tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191498609496567632024-03-13T15:53:49.157-04:00A Fairy's PlaygroundBook Reviews of Today's Most Popular Children and Young Adult Fantasy NovelsBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-80295568495362507472011-05-02T16:00:00.000-04:002011-05-02T16:00:32.575-04:00FOREVER trailer<div style="text-align: center;">Maggie Stiefvater's third and final book in her Wolves of Mercy Falls series,<i> </i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Forever-Wolves-Mercy-Falls-Book/dp/0545259088?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Forever</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0545259088" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, comes out in the US and UK on July 12, 2011! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Maggie is a superb author and if you are unfamiliar with her books, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shiver-Wolves-Mercy-Maggie-Stiefvater/dp/0545123275?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Shiver</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0545123275" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> is the place to start. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Or you can also check out my personal favorites,<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lament-Faerie-Queens-Deception-Gathering/dp/0738713708?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"> Lament</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0738713708" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><i> </i>and<i> </i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ballad-Gathering-Faerie-Maggie-Stiefvater/dp/0738714844?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Ballad</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0738714844" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">In the meantime, check out the <i>Forever</i> trailer, made by the author herself!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EbcYV19hkLY" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Maggie has made exquisite trailers for Shiver and Linger as well, which you can find here:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX82ggGCF7c">Shiver trailer </a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l59sMzeA_vQ">Linger trailer</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">And what's ever MORE amazing, she composed original music for all three trailers!!!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Enjoy!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>BChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-46282734908803655322011-04-23T13:39:00.000-04:002011-04-23T13:39:25.898-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rXgnhZUbEf8/TbMNtK5aaEI/AAAAAAAAAJA/673AHKA1FVY/s1600/elsewhere.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rXgnhZUbEf8/TbMNtK5aaEI/AAAAAAAAAJA/673AHKA1FVY/s400/elsewhere.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Elsewhere</b> by Gabrielle Zevin<br />
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<div class="buying"><span style="font-size: small;">Published:</span><span style="font-size: small;">May 15, 2005 by </span><span style="font-size: small;">Square Fish </span></div><div class="buying"><span style="font-size: small;">Word Count<span style="color: black; font-family: verdana;">: <span style="color: black; font-family: geneva,arial,sans-serif;">60,779</span></span></span></div><div class="buying"><span style="font-size: small;">Series: </span><span style="font-size: small;">n/a</span></div><div class="buying"><span style="font-size: small;">Source: library audiobook</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">My Grade: C</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">Synopsis from GoodReads.com: <i>Welcome to Elsewhere. It is warm, with a breeze, and the beaches are marvelous. It’s quiet and peaceful. You can’t get sick or any older...<br />
Elsewhere is where fifteen-year-old Liz Hall ends up, after she has died. It is a place so like Earth, yet completely different. Here Liz will age backward from the day of her death until she becomes a baby again and returns to Earth. But Liz wants to turn sixteen, not fourteen again. She wants to get her driver’s license. She wants to graduate from high school and go to college. And now that she’s dead, Liz is being forced to live a life she doesn’t want with a grandmother she has only just met. And it is not going well. How can Liz let go of the only life she has ever known and embrace a new one? Is it possible that a life lived in reverse is no different from a life lived forward? <br />
This moving, often funny book about grief, death, and loss will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned.</i></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
This book starts out with a good idea, but doesn't fully deliver. The author commits to tackling a heavy issue like teenage death, but then seems afraid to fully wrestle with the strife that that involves, instead staying on the light side of things like talking to dogs and getting a driver's license. Overall the book felt like wasted potential, failing to plunge to the depths of the issues it presents. It was like eating only the icing on a piece of cake.<br />
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I thought the way the author handled the love triangle between Owen, Emily and Liz was too simplistic and juvenile, and did not reflect the complexities that such a situation would involve. Owen was married to Emily on Earth, but died and since fell in love with Liz in Elsewhere. When Emily also dies and joins Owen in Elsewhere, he gives up Liz but soon finds he is no longer in love with Emily. This problem is nicely solved by Emily volunteering to leave, and the rest of the book continues with Owen and Liz's relationship like the whole episode never happened. That just rubbed me the wrong way. <br />
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I kept thinking the book was over after Owen rescued Liz from her batched attempt to float back to Earth with the babies. But it just kept going on and on, indicating an ill-placed climax and awkward pacing. <br />
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Head-hopping! Ahhh!! I can't stand it! It's always so blatantly obvious and it really pulls me out of the story.<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48380080">One reviewer</a> on GoodReads.com says this book reads like a hallmark movie, sappy and hopelessly predictable. That's as good an estimation as I've seen of <i>Elsewhere.</i></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Find it on Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Elsewhere-Gabrielle-Zevin/dp/0312367465?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Elsewhere</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0312367465" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
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Visit the author's website: </span><a href="http://www.memoirsofa.com/Elsewhere.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>http://www.memoirsofa.com/Elsewhere.html</span></span></a>BChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-72969245153745209882011-03-22T21:13:00.000-04:002011-03-22T21:13:11.813-04:00Review: Peter and the Starcatchers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-mjR2adXHKXE/TYlH_b6FI8I/AAAAAAAAAIs/U7_pJh94wKU/s1600/Peter_Starcatchers.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-mjR2adXHKXE/TYlH_b6FI8I/AAAAAAAAAIs/U7_pJh94wKU/s400/Peter_Starcatchers.gif" width="266" /></a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: black;"><b>Peter and the Starcatchers</b> by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="buying" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Published: Hyperion Books, 2004</span></div><div class="buying" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Word Count<span style="color: black;">: 83,150</span></span></div><div class="buying" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Series: </span><span style="font-size: small;">Peter and the Starcatchers, book one</span></div><div class="buying" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Source: library audio book</span></span></div><div class="buying"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div class="buying"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">My Grade: B<span id="goog_309553650"></span><span id="goog_309553651"></span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Synopsis from GoodReads.com: <i>A fast-paced, impossible-to-put-down adventure awaits as the young orphan Peter and his mates are dispatched to an island ruled by the evil King Zarboff. They set sail aboard the Never Land, a ship carrying a precious and mysterious trunk in its cargo hold, and the journey quickly becomes fraught with excitement and danger. Discover richly developed characters in the sweet but sophisticated Molly, the scary but familiar Black Stache, and the fearless Peter. Treacherous battles with pirates, foreboding thunderstorms at sea, and evocative writing immerses the reader in a story that slowly and finally reveals the secrets and mysteries of the beloved Peter Pan.</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">I don't know about you, but I felt as though this book explained away some of the mystery of the Peter Pan story. Like: Where exactly did Peter come from? Why can he fly all the time without the constant need for fairy dust? How did fairies come to inhabit Neverland? How did Neverland get it's name? Just who is Captain Hook and how did he come to be on Neverland? The uncertainty behind these types of questions gives the Peter Pan mythos the aire of a dream or of Fairyland, and I think it's supposed to. Interacting with this story as a child (as I think most of us did), we did not wonder about these things but simply accepted the story and the fairies/people who existed in it as it was. I didn't like that Barry and Pearson gave a definite reason for these things. It takes away the magical quality of the story a bit.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Also, I can't remember if things like why Peter stays a boy forever are explicitly explained in the original book, or if I simply decided it was living on Neverland that stopped his growth. But if it was the latter, then I like the fact that we can come up with our own conclusion as to why things like that are the way they are in the Peter Pan story. (The authors give a different reason than mine, by the way, as to why Peter doesn't grow up). Also, the original <i>Peter Pan</i> tells us pretty clearly that not growing up is Peter's CHOICE. In this book, that choice is clearly taken away. I am harping on this because this is one of the unique pivotal features of <i>Peter Pan</i> (the story and the character). And if you are going to write a prequel to <i>Peter Pan</i>, then at least make it consistent with the existing mythology!! </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">There is a lot of action here. Almost too much, but if you've read my other reviews, you know I'm not a big fan of showy drawn-out action scenes. Especially when they are there for the sake of having an action scene, even if it doesn't contribute to the storyline. All the action scenes<i> did</i> move the story along, and if I was a ten year old boy I would have thought this book was totally awesome. And I would recommend it to 10 year old boys. But for me, I think the action could have been condensed and the plot more streamlined. But that's just me.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Ok, let's talk about Star Stuff. You know, that gold glittery dust that fell from the heavens and makes people fly. What's that you say? You thought it was called "Fairy Dust" and came from fairies? Me too. That's all I'm going to say about that.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">I found myself not caring about the antics of Slank and Little Richard, but again that stuff is geared toward young boys. Also, Black Stache seemed to just track Slank or Peter through the island the whole time, and didn't contribute much to the other action. Peter's character was not as confident and boastful as he is usually depicted. He was much sweeter in this book, which is ok. It didn't bother me that much, it was just different.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Overall, it was a great little action book that is a nice choice for young boys.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Find it on Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Peter-Starcatchers-Dave-Barry/dp/B000BBS9CE?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Peter and the Starcatchers</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000BBS9CE" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Visit the authors' website:</span></span> <a href="http://www.peterandthestarcatchers.com/">http://www.peterandthestarcatchers.com/</a></div>BChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-53061732292782314192011-03-04T16:57:00.000-05:002011-03-04T16:57:53.041-05:00Book Blogger Hop: March 4-7, 2011<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;">Book Blogger Hop is hosted by <a href="http://www.crazy-for-books.com/">Crazy-for-Books.</a> </div>Click the button for rules on how to participate in this fun Book Party!<a href="http://www.crazy-for-books.com/"><img alt="Book Blogger Hop" height="150" src="http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/tt34/crazybookblog/cfbmemebutton-2.png" width="150" /></a> </div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>This week's question comes from Mia who blogs at<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"> </span><a href="http://girlaboutbooks.blogspot.com/">Girl About Books</a></b>:<br />
