The Chemical Garden Trilogy

Wither 

(Book 1 of the Chemical Garden Trilogy) 

by Lauren DeStefano 

★★★★ 

Dystopian YA trilogy, there are so many of them!!! After a while they all blur together and honestly this one falls somewhere in the middle of the pack. After reading quite a few heavy books I was in the mood for something quick and fun and this one worked well. 

The first book in the series sucks you in from the first page. Rhine, a teenager with wild hair and different colored eyes, is kidnapped from Manhattan where she lived with her twin brother Rowan. She, along with two other girls, is taken to become a child bride to a rich man, Linden. Even though she’s only 16-years-old, this practice is completely normal in the twisted society the world has become. 

Decades earlier geneticists found a cure for cancer, but in doing so they destroyed the human race. The “cured” generation seems almost immortal, but their children only live to be 20 if they are female and 25 if they are male. The world has been like this for years and the ensuing chaos and overwhelming number of orphans is heartbreaking. 

The two other brides, the aloof Jenna and ditzy Cecily live with Rhine in a mansion that’s more prison than paradise. As Rhine plans her escape she tries to understand the world around her. Although it seems almost harmless on the surface, her father-in-law, Vaughn, runs a darker world behind the scenes in the mansion. An attendant named Gabriel provides a source of comfort in the midst of her loneliness.

Fever 

by Lauren DeStefano 

★★☆ 

Fever picks up right where Wither drops off. Gabriel and Rhine are on the run. They find themselves at a macabre carnival full of things to fear. It felt like a filler book to me. The new characters made more sense after reading the third book, but at the time many of them feel random and over-the-top. I also felt like Rhine and Gabriel’s relationship was always tenuous at best. Fever made me feel even less invested in it somehow. I felt like the whole book could have been a few extra chapters at the end of Wither and the beginning of Sever. 

Sever 

by Lauren DeStefano

★★★☆ 

This final installment dug into the meat of the history of this dystopia. Up to this point DeStefano has only ever hinted at the research that was being done to find a cure. In Sever she is able to fully explore the history of Rhine’s parents, the virus and even Linden and his father’s relationship. I loved having the chance to learn about the background of the characters. We also got the chance to see main characters, like Linden, deepen and show more layers. Cecily was such an insipid, annoying girl in the first two books, but in Sever she becomes a strong woman who stands up for herself and her family. 

For the first time I final cared about Linden, who waffled through the first two books, skimming the surface but rarely leaving a lasting impact. Seeing both Vaughn and Linden’s motivations lent a much-needed sympathy to the characters. I loved Reed, Vaughn’s prickly brother. I felt like Sever did so much to flesh out the characters. I was frustrated at times with Rhine’s passive nature. It seemed like she kept waiting for someone else to take action. She was along for the ride instead of fighting for what she wanted. She would hold her tongue in situations where it seemed vital that she explain why she was doing what she was doing. 

BOTTOM LINE: The trilogy was just what I wanted, fast reads with enthralling plots. There are definitely pieces that feel like they come straight from another dystopian trilogy, like the constant primping of the girls by attendants (Hunger Games) or the brother who becomes a supporter of the villains’ plans (Divergent), but overall I was entertained. I didn’t like them enough to ever re-read them. The characters were often too wooden, the plot too predictable, but they are great for a reading break when you need one. 

“I didn’t dare touch her. Loss is a knowledge I’m sorry to have. Perhaps the only thing worse than experiencing it is watching it reply anew in someone else – all its awful stages picking up like a chorus that has to be sung.”

The Witch of Blackbird Pond

The Witch of Blackbird Pond

by Elizabeth George Speare

★★★★★

 

This young adult historical fiction novel is a well-loved favorite for many, but I somehow missed it when I was young. Kit is an orphaned girl who travels from her home in Barbados to Connecticut in 1687. She moves in with her aunt and uncle, but her strong-willed nature makes the adjustment to their Puritan way of life difficult. Her arrival brings her to New England in the midst of the Salem witch trials, when the slightest variation from normal meant you might be accused of being a witch.

 

Kit meets and befriends Hannah, an older woman who is outcast from the local society. She’s also being courted by the small community’s eligible bachelor and she gets to know Nat, the son of a local sailor. There is a great reference to Shakespeare's Tempest, which was awesome.

