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Book Review: Rebel Heart by Moira Young

Dec 12 |09:03

How lucky was I that only a few weeks after I read Blood Red Road, Rebel Heart was published! Sounds like fate to me…

Book Review: Rebel Heart by Moira Young

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Title & Author: Rebel Heart (Dust lands) by Moira Young

Genre: YA – Dystopia

Release Date: October 30, 2012

Series: #2 in the Dustland series

Publisher: Margaret K. Eldberry

How I Got the Book: Bought

Description:

“Nothing is certain and no one is safe in the second book in the highly praised Dust Lands trilogy.

It seemed so simple: Defeat the Tonton, rescue her kidnapped brother, Lugh, and then order would be restored to Saba’s world. Simplicity, however, has proved to be elusive. Now, Saba and her family travel west, headed for a better life and a longed-for reunion with Jack. But the fight for Lugh’s freedom has unleashed a new power in the dust lands, and a formidable new enemy is on the rise.

What is the truth about Jack? And how far will Saba go to get what she wants? In this much-anticipated follow-up to the riveting Blood Red Road, a fierce heroine finds herself at the crossroads of danger and destiny, betrayal and passion.”

Rebel Heart, Mind & Body

This book could not be more appropriately titled. The characters who you think you know make surprising and completely unexpected decisions. AGH!!! It’s in a good way but also in a bad way.

So, yeah…I’m sure that was helpful. Seriously though, Rebel Heart had all of the same spunk, dialect and ferocity of Blood Red Road PLUS SOME! Also, there’s tons of heartbreak. Gah!

I did feel the narrative drag a bit and that I was pushing myself to finish. It’s not that there isn’t enough going on. It’s that there’s a lot of emotional drama going on.

Rebel Heart is one of the rare books that provided a glimpse into the aftermath of a “victory.” At the end of Blood Red Road, Saba and gang successfully rescue her brother Lugh after he’s captured by the Tonton (who wanted to sacrifice him to the king).

In the continuing saga, she struggles with the question: “Where do we go from here?” And, there’s no easy answer. She and Lugh are fighting to regain the relationship that used to be everything to them, and Saba is hellbent on reuniting with her beloved ruffian Jack.

Between fielding arguments with Lugh – and there are a TON – and leading her misfit team of pseudo-warriors, Saba struggles internally with her decisions and feels literally haunted by the people she’s killed.

Also, this book has so many confusing relationships going on that it’s like more than a little tense. I enjoy this type of tension in books, but I can see how it may get on some reader’s nerves.

OVERALL:

Rebel Heart brings the heat just like Blood Red Road. Despite a few slow spots, I pushed through, and I’m so glad I did. You will laugh, you will cry, you will probably curse. You will (ok…should, I can’t make you) read Rebel Heart.

Young Adult Book Review: Skylark by Meagan Spooner

Oct 25 |08:22

If you choose one book to read the rest of the year, PICK SKYLARK! It’s exhilarating and heart-pounding, and I was so so SURPRISED all the time while reading.

Book Review: Skylark by Meagan Spooner

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Title & Author: Skylark (The Skylark Trilogy) by Meagan Spooner

Genre: YA Fantasy – Futuristic, Dystopia

Release Date: August 1, 2005

Series: #1 in the Skylark Trilogy

Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab

How I Got the Book: ARC via Publisher

Description:

“Sixteen-year-old Lark Ainsley has never seen the sky.

Her world ends at the edge of the vast domed barrier of energy enclosing all that’s left of humanity. For two hundred years the city has sustained this barrier by harvesting its children’s innate magical energy when they reach adolescence. When it’s Lark’s turn to be harvested, she finds herself trapped in a nightmarish web of experiments and learns she is something out of legend itself: a Renewable, able to regenerate her own power after it’s been stripped.

