Wild Boy

Wild Boy by Rob Lloyd Jones       Audio Book:  5 hours, 46 minutes     Hardback Book:  304 pages
Genre: 

I enjoyed this book a lot.   I am a fan of carnivals, circuses and yes the mysteries that lie beyond that P.T. Barnum flair for the unusual and exotic.    Though this is categorized as YA, it is written in a very adult manner and some of the descriptions of muck in its many forms strike me as a lot more detailed than a young adult reader might be ready for, but, then again...  Extraordinary people are fascinating to me, too, and there is a Duke's mixture of characters with amazing and unique bodies and skills  throughout the story.   There is a lot here that will remind the reader of the Elephant Man story or at least it did me, though, this lead character has loads of body and facial hair rather than the gigantic tumors John Merrick was born with.  Wild Boy is mistreated and abused but like John Merrick there is nothing wrong with his mind, he just feels he has to accept the life he is forced into because - where could he go?   There are scientists working on a major invention that will change people and lots of evil occurs to try to gain control of the device.   Where once enemies fought like tigers now they become first friendly enemies then something more closer to real friends bordering on what could turn to romance.   Lots of murders and mysterious clues and a very fun read.   The reader will try to figure it out from beginning to end.   I do recommend this book to all ages it is a fun read if a little graphic at times.

His Hideous Heart

His Hideous Heart edited by Dahlia Adler, 480 pages

Whether the stories are familiar to readers or discovered for the first time, readers will revel in Edgar Allan Poe’s classic tales, and how they’ve been brought to life in 13 unique and unforgettable ways.

Contributors include Kendare Blake (reimagining “Metzengerstein”), Rin Chupeco (“The Murders in the Rue Morge”), Lamar Giles (“The Oval Portrait”), Tessa Gratton (“Annabel Lee”), Tiffany D. Jackson (“The Cask of Amontillado”), Stephanie Kuehn (“The Tell-Tale Heart”), Emily Lloyd-Jones (“The Purloined Letter”), Hillary Monahan (“The Masque of the Red Death”), Marieke Nijkamp (“Hop-Frog”), Caleb Roehrig (“The Pit and the Pendulum”), and Fran Wilde (“The Fall of the House of Usher”)

I wish I didn’t have such high expectations for this book going in, or I might have been less disappointed by it. I love Poe’s work so much, so seeing this anthology come-up I was thrilled at the prospect of reimagined tales. Sadly, I felt like the stories included here were just okay. One or two caught my attention, but overall, the feeling was less disturbing, more mildly spooky. Some of the stories just didn’t feel well put-together.

Would I still recommend this book? Yes, because I think it’s important that Poe’s writing is still being talked about and is being brought to new readers in a contemporary way. If you are a major fan of Poe, like me, just don’t go into this book with the bar set high. Give to those who are looking for an introduction into horror and want to start off with something light.

Sabriel

Sabriel - Garth Nix;  311 pages

The story of a young woman born intrinsically linked to death, charged by blood with the responsibility to send the dead back to their realm with the use of Charter Magic and a set of silver bells through which the magic is controlled. She commences her duties as Abhorsen — the title given to the current living member of her bloodline — as she searches for her father, who is trapped in death, somewhere between the fourth and fifth gates. She picks up some friends along the way; Mogget, who is an embodiment of chaotic Free Magic trapped for centuries in the form of a white cat by a previous Abhorsen; and Touchstone, a former member of the Royal Guard. Together, this trio works to find Sabriel's father, and stave off the ever-advancing legions of dead that will not die.

Garth Nix, Australian by birth, presents a unique take on magic and how it is used. Magic exists in two forms; Free Magic, which one can infer is the primordial magical force; and Charter Magic, which allows the use of Free Magic by way of symbols, or Charter Marks, and sounds ranging from handbells to whistling. Mr. Nix doesn't go into the details on how any of it works, beyond stating-as-fact its functions or results. Per numerous GoodReads reviews, this is problematic and challenging for the reader. However, it does remain engaging enough to be interesting and compelling. Furthermore, he apparently does a better job of fleshing it all out in his subsequent books.

Mr. Nix utilises an interesting naming convention, which was difficult to place in origin or inspiration. As there is no apparent link to a living language, it made pronunciation of names difficult, not to mention remembering characters outside of their scenes. Ultimately it proved easier to merely gloss over names outside of the main trio, and build the scene around the actions as opposed to the characters.

Certain details of Sabriel felt somewhat forced or otherwise unnecessary. For example, there is a part wherein Sabriel is observing a very finely crafted wooden statue, that is so incredibly lifelike, down to its "circumcised penis." In the book there is no sex or even sexual content; the most we get is a polite kiss. However, it does add an interesting note regarding the culture of the characters; Mr. Nix himself comes from a country that does not commonly circumcise, nor is it a necessary detail of the scene. I'm onto you, Mr. Nix.