 

I loved this story and I badly wish I’d read this one when I was young. It’s the exact kind of book I thrived on when I was in about fourth grade. It reminds me so much of “The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle,” one of my favorites at that age. It’s a wonderful blend of history and a great story.

 

BOTTOM LINE: A great story with pieces of history and life lessons tossed in for good measure. This one is definitely going on the shelf to be shared with others in the future.

Mini Reviews: Whale Rider, Here and Now and Cinder

 
Whale Rider
by Witi Ihimaera
★★★
 
I was interested in this one because I’ve been wanting to read more books set in New Zealand and Australia before I travel there later this year. This fictional story introduces us to Kahu, the 8-year-old granddaughter of the Maori chief Koro. She is a disappointment to Koro because only sons can carry on the honored tradition of being a Maori whale rider. Despite Kahu’s clear connection with the whales, her grandfather never sees her for who she is.
 
BOTTOM LINE: The short novel doesn’t give readers long to get to know the characters and perhaps that was why I didn’t love it. I definitely liked learning more about the Maori culture and reading more about the myths in their culture. It’s also a great story for young girls to read. It encourages them to embrace who they are, even if society tells them they aren’t worthy of their male counterparts. I would highly recommend the film version as well, it’s wonderful!
 

The Here and Now

by Ann Brashares

★★☆

 

The latest in a string of YA dystopian books comes from the author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Prenna is part of a time traveling group that’s returned to the past to help save their future. The story is one part “When You Reach Me” and one part “Twelve Monkeys.”

 

Ethan is a “time native” who meets Prenna after she has traveled to the past. The two have an undeniable connection even though she does everything she can to keep her distance and obey the rules of her group.

 

The book definitely has a message it’s trying to get across and it’s not very subtle about it. To the point where it felt more like a PSA then a novel at times it felt like a PSA. We’re all ruining the planet and soon the mosquitos will kill us all. Lest you think I’m exaggerating:

 

“We also wrecked the planets her own habitation and the mosquito will win. And less we succeed in changing of course, it will win.”

 

BOTTOM LINE: Outside of an overarching environmental message the book felt very forgettable. Only days after finishing it I’m having trouble remembering characters’ names and plot points. Another is a long line of YA books that don’t leave a deep mark.

 

“Sometimes I only hear what we don’t say. I only think the things I shouldn’t think and I remember what I should forget. I hear the ghosts in this room, all the people we lost in our old life who are crying out to be remembered.”

 

"No matter how our hearts break, we bend toward life, don't we. We bend toward hope."

 

Cinder

by Marissa Meyer

★★★

This is the first books in the Lunar Chronicles, an incredibly successful series. Cinder is a cyborg in this retelling of Cinderella. Some of the classic elements remain the same, there’s an evil stepmother and a handsome prince, but many things have changed. Cinder is a talented mechanic with a strong personality and dreams of her own. I loved all of those aspects of the book.

 

My problem was that I knew most of the major plot points in the first 10% of the book (read it on my kindle.) I remember reading one line and thinking, well obviously this is what's going to happen and then in the final few pages that was the big “twist.” It wouldn’t have bothered me so much if they hadn’t made that a huge reveal at the end. I felt like I didn’t even need to read the remaining 90% of the book at that point.

 

BOTTOM LINE: It’s a quick read and an interesting one. The predictability let me down, but I definitely give it points for being an original version of a well-known story. I haven’t decided if I’ll read the next book yet.

An Abundance of Katherines

An Abundance of Katherines

by John Green

★★★★

Colin is a child prodigy, or at least a very smart kid with a lot of potential. He’s brilliant with language, but struggles with simple social skills. He’s a misanthrope, never convinced he’s truly happy or loved and never quite able to fit in and make friends. He has dated 19 girls in his short life, all named Katherine, all of which dumped him. The first was in third-grade and the last dumped him on the day they both graduated from high school.

In an effort to knock himself out of his dumpee-induced depression Colin’s best friend Hassan decides to take him on an impromptu road trip from Chicago down to Tennessee. Hassan reminded me a lot of Tiny Cooper, from Green’s co-authored book Will Grayson, Will Grayson. He’s bigger than life, a hilarious and good friend to have. The two besties have a great repartee and the odd balls they meet along the way are great small town characters.