<br />
</div><div style="color: black; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> "Who's your all-time favorite book villain?" </span></b></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">My answer:</div><br />
I tend to enjoy books that have a conflict rather than a villain as it's driving force, so this is difficult. But as I am a character person (as opposed to a plot person), I like my villains to be complex, preferably tortured souls, who have misguided reasons for doing what they do.<br />
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So I choose The Queen of Attolia from the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Queen-Attolia-Queens-Thief-Book/dp/0060841826?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Queen of Attolia</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0060841826" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, (which is the sequel to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thief-Queens-Book/dp/0060824972?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Thief</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0060824972" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />) simply because she does something unforgivable to the beloved protagonist, Gen, that makes you just want to hate her forever. However, as I said I like my characters complex and layered, so your feelings toward the Queen change as you read the book. It's excellent - if you haven't heard of these books, go read them right now!!!<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thief-Queens-Book/dp/0060824972?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="The Thief (The Queen's Thief, Book 1)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0060824972&tag=afaispla-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0060824972" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Queen-Attolia-Queens-Thief-Book/dp/0060841826?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="The Queen of Attolia (The Queen's Thief, Book 2)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0060841826&tag=afaispla-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0060841826" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />BChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-6338512377011045942011-03-04T12:09:00.000-05:002011-03-04T12:09:49.416-05:00Review: Incarceron<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mIQmU8FT7wc/TXEcvQ3k2yI/AAAAAAAAAIo/PrdjnFxmYWg/s1600/incarceron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mIQmU8FT7wc/TXEcvQ3k2yI/AAAAAAAAAIo/PrdjnFxmYWg/s320/incarceron.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Incarceron </b>by Catherine Fisher</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="buying"><span style="font-size: small;">Published: May 3rd 2007 by Hodder Children's Books</span></div><div class="buying"><span style="font-size: small;">Word Count:</span><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: geneva,arial,sans-serif;">96201 </span><br style="font-family: Verdana;" />Series: Incarceron, book one</span></div><span style="font-size: small;">Source: library audiobook<br />
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Synopsis from GoodReads.com: <i>Incarceron -- a futuristic prison, sealed from view, where the descendants of the original prisoners live in a dark world torn by rivalry and savagery. It is a terrifying mix of high technology -- a living building which pervades the novel as an ever-watchful, ever-vengeful character, and a typical medieval torture chamber -- chains, great halls, dungeons. A young prisoner, Finn, has haunting visions of an earlier life, and cannot believe he was born here and has always been here. In the outer world, Claudia, daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, is trapped in her own form of prison -- a futuristic world constructed beautifully to look like a past era, an imminent marriage she dreads. She knows nothing of Incarceron, except that it exists. But there comes a moment when Finn, inside Incarceron, and Claudia, outside, simultaneously find a device -- a crystal key, through which they can talk to each other. And so the plan for Finn's escape is born ...</i></span><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Incarceron</span></i><span style="font-size: small;"> is basically a tale about what happens when human society attempts a Utopia. We know from history that theoretically a Utopia works perfectly – but in practice, the natural inclination of man toward greed and power makes this an improbability. <i>Incarceron’s</i> premise is as old as Thomas Moore’s influential book, and even older besides, but set in a futuristic society that is at once more technologically advanced and intellectually primitive. These conditions, paired with a Protocol that superimposes an eighteenth-century time period and forces everyone to live within the confines of that period, gives the idea new dimension and gives us new things to consider about human nature and what happens when you strive to create a perfect society. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">Besides the evident theme of how a Utopia is first created and then inevitably destroyed by descending into crime and chaos, <i>Incarceron</i> holds a myriad of fundamental themes. These include ideas such as considering the essential nature of man; the essential nature of change, how to stop change, or why things change at all; and what technology does for us or how it can work against us. It also explores the idea of a closed-off system and if such a thing can ever truly exist. The fact that this book addresses so many prominent themes while still managing to be a Young Adult fantasy story that is entertaining is a marvelous accomplishment – and a rarity at that.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">Below, I am going to look at three of this book’s major themes: time, technology, and the utopian environment.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">Outlawed Time</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">“You above all, Master Sapient, understand what the iron decree of the Havana have done to us. We are rich – some of us – and live well. But we are not free. We are chained hand and foot by protocol. Enslaved to a static empty world, where men and women can’t read, where scientific advances of the ages are the preserve of the rich, where artist and poets are doomed to endless repetitions and sterile re-workings of past masterpieces. Nothing is new. New does not exist. Nothing changes, nothing grows, evolves, develops. Time has stopped. Progress is forbidden.” </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">The world of Incarceron, or should I say the Outside, is stuck in an eighteenth-century time period by decree of King Endor. Time no longer exists. And the ‘Era’ as they call it, is never-changing. This is an interesting idea – outlawing time, simply getting rid of time and imposing a period from the past on what is actually a futuristic premise. What would people do if high-tech gadgets that allowed for convenience existed, and then were not allowed to use them? Well, of course they would still be used illegally, which is what happens in the book. One thing I thought was interesting was when Claudia and Jared are ridding out to visit the Steel Wolf supporter and they pass by a hovel. Jared comments that only the rich enjoy comfort in this time period, which is very true. But, since everyone knows it’s a sham, why would they stand for it? </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">Even if a time period was superimposed upon another, you cannot keep time standing still forever. Wouldn’t the poor classes eventually ban together and rise up in rebellion? Wouldn’t commerce and capitalism and the pursuit of the betterment of one’s station overpower strict structures of time and eventually lead to change and even the burgeoning of a middle class? Or a rebellion that results in a change of power? Or any number of things that have happened in the course of human events? And after all, this is why we have change over time, why change exists at all. The world by its nature cannot be stagnant. All things change in time. So wouldn’t this decree of outlawing time and keeping the world in one perpetual state eventually become invalid simply because of the course of human events? You could write a whole book just considering that premise.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">Ambition is Destruction: Technology in a Perfect World</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">“ “…There was no provision for the death penalty, but the prison is in charge now. It is thinking for itself.” </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">In the silence, Keiro said, “Did they really think it would work?” </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">After a moment Gildas turned the page… “It seems so. He is not clear about what went wrong. Perhaps some unplanned element entered and tipped the balance… a small act, so that the flaw in their perfect ecosystem gradually grew and destroyed it. Perhaps Incarceron itself malfunctioned, became a tyrant. That certainly happened, but was it cause or effect? And then there’s this.” He pointed out the words as he read them…</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">“Or is it that man contains within himself the seeds of evil. That even if he is placed in a paradise perfectly formed for him, he will poison it, slowly, with his own jealousies and desires. I fear it may be that we blame the prison for our own corruption, and I do not accept myself, for I too am one who has killed and looked only to my own gain.” ”</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">There are two very strong messages in the above passage that embody the other two fundamental themes of this book: technology and Utopia.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">First of all, technology. The idea that machines will take over and become tyrants, that we spell our own destruction or create our own enslavement or imprisonment by our technology, is a well-worn one. But as we now live in a world where new and more advanced technology appears to surface before its predecessor leaves the factory, and our computers and cell phones become obsolete almost as soon as we purchase them, it’s an issue that is often on our minds and one that deserves serious consideration. <i>Incarceron’s</i> tale of how the prison’s technology overruns its makers and keeps a whole population in its grip is a warning tale (perhaps in the extreme) of what happens when our technology gets too advanced and we know too much for our own good. The fear of going too far, of pushing the boundaries to the absolute limit and then having to deal with the consequences is one that becomes more real as we become more dependent on the gadgets and machines we have invented to help us run our lives. Perhaps it is for this reason King Endor enforced a Protocol that does not include the use of technology to run daily life.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;"> The second theme here is one that penetrates the entire book. The purpose of Incarceron was to be a perfect environment. A closed-off, self-sustaining system that was unencumbered by the world Outside. The idea was that if Incarceron was all that existed and the people inside it were uninfluenced and unaffected by the Outside, the paradise would be able to be sustained. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">But as we can see, Fisher proposes that even in a Utopia, will we always destroy it because we are inherently evil. This is such a biblical motif. In the Garden of Eden, man was originally placed in a paradise and because of our own sinful nature, our temptation and disobedience, we were kicked out of it and into a world full of debauchery and evil and hardship. So of course we can always change a paradise into a nightmare. I believe the idea here is that, even if we are inclined as a human race to create destruction from perfection, that there are still some redeeming qualities in us that makes us sorry for the destruction we create and want to rise above it in search of a better existence. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">There is much more to be said about the ideas and themes in <i>Incarceron.</i> This is simply a snapshot of what can be explored. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">Visit the author's website: <a href="http://www.catherine-fisher.com/index.asp">http://www.catherine-fisher.com/index.asp</a></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">Get it on Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Incarceron-Catherine-Fisher/dp/0142418528?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Incarceron</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0142418528" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></span></div>BChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-26847516716505820192011-02-12T12:15:00.001-05:002011-02-12T12:26:10.509-05:00Review: White Cat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qe2wNGoaiK8/TVa_ndvqc3I/AAAAAAAAAIk/xLfnTN5ecp8/s1600/whitecat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qe2wNGoaiK8/TVa_ndvqc3I/AAAAAAAAAIk/xLfnTN5ecp8/s320/whitecat.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><b>White Cat</b> by Holly Black</span></div><div></div><div class="buying"><span style="font-size: small;">Published: May 4th 2010 by Margaret K. McElderry </span></div><div class="buying"><span style="font-size: small;">Word Count:</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: geneva,arial,sans-serif;">76,600</span><br style="font-family: Verdana;" />Series:Curse Workers, book one</span></div><span style="font-size: small;">Source: library audiobook<br />
