Mini-Review: Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard

Author: Jenny Hubbard

Genre:  Historical Fiction, Contemporary

Pages: 192

Published: June 14, 2011

Publisher: Delacorte

Rating: 3/5 Stars

"At the beginning of his junior year at a boys' boarding school, 16-year-old Alex is devastated when he fails to save a drowning friend. When questioned, Alex and his friend Glenn, who was also at the river, begin weaving their web of lies. Plagued by guilt, Alex takes refuge in the library, telling his tale in a journal he hides behind Moby-Dick. Caught in the web with Alex and Glenn is their English teacher, Miss Dovecott, fresh out of Princeton, who suspects there's more to what happened at the river when she perceives guilt in Alex's writing for class. She also sees poetic talent in Alex, which she encourages. As Alex responds to her attention, he discovers his true voice, one that goes against the boarding school bravado that Glenn embraces. When Glenn becomes convinced that Miss Dovecott is out to get them, Alex must choose between them."~Goodreads

I love a good boarding school story.  All of that teen angst and no parents in sight.  It's a great recipe for drama and intrigue.  For some reason stories about all boys schools seem to hold a special place in my heart.  It's probably because I grew up loving A Separate Peace and The Dead Poets Society, "Oh captain, my captain" and all that.  These stories really seem to tug at my heart strings.  That's probably why I went into this story expecting so much.  It doesn't hurt that Paper Covers Rock was a finalist for the William C. Morris Debut Award.  So with my expectations towering, I dove right in (pun intended).  Unfortunately, this particular boarding school story was a little stale for me.

Let's start off on a positive note.  The style of the book was really intriguing.  It is told in journal form through entries, essays, poems and letters.  I always have loved this type of writing style.  It allows you to get inside the protagonists head in a way that simple narrative cannot.  It also usually helps to make the pacing of the story work.  However, with this particular book, the pacing was sometimes off and even at only 192 pages this book took awhile for me to get through.  That being said, the journal style was effective in helping me to understand and connect with the main character, Alex.  Even though I felt I knew Alex, it was hard at times for me to sympathize with him.  He allows others to control so much of what he does and how he thinks and allows himself to be bullied by his (to me totally dull, nothing to write home about) best friend, Glenn.  Together the boys get one student expelled and attempt to have a teacher dismissed all to save their own butts.  I'm not sure why I should feel much sympathy for such a door mat.

My other big problem with this book is that the story line is so similar to A Separate Peace.  There are plenty of differences of course but the characters seem like less likable knock-offs of Phineas and Gene and the main conflict (a student being injured/killed) after jumping into a river was just too on the nose for me.  Really, I probably would have had a much different view of the book if this weren't the case since I spent most of the time comparing the two stories in my mind.  Of course the plot lines were different in many ways and I am not at all insinuating that anything underhanded is going on here, but I just felt like I had read this story before and liked it better the first time.

When all is said and done I can't really say  that I disliked Paper Covers Rock.  It was a solid story told in an interesting way, but it fell short.  I would have like to have seen a more original story-line and more likable characters.  The charm of Dead Poets Society and the bite of A Separate Peace were missing for me.  In the end, it's a story that is interesting but not enduring.  I think this book would be a good introduction if you haven't read a lot of books involving boarding schools.  It may really intrigue some of you, I think for me it was just a little late to the party.

Video Review: The Watch That Ends The Night by Allan Wolf

Author: Allan Wolf

Genre:  Historical Fiction, Verse

Pages: 480

Published: October 11th, 2011

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Rating: 4/5 Stars

"Arrogance and innocence, hubris and hope--twenty-four haunting voices of the Titanic tragedy, as well as the iceberg itself, are evoked in a stunning tour de force.
Millionaire John Jacob Astor hopes to bring home his pregnant teen bride with a minimum of media scandal. A beautiful Lebanese refugee, on her way to family in Florida, discovers the first stirrings of love. And an ancient iceberg glides south, anticipating its fateful encounter. The voices in this remarkable re-creation of the Titanic disaster span classes and stations, from Margaret ("the unsinkable Molly") Brown to the captain who went down with his ship; from the lookout and wireless men to a young boy in search of dragons and a gambler in search of marks. Slipping in telegraphs, undertaker’s reports, and other records, poet Allan Wolf offers a breathtaking, intimate glimpse at the lives behind the tragedy, told with clear-eyed compassion and astounding emotional power."~Goodreads

