Before I say anything else, here’s a fair warning: And I Darken is a book so dark and twisted, so very disturbing that you’ll definitely lose sleep beBefore I say anything else, here’s a fair warning: And I Darken is a book so dark and twisted, so very disturbing that you’ll definitely lose sleep because of it. I did. It is also, however, Kiersten White’s best novel to date and the story that might prove to be defining – for her, as well as for young adult historical fiction. I dare say it’s one of the best this genre has to offer.
What if Vlad III Dracula, Prince of Wallachia, son of Vlad Dracul, brother to Mircea and Radu, was born a girl? Would she still be one of the most infamous rulers in the history of mankind? Or would she be a victim of circumstances, a lost girl governed and directed by men? In And I Darken, Kiersten White offers a version of Vlad that is female, but otherwise unchanged, and a fantastic tale of how she came to be known as Vlad (or rather Lada) the Impaler.
Lada Dragwlya and her younger brother Radu were left behind as children in Ottoman courts by their father as a guarantee that he will behave and not betray the sultan. They were subsequently forgotten by everyone, including the sultan himself, and accepted only by the sultan’s son Mehmed. While Radu came to view the Ottoman Empire as a new home where he was much happier and safer, Lada never forgot where she came from and who her real enemies are.
The third person narrative that goes back and forth between Lada and her brother Radu allows us to see a much broader picture of events. Lada’s chapters are understandably longer, but Radu’s are chosen and placed for maximal impact, always shedding light on something we’d rather not see. The relationship between Lada, Radu and Mehmed is a codependent mess, a tangle of feelings between three people who are mostly incapable of being selfless. It is a complicated knot of love, jealousy and anger so deep that it becomes defining. And I Darken cannot be considered a romance by contemporary standards, not with harems and wives and babies being born. But in an odd, disturbing way it is perhaps one of the strongest, truest romantic relationships I’ve ever read about.
White never tried to reshape the past to fit contemporary moral standards. That’s precisely what makes this book so hard to read, and what makes it stand out among many others. These challenges to our modern sensibilities delight us even while they make us squirm in our seats. The complete lack of regard for human life, embodied in our very heroine, combined with a profound disrespect for women and often children, is often enough to make our stomachs turn. But White turns it around cleverly in what can and should be understood as subversive feminist literature.
Recently I wrote about heroines that are supposedly strong and skilled, only to be proven otherwise at first serious challenge. Lada is not one of them. From the very first page, she is wild, savage and brutal, staying true to the historical accounts of Vlad the Impaler. The question of what made him (or in this case her) become that way is what White chose to explore by staying as close to historical facts as possible.
The journey from Lada the Ottoman captive to Lada the Impaler is far from being over. We’ve only just witnessed the potential, the direction she chose to take. If her beginnings are this cruel and vicious, I can’t even imagine what the future might bring. It’s almost a challenge from White to us readers to stay with her and witness this complete deterioration of her characters, not just Lada, but Mehmed and Radu as well. It will be so difficult, but if this book is any indication, it will also be brilliant.
4.5 stars Brenna Yovanoff is the author of my heart and soul. She earned that place with The Space Between (which remains one of my all-time
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4.5 stars Brenna Yovanoff is the author of my heart and soul. She earned that place with The Space Between (which remains one of my all-time favorites), confirmed it with The Replacement, and pretty much cemented it with Paper Valentine and Fiendish. With her magical writing, she makes me discover parts of myself or relive emotions long forgotten, which is something very few authors can do these days.
Places No One Knows is a bit unusual when compared to Brenna’s usual thematic, but no less beautiful or effective. This time she takes us back to high school to follow an unconventional romance, with just a touch of paranormal as her signature. Even without the oddities and outright magic we’ve come to expect from Yovanoff’s stories, Places No One Knows is a very powerful book, maybe even more so, albeit in a very different way.
Waverly is perfection personified, both on the outside and the inside. Outside, she projects an air of cool confidence and her every move is calculated. She knows just what to say and just what to do to keep her place in the pecking order and she does it effortlessly. In truth, Waverly is much smarter than the people around her and she knows it, but she also knows how to hide it. she comes across as more than a little manipulative, but one can’t blame her for it because the people she actually manipulates more than deserve it.
Marshall is precisely the opposite. While Waverly tries too hard, Marshall doesn’t try at all. He isn’t just one of those bad boys that are actually mommy’s boys. Marshall is the real deal: hard(er) drugs, alcohol, random girls and despair are part of his everyday life. The real tragedy is that Marshall has potential and an above-average intelligence, but that just makes him more lost and confused.
In simplest terms, Places is a book about the two of them finding themselves and finding each other, sometimes through paranormal means. It’s not an easy journey for them, and there were things I found objectionable, but it’s honest from start to finish. Brenna doesn’t bother with anything moderate or mild. She isn’t one of those authors who pull their punches due to the age of their intended audience, but the raw honesty of her prose is something I applaud and appreciate, no matter how uncomfortable it makes me sometimes. While Places isn’t my favorite of her books, it is perhaps the most important, and at the end of the day, that’s what truly counts.
Advanced review copy provided by the publisher. ...more
Those of us who’ve been waiting for Ungodly with bated breath knew right from the start that this would not be a lighthearted conclusion. G
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Those of us who’ve been waiting for Ungodly with bated breath knew right from the start that this would not be a lighthearted conclusion. Greek gods come and do as they please and they tend to leave nothing but blood in their wake. So when you put those gods in the hands of someone like Kendare Blake, an author known for her talent in writing blood and gore, a bloody battle is pretty much what you’re going to get.
Our heroes, separated in battle, find themselves in three different places, fighting different fights. Hermes, Andy and Henry don’t know whether Athena and Cassandra survived. Athena herself is in Underworld, half crazed by Odysseus’s death. And Cassandra is just a ball of murderous rage, ready to kill all the gods, friends and foes alike. They each have their own adventures and trials, and it’s not until the second half that they collide.
