The Half-Blood by Janine K. Spendlove

~~~“Spring has something of mine; he knows what it is.” She smiled coldly. “I need you to bring it to me.”

“And why would I do that?” Story folded her arms over her chest.

A branch from the sidhe’s hair glided out in front of her, bearing a single, small acorn. “Because I poisoned Eírnin.”

One of the tattoos on her shoulder coalesced into a live oak leaf, and she plucked it before standing up and holding it out toward Story. “And if you want the antidote, you will bring me what I seek.”

Story lunged for the leaf, but the Autumn Princess was too quick and crushed it in her hand. “You have until winter’s first frost reaches him. Then, he dies.”

Without waiting for a response, Metirreonn disappeared in a scattering of red-gold leaves and sparks. ~~~

Six months after arriving in the world of Ailionora, Story finds herself once again on a quest; only this time it is not to save a dying race but the life of the elf she loves. Along the way, she must face the consequences of her previous choices and battle with enemies both old and new while she races against time.

“Engagingly demonstrates that readers of all ages can get drawn into a world of magic and adventure.” — Karen Lyon, The Hill Rag

Another great adventure for Story!  Just like the last book the Half-Blood was packed full of Tolkienisms, great worldbuilding, and some wonderful character development.  Although the story twisted a knife in my heart I ended up liking that Eirnin was out of the picture for most of the time because it really helped to develop some of the other characters.  Story especially shines without him, becoming even more independent and standing well on her own.  In Eirnin's absence Morrigann also develops a lot, becoming more of a sympathetic character rather than just a plot device and evil force.  Eachan also has some excellent scenes towards the end.  As to the plot, it is a continuation of the great adventure.  We get to see more of Ailionora, and we meet the Dwarves and Trolls as well as some new monsters.  We also learn a lot about the seasonal fairies and what their duties and powers are.  The scope of Ailionora continues to grow, and it is put together with great skill and shows few cracks.  If I had to complain about something it would be that the plot has its usual pacing issues, however, the slow gait makes the book read more like Tolkien and can also be viewed as a plus if you like the old-fashioned style of epic fantasy that lets you see the craft behind the plotting.  The pace also picks up more in this book than it did in the last, becoming closer to what modern sensibilities like towards the middle and end.  It's enough to make me hungry for more, even without a typical cliffhanger ending!

Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan absorbs their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Fifteen Realms, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life...

Another great book by a great author.  I was looking forward to reading a fantasy by Snyder after reading her Inside Out series, and I was definitely not disappointed.  The biggest part of what I loved was the worldbuilding.  Snyder built her own magic system in a world that works symbiotically with it.  I like how there are different types of mages and their effects on the world around them are unique.  The magic plants, especially the lilies, are also a nice touch.  Characters are another high point.  I loved Avry and how she grew into her power while keeping her morality and learning what it is to keep a promise to evil people.  I was not as big on Kerrick because of his early manipulations and meanness towards Avry, however, I can see how it really defined his character as the person who would do anything to save his friend.  The plot was good, however it had some really repetitive spots where the gang were yet again hiding out in a cave or walking through a forest which really slowed things down to a near-standstill.  I did like how Snyder is not afraid of being cruel to her characters, and in some areas I almost cried over them (no spoilers!).  The ending was good, making me want the sequel but not being so much of a cliffhanger that I was angry.  I've already got the next book on order and I'll be furiously devouring it in December!

Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta

Blood sings to blood, Froi . . .Those born last will make the first . . . For Charyn will be barren no more.

Three years after the curse on Lumatere was lifted, Froi has found his home... Or so he believes...

Fiercely loyal to the Queen and Finnikin, Froi has been trained roughly and lovingly by the Guard sworn to protect the royal family, and has learned to control his quick temper. But when he is sent on a secretive mission to the kingdom of Charyn, nothing could have prepared him for what he finds. Here he encounters a damaged people who are not who they seem, and must unravel both the dark bonds of kinship and the mysteries of a half-mad Princess.

And in this barren and mysterious place, he will discover that there is a song sleeping in his blood, and though Froi would rather not, the time has come to listen.

Gripping and intense, complex and richly imagined, Froi of the Exiles is a dazzling sequel to Finnikin of the Rock, from the internationally best-selling and multi-award-winning author of Looking for Alibrandi, Saving Francesca, On the Jellicoe Road and The Piper's Son.