With a slow build that leads to an impressive impact, this book is definitely at the top of my list when it comes to Titanic stories.  I've loved reading about Titanic and her passengers since I was a little kid.  The tragedy has always captivated me.  That being said, I'm a pretty hard reader to please when it comes to books about the subject.  I find that many authors have cheapened their tales by focusing on love stories or just regurgitating stories that we've all heard a million times before.  Allan Wolf doesn't do this.  He focuses on the passengers in a way that really makes the reader feel like they know and understand each individual.  He weaves a story of humanity and all the triumphs and failures that come with it.  The story is told by over twenty different narrators including the iceberg, itself.  All of these stories come together as a beautifully told narrative in verse about the ill-fated ship.  It is a quick and engrossing read that will thrill you and break your heart all at the same time.

Review: Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

Author: Vera Brosgol

Genre:  Paranormal, Graphic Novel

Pages: 221

Published: June 7th, 2011

Publisher: First Second

Rating: 4/5 Stars

"Anya could really use a friend. But her new BFF isn't kidding about the "Forever" part...
Of all the things Anya expected to find at the bottom of an old well, a new friend was not one of them. Especially not a new friend who’s been dead for a century.
Falling down a well is bad enough, but Anya's normal life might actually be worse. She's embarrassed by her family, self-conscious about her body, and she's pretty much given up on fitting in at school. A new friend—even a ghost—is just what she needs.
Or so she thinks. Spooky, sardonic, and secretly sincere, Anya's Ghost is a wonderfully entertaining debut from author/artist Vera Brosgol."~Goodreads

What is it about graphic novels that is so enticing?  The beautiful artwork, the clever story lines, the challenge of fitting an entire narrative into a comic strip?  Yes, of course, but let's be real for a second.  Pictures!  Here is the excuse that the petulant twelve year old in all of us has been looking for to read a book that's mostly pictures and still feel like we've accomplished something.  These puppies are great for pulling you out of a reading slump, plus they're nice to look at!  So I decided to delve into more graphic novels this year and one of my first was Anya's Ghost.  I'm not sure what I was really expecting but this spooky little read was completely satisfying!

LIKES:

• The Art: The artwork in this book is really beautiful in a quirky sort of way.  It's very cartoonish but it works for the story.  The visual element of the story fits in really well with the plot development and enhances the book rather than simply illustrating it.  This becomes especially important as certain characters start to evolve toward the middle of the book.  It simply would have been lacking without the visual element.
• Actually Scary: At first I had my doubts about whether or not this would actually be a scary read.  Sure, it's about a ghost, but the cartoonish art style and the beginning of the story line made me skeptical.  Then the story started taking a dark turn and the book just got downright creepy.  I think that was my favorite part of the book.  It was so unexpected and such a pleasant surprise.
• Great Message:  The underlying message in this book is less about restless spirits and more about a girl who is uncomfortable with her place in the world.  Anya has to see first hand how important her family and her life are to really appreciate her value and what she has.  
• Anya and Her Family: The characters of Anya and her mother and brother are very well-written.  They are incredibly realistic and endearing and have obviously been created with love by the author.  In the few hours it took to read the book I became very attached to these characters.  I always love it when I can hear a character's voice and really get to know them.

DISLIKES:

• Some of the secondary characters: Unfortunately I felt like some of the secondary characters weren't very well-developed.  I realize that this is mainly a story about Anya and her family but I would have liked a little more depth in some of the other characters.

This was a great graphic novel to start out with.  I loved it.  It was heartwarming, funny and actually pretty spooky at times.  It will definitely stick with me for a long time and I will absolutely be re-reading it.  I would recommend this if you you're looking for a super fast, fun book or an intro to graphic novels. 

Let me know what some of your favorite graphic novels are as I'm trying to build up a reading list for them!  All input is greatly appreciated.