Like in the two previous installments, I found Athena to be the most interesting character by far. This time she faces tremendous loss, more than she can bear, and she approaches it like she approaches everything, with no regard for her own safety. Her adventure in the Underworld is my favorite part of this book and her romance with a certain not-quite-mortal the thing that warmed my heart the most. A few more complex characters were added in this final installment, and several unlikely allies showed us a different side.
Characterization isn’t the only thing that Kendare Blake does extraordinarily well. Her descriptions are beautiful and precise and she doesn’t shy away from anything, no matter how bloody or painful it may be. With one goddess coughing up feathers, another’s skin stretched out for miles in the desert, and an emaciated god who keeps eating enormous amounts of food to no avail, there’s plenty of imagery to keep us occupied and grossed out.
The most important part of this trilogy and especially its final installment is the deep emotional impact it has on the reader. Kendare doesn’t always make it easy to sympathize with the gods, but she gives us just enough to become invested in their fates. The conflicting emotions we feel for them, our struggle between love and hate, is reflected perfectly in the characters of those few humans around them.
Now that it’s over, I’m going to miss the Antigoddess trilogy very much, but I am even now excited for Kendare Blake’s next project. She has the most amazing ideas and she truly knows how to carry them out. You really can’t go wrong by choosing one of her books.
The Girl in the Road follows bravely in the footsteps of some of the most famous science fiction authors. It is a very ambitious debut proj
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The Girl in the Road follows bravely in the footsteps of some of the most famous science fiction authors. It is a very ambitious debut project, but Monica Byrne is more than up to the task. In it, she offers an elaborate vision of our future, focusing mostly on new energy sources. Byrne takes her time in explaining the new sources of energy and the advancements in existing ones. Her imagination is largely based on possibilities and probabilities, which gives her world an almost tangible quality. In addition, with a story set partly in India and partly in Africa, she gives us a clear view of different cultures with a very modern twist.
Bryne’s writing style is very thick, lush and intense. She sometimes jumps randomly from memory to memory, event to event, which gives her narrative a dreamlike quality, an amount of uncertainty in how much of it is real and how much is happening inside Meena’s head. And Meena’s head, let me tell you, is a wondrous place, filled with seemingly odd conclusions and paranoid jumps.
The story is full of symbolism, with meaning hidden behind meaning in several layers. Snake is the most prominent symbol, often mentioned throughout the book, reminding us constantly of ouroboros, the mythological symbol depicting a serpent eating its own tail. It symbolizes renewal, the endless cycle, things that end only to begin again. It’s easy to see why it is central in Meena’s story.
“The snake begins and ends all things, of course.”
The Girl in the Road is practically bursting from diversity of all types. Meena is Ethiopian and bisexual and her former lover – her one great love – transitioned from man to woman while they were together. When you add to that cultural diversity, The Girl in the Road becomes a novel one can read, enjoy, but also learn from. Byrne approaches all these things matter-of-factly, as one should, and the result is a book that is freeing and feministic, even though it might make a more conservative reader run for the hills.
Neil Gaiman wrote that it is transfixing to watch Monica Byrne become a major player in science fiction, and as usual, Neil Gaiman was right. With such a strong debut behind her, who knows what she has in store for us next. ...more
You’ve surely heard this before, but here it is again: The Dead House is a very unusual sort of book, narrative-wise. It is a skillfully wo
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You’ve surely heard this before, but here it is again: The Dead House is a very unusual sort of book, narrative-wise. It is a skillfully woven web of diary entries, video transcripts, police interview transcripts, e-mails and instant messages, newspaper clippings and other documents pertaining one horrible event known as the Johnson Incident. The concept itself is a brilliant one, wholly new and original. While it starts with two souls in one body, something we’ve certainly seen before, what Kurtagich does with it hasn’t been done in YA, and for the most part, it’s mind-blowingly good.
The story, admittedly, requires some suspension of disbelief, especially when it comes to health care professionals and the decisions they made for one obviously ill girl. I had a hard time believing that someone like Carly/Kaitlyn would be allowed to attend school with almost no supervision. The school itself was a bit odd in that its students had far too many liberties and not enough adults looking after them, which isn’t how boarding schools usually function.
The narrative is both very clinical and very emotional, and it is that contrast that allows us to really sink into it. The format creates an illusion of objectivity, but we feel Kaitlyn’s pain so strongly the entire time and we are unable to make clear-headed judgments. Kaitlyn’s diary entries are fairly brief and scattered, coherent at first, but less and less so as she declines into madness. Whether it’s justified or not, provoked or not, is the question we ask ourselves the entire time, but the decline itself is so skillfully and convincingly done.
Kurtagich’s prose is gorgeous and clever, surprisingly vivid and even lyrical at times. Her horror scenes reminded me of Kendare Blake in that they turned my stomach and made me feel such pity at the same time. Nothing about The Dead House felt rushed or poorly composed, and evoking certain emotions at precisely the right time seems to be one of Kurtagich’s strengths. Every single detail is in its place, which isn’t easy with such a complex, non-linear narrative.
The revelations, however, could have been paced a lot better. There came a time when we needed something to hold onto, something more substantial than the ramblings of a disturbed girl. The book itself is fairly long, but everything we learn comes at the very last pages. While every detail was important and deliciously creepy, the book would have been better if a few truths were revealed just a bit earlier.
Read this with your lights on. And find something cheery and uplifting to read right after, because you'll need it. But all the effort and the comfort food you'll undoubtedly eat will be worth it. The Dead House may be flawed, but it's a must-read. ...more
After two literary successes for young adults, the amazing Cat Winters is back with The Uninvited, a breathtaking story about a 25
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4.5 stars
After two literary successes for young adults, the amazing Cat Winters is back with The Uninvited, a breathtaking story about a 25-year-old girl fighting the heavy burden of her family’s sins. Winters takes us back to final days of World War I, right in the middle of the 1918 flu pandemic, and although it’s not her first foray into that very same time period, The Uninvited stands on its own two feet, beautiful and incomparable with anything she’s done before.