I think I'm going to dub the Finnikin books "YA Game of Thrones".  There are a lot of similarities between the two, and the epic fantasy political intrigue feels similar, too.  Froi of the Exiles is incredibly complicated.  I had the Game-of-Thrones problem of not being able to keep characters and plot lines straight as we switched back and forth between Froi and Lucian.  However, when I read carefully I was able to untangle the threads and find a plot that sparkled.  Marchetta has a unique ability to take a character that did some thoroughly dispicable things (attempted rape) and make him someone a reader wants to identify with.  Froi also had a great foil with Quintana, showing them as two people linked by fate and also in similar situations fighting to survive and make sense of a crazy world.  The pacing was a little strange due to the switching points of view, but it still had some real high points and the lulls were well placed.  The real gem was in the worldbuilding.  I loved being able to see yet another country in Marchetta's world, and I can't wait to see more!

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

In her exquisitely written fantasy debut, Rachel Hartman creates a rich, complex, and utterly original world. Seraphina's tortuous journey to self-acceptance is one readers will remember long after they've turned the final page.

I can't believe it took the Cybils to get me to read this great book.  Thanks to all who nominated it!

The book is told from the point of view of Seraphina.  This is a great choice because Seraphina's voice is so clear and emotional.  She really draws the reader in to what she's experiencing, whether it's loneliness, fear, elation, or logic.  The language she uses is almost musical, which ties in to her character's musical talents.  The worldbuilding is small and rather insular to only the areas we see, but what is done is good and the creations of the dragons are solid and feel realistic.  The love interest and romance are organic and grow with the story in a logical way, and the love interest is well constructed and has some great stumbling blocks to their relationship that don't feel constructed or contrived.  The only discount I can think of is in the pacing.  It seemed as if the author had a hard time getting started and revealing Seraphina's secret, so the beginning is disjointed and confusing.  The end, too, seems abrupt and not quite right, as if the author wanted to keep right on going with the story but an editor told her it was time to end book 1 and start book 2.  Really, though, this complaint is slight and shouldn't keep you from powering through the beginning to find a great story.

The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson

In the sequel to the acclaimed The Girl of Fire and Thorns, a seventeen-year-old princess turned war queen faces sorcery, adventure, untold power, and romance as she fulfills her epic destiny.

Elisa is the hero of her country. She led her people to victory against a terrifying enemy, and now she is their queen. But she is only seventeen years old. Her rivals may have simply retreated, choosing stealth over battle. And no one within her court trusts her-except Hector, the commander of the royal guard, and her companions. As the country begins to crumble beneath her and her enemies emerge from the shadows, Elisa will take another journey. With a one-eyed warrior, a loyal friend, an enemy defector, and the man she is falling in love with, Elisa crosses the ocean in search of the perilous, uncharted, and mythical source of the Godstone's power. That is not all she finds. A breathtaking, romantic, and dangerous second volume in the Fire and Thorns trilogy.

I had a few problems with Girl of Fire and Thorns, so I was a bit hesitant to read this book.  It's hard to have such a good thing destroyed by a blatant prejudice.  Fortunately this book was much more enjoyable.  The issue of Elis being fat was hardly mentioned and never mocked like it seemed the author was doing in book 1.  In the absence of fat-phobia Elisa actually became a delightful character.  She started out a little unsure of herself, a backslide from the last book, but an understandable one.  As the book goes on she manages to grow into herself and her role.  Of course, she has a lot to experience to change her!  This book is a plot gem, with intrigue and diabolical plots, spies and double agents, action and adventure.  There is a cast of thousands who move around each other in a ballet of suberfuge and power plays.  I think if I had to come up with a problem in this book it lay in the cast of thousands.  So many people were introduced with such little description or significance that I sometimes could not keep them straight.  And, of course, underneath it all is Elisa's romance!  The romance in this book was perfect.  It felt like it really built on respect and familiarity, not animal attraction, and the two players really seem like they've got the other person's best interests at heart even when they do stumble and fumble.  Lovers of the romance beware, though, the stumbles and fumbles will come, Elisa does not have an easy path, especially when combined with the rest of the plot.  This all leads up to a climax that is breathtaking and a denouement that will rip your heart out and throw it in the dirt.  In a good way, though.  The ending leaves just enough open for the sequel without being a huge cliffhanger, and it wraps up the plot in a satisfying way that middle books rarely get. 

Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon

On the day of her first betrothal meeting--and rejection--Ai Ling discovers a power welling deep within her. She can reach into other people’s spirits, hear their thoughts, see their dreams…and that’s just the beginning.

Ai Ling has been marked by the immortals; her destiny lies in the emperor’s palace, where a terrible evil has lived, stealing souls, for centuries. She must conquer this enemy and rescue her captive father, while mythical demons track her every step. and then she meets Chen Yong, a young man with a quest of his own, whose fate is intertwined with hers. Here is a heart-stopping, breathtaking tale for fans of action, fantasy, and romance--of anything with the making of legend.

