Blisters, I'm rusty at reviewing! Good thing Leviathan is going to make it pretty easy for me: I mean, any time you can give me action and adventure--most of which takes place in the belly of an airborne whale? Just show me where to sign at the dotted line.Leviathan has one of the more interesting steampunk set ups I've encountered in my forays into the genre. Usually I've found that Steampunk worlds are split up into us and them--the people gung-ho about the new steam-related technological advances and the people who want nothing to do with the new-fangled inventions (which I understand fear of the unknown but as someone who is still waiting for a robot to do my laundry, I don't have much patience for.) In Leviathan's world basically everyone is on board with the technological advances, they just can't agree on the best way to go about it. In one corner you have the Clankers, which are the more traditional steampunk pioneers who focus their advances on mechanical based innovation such as machines, walkers, weapons etc. In the other corner you have the Darwinists who use genetically modified hybrid animals--hydrogen whale airships, messenger lizards and other beasties--for their advancements. Leviathan starts with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and veers into it's alternate steampunky history from there. The Clankers and Darwinists find themselves on opposite sides of the impending World War.That brings me to another thing that made Leviathan so easy for me to love: it has three of my favorite tropes. Now, tropes can get a bad rap but they are tropes for a reason--they are classics! And when used correctly (which Westerfeld does) result in a reading experience enjoyment that clicks into place like clockwork (steampunk pun!)Trope Fave #1: Uptight sheltered prince who gets dumped into the real world and has to survive by his previously unused bootstraps.Trope Fave #2: That plucky middle class rough around the edges steamship crew member is actually a girl! (The girl disguised as boy thing not as much as the girl who's crew member of a steamship and could mop the floor with your Clanker boots thing.)Throw them together and you get one of my fave tropes of all time (I may have mentioned it once or twice): Buddy Cops of Convenience. Two wildly different personalities/upbringings/cultures who would NEVER work together usually but get stuck together in order to complete a common goal. Banter, reluctant teamwork and mutual respect ensue and I am pretty much guaranteed to love every moment of it.Add in adventure, intrigue and expertly written action scenes and you get a book that is practically tailor-made for me to love. I can't wait to see where the series takes me next. **This book was chosen by me by Heidi for my 13 in 2013 Book Resolution so thanks for Heidi for such a fun choice! Only 12 more to go.ALSO why don't more books have illustrations? It was wonderful flipping the pages to see an illustrated scene. Then again I'd make every novel have them if it were my choice.This book was originally reviewed on Young Adult Anonymous
Another solid 3.5 stars for this installment. Love the refreshing maturity (no dig at Lon's age intended HA) of the romantic relationship. Also there were like HALF the mustache references this time around so SUCCESS.
Holiday season is Urban Fantasy season for me (don't know what that says about me but...) Yay! New series. Probably 3.5? Yeah I'll say 3.5 stars. Pretty into it DESPITE it's male lead having my least favorite descriptor of all time: blonde mustache. Whyyyyyyy. (And the insistence on calling it a mustache when more facial hair was involved on the chin too. Total record scratch every time. My brain automatically went James Franco pornstache when it was actually more Johnny Depp facial hair. (Like how in my hypothetical examples I still pretend that it's not blonde?) Good news is by the end of the book I have trained myself for the sequel!) Speaking of which...off to read the next one!
Kate and Emily have just inherited the estate on Hollow Hill but have no idea of the land's cursed history. Girls have been disappearing off the property for centuries with only crazy legends about magic and goblins for explanations. Kate begins to realize just how true the danger is once Marak the Goblin King begins to woo her. Goblin Kings court by kidnapping and the bride is destined to spend the rest of her life below ground. Kate is desperate to save herself and her sister, but dangers develop from unexpected sources--and sometimes, so does love.The Hollow Kingdom was one of Catie's book choices for me in The Readventurer's She Made Me Do It Challenge. Catie wasn't sure how I'd go for the Beauty and the Beast aspect of the story and I must admit, I've been hit and miss with B&B stories in the past. Luckily, The Hollow Kingdom has several important differentiations from the trope that makes it one of my favorite Beauty and the Beast retellings to date.First of all, Marak (the Beast in question), isn't an isolated brooding, angsty or self-pitying alpha male. He's a pragmatist and a confident and compassionate leader. Above all he's amused and delighted by most things---especially Kate. He's friendly, he cracks himself up and it's pretty well known how much I enjoy a