Forced to flee the only home she knows to avoid life as a human battery, Lark must fight her way through the terrible wilderness beyond the edge of the world. With the city’s clockwork creations close on her heels and a strange wild boy stalking her in the countryside, she must move quickly if she is to have any hope of survival. She’s heard the stories that somewhere to the west are others like her, hidden in secret—but can she stay alive long enough to find them?”

YA Fantasy…and Steampunk and Science Fiction

I was trying to decide what YA genre Skylark fell under, and I really can’t decide. Maybe YOU can help. Ok, so there’s a world inside a dome, there’s magic, there’s magic-powered machines and there are freakish creatures in a wicked wood. It sounds like fantasy/steampunk/science fiction/.

Which is not a problem for me because I LOVE ALL OF THOSE!

So now that we’ve got that out of the way…let’s get down to business. I loved loved loved this book. It’s so startling in its intensity and harness. Skylark tells the classic tale of someone finding out the trust they put in the world they thought they knew was very, very misplaced.

After waiting years to be “harvested” – much longer than most children – Lark Ainsley goes to the Institute, where she’ll be assigned a work role and continue on with the rest of her life. It’s a huge turning point for her…but she never makes it that far.

Lark learns the cruel leaders of the Institute want to use her in ways she never could have imagined. Trusting no one, Lark escapes past the barriers of her world – knowing she can’t return but hopeful she can find her long-disappeared brother Basil.

Long Journeys

I both love and loathe “long journey” type of books. It’s when the main character is travels most of the book through forests, deserts or [insert fantasy landscape here]. I don’t mind it normally, but sometimes when the journey is SUPER long, it can be tedious to read about.

Although Skylark does feature Lark running through all manner of terrain, I didn’t mind it. She meets crazy creatures and people and things and discovers so much about herself and her purpose that it added so much to her story.

Also, Lark meets a strange boy (Oren) in the woods. She can’t decide if she can trust him or not, and where Spooner takes their journey is amazing and killer and agh!!!

I really loved how Lark transforms from someone who’s so confused most of the time and who feels so weak to someone stronger and more confident, who takes big leaps of faith because there is not other choice.

BONUS

I found this song by Imagine Dragons and thought it represented Skylark so well that I had to share it!

OVERALL:

This book is intensely delicious. What made it a true standout was the journey of discovery that Lark makes. She’s continually shocked and revolted by the world she lives it, but she perseveres, presses on and pushes herself to find the truth. Skylark is a must read!

Venom Blog Tour: Venomous by Fiona Paul, Short Story Part 4

Oct 8 |07:30

Venom is one of those stories that sticks with you. The dark setting of Venice in the 1600s where classes don’t mix and mysterious murders are on the rise sets the tone of the whole book and left me chilled.

So, I’m very excited to be a stop on the Venom Blog Tour! I’m got the fourth part of an original short story by Fiona Paul. Check it out!

Venom Blog Tour

Short Story Part 4 by Fiona Paul

Venomous
A Secrets of the Eternal Rose short story
By Fiona Paul

The year is 1600 and the streets of Venice, Italy are ripe with intrigue and danger. In this introduction to the world of Venom, eighteen-year-old Mariabella has recently elevated herself from the rank of common prostitute to the status of courtesan, a respected high-class escort for those men in Venetian society who can afford them. Mariabella steps out to attend a party on the arm of her powerful new patron, certain that the night will be filled with glamour, secrets, and adventure.

If you missed the last part of the story, check it out on The Book Goddess.

–

My heart speeds up, as it always does when I see him. I can smell the scent of grass clippings and sharp sea air on him.

Batista is one of my favorite admirers. He takes my arm and sweeps me into the dance before I can protest. Not that I would have said no. He moves a bit stiffly, but that doesn’t matter. As we dance, he flashes me a shy smile with his dazzling white teeth, and I resist the urge to run my fingers down his jaw. Beneath the flaming chandeliers, his eyes sparkle with hidden colors. He leans in close as we circle around each other.

“How did you get in?” I tease. I was hoping he might be here, but it didn’t seem likely. “I thought this event was only for personal friends of the don.”