Mini Review: Choker by Elizabeth Woods

Author: Elizabeth Woods

Genre:  Mystery, Thriller, Contemporary

Pages: 233

Published: January 4th, 2011

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Rating: 4/5 Stars

"Sixteen-year-old Cara Lange has been a loner ever since she moved away from her best and only friend, Zoe, years ago. She eats lunch with the other girls from the track team, but they're not really her friends. Mostly she spends her time watching Ethan Gray from a distance, wishing he would finally notice her, and avoiding the popular girls who call her "Choker" after a humiliating incident in the cafeteria. 
Then one day Cara comes home to find Zoe waiting for her. Zoe's on the run from problems at home, and Cara agrees to help her hide. With her best friend back, Cara's life changes overnight. Zoe gives her a new look and new confidence, and next thing she knows, she's getting invited to parties and flirting with Ethan. Best of all, she has her BFF there to confide in. 
But just as quickly as Cara's life came together, it starts to unravel. A girl goes missing in her town, and everyone is a suspect—including Ethan. Worse still, Zoe starts behaving strangely, and Cara begins to wonder what exactly her friend does all day when she's at school. You're supposed to trust your best friend no matter what, but what if she turns into a total stranger?"~Goodreads

Let's talk a bit about how covers can be duplicitous.  Here we have a pretty pink cover, white winter trees, a long stemmed rose and some lovely handwriting.  Sure the title sounds ominous but how dark could this book possibly be?  Take into consideration that the angle of the trees is what someone who is on their back (like, perhaps, someone who's just been murdered in the woods) might be looking at and you get some idea of just how dark this book can get.  This cover is entirely representative of the story.  Choker is a thriller disguised as a contemporary.  Woods somehow managed to fit two different plot lines into just under 240 pages.  There were several times while reading this book that I forgot it was supposed to be a thriller at all.  I just wanted Cara to win the guy of her dreams and actually make some real friends.  That is probably what made this story so unsettling.  Woods manages to catch the reader off guard by luring them into their comfort zone just before delivering her blows.

First of all we have Cara, our main character.  She is the quintessential high school outcast.  She doesn't really have any close friends, she's super awkward and she can't seem to relate to anyone.  She's pretty miserable overall.  She's being bullied by the school's resident mean girls, their leader is dating the guy Cara is in love with.  Then her childhood friend, Zoe, appears and starts camping out in Cara's bedroom.  She starts helping Cara build up her self confidence and everything starts getting better.  It's all well and good until the bodies start piling up and Zoe seems pretty comfortable with it.  

The "thriller" aspect of the story is an ever-present force that guides the story along without over-shadowing it.  This creates an incredibly tense and upsetting atmosphere throughout the book.  Everything seems more realistic and that's what makes it so frightening.  I saw the ending coming from a mile away but that didn't make it any less disturbing when my fears came to fruition.  This is definitely not the book for you if you like neat, tidy, happy endings.   This one stays with you for awhile and was truly and excellent read.  I'd recommend this if you are looking for something more psychological and dark than a crime thriller.  

Review: Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey

Author: Amy Garvey

Genre: Paranormal

Pages: 292

Published: September 20th, 2011

Publisher: Harper Teen

Rating: 2/5 Stars

"It was a beautiful, warm summer day, the day Danny died.
Suddenly Wren was alone and shattered. In a heartbroken fury, armed with dark incantations and a secret power, Wren decides that what she wants--what she "must" do--is to bring Danny back.
But the Danny who returns is just a shell of the boy Wren fell in love with. His touch is icy; his skin, smooth and stiff as marble; his chest, cruelly silent when Wren rests her head against it.
Wren must keep Danny a secret, hiding him away, visiting him at night, while her life slowly unravels around her. Then Gabriel DeMarnes transfers to her school, and Wren realizes that somehow, inexplicably, he can sense the powers that lie within her--and that he knows what she has done. And now Gabriel wants to help make things right.
But Wren alone has to undo what she has wrought--even if it means breaking her heart all over again."~Goodreads

I got Cold Kiss last year as an Amazon freebie.  I'd heard great things about it and the sequel was coming out so I thought I'd give it a shot.  The only thing I really knew about the plot at the time was that it involved a girl raising her boyfriend from the dead.  I expected it to be a fun, if sort of cheesy, read.  Unfortunately I found that instead of fun, it was kind of gross and more than a little disturbing.  That's all fine and good if that's what the author is going for, but I feel like this one just missed the mark.