<br />
My Grade: A+<br />
<br />
Synopsis from GoodReads.com:</span><span style="font-size: small;"> <i>Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail — he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago. </i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />
</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />
</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love — or death — and your dreams might be more real than your memories.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">A guy having dreams about and following a white cat? C’mon, that’s corny and dumb. What guy is going to want to pick that book up? Unfortunately, based on the synopsis alone, I don’t think many teenage guys will, which is a shame, because the synopsis does not do this book justice. [Edit: The synopsis from GoodReads gives a much better picture than the one I got from the synopsis on the back of the audiobook case!]</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">Having read Black’s <i>Valiant,</i> I was hesitant to give this book a shot. <i>Valiant </i>was just ok for me, and with a premise that sounded less promising than the previous read, I doubted <i>White Cat </i>was going to be better. But boy, was I wrong. <i>White Cat </i>is ten times better! The story is nuanced and layered with so much more texture to it that it at first seems. The relationships – especially within the Sharpe family – the con-artist lifestyle, the mafia type hierarchical system of powerful Worker families, the deals, schemes, double-agents, and especially the memory work that keeps you guessing the whole time all combine to keep the reader invested in the action.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">Family is a big theme here. Along with betrayal, trust, lies, loyalty, cover-ups, and ties that bind, these prominent themes are all considered and explored through the context of what they mean when they occur within a family. Cassel hates and loves his brothers at the same time – hates them for how they lied to him, for what they made him do, and for making him believe he had killed his best friend. But despite that, he still wants to save them from a fate born of the consequences of their criminal enterprises.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">WARNING: SPOILER IN THIS PARAGRAPH</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">The most unique aspect of this book is that the usual YA fantasy premise has been flipped on its head. The protagonist is utterly normal, and everyone else around him has a special ability. I thought that was clever as it hasn’t really been explored yet. (At least not in anything I’ve read.) But after the first few chapters I started to suspect maybe Cassel is more like his Worker family members than he thinks. Then I decided I would be very disappointed if Cassel turned out to be a Worker and he just never knew it somehow. Because that would be soooo predictable and therefore, dull. However, while this does happen, Black provides an interesting twist that I didn’t see coming, and so I forgave her for the most obvious reveal in the history of YA fantasy protagonist self-revelation.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">This book is the best type of book in its genre because it’s clearly fantasy (a percentage of the population are Curse Workers with magic powers and the larger population all know about them) without seeming to be fantasy at all. By this I mean that there are so many other real human issues, relationships, problems, and stakes that it is easy to forget the element propelling the story, which is the ability of some people to work curses. Yet at the same time Black has created a history for the Curse Workers that gives the fantasy element depth. She has seamlessly woven the telling of the Curse Worker history as well as its significance to the story into the fabric of the tale, so it does not feel forced, but natural. It fits perfectly into real human history and so does not feel foreign or ‘other.’ The fantasy elements support the ‘real’ human elements, not the other way around, which is the type of fantasy I like best. Also, I think it is the best type of fantasy for readers who are not fans of fantasy or are hesitant to pick up a fantasy book, because it shows how fantasy can be used to heighten and therefore highlight certain aspects of the human condition. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">The writing is tight and the story well-planned. Although we are dealing with cons, which can easily get muddy and confusing and so can be hard to explain to the reader what is really going on, I never felt like I didn’t know what the score was. I liked that Cassel was clever enough to figure out what was happening but not let on that he knew what was happening until the right moment. I liked that he was confident in his conning abilities, almost like that was his Worker power, making up for what he thought he was lacking as a member of his family. I only hope that Black will not fall prey to the pitfalls of complex plots and subplots in her second book. I am more excited for the sequel to <i>White Cat</i> than I have been for a sequel in a long while. </span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span style="color: black;">Find it on Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/White-Cat-Curse-Workers-Book/dp/1416963960?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">White Cat (Curse Workers, Book 1)</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1416963960" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
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Visit the author's website: </span><a href="http://www.blackholly.com/">http://www.blackholly.com/</a></span>BChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-31532592635364204562011-02-02T12:49:00.000-05:002011-02-02T12:49:32.863-05:00Review: Clockwork Angel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TUmYqMH5zOI/AAAAAAAAAIc/X4_awNSrcYo/s1600/7171637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TUmYqMH5zOI/AAAAAAAAAIc/X4_awNSrcYo/s320/7171637.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black;">Clockwork Angel </span></b></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">by Cassandra Clare</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />
</b></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Published: August 31st 2010 by Margaret K. McElderry <br style="font-family: Verdana;" />Word Count:<span style="color: black; font-family: geneva,arial,sans-serif;">131,487</span><br style="font-family: Verdana;" />Series: Infernal Devices, book one<br />
Source: library audiobook<br />
<br />
My Grade: A</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />
</b></span><span style="font-size: small;">Synopsis from GoodReads:<i><span class="reviewText" id="a24w"> When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos. <br />
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Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own. <br />
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Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.</span></i></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><br />
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I don't have much to say about this book except that it was a good solid read and exactly what I would expect from the author of the <i>Mortal Instruments</i> series. The similarities between Will Herondale and Jace Wayland were easy to see and satisfying to discover, but not so apparent that they seemed like the same character. Quite the opposite. <br />
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The plot twists were well devised and well disguised. Clare is a master at backstory and revealing that backstory slowly to provide revelations to the characters and the readers about what is happening in the present. Like in the Mortal Instrument series, I am interested to find out more about Will's and Jem's pasts and especially Tessa's origins and parents' lives and what that may reveal about the nature of what or who she is. This first book in the <i>Infernal Devices </i>series, while being a satisfying read with a complex story and plenty of information to keep us on the edge of our seats, also seems like only the tip of an iceberg of a much bigger story that will unfold in the upcoming sequels. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />
</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span style="color: black;">Note: The last sentence in the plot summary is a bit misleading, I think. Tessa doesn't really have to chose between saving her brother or helping her friends, and I would say this book is less about love than its predecessor series, <i>The Mortal Instruments.</i></span><b><br />
</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span style="color: black;">Find it on Amazon:<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Clockwork-Angel-Infernal-Devices-Book/dp/1416975861?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, Book 1)</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1416975861" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
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Visit the author's website:<a href="http://www.blogger.com/%20http://www.theinfernaldevices.com/"> http://www.theinfernaldevices.com/</a></span></span>BChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-12081270832702780742011-02-01T14:24:00.000-05:002011-02-01T14:24:25.616-05:00Review: Fire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TUhdLat9_XI/AAAAAAAAAIY/WDX5CXs11o8/s1600/FireCashore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TUhdLat9_XI/AAAAAAAAAIY/WDX5CXs11o8/s1600/FireCashore.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><b>Fire</b> by Kristen Cashore<br />
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Published: October 5th 2009 by Gollancz <br style="font-family: Verdana;" /> Word Count:<span style="color: black; font-family: geneva,arial,sans-serif;">112,634</span><br style="font-family: Verdana;" /> Series: prequel to <i>Graceling</i><br />
Source: library audiobook<br />
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My Grade: C+<br />
<br />
Synopsis from GoodReads.com: <i><span class="reviewText" id="n9l8">Beautiful creatures called monsters live in the Dells. Monsters have the shape of normal animals: mountain lions, dragonflies, horses, fish. But the hair or scales or feathers of monsters are gorgeously colored-- fuchsia, turquoise, sparkly bronze, iridescent green-- and their minds have the power to control the minds of humans. <br />
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Seventeen-year-old Fire is the last remaining human-shaped monster in the Dells. Gorgeously monstrous in body and mind but with a human appreciation of right and wrong, she is hated and mistrusted by just about everyone, and this book is her story.</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><br />
I decided to read/listen to the audio book <i>Fire</i> because I unexpectedly enjoyed Cashore's first book, <i>Graceling,</i> and <i>Fire</i> is the prequel to that. However, I sadly did not enjoy this book as much as I had hoped I would, mainly because I felt there was no emotional resonance, which is what I so enjoyed in <i>Graceling</i>. There were so many characters to keep track of and so many different couplings and love lives, agendas, and motivations that ruled each character, it was hard to connect with any of them. While Fire was clearly the protagonist, I still did not feel like I could connect with her or any of the characters enough to really <i>really </i>care about them the way I cared about Katsa and Po from <i>Graceling. </i>Even Fire's and Brigan's unlikely love story did not pull me in the way I expected it to. I could have gone either way where that relationship was concerned, and as the reader I should have much stronger feelings about it. Yet, the book was not based around relationships but larger events such as the war between King Nash and the rebel Lords Mydogg and Gentian. But that is no excuse. The characters and the relationships between the characters should be just as well developed as the plot.<br />
<br />
Here are my main pet-peeves with this book:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><div class="buying"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><div class="buying"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">I don't like the name Fire. I think it sounds silly, even if her hair is every color of the red-orange-pink spectrum. Speaking of her hair - I understand that Fire's hair is the one determining feature that distinguished her as a monster, but she seemed a bit too preoccupied with it. Describing it, what is was doing, if it was showing or not, if it was up or down. It got a bit tiresome even for me and I'm a girl who sometimes has a similar preoccupation! <br />
