Mirror, mirror, on the wall -- FAIREST by Marissa Meyer

Fairest

by Marissa Meyer

She loves fiercely, and kills with little remorse; her iron grip over Lunar people is equal parts impressive and terrifying.  The Lunar Chronicle’s Queen Levana is more than a beautiful villain—here, Marissa Meyer fills in the gaps between a lonely, shy second daughter and the most feared and relentless woman in the universe.

Levana grew up in the shadow of her distant mother, Queen Jannali, and her vengeful older sister, Princess Channary.  After the murder of their parents, Channary takes the crown and produces an heir, Selene.  By now having permanently assumed a glamour, or altered physical appearance that usually enhances one’s aesthetic beauty, after a childhood “accident” caused by Channary results in a severe disfigurement, Levana coerces a widowed palace guard to marry her, bringing his young daughter Winter to the palace.  Channary’s unexpected death catapults Levana to the position of Queen Regent—but that isn’t enough for the ambitious, entitled Levana.  She malevolently stages the deaths of both Selene and her palace guard husband, freeing her to rule Luna and form a marriage alliance with Earth in one fell swoop.  Meyer successfully sketches in some humanity to Levana’s actions—is she truly doing these deeds for the betterment of her people?  Does the rise of one civilization require the sacrifice of another?  At times, such as when Levana clings to a dented pendant given to her by her husband, her raw loneliness invokes sympathy.  But that is short-lived, as then a few pages later Levana callously plots her niece’s painful demise.

Even if you despise her, it is worth reading this interim background novel to gain insight into Levana’s complex character.  Meyer’s Lunar world-building is more thorough than in prior novels, and is fascinating unto itself.

Note: I reviewed Fairest for School Library Journal.

They Call Me the Voodoo Woman - GATHERING DEEP by Lisa Maxwell

Gathering Deep

by Lisa Maxwell

More of a companion novel than a sequel to her well-received Sweet Unrest, Maxwell focuses on Chloe and Thisbe in this atmosphere-packed fantastical mystery. Reeling from the aftermath of finding out that the evil witch Thisbe is her mother, Chloe becomes determined to sever all ties and influence from Thisbe’s dark magic. When her on-off boyfriend, Piers, vanishes on his way to deliver a historical artifact, Chloe knows that Thisbe is behind his disappearance. Enlisting the help of friend Lucy, Voodoo queen Mama Legba, and Mama Legba’s nephew Odane, Chloe gathers all her strength in order to conquer Thisbe’s nefarious influence. The narrative is peppered with fascinating Voodoo rituals and beliefs, heightening the suspense.

VERDICT: As with Sweet Unrest, where Maxwell’s novel excels is in its heady, Southern-drenched mood. Recommended for fans of Daughter of Smoke and Bone and Jackaby.

Note: I reviewed this book for School Library Journal.

A Life For a Life: A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses
by Sarah J. Maas

My first immersive experience into the worlds-building by Maas is equal parts thrilling and intriguing. A Court of Thorns and Roses was the June 2015 pick for a book club I’m in, and I was one of the very few who had never delved into this type of fantasy before.

And fantasy, indeed, it is—to fully enjoy Maas’s worlds, you have to suspend any conceptions about reality. Feyre is her family’s hope and salvation; as they trudge through life in the Mortal Lands, they are under constant threat of savage faeries who attack, maim, and kill. When Feyre kills a wolf “the size of a pony” in the snowy forest one day, she realizes the wolf may actually be a faerie—and the repercussions of killing him dire.

Feyre is not entirely surprised when a monstrous beast barges into their cottage one night to collect his prize—Feyre: a life for a life. Feyre wakes up in one of the faerie lands, the Spring Court, over which Tamlin, a High Fae, presides. Undeniably rich and sophisticated, Tamlin and his friend Lucien defy any expectations Feyre had about the fae. She is kept, essentially, a prisoner in these lush lands, albeit a well-fed, well-clothed, and well-entertained prisoner.

As the days tick by, Feyre becomes close to both Tamlin and Lucien—although she feels a pull towards Tamlin, confusing and enthralling her. Around the Spring Court the fae battle various forms of unfriendly faeries as the entire realm of Prythian begins to degrade towards a civil war. The queen of Prythian, Amarantha, is evil and malicious; she captures Tamlin as her prisoner until he agrees to be her lover.

When Feyre goes on a mission to rescue him, she is imprisoned herself “Under the Mountain,” a dank system of caves replete with vicious faeries and other nightmarish beasts. To gain her freedom, and that of Tamlin, Feyre must complete either a riddle or three tasks. These tasks are nowhere close to easy; the first involves a large maze sunken into the ground complete with a “giant worm…with ring after ring of razor-sharp teeth.”