Katherines is the most gimmicky of Green’s books, relying heavily on a combination of footnotes, anagrams, mathematical equations and graphs as part of the story. These elements were distracting most of the time and I think the book might have been better served if he’d only used one of two of them. It’s also packed with random trivia, which I enjoyed. This is the last of Green’s novels that I hadn’t read. It’s not my favorite, but I still love his conversational, intelligent writing style.

BOTTOM LINE: My least favorite of Green’s novels, but still really enjoyable. It was a bit too heavy on the gimmicks for my tastes, but the characters themselves still rang true. It’s a quick fun read, but don’t miss his other work! I’ll definitely be reading whatever he writes because in my opinion each of his books has been a step up from the last.

The Prince of Mist

The Prince of Mist
by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
★★★☆

I’m a huge fan of Zafon’s work. I’ve read and loved The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel’s Game, so picking up this young adult book was a no-brainer. It’s a wonderfully creepy ghost story. Even though I liked it, I know it won’t stay with me in the same way his other books have.

It’s the first book Zafon ever had published and it does feel like a first novel. His writing has certainly improved over time, which is wonderful, but because of that, it doesn’t have the same depth as his other books. I couldn’t sink my teeth into it in the same way, but it was meant for a much younger audience. It reminded me in parts of Gaiman’s Coraline and of The Dark is Rising series and I think it would be the perfect introduction to Zafon’s work for a 10-12 year-old.

On the audio, the performer was great, but the sound effects were incredibly distracting. I think a younger audience might enjoy them, but I wasn’t a fan. There’s music throughout and there’s odd extra noises. When it says someone screams, they play a scream, or when a door creaks in the text, you hear it creaking, etc. I didn’t need that additional drama and it sounded cheesy. So maybe with this one, skip the audio and grab a print version.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
by J.K. Rowling
★★★★☆

**If you haven’t read this book, just skip this review. I tried to avoid spoilers, but there is just too much to talk about.**

The fifth installment of the Harry Potter series gets a lot of flack. Harry whines too much, it’s too long, too much Quidditch, Hagrid and Dumbledore are almost completely absent from the first 2/3 of the book, etc. I don’t disagree with these assessments and it’s always been one of my least favorite books of the series, (my least favorite HP novel is still one of my favorite books).

However, while re-reading it this month I’ve developed a real appreciation for Rowling’s portrayal of women. Clover’s post at Fluttering Butterflies had me thinking about the great female characters in Harry Potter and I feel like the Order of the Phoenix is the pinnacle example of this.

Not only do we have favorite characters like the brilliant Hermione, who’s wonderful in every book, but we meet many of the best women for the first time. Both Luna Lovegood, so wonderfully comfortable in her own skin, and Tonks, a young auror, equal parts friendly and clumsy, are newcomers in this novel. We also get to know Mrs. Weasley better. We learn how much she both cares for and fears for her family. She is fiercely protective of her loved ones.

Professor McGonagall is also an under-appreciated character. She has a steely reserve, and although she sometimes seems cold, she really loves the school and her students. Her undying loyalty to Dumbledore, in the harshest of circumstances, is inspiring. I loved how she stood up to Umbridge and told Harry she would help him become an auror if that’s what he wanted. She’s just wonderful.

We get to know Ginny better in this book as well. Instead of simply being the youngest Weasley and Ron’s little sister, she’s part of the story. She trains in Dumbledore’s Army and goes with the group to the Ministry of Magic in the end. She’s also protective of her friends, defending both Neville and Luna during this book.

Then there are the deliciously dark villains. We meet Bellatrix LeStrange, Voldemort’s devoted follower and Professor Umbridge, a sickly sweet atrocity, who believes the ends will always justify the means.

One thing I hadn’t thought about last time I read the series is Lupin’s loses. His three closet friends are all taken from him, first James, then Peter (so he thinks), and finally Sirius is taken to prison. Then he realizes Sirius is innocent and he gets him back, only to lose him again. Lupin is already a social outcast because he’s a werewolf. He finds three people who accept him for who he is, but ends up alone anyway. His life is one of the most tragic in the series and I’ve always had a soft spot for him.