LIKES:

• Exploding squirrels, geriatric cats and other things that make me giggle:  There were some things in the story that gave it personality and humor.  Wren has magical powers that she doesn't know how to control and this can cause some major outbursts when she gets freaked out.  This includes the downfall of a particularly unlucky squirrel who happens to be in the line of fire.  This sort of dark humor mixed with real-life everyday problems like a pet cat who seems to suffer from feline dementia could have been used to really give the story some much-needed levity.  Unfortunately these were few and far between and it just wasn't enough to take my mind off of the ick-factor of the book.
• There is some heart to the story:  even though this wasn't my favorite story, there were times where I was drawn into Wren and Danny's plight.  There were some scenes that were very emotional and really touched on grief, loss and sacrifice.  

DISLIKES: 

• Gross:  By this point in my reading life, I've read and loved plenty of love stories about the undead.  Of course usually they are vampires or at least they don't look like/smell like zombies.  This allows me to ignore the fact that our hero should be rotting away in a box somewhere.  Unfortunately there were too many scenes where Wren and Danny were kissing and Wren kept talking about how cold he was and how he smelled like dirt and dead leaves (or, you know, a graveyard).  In the meantime, Danny keeps wanting to go farther and farther and I couldn't help but be grossed out.
• Gabriel or The Guy With The Worst Timing Ever:  seriously dude, this girl's dead boyfriend is living in the garage and you're going in for the kiss?  So, not the time.  I just do not understand why we needed an undead love triangle.  It didn't add much to the story and frankly I would be pissed if some guy kept hitting on me after he found out about my zombie slave boyfriend.  Timing is everything guys.
• I just didn't care about the characters:  They all seemed pretty foolish to me.  Wren and Gabriel for the reasons mentioned above and Danny because, well, he's dead.  He only ever thinks about Wren and is either lost without her or physically attacking the guy who's trying to be her new boyfriend (which to be fair is pretty understandable).  

Overall, I just didn't care for this one.  It wasn't terrible, but it just wasn't for me.  The writing style is nice and the concept had some promise, but I don't think I'll be checking out the next one.

Let me know if you've read Cold Kiss and what you thought down below!

Review: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Author: Patrick Ness

Genre: Paranormal, Horror

Pages: 215

Published: September 27, 2011

Publisher: Candlewick

Rating: 5/5 Stars

"The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.
But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming...
This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.
It wants the truth." ~Goodreads

 When I picked up A Monster Calls I figured it would be the perfect Halloween read.  I mean, monsters, hello!  I new that this was supposed to be a sad story as well, but I assumed (incorrectly) that it was more of a thriller than anything else.  After finishing this book, I can promise you that while it is a horror story, the horror here lies in the real life problems that the main character, Conor, is dealing with.  He is bullied at school, abandoned by his father, largely ignored by his grandmother and on top of everything else he is dealing with his mother's cancer.  That's a lot for a kid to deal with.  Then the monster starts showing up.

LIKES:

• The legacy of the book: The idea for this book was originally thought up by Siobhan Dowd.  Unfortunately she passed away from cancer before the idea could come to fruition.  Although Ness and Dowd had not known each other personally, he was a huge fan of her work.  So, when he was asked to write the book he did so with the utmost love and respect.  One of the reasons that this book is such a masterpiece is because Ness was memorializing and celebrating Dowd in its writing.  This makes the story all the more touching.
• The realism: Again, this story is less about a monster and more about Conor's internal struggle with his mother's cancer.  However, that doesn't mean that the story is sappy.  The emotions are so raw and real that it is impossible not to feel totally immersed in Conor's grief.
• The monster: The monster is such a dynamic character.  He is a terror but he is also a nuturer.  He is not only there to scare Conor, he is also there to teach him and to help him.  At the end of the day, it is the monster who makes Conor look at his true feelings and come to terms with his mother's potential fate.
• The illustrations: Jim Kay's amazing illustrations complement the story without overshadowing it.  They are both terrifying and melancholy.  While the story stands on its own, the book would not be the same without these wonderful pieces.
• All the feels: Especially during the last third of the book I just could not stop crying.  It takes a lot for a book to make me cry and this one just would not let up.  I suggest having a jumbo pack of Kleenex on stand-by if you are planning to read this one.

DISLIKES:

Absolutely nothing.  I can't think of a single thing that I didn't love about this book.  You've stumped me Patrick Ness. Well played, sir.

This book is, in a word, flawless.  If you are looking for a different kind of heartfelt read with just a little creepiness, this is your book.  If you aren't crying by the end, you may want to have your tear ducts checked out, there could be a problem.  From, idea to plot to writing and illustrations this book is incredibly well-formed.  I know it will have a place of honor on my shelf for years to come.