The book ends with a very gripping scene, one that I couldn't stop reading once it started developing. All in all, if you're one for fantasy fiction, I would consider this book to be necessary to have in a repertoire, if only for the unique and refreshing approach to magic.  

The Light Between Worlds

The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth                 Audio Book:  9 hours, 30 minutes     Paperback Book:  384 pages              

At first I though, o.k. this is a Narnia knock-off, but then midbook it takes a different turn.   Instead of staying with the fantasy of the magical other life in the Woodlands, when war begins to rage in the Woodlands though they have spent 6 ½ years in the fantasy world they are sent back to their childhood selves in London to the time before they were allowed to enter the Woodlands.    Lots happens and a really good account of what it must have been like living in London during the dropping of the bombs from German planes.   Also a trip into the brokenness of a young girl’s mind when she finds she cannot cope with living in this world anymore asit is killing her.    She loses her adventuress spirit as she does her best to contend with boarding school life amid growing up a second time, being cut-off from the sister who had been more a mother to her as the bonds between her and her parents were fairly non-existent.   While the parents tried to save the children by bundling them off to relatives and friends evry chance they got to keep them safe, they also destroyed whatever bond there had been between the children and themselves.  The only thing the children could count on was moving to another locations and staying with people they hardly knew some who expected them to work for them others who tried to be understanding but they had no real ties to.   Escaping to the Woodlands made the children feel loved and cherished, but, even after all the time they spent there proving their metal they still were made to leave.   Like Alice down the rabbit hole then returning home once changed home is never home any more.  As the sisters do their best to make their way and their brother remains concerned but aloof, Ev, the youngest sister slips into a lethargy she cannot shake.  She stops eating, she loses weight, though her brother has a friend watch over her, who falls in love with her, nothing can ease the sorrow Ev undergoes having to stay in this world when the world she feels a part of is denied her.    She calls for the Guardian of that world to please let her return as he always said while they were living with him, “A Woodlanders heart will always find a way back home.”  But how?   It turned out to be a good story, more cerebral and bound by WWII, tea time and a family that just cannot find its way back together, though, the parents were caring they just didn’t know how to repair the gap they created with their children.    The fantasy world seemed like a place so many of us would love to visit and maybe stay in though it wasn’t without its evil, too.    I would recommend this book, I think it would be better received by those unfamiliar with the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis then there wouldn’t be that mental comparison going on, but, the story does go off in a different direction so readers can wonder which world would have been their choosing and if that world was actual or a means of dealing with the horrors of war?   A lot like Narnia.

  - Shirley J

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth     485 pages

From Goodreads:

When Cameron Post's parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief they'll never know that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl.

But that relief doesn't last, and Cam is soon forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth and her well-intentioned but hopelessly old-fashioned grandmother. She knows that from this point on, her life will forever be different. Survival in Miles City, Montana, means blending in and leaving well enough alone (as her grandmother might say), and Cam becomes an expert at both.

Then Coley Taylor moves to town. Beautiful, pickup-driving Coley is a perfect cowgirl with the perfect boyfriend to match. She and Cam forge an unexpected and intense friendship--one that seems to leave room for something more to emerge. But just as that starts to seem like a real possibility, ultrareligious Aunt Ruth takes drastic action to "fix" her niece, bringing Cam face-to-face with the cost of denying her true self--even if she's not exactly sure who that is.

Review:

This is a well written book in the much needed, slowly expanding LGBTQIA Young Adult genre. I think many teens will relate to Cameron’s earnest, authentic voice and her experiences as she grows up. There are a lot of difficult topics brought up, but it’s important that they are and this book doesn’t shy away from them. I think, not just for young adults, but adults as well, this book is a great choice. Danforth really captures the teenage voice and the story is so compelling. It’s a long read, but it’s really worth it and for anyone who likes that slice-of-life or coming-of-age genre, this is a perfect choice. It’s all about what it means to be a teenager and the highs and lows of young adult life. I would definitely recommend it.

THE WIZARD IN THE TREE

The Wizard In The Tree by Lloyd Alexander  137 pages 

Reviewed by Rae C.

https://slpl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/123687116

An orphaned girl made to live as a servant frees a Wizard who has been trapped in a tree for thousands of years.  His powers are all wonky from disuse, and he has aged so much while he was stuck in the tree, that he must leave the mortal world quickly or die.  But how can he travel to Vale Innis, the magical land, without his powers? And how can he escape the other villagers with various evil plots against him? Mallory, the orphan girl, loves fairy tales, and Arbican, the Wizard, spends a lot of time disavowing and disapproving of her mostly incorrect ideas about magic and magicians.  But she is determined to help him, despite the difficulties and dangers both to him and to herself.