happy smartass.Secondly, I appreciated that the Beast was actually, you know, a beast. I roll my eyes when the Beast has like one scar and everyone screams monster. Marak has six fingers, silver skin, horse hair, chrome teeth and unfortunate bone structure. Yet I was also relieved that he wasn't so much of a Beast that the story necessitated him changing into something more socially acceptable for a viable romance to occur.Although there were No Regrets, I'm not sure I could call The Hollow Kingdom a full on Disco Chicken, Catie. For the first half of this book I was stressed out of my ever loving mind! (You can't yell "Wheeee!" when you're busy breathing into a paper bag.) Yes, there was an inevitability about Kate's situation but her panic and desperation were so visceral that I couldn't help but be swept up in those feelings. I appreciated that Kate's struggle with Marak was a battle of wits rather than a battle of physical strength (another welcome differentiation to the Beauty and the Beast trope). I was also impressed with Kate's resourcefulness in resisting the Goblin King's abduction attempts but Marak had just enough of a magical and tactical advantage for the whole thing to be truly unsettling.I also loved that no matter how quick thinking Kate managed to be, she had to constantly worry about being foiled by her sister's naivete. As someone who growing up constantly had dreams of my sister inexplicably ignoring warnings and jumping into a shark-filled swimming pool, I could relate. The supporting characters' "back away slowly from the crazy person" attitude toward Kate also added to the uneasiness factor. I mean, even knowing what the plot was and what would undoubtedly happen, I couldn't ignore the "last night I dreamt I went to Manderly again" feeling in their interactions.From the book summary I was surprised that more than half of the story was devoted to Kate's resistance of Marak's marriage attempts. I expected more time to be spent in the development of Kate and Marak's spousal relationship. I wish the reader got to witness more of the bonding scenes alluded to (I swear I'm not just being a perv) rather than just mentions of the milestones and time jumps. The reader spends so much time viewing Marak as an adversary and the time between their marriage and the crisis that catalyzes the plot is a pretty small window to adjust to their new relationship. While Kate has years, the reader has a chapter or two.Still, I was charmed. The writing was lovely and I was enthralled by the goblin world building. Little details like the reason a goblin baby looks the way it does were just unbelievably endearing. I'd call this recommendation a big success, Catie! Has anyone read the rest of the series? This review originally appeared at Young Adult Anonymous.
The Assassin's Curse
This is an accurate portrayal of me after reading The Assassin's Curse: In fact. You know, what? Hit it:Ananna is a pirate, born and raised and on the high seas is where she spends her days. Sword fightin', riggin', stealing your loot. Handy with a lie and a knife in her boot. All she wants is to travel to distant lands, but her mom and pop are plotting marriage plans.She'll take adventure over a relationship, so on the big day gives her fiance the slip.She has no idea just what trouble she's in, turns out he wasn't joking about that assassin.Naji's an assassin with a capital A. He's got a new target, he's stalking his prey.He's the shadow behind her in the dead of night, knows eighty ways to kill, never lost a fight.All covered in blood magic, scars and tattoos. He'll meet her in the desert for a midnight duel.But versus Ananna, he experiences a first: instead of an easy kill they both get cursed.Enemies become allies if only to survive. The Curse is Impossible but they still have to try... Dance Break! I'm sorry. I'm not sorry. This book was so much fun!There are few things I like better than reading about two adversaries forced to become allies in pursuit of some higher goal. When Ananna accidentally triggers a curse binding herself with her would-be assassin, Naji, they quickly become one of my most favorite Buddy Cops of Convenience of all time. The awkward teamwork! The reluctant bonding! The coordinated sword fights! Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter!What makes this particular team so perfect is that both sides of the partnership hold equal weight. You'd think that might be hard to pull off with one side being a legendary blood magic assassin and all, but Ananna is no wilting flower either. In fact one of the most enjoyable parts of the book for me was how often Ananna nonchalantly saved Naji's ass. Perfect heroine is perfect. Etc. Etc.As much as I enjoyed this first book, I can already tell the sequel is going to be even better. I cannot wait to get my greedy hands on it. As is, though, The Assassin's Curse is a gem and has the perfect blend of hijinks and high stakes.Rating: 4/5 stars.Warning: I bought the paperback and the back cover copy includes developments that happen within the last 10 pages or so of the book so just go ahead and stick with the Goodreads summary if you don't want to know the set up for the next book until you get there. This review originally appeared on Young Adult Anonymous.