Without spoiling the ending, suffice it to say Maas has successfully set up the beginning of a series, especially after Feyre begins to notice another High Fae named Rhysand. Highly recommended and not to be missed!

On a Scale of One to Pomegranate....BEASTLY BONES by William Ritter

Beastly Bones: A Jackaby Novel

by William Ritter

R.F. Jackaby and his trusty assistant, Abigail Rook, investigate fascinating and mysterious forms of paranormal phenomena in the latest series offering.these and more paranormal phenomenon in the latest series offering. In this sequel to Jackaby (Algonquin, 2014), Ritter seamlessly presents enough backstory for newcomers to thoroughly enjoy this hybrid of historical fiction and fantasy. Jackaby and Rook are called to probe into a series of strange murders—could it be vampires or jiangshi (zombies in Chinese folklore)? After following a lead to the picturesque Gad’s Valley, they literally unearth one of the most exciting and dangerous animals of all time. The protagonist’s flighty perspicacity pairs well with Rook’s down-to-earth demeanor, and together the pair work to overcome a threat to the entire world.

On a scale of “one to pomegranate,” this volume is undoubtedly a pomegranate; it offers humor, adventure, mystery, gore, and romance all rolled into one well-written package. The best news? There is more to come, as Ritter sets up Jackaby and Rook’s next case regarding the ephemeral Jenny, murdered many years ago.

VERDICT: Recommended for fans of Jonathan Stroud’s “Lockwood & Company” series (Disney-Hyperion).

This review was published in School Library Journal‘s July 2015 issue and can also be viewed online.

"I Have Magic Hair That Glows When I Sing" - CRESS by Marissa Meyer

Cress (The Lunar Chronicles, Book Three)

by Marissa Meyer

So, I read Cress when it was published and wasn't impressed – I quickly gave up, probably due to book series exhaustion.  Given the opportunity to review Fairest, a kind of interlude between books three and four of The Lunar Chronicles, I came back and re-read Cress, and I’m so glad I did.  My second reading entranced me, and I began to realize what a master Meyer is at entwining all of the characters without losing plot-lines or world-building.

Cress is ensconced, against her will, in a satellite around Earth doing the bidding of Sybil, a power player in Queen Levana’s entourage.  She spends seven lonely years essentially spying on Earth and all its wonders, including the royal family and Kai.  Like the fairy tale, Cress has floor-length tresses and a sonorous singing voice.  As she sits at her screens and watches videos of the goings-on down below her, Cress begins to sympathize with the plight of Earthens; when presented with the opportunity to defect to their side, she takes it without hesitation.  

What follows is a fast-paced, well-written, and sometimes romantic journey through the Earth’s atmosphere, the Sahara, Europe, and back to the Moon.  Meyer is a master at committing to her details without losing the effect of the storytelling.  Scarlet is my least favorite character, probably because she is the only one of whom I cannot form a clear picture, and thankfully she was not featured that much in this particular book.  The ending of this novel leaves me wanting more, more, more Meyer.  And, if you haven’t read Fairest yet, you must!

"The Sin Eater's Daughter" a Strong Contribution to YA Fantasy Lit

The Sin Eater's Daughter

by Melinda Salisbury

Gr. 7 and up:  17-year-old Twylla has both a gift and a curse as the embodiment of a goddess on earth: she is worshipped and she can kill men in seconds with the briefest of touches.  Twylla’s mother is a Sin Eater, one who eats symbolic foods of the deceased person’s sins at their gravesite; Twylla is set to pursue this path until the Queen of Lormere took her from her home to become the goddess Daunen Embodied.  Every month Twylla ingests a poisonous substance that reinforces her position as both the goddess’s personification and the kingdom’s executioner, and every month Twylla becomes more isolated.  Her only hope lies with her future marriage to Lormere’s prince, Merek.

Until a new guard joins her service--Lief is different from the others.  He does not shrink away as Twylla draws near; he engages in conversation with her and asks questions.  As Twylla grows closer to both Merek and Lief, she becomes more aware of how truly trapped she is in her role with the Queen – and how much she will have to sacrifice to break free.

Salisbury’s concept is not new – Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me and Kristin Cashore’s Graceling both have similar protagonists with tactile killing powers – but her luscious world-building and mythology make The Sin Eater’s Daughter a worthy read.  Twylla is strong and sensible, making Melinda Salisbury’s novel an easy recommendation for middle grade fantasy readers.