The plot of Silver Phoenix is really the center-point of the book. Like most classic fantasy it revolves around the quest Ai Ling is on and the people she meets and travels with. There has been a great deal of work put into the worldbuilding, and the connections with real Chinese culture through its religion, customs, and even food are bountifully evident. The characters deal with a lot of trouble, too, and Pon isn’t shy about putting her characters in danger. There never seems like an obvious way out, which I liked. The characters had to think, and I did too, but the way out was always a result of their cleverness and reaction, not coincidence. These fights do serve to disconnect the book, though. Like a lot of epic fantasy the story can seem like a series of side quests unrelated to the overall arc for a great part of the book. I think that fans of the genre will find the plotting excellent, though, because the side plots are enjoyable and do bring the protagonist closer to her final battle.

Ai Ling is the definition of a strong female character imo. She has flaws and strengths that are realistic, and her powers have pluses and minuses as well. She makes decisions based on logic and her gut, and everything seems to follow her characterization well. With such a strong lead it is harder to develop the people around her, and some of the lesser characters fall a bit flat because of it. Chen isn’t one of those, though. Chen is a great male role model, supportive without being overbearing or overprotective but still flawed. The romance that develops is realistic and lasting, not a love-at-first-glance surface relationship but a true partnership that strengthens both of them. However, they are still individuals as well, and the ending only served to underscore their connection as well as their individuality. If I had to find a flaw in the book, though, it would be with Zhong Ye. His motivations weren’t always apparent, and I was left feeling that his actions were a little off from his characterization. He needed some more time in developing who he is and why he acts as he does.

The Human by Janine K. Spendlove

Eirnin's silver eyes, now showing hints of bright yellow, widened in astonishment as he stared, transfixed, at the red blood dripping from the wound on Story's foot.

"What are you?"

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A simple question with a not-so-simple answer for seventeen-year-old Story, who finds herself, a lone human, thrust in the middle of a war between creatures she once thought only existed in faerie tales.

I’m not usually one to read a self-published work, but I made an exception for The Human, and I’m glad I did. The book felt a lot like old Tolkien High Fantasy, with a vast sprawling world and epic races of characters. Add in a good dash of good old fashioned Wizard of Oz with its ‘need to get home’ premise and its throngs of characters centering around a naive central figure and you’ll be pretty close to the feeling of this book and its world.

The characterization in this book is a little wonky. Story is not consistenly written, feeling at times like a little girl with her “it’s not fair!” exclamations and at other times a seasoned adult. To be fair I feel this is a ‘Tolkienism’ so it wasn’t too annoying. I liked how the author took a common Mary Sue trope of ‘eyes changing with mood” and worked it into a raceo f characters in a way that didn’t make them seem overpowered. It’s something that’s pretty easy to get annoying quickly but I thought Eirnin skirted the line very well. The romance is set up pretty much from the beginning, and although it’s telegraphed with a big shiny neon sign the journey seemed pretty realistic and healthy. The other characters are fun and given enough characterization to serve their purpose. The plot has the pacing of Tolkien (glacial) but it works along with the feel of the world and the book. The major plot twist is telegraphed well in advance but it comes with a twist that works well.

In all I recommend this book to anyone who’s longing for the golden age of high fantasy with all its tropes and highlights but yearns for strong female characters to take center stage. If Tolkien annoys you, though, you may want to give this a pass. Myself, I’ve already pre-ordered book two.

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle—disguised and alone—to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past. Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck’s reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn’t yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

In my mind Kristin Cashore can do no wrong. So I think it is unsurprising when I say this is one of the best books I’ve read this year. I enjoyed it from front to back, and even though it was a long time coming it was totally worth the wait! Bitterblue is definitely different from Fire and Graceling, though. Where Fire and Katsa are active participants in the book, fighting for a place, Bitterblue has been handed a place she doesn’t know what to do with. The book is much more in Bitterblue’s head than Fire and Graceling were, and there is much less action, and when there is it mostly happens off-page. There is much more concentration on puzzles and ciphers, and untangling all the threads of plot and intrigue. It’s a totally different concept from the last two books, and yet totally absorbing and interesting in its own way.  I didn’t mind that there was less action because Bitterblue’s struggle with herself and finding her way to become the person she wants to be was fascinating and more than active enough to keep me engaged. Bitterblue is complicated and her life is complicated, and that shows throughout the book in her actions. Even the plot of the book is complicated, and I love how it’s not wrapped up in a neat little bow at the end, showing that life is messy and sometimes things just can’t be made to work out.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Elisa is the chosen one. But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can't see how she ever will. Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess. And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake. Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young. Most of the chosen do.