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This book is an odd creature. I say that because elements it contains, like the hair thing, would make you think it was written expressly for the female audience. Example number two to support this theory is another preoccupation Fire had with a feminine feature: her 'bleeding times.' Seriously, every time it happened she had to talk about it! Yes, we understand that monster blood attracts other monsters and so puts Fire in more danger, but it was not so integral to the story that it needed to be mentioned so often. "Another month had passed, and her bleeding time was on her again..." Just too stressed. But on the other hand, this book is full of soldiers, swords, raptor-monsters (similar to dragons), castles, twisted court intrigue, treachery, murderous plots, and schemes. Everything that the male fantasy audience enjoys. (But then again, I am led to believe the vast majority of young adult males don't read very much at all for pleasure anyways.)</span></span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><div class="buying"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><div class="buying"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">I didn't really enjoy the adultery, casual friends-with-benefits arrangements, and premarital sex that occurred so much in the book. Maybe this book is based on a different axis of morality than the real world, but seeing has how Fire felt betrayed when she learned that an upstanding character was indeed adulterous by the end of the book suggests that she does pivot on a moral axis similar to our own. Therefore, I do not think the way this book treats sex and love is very exemplary for young girls who read it. Also, Fire is only seventeen but she acts like she's twenty-seven, and again maybe that's because she's a monster and not a normal human girl. But the maturity with which she went about having casual sex with her best friend Archer and the assurance and confidence she seems to have as she goes about helping the princes and the king with the wars just doesn't seem likely for a teenager. </span></span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><div class="buying"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><div class="buying"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Fire is hard to relate to because of the fact that she's not human, but a monster in the shape of a human. Strange ideas like this can win me over if written well. But while interesting to read, <i><span style="color: black;">Fire</span></i> just didn't fully convert me to this idea of a non-human protagonist. All her abilities made her too foreign. And that in itself is not what makes her hard to relate to (how many beloved superhero stories are there out there?). It's the fact that her powers are such a part of who she is, how she views the world, and how she interacts with other people. <span style="color: black;">Fire can manipulate people's emotions and tap into their minds and make them believe things that aren't real or that they wouldn't normally believe, things like that.</span> Such a character must have been thrilling to write. What implications there are for a person who can do such things! But I needed that interpersonal element, that flaw or vulnerability, and it just wasn't there. Fire didn't let us in, in a way. She put up her strong front even to the reader. She never broke down, never showed us the stakes were too high for her. Even in challeneging situations, she was mostly sure of herself. Maybe I think she's just too perfect, even if her powers allow her to be all that I just described. </span></span></div><div class="buying"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">There's no central story thread. Fire goes here then there and helps with war strategy but you don't get the sense that the book is really <i>about </i>anything until you're halfway through. There was way too much set up as well, where she explained the history of the princes' and current king's father and Fire's father, who are both dead. Cashore invested alot of her story in Fire's father, Cansrel, describing his personalty, his views, his traits - and this is a character who is dead before the book even begins. I understand why Cashore wanted all that back-story since it informs Fire's views and decisions, but we didn't need quite so much of it to understand its purpose.<br />
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I hate writing reviews that sound so harsh. But that's just my honest opinion of the book! It wasn't a bad book by any means but it just wasn't something I greatly enjoyed either.<br />
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Find it on Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Kristin-Cashore/dp/014241591X?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Fire</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=014241591X" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
Visit the author's website: <a href="http://kristincashore.blogspot.com/">http://kristincashore.blogspot.com/</a></span></span></span>BChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-1047550545057431372010-12-17T11:25:00.000-05:002010-12-17T11:25:33.126-05:00Book Blogger Hop: Dec 17-20, 2010<div style="text-align: center;">Book Blogger Hop is hosted by <a href="http://www.crazy-for-books.com/">Crazy-for-Books.</a> </div><div style="text-align: center;">Click the button for rules on how to participate in this fun Book Party!<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.crazy-for-books.com/"><img alt="Book Blogger Hop" height="150" src="http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/tt34/crazybookblog/cfbmemebutton-2.png" width="150" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This week's question is:<span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"What do you consider the most important in a story: the plot or the characters?"</span></b></span><br />
<br />
My answer:<br />
I am character-driven, all the way. I prefer a book with amazing, deep, complex, intricate characters and little plot than the other way around. Unfortunately it is hard to find books with those amazing deep characters since synopses only focus on the plot. That's why I always feel like I've found a treasure when I discover a book with great characters. Characters are the heart of any story, and if you don't have heart, then you don't have very much at all.</div>BChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-26851179451784151882010-12-14T18:08:00.000-05:002010-12-14T18:08:35.342-05:00Review: Maximum Ride: School's Out - Forever<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TQf4WddZ0HI/AAAAAAAAAH0/9--AEUxdAok/s1600/Maximum_Ride2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TQf4WddZ0HI/AAAAAAAAAH0/9--AEUxdAok/s320/Maximum_Ride2.jpg" width="199" /></a></div><b><i>Maximum Ride: School's Out - Forever</i></b> by James Patterson<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;">Published: May 23rd 2006 by Little, Brown and Company </span><span style="font-size: small;">Word Count: 73,044</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: Verdana;" />Series: Maximum Ride, book 2<br />
Source: library audiobook (abridged)<br />
<br />
My Grade: B+</span><br />
<br />
Synopsis from GoodReads.com: <i><span class="reviewText" id="qr7d">In this stand-alone sequel to <u>The Angel Experiment</u>, bird-kid Max and her flock fly south to reunite with their parents. But their perilous mission runs into stiff winds when they are apprehended by an FBI agent who dispatches them to the worst nightmare destination: school! Max's homework assignment include decoding documents that might have help save the world and protect her from Max II, a clone who knows her every move. Action; suspense; plot surprises: all James Patterson specialties.</span></i><br />
<br />
I decided to listen to an abridged version of this book just to see what it was like. Several elements led me to this curiosity. First, my grandfather's name is James Patterson and alot of people mistake him for the author. Second, the middle-schoolers I nanny absolutely love the <i>Maximum Ride</i> series and have gobbled up every Maximum-Ride-related book available. I started to read <i>The Angel Experiment</i> (first book in the series), and found it was just too juvenile to hold my interest. But - and I've mentioned this before - while I couldn't seem to be bothered to sit and read <i>The Angle Experiment,</i> I found listening to a recording of <i>School's Out - Forever,</i> quite enjoyable. A fun, clever story to listen to but again, I doubt it would have held my attention if I had had to commit to sitting down and reading it. <br />
<br />
The characters are all well developed, each with a qualifying trait that makes them easy to distinguish. The plot keeps moving forward and never drags (this might have been a product of listening to the abridged version, but even so, I found that I missed the omitted parts and could tell there was more that would have added to the story without bogging it down). However, the dialogue is filled with cliches an pithy aphorisms that make the whole thing feel too sleek and commercial. Even the title is corny and over-the-top. While I've never read any of Patterson's novels for adults, I know it is pop-culture candy in the vein of Romantic Comedy movies and easy reading Chick-Lit. With the Maximum Ride series Patterson has produced something not often seen in children's fiction: mass-produced candy-coated adventure for the budding youth. There is a reason why the kids I nanny, who read everything from <i>Moby Dick</i> to <i>Twilight</i>, love this series so much. It's fun. It's light. It's fluffy, and it's feel-good - if insubstantial - entertainment on a level youthful enough to be at their level, but with a plot exciting enough to hold my interest while commuting to their house.<br />
<br />
Find it on Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Schools-Out-Forever-Maximum-ebook/dp/B000JMKS9M?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Schools-Out-Forever-Maximum-Ride/dp/0446618896?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">School's Out - Forever (Maximum Ride, Book 2)</a><br />
<br />
Visit the author's website: <a href="http://www.jamespatterson.com/books_max.php">http://www.jamespatterson.com/books_max.php</a>BChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-32994409003928261032010-12-09T17:45:00.000-05:002010-12-09T17:45:12.718-05:00Review: Linger<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TQFb3fITkpI/AAAAAAAAAHs/JaE1mA2w9uQ/s1600/6654313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TQFb3fITkpI/AAAAAAAAAHs/JaE1mA2w9uQ/s320/6654313.jpg" width="204" /></a></div><strong><em>Linger</em> by Maggie Stiefvater</strong><br />
<br />
Published:July 13th 2010 by Scholastic Press <br />
Word Count:91,396<br />
Series: Wolves of Mercy Falls, book 2<br />
Source: library hardcover book<br />
<br />
My Grade: A<br />
<br />
Synopsis from GoodReads.com: <em>In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.</em><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclaimer: This review is a bit raw and unfinished because I started writing it a few weeks ago and never finished, and now the book is not as fresh in my mind. Ah well, that's what comes of a super-busy over-stressed crazy Thanksgiving holiday while trying to write grad school applications at the same time. Anyway, here it is....</span><br />
<br />
I love love love the fight Grace and her parents have over her relationship with Sam. It hits it's mark so well and does what it is supposed to. I could really feel the injustice Grace felt at her parent's disapproval of spending time with Sam and the urge to rebel from their unfair treatment. Also, I had read some criticism about the unrealistic nature of the absentee parents in Shiver and I wonder if Maggie took that into consideration by deciding to get the parents more involved in Linger. But I just read on the Mundie Mom's LiveChat with Maggie yesterday that she based the parents on some real families she knew who were like that, and she did that because she wanted there to be a reason why Grace was so independent. I think it's awesome when authors can incorporate real-life situations into their stories. Sometimes, as in this case, real situations seem even stranger or more 'unrealistic' than something completely made-up.<br />
<br />
I like how Stiefvater avoids the love triangle temptation (although she hints at it ever so slightly, but maybe that is only a product of Cole's unlikely jealously) and instead widens the scope of her second Mercy Falls book by focusing on the lives of two separate couples. While Isabel and Cole's story is bright, shiny and new and the one most bloggers and fans of the books are talking about, I still saw Sam and Grace's relationship as the main focus of Linger. Then main story arc, the climax, and the open resolution leading to the third book all have to do with what is happening to Grace and Sam. Cole and Isabel only supplement this main storyline. And that's fine. In fact, while Cole is a complex and intriguing new character, I expected his relationship with Isabel to develop more throughout the book, based on the excitement with which others have talked about it. So I guess I was a little underwhelmed at what actually happened with them in the story, but perhaps my expectations were too high. By the end of the book Isabel and Cole are not really a couple. They might not even become one in the next book. I do enjoy the uncertainty of that, and also how their relationship is built on shared pain under a facade of phlegmatic confidence they are both pulling off only by the skin of their teeth. <br />
<br />