Review: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Author:  Lauren DeStefano

Genre:  Dystopian

Pages: 358

Published: March 22, 2011

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Rating: 3/5 Stars

"By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children. When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?
Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?" - Goodreads

I know that we really shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but in this case the cover of this book is a great representation of the story within.  Eerie, sad and beautiful,  this story really sticks with you.  It is a tale filled with beautiful places, dazzling parties and sinister purposes that hold the reader until the last page and leave them with both a feeling of outstanding exhilaration and intense foreboding.  I put off reading this book for so long because I just wasn't sure that it would be able to live up to my expectations.  In the end it mostly did, but a part of me feels like the darkness of this book really weighed it down too much.  However, that same darkness is what made it so enjoyable.  Perhaps those conflicting feelings are what makes Wither  so special.

LIKES:

• Beautiful storytelling and world-building:  DeStefano's writing has a way of bringing the reader into the story and making them feel totally encapsulated in her world.  The imagery used and the history/memory building is really fantastic.  I just kept wanting to know more and more about Rhine and her little world and it was so much fun learning about it.
• Thought-provoking:  This point really goes along with the world-building.  DeStefano's picture of this horrifying new America in the not-to-distant future really makes you think about your place on the planet now and appreciate that we are not the only ones here.  In Rhine's world all of the other countries have been totally decimated.  Paris is just a memory, China has vanished, and Germany only exists in old atlases.  Rhine's America is completely alone in the world and for some reason this really bothered me, in the best possible way.  Don't get me wrong, I wave my flag and love a good fireworks display on the Fourth of July, just like most Americans, but I also like knowing that there are different cultures and places yet to be explored out there.  I can't imagine being the last country on earth and what that would mean.  DeStefano has made this world so believable that you can't help but reflect upon it.
• We're only here for a little while:  A huge theme in this book is time.  In the world of Wither  men only live to be 25 and women only 20 so throughout the book Rhine and her companions are trying to make the most of the time they have left in different ways.  The best part about this theme is that it doesn't just apply to DeSefano's characters.  Sure we may have more like 80-something years on Earth but in the grand scheme of things that's no time at all.   There are tortoises walking around that were born before our great grand parents after all.  While reading Wither, I found myself reflecting on how short of a time we really have here and how important it is not to waste it.  This is a great thing to be reminded of, especially in such a fun, creepy way and really helps you relate to Rhine and her sister wives.

DISLIKES:

• Again with the child-prostitution:  Okay so I realize that there is a reason that this issue is included in the book:  to underline the creepiness and cruelty of Rhine's world.  Still, I will never get used to seeing this in books.  One of Rhine's sister wives is only 13 at the beginning of this book!  13! Gross.  Just not my cup of tea.
• Why romance?   (POSSIBLE SPOILERS):  The whole romance aspect of this book just seems pointless.  There are basically two potential love interests in the story (yay love triangles, not).  First there is Rhine's husband, Linden.  He is a whimpy, clueless man who's father is holding Rhine prisoner.  Not to mention he goes around impregnating 13 year olds (not cool).  Why Rhine would even entertain the idea of being with this guy voluntarily is beyond me.  Then we have Gabriel.  He has his own drawbacks, mainly that he seems sort of okay living in this awful place and might have a pretty bad case of Stockholm Syndrome.  Mostly, though, my problem with him as a romantic interest is that Rhine doesn't really know him at all.  This is one of those books where I really don't see the need for romantic entanglements.  I feel like they had a good story and then shoved some romance in for good measure.  Not a fan.

IN BETWEEN:

• Very dark:  And when I say dark I don't mean sort of spooky with some gore mixed in.  I mean chopping up bodies in a basement dark.  In a way this made it really unpleasant to read sometimes.  At the same time though, this darkness is what gives the book its appeal and what keeps the reader going.  You want to find out what's going on and suffering mentally along with Rhine makes you want that payoff even more.

In the end,  I was really glad that I decided to go ahead and read this one.  Even though it left me with some icky feelings and questions about my own cynicism, I really enjoyed it.  I would recommend this to all lovers of dystopian, not so much for the romantics.  I will definitely be checking out Fever and the final book in the trilogy Sever soon!