I feel so sad that this book sat on my shelf for so long. I was finally encouraged to read it after seeing all the good reviews about it, and I’m so glad I did. This was an excellent book, one of the best reads of the year. Elisa is a very relatable princess. She wants to be a good person and a good ruler, but she was raised as the second to a perfect child and never taught how to rule or pushed to realize her potential. Combine that with the fact that she’s considered a treasure – the carrier of the Godstone – and you can see how she’s never struggled to do anything more than learn religion. When things happen, though Elisa learns that she has gifts too, gifts that can help her find value as a ruler and as a person. It is this basis on excellent character development and Carson’s worldbuilding that makes the book so good. There are other well-developed characters in the book (Cosme, Ximenia, Rosario) and some not-so-well crafted ones (Alexander, Arina). Since the cast of characters is huge, though, I excused this because it’s impossible to develop so many characters in detail. Speaking of the world, although I think it has fantasy climatology the development of the religious systems are very intricate and make the plots and issues surrounding Elisa more rich and believable. The plot follows well, using Elisa’s characterization as the driving force, and has many twists and turns. In fact, I feel like I picked up on a lot of clues that weren’t discussed in the book, like it is book one of an epic series (it may be, there is a sequel coming). My only problem in the book comes with Elisa’s character arc. In the beginning she is a sheltered princess who admits she is fat and likes food. As she gains a purpose, though, she grows skinnier and stops eating so much. I don’t think this is a good thing. There are so few overweight heroines for girls to look up to, I feel it’s a problem to tell girls that Elisa is only fat because she’s lazy, if you stop eating you will be skinny, and Elisa is only considered worthy when she is skinny (as a part of the skills she gains during the book). The rest of the book, though, is excellent, and worth reading.

Liar’s Moon by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Prisons, poisons, and passions combine in a gorgeously written fantasy noir. As a pickpocket, Digger expects to spend a night in jail every now and then. But she doesn't expect to find Lord Durrel Decath there as well--or to hear he's soon to be executed for killing his wife. Durrel once saved Digger's life, and when she goes free, she decides to use her skills as a thief, forger, and spy to return the favor. But each new clue only opens up new mysteries. Durrel's late wife had an illegal business on the wrong side of the civil war raging just outside the city gates. Digger keeps finding forbidden magic in places it has no reason to be. And for a thief in a town full of liars, sometimes it doesn't pay to know the truth.

Once again we are back with Digger, and her life keeps getting more and more interesting. Having left the Decath family she’s back in the capitol city surviving, stealing, and watching. As she spies on the city more and more bad things happen to her, and she once again entangles herself with the Decaths as Durrell is arrested for killing his wife and he asks Digger to prove his innocence. Thus begins a tale of adventure and intrigue that Digger has to unveil and put together. Although this book has a classic who-done-it plot, it doesn’t read as much like a mystery as Starcrossed did. Instead, Liar’s Moon seems a lot more like traditional medieval fantasy, with its Kings and Queens and plots against the throne and sorcerers and magic users who are fought by a populace afraid of magic and what it can do to them. Although she became a pretty solid figure in Starcrossed Digger develops more in this book, from a household maid figuring things out for her family to a full-on spy working alone to help her friend and her country. The sub-plot of magic users being reviled, condemned, and even murdered gives the non-magic users a little more power, and Digger exploits all of them to find out who the real murderer is. I can’t tell you much more of the plot without spoiling it, but suffice it to say that it will keep you reading the book long after you meant to stop for the day. I love how engrossing Bunce’s work can be, and I look forward to another Digger story soon because there are still many things left unexplained in Digger’s world, and plenty more trouble for Digger to get thrust into :D

Speculative Fiction

Really, when we talk about Sci-Fi and Fantasy we're talking about Speculative Fiction. Speculative fiction is the broad category of fiction books that are not set in a realistic world. Unlike contemporary fiction, which is set in the factual present, or historical fiction that is set in the factual past, Speculative Fiction (or spec-fic) deals with book settings that are not realistic in some manner. To relate to this blog, it covers both sci-fi and fantasy books.

So if spec-fic covers both sci-fi and fantasy how do we tell them apart? The difference is in how the non-realistic things are dealt with. In sci-fi all of that is dealt with by science. Ships fly at the speed of light because there are light-speed engines, strange-looking beings are aliens who look different because they evolved on a different planet, or people have greater-than-natural abilities due to genetic manipulation. Fantasy, on the other hand, doesn't have a scientific explanation for things. Things fly because someone wills them to, strange-looking beings are magical incarnations such as faeries or goblins, and people have greater-than-natural abilities because they're under a spell or gifted by a god.


...