I was given this book as a birthday present when it first came out in 1975.  I didn't appreciate it then, because I was too much like Mallory and wanted magical enchanters that granted wishes. I was a big fan of Ruth Chew, whose witches were also often wanting or awkward with their powers. But Arbican insisted too much on mortals being greedy for magic, and not relying on human powers to solve problems. I've been re-reading Alexander’s Prydain chronicles and decided to re-visit this.

When I was a child I didn't appreciate how strong the female character Mallory is, and how clever. She’s a true heroine! It's a clever and well-crafted story, with great plotting, and a very satisfying ending. The villain is a formidable opponent, and Arbican is a lovable curmudgeon.  I’m glad I re-read it! 

Frozen Charlotte

Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell 297 pages Hardback 

Reviewed by Rae C.

Had I known the “Frozen Charlotte” dolls were central to the story, I might not have read this!  Haunted dolls usually scare me, even though I am in my 50’s.  However, I am glad I read this book!  It was edge of the seat engaging, genuinely suspenseful, frightening, and well written and plotted.

The book begins with a bang.  Sophie’s friend Jay has an Oujia board app on his phone.  Sophie’s dead cousin Rebecca is summoned. Rebecca died in a mysterious accident years ago in Skye. Mayhem and tragedy occur during and after the app’s use.   (I’m leaving out a big spoiler.)

A few weeks later, Sophie goes to the Isle of Skye to visit her other cousins.  Sophie is seeking answers to the death of her cousin, and also the clues that her cousin’s spirit communicated through the app.  Sophie is a very strong willed and determined.  She has a strong sense of self, and facing things squarely.  

But she is also unable to navigate the conflicts in her cousin’s family: her uncle is a basket case; her absent aunt is in an asylum; cute cousin Cameron has a burned hand and strange, sometimes violent, behaviors; Lilias is afraid of her own bones, and believes that the Frozen Charlotte dolls are haunted; and then there is perfect Piper, the only normal member of the family.

From Sophie’s first night there are strange and unexplainable events.  Plot twists, while sometimes predictable, always take unseen turns, but Sophie remains strong.  She is a heroine a girl can feel good about rooting for!

I had a few problems with the story, but they were fairly easy to ignore.  The first was the Skye location.  The Frozen Charlotte dolls were wildly popular in North America, but not so much in Scotland.  And the author did nothing to illustrate the landscape, culture, language or customs of Skye or Scotland.  I’d actually have preferred to have the location be in North America, as all that was needed was the creepy, haunted former school and the gates, beach, etc. 

And at the end there is fire, but the author didn’t demonstrate a thorough understanding of the reality of smoke inhalation. However, it was so well written and suspenseful that it was easy to ignore.

I recommend this book to anyone that likes supernatural thrillers, especially if, like me, you are a fan of Lois Duncan.

Reboot

Reboot by Amy Tintera     365 pages

Seventeen-year-old Wren rises from the dead as a Reboot and is trained as an elite crime-fighting soldier until she is given an order she refuses to follow

I’ve had this book on my to-read list for a while and now that I have a small fr

iend group book club, I’ve finally found the chance to do so and I’m glad I did. This book was a fun, action-packed read that is full of things I love: a bad-ass female main character, science-fiction/future setting, and an intriguing storyline.

That being said, I wasn’t wowed by this book. It was certainly enjoyable, but it had a few bits here and there that made this just a middle grade rating for me:

For one, I felt the romance was a bit rushed and sort of took over Wren’s bad-ass character style. I felt like she started the book as yes, a bit of a hard-to-like character, what with her enjoyment of chasing down humans and fighting them, incarcerating them, and/or killing them. But, I gave her leeway because she has been trained to do so since she was 12, an impressionable age. I like that she started breaking out of this shell once she meets Callum and realizes that she does have the capability to feel things (when up until this point she’s thought of herself as next-to being like a robot). I like that he helps her discover new things about herself, but I dislike that he so quickly falls for her (basically insta-love on his part) and that they go from begrudgingly friends to romantically involved. Suddenly Wren goes from being really in control of situations to being like most typical YA main characters: the boy becomes their whole center of being, from which the orient themselves and they suddenly become the incapable one in the relationship.

The only thing that saves it from being a total loss is that Wren is still mostly capable in the physical department: she is stronger (yes, partly because of her Reboot number), better equipped to save the day (and often is saving Callum’s butt), and she is often the one emotionally supporting Callum. I am glad that, though they are given an opportunity within the book, that Wren and Callum do not have sex (mostly because Callum would like for Wren to be more enthusiastic/on-board with it when the do). Many YA books these days seem to insist on having young, teenage couples have at least one sex-scene. While both Wren and Callum are virgins (and it’s stated in the book that Reboots frequently have intimate relations in the HARC facility), they know enough that they could do it, but choose not to. It’s a bit refreshing and it also gives them more time to get to know each other better and solidify their relationship (even though the both are clearly ready to throw their lives away for it – which was one of my issues with this couple).