Find it on Amazon: <span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Linger-Wolves-Mercy-Falls-Book/dp/0545123283?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Linger (Wolves of Mercy Falls, Book 2)</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0545123283" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span><br />
<br />
<span></span>Visit the author's website:http://www.maggiestiefvater.com/BChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-50190388140687580802010-11-23T11:29:00.000-05:002010-11-23T11:29:44.584-05:00Teaser Tuesday Nov. 23rd 2010Hello loyal followers and welcome to anyone stopping by for the first time! I apologize for not updating recently, and I have a few book reviews in the works which will go up shortly, but for now I am having a little fun with Teaser Tuesdays this week! yay!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Grab your current read </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Open to a random page </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! </span><br />
<br />
My teaser:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TOvrMYh1hvI/AAAAAAAAAHc/XU0t6260AJQ/s1600/king.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TOvrMYh1hvI/AAAAAAAAAHc/XU0t6260AJQ/s1600/king.bmp" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">"The faery smiled, showing her teeth. 'Of course.'</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">'Are you sure you want to do this?' Grimalkin asked softly. 'Do you know what happens when you give a faery your name?'"</div><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">~ p. 197, <em>The Iron King </em>by Julie Kagawa</div>BChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-51612531664498235552010-11-09T12:49:00.001-05:002010-12-14T19:41:23.326-05:00Review: Fallen<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TNmJL08T5-I/AAAAAAAAAHI/YOOvmkbXWL8/s1600/Fallen_LaurenKate.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TNmJL08T5-I/AAAAAAAAAHI/YOOvmkbXWL8/s400/Fallen_LaurenKate.jpg" width="262" /></a><b>Fallen by Lauren Kate</b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Published:</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">December 8th 2009 by Delacorte Press</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Word Count:</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;">100,927</span><br />
Series:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Fallen #1<br />
Source: library audiobook</span><br />
<br />
My Grade: B<br />
<br />
<span class="reviewText" id="k1p3">Synopsis from GoodReads.com: <i>There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori. <br />
<br />
Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move. <br />
<br />
Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.</i></span><br />
<br />
This synopsis looks so tediously over-used that at first I passed this book by. I thought it would be all mushy girl-who-can't-help-herself-because-she's-so-in-love-with-Adonis-incarnate (which it is, but I've built up a tolerance for this prevalent premise I suppose). I just want to know who wrote this synopsis. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame? Come on, even I find that corny, and I like corny. But actually, the book is much more interesting than its synopsis leads us to believe. Christian mythology is a popular topic in the supernatural/paranormal fantasy genre right now, and more specifically, fallen angles. This is only the second book about fallen angles I have read (after <i>Hush, Hush</i>) and it is already feeling old. So I like that this book takes place at a reform school. That was something I didn't expect and I was more interested to find about about Luce's life there because of the unique setting.<br />
<br />
I loved the quirky characters, both students and teachers. They all gave a distinct flavor to the tone of the book and I only wished I could have gotten to know more about each of them.<br />
<br />
(Most of the rest of what I have to say is criticism, but be assured that I still enjoyed the book greatly!)<br />
<br />
What I Didn't Like:<br />
<br />
Let's talk about the prologue. It was undoubtedly captivating and definitely supplied that 'hook' you need to get your readers instantly into your book, but it also gave a ton away. Because I had read the prologue, I kept waiting for the idea it proposed to come to fruition in the main body of the novel. I already knew most of what was going on, was able to guess the rest, and fully understood why Luce had strange you-seem-familiar feelings or half-hidden memories she couldn't quite explain. This took me out of the experience a bit, more like watching another person go through something rather than going through it with her, which essentially is why we read books right? So we can vicariously experience what the characters are experiencing? So the prologue ruined that a bit, even though I liked it very much.<br />
<br />
Another problem I had with the book is that the prologue sets up an expectation what was not fulfilled by the end. In fact, I felt cheated out of a discovery, having read through the whole book only to discover the situation proposed in the prologue would not be fully explained by the end. I think that's a cop out and a cheap way to prolong the story so it stretches into sequels. The 'revelation' or the thing we get to discover near the end of the book is only the fact that Daniel is a fallen angel, which any reader with a brain will have already known. So no, this is not a satisfactory explanation of the unanswered questions Luce and us readers have. Daniel gives a reason for why he can't explain everything to Luce, but I still don't buy it. Sorry!<br />
<br />
The biggest story element that absolutely needed to be explained and wasn't was the deal with the fires. Did Luce somehow start the fires, both times resulting in a boy's death - or did the 'shadows'? Why fire? Is there a special significance to fire? Like, Hellfire, maybe?<br />
<br />
I also disliked Penn's death. Not in the sense that I liked the character (which I did, she was my favorite) and was sad to see her go, but in the sense that it didn't feel like she needed to die and was just included for dramatic effect, which didn't quite produce the result it was supposed to.<br />
<br />
This sounds so critical but actually I enjoyed reading the book and may even read the second one, if only to find out why Luce and Daniel are star-crossed, which is not explained in this book! Blast!<br />
<br />
Visit the author's website: http://laurenkatebooks.net/<br />
<br />
Find it on Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Lauren-Kate/dp/0385739133?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Fallen</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0385739133" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />BChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-24844424688096970432010-10-17T15:39:00.000-04:002010-10-17T15:39:38.201-04:00Book Blogger Hop: Oct 15-18, 2010<div style="text-align: center;">Book Blogger Hop is hosted by <a href="http://www.crazy-for-books.com/">Crazy-for-Books.</a> </div><div style="text-align: center;">Click the button for rules on how to participate in this fun Book Party!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.crazy-for-books.com/"><img alt="Book Blogger Hop" height="150" src="http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/tt34/crazybookblog/cfbmemebutton-2.png" width="150" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This week's question is:</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"When you read a book that you just can't get into, do you stick it out and keep reading or move to your next title?"</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Times New Roman; text-align: center;">My answer:</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'm like to think that I choose the books I read carefully enough before I start reading to avoid this problem. This has only happened to me once, and while it was not a horrible book, it was not a YA fantasy and I thought my time could be better spent on genre-related books. I do not have enough of a presence in the blogosphere yet to be receiving books for review, and while it would be exciting, it also gives me the freedom to review only what I want. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another thing to consider is audio books. I listen to a lot of audio books while I'm driving, and for me, it is easier to get through a book I am only marginally interested in when I am simply listening to it. I think for this reason I have skirted around the problem this week's Hop question addresses.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'm a little late posting this week but if you've found my blog via the Hop, welcome, and thanks for stopping by! </span></div>BChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-26446627497867134042010-10-12T09:00:00.000-04:002010-10-12T09:00:07.972-04:00Review: Valiant<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TLIm5W7l_oI/AAAAAAAAAHA/fKQ9BKVu3aQ/s1600/n132511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TLIm5W7l_oI/AAAAAAAAAHA/fKQ9BKVu3aQ/s320/n132511.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie</b> by Holly Black</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Published: September 26th 2006 by Simon Pulse<br />
Word Count: <span style="color: black;">63,568</span><br />
Series: The Modern Faerie Tales, book 2<br />
Source: library audio book<br />
<br />
My Grade: B-</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Synopsis from GoodReads: </span><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When seventeen-year-old Valerie runs away to New York City, she's trying to escape a life that has utterly betrayed her. Sporting a new identity, she takes up with a gang of squatters who live in the city's labyrinthine subway system.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">But there's something eerily beguiling about Val's new friends. And when one talks Val into tracking down the lair of a mysterious creature with whom they are all involved, Val finds herself torn between her newfound affection for an honorable monster and her fear of what her new friends are becoming.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Note: This is technically the second book in Black’s series, but can be read as a stand-alone since none of the main characters in the first book, <i>Tithe,</i> appear in <i>Valiant.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">This is an urban fantasy about faeries and the unfortunate human teenagers who get caught up in faerie plots.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Valiant</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> didn’t grab me the way it might have been supposed to because I couldn’t connect with the protagonist, Val. Maybe I was a little too straight-laced in high school, but a book about a teenage runaway who shoots up faerie heroine to get high and lives in a smelly rodent-infested abandoned NYC subway station for most of the book just didn’t pique my interest the way another premise might. I can see how it might be appealing to some teenagers, as I know the desire to go out on one’s own and ‘live on the streets’ may seem thrilling or glamorous or just plain adventurous. <span> </span>I do like how the protagonist’s name casual shifts from Valerie to ‘Prince Valiant’ with her change in environment, signaling to the reader that she is assuming a new identity while keeping the same nickname: Val.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The human character I found most interesting was Luis, and the scene I found most interesting was when Luis told Val about his childhood and his history with the fairies. As you might know if you’ve read my other reviews, I’m a sucker for back-story. That’s the element that pulls me into a book the most. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The love story between Val and Ravus the troll was at first unexpected and then oddly refreshing, as you do not normally find love stories between mortals and what we collectively consider monsters or ugly creatures – trolls being in this category. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The actress who reads the audio book <i>Valiant</i> gives Ravus a very gruff voice. Because of this I didn’t necessarily suspect where his relationship with Val was going. <span> </span>I think if I had read the book the more conventional way, I would have depicted him in my head as more of a ‘gentle giant’ type, although perhaps hidden behind a wary and rough exterior. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">When it was revealed toward the end of the book that the faerie Mabry was a prominent figure in the main mystery the mortal teenagers were trying to figure out, I was a little uninterested because we only see Mabry once before her role in the central storyline is revealed. Because of this, we don’t get to know her very well and thus are disinterested in how she matters to the central action.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Overall, not my cup of tea, but I can see why it’s popular.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Get it on Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Valiant-Modern-Faerie-Holly-Black/dp/0689868235?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0689868235" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