The psychology of war is a dreadful thing. The hate, the whispers, dehumanization, strengthened by very loud and convincing propaganda, combine to create an atmosphere of fear and turn regular people into mindless monsters. Winters’ understanding of this phenomenon, of the mass hysteria that is so easily created when people fear for their lives, is profound. Ivy’s father is one of those war-made monsters, and so is her 17-year-old brother. After they kill a German business owner in their small town, Ivy leaves home, ridden with guilt, to somehow make things right. For all her innocence, Ivy has a backbone of steel. Her moral compass is impeccable and her bravery is astounding. It takes a great person to swim out of that pool of hate and see things for what they are, and our Ivy manages beautifully. It’s not something that happens from one moment to the next, but the process itself is a thing to behold.
The unconventional romance is one of this book’s many strengths. Bonded by a terrible tragedy and more guilt than two people should ever carry, Ivy and Daniel find solace in each other, first physically, and then emotionally. It’s a long, painful road filled with surprises, but it’s one worth taking, even when you’re crying your eyes out. While it doesn’t quite reach the literary heights of In the Shadow of Blackbirds (then again, I suspect nothing ever will), The Uninvited is a flawless story by one of my favorite authors in the world. The magic of Cat Winters is very much alive and it seems to be a gift that just keeps on giving. ...more
4.5 stars Fated by Indra Vaughn came my way completely accidentally, recommended by author John Inman in the comments of a Facebook poll no
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4.5 stars Fated by Indra Vaughn came my way completely accidentally, recommended by author John Inman in the comments of a Facebook poll no more than a few weeks ago. To this day I haven’t figured out how it went unnoticed by me until that moment. What’s more, it seems to be somewhat overlooked by its intended audience, which is a crime, to be honest. The characters Vaughn has created deserve to be celebrated and talked about, they should inspire people to start discussions and street teams, and yet, they haven’t just yet. Why? Mostly because their beauty is quiet and unassuming, complex and deeply felt. They’re not instantly likeable or wildly entertaining, they just are… human, vulnerable and often wrong, just like everybody else.
We meet Hart, a police detective, in his own home, working on renovations with his much younger neighbor, Isaac. It’s clear from the start that the two have feelings for each other, but Hart is bothered by their age difference and quite used to a life of profound loneliness. When his father dies and he has to leave to handle his funeral, he’s oddly relieved to put some distance between him and Isaac.
This love story doesn’t begin like most other romances and it certainly doesn’t end that way. Their road isn’t easy or predictable, but the feelings are palpable and incredibly real. Hart makes ridiculously many mistakes along the way, but each stems from a very believable place and seems entirely genuine. While in his home town, he stumbles upon a mystery with paranormal elements he’s not quite ready to accept. When Isaac follows him and gets involved, it all becomes too much for him to handle.
The mystery is fascinating and excellently paced, but the soul of this novel is Hart himself. He is lonely and very set in his ways, and it’s clear that giving his heart to a much younger man terrifies him. Vaughn’s writing is a thing of beauty, a work of art in and of itself, and the setting is gorgeous, vivid and deeply atmospheric. She has such an excellent sense of her story and characters and everything is so well defined, but she skillfully keeps things hidden from us and builds tension to almost unbearable levels.
The sheer gorgeousness of this story cannot be put into words. It is not a conventional romance, nor is it your average paranormal mystery, and yet somehow it’s both. It may be a bit difficult to swallow at times, but it is a story that ultimately soothes, enriches, and makes us reevaluate ourselves. ...more
It has been pointed out far too many times that The Girl at Midnight shares many similarities with Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. Some miIt has been pointed out far too many times that The Girl at Midnight shares many similarities with Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. Some might consider this to be a compliment and an instant recommendation, but for me, it was a sign that I should consider very carefully before reading it. But while it was clear right from the start that the stories do indeed share many elements, it was also clear to me that The Girl at Midnight lacks that pretentiousness I strongly disliked in Taylor’s books.
The world of Avicen and Drakharin is a magical, but dangerous place. I loved discovering these two cultures hidden beneath our own, learning about their customs and bonds, their friendships and sacrifices. With so many things borrowed from authors like Laini Taylor and Cassandra Clare, The Girl at Midnight has very little originality to offer, but these two cultures, one with feathers and the other with scales, certainly work in its favor.
I liked Echo right from the start, her feisty personality made me root for her in every situation. She made some bad decisions and some impressively brave ones, she had regrets and she made sacrifices, but she approached everything with the best of intensions and she followed her heart at all times, even when it lead her somewhere completely unexpected.
Although important, romance isn’t at the forefront of this story, which is good because it came very close to ruining it completely. There are far too many love triangles to count, too many infatuations to keep track of, and the whole thing is a huge incestuous mess that made me very uneasy. It was hard to get invested in something that was problematic on two different sides, and even secondary romances had far too many problems to count.
Grey’s writing is elegant and pretty, capable of evoking the right emotion at the right time. Her sentences aren’t overly decorative, but their fluency is excellent and it is very easy to separate all the narrative voices. If she can separate her story from others that came before it and find her own original path, she might just be an author destined for greatness.
The ending isn’t a cliffhanger, but it also doesn’t feel like an ending at all. If feels more like a beginning, a promise of thing to come, adventures even more dangerous and exciting for Echo, Caius and their small group of dreamers. A dangerous road lies ahead and I’m excited to be taking it with Melissa Grey and her wonderful characters.