I understand, when writing a YA romance, especially with teens, that things move quickly. Wren and Callum, however, seem to develop a bit of the Romeo/Juliet thing, more so on Wren’s side, where they don’t want a plan B in case one of them dies. Wren doesn’t want to think about any scenario in which Callum might die because if he does, their plans suddenly become pointless to her, as if her life will have no meaning after. I understand that Callum is the catalyst in her becoming more human and less robot-like, but it’s still irksome to see.

That brings me to my main issue with this book: Callum’s love for Wren is the main reason that Wren decides to break free of her bonds and escape. A relationship is the reason that the rest of the book becomes necessary because if she didn’t feel things for Callum and knew that he felt things for her, she never would have wanted to escape, would have continued living her life as a HARC slave. It’s disappointing, because Wren seems so awesome and competent, but I understand that Tintera is attempting to use her age and the length of her stay at HARC as the reason why Wren would never leave. But I say – write her character differently, then. I don’t like that she needs a love interest to be the reason for her to want to escape.

Right, so the good bits:

I like this world that Tintera has built: a sort-of post-apocalyptic United States, or more specifically Texas. Characters often refer to some Reboot vs. human war, which ended up destroying most things and which is the main reason why HARC exists. It sounds like an epic story and I enjoyed getting to read about this new United States, where children who get this disease KDH then come back as a weird kind of high-functioning zombie when they die. The whole minutes dead = how skilled a zombie you are is quite interesting.

I also quite like the tension between humans and Reboots – that most families are horrified by/don’t want to be around their undead children, that most humans are terrified of Reboots (mostly because of lies that HARC has fed the populace). I like the big bad company HARC and how it manipulates both the Reboots (telling them minimal information so they can use them as basically slaves that then further enforce their enslavement) and humans to be mistrustful of each other. If I end up reading the second one, I hope Tintera includes a plot of humans and Reboots breaking that cycle and learning to live alongside each other. In fact, I hope that’s one of the main plot points. I like that there are human rebels (yay, rebels!) who believe in a different world and attempt to rescue Reboots and take down HARC. I’m always in for a good underdog story.

All in all, the world is well built, the characters are pretty solid. Aside from me ragging on Callum’s and Wren’s relationship, I think Callum is a pretty cool dude (maybe a bit too good to be true), likable, kind, and super not into killing (like, my level not-into-killing, as in, I’d rather die than kill someone else not-into-killing). I think he and Wren balance each other well and they’re both good for each other – Callum helps Wren get in-touch with her feelings and Wren helps build Callum’s strength. I liked Ever, Wren’s Reboot friend, as well. Most of the other characters are a bit one-note, but they’re also not in the story very much.

The final conflict went a bit too well for my taste – the puzzle pieces all fell into place nicely for Wren, which didn’t leave much room for believability, but I still enjoyed the ride. I will probably end up reading the next book, just to see where things go and how Wren and Callum progress.  I would recommend this to teens looking for a good action-pact story and who like supernatural/sci-fi elements. This book, I think, could be of interest to boys and girls, which is a plus in its favor.

What's a Girl Gotta Do?

What's a Girl Gotta Do? by Holly Bourne     432 pages

HOW TO START A FEMINIST REVOLUTION:

1. Call out anything that is unfair on one gender

2. Don't call out the same thing twice (so you can sleep and breathe)

3. Always try to keep it funny

4. Don't let anything slide. Even when you start to break...

Lottie's determined to change the world with her #Vagilante vlog. Shame the trolls have other ideas...

This was probably my least favorite Spinster book, despite it being one of the most important books because of how directly it addresses sexism and what it means to be a feminist. I only disliked it because the level of angst and emotions was so high it was hard to get through. It’s never enjoyable reading about people going through a really rough patch in their lives, and what Lottie endures is quite rough. It made for difficult reading – as in, I would need to take breaks every once in a while, just to space out the emotional turmoil.

Overall, I will say that this book touches on important topics and I would highly recommend it to young, budding feminists. This book reads like an intro into activism and displays numerous ways that teens can get into addressing sexism or starting activist projects to address issues they are concerned with. I also like that Bourne does address the fact that this book doesn’t cover all forms of sexism. The blanket of sexism is wide and many books or projects that attempt to promote feminist ideals often get shot down, even by other feminists, if they aren’t intersectional enough or don’t attempt to cover all forms of sexism, even going so far as to play the “who has it worst,” game. Any attempts to address feminism, in my book, are important, and Bourne makes sure state that this book is an attempt to light a spark, which I think it does.