Visit the author's website: </span><span style="font-family: "Edwardian Script ITC"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.blackholly.com/">http://www.blackholly.com/</a></span></div>BChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-43312711839704763792010-10-10T13:48:00.001-04:002010-10-10T13:52:19.850-04:00October "Remember When..." meme<div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: #c0004e; font-family: "Edwardian Script ITC"; font-size: 28pt;">Remember When….</span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">"Remember When..." is a monthly meme that showcases a book I read as a child or young teenager and remember fondly. I'm doing this to highlight some of the great older books out there that perhaps don't get the spotlight in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blogosphere">blogosphere</a> because they were written before it's advent. When most book blogs are reviewing and hyping the newest books on the market, which is great, I would like to take a moment every once in a while to look back on what shaped my reading interests.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: small;">If you'd like to participate, just leave a link to your "Remember When..." </span><span style="font-size: small;">in the comments section. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> So, without further ado, here is my October book selection:</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TLH6eJXwCaI/AAAAAAAAAGw/ZbcqmsyrhBw/s1600/thief.jpg.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TLH6eJXwCaI/AAAAAAAAAGw/ZbcqmsyrhBw/s200/thief.jpg.gif" width="126" /></a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thief-Queens-Book/dp/0060824972?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Thief</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0060824972" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Megan Whalen Turner</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I can’t stress enough how amazing this book is. It is a traditional ‘quest’ book, so there is an abundance of landscape descriptions, which readers who are not accustomed to reading lengthy descriptions in today’s books may find a bit tedious. But they are not so bad as to put readers off the book entirely. In fact, the characterization of not only the protagonist and his group of travelers, but of the history of the three counties involved in the story, the religion, and the culture is so rich that you can only suspect what the author might do with it in her subsequent books. Since writing <i>The Thief </i>in 1996 she had completed three more book in this series. The last one came out in April 2010, which I have yet to read and am eagerly anticipating the pleasure! </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TLH7NA734tI/AAAAAAAAAG8/LeBhGuPwcFM/s1600/400000000000000176570_s4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TLH7NA734tI/AAAAAAAAAG8/LeBhGuPwcFM/s200/400000000000000176570_s4.jpg" width="137" /></a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">These books are so full of twists and turns, narrative misdirection, and good old-fashion trickery. Each line of dialogue is so filled with purpose and meaning that you could dive into this series – and indeed this single book – and find as many literary elements as any book studied in a high school English class. Books of this caliber are few and far between, and the majority of popular YA fantasy fiction that is written nowadays as a response to current trends cannot hold a candle to perhaps less popular but higher quality books like <i>The Thief. </i>Back in 1996 it was published without much fanfare but nevertheless holds a loyal niche following. If you have not yet discovered this book, you are in for quite a treasure, and I don’t think anyone can call themselves a connoisseur of YA fantasy fiction without having read <i>The Thief.</i> </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">visit the author's website: <a href="http://meganwhalenturner.org/index.html">http://meganwhalenturner.org/index.html</a></div>BChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-58257008714987906642010-09-27T09:00:00.001-04:002010-09-27T09:00:04.862-04:00Review: The Merchant of Death<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TJ_NAFWhFBI/AAAAAAAAAGk/AN_OdVaUtgA/s1600/draft_lens1536383module15031602photo_1234195601pendragon-book-one-the-merchant-of-death.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TJ_NAFWhFBI/AAAAAAAAAGk/AN_OdVaUtgA/s400/draft_lens1536383module15031602photo_1234195601pendragon-book-one-the-merchant-of-death.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><b>The Merchant of Death by D.J. McHale</b><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
Published:</span><span style="font-size: small;"> September 1st 2002 by Aladdin</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Word Count: </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">117,136</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: Verdana;" />Series: Pendragon, book one<br />
Source: audiobook</span><br />
<br />
My Grade: A<br />
<br />
Synopsis from GoodReads:<span class="reviewText"> <i>Bobby Pendragon is a seemingly normal fourteen-year-old boy. He has a family, a home, and even Marley, his beloved dog. But there is something very special about Bobby. </i></span><br />
<br />
<i><span class="reviewText">He is going to save the world. </span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span class="reviewText">And not just Earth as we know it. Bobby is slowly starting to realize that life in the cosmos isn't quite what he thought it was. And before he can object, he is swept off to an alternate dimension known as Denduron, a territory inhabited by strange beings, ruled by a magical tyrant, and plagued by dangerous revolution. </span></i><br />
<i><span class="reviewText"> If Bobby wants to see his family again, he's going to have to accept his role as savior, and accept it wholeheartedly. Because, as he is about to discover, Denduron is only the beginning....</span></i><br />
<br />
This book is great. The premise is unique. The action is compelling while not over-whelming. The storytelling gives you just enough to leave you craving more at each turn. However, this book was written for Middle Grade boys. And as most of you book bloggers out there are not Middle Grade boys, it may not appeal. But for it's target audience I think it was spot on.<br />
<br />
The book is told through long letters Bobby writes to his friends. The letter idea works where you'd think it wouldn't. The large chunks of Bobby's first person narrative that switch to Mark and Courtney's third person when they are not reading Bobby's letters actually gives the reader a refreshing change once in a while. It's not distracting because McHale makes it clear that this is Bobby's story, so the parts with Mark and Courtney do not threaten that or bore us by taking us away from the main storyline.<br />
<br />
I liked Bobby's character. He felt very real, like how an actual kid would reaction to the situations he was in. McHale does a great job of giving Bobby a very specific and age-appropriate voice. And I would think he would be good at this, seeeing as how McHale was a screenwriter for such TV shows as <i>Are You Afraid of the Dark? </i>and <i>Ghostwritter</i> (among a ton of other things) both of which I absolutely adored as a kid.<br />
<br />
I wonder at the name "Press." At first I thought it might be short for something more revealing that would later tell us something about Bobby's mysterious uncle, but that never happened.<br />
<br />
A few issues I had with it:<br />
<br />
When you see the name "Pendragon" sprawled across the cover of a book in big block letters, what do you immediately think of? I don't know about you, but I think of Arthur Pendragon, Camelot, Merlin, Guinevere, Lancelot, etc. This book, however, had nothing to do with Arthurian legends and that put a big of a sour taste in my mouth. Yes, I know, authors use names from other literary works or from folklore as an allusion to characteristics that name invokes, but the Pendragon name is so unique and so iconic (at least to me) that it is just not believable as anyone else's name. I don't care if your story is amazing enough to be able to support the weight that name holds. But maybe McHale thought using the name was a clever allegory to the fact that Bobby, like Arthur, was a wimpy little boy plucked from seeming obscurity to rescue a whole nation of people. But even<i> I</i> think I'm stretching a bit to make this comparison work, so I don't think that was the case. So sorry, but I think it's a bit presumptuous to use a name like Pendragon and not even acknowledge it's prestigious origins.<br />
<br />
There were alot of unanswered questions at the end of this book, and alot that was simply not explained about the nature of travelers, their skills, their origins, their purpose, etc. Also, the "Earth" Bobby and his friends live on is referred to as "Second Earth" throughout the book. I'd liked to have discovered what the deal with that was, and even Bobby wonders what happened to "First Earth." But I as this series has ten books in it, I suppose the author couldn't give away everything in the first book.<br />
<br />
If I was a twelve year old boy, I would definitely be excited to read the rest of the books in this series, and I just might recommend it to some young men I know...<br />
<br />
Find it on Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Merchant-Death-Pendragon-1/dp/0743437314?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Merchant of Death (Pendragon Series #1)</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0743437314" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
Visit the author's website: <a href="http://djmachalebooks.com/">http://djmachalebooks.com/</a>BChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-71771298334663048082010-09-24T12:23:00.000-04:002010-09-24T12:23:02.229-04:00Book Blogger Hop!<div style="text-align: center;">Book Blogger Hop is hosted by <a href="http://www.crazy-for-books.com/">Crazy-for-Books.</a> </div><div style="text-align: center;">Click the button below for rules on how to participate in this fun Book Party! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.crazy-for-books.com/"><img alt="Book Blogger Hop" height="150" src="http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/tt34/crazybookblog/cfbmemebutton-2.png" width="150" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This week's question is: </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">When you write reviews, do you write them as you are reading or wait until you have read the entire book?</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">My answer:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'm inconsistent - I know, shameful. Sometimes I wait til I'm done reading, sometimes I jot down thoughts while I'm reading because I'm afraid I'll forget it by the end, especially if the thought has something to do with the beginning. Another thing I do is write down questions about what will happen, or comments on what I think is going to happen. That way I sort of have a 'journal' of my journey through the book, and it gives me a perspective on how I might have seen the book differently in the beginning as opposed to when I've finished it. So for the most part, I write the review as I'm reading.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></b></span></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>BChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-17256334337139935002010-09-23T11:36:00.000-04:002010-09-23T11:36:05.690-04:00Review: The Sorcerer of Sainte Felice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TJtyRvX8v4I/AAAAAAAAAGc/eAZ3wtb5nAI/s1600/sorcerer_of_sainte_felice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TJtyRvX8v4I/AAAAAAAAAGc/eAZ3wtb5nAI/s400/sorcerer_of_sainte_felice.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><b>The Sorcerer of Sainte Felice by Ann Finnin</b><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Published: June 1st 2010 by Flux </span><span style="font-size: small;">Word Count:</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"> 89,175</span><br />
Series: n/a<br />
Source: library paperback</span><br />
<br />
My Grade: B+<br />
<br />
Synopsis from the paperback back cover: <i><span class="reviewText" id="r_t8">Condemned to death by the Holy Office for sorcery, fifteen-year-old <span class="reviewText" id="yei7">Michael de Lorraine </span>is rescued from the flames by Abbot Francis and granted refuge at the </span><span class="reviewText" id="r_t8">Sainte Felice, a </span></i><span class="reviewText" id="r_t8"><i>Benedictine monastery in fifteenth-century France. Michael learns that this strange and wonderful place, famous for its healing wine, harbors renegade monk-sorcerers, enchanted gargoyles, and a closely guarded secret that could spell violent death for the Abbot.<br />
<br />
As the church intensifies its cruel pursuit of Micheal, Abbot Francis and the wizard monks find themselves grave danger. Michael will do anything to protect his mentor, but are his own magical powers great enough to save the monastery from the merciless, bloodthirsty Inquisition? </i><br />
<br />
As urban fantasy is the the craze right now, I think some young readers may see a book about a fifteenth century monastery as backwards and out of touch. As a reader I think you really have to be able to appreciate the historical period in this book to find it interesting, so it may not be for everyone. But for what it was, I enjoyed it. And I think I might have enjoyed it even more if I had read it when I was younger.</span><br />
<br />
