Destiny Is Not a Matter of Chance: ASH by Shani Petroff & Darci Manley

Ash

by Shani Petroff & Darci Manley

After the Event, in which seven billion people died, the survivors created a system to ensure nothing like that would happen again.  People are placed into what is essentially a caste or “ring” system, starting with the highest, most powerful Purples through the rainbow to the lowly Ashes.  As people are born, specialists extract their destinies, down to the day and time – and to maintain order, all must fulfill their destiny. Dax is a rarity, a Blank – one whose destiny could not be extracted, the lowliest of the low.  Madden is an elite Purple, being groomed to take over a position on the ruling board.  After Dax’s brothers commit the ultimate sacrifice in the name of breaking free from predetermined destinies, Dax and Madden are thrown together in a plot of intrigue, secrecy, and danger.

While many elements of the plot are left unexplained – for instance, how exactly does a specialist extract a destiny from a baby? – the action is never sparse in this newly-wrought science fiction novel by Petroff and Manley. 

VERDICT: For lovers of stories about rebelling against “the system,” like The Hunger Games and Divergent, the Destined series is bound to entertain and enthrall.

Note: I reviewed this book for School Library Journal.

Sci-Fi Thrills: MARKED by Laura Williams McCaffrey

Marked

by Laura Williams McCaffrey

In McCaffrey’s dystopian science fiction thriller, Lyla lives in a society where criminals are tattooed—Marked—and the schism between the rich (barons) and the poor (miners, farmers, and so on) is palpable and volatile. After becoming Marked for visiting a black market, Lyla undertakes a dangerous spy mission to infiltrate the Red Fists, an unlawful band of misfits, in order to erase her Mark. Complicating the situation is her intense feelings for a childhood friend and newest misfit, Gill; once drawn into the Red Fists’s web of rebellion, Lyla must make important choices on what and whom to sacrifice. Comic-style strips are included throughout that give some background on Lyla’s society. 

VERDICT: Full of fast-paced action and ethical quandaries, fans of Daughter of Smoke & Bone and The Forest of Hands & Teeth will enjoy this latest offering from McCaffrey.

Note: I reviewed this book 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.

The Self-Absorbed Artist: THE DREAM LOVER by Elizabeth Berg

The Dream Lover

by Elizabeth Berg

Boy, where do I begin with this one? I love a good historical fiction, especially if the historical fiction in question is focused on a famous literary figure. For instance, I recently read Mr. Emerson’s Wife, and was pleasantly surprised at the supposed nuances of Mrs. Emerson and Mr. Emerson himself. Even though they were not perfect characters, I rooted for them to each find their own version of happiness.

But Aurore Dupin, as known as George Sand, is a severely unlikeable character. The novel bounces around from her childhood to her rise to literary prominence. I imagine the childhood scenes are to paint a picture of a complex girl, but all it does is cause me to wonder what made George so unlikeable.

George marries a man she does not love, and regularly abandons her children to go write and hussy around in Paris. Even during her “scheduled times” with her children, she often left them with the servants and went away on love trips. Someone so self-absorbed and selfish is not a heroine in any sense of the word.

Everything must revolve around George and her happiness with her love life; she takes on many different lovers, which in itself is not a big deal, but she is still married for the majority of them. Also, she becomes so wrapped up in her love affairs that she neglects her children and her home.

While I realize that many “great artists” of that time were definitely outside of the societal box, there is not much to redeem the character, and/or the person, of George Sand. If Berg’s goal is to create a thoroughly reprehensible character, then she succeeded. The mere fact that this novel's protagonist enrages me so much is testament to the excellent character building by Berg. Recommended with the caveat that you will be annoyed with George!

A dark truth: DAMAGE DONE by Amanda Panitch

Damage Done

by Amanda Panitch

Gr 9+

In the vein of We Were Liars and Gone Girl with a YA twist, Panitch delivers a heart-pounding, emotionally-charged novel that proves that not everything is what it seems. Julia Vann faces unmentionable consequences when her twin brother, Ryan, brings a gun to school and kills eleven people in the band room. Ryan, after shooting himself, remains in a coma, and Julia’s family moves to a different city to escape the whispers and outright hatred.

As Julia, now called Lucy, realizes her brother’s psychologist is following her, she must confront buried memories that threaten her daily existence. The slow trickle of reminiscences unveils a dark truth, one that Julia/Lucy wants hidden forever, and one in which she will go to extreme lengths to protect.

VERDICT: The latest in unreliable narrators, Panitch combines heart-twisting realities with good old-fashioned mystery.

Note: I reviewed Damage Done 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!

"The swan, like the soul of the poet, By the dull world is ill understood": Review of SWANS OF FIFTH AVENUE by Melanie Benjamin

(Title quote by Heinrich Heine)

The Swans of Fifth Avenue

by Melanie Benjamin

Drenched in whiskey and jewel-toned silks, the famous socialites of 1960s New York come alive in Melanie Benjamin’s latest tour de force. If you’re like me, nothing is as delicious as reading about the sumptuous lives and dramas of the “rich and famous”—and Benjamin certainly delivers on this front.

Truman Capote is launched into the social scene thanks to his indelible and incisive works, including In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Babe Paley, Slim Keith, C.Z. Guest, Gloria Guinness, and Pamela Churchill all are Capote’s “swans,” or beautiful circle of friends—but Capote’s true love is Babe. Married to a cheating and demanding husband, Babe Paley, instead of getting angry, turns her own body into a work of art, becoming one of the most famous socialites of the era. Babe and Truman share a special bond; he is her “True Heart,” and she is his “Bobolink.” That is, until Truman attempts to fictionalize Babe’s secret shames in a short story La Cote Basque 1965. Truman’s swans turn their backs to him and he begins a downward spiral into alcoholism.

A fascinating book is one that completely immerses me within the scene, one that propels me to research different people and artifacts mentioned with the book. Swans of Fifth Avenue is such a book; highly recommended!

One of my favorite parts:

            “…and all she could look forward to was losing her teeth, more face-lifts, orthopedic shoes instead of Ferragamos, the constant battle of the dye bottle…and all the money in the world couldn’t stop any of that, couldn’t stop the ravage of time and great.
            And that was the secret, the wonder of Truman, she realized suddenly. Truman made them forget all that. He had amused them. Their husbands didn’t want to talk to them. They grew bored talking to one another, these glorious creatures, for they were all the same. Blond, brunette, tall, short, European or Californian, they were still the same; only the exteriors were different. And they devoted their lives to maintaining this difference, striving to shine, be the one jewel who stood out. Yet at night, they took off the diamonds and gowns and went to empty beds resigned to the fact that they were just women, after all. Women with a shelf life.
            And then Truman leapt into their midst, and suddenly the gossip was more delicious, the amusements more diverse” (Benjamin 244).