Nimona

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson     266 pages

Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren't the heroes everyone thinks they are.

But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that Nimona's powers are as murky and mysterious as her past. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit.

A fun sci-fi/fantasy comic about a "villain" and his quest to take down the Institution, an organization that has nefarious dealings and for which his used-to-be-best-friend works. When he's joined by Nimona, a shape-shifter who wants to become his side-kick, things might be turning around for Ballister. But Nimona turns out to be more than she seems and chaos ensues. I enjoyed the humorous dialogue between Ballister and Nimona and the "rivalry" between Ballister and Ambrosius (All the character names are hilarious and trope-y). The humor was helpful in balancing out the otherwise dark themes that come up within the story (and the slippery slope of "murder" is addressed, which I appreciated). The coloring was vivid and one of the reasons that attracted me to the book, though I'm not as big a fan of the drawing style as I hoped (though I'm a bit picky on that score, so what doesn't work for me might be satisfactory or very enjoyable to other readers). Suffice to say, it worked well with the style of the book and the characters were distinct from each other. Overall, I'd give this a medium rating, only because I didn't love it, but I had a good time reading it. It would be something I would recommend to those fond of fantasy, especially where it blends with science fiction. The humor was on point and the story is short enough to be enjoyed in one sitting. Definitely for middle-school through teen and young adult readers due to the violence depicted in the story.

The Window

The Window by Amelia Brunskill     338 pages

Anna is everything her identical twin is not. Outgoing and athletic, she is the opposite of quiet introvert Jess. The same on the outside, yet so completely different inside--it's hard to believe the girls are sisters, let alone twins. But they are. And they tell each other everything.

Or so Jess thought.

After Anna falls to her death while sneaking out her bedroom window, Jess's life begins to unravel. Everyone says it was an accident, but to Jess, that doesn't add up. Where was Anna going? Who was she meeting? And how long had Anna been lying to her?

Jess is compelled to learn everything she can about the sister she thought she knew. At first it's a way to stay busy and find closure . . . but Jess soon discovers that her twin kept a lot of secrets. And as she digs deeper, she learns that the answers she's looking for may be truths that no one wants her to uncover.

Because Anna wasn't the only one with secrets

The premise of this story is what got me to read it - a twin dies, the living twin is sure it wasn't the accident everyone thinks it was, she goes on a stealthy detective quest to find the answers to her sister's death. Do I think that the book played this out realistically? Yes and no. I can believe Jess wanting to get to the bottom of things, especially since she has come to the realization that there were huge secrets that her sister kept from her. What I don't understand is how easily her parents went along with the accident idea, especially since this was out of character behavior for their daughter. I don't know, maybe I've watched to many crime shows where parents are always determined to know the exact reasons behind what happened to their children. This was not the case in this book.

I also didn't like how there was lots of hints brought up about how Jess was the "messed-up" twin, that she went to therapy as a child, and lots of lines were given about how she couldn't stand to be touched. I'll give the main example my confusion about Jess's character: "they'd always remember the time when someone bumped against you in the grocery store and you screamed and screamed, or how, back in kindergarten, the teacher's aide had to come with you to the bathroom so you didn't spend thirty minutes washing your hands," (p. 14). This is just dropped into the story and is never discussed again. Jess appears to have some serious mental problems, but throughout the story, the closest the author comes to reinforcing this idea is to mention how Jess doesn't like to be touched - and yet she overcomes this fairly easily at one point in the story, with no negative repercussions or thoughts. I guess I'm just confused about what the point of bringing up Jess's past issues has to do with her character, if it doesn't seem like she has these problems currently.

Lastly, it bothered me how non-teen-like the majority of the characters are. It surprised me that Anna could end up keeping so much a secret from Jess, especially since they are twins and Jess is so oblivious, believing that they have no secrets, that she had absolutely no idea that her sister had this secret other life.

Aside from all that, I did not expect the twist at the end, so hats off to Brunskill. I enjoyed the slow build of Jess's investigation. I thought, aside from the weird health inconsistencies, that Jess's character felt very real - her grief, her determination, her fierce love for her sister. She was a good narrator and I enjoyed her perspective. I feel this would make a good mini-series or movie, because the tone of it is very melancholic, but has moments of beauty and suspense wrapped up in it. I could easily picture it in my head as I was reading. So, I gave it three out of five stars. It was a good read, I enjoyed my time with this book, and I don't regret picking it up. Just a little let down by the execution. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a suspenseful teen mystery. 