A few things I'd forgotten about the fifth book: 



1) Mrs. Weasley’s greatest fear, when she’s trying to get rid of a boggart, is seeing her family members die. It’s heartbreaking to read that section and know who lives and dies in the final book.

2) We meet Dumbledore’s brother Aberforth for the first time. We don’t know who he is yet, but he’s mentioned as the barman at the Hog’s Head, “He was tall and thin and looked vaguely familiar.”

3) When a boy tries to go up the stairs to the girl’s dormitory they turn into a slide.

4) Dobby is the one who warns Harry that Umbridge is about to break into the D.A. meeting, proving once again what a loyal friend he is.

One hilarious line… "Enough – effing – owls –” Uncle Vernon.


Read for the Harry Potter Challenge hosted here.

Inkdeath

Inkdeath (Book 3)
by Cornelia Funke
★★★★

** There are NO spoilers of Inkdeath, but I’m assuming you’ve read the first 2 books in the series.

This is the final book in the Inkheart trilogy. This book’s title was particularly fitting because this installments deals with the thin line between life and death within the fictional Inkworld. In the first two novels Meggie and her parents, Resa and Mo (Bluejay) are introduced to and then transported into a book, Inkheart, and must live in the land of Umbra, created by the author, Fenoglio, who is also stranded within the book.

The world their trapped in is a mess. The evil Adderhead and his brother-in-law, the Milksop, are still terrorizing all of Umbra. The local children are in danger and all Resa wants is to return to the “real” world with Mo and Meggie.

Fenoglio has grown leery of his power as an author and refuses to write anything else. Orpheus, on the other hand, is exploiting his writing ability. He is adding to and changing Fenoglio’s world for his own gain.

I really missed Dustfinger in this story. He’s taken away by the white women at the end of Book 2 and his faithful friend Farid is still trying to find a way to bring him back from the dead. I wish we’d had more from the fire eater in this final book.

I loved this trilogy as a whole. It’s not really for kids, but I think it’s appropriate for young adult and older. Funke does a wonderful job exploring the question of fate vs. predestination and reality vs. fiction. Imagine being able to live within the worlds of your favorite books, what an amazing premise! Then imagine the problems that you could cause by disturbing those worlds and how your presence might alter the story lines. There are elements that reminded me of Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series.

I would highly recommend Inkheart and then, if you really love that one, read the rest of the trilogy. The final book isn’t the best of the lot, but it gives a satisfying conclusion to the series and gives readers closure for their favorite characters.

The Penultimate Peril

** There are no spoilers of Book 12, but this review assumes you’ve read the first 11 books in the series.

The Penultimate Peril (Book 12)
by Lemony Snicket
★★★☆

The word Penultimate is defined as “The second to last in a series or sequence.” What a fantastic word to use in the title of this, the second to last book in the Series of Unfortunate Events.

Kit Snicket (fictional author, Lemony’s sister) takes the Baudelaire orphans, Sunny, Violet and Klaus, to the Hotel Denouement, where the mysterious VFD will be meeting in a few days. The siblings must disguise themselves as concierges to find out more information about the society. Along the way they run into almost every villain or friend they have met along the way in the first 11 books, though the Quagmire triplets were no where to be seen. The hotel is cleverly organized by using the Dewey Decimal system, which I loved.

The series is finally coming together and we are able to see what role the characters have played in the wider saga. Everyone has to pick their final side, good or evil, and a few decisions are surprising.

I am desperately hoping that Snicket can pull off an ending that makes the whole series worth while. I’m sure my expectations are pretty high at this point, but when you leave so many questions unanswered for 12 books, your readers are going to expect you to explain everything I the final book. I know that I’ll be really disappointed if things are left open-ended.

Fingers crossed.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares
by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
★★★★☆

Last year I read and really enjoyed “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” by the same two authors. So when everyone and their brother started reviewing this one around the blogosphere I had to check it out.

Dash is wandering around The Strand (awesome NYC bookstore) when he finds a red notebook filled with instructions. The notebook is written by Lily and though they’ve never met before, they begin corresponding and daring each other to do things.

I loved the story and the rapid-fire dialogue and snarky comments. It’s a fun, quick read and I’m officially a fan of Levithan’s writing.