Being a child of the 80’s, I get really nostalgic whenever I’m reminded of anything from those years, be it the music, the fashion, or David Bowie’s wBeing a child of the 80’s, I get really nostalgic whenever I’m reminded of anything from those years, be it the music, the fashion, or David Bowie’s weird personas. But with or without nostalgia, with or without understanding of the period, The Rise and Fall of the Gallivanters is a truly magical book. Heartbreaking, overwhelming, deeply metaphorical and symbolic, painful, strange and so very honest, this sucker punch of a novel will stay with you for a very long time.
I’ve seen this book labeled as paranormal. It is not. I’ve seen it described as confusing and unexciting. It is not. It is, however, filled with symbolism, allegory and metaphors. This novel isn’t your average, everyday read. It’s something truly special, and as such, it will easily find the hearts of its true audience.
Beaufrand allows Noah to tell us his own story, but Noah’s mind is full of mysteries and monsters, missing girls and frightening fogs. He is more than happy to turn the spotlight on his best friend Evan, a modest, kind boy, a sidekick by nature if ever there was one. Noah and Evan have depended upon each other since they were just boys, and together they survived disasters, abuse, suicidal parents and hospitals. They made it thanks to each other and their music.
With tragedy behind him and tragedy on the horizon, Noah’s past and present painfully collide, and it’s far more than he can handle. In a desperate attempt to put his world to rights, he decides to re-form the Gallivanters, his failed punk band. The goal is to create a demo and enter a contest to play at a famous brewery, which happens to be the place where more than twenty girls disappeared.
Noah wants to be a musician and a knight, but even more, he wants Evan to be both. For a kid who is supposedly a self-centered troublemaker, he does very little for himself. Beaufrand delved deep into Noah psyche by subtly showing us consequences of constant horrible abuse, by giving us glimpses of a masochistic personality, and miraculously shaping it all into a character we can’t help but love. I am in awe.*
Be patient with this book. Be kind to it when it seems confusing and strange. Give it time, be tolerant, and the book will give back to you tenfold. This is quite easily my favorite book this year, with a quiet sort of beauty that might, just might, go tragically unnoticed. Some of the best things are, though, and I’ll always feel extremely lucky to have stumbled upon this gem.
*Just writing this review, thinking intensely about the beauty of this book, made me cry like a baby. ...more
I’ve done with this series something I’ve never done before, jumped right in with the latest installment and skipped everything that came bef4.5 stars
I’ve done with this series something I’ve never done before, jumped right in with the latest installment and skipped everything that came before. I soon realized my mistake, though. While each book can easily function as a standalone, missing even a word of this enchanting series is a crime. So here I am, going back to the beginning, meeting Eve and Roarke in their early days and sharing their journey from the start.
Naked in Death was first released in 1995, but it’s still fresh and innovative today, which tells you everything you need to know about it. It’s set in a futuristic version of New York, 2058 to be precise, but the reality isn’t so different from today. Yes, people have expanded their activities and moved some of them to various other planets, and technological developments have moved forward just enough to make them interesting even 20 years later, but human nature has more or less remained the same.
Enter Lieutenant Eve Dallas, a competent homicide detective. She handles the most complicated cases with unwavering dedication and a strong sense of justice. Her own past is incredibly painful, which left her emotionally closed off, but when it comes to her victims, Eve has all the compassion in the world.
In Naked in Death, Eve investigates the murders of three prostitutes. Cold, vicious, calculated crimes, all videotaped and left for her to find. Her investigation takes straight to one of the richest men in the world – Roarke – but as hard as she tries, Eve just can’t see the honest, competent man as her killer.
Naked in Death has a strong romance, yes, but it’s so much more than that. The case Eve investigates isn’t just something to fill the pages between romantic encounters. If anything, it’s the other way around. These murders are painful, well planned and with a huge emotional impact for both Eve and the reader. In addition, Robb gives us splendid characterization on multiple fronts. It’s obvious even in this first installment that she’s building her characters to last.
This series is up to its 40th installment now, and each one is better than the last. There is no noticeable decline in quality or intensity, which is not only rare, but absolutely brilliant as well. The descriptions can be a bit wordy at times, but they only add to the impression that we’re dealing with much more than a simple murder mystery/romantic suspense. After all, this is Nora Roberts we’re talking about. She can do so much more than that.
This is the third gorgeously written book with positive representation of mental illness I’ve read this month. Third! It looks like YA is finally goinThis is the third gorgeously written book with positive representation of mental illness I’ve read this month. Third! It looks like YA is finally going there, endeavoring to explore the unexplorable. Neal Shusterman’s new book, Challenger Deep is the latest and brightest attempt to shed some light onto the struggles of people with mental disorders.
Challenger Deep is a magical book – smart and funny, intelligent and poignant, frightening and thought provoking – all at once. The mood changes with each extremely brief chapter, and the rapid changes serve not only to manipulate our mood, but also to truly impress upon us that we’ve entered a scattered mind. This time, Shusterman writes from experience; his own son struggled with mental illness and the illustrations included in his book are Brendan’s from those times.
I suppose if you don’t know what to expect, Challenger Deep can be a bit tricky at first. Some chapters are accessible and realistic, and then there are those that are completely detached from reality. To add to that, the unrealistic chapters are deeply allegorical, and although it quickly becomes clear what they represent, getting to that point can be a bit trying. But everything you have to go through to fully experience this book is more than worth it. While it can be challenging at times, it’s also extremely rewarding.
The story has no less than three layers: the more or less healthy family life from Caiden’s memories, the rapid deterioration of his sanity and finally his life on the ship, an obvious metaphor and a sign of sanity lost. The whole decline is simply heartbreaking, but Shusterman still manages to make it all run smoothly.
Understanding mental illness and stopping discrimination against people who struggle with it is the next important step this society needs to take. Each decade has its own civil rights fight, and I truly hope we tackle this next. Books like Challenger Deep are extremely important in that regard and as someone whose family battled those same issues, I thank Neal and Brendan Shusterman from the bottom of my heart.