Cardcaptor Sakura Vol. 1

Cardcaptor Sakura Vol. 1 by CLAMP (Mangaka Group)     200 pages

From Clamp comes the thrilling adventures of Sakura, a fourth-grader who accidentally finds an enchanted book called The Clow. The book once contained a set of magical Clow Cards, but they all escaped while the guardian of the book fell asleep. Now, Sakura is thrust into a mystical journey to capture all the cards before they wreak chaos and destruction!

I remember watching the anime of this as a kid and I loved it! Sakura was so cool, fighting magical creatures and saving the world. The manga is perhaps less cool, because it doesn't have the same vibrancy and action, but it's basically the show, just in stills. I enjoyed reading this because it was like a return to childhood. A few things make it a bit creepy/strange: 1. I do not remember Sakura's mother being 16 (!!!) when she gets married to Sakura's dad (who is 25!!). That's a bit creepy, to me. If they were both adults, the age gap wouldn't seem so bad, but a 25 year old man marrying a 16 year old girl (who is still in high school), seems wrong to me (even if this is Japan and cultural acceptance might be different there). 2. I totally forgot that Sakura is in 4th grade while she's doing this. I remember a strong romance element that happens later in the series (anime), which, to me, seems a little funky for an elementary student story. There wasn't much romance in this first volume (except for Sakura crushing hard on her brother's best friend). I checked out my library's copy of this series and it's shelved in YA, which, for me, is weird because Sakura is in 4th grade. The only think I can think of as a reason for this is because there are some (very minimal) more mature woman figure drawings in the book (their Clow card creatures) or that they like to put most manga in YA just because. Either way, it seems a bit bizarre. All in all, this was an enjoyable read and I will definitely read the rest of the manga out there!

Into the Bright Unknown

Into the Bright Unknown by Rae Carson     348 pages

The third and final installment of the Gold Seer trilogy finds Lee and her friends settling into life in Glory. When Becky hears news that her home, which was taken apart and shipped from Tennessee all the way to San Francisco, had finally arrived, she and Lee and their friends head off to San Francisco to claim it. Trouble ensues when they run across an old acquaintance and discover their deal with Hardwick for their town treaty might have fallen through. How will Lee and her friends save Glory and their claims? What ensues is a wild, high stakes heist that ends Carson's trilogy with a bang. 

This was an excellent finish to Carson's Gold Seer trilogy. I have loved each installment and I'm thrilled that the last and final book did not disappoint.

This book holds the same thrill and excitement as the previous two books. Each character that you know and love and have seen progress throughout the series continue to do so in this book. What's even more fun is that they take on new roles to pull off an amazing heist.

That brings me to my favorite thing about this series. Though it is a series, each book feels different and its own thing, while still remaining tied to the other books in the series. I love that each book takes place in a different place (the first one on a wagon train, the second in a homestead/mine, and this one in San Francisco). Each story is complete and well put together, while at the same time pulling the reader through the long arduous journey that its central characters are on. It's brilliant writing and I hold this series up to be one of my favorites that I've ever read.

I love the writing, I love how much effort Carson has put into make this story as true to history as possible - it shows! It feels like a real history being told, with, obviously, a little magic mixed it. I love that Carson has chosen to shine a light on the stories of people who history often forgets - Native Americans, our early Chinese settlers, African Americans. Keeping their stories in view, forcing the reader to acknowledge these individuals and what they contributed to America's history is rarely seen, especially in YA fiction. I'm so glad Carson put the time and effort in to sharing their stories, even if only a handful of her characters are based on real historical figures.

I'd honestly recommend this book to anyone - the story is so well done, complex and page-turning, the characters are so well developed, the history is vivid and detailed. It's great for anyone who enjoys historical fiction (especially magical-realism), or anyone looking for a high-stakes YA read. Their are strong female characters, there are diverse characters, and the story pulls you right in. Give it a read! 

An Enchantment of Ravens

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson     300 pages

Isobel is highly skilled at Craft, the name fairies give to mortal skills like artistry, cooking, the creation of things. She paints portraits for the fairies, who are very desirous of human Craft, for it is something they cannot do. When the autumn prince, Rook, comes to have his portrait painted, Isobel doesn't realize her whole world is about to change. When she paints the mortal sorrow she sees in the fairy's eyes, his title is endangered and he spirits her off to his kingdom to stand on trial for this crime she has committed. Through their journey, however, Isobel and Rook become closer and find that they might be in more danger than they realized.

I would give this story a higher rating for its descriptions. Rogerson has a wonderful way with words and her setting, characters, and the magic of the world she has built are sumptuous and painterly. I can tell she has a pretty solid art background because each scene is exquisitely detailed, as if she were painting a picture with words. Each new page brought new depictions and more enjoyment. 