Can We Do Some Voodoo? Sweet Unrest by Lisa Maxwell

Sweet Unrest

by Lisa Maxwell

Gr. 9 & Up: A romantic ghost story, Voodoo spells, and the humid-drenched southern locale of historical New Orleans all combine for a satisfying mix of contemporary and historical fiction from Maxwell’s first, Sweet Unrest.  When Lucy Aimes’s family moves to an old plantation near New Orleans for her history professor father’s work, she becomes plagued with vivid dreams featuring a handsome Alex and surprisingly familiar Armantine.

Lucy soon learns that the dreams are much more than they seem with the assistance of a local mystical woman; intertwining a bit of history of Voodoo with an enjoyable mystery, Maxwell produces a well-written, spell-binding, enthralling, and informative story that young readers (and adults) are sure to snap up.  Read it for the heady descriptions of New Orleans and mysticism if nothing else.

Review of Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Siege and Storm continues Alina and Mal’s journey away from the Darkling and towards the gathering of more amplifier(s).  The Darkling has lost his magical hold over Alina – or has he?  Siege and Storm is less action and more thoughtful analysis as Alina struggles to adapt to her new role as Saint Alina, propelled to saint-like status by the Apparat.

Alina is by turns strong and reliant on others; the dichotomy becomes critically frustrating throughout the novel.  However, overall Alina does triumph as a well-rounded, humanistic character with foibles like us all.  What really marred the book for me was the trite and over-emphasized love story (push-and-pull) between Mal and Alina; it detracted, at times, from the overarching themes.

"[T]his grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore..." - Bellman & Black

Bellman & Black

by Diane Setterfield

Bellman & Black explores “The Butterfly Effect” on a gothic, morbid scale; Will Bellman’s seemingly unintentional act of animal cruelty as a young boy has lasting and spreading effects as he continues to age.  Throughout the novel, the “rook” (a crow, essentially) is cast as the harbinger of death, interspersed by factual tidbits about the rook’s eating habits, scientific names, and so on.  The juxtaposition of the rook as a death symbol with these reminders of the unavoidability and impersonality of nature serve to remind us that death does become us all.  So why was Will Bellman targeted?

Will takes over a family business and his life becomes consumed with entrepreneurship; the book does become immersed in the details of his businesses, which I personally found engrossing.  However, for each bit of happiness Will experiences, the rook flits through the pages, bringing another round of death and sadness for Will.  Instead of properly dealing with his losses, they propel Will to work harder, shunning any kind of pleasure for the sole purpose of work.  At each funeral Will attends, he meets a man simply named Black.  They go into business together; the terms are vague.  The business consumes Will and he becomes determined to “pay back” Black his portion of the profits.  The ending, while not necessarily a surprise, is still a bit of a letdown—while Will is not a warm and fuzzy character, he is not a moral reprobate.

Which brings us to the crux of the problem with Bellman & Black – why did the simple act at the beginning of the novel, something that, truly, was not fully intended in a malicious manner on Will’s part, bring about such devastation in the end?  Will killed a rook—so everyone he loves dies.  I feel that Setterfield wants us to dig deeper into the allegory of the novel; one small act can wreak larger havoc, yes, but if a person does not boldly face a problem or an issue, Setterfield seems to say, it all becomes exacerbated.  If only Will had taken small moments to enjoy his pleasures more (as evidenced at the very, very end of the novel, when he went through just the very few happy memories he had).  If only Will had been, yes, a bit more selfish and lived his life more for himself instead of being regulated by the external world.

All in all, this novel is more profound than what it seems. I also found the minutiae of running a mill and starting a goods business quite fascinating; it fed into the larger theme of small gears making everything else tick (or break, as it were).

Review of The Wishing Thread by Lisa Van Allen

Published September 2013 by Ballantine Books

The concept of The Wishing Thread reminds me much of the old TV show with Alyssa Milano and those other ladies who did magic – Charmed.  Three sisters are raised in a house that is termed the Stitchery (an awkward mouthful) for the yarnful abundance it produces, along with spells woven into those yarns.  The sisters’ mother has run off early on and the sisters are raised by Mariah, an aunt who dies but whose legacy breaths throughout the book.

Perhaps the novel’s biggest failing is its one-dimensional, predictable characters.  Bitty is the older sister with the failing marriage who literally “runs” away from her problems; Meggie is the youngest sister, the wild-child, unpredictable one.  Aubrey is the grounded middle child, a library-worker who, we are reminded too often, is very shy, socially awkward, and guardian of the Stitchery.

If you can put that aside, then Wishing Thread is a good “beachy” read with a Halloween vibe.  The Wishing Thread’s greatest triumph is its setting—Van Allen does a remarkable job of bringing the Headless Horseman’s stomping ground to life, and it made me yearn for cool weather and fall leaves.

#wishingthread #vanallen #halloween #magic