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.(I think I made you up inside my head.)Mad Girl's Love Song by Sylvia PlathI've been eager to read Unspoken ever since I caught sight of that beautiful cover and am happy to say that it did not disappoint.Kami Glass, teen investigative reporter, has always stood out from the crowd. Whether it was not being shy about talking to her imaginary friend in public, or being the only one daring enough to dig around the mysteries of her town Sorry-in-the-Vale, Kami has never quite fit in. And why should she want to when she's finally running the school newspaper with her best friend and the mysteries of her hometown have just gotten more fascinating than ever? The legendary Lynburn family has returned and with them the rumors of the family's dark history with Sorry-in-the-Vale. Kami is unable to resist investigating their cryptic hold over the town----especially when it turns out that her imaginary friend is actually a real, live Lynburn. Kami is determined to discover just what the Lynburns are hiding and what exactly her not-so-imaginary friend has to do with it.Unspoken is a charming, hilarious, exciting, gothic mystery that emotionally delivers in satisfyingly unexpected ways. The characters all have wonderfully distinct personalities and Sarah Rees Brennan really excels at natural, humorous character interactions and hilarious yet realistic dialogue. I was gleefully cracking up the entire book. She is also wonderful at defying YA stereotypes and tropes, a skill I immensely appreciated and that really elevated Unspoken to the next level for me.And Kami? Kami is definitely going to be inducted into my Heroine Hall of Fame/ granted a seat at my Lunch Table.I don't want to go too far into the mystery or plot of Unspoken (go! read! enjoy!) so that leaves the perfect opportunity for me to go into a psychic connection stress spiral tangent. Because oh my god, can you even imagine?! For example, let's say your imaginary friend turns out to be real.I've read a couple of books lately featuring some kind of psychic or emotional connection and am I the only one whose mind leaps straight to pure HUMILIATION Do Not Pass Go? How freaking embarrassing would it be if the guy you thought was some inner imaginary voice your entire life--the guy who you told all your most mortifying adolescent feelings and insecurities--was actually real?How awkward would it be that this guy you have been completely emotionally open and vulnerable to suddenly was a real life person with real life personality flaws and issues? It's like if God started answering Margaret...and then turned out to be a maladjusted teenaged boy, a boy who now has all this extra personal knowledge and emotional collateral on you? Can you even imagine?!Luckily for the readers, while I'd be taking a floor nap in the fetal position for the rest of the book, Kami is a less emotionally stunted individual than myself and handles the complexities of her and Jared's new situation with a maturity that made me so proud. Kami--wonderful, smart, ambitious Kami-- has a wealth of supportive, healthy relationships in her life. Jared--volatile, furious, scared shitless Jared-- has virtually no connections with anyone or the world around him. Kami has a strong friend network and family foundation. Jared has...Kami.Jared also had believed that Kami was imaginary and thus his own creation and I really think that he used her as proof to himself that there was some goodness and light inside of him. He took comfort that Kami's sheer amazingness came from somewhere within him and when Kami turns out to be just as real as Jared, he's desperate to assign a higher purpose to their special connection, because he sees it as his only redeeming quality. To Kami, the reality of their connection makes her less trusting of it and skeptical of what it means for her future.Sarah Rees Brennan handles the emotional complexities of Jared and Kami's bond so masterfully. Even as their codependency wavers back and forth from constructive and destructive and the edges between their individual feelings increasingly blur, the situation is always handled with refreshing perspective and maturity. I couldn't help but love both characters all the while questioning what their relationship should even be. I loved the depth of the dilemma.I agree with the Book Smugglers that I can't really consider the ending to be a cliffhanger in the WTF?! NOOO! sense since what happens is 100% in line with the character development thus far, and I knew in my heart it was what would naturally occur in that particular situation with those particular characters. To me it was more a cliffhanger in the I'm very, very excited to see what happens next sense. (Especially after seeing SRB's tumblr haha.)A very enthusiastic 4 stars.This review originally appeared at Young Adult Anonymous.
Blood Red Road (Dust Lands Series #1)
I thought this was fun as hell. First of all, as my Goodreads friends know, I adore a good adventure road trip tale. I just love 'em--the stranger the people/lands, the shittier the conditions and the steeper the hardships, the better! There's nothing more entertaining to me than a bunch of random personalities dependent on each other for survival while they are saving the world/defeating evil/[insert epic quest here]. So obviously I was pretty on board after reading the story blurb. Yet, I've been burned in the past so although I was eager, I withheld my full-fledged enthusiasm. But then I discovered that not only was Blood Red Road an adventure quest/road trip but it was based on hillbillies in a post-apocalyptic world AND featured a heroine with an anger management problem, a girl gang of revolutionaries, an enigmatic dark knight, a Flynn Rider-esque hero, and the best dang animal sidekick I've seen in awhile (a crow! that plays dice! and "aint much fer huggin"!) and.....OH HELL YES. The heroine was awesomely flawed. A couple times I recoiled with a “DAMN, cold!” to some of the doozies Saba lobbed at her sis but then I imagined being responsible for the physical safety and well being of a 9 year old where the best possible outcomes could be dying of thirst and the worst possibilities included slavery, cage fighting for your life and oh yeah, HELL WORMS. I’d probably lose it once or twice at dear lil' sis myself. I'm not sure if it's a sign that ---egads!--I've lived in the South too long or what, but the dialect didn't bother me one bit. While this book is the first of a series, it has a full and complete plot and could stand on it's own. After reading so many first books that bury you with "this is a trilogy!" exposition, I appreciated Blood Red Road so much. I look forward to the rest of the series.Updated: Here's an awesome rendition of the Free Hawks by foralllove on tumblr:
Maybe a 2.5? Aww man. Am I breaking up with this series? The last few books I have just been frustrated and bored. There was so much potential here and instead of anything new and crazy it seemed more of an unfocused retread. Especially ESPECIALLY Ethan! He came back and did the same ol' shit? I was hoping for there to be something dangerously unknown about the new Ethan but he's back to doing the I'M AFRAID TO LOVE YOU crap. Zzzzz. SO many other ways to make relationship drama and a few really fun freaky ways I can think of with this plot but NOPE. It's the same Ethan/Merit dilemma he already resolved before he went away. Unfortunately, I've lost that loving feeling and won't be hurrying back for future installments.
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