It is the inclusion of art as part of the story that also made this book enjoyable. As an artist myself, I loved that the main character was an artist, a highly skilled painter, sought out for her artistic abilities. And it isn't just a passing whim of hers that she enjoyed to do, it is integral to her life, she makes art for a living, and even the main conflict she solves through her art. I have to hand it to Rogerson that this is something I have never seen done and I very much appreciated it.

That being said, the story itself was not the strongest. It is very much a romance, and though the story is interesting by itself, I feel most readers will enjoy this book mostly for the romance and not particularly for the plot - which, if I'm being honest, reminded me very, very much of A Court of Thorns and Roses. Both main characters are artistic, both stories involve fairies who rule seasonal courts (i.e. Rook is prince of the autumn court), and, inevitably, both stories involve a mortal/fairy romance. I wouldn't say this bothered me, after all, many stories are built out of inspiration from other stories, but I would say that it was a bit of a hurtle for me to get over before I got into the meatier bits of story that were different and more original.

One last thing that kept me from rating this story four stars would be the fact that I wasn't quite sure about the mechanics of the world Rogerson has built. There's a blight in some of the other courts, there is a "World Beyond" that people go away to, but who knows how or why. It's always summer in Whimsy for some reason, I guess because that's the only place in the mortal world the fairies visit. There's a "Wild Hunt" that goes on perpetually, but it's unclear exactly why or for what purpose and why it poses a threat to the other faries. I could go on, but you get the gist. Once I got into the story, I suspended my disbelief and just rolled with it, but it did bother me that the world that was so well described in terms of physicality, wasn't being described well in terms of how it worked. It kept me from truly loving the story.

I won't say I wouldn't read this story again. I might, if I have a hankering for beautiful, descriptive prose and an easy romance, and characters that I enjoy. Isobel is a wonderful main character and I highly enjoyed reading her thoughts and descriptions of the world around her. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fantasy romance or someone who really enjoys beautiful world building.

Crooked Kingdom

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo     536 pages

The Six of Crows team is back, this time, double-crossed and fighting for their lives, they attempt to pull off one last heist to gain back what they were promised. The crew faces steep odds and must rely on their varied strengths as the fight, not only for themselves but also the world, to destroy the secret to making jurda parem and maybe gain the lives they've always wanted.

This was a disappointing end to a very cool duology. I don't even know why I thought I could trust Bardugo after the way her last series ended. I am 100% done with her. If you can't come up with a plausible reason why my favorite character has to die, then you can't be trusted.

This story was interesting - not as well crafted as the first installment - but then she had to go and ruin it. I was right in my assumption - she loves neat, put together relationships. Each of the six paired up nicely. In this way, the characters are laughably basic YA stock characters, which is a shame, because, really, in all other respects, (with the exception of Wylan, and sometimes Jesper, who truly bored me), they were complex, well thought out characters. 

And, ultimately, I can't forgive Bardugo, EVER, for killing my favorite character (and needlessly, at that). I'm sorry. I just can't. And I vow to never let Bardugo to do this to me again. This is the end.

Six of Crows

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo     465 pages

Set in the Grisha verse, Bardugo's story involves a heist, the highest stakes, and six very different people to pull it off. The job is to break into one of the most secure prisons in the world and rescue a certain prisoner, who holds the key to creating the worlds most dangerous drug for Grisha. Though very different from each other, each of the six main characters offers a special skill that will allow the group to potentially succeed in this mission. The stakes are high but the price is right.

Better and more interesting main characters than Bardugo's previous series. I'm glad to see the Grisha verse again, and finally with characters that are actually interesting and that I care about from Bardugo (thank goodness there are no Alina and Mal look-alikes in this book). 

The story is well crafted, the heist is exciting, the components all fit together nicely and Bardugo uses multiple pov to great effect in this area. The heist elements are nicely pared with the Grisha world and the stakes seemed real and important.

I guess my only hang up is that there are six main characters and, from what I can see, there will be six neat little pairs by the end of this series. I can understand one, maybe two bonds being formed amongst this group, but for all six of them to wind up in relationships seems so far-fetched and silly, but I guess I should expect it from Bardugo because she really likes nice, tidy romance endings. The pairing I find least believable is the one that seems to be forming between Jesper and Wylan. Their flirting feels a bit clumsy and last minute, but I guess Bardugo chose to have three couples rather than one solid couple and a love triangle. 

We'll see how things shake out in the next book, but I feel like this particular installment is very strong and I'd hate to see this short series go the way of Bardugo's previous series and fumble in the ending.

Rags & Bones

Rags & Bones edited by Melissa Marr & Tim Pratt     356 pages

From Sir Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene to E. M. Forster's "The Machine Stops," literature is filled with sexy, deadly, and downright twisted tales. In this collection, award-winning and bestselling authors reimagine their favorite classic stories, the ones that have inspired, awed, and enraged them, the ones that have become ingrained in modern culture, and the ones that have been too long overlooked. They take these stories and boil them down to their bones, and reassemble them for a new generation of readers.