The blurb on the back cover of this paperback made me think that the monks at this monastery had found a way to amalgamate the Christian faith and belief in the teachings of the Bible with the magical arts like astrology and medicinal herbs and the like. However, once I started to read, it sounded at first like the monastery was simply a cover for the 'monks' to practice their sorcery unhindered. However at the same time, Abbott Francis says he is truly a monk and that the vows he took mean something. But the confirmation that the monks truly did believe in God and prayer didn't come until late in the book when the reserved Brother John speaks up:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>"John turned on all of us with a rare flash of anger in his pale eyes. "Have our hearts become so hardened and so cynical that we so totally discount the power of prayer?" he demanded. "If so, then we are no better than the pompous and hypocritical Church from which we have fled. Which one of us, in his darkest hour, did not raise his voice to heaven and have it answered by the hand of the Almighty, leading us to this door? And now we dare to look down our monkish noses at the sincere prayers of the townspeople who want not their own succor but that of our abbot? We ought to be ashamed.""</i></span> </span>p. 266<br />
<br />
There is significant discussion about the difference between a saint and a sorcerer. Is Abbott Francis one or the other? He certainly started out as a sorcerer, but through his genuine concern and charity for the people of Sainte Felice, has he indeed become a Saint while still practicing magic? Can he be both? I think the point is that it all depends on how you look at it. The term Sacred Magician is also mentioned a few times, and while this title is not fully explained, I think it supposed to encompass both sorcerer and saint.<br />
<br />
Michael sums up the happy coexistence of magic and spirituality when he comes to a realization about Abbot Francis here:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>"I realized then why they revered him so. It was not just the bleeding statues or the vision of angels. He lifted their spirits and offered them hope for a better life in this world, not just salvation in the next. He had cast a magical spell on them, but it was a spell of comfort and love that enveloped all the bodies packed like herring into the tiny stone church, a spell like a blazing fire warming the hearts and souls of all those who had ventured forth on this bitterly cold midwinter's morning. I found that I too was moved."</i> </span>p. 252 <br />
<br />
I really like that.<br />
<br />
This book comes full circle from Michael being burned at the stake to Francis being brought to the pyre. I appreciate the symmetry of that.<br />
<br />
<br />
What I didn't like:<br />
<br />
Micheal calls the pious townsfolk superstitious on more than one occasion, and I think it's a bit modern for Michael to think of the Christian faith as superstitious nonsense. Absolutely everyone was influenced by the Church back then, and even if he had an aversion to the establishment, I don't think he would have simply swept the whole religion aside as superstition.<br />
<br />
After the initial exciting scene that draws you into the book, the story progresses slowly and a bit monotonously for a while. But I suppose it's hard to keep the action up when the setting of your book is a serene monetary. Mealtimes are the markers by which she measures all events that take place, and in fact much of the book takes place at supper and dinner, as that is where the monks primary dialogue lies for the first two-thirds of the book - and the endless and repetitive manner of these mealtimes makes the days seem like they are in an endless loop. I think this also contributes to the strange sense of pacing. The conflict that serves as the climax for the book is not introduced until page 290, and up to that point the pacing is very slow.<br />
<br />
This book really hits it's stride in the last third when the conflict that leads to the climax is introduced. This part is so much better than the rest of the book that I would guess Finnin wrote this first, and filled in the rest later with less skilled storytelling. The Cardinal's visit to the monastery especially stood out as feeling labored and filled with unnecessary detail.<br />
<div> </div><div>I've never heard of Flux publishing before, and maybe this is just a fluke, but there are so many typos and mistakes in the text that it does not even seem like it had a final edit before going to press. Dropped prepositions, doubled pronouns and mismatched tense are common throughout the book. These mistakes are prevalent enough to be distracting, but what's worse, is fumbled key plot-points. For example, when the monks perform their first magical summoning in the Tabernacle, they invoke the spirits of the four elements - Air, Fire, Water and Earth - to protect them from evil. But the typo fudges up part of the explanation, listing air twice and earth none. That's a big boo-boo. <br />
<br />
Overall I liked it, (even though I know I sound very critical!) but I wanted to delve more into the meat and potatoes of this book: the magic. I wanted more of Antonin's astrology, more of Francis's sorcery past and secrets of the grimoire, more explanation as to why the wine has miraculous healing properties. Just more. There was too much hum-drum and not enough titillating tidbits that would make me want to devour this book.<br />
<br />
Get it on Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sorcerer-Sainte-Felice-Ann-Finnin/dp/0738720704?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Sorcerer of Sainte Felice</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0738720704" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
Visit the author's website: <a href="http://www.fluxnow.com/author.php?author_id=4934">http://www.fluxnow.com/author.php?author_id=4934</a></div>BChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-12927115911390407732010-09-16T16:45:00.002-04:002010-09-26T18:51:14.137-04:00Book Blogger Appreciation Week<div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.bookbloggerappreciationweek.com/" target="new"><img src="http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg290/thefriendlybooknook/bbaw-button2010_med.jpg" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">So I'm a little late for this, but there are still three days left in the week so it's still worth it!</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks to Amy et al from the </span><a href="http://bookbloggerappreciationweek.com/index.php/site/about/" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Book Blogger Appreciation Week</a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> blog for creating this event!</span></span></div>BChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-81248958215054871622010-09-12T09:00:00.001-04:002010-09-12T09:00:04.267-04:00Remember When.... meme<b><span style="color: #c0004e; font-family: "Edwardian Script ITC"; font-size: 28pt; line-height: 115%;">Remember When….</span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is a new occasionally occurring meme I am starting because of my love of nostalgia. Feel free to play along if you like, just leave a link to your "Remember When..." in the comments section.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</style> <![endif]--> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #c0004e; line-height: 115%;"></span></b>"Remember When..." will showcase a book that I read as a child or young teenager and remember fondly. I'm doing this to highlight some of the great older books out there that perhaps don't get the spotlight in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blogosphere">blogosphere</a> because they were written before it's advent. When most book blogs are reviewing and hyping the newest books on the market, which is great, I would like to take a moment every once in a while to look back on what shaped my reading interests.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> So, without further ado, here is my book selection:</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TIg0PFTJiWI/AAAAAAAAAFg/O5yZ6zaTyno/s1600/0440402832.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TIg0PFTJiWI/AAAAAAAAAFg/O5yZ6zaTyno/s320/0440402832.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg" width="216" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Door-Wall-Books-Young-Readers/dp/0440227798?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Door in the Wall</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0440227798" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></i> by Marguerite de Angeli</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What a great little book! I can't say that I remember the story line <i>well, </i>but I do remember it very <i>fondly,</i> and that's the point! For some reason I am drawn to books set in monasteries in Medieval times. I don't know why. The book I am currently reading, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sorcerer-Sainte-Felice-Ann-Finnin/dp/0738720704?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Sorcerer of Sainte Felice</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0738720704" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></i>, made me think of <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Door-Wall-Books-Young-Readers/dp/0440227798?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Door in the Wall</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0440227798" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></i> because of its similar setting. This is a gem of a book - check it out! </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>BChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-4444444102000064292010-09-10T14:26:00.001-04:002010-09-10T14:28:14.183-04:00Book Blogger Hop: Sept 10-13, 2010<div style="text-align: center;">Book Blogger Hop is hosted by <a href="http://www.crazy-for-books.com/">Crazy-for-Books.</a> </div><div style="text-align: center;">Click the link for rules on how to participate in this fun Book Party!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.crazy-for-books.com/"><img alt="Book Blogger Hop" height="150" src="http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/tt34/crazybookblog/cfbmemebutton-2.png" width="150" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This week's question is:</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Post a link to a favorite post or book review that you have written in the past three months.</span></div><br />
I am linking to my book review on <em><a href="http://afairysplayground.blogspot.com/2010/07/breath-by-donna-jo-napoli-published.html">Breath </a></em>by Donna Jo Napoli. It's the only book I've given an A+ to so far, and I think all this author's books are amazing! She mainly writes novels based on classic fairy tales like <em>Beauty and the Beast, Rapunzel, The Little Mermaid, </em>and more. Hope you like my review!BChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-72306621344496066412010-09-09T09:00:00.001-04:002010-09-09T09:00:02.440-04:00Review: Hush, Hush<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TIgtI1SusyI/AAAAAAAAAFY/tNCx2RWrbZQ/s1600/hush-hush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TIgtI1SusyI/AAAAAAAAAFY/tNCx2RWrbZQ/s400/hush-hush.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><b><i>Hush, Hush</i> by Becca Fitzpatrick<br />
</b><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Published:</span> October 13th 2009 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing </span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Word Count:</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">85,363</span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br />
Series: n/a</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Source: library book, hardcover</span></span><br />
<br />
My Grade: A-<br />
<br />
Synopsis from GoodReads: <i><span class="reviewText" id="c9-s">For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her...until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment, but after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel. For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life. </span></i><br />
<b><br />
</b>I love the prologue in this book. Very mysterious and intriguing. It hooks you immediately by virtue of it's historical time period, the enigmatic figure involved, and the oath sworn that leaves the reader wondering how it will play into the main thread of the novel.<br />
<br />
The opening chapter, however, is another matter. The excitement I received from the short prologue fizzled as I started on chapter one. First off, the setting is a high school biology lesson on the reproductive system. Yawn. Can't authors come up with something a bit different from the worn out 'sex lesson' gag? I mean, come on, it's been done a million times. But, maybe if you're a budding teenager and haven't read a ton of books, this will be a new subject for you. So fine, but it seems worn out to me.<br />
<br />
I'm not sure how I feel about this title. It's sort of like <i>Twilight</i> (again) in the sense that it doesn't have anything to do with the book, and just sounds enticing to draw readers in. And I don't normally comment of cover art but man, what a photo! I've seen a lot of bloggers write they picked up this book for the cover alone, and with this one, I really can't blame them.<br />
<br />