So what are the types of sci-fi? Here's a list of the categories I'll be using in my tags, shamelessly stolen from Wikipedia:

Hard SF - this is what people usually think all of sci-fi is. It's books that have plots that concentrate on physics and other "hard sciences" and meticulous worldbuilding with plot twists that generally rely on scientific things or phenomenon.

Soft SF - books that concentrate on the "soft sciences" such as sociology and politics. Dystopians are Soft SF books that take sociology or psychology to the extremes.

Cyberpunk - plots that rotate around technological advances of cybernetics - where people and technology merge into one being.

Biopunk - focuses on sciences that manipulate the human body through genetic technology instead of technological implantation.

Steampunk - imagines that the past (usually Victorian Europe or US) had advanced technologies. Called "steam"punk because the technical innovations often run by steam power instead of batteries or the like. There are variations, like decopunk, arcanepunk, and enginepunk, but I'm not going to separate them out.

Time Travel - plots where people travel through time.

Alternate History - plots that imagine the past was different than it really was. Steampunk is a sub-set of Alt History.

Military Sci-Fi - concentrates on wars and soldiers in big battles with advanced technologies.

Superhuman - plots that have human characters that have unusual powers due to some scientific reason. Closely related (and often intertwined) to Cyberpunk and Biopunk.

Apocalyptic - deals with the end of the world, either right before and how humans deal with it or right after and how humanity tries to recover. Usually split into pre- (before the end of the world) and post- (after the end of the world). Differs from Dystopian in that nature caused the end of a society and a rise of a new (sometimes oppressive) one, not people or their actions.

Dystopian - deals with a society that exists based on the deprivation, oppression, or terror of the people in the society. The plot usually searches to overthrow this society.

Space Opera - tales that deal with life on other planets or space travel. Often has a heroic tale slant to the plot.

Space Western - A plot that takes the tropes of westerns (cowboys, shoot-em-ups, frontiers) and combines it with science-fiction tropes (space ships, interplanetary travel, space exploration).

Generation Ship - not often an entirely different sub-genre, but it's become a popular slice of space opera crossed with dystopian so I'm separating it out.


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There are even more types of Fantasy than there are Science Fiction, but I'm not going to use all the variations on this blog. I don't feel there's a lot of need to show people the varieties of fantasy since it's readily embraced by YA readers. Here are the few I'll be using:

Urban Fantasy - modern people in modern settings encounter magic or the fantastic. Contains the Paranormal Romances so popular right now.

Hard Fantasy - where magic exists, but everything emulates worlds we know and is as realistic as possible (magic obeys laws of physics, etc.). This is a very difficult thing to describe, so I'll apply it sparingly.

High Fantasy - Heroes, sorcerers, intrigue, and a quest to resolve it all just like Tolkien.

Historical Fantasy - a historical setting, only with magic.

Mythic - retelling of myths, fairytales and/or folklore.

Mythical Creatures - technically a section of mythic, but there are so many of these today that I'm separating them out.

Superhero - people have magic powers for some reason.



I'll be working in the next few weeks to backdate all my old posts with these tags.

Mistwood by Leah Cypess

The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwood. But when she is needed she always comes.

Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.

Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty because without it, she may be his greatest threat.

Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.

Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.

I feel so guilty that I put off this book as long as I did. It’s been on my shelf for at least a year but I never got around to it. I’m really glad I finally got around to it, though, because it was wonderful.

I loved Isabel. That is good because the plot is really the story of her, trying to figure out who she is, how the Shifter is supposed to act, and how she can navigate the new court when she knows that intrigues are all around her and smells lies coming from every corner, even from the prince she is supposed to protect. Her characterization is spot on, which is part of what makes the incredibly blended plot/character study work. The other characters are very layered as well. I like how Prince Rokan has a duty to his country and deep yearning to be a good king, but a rather blank slate when it comes to a plan because his father really taught him how NOT to be, not how to be a good king. Clarisse is also a very interesting person, although it would spoil you to tell you how. And, speaking of spoilers, the plot has many great twists and turns, and although they’re foreshadowed and set up very well they still totally surprised me when they came along. I love a book that keeps me surprised instead of telegraphing its twist from far away. All in all I thought this was an amazingly good read, and I will be going out to get the sequel tomorrow!

Mastiff by Tamora Pierce

The Legend of Beka Cooper gives Tamora Pierce's fans exactly what they want—a smart and savvy heroine making a name for herself on the mean streets of Tortall's Lower City—while offering plenty of appeal for new readers as well.

Beka and her friends will face their greatest and most important challenge ever when the young heir to the kingdom vanishes. They will be sent out of Corus on a trail that appears and disappears, following a twisting road throughout Tortall. It will be her greatest Hunt—if she can survive the very powerful people who do not want her to succeed in her goal.