Every YA reader out there knows Neal Shusterman’s name, and if they don’t, I can honestly say they should. This is an author who constantly pushes the limits, who turns YA into something new and entirely unexpected each time. He should be celebrated far and wide and his work, more specifically this book, should get the accolades it deserves.
Prisoner of Night and Fog, Anne Blankman’s incredible debut and part one of her duology, seemed at times too good to be true. Extensively researched, Prisoner of Night and Fog, Anne Blankman’s incredible debut and part one of her duology, seemed at times too good to be true. Extensively researched, clever, and deeply emotional, it explored a time some would rather leave forgotten, the darkest time in Germany’s history. Blankman gave us front row seats to Hitler’s rise to power, seen through the eyes of one of his darlings, a young girl he’d taken under his wing and treated as a favorite niece. But the events in Prisoner of Night and Fog took Gretchen away from the man she knew as Uncle Dolf, and in Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke, the two are bitter enemies, and Gretchen is sure she’d be killed on sight.
Forced to leave her comfortable life in Oxford and return to Germany with Daniel, Gretchen is forced to face the demon from her past, the man she once loved deeply and trusted implicitly. This time, with her eyes wide open, she hopes to uncover the Nazi Party’s many conspiracies and stop Hitler’s rise to absolute power.
Unfortunately, with the distance between Gretchen and Hitler, the book has lost some of its allure. We still see actual historical events, but this time we view them from afar, as would anyone else. We are not privy to insider information, not anymore, which means that we’ve lost our chance to learn more about the deterioration of his psyche. There’s still plenty to admire about the book, but that part, the part I admired most in Prisoner of Night and Fog, is all but gone.
Of course, the events in 1933 Berlin are still thoroughly researched and presented in a wonderful blend of fact and fiction, which makes this book highly educational as well as entertaining. The work Blankman has finally put before us is impeccable. She did her job and she did it well, finding the perfect balance between history, fiction and character development.
We left Gretchen and Daniel in a very good place last time, but while life seemed to be looking up for Gretchen, Daniel has had a far more difficult time. Although he was safe, Oxford hasn’t been kind to him as everything that made him the extraordinary boy Gretchen fell in love with was roughly taken away. Friendless and unable to be a proper journalist, he spent his days in sadness and loneliness, but was determined to hide it from his girlfriend. Goying back to Germany brings light to their difficulty, and in Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke, their uncertain future causes a substantial rift between them. Nevertheless, our two darlings never turn their back on each other and they constantly work in perfect sync to bring down the Nazi Party.
Minor faults aside, Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke is a perfect conclusion to this story. Blankman set the bar pretty high, but she was more than up to the challenge. I can’t wait to see what she’ll give us next.
There are days when I need a serious book, days when I need to read something relaxing, and days when I need to be shaken to my very core. There are bThere are days when I need a serious book, days when I need to read something relaxing, and days when I need to be shaken to my very core. There are books that are appropriate for each of those days, but only one I can think of that’s appropriate for all of them. From a reader’s point of view, Shattered Glass is a dream come true.
Austin Glass is a vice detective, a trust fund baby and an aspiring FBI agent. He is young, successful, competent, instantly likeable and engaged to a gorgeous, intelligent woman. But there’s one thing Austin Glass isn’t – he most certainly is not gay. So then why can’t he stop obsessing about a gorgeous busboy in bunny slippers? Why can’t he get those darn bunny slippers out of his head? If only he could buy the man some shoes, something safe and unattractive like loafers – all his problems would surely disappear.
“I'm not gay.” That wasn't what I meant to say. “Congratulations. Would you like a medal?” Bunny Slippers asked. “I already have a medal. For bravery, not for being gay. I think you made me gay.” “I made you gay?” He set down the napkin he was holding. “Is that better or worse than the person who made you stupid?”
Peter, or Bunny Slippers if you prefer, is a study in contradictions. He is rude, but has an obvious vulnerable side. He is a (former) prostitute, but he has very high standards. He gave up on his education, but he is astonishingly smart. He used to sell drugs, but he cares for his younger brothers with everything he has. Needless to say, Austin is enchanted. Gay or not, staying away from Peter becomes impossible overnight. Dating a former male prostitute isn’t the smartest thing you can do when you’re a vice detective, but Austin will give it his best nevertheless. Turning his life upside down is a small price to pay to get Bunny Slippers in his bed. And when it turns out that Bunny Slippers comes with a whole lot of baggage – baggage that shoots to kill more often than not – Austin still chooses to go ahead with it. He just laughs it off and marches bravely ahead. Peter is not so easy to convince. While Austin jumps in without regard for his life or career, Peter is far too careful to trust a spoiled rich boy. But Austin’s charm is impossible to resist for too long and pretty soon their lives, and Austin’s investigation, become a huge tangled mess.
"Is he my competition?" “Everyone is your competition.” Peter lifted his hand to his eyes and began lowering it incrementally. “It goes normal human beings, crazies, republicans, my hand, imaginary characters, corpses and then, in a moment of lustful psychosis, you.”By the time he was done, his hand was below the table. Ouch. “A little over the top, don’t you think?” “No.”
If it isn’t clear from the previous two quotes, here is it: Shattered Glass is hilarious. With chapter titles like Dear God, I’ll Take That Lobotomy Now. Thanks, Austin. and How to Win Friends and Alienate Albanian Table-lovers , I promise you you’ll laugh until you drop. What makes the book truly stand out, however, is Austin’s voice. He is one of the most honest, refreshing characters I’ve ever stumbled upon. Upon meeting Peter, his life is turned upside down. Although he does things that aren’t exactly honorable, he is always wonderfully upfront and honest about them. So honest, in fact, that even his (ex) fiancè can’t stay mad for too long.