I really like the relationship between Nora and Vee. It felt like a realistic teenager friendship between two girls. They got pissed at each other, they had each other's backs, they fought about things and they joked about things. However, I would just like to know what sort of name Vee Sky is. Frankly, it sounds kind of like a hooker name. Just sayin'. But another reason why I liked this relationship is because Nora's best friend is a GIRL! Too many YA books I've read lately feature a female protagonist with a male best friend. And honestly how common is that? Not very. So thank you, Ms. Fitzpatrick, for writing this relationship into your book.<br />
<br />
I liked the twist at the end. I could see it coming, but not in the exact form it took, so that was nice. But I also feel like it was over too soon and I didn't get enough back-story to feel satisfied with this ending. I hope there will be more back-story in the sequel, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crescendo-Becca-Fitzpatrick/dp/1416989439?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Crescendo</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1416989439" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, </i>as it's one of my favorite parts of a story and I would like to see more of Patch's history. <br />
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The main thread of the mythology tying this book together - concerning the Book of Enoch, what happened to other Fallen Angels, etc. - was a bit confusing to me and it made me uncertain of Patch's motives. I think this is because he is debating between two paths he can take and it is unclear at points if he has chosen one path over the other or if he is still considering what to do. I can't explain it much more than that without totally giving everything away. But lets just say the hotel room scene was a little confusing. I had to go back and read the flashback scene with Dabria's 'real' introduction to really understand what was going on, and even then I wasn't sure until later.<br />
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Patch was channeling Edward Cullen here. The way he guides Nora through murky waters of concealment, giving her just enough to keep her chomping at the bit. Also the way he almost commands her to do or not do certain things, and she blindly obeys because of her infatuation with him. Oh, and also the fact that she is scared of him yet drawn to him at the same time. Totally <i>Twilight</i>. And of course girls love the bad boy. This is not a judgment, merely an observation.<br />
<br />
My favorite quote:<br />
<br />
<i>"You're impinging on my private space," I said, inching backward.<br />
<br />
Patch gave a barely-there smile. "Impinging? This isn't the SAT, Nora."</i> (p. 339)<br />
<br />
Love it! Mainly because I have gotten similar reactions when using uncommon words in regular speech, and also because I am currently studying for the GREs and trying to memorize loads of vocab words!<br />
<br />
Overall, it wasn't what I thought it was going to be, but I wasn't disappointed.<br />
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Find it on Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hush-Becca-Fitzpatrick/dp/1416989420?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Hush, Hush</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1416989420" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
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Visit the author's website: <a href="http://beccafitzpatrick.com/%20">http://beccafitzpatrick.com/ </a>BChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-8289383318134912862010-09-08T09:00:00.000-04:002010-09-08T09:00:09.217-04:00Review: Keturah and Lord Death<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TIbLRMs5_sI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/wWpg6_FBZ48/s1600/51JGP39HJDL._SL500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TIbLRMs5_sI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/wWpg6_FBZ48/s400/51JGP39HJDL._SL500_.jpg" width="288" /></a></div><b><i>Keturah and Lord Death</i> by Martine Leavitt</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Published: November 28th 2006 by Front Street Books</span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Word Count:</span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: geneva,arial,sans-serif; font-size: small;">51,513 </span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br />
Series: n/a<br />
Source: library audio book</span><b></b><br />
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</b>My Grade: A-<br />
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Synopsis from GoodReads: <i><span class="reviewText" id="wtd9">Martine Leavitt offers a spellbinding story, interweaving elements of classic fantasy and high romance. Keturah follows a legendary hart into the king's forest, where she becomes hopelessly lost. Her strength diminishes until, finally, she realizes that death is near. Little does she know that he is a young, handsome lord, melancholy and stern. Renowned for her storytelling, Keturah is able to charm Lord Death with a story and thereby gain a reprieve -- but only for twenty-four hours. She must find her one true love within that time, or all is lost. Keturah searches desperately while the village prepares for an unexpected visit from the king, and Keturah is thrust into a prominent role as mysterious happenings alarm her friends and neighbors. Lord Death's presence hovers over all until Keturah confronts him one last time in the harrowing climax.</span></i><br />
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I read this book on the recommendation of my cousin's friend, and I'm glad I did. I never would have heard of it otherwise!<br />
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This book reads like an old English fairy tale. It is beautiful in its innocence and quaintness. You really believe the protagonist, Keturah, is a sweet and naive sixteen-year-old girl from a small sheltered village in maybe the twelfth century. At first the setting may seem like the Middle Ages, but from the way the characters talk about their land as Angle Land, the easy belief in fairies and the superstitions of the townsfolk, it makes me think the time period is earlier. I love how the author creates a setting in which belief in fairy lore and superstitions is not only plausible, but downright palpable. The story is also redolent of <i>The Arabian Nights</i>, with Keturah forestalling death (literally) just as Scheherazade did, by telling him a story that breaks down his cold fearful exterior and makes him fall in love with her.<br />
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The summaries at the beginning of each chapter make me grin, because they are reminiscent of old novels written in the eighteenth century and probably before. For those of you unfamiliar with this style, they are a few short statements summarizing the events in the story that the chapter contains. Here is an example from the start of chapter four:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><i>"What happens when I test the charm's power -- I ask Cook for a lemon -- an unexpected visitor -- John Temslin says: "We are doomed."</i></div><br />
The summaries also hit their mark in their attempt to make us feel like we are reading an old story, as least they did for me. But maybe that's only because I was familiar with this practice from other old books I've read? I wonder what someone who had never come across this technique would think of it. <br />
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I've read some other reviews that say they don't like the ending. But honestly, what other ending could there be? I think the whole book would have seemed pointless if it had gone the other way, even though she accomplished what Lord Death asked of her. And speaking of Lord Death - what a unique take on this classic archetype! Making Death a young Lord, fearsome and apathetic, yet vulnerable and ultimately lonely puts new spin on the grim reaper figure. And thoughts of Hades taking Persephone as his bride inevitably come to mind.<br />
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The lemon theme ran quite prominently through the story, and I'm not aware of any lemon folklore or medicinal properties, but perhaps the lemon theme has a deeper meaning than I am able to see. Or perhaps it is just a story-telling tool. But in any case, I like how it highlighted how different this world is from ours. When lemons are a rare and privileged treat and even the manor's cook doesn't know what one looks like, you can clearly see the time period. In fact, the historical setting seemed almost to be a character itself, as a lot of the story only seems credible when the time period is taken into account.<br />
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This book, despite what it at first may appear considering the apparently morose subject matter, actually has many pieces of good, sound advice and also portrays a strong moral message. For example, Keturah's grandmother gives her a lesson it would be wise for most people to heed: <i>"Now I will tell you a true thing, child, and if you are wise, you will remember it. The soul, it longs for its mate as much as the body. Sad it is, that the body be greedier than the soul. But if you would be happy all your days, as I was with your grandfather, subdue the body and marry the soul. Look for a soul and heart love."</i> (disc 2 track 2)<br />
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What I didn't like:<br />
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I didn't like that Keturah had such a hard time finding her true love. Chalk it up to her innocent nature and sheltered life, I suppose, but the fact that it was John Temslin seemed to be staring her right in the face, and I just kept getting frustrated at her for not realizing it and not even considering that it could be him! I suppose it was necessary for her to have this revelation later in the story for pacing reasons, but I feel that this element could have been a bit less obvious.<br />
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I don't like this title, and I think the author could have come up with something more enticing. First of all, <i>Keturah.</i> I don't like it when made-up character or place names are in a title. (Example: <i>Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)</i> It's immediately foreign to the eye and therefore right from the get-go it's hard for the reader to connect with it. Secondly, <i>Lord Death. </i>The 'Lord' title could be construed as a figure to be worshiped (instead of the title for English gentry), especially when paired with 'Death.' Then you get the whole Satan worship connotation and it's just messy. So no, I don't like the title, sorry.<br />
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Overall, a sweet enchanting tale that has a lot of interesting things to say about the nature of love, death, and life.<br />
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Find it on Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Keturah-Lord-Death-Martine-Leavitt/dp/1932425292?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Keturah And Lord Death</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1932425292" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
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Visit the author's website: <a href="http://www.martineleavitt.com/"><span class="f">www.<b>martineleavitt</b>.com/</span></a>BChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06370748289765865473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319149860949656763.post-32754414720863402332010-09-07T14:28:00.000-04:002010-09-07T14:28:52.436-04:00Teaser Tuesday<div style="color: black;"><b>Teaser Tuesdays</b> is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of <a href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/2010/09/07/teaser-tuesdays-sept-7/"><i>Should Be Reading.</i></a> Anyone can play along! Just do the following: </div><ul style="color: black;"><li>Grab your current read </li>
<li>Open to a random page </li>
<li>Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page</li>
<li><b>BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!</b> (<i>make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!</i>)</li>
<li>Share the <b>title & author</b>, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!</li>
</ul><div style="color: black;">My Teasers:</div><div style="color: black;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TIZpOahD6TI/AAAAAAAAAFI/tto6UCuRC-4/s1600/sorcerer_of_sainte_felice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XEJpK05dlGw/TIZpOahD6TI/AAAAAAAAAFI/tto6UCuRC-4/s200/sorcerer_of_sainte_felice.jpg" width="130" /></a></div><div style="color: black;"> <i>We stood in silence, cowls thrown over our faces and hands tucked into our sleeves, as we began the ritual. I trembled with excitement at the commencement of my first real magical operation. This was precisely what I had taken my vows to God for, and God was honoring His side of the bargain.</i></div><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black;"> ~ <i> p. 143</i> <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sorcerer-Sainte-Felice-Ann-Finnin/dp/0738720704?ie=UTF8&tag=afaispla-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"> The Sorcerer of Sainte Felice</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=afaispla-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0738720704" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Ann Finnin</i> </div><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black;">I just started this, but what a passage to happen across! I look forward to reading this and I hope this sparks your interest as well.</div><div style="color: black;"><br />
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