This has been a hard review to write. I’ve been sitting on a review for Tortall and Other Lands for even longer. Mostly because any Tamora Pierce book is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of enjoyment. You can see on my post of Books I am Thankful For that I wax poetic on Wild Magic, my first exposure to the author. Really, though, I love all her books and I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite. I own multiple copies and re-read at least one series a year, finishing all of them about every 3 years so I can start over. As you can tell, I have a serious soft spot for the author, and showed up at the bookstore at 10 am to pick up my book.

Trying to put my prejudice aside, however, I will say that I thought this was a good book. I remember when I first started with Terrier I was a bit put off by the first person journal style the book has, but by the third book it seems normal. I’m glad too, because this book was worth it. In fact, I’d say that this book functions as a good stand-alone as well as a great series ender. In fact, the book itself seems kinda like a trilogy. It is MASSIVE, you can feel all 600 pages when you pick up the book. However, don’t let that throw you off. Every page is packed with action and tension, and I never felt a lull or down spot. Pierce knows very well how to weave through action, clue-finding tension, and romance scenes to make them all seem fresh and integral to the plot. Beka is a great character, independent and career driven for a job she loves.


***Spoilers***


I know that a lot of people didn’t like a lot of things about this series. Beka’s abusive relationship is often questioned. I didn’t feel that was a bad thing, though, because SMART GIRLS GET IN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS. In fact, because they’re smart they’re less used to asking for help so they let abuse go on far too long. I love this part of the series because it teaches a very valuable lesson to the people who have never educated themselves about abuse.

The other gripe I keep seeing is the ending. I felt that it was heartbreaking, but I thought it was well set up in the book. Beka kept noticing the status differences, so you know the couple did, too. And I believe that could eat on a person until they did something out of character to change it. Love makes people do crazy things, and the love in that relationship has been set up in the series so that I believe he would do something horrible to keep her close.


***End Spoilers***


Then again, I may be seeing the whole book through rose-colored glasses. But I think that’s ok. It gives me so much joy that I don’t care if I’m a little biased. And I think you should read it and let it give you joy too.

Tiger’s Quest by Colleen Houck

Back in Oregon, Kelsey tries to pick up the pieces of her life and push aside her feelings for Ren. But danger lurks around the corner, forcing her to return to India where she embarks on a second quest-this time with Ren's dark, bad-boy brother Kishan, who has also fallen prey to the Tiger's Curse. Fraught with danger, spellbinding dreams, and choices of the heart, TIGER'S QUEST brings the trio one step closer to breaking the spell that binds them.

I thought this book took a bad turn. Although I liked Tiger’s Curse this book took a totally different direction, especially at first. I almost gave up on the first third of the book. The story starts out where Tiger’s Curse left off, with Kelsey returning to Oregon and leaving Ren in India. However, her life in Oregon is far from normal. For her “service” to Ren she’s gifted with a full ride to a college she didn’t have to apply to, a house, an outlandish car, all expenses paid, credit cards in her name . . . and the list goes on. I admire that Kelsey tried to move on and date, but the choices are so obviously not for her that I have to wonder if there was any effort at all put into them. Li is so transparent as a plot point setup that I was more annoyed than anything. I really wish this whole section of the book had been put into a one-chapter prologue at best.

After Ren returns, spends time romancing Kelsey (something that annoys me because he insists he must do it for her benefit even though she doesn’t want it in a horrible case of ‘mansplainin’) and they get attacked and Kelsey escapes with Kishan while Ren is captured. While I like that Kelsey has adventures away from Ren, with Kishan the quest seemed like less of a partnership. It never seemed to be them working together, more that one of them was holding the other one back. At least it alternated so that one person wasn’t always hobbling the other. I’m still holding out hope for the series as a whole, however, and I’ll get the third book in hope that all the dramatic romantic dragging out is done with and we can get back to amazing adventures.

Eona by Alison Goodman

Where there is power, there is betrayal…

Once she was Eon, a girl disguised as a boy, risking her life for the chance to become a Dragoneye apprentice. Now she is is Eona, the Mirror Dragoneye, her country’s savior—but she has an even more dangerous secret.

She cannot control her power.

Each time she tries to bond with her Mirror Dragon, she becomes a conduit for the ten spirit dragons whose Dragoneyes were murdered by Lord Ido. Their anguish floods through her, twisting her ability into a killing force, destroying the land and its people.

And another force of destruction is on her trail.