Meh. That's the overall feeling I have for this particular collection of stories. There are some stories in this book that I really liked, but overall, this was just an okay compilation.

The premise was for authors to take a "timeless" story and retell it, either in a completely new way, or at least slightly changed. Some of these stories I would consider "timeless" but there were some odd choices in this bunch - some stories that I had never heard of, so I wouldn't consider them "timeless." For instance - Gene Wolfe chose a story that, in his own words, is "one of those wonderful stories we have utterly forgotten." I would like to call this book out on it's "New Twists on Timeless Tales" claim. If I hadn't read a story before, I tried to track it down and read it first, so I'd understand how the author re-imagined the story. 

For the most part, these stories were very old, a lot of them in the Public Domain, so it wasn't hard. For Gene Wolfe's story, the "White Werewolf of the Saraban" I couldn't even Google it and get it's origin. It is so obscure a story it's only been published in one book - a compilation by Boris Karloff of all people - and it's worth a pretty penny if you want to own it. So, I didn't much appreciate being led to believe these stories were recognizable in any way.

What I'd like to sum up is that this book has a few choice authors that I really like and made me interested in reading this story - Neil Gaiman, Garth Nix,
Rick Yancey - but the majority of the stories, other than theirs, were just so-so. I wouldn't pick this book up again, and I wouldn't suggest it to someone unless I really knew they liked short stories or a majority of these authors.

Landscape with Invisible Hand

Landscape with Invisible Hand by M. T. Anderson     149 pages

When the vuvv first landed, it came as a surprise to aspiring artist Adam and the rest of planet Earth - but not necessarily an unwelcome one. Can it really be called an invasion when the vuvv generously offered free advanced technology and cures for every illness imaginable? As it turns out, yes. With his parents' jobs replaced by alien tech and no money for food, clean water, or the vuvv's miraculous medicine, Adam and his girlfriend, Chloe, have to get creative to survive. Soon enough, Adam must decide how far he's willing to go - and what he's willing to sacrifice - to give the vuvv what they want.

This is such a strange story - but it's quirky and that's why I liked it. One would think it would be hard to imagine such a short story capable of encompassing a futuristic Earth where alien creatures basically run things and everything from society to technology is different, but Anderson is able to deftly create this new, strange world without long passages of description or "telling," he just shows it to you through little windows throughout the story.

Adam Costello is a hilarious narrator and I think this would make a really good recommendation book to any teen who doesn't like to read - One, it's short. Two, it's funny. And three, it stands out because it's different - there's a little bit for everybody and the main character is just so relatable, you can't help but get behind him.

Honestly, I'd recommend it to everybody - even if you don't like sci-fi. It's very light on the sci-fi. It's mostly a story about a boy trying to help his family get through a crisis (with aliens and their new economy as the backdrop). It's worth the read, and hey - it's short. You can finish it in a day.

Turtles All the Way Down

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green     286 pages

Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis.

Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts. 

I don't know what else to say about this book other than I was deeply moved by it. I saw something of myself in Aza and that made her story so much more impactful to me. Her anxiety was so familiar to me, I felt the struggle along with her and I get stressed with her and I just couldn't stop thinking about this book and the characters in it. John Green is such a good storyteller, but he's also really good at making real, believable characters that could and do exist out there somewhere. This story was so well put together, and it's humor and its heartache get to me. I'll never forget it.

There's Someone Inside Your House

There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins     289 pages

Makani Young thought she'd left her dark past behind her in Hawaii, settling in with her grandmother in landlocked Nebraska. She's found new friends and has even started to fall for mysterious outsider Ollie Larsson. But her past isn't far behind.

Then, one by one, the students of Osborne Hugh begin to die in a series f gruesome murders, each with increasingly grotesque flair. As the terror grows closer and her feelings for Ollie intensify, Makani is forced to confront her own dark secrets.

This book was interesting - it had fun parts, it had gory parts, it had typical teen drama. It was exactly what you'd expect for a YA slasher novel. There were violent murders - done by a serial killer and there was a budding teen romance. It was a fun, quick read and sure, highly predictable, but still enjoyable. I'd say the teens were pretty realistic - a bit stupid, a bit fool-hardy/I can protect my friends from a serial-killer, let's go get him ourselves, but most teens can be somewhat stupid about the world or believe they're invincible enough that they won't die.

I liked the effort to include diversity, though it was a bit questionable in some ways. But nevertheless, I didn't feel like I'd wasted my time, and I did really enjoy parts of this interesting story. Would I read it again? Probably not, but I would probably recommend it to others I thought might enjoy it.