce asexually since sexual reproduction would be hypocritical.

And then I realized that this was my blog and I could write as much or as little as I wanted! And I decided that I wanted to do a short blurb on how the technique to capture a unicorn in the legends was reflected in this story!

But first, for those not familiar with my own personal obsession, a little background on unicorns:

Unicorns are mythical, horse-like creatures with a single horn (alicorn) in the middle of their forehead. Accounts of unicorn sightings have been found throughout the world and are even mentioned in the bible. While size, shape, colour and even hoof shape (cloven or solid?) have varied, the magical properties of the alicorn have remained constant. The alicorn is said to purify stagnant waters and to act as an antidote against poison, thus making it a staple for paranoid royalty. They have long been associated with the moon; they are silver in colour, have an affinity for water and are even paired with the Greek and Roman moon goddesses (Artemis and Diana, respectively), who are virgin goddesses. Unicorns are also known for their speed and ferocity (they hate elephants) but have a weakness for virgins (Allan, 2008; Matthews & Matthews, 2005).

Popular legend states that to capture a unicorn, one must have a virgin maid waiting in the unicorn's path. The beast will then lay his head on her lap and fall asleep, enabling hunters to capture and kill him (Allan, 2008; Matthews & Matthews, 2005).

In Ariel, the hunter was the necromancer who summoned her from the faery realm hoping to harvest her alicorn. Despite her initial escape and her year long jaunt with Pete, when the necromancer heard she was still alive, he sent the griffen rider to bring her back. When that didn't work, he tried to play the two against each other, offering first the life of Pete if her horn was offered willingly; and secondly, offering to find a way for Ariel to survive the loss of her horn is she cooperated.

The charming and irresistable virgin role was played by Pete, and while Ariel never fell asleep with her head on his lap, she did surrender her freedom for his by creating a distraction. Her self-sacrifice was noble, nearly costing her life, and subsequently, her horn. Luckily, Pete and their rag-tag group of freedom fighters saved the day and killed the bad guys. At this point, Ariel runs off.

And finally, the demise of the virgin's unicorn. Pete may have saved her life, but when he accepted Shaughnassy as a lover his unicorn became dead to him. The next morning when Ariel found them, he was unable to touch her as he was no longer pure.

It is possible that Ariel foresaw this future and purposefully stayed away until they consummated their relationship, making it impossible for Pete and Ariel to be together. Had Ariel wanted to, she would have been able to find them before that happened. It could be that the final scene in the woods was a goodbye. It could be symbolism for the Fall of Man.

What do you think happened?

Books used for background information:

Allan, Tony. 2008. The Mythic Bestiary: The Illustrated Guide to the World's Most Fantastical Creatures.

Matthews, John & Matthews, Caitlin. 2005. The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A-Z of Fantastic Beings from Myth and Magic.

Magic to the Bone: Chs 1-5

2009-10-15T23:15:00.000-07:00

I'm going to try something new for this book. I'm going to update while reading it, a few chapters at a time (chapters read will be in the title line), just to see which I prefer and which is preferable for those reading the blog.

Now on to the book!

In this book, the story is set in Portland, but with magic added. There are magic wells below the Earth's surface which can be tapped in to for use. It is also possible to capture the magical energy (30 years ago they used rods akin to lightening rods, courtesy of Beckstrom of course!) but if stored improperly, it can rot. There are lines running underground throughout the city to supply the residents with magic. Unfortunately, using magic has a negative side effect which manifests itself in a physical way: anything from a headache to full body bruising.

Allie is the strong-willed heroine who disowned her rich daddy and his money. Now she's trying to make her way in the world as a Hound - a magical detective (?) who uses her sense of smell and taste to discover who cast which illegal spell. Since every magic user has a unique signature, a Hound can follow the signature back to the caster. Allie is an idealist with a soft heart, as evidenced in the fact that she stopped speaking to her father because of his immoral magical use; and even though she's perpetually broke, she will still do free jobs for those worse off than herself.

Zayvion is the token love interest, even though he admitted to following Allie for her father (and then promptly quit). So far he seems like a good guy; he even footed the bill for Allie to catch a cab ride home. We'll have to see if he stays in my good books.

Allie's father is a manipulative bastard who thinks he can buy off everyone and anything. Since he's incredibly rich, he can get away with it. However, one of his talents is Influence - literally brainwashing others to do your will. Allie lived under her father's Influence for several years before breaking free and running away from him. Allie also has this talent, but is disgusted by it and seldom uses it.

Allie has a client that she calls friend, a woman by the name of Mama. One of Mama's foster sons, Boy (they're all called Boy), is a young child who is seriously ill. When Allie comes to investigate, she discovers that Boy has been cursed with an Offload spell. This spell will cause the victim to have all the physical manifestations meant for the caster and is highly illegal. When Allie Hounds for the spell, she discovers that the magical signature belongs to her father. Along with Zayvion, she goes to confront her father, whom she hasn't seen for seven years. He uses a Truth spell and denies the accusation but Allie isn't convinced.

Skip off to a side story about a mentally damaged man named Cody. Only the presence of Cody's "smarter" self leads the reader to believe that he's a man and not a small child. Forbidden to use magic, Cody lives in a prison, cut off from his friends and the sunshine. When the Snake man comes along with a bargain - a spell to save Kitten's life - you realize that Cody is able to mimic another caster's unique signature. And the fact that Cody forged one to mimic Allie's dad. To save Kitten, Cody has to forge a signature to match Allie's. While using magic, Cody seems to return to himself and remember who he is and what he is capable of. Once removed from the magic source, Cody is then cut and a bone is placed in his wound. Cody's smarter self warns him that this is death magic. The Snake man then leaves Cody alone with a promise to return later and take him for a car ride.