Along with Ryko and Lady Dela, Eona is on the run from High Lord Sethon’s army. The renegades must find Kygo, the young Pearl Emperor, who needs Eona’s power if he is to wrest back his throne from Sethon. But if Eona is to help Kygo, she must drive a dark bargain with an old enemy that could obliterate them all.

This has been a very difficult review to write. I really love Eon. It had great characters, a great plot, and a lot of promise. While the result, Eona, is great, I’m not sure it lived up to the expectations I had in my head. I’m not entirely sure that is Goodman’s fault, though.

A few of my problems with this book were the disconnect with book 1. For all that Eon struggles with his gender identity in book 1, one of my favorite parts of the book, in book 2 it is a non-issue. Eona adapts seamlessly to being a girl. I really wish there had been a little more of a transition, a learning phase where Eona has to cope with figuring out how to be a girl after having lived as a boy for so long. I know that her heart and her soul were accepting of her gender, but it still takes time for the brain processes to catch up. It was the same with the disability and her coping of how it happened. Once Eona is healed of her hip problem she doesn’t really seem to need to relearn coordinated fights and movements which seemed very unrealistic to me. However, I did really like the power struggle and love triangle between Ido, Kygo, and Eona. The issues of power and love never seemed to fully separate, which I found to be very realistic, and Eona had to work t o understand how she felt and how to trust in a relationship. More importantly, she had to learn that she can’t have it all and that she has to choose, which is a very adult thing I liked to see in a YA book. I liked the death that happens late in the book and how the other main characters deal with it, it seemed very in character for all of them. The story of Kinra and the Dragons is even more compelling, and although I am not entirely comfortable with the surprise ending, I do acknowledge that there was no “easy” way to end that plot, which is very realistic and grown-up.

Relic Master: The Dark City by Catherine Fisher

Welcome to Anara, a world mysteriously crumbling to devastation, where nothing is what it seems: Ancient relics emit technologically advanced powers, members of the old Order are hunted by the governing Watch yet revered by the people, and the great energy that connects all seems to also be destroying all. The only hope for the world lies in Galen, a man of the old Order and a Keeper of relics, and his sixteen-year-old apprentice, Raffi. They know of a secret relic with great power that has been hidden for centuries. As they search for it, they will be tested beyond their limits. For there are monsters--some human, some not--that also want the relic's power and will stop at nothing to get it.

Relic Master is a slow starter, but I suggest sticking with it because the payoff is worth it.

This book is the first of a trilogy to be relased this summer. I received this book free from librarything in exchange for an unbiased review, but I will definitely be getting more of them because this was an absorbing book that leaves you wanting more! I love the characterization of Galen, Raffi, and Carys. Galen’s situation and his solutions are intriguing. Carys is a great character and will prove to be much fun throughout the series and also serves as a clever way to get exposition without it seeming too laborious or put on for the reader only. The plot, while obviously being a small part of a greater whole, is not an entire cliffhanger and has a good resolution while still making you want to read further in the series. I love books that make a blending of science fiction and fantasy, and a great part of the plot mystery is figuring out this mystery. I also haven’t figured out how the present dovetails into this future, but I’m intrigued. And it’s great that the series is being re-published in the US with only a month between books. I will be picking up the rest of these books soon to finish out the series.



I was provided with a free ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan

Tender Morsels is a dark and vivid story, set in two worlds and worrying at the border between them. Liga lives modestly in her own personal heaven, a world given to her in exchange for her earthly life. Her two daughters grow up in this soft place, protected from the violence that once harmed their mother. But the real world cannot be denied forever—magicked men and wild bears break down the borders of Liga’s refuge. Now, having known Heaven, how will these three women survive in a world where beauty and brutality lie side by side?

I almost didn't make it through the beginning of this book. It was tough. Really tough. The first 50 or so pages deal with incest, forced abortion, gang rape, infanticide, and suicide. Hefty, icky stuff. I'll be honest, I wasn't sure if the payoff would be worth it. I'm glad I stuck it out, though, because the rest of the book was almost free of these issues and a pretty wonderful story. And yes, it really did need that setup, so I don't even mind the beginning much. Liga is an amazing character. Even as she's shaped by her history of sexual abuse she isn't consumed by it for the entire book, and I like how she grows and changes without loosing sight of who she used to be. It's also pretty great how she always retains a childlike quality that reminds you how sheltered and abused she was as a child and yet she always strives to rise above and do the right thing. Branza and Urdda are well constructed too. They are unique without being shaped by their conception, which is a hard thing to do when dealing with such heavy material. I like how they each have predictable, unique reactions to the events around them. I also really liked the overall moral of the story: no matter how hard your life is you have to grow up and live it sometime or things will be harder for you later. A good lesson for us all to learn.