 

Review: Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Author: Myra McEntire

Genre: paranormal, science fiction, romance

Pages: 390

Published: June 14, 2011

Publisher: Egmont USA

Rating: 4/5 Stars

"For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.
So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may also change her past.
Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?" - Goodreads

Set in a little Southern town after the untimely deaths of Emerson's parents ,  Hourglass, is the perfect mix of  sad, spooky and fun.  Emerson isn't crazy, but everyone thinks she is and maybe she's beginning to believe that too.  Her ability to see ghosts has been disrupting her life for four years and her brother is willing to do anything necessary to help her.  But Emerson is tired and suspicious of the endless stream of specialists she is sent to.  That is until she meets Michael and becomes part of The Hourglass.   

There are so many wonderful things about this book: the plot line is gripping, the character development is fantastic and, did I mention, GHOSTS! Emereson's character is great.  She is so funny and quirky even while she is trying to come to grips with the fact that she may be losing her mind.  Her narration is very realistic while somehow being whimsical and strange as well.  The romance in this book is also a lot of fun.  While there isn't insta-love (yay!) there is an immediate attraction between Em and Michael which develops over time into a relationship.  Their love isn't perfect, they argue and yell, they feel unsure about their futures together and they know they have issues that need to be worked out.  That being said, they are great as a couple and a ton of fun to read!

As far as cons go, there aren't many.  First, I wasn't 100% happy about the time-travel aspect at first, I would have liked to have seen more ghosts, but it grew on me.  Now if I could just wrap my head around theoretical physics we'd be in business.  Mostly though, I'm just a little concerned that the next book is going to turn Em and Michael's relationship into a love triangle.  The introduction of Kaleb and his forwardness near the middle/end of this book do not bode well for book 2, and I really don't like love triangles.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed this one.  It was so much fun to get into and I really felt and attachment to the characters.  I can't wait to read Timepiece.  

Entwined

Author: Heather Dixon

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Pages: 480

Published: 2011

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Rating: 5/5 Stars

"Azalea and her younger sisters dance in the mysterious silver forest every night, escaping from the sadness of the palace and their father’s grief. What they don’t understand—although as time passes they begin to get an inkling of the danger they are in—is that the mysterious and dashing Keeper is tightening his snare with deadly purpose. Luckily, Azalea is brave and steadfast. Luckily, a handsome young army captain also has his eye on Azalea. . . . Lush, romantic, and compelling, this debut novel by Heather Dixon will thrill fans of Shannon Hale, Robin McKinley, and Edith Pattou"

My mom insists that she was never really into fairy tales when she was little.  I insist she's lying.  Maybe she wasn't the dress up like Cinderella and run around the backyard pretending to talk to woodland creatures type, but I promise you that at one point in her life someone read her a story about a princess in a far away kingdom, etc, etc and she pictured herself in a big poofy dress holding court over the the family dog and her rather large collection of gerbils.  Little girls (even the non-girly types) love princesses and talking animals and handsome princes. That's why Disney was invented right?  Fairy tales: it's what we do (I feel like that should be on a shirt somewhere).  I, myself, spent the vast majority of my childhood playing princess with my stuffed animals and I have the crown (and the superiority complex) to prove it.  But I digress, why do we really love fairy tales?  I maintain that it is because they are so contradictory.  There are always two sides to a good fairy tale.  First, the fluff.  The beautiful princess, the charming castle, the enchanted forest and the handsome prince.  But something sinister lurks in the dark.  In all of these stories there is fear.  Witches, dragons, imprisonment, and (almost without exception) death.  That's what makes the story so great.  You're enchanted, but you're afraid at the same time.  


Entwined in a fairy tale lovers dream.  It is beautiful, witty and tragic.  There were times during the book where I laughed out loud (usually because of the main character's closest sister, Bramble), there were times when I was grinning like an idiot and there were times when I was so freaked out I had a little trouble going to sleep.  This book is magic, plain and simple.  Dixon tells the story of Azalea and her eleven sisters.  Their mother has died and their father, the King, is distant and can't be bothered with them.  The house is in mourning for a whole year and the girls are forbidden from dancing, which is the only way they find comfort.  They find a magic passageway that takes them to a silver forest where they can dance every night.  However, the sinister Keeper wants something in return.  Meanwhile the girls struggle to come to terms with the death of their mother and the absence of their father all while trying to navigate the sticky world of romance.  This book is not just about fairy tales and princesses though.  The main theme of the story is the importance of family.