“You’re not the only one who knows how to get what you want,” he says with a smile. With one finger, he reaches out and traces the heart-shaped birthmark on my temple.

The way he looks at me is different from the way other men do, as if he sees more than just the pretty plaything for which he is paying. His gaze cuts straight through to my spine and I drop my eyes to his chest.

We split apart, move down the line of dancers, and then come back together in time to the music. “Zago Bonbiolo told me you’d not replied to his messages. Are you really giving up all of your other men, just to be with him?” Batista gestures across the room at Joseph, who is now deep in discussion with a senator, one of the government’s elite Council of Ten.

I don’t know why my Joseph doesn’t want me to see any other men, but he’s paying me handsomely in order to have exclusive use of me. It isn’t that he’s demanding of my time. He has at least two other courtesans and a wife to entertain him. According to the rumors, even a serving girl or two occasionally spends time on her back with him. I think it’s all about appearances. If he can persuade me into being his and his alone, it makes him look all the more powerful to his friends. Not that I ever would.

We have not yet even lain together. He’s been too busy promenading me around on his arm.

“I was planning to explain,” I say. “The next time I saw you.”

“Only you’re no longer allowed to see me,” Batista says. “Convenient.” He freezes mid-step, causing a near-collision on the dance floor.

Casting a wary glance at Joseph, I pull Batista from the dancers, toward the corner of the room. Joseph is still talking to the senator, but eventually he will look for me, and when he does it would inadvisable to be arguing with another man.

“It’s not what you think,” I say.

“You’re letting him own you, like a common servant,” Batista’s eyes search mine.

“No, I’m letting him believe he owns me, for the good of everyone,” I reply. But Batista shakes his head. “Batista.” I stroke his arm through the fabric of his charcoal tunic, noting with satisfaction the way he relaxes beneath my touch. “Of course I’m not going to quit seeing you. We just have to continue to meet privately. It will be our little secret.”

–

For the next part of the story, visit A Glass of Wine on Wednesday 10/10.

About Fiona Paul

Fiona Paul lives in the Midwest but travels a lot since she can’t breathe if she spends too much time away from the ocean. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a major in psychology and spent a year teaching English in Seoul, Korea while she was deciding what she wanted to be when she grew up. Answer: everything. In addition to being a teacher and a writer, she’s also worked as a sauté cook, sporting goods manager, veterinary assistant, and registered nurse. When she’s not working, you can usually find her kayaking, reading, or helping turtles cross the road. Her future goals include diving with great white sharks and writing more books, not necessarily in that order. Venom is her first novel.

What would you like most about living in Venom’s Venice setting?

Book Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Sep 20 |08:09

Maggie Stiefvater’s done it again – The Raven Boys is the first in a stunning new series. Don’t wait to read this book – you won’t regret it.

Book Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

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Title & Author: The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle) by Maggie Stiefvater

Genre: YA Fantasy – Psychics, the Occult

Release Date: September 18, 2012

Series: 1st in Raven Cycle Series

Publisher: Scholastic Press

How I Got the Book: ARC via the publisher

Description:

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all— family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.”

A Masterful Writer Returns

Maggie Stiefvater is a masterful writer. She describes things so beautifully and creatively that the picture she paints is one you remember after you’ve finished and closed her book.

The Raven Boys is her best work yet. I’ve read Shiver and The Scorpio Races by her, and I think The Raven Boys beats them all out.

Her characters are so alive. Take Blue for example – she’s a daughter in a family of psychics who dresses in eccentric crocheted outfits and who has messy hair and is short and sassy. She’s so full of life and character that she felt like someone I knew.

Plus, the descriptions in The Raven Boys are just beautiful. Blue’s mom comes in her room to talk about something serious, and it was described as her sitting “soft like a poem on her bed.” Unexpected and whimsical.

Plus the dialogue is laugh-out-loud funny. I don’t say that lightly either. There is some great back and forth between Blue and her Aglionby boys who have a mystery all their own.