Warped by Maurissa Guibord

Tessa Brody doesn't believe in magic. Or Fate. But there is definitely something weird about the dusty unicorn tapestry that she discovers in a box of old books. The wild, handsome creature woven within it draws Tessa, and frightens her too.

Soon after the tapestry comes into her possession strange things begin to happen. Tessa experiences vivid dreams of the past and scenes from a brutal hunt. When she accidentally pulls a thread from the tapestry, Tessa releases a terrible secret-one that has been contained for centuries. She also meets William de Chaucy, a young sixteenth-century nobleman with gorgeous eyes, an odd accent and haughty attitude to spare. His fate is as inextricably tied to the tapestry as Tessa's own. "His Lordship" is pretty hard to get along with but equally hard to resist.

Together with Will, Tessa must correct the wrongs of the past to defeat a cruel and crafty ancient enemy.

But what is she willing to sacrifice in order to do it?

I was really happy in my choice with this book. It turned out to be good in all the right places. I don't really know why that was so surprising. Maybe it was because the summary sounded like a formulaic bodice-ripper romance complete with Fabio cover. The resulting book, though, is more fantasy-thriller than romance book. In fact, I would say that the romance is the weakest part of the plot. The characters are great, and the plot idea of mixing the Fates and a witch who confounds their plans is a wonderful creation. I love the twist of why the witch has the tapestry, which is surprising and yet makes a ton of sense. The characterization is confusing at first, with the time travel dreams and the confusion over identities, but after the first third of the book it solidifies pretty well into a cohesive whole. I do kinda wish the book was another third longer, because it seemed the author really hit her stride in the second half and I would have liked more of it, but as a whole the book was convincing and amusing as contemporary fantasy.

Tuesday Review: The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal

Princess and heir to the throne of Thorvaldor, Nalia has led a privileged life at court. But everything changes when she learns, just after her sixteenth birthday, that she is a false princess, a stand-in for the real Nalia, who has been hidden away for her protection. Cast out with little more than the clothes on her back, the girl now called Sinda must leave behind the city, her best friend, Kiernan, and the only life she’s ever known.

Sent to live with her only surviving relative, a cold, scornful woman with little patience for her newfound niece, Sinda proves inept at even the simplest tasks. Then she discovers that magic runs through her veins – long-suppressed, dangerous magic that she must learn to control – and she realizes that she will never learn to be just a simple village girl.

Sinda returns to the city to seek answers. Instead, she rediscovers the boy who refused to forsake her, and uncovers a secret that could change the course of Thorvaldor’s history, forever.

I've been greatly looking forward to this book! Along with Starcrossed by Elizabeth Bunce and Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta this is another great high fantasy YA book with a great twist: instead of being about a common girl who finds out she's a princess, it's about the girl who finds out she's not a princess at all, but really just the commoner stand-in. O'Neal does a great job of capturing the mix of emotions that I imagine a teenage girl would have in this situation: abandonment, disappointment, resentment, and a little relief. I especially loved the characterization of Sinda's aunt, because it seemed like a very realistic reaction to the situations she is put in. O'Neal also spins a great plot full of twists and turns that are unpredictable yet not totally out of left field. Romance is present in this book but it's not overpowering to the plot and seems grounded in the age and maturity of the characters involved. The villain is great, explained and reasoned but surprising at the same time (and I'm not gonna spoil it for you!). I highly recommend this book for the fantasy lovers out there.

Thursday Re-Read: Wren to the Rescue by Sherwood Smith

All her life Wren has hoped for an adventure. Now she has one—with a kidnapped princess, a handsome prince, and a magician. What does it matter if the princess is only Tess, her best friend from the orphanage; if the prince is a youngest son with no chance of becoming king; and the magician is an apprentice? Wren leads the other three over mountains and past killing spells, fighting battles along the way. But then she finds herself up against some shape-changing magic that may end her life as a human forever!

Wren to the Rescue is a great book. Although I usually go for more teen reads than middle this book was fast-paced and fantastical yet detailed enough to keep me absorbed the whole way through. I love the character of Wren. She's not a princess, but she dreams big and yet she always manages to be happy with what she's got while she still wants more. I think that's a great characteristic in people, and it's realistically portrayed in the Wren character. I also love how she's figured out she's special, but she's untrained so she still can't do much with her "specialness", which makes her an ideal and yet still relatable. The other characters in the story are well done as well, children that are who they say they are and yet are still convincing as children and not twelve-year-olds-with-the-logic-of-fourty-year-olds. The plot, a chase/rescue, is wonderfully paced, with just enough exposition to keep the story from seeming to be pulled from nowhere. I think my only criticism of Wren is that it is too short, but with two sequels I can't even complain about that for long!