This is Dixon's first novel and she has done a magnificent job. One of the most amazing things was the character development.  There are the twelve princesses and the king and queen, the household staff and several friends as well as Keeper and by about the fourth chapter you felt that you knew everyone!  I found myself going "that's so Bramble" or "why does Delphinium have to be so grumpy" as I read. I truly did not want this book to end.  The whole experience was just too much fun.  It was sweet and spooky and quirky and hilarious all rolled in to one big shining package.  I have been scouring the internet looking for news of a sequel with no success thus far.  I really hope Dixon decides to continue the story of Azalea and her sisters, they are too charming for her to stop now.  This is a must read!

Wanderlove

Author: Belle Malory

Genre: Drama, Romance, Fantasy

Published: 2011

Rating:  3/5 Stars

"Lola Moori is hiding a secret she doesn't know she's keeping. She begins to remember someone. Someone important. His name is Gabe…and whatever they shared, she could feel that it was epic. Yet it seems Gabe wanted her to forget him. Forever. The curse that repressed Lola’s memories for the span of several lifetimes is coming undone. But unfortunately, she discovers that some secrets are better left buried."

I don't know what it is about gypsies that just freaks me right out.  Maybe it's because my grandma used to threaten to "sell me to the gypsies" when I misbehaved or maybe it's because in every movie ever made about gypsies some idiot messes with one and ends up with some horrible curse.  I don't know, but whatever the reason, the whole idea just gives me the willies.  So when I came across this self-published love story about gypsies I had my reservations.  Luckily for me, the story wasn't all that scary so I was able to read on and actually enjoyed this book!  

The story centers around Lola, a gypsy girl on the run from her father who wants to sell her into prostitution (real nice dad!).  She ends up at her grandmother's house in Florida where she meets the devastatingly handsome Gabe.  She is inexplicably drawn to him and we find out this is because they were lovers in a past life (Lola has no memories of her past lives unlike other gypsies who remember everything).  Gabe, remembering the love he has for Lola, tries and tries to get her to be with him again but she is resistant until she finds out that some of her memories could prove dangerous for them both.

Let me start off with what I liked about this book.  The story was unique.  I haven't read a ton of books about past lives but it is an interesting concept and the way that Malory uses it in this story is charming.  Lola's inability to remember anything about her past lives and Gabe's painful realization that she cannot feel the depths of what he does because she has not lived it like he has is truly a heartbreaking concept.  I also like that Lola doesn't just drop everything and run headlong into his well-toned arms the second she finds out who he is.  It adds a bit of realism to an otherwise fantastic tale.  Lola is a very sympathetic character.  She is not whiny, helpless or bratty.  She is self-reliant and strong but has some depth and vulnerability as well.

Now, onto the not so great parts of the book.  The grammar!  This is a big one for me.  There were times, while reading this, that the grammar was pretty poor. Now, I'm not accusing Malory of having bad grammar throughout the book.  On the contrary, most of it was very well-written, which made the parts that were bad puzzling.  There was a lot of ending sentences in prepositions, spelling confusion and even some subject-verb agreement issues.  Then again, maybe I'm just being a stick in the mud.   Another thing I didn't like about this book was that there wasn't a great payoff with the relationship.  Without giving anything away, I didn't feel like Lola and Gabe ever had the big, emotional talk or moment that I had been waiting to see.  They sort of just went back and forth with the "I love you, but I can't love you" deal for most of the book.  Along the same lines,  I didn't feel like Malory really explained how the relationship came to be during the past lives.  I would have like for her to delve into that a little more.  Finally,  there was one conversation that really irked me.  When Lola finally sees her dad again they have the obligatory conversation about the whole prostitution thing (yeah no big deal).  The problem is that instead of a big dramatic confrontation, it plays out like an episode of a mid-90s sitcom.  Basically she calls him out on trying to pimp his own daughter and he brushes it off like she's accusing him of leaving the milk out on the counter all night.  She should respond by being furious and maybe beating him with a pipe or something.  Instead she kind of shrugs her shoulders like "well, that's just dad!" (studio audience applauds, roll credits).  I mean come on!   We're talking about parental neglect and human trafficking here among other things!  Then again, that's just my opinion.

Overall, though, I really did enjoy this book and I will probably read the next one "Fortell" when it comes out.  This is a good rainy day book and you do feel connected to the characters.  Especially for a first novel, this is a welcome addition to the bookshelf.