The mystery part of this story requires some suspension of disbelief, but trust me when I tell you, you won’t care one bit. You’ll fall in love with Austin on page two and fall head over heels for Peter not long after. Once you meet Cai, it’s pretty much a done deal – you’ll want to stay with this gang forever.
Finally, let me say this. I’ve read this book first, and enjoyed it on audio just a few months later. As far as I’m concerned, audio is by far the best way to go. From what I can tell, this is the only book Joseph Northton has narrated so far, which is undoubtedly a tragedy. Austin’s voice is delightful and hilarious all on its own, but Northton added an extra layer of humor with his spectacular narration, turning this into a book I couldn’t listen to while driving because I was laughing too darn hard. You try driving while constantly laughing to tears. If you’re an audioobok fan, definitely go with that, but any format works. Not reading this, however, is simply not an option.
If I had to compare Austin with another character, I’d say he’s the male Charley Davidson, minus the paranormal element. He is just so incredibly funny and honest, he reminded me of Charley right from the start. So if you like Charley, read this. And if you don’t, read it anyway. Really. Preferably now.
Oh, Magonia, you strange, strange book, it’s going to take me months to decipher you.
Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley has so many things going for itOh, Magonia, you strange, strange book, it’s going to take me months to decipher you.
Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley has so many things going for it, I’m not even sure where to begin. It’s a book that simply refuses to be compared or classified; even determining its genre is proving to be impossible. It’s a delightful combination of science fiction, fantasy, and even dystopia, and it easily balances the three, never allowing one to overtake the others.
Headley brings us a previously unexplored story of flying ships and sky sailors. She took a fairly unknown story from the 9th century, used it to her best advantage, and breathed something wholly new and original into it for good measure. The final result is magical: a cloud realm, bird people, sky pirates and magical songs, all combined to create a book unlike anything I’ve ever read before.
Headley writing style is lyrical and gorgeous. There have been many comparisons to Laini Taylor and Neil Gaiman, and they aren’t entirely exaggerated or wrong. But I must say that in this too, she gives us something that’s entirely her own. Her understanding and use of language to create or dispel tension, to project moods and atmosphere, is simply astonishing.
The story is told from two points of view, and both Aza and Jason are amazing characters. Intelligent, resourceful, geeky, unusual, and loyal, they’ve depended on each other for pretty much everything since they were five years old. When they get separated, Jason’s point of view becomes more than just welcome – it becomes necessary to understand his part of the story, but it also strengthens the emotional tension and offers us an insight into his peculiar and understanding nature.
There were times when Aza’s second world became a bit overwhelming. Although it doesn’t seem that way, probably thanks to Headley’s unusual writing style, the pacing is pretty fast and it sometimes doesn’t give us enough time to process. I’m usually in favor of losing extra chapters and paragraphs, but this book would have benefited from an extra fifty or hundred pages. With such a marvelous worldbuilding, Headley should have allowed herself to use it to its full potential, which I don’t think she’s done.
The ending of Magonia is very satisfactory, but there is much room for a sequel. There hasn’t been an announcement so far, at least I wasn’t able to find one, but I sincerely hope that there’s a second book in the works because this world has so much more to give.
4.5 stars I was lucky enough to read two gorgeously written books in close succession, which is rare. The first was Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley, a4.5 stars I was lucky enough to read two gorgeously written books in close succession, which is rare. The first was Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley, and the second is Beth Kephart’s gorgeous new novel. In her new book, Kephart takes us straight to Florence to explore two natural disasters of very different proportions: one that did its best to ruin an entire city, and one that did the same to a very young girl.
Kephart’s writing is pure poetry. It takes some effort to untangle, but it’s stunningly gorgeous even before things start making sense. I wasn’t aware of her many strengths before, for which I have no one but myself to blame, but it’s clear that lyrical writing is one of them. Her sentences are purposely disjointed, with a definite and very loud rhythm, and her expressions are deeply metaphorical and marvelous. It’s difficult to find the right measure with such a rich writing style, but Beth Kephart’s is as close to perfect as it can possibly get.
Rarely do we find an unreliable narrator like Nadia. It’s clear from the start that she cannot be trusted, but we don’t quite know why. She can’t express herself properly, words come very slowly, she’s aware of some memory loss and fairly frequent hallucinations. Compulsive behavior quickly becomes evident as well, but we’re still unable to clearly identify her condition. We only know that we have to question everything she tells us, but we also feel her frustration very deeply. That is precisely what Kephart did best – the feeling of intense claustrophobia caused by Nadia’s inability to communicate with the world.
As the story unravel and things become even more intense, our sympathy for Nadia and her wonderful family grows exponentially. I could just imagine seeing someone I love deteriorate so rapidly and not being able to do anything about it.
The setting is another thing that’s incredibly easy to admire. I am very familiar with Florence, it’s one of my favorite cities and I know it rather well, and apparently so does the author. She takes you through those streets, transfers the atmosphere and captures the rich beauty of it all so easily. If you can’t visit Firenze for yourself, allow Kephart to take you there briefly and show you the city through Nadia’s eyes.
One Thing Stolen is not an easy read. Descriptions of Florence are a welcome distraction from a sometimes very difficult story. But a story filled with hope, no matter how precarious, is always one worth reading, and when it’s delivered in such a gorgeous writing style, it should not be missed by anyone.
Love Lessons, the first book in this milder-than-usual series (at least for this author), proved that Heidi excels at characterization. This fact was Love Lessons, the first book in this milder-than-usual series (at least for this author), proved that Heidi excels at characterization. This fact was pretty clear from her previous work as well, especially Dance With Me, which is one of my all-time favorites. But for some unidentifiable reason, Love Lessons didn’t quite reach me emotionally, not as much as I felt it should have.