Perspective is Everything

The Raven Boys is told from the third-person omniscient perspective. Sometimes I feel like I lose something in that type of storytelling because you don’t really get an in-depth look at one character’s thoughts, but in the novel this really worked.

The third-person perspective gives you a glimpse into all of the characters lives that they each may not know about. It adds to the heavy helping of mystery in the book and kept things very engaging. It almost read like alternating POV’s.

One of my favorite elements of The Raven Boys is the fact that from the very beginning, Blue doesn’t know if she’s going to kill or fall in love with Gansy. Even though she’s conflicted, she somehow manages to treat him normally. I liked how that’s a part of the overall story, but it wasn’t the main point, per say.

OVERALL

I absolutely adored this book. It’s amazingly written with strong personalities and ethereal magic. The Raven Boys is Stiefvater’s best work yet, and everyone should but this novel at the top of their reading lists.

Book Review: False Memory by Dan Krokos

Aug 16 |08:14

False Memory was unlike any YA book I’ve read so far – it mixed futuristic science ficiton themes with a clipped, no-nonsense voice. There’s a real intensity Dan Krokos brought to the story that I think will excite and interest readers.

Book Review: False Memory by Dan Krokos

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Title & Author: False Memory by Dan Krokos

Genre: YA Fantasy – Futuristic

Release Date: August 14, 2012

Series: 1st in a planned series

Publisher: Hyperion

How I Got the Book: ARC via the Publisher

Description:

“Miranda wakes up alone on a park bench with no memory. In her panic, she releases a mysterious energy that incites pure terror in everyone around her. Except Peter, a boy who isn’t at all surprised by Miranda’s shocking ability.
Left with no choice but to trust this stranger, Miranda discovers she was trained to be a weapon and is part of an elite force of genetically-altered teens who possess flawless combat skills and powers strong enough to destroy a city. But adjusting to her old life isn’t easy–especially with Noah, the boyfriend she can’t remember loving. Then Miranda uncovers a dark truth that sets her team on the run. Suddenly her past doesn’t seem to matter…when there may not be a future.
Dan Krokos’ debut is a tour-de-force of non-stop action that will leave readers begging for the next book in this bold and powerful new series.”

I Wanted More

False Memory definitely stands out in my mind as a truly unique read. In a futuristic setting, a team of four – Miranda, Peter, Noah and Olive – have been genetically created to incite mass fear and panic with their minds. They’ve been told they were created to keep the world peaceful, but they’re starting to realize that the plans for their lives look a lot less peaceful than they ever could have imagined.

The story is told from the perspective of Miranda. She woke up on a beach with only her name to remember her life by. After accidentally starting a panic at the mall, she finds Peter waiting for her – with knowledge about who she is and what she can do.

A huge part of the book involves the memories that Miranda keeps recalling (despite doctors telling her she might never remember anything) and how she tries to piece back together her fragmented life. Although I thought this part of the story was really interesting, it left Miranda feeling sort of bland.

She’s trying to figure things out, and for whatever reason, that didn’t leave her a lot of room to feel distinct and real – someone with a personality and opinons. Sadly, that can be said for a few of the other characters too – very two dimensional.

Action-Packed

I will say that False Memory is jam-packed with action. There’s tons of combat fighting and guns and really cool futuristic armor. A big thing for me is being able to keep up with the action when it starts to get really fast-paced, and I definitely could in this book.

I also really liked the dynamics of the team. It was easy to tell they were family to each other and that they would do anything for one another.

OVERALL:

Even though I really loved all the action and intensity of this novel, I’m not sure I’m going to stick it out for the rest of the series. There wasn’t enough depth to the book to truly engage me – especially because I didn’t connect with the robotic-like characters. I would definitely suggest trying False Memory, as a few of the things that I didn’t like may not both other readers.

Posts Tagged ‘young adult fantasy’

Book Review: Rebel Heart by Moira Young