There’s one particularly funny exchange between Dash and Lily’s aunt about what kind of tea is best. It was moments like those, where Levithan’s wit shines the most. Here’s Dash’s comment about green tea…

“You can’t be serious. Because you know when a cow chews grass? Well, green tea tastes like French-kissing that cow after it’s done chewing all that grass.”

I definitely enjoyed Dash’s sections more than Lily’s, because I think I just connected more with his character. Lily is much more sensitive and fragile, almost childlike in her expectations and ability to control emotion. Dash on the other hand, is cynical and pessimistic.

I did have one complaint, though it may sound petty. In one of Lily’s section (p. 77) she makes a reference to someone who is dressed like Hermione Potter. Obviously she meant to say Hermione Granger, but still it irritated me.

“I preferred to hangout with the dead, dying or desperate books – used we call them, in a way that we’d never call a person, unless we meant it cruelly.”

“I figured being a bed salesman was a job of biblically bad paradox. I mean, here he was forced to stand for 8 or 9 hours a day, and the whole time he’s surrounded by beds.”

“Children frighten me. I mean I appreciate them on a cute aesthetic level, but they’re very demanding and unreasonable creatures and often smell funny.”

Greenwitch

Greenwitch
by Susan Cooper
★★★★☆

This is the third book in the Dark is Rising series. It introduces thesiblings from the first book (Over Sea, Under Stone), Barney, Simon and Jane, to the main character from the second book (The Dark is Rising), Will Stanton. I loved watching them meet and seeing the series begin to flesh out. The first two books seemed so disconnected to me and this one really brought it all together.

The kids are all around the same age, (except Barney, the youngest), but as we learned in The Dark is Rising, Will is actually the last of the Old Ones. His character must maintain a delicate balance of appearing to be a normal kid, while at the same time working with the other Old Ones to keep the Dark from rising. I loved his sweet interactions with Jane.

All around, this is my favorite book of the series so far. It wouldn’t be great as a stand alone, but as part of the series I’m now invested in all of the characters and I felt like this book gave me a chance to get to know them better. I especially loved the fact that Jane takes center stage in this book.

The Cornish setting doesn’t hurt either. I’m a sucker for anything dealing with the Arthurian myths and this series provides a great twist. As he was in the first two books, Merriman Lyon remains one of my favorite characters. He reminds me of Gandalf from LOTR. He’s wise and mysterious, while at the same time always providing a sense of security for his friends.

I will absolutely be reading the final two books of this series.

Book Reviews: The Grim Grotto

** There are no spoilers of Book 11, but this review assumes you’ve read the first 10 books in the series.

The Grim Grotto (Book 11)
By Lemony Snicket
★★★☆

I’ve been disappointed with the past few books in the Series of Unfortunate Events, but book 11 reminded me of why I liked it to begin with. After this one, there are only two more volumes left in the series, so I was happy to find that the Baudelaire orphans were making some headway in solving the mystery of VFD.

Sunny, Violet and Klaus meet Captain Widdershin and catch a ride on his submarine, the Queequeg. His step-daughter Fiona is both kind and knowledgeable and Klaus takes a particular liking to her. The novel is funny and clever, especially the first half. I found myself enjoying the book much more before Count Olaf made an appearence. His scenes tend to wear me out because they rarely vary.

Along the way we catch up with old characters and meet a few new ones. Fiona and her step-father are great additions to the series. We also get a few more answers and for the first time I felt like we were nearing a resolution.

Friday Favorites: Half Magic

Half Magic

by Edward Eager

★★★★★

It’s rare to stumble upon a book that makes you wish you were a kid again, just so you could read it for the first time while you were young. That’s exactly how I felt about Half Magic.

In the beginning the story is a simple tale of a magic charm which grants wishes in halves. By the end of the book Eager has captured a deeper essence of fear and pain that haunts not only children, but grown-ups as well. Even as adults we can baulk at life when we lose someone we love or must accept new circumstances we don’t enjoy.

The writing reminded me of Roald Dahl, which is the highest compliment I can give. The author portrays the kids so honestly. They were neither angels nor devils, they were just children. At times they were selfish or silly or scared, but all of those emotions rang true.

In one section (ch. 6) Eager describes the four categories that adults fall into when they are around children. It’s a brilliant description that’s both insightful and funny. Eager found that perfect balance of creating a wonderful story, while at the same time slipping in some life lessons.