When Fever Pitch came along, I waited a bit to read it, expecting more of the same, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. This book, you guys, I have no words to describe how it made me feel.
The story starts with Aaron in his final days of high school. Aaron is one of the popular crowd, but not necessarily by conscious choice. He is a quiet boy, terrified of his father and reluctant to disappoint his weak mother. He needs to choose a college, but trying to make everyone happy is slowly driving him crazy, which is how he ends up drunk in a laundry room at a party. There he finds Giles, the school geek one of the few openly gay boys. Giles has a habit of sleeping with the closeted boys, the straight boys, and pretty much everyone he aims to prove a point to, which usually ends up with him being bullied and beaten after the fact, when said boys realize that going on the defensive is the only way to hide their adventures. For Giles, Aaron is just another closeted gay boy looking for some fun before putting him in the hospital, but by the end of the night, they both end up making some major changes.
Despite their explosive beginning, Fever Pitch is a veryslow burn romance. It takes a lot for these two to finally come together, a lot of growing on both their parts, plenty of self-discovery for Aaron, more than a little courage and quite a few disasters along the way. Although they’re at the same college and both interested in music, they both have a hard time overcoming their fear and prejudice, which they have to do in order to finally admit their feelings.
Walter and Kelly from the first book are very present in this story, as a safety net of sorts for poor Aaron. It was nice seeing them happy and engaged, fully embracing their love for each other and Kelly’s love for all things Disney-related. But Cullinan introduces a whole army of new characters as well, and gives them all plenty of attention. Those secondary characters, including Giles’ parents, Aaron’s awful family, their college friends and especially Baz and Elijah, turned this book from something ordinary and nice into something quite extraordinary and just gorgeous.
It needs to be said that music plays a huge part in this book. It gives our boys common ground, something they’re both extremely talented at, but it also gives Aaron some much-needed self-confidence and a reason to finally stand up to his father. The final scene had me laughing and crying at the same time, playing Titanium over and over again and singing for all I was worth. If you decide to read this book, you’ll likely end up doing the same and trust me, it’ll be one of the best experiences you’ve had in ages.
In many ways, The Evolution of Mara Dyer is a better book than its predecessor. It’s certainly a more mature work, free of the usual genre tropes. WhiIn many ways, The Evolution of Mara Dyer is a better book than its predecessor. It’s certainly a more mature work, free of the usual genre tropes. While The Unbecoming was emotionally challenging, The Evolution takes things a step further as our uncertainty and fear for Mara reach a whole new level.
After a horrible, terrifying event, Mara wakes up in a psychiatric hospital. Her family doesn’t believe her, and rightfully so. Mara has a history of PTSD and hallucinations that occasionally caused her to hurt herself horribly. However, while their lack of faith is certainly understandable, we can’t help but wish that someone, especially Mara’s mother, would finally listen to her. Her experience in the hospital leaves her (and us) with a horrible taste of betrayal in our mouths. Reason goes out the window when everyone but Noah turns their back on poor Mara.
Once again Hodkin shows her excellent sense of pacing and her ability to build tension to almost unbearable levels. Mara’s story is infinitely creepy, with danger lurking from every corner. No one but Noah can be trusted, and even Mara’s brothers have to be kept in the dark. Mara is the most unreliable of narrators, and fully aware of it. She often doubts the events around her, even as they’re taking place. The uncertainty doesn’t help matters, especially when she’s in danger and frozen because she doesn’t know whether the peril is real or hallucinated. Her constant questioning was painful and realistic, although occasionally frustrating.
The only thing I didn’t enjoy were the flashbacks of Mara’s (well, someone’s) life in India. They were so randomly thrown into the story and they were terribly disruptive. I didn’t really see the point, but hopefully their significance will become clear in the third book. As it is, I found it hard to concentrate during those chapters.
I didn’t know this before, but Christy Romano was chosen by Michelle Hodkin herself to narrate these books. Apparently her voice reminded Hodkin so much of Mara that she invited Christy to borrow her voice first for the trailer, and then for the audiobooks as well. The audiobook is truly of the highest quality. It’s quite obvious that a lot of time and effort was put into it. After the story, the audio version includes an interview between Hodkin and Romano, which gives us a chance to learn more about both the writing and the audio recording process.
We are once again left with a horrible cliffhanger, but there’s finally hope for Mara as well. Hurt beyond comprehension and separated from everything she holds dear, Mara is finally finding the strength to stand up to her enemies. There’s a true fighter somewhere in there, and I believe that she’s finally waking up. We’ll just have to wait and see.
I’ll be starting the final book as soon as possible. I don’t see how things could possibly end well for Mara and Noah, but I have faith in Hodkin, and I certainly have plenty of faith in Mara.
Usually when a duology becomes a trilogy or a trilogy becomes a more lengthy series overnight, I grumble and complain and become instantly resentful oUsually when a duology becomes a trilogy or a trilogy becomes a more lengthy series overnight, I grumble and complain and become instantly resentful of both the author and the publisher. But when I discovered that this duology somehow grew to become a trilogy, I felt nothing but satisfaction and joy. More books from Mira Grant are always good news to me. In fact, if Parasitology suddenly became a 180 books long medical thriller/soap opera hybrid, I’d still be a happy camper. That’s how much I admire this author and trust in her ability to always, always deliver.
Like Parasite, Symbiont is mostly told from Sal Mitchell’s perspective, with diary entries, chapters and correspondence from other characters in between. Sal’s voice is nothing like what we usually get from Mira Grant. She is a frightened girl, hesitant, unsure, often whiny, and a follower by her own admission. For the most part, Sal doesn’t even try to be brave (which can admittedly be a tad exhausting at times), but in Symbiont, we witness her growing at least somewhat stronger and more confident. She will never be the most traditional heroine, but then again, she’s not the most traditional human being, so I suppose that’s all right.