Back to Allie: surprise, surprise, Allie's magic usage has caused her to crash at Mama's, but not without first making out with Zayvion.

Return to Cody: the Snake man returns and casts a spell on Cody using a bone chunk and a coin. "The coin filled the Snake man's words with power, the bone changed it into something worse. Into death." Cody's smarter self warns him that to live, he must reach for the smarter self and hold on tight. His subconscious then takes over while Cody is sucked into a dark place.

Magic to the Bone

2009-10-14T15:13:00.000-07:00

Author: Devon Monk, 2008

Back cover:
"Using magic meant it used you back. Forget the fairy tale hocus-pocus, wave a wand and bling-o sparkles and pixie dust crap.Magic, like booze, sex, and drugs, gave as good as it got."

Everything has a cost. And every act of magic exacts a price from its user--maybe a two-day migraine, or losing the memory of your first kiss. But some people want to use magic without paying, and they offload the cost onto an innocent. When that happens, it falls to a Hound to identify the spell's caster--and Allison Beckstrom's the best there is.

Daughter of a prominent Portland businessman, Allie would rather moonlight as a Hound than accept the family fortune--and the many strings that come with it. But when she discovers a little boy dying from a magical offload that has her father's signature all over it, Allie is thrown back into the high-stakes world of corporate espionage and black magic.

Now, Allie's out for the truth--and the forces she finds herself calling on will overturn everything she knows, change her in ways she could never imagine...and make her capable of things that powerful people will do anything to control.

I think....

2009-10-13T23:07:00.000-07:00

...that I may update as I'm reading a story. Often I'm too busy to finish a story in one or two nights and I end up forgetting my thoughts on what I'm reading. Or where that fantastic quote was that I didn't mark down. And! I may do some research while I'm reading. Look into the background on the book or what they're talking about (in the case of Ariel, do some background on mythological creatures???).

I guess I'll see as I do this.

Ariel

2009-10-13T22:40:00.000-07:00

"Ariel" by Steven R. Boyett
Web: http://www.steveboy.com/

**** CONTAINS SPOILERS ****

Summary:

"Ariel" takes place in a post-apocalyptic time where technology no longer exists. At 4:30 pm, five years ago, the power went out and made way for magic.

Peter Garey is a loner looking out for himself when he stumbles across a small, injured unicorn. After fixing her up, he names her Ariel (after a painting of a unicorn in the public library) and they become friends. One year later, Ariel is healed and helping him out of jams.

Unfortunately, in Atlanta they meet up with more trouble than they can handle. As such, one of their new friends, Russ, introduces them to Malachi Lee, a samurai who understands the supernatural. After a stand-off at Malachi's house that leaves a swarm of dead bodies, Malachi heads to New York to confront a necromancer in hopes that this will save Ariel's life.

After Malachi insists they head in the opposite direction, Pete and Ariel follow Malachi to New York. Along they way, they meet George (a young man whose father has insisted that he slay a dragon as a rite of passage to manhood - they succeed and he goes home), as well as Shaughnassy, a young woman who has dreamed of magic but ironically cannot touch it as she is "impure" (read: not a virgin).

Once in New York, Ariel is captured and Pete has to fight his way out of the Empire State Building in order to find help to free her. He meets up again with Shaughnassy (who escaped when Pete and Ariel were captured), Malachi and a community of freedom fighters. They come up with a scheme to storm the Empire State Building, kill the necromancer (and for Pete, free Ariel) and live happily ever after. Their plan succeeds.

Ariel runs off after being freed, and Pete follows her obsessively, with Shaughnassy keeping him company. In a moment of weakness and need, Pete finally succumbs and they have sex, thus preventing him from ever having contact with Ariel ever again.

*****

As a story, I really liked it. As a post-apocalytic novel written in the past, there are a lot of references to shows/times/places that I was able to catch. Were I even older, I would have understood more of it. Pity.

However, the reason behind the Change was never explored and my curiousity on this subject has not been satisfied. I did love Ariel's description of the physics behind a dragon's fire; about how the supernatural have to obey the natural laws of physics.

The ending, while it didn't end happily ever after, had to happen the way it did. I think the only way that the story could have ended with both Pete and Ariel being together would have been if one of them changed forms (ie: Ariel became human). Loyalty to Ariel prevented Pete from ever having a relationship with a woman, so Shaughnassy was, unfortunately, the person selected to play this role. (However, it was nice to read a story where the guy didn't sleep with every woman who threw herself at him).

New!

2009-10-03T16:14:00.000-07:00

This is my third attempt at writing a blog. I don't like writing about things that I've been doing, mainly because I'm a really REALLY boring person, but also because I get distracted easily when I do have exciting news. And, let's face it, if you know me, chances are that I'll tell you in person, right?

Therefore, I've come up with this BRILLIANT notion that I should write about the books that I've been reading! Why? Because I love reading books. Which is part of the reason why my life is so dull. I also love talking about the books that I've been reading. Or books that I would like to read. So, I figure that for every book I read, I'll do a little write up on it. Like a book review, only with my commentary about why I liked (or, heaven forbid, did NOT like) the story, characters, etc.

This way, I should be updating more frequently, and hopefully it'll be more entertaining than my own life.