Here’s a few great lines …

“All of the four children hated Charlie Chaplin, because he was the only thing grown-ups would ever take them to.”

“One of the least admirable things about people is the way they are afraid of whatever they don’t understand.”

Book Review: The Adoration of Jenna Fox a.k.a. I love dystopian novels

The Adoration of Jenna Fox
by Mary E. Pearson
★★★★

Jenna is a 17-year –old who wakes up after an 18 month coma. Slowly her memories begin to return and some disturbing truths are revealed. This dystopian novel deals mainly with science vs. ethics and is hard to put down.

I love dystopian novels. Some of my favorite books fall into this category. I love how truths of human nature are often revealed in these stories and the fact that they’re never very far from our current reality. Writing a book set in a future or parallel world gives the author the freedom to explore touchy issues in an abstract way.

In dystopian novels the line between good and bad is always blurred, it is an exploration of gray in a way that shows just how black and white things often are (if that makes any sense.) The bad guys always have a perfectly reasonable explanation for all the choices they’ve made. Sometimes they even make some convincing arguments, but then you remember what they’ve done and you’re horrified that you even considered siding with them for an instant.

*********SPOILERS FOR OTHER DYSTOPIAN BOOKS*********

For example, in Fahrenheit 451 they burn books, in The Giver they have forced euthanasia, in The Hunger Games it’s the slaughter of children for entertainment.

******SPOILER OVER*********

Though I was completely swept away by this book at first, it seemed to unravel a bit in the second half. I don’t think Pearson knew what point she was trying to make. It was like she was using the book as a platform to discuss the issue and in the first half she brought up some chilling points, then in the second half she seemed to just waffle back and forth on whether she thought it was right or wrong.

My favorite part of the whole book is the character of Lily, Jenna’s grandma. She is the grounding factor for me, the one I can relate to. She’s in the story, but she isn’t the one who has made any of the decisions, so she can be a bit more objective.

The inspiration for this book was born out of Pearson’s own experiences. Her eldest daughter was diagnosed with cancer, then a few years later her youngest daughter was diagnosed with the same cancer. Those traumatic events led her to explore the question of science vs. ethics and wonder how far a parent would be willing to go to save their child. It’s a fascinating exploration, but she didn’t seem to be able to answer her own question.

It’s definitely worth reading, but some elements are far-fetched and it seems to really have to reach to wrap everything up at the end. I do think this would be a fun one to discuss in a book club.

Fluttering Butterflies has a great review here.

Book Reviews: Nation

Nation
by Terry Pratchett
★★★★☆

This was my first experience with Pratchett and it will not be my last. After hearing about him for years, I decided I just had to read something of his. Nymeth at Things Mean A Lot is a big Pratchett fan and was kind enough to suggest Nation as a good place to start.

It took me a minute to get into the book. I wasn’t sure what to expect and at first I wasn’t sure what to make of the story. It centers on Maw, the only survivor of the Nation, which is destroyed by a tsunami. He is left alone, disconnected from all he has ever known and he’s at once filled with grief, confusion and anger. He turns to the Nation’s gods for answers and is left feeling more lost than ever.

The plot really picks up when we meet Daphne (really Ermintrude, but she hates that name, so she says her name is Daphne.) She is a British girl whose ship has crashed on the island. Her relationship with Maw reminded me so much of Peter Pan and Wendy. She’s prim and proper at first and he is baffled by her ways, but soon they find a balance and develop a wonderful friendship.

The best parts of the book, for me, were the interactions between those two. Once they moved past their initial impressions they realized they could learn so much from one another. I also loved seeing Daphne gain confidence in herself. She was such a great character; part girl, part woman, trying to come to terms with her own grief and grow up at the same time.

With absolutely no spoilers included I do want to say how much I loved the ending. The characters grew on me throughout the book and by the end I felt so invested in them. The ending definitely increased my rating of the book and my overall love of it. So if it feels slow at first, definitely give it time.

I have to say I was really impressed with Pratchett. He has a similar writing style to Neil Gaiman (whom I adore) and the delightful sense of humor of Douglas Adams. So clearly he’s destined to become a favorite. He also manages to balance humor and a deeper message, which I really value in an author. I think that can be a hard thing to accomplish and he seemed to do it effortlessly. At first I didn’t even realize he had slipped such important issues into the fold of the story, but once I did I was really moved by the points-of-view he brings up. I’m looking forward to trying out his Discworld series, which I’ve heard is great. Any other Pratchett suggestions from fans of his out there?