My experience with medical thrillers is virtually nonexistent which makes it impossible for me to compare Symbiont with others of its kind, but the amount of research behind this book is obvious and quite impressive. One could never accuse Grant of doing things halfway. The science in her science fiction is always so believable and infinitely scary. I kept imagining my brain being slowly eaten by a parasite and let me tell you, it was not a pleasant thought at all.
The pacing could have been better, especially in the first half. I felt that some events included were absolutely inconsequential and that the story would have functioned a lot better without them. But the second half of the book has no such issues –it was, in fact, so tense that I sometimes forgot to breathe.
In addition to her excellent worldbuilding, Grant’s characterization is, as always, superb. This stands true for more than just Sal – each and every one of her characters is built to perfection. Through Dr. Cale and Dr. Banks, we are offered insight into the minds of two mad scientists with brilliant minds and sociopathic tendencies. Dr. Cale was especially interesting in that regard because she actually tried to adhere to basic ethical and behavioral standards, but it was always a conscious effort, not something that came naturally. I’ve also noticed that Grant always includes a slightly unhinged, homicidal girl (Foxy in Blackout and Tansy in Parasite and Symbiont) as the perfect source of comic relief. This may be a template character for Grant, but it is always endlessly entertaining to me.
”Hello?” I tried again. “Look, I’m all like, barefoot and lying in yuck, and that’s a serious infection risk, so could you maybe come and get me and take me somewhere clean? Or better, give me back my shoes and let me go? I promise not to murder you even a little.”
While Parasitolgy didn’t necessarily capture my heart like Newsflesh before it, its quality is unquestionable. I have no doubt that we’ll be getting a spectacular finale next year. I for one can’t wait to get my hands on it.
Lies We Tell Ourselves is more than just a book; it’s a reading experience, and a painful one at that. On page 7, I started clutching the book tightlyLies We Tell Ourselves is more than just a book; it’s a reading experience, and a painful one at that. On page 7, I started clutching the book tightly, bracing myself for the pain it would inevitably bring. On page 11, tears were already streaming down my face and I wasted no effort in trying to suppress them.
Lies We Tell Ourselves is a story about two girls, as different as they can possibly be, but both incredibly brave in their own ways. Sarah is one of the first students to set foot into a previously all-white school and Linda is her exact opposite – a privileged white girl determined to make Sarah’s life miserable.
As hard as it is to like Linda at first, one can’t really blame her for her attitude. It’s all she’s ever known, all she’s been taught by her parents and other authority figures. Given the chance, she quickly realizes that her worldview makes little sense and the slow changes in her attitude start. How things unravel from there is both beautiful and extremely painful and the girls have to fight more than just prejudice if they’re to live the lives they both deserve.
Lies We Tell Ourselves is a heartbreaking book, but it is also filled with hope and love and eye-opening moments. I loved Sarah’s family, their courage and integrity. I admired Sarah for her strength and resolve and in the end, Linda completely won me over with her willingness to do what’s right at any cost.
I’ll admit that the romance seemed a bit superfluous at times, but by the end, it brought the point home nicely. Just because we’re fighting one big battle doesn’t mean we’re somehow exempt from others that may come our way and when they do, the first one has either broken us or prepared us to fight whatever we need to in order to survive. Linda and Sarah chose to fight for their lives and their love and while the world may not have been ready for them, they were certainly ready for each other.
Cassandra Clare is perhaps one of the most divisive authors out there. Very few people feel lukewarm about her fan fiction beginni4.5 stars
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Cassandra Clare is perhaps one of the most divisive authors out there. Very few people feel lukewarm about her fan fiction beginnings and her reuse of the same world in so many series. The internet is filled with reactions, opinions and arguments about her work, but when I pick up one of Cassie’s books, I leave all of that behind. The only thing I truly care about is the quality of her work, the emotions her stories provoke and the characters she creates for us to love. Lady Midnight delivers everything the fans were hoping for and more. It is rich, complex, and it promises that The Dark Artifices will be just as heart-wrenching as The Infernal Devices, which is my absolute favorite by Clare.
Cassie introduced Emma and Julian as kids in City of Heavenly Fire, which means that we went into this knowing their background and something about the hardships they’ve already endured. It was clear from the start that the two would be parabatai, which would make any romantic relationship between then dangerous and practically impossible. There is no shortage of heartbreak in Clare’s books, and Lady Midnight is no different. The feelings between these two are so intense that they often become difficult to bear. At the same time, they truly are best friends and they stand by each other no matter what. It’s very difficult for one of them to purposely hurt the other and the loyalty and affection between them came across as genuine and unbreakable.
It was easy enough to think that the characters from Cassie’s previous series (like Clary, Jace, Magnus, Tessa or Jem) would steal the spotlight with their brief appearances, but that did not happen at any point. In fact, having them around just reinforced the fact that this is very much Emma and Julian’s book and they are both heroes in their own right.
As usual, Clare created a fabulous cast of secondary characters as well, all of them fully developed and important. We could never claim to care for one more than we care for the others because all of them have their own complicated, painful stories and extremely difficult paths ahead. So far, Mark might be the most interesting member of the Blackthorn family, but that’s only because of his years with the Wild Hunt and his fae blood.
I’ve already mentioned our main star-crossed couple, and trust me when I tell you, their story will hurt you! But there are more conflicted, impossible, star-crossed couples, some I cheer for even more than I do for Julian and Emma. In this, as in so many other things, Clare is amazing and she knows how to time her revelations to make them as painful as possible.
All in all, when I practically inhale a book of almost 700 pages or an audiobook over 20 hours long, I know I’ve found the right story for me. If you decide to go with the audio, the narrators really breathe a new life into the characters and made the story even more gorgeous.
A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher for review purposes. No considerations, monetary or otherwise, have influenced the opinions expressed in this review. ...more
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