Here's another great review at Chasing Bawa.

Book Reviews: Shiver and Linger

Shiver
by Maggie Stiefvater
★★★★

At age 11, Grace is attacked by a pack of wolves in the woods behind her house. She survives, but becomes obsessed with them, one in particular. Years later, as a teen, she discovers that "her wolf" is really a werewolf named Sam. He lives as a teenager during the summer months and as a wolf during the cold winter months.

I was surprised that it was so well written. It would have been easy to make the characters come across as whiny teens, but Stiefvater manages to avoid that. One things that I found incredibly disturbing with this book was the portrayal of parents. All of the major parents are selfish, absent people who should never have had children. It was both sad and disturbing to think of the emotional damage they've done to their kids. Both Sam and Grace have had to grow up quickly because of all they've been through.

I liked the fact that Sam is the artistic one of the two and Grace is more pragmatic and logical. I think my favorite scene of the book takes place in a candy shop. It's both sweet and intimate, without being too sappy. I really enjoyed this first installment and will continue the series.


*** POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW IF YOU HAVEN'T READ SHIVER***

Linger
by Maggie Stiefvater
★★★

Instead of a sequel, Linger feels a bit like a rehashing of Shiver, except some of the roles are reversed. It felt much more contrived to me. In the first book the main couple fights to find a way to keep Sam human. In the second it's Grace who is now showing signs of becoming a wolf.

Sam and Grace, who we got to know in Shiver, seem to play against character in Linger. Responsible Grace decides to throw caution and ambition to the wind, sweet-natured Sam is dealing with anger and frustration. Grace's parents', who are absent in every sense of the word, become incredibly interested in controlling their daughter's life. It just doesn't follow in the same vein as the first book.

I still enjoyed reading Linger, but it didn't impress me. One of the new characters, Cole, is a selfish jerk that I couldn't make myself care about at all. Isabel gets a bit more of a voice in this second installment, but even that never seems to get below the surface. Instead of getting to know her better we just learn that she can't resist the charming Cole... who isn't charming.

I liked reading about Sam's struggle with becoming a leader, which felt real to me. On the other hand, Sam's songs and poems became annoying fast. I'm not a fan of the overly saccharine and found myself rolling my eyes when he would burst into song.

In the end, I think my major complaint is that Linger feels immature where Shiver feels mature. It lapses back into some of the teenage clichés the first one so deftly avoided. I'm not sure if I'll read the next one or not. I'm pretty forgiving with series and have found that the second book is often the weakest of the bunch.

Book Reviews: The Dark Is Rising

The Dark is Rising
By Susan Cooper
★★★★

Young Will Stanton finds out on his 11th birthday that he is one of the "Old Ones." He and the others must find the six signs that will give them the power to keep the "dark" evil forces from gaining control of the world.

To be honest, I'm a bit surprised that this is the second book in the series. It seems like the obvious choice for the first book. Over Sea, Under Stone explains much less of the mythology of the series and perhaps that's why it's the first books in the series, but it still seems like an odd choice to me. The three Drew children we meet in the first book don't appear in this one at all. Uncle Merry returns in this book though and I was happy to get more of his character.

Cooper's writing is ripe with suspense and it's a much darker tale than the first book. It reminds me a bit of the Chronicles of Narnia (which is a good thing) in which good and evil are clearly defined forces and children must help conquer evil. I was swept away by the story and I particularly liked seeing the contradictory life that Will is forced to live. At only 11-years-old he understands his destiny and has huge responsibility, yet his family doesn't know so he must still act like a carefree child around them.

I have three more books in the series and will definitely be finishing it.

"There was something about Christmas Eve that demanded company; one needed somebody to whisper to, during the warm beautiful dream-taut moments between hanging the empty stocking at the end of the bed, and dropping into the cosy oblivion that would flower into the marvel of Christmas morning."

p.s. This is a famous British series (much more well-known over there) and this book won the Newbery award in 1974. I wonder if Will, who we meet at age 11, might have inspired bits of Harry Potter.