Fire by Kristin Cashore

Posted on August 12, 2009 by caprici2

FIRE by Kristin Cashore

Title: FIRE
Written by Kristin Cashore
Published by Dial Books, October 5, 2009
Hardcover: 480 pages
Reading Level: Young Adult
Rated 5/5
Author blog
This book was received from the publisher. I was offered the book and I said heck yes!

Here I am, with another co-review with Kailana of The Written World! Here is her review.

She is the last of her kind…

It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. In King City, the young King Nash is clinging to the throne, while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. War is coming. And the mountains and forest are filled with spies and thieves. This is where Fire lives, a girl whose beauty is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of everyone around her.

Exquisitely romantic, this companion to the highly praised Graceling has an entirely new cast of characters, save for one person who plays a pivotal role in both books. You don’t need to have read Graceling to love Fire. But if you haven’t, you’ll be dying to read it next.

In all seriousness, read them in order. Click here for my review of Graceling. Also, since the name of the book and the name of the character are the same, I’m going to refer to the character as Fire and the book as FIRE, to help avoid confusion.

In FIRE, we are returned to the world of Graceling, but to a heretofore unmentioned country. Fire, like the Gracelings of the first book, is an unusual human, called a monster. She is an outcast to her society, because her extreme beauty, which includes and knockout body and vibrantly red hair and she also has very dangerous mind control abilities. She is the last of her kind and she lives far out into the countryside where she can live without the threat of attack, rape, kidnapping or worse. However, when she is called to the King’s castle for her help, she goes. Her friend, neighbor, protector, and sometimes lover Archer, reluctantly lets her go.

Elsewhere in the kingdom, King Nash and his brother Brigan are working against the clock to protect the country from invasion. The brothers distrust Fire because of the chaos her father wreaked on the kingdom before his death and they, especially Brigan, want nothing to do with her. However, they realize her powers could be put to good use for the kingdom and realize they need to find away to get past their problems and work together, if they are to save the kingdom from imminent doom.

Kristin Cashore has done it again. She has written a powerful tale that reveals a whole new world beyond Katsa’s world, full of incredible beings, unusual powers, and a story full of political intrigue, love, friendship, and betrayal. Like Graceling, FIRE is also a coming-of-age tale, as Fire learns to accept herself the way she is and learn that despite her abilities (or disabilities as she sees it) that others can come to accept her and love her the way she is as well. Fire is a wonderful heroine; strong, independent, loyal and kind. Her reflective moments in the book were especially powerful to me; I thought it was great to see a character willing to think through the events of her life and work out their meaning for herself. Her concern for others was especially endearing, as she struggles to resolve her own ‘monstrous’ nature and the truly ‘monstrous’ nature of her father, with the kind, sweet heart that lies within her self.

I found it delightful to see how much Ms. Cashore has grown as an author. Graceling didn’t feel like a first novel and comparatively, Fire does not feel like a sophomore effort. The writing is tight, the pacing, while maybe slightly slow at the first, is solid. The plot is complex and riveting; this is a hard book to put down. Fire deals with so many emotions true to a teenager, but also true to an adult – remorse, regret, love, fear, and doubts – that any reader can relate to her. The issues of death, violence, rape, and even murder are all dealt with in a respectful and thoughtful manner. I can’t recommend this book enough.

The answers to Kailana’s questions are below…

1. In all seriousness, which book did you like better? Are you looking forward to book three?

It is SO HARD to pick. I loved both of these books so, so, so much. Honestly though, I think I liked FIRE slightly more, because I liked Fire so very, very much. Even though I am definitely no great beauty, I do know self-doubt and fear, both of which Fire has to deal with a great deal and I felt that I identified with her more. Katsa is kick-ass, don’t get me wrong, but I didn’t identify with her quite as well.

And, uh, YES, I am looking forward to book three!!!!!

2. Which was the better heroine, in your opinion, Katsa or Fire?

That is ANOTHER hard pick. I loved both girls; Katsa for her strength, her determination, her conflicted sense of right and wrong and how she persevered to do what she thought was right, how she followed her heart! And Fire, I loved for her vulnerability, her fierce love and devotion, her own conflicted sense of right and wrong. The only problem I had with either girls was how they had a tendency to lead on the men that they cared for, Katsa with Po and Fire with Archer. However, since this felt somewhat true to life (as best I remember it from my own teenage years) I can’t fault either girl for that, it’s part of growing up and finding your way in life. Like I said, I really identified with Fire for some reason.

In the end, I think I prefer (only slightly) Fire.

3. What about the guy? Did you like Po better or Brigan?

This one I have no trouble picking; it’s Brigan. Don’t get me wrong, I like Po, but Brigan, oh Brigan, with his initial hatred of Fire, his willingness to look past his prejudices and see the real person inside the body, his kindnesses and his love…oh Brigan has my heart. Po was great, but he’s no Brigan.

~ Also by Kristin Cashore ~

Graceling

~ Also reviewed by ~

Did I miss yours?

Incidentally, this is my 900th post!! I feel so old!

Also, happy 9th wedding anniversary to my dear hubby. He puts up with all my strange machinations and loves me anyway. Could a girl ask for anything more? Love you babe!

Wings

Posted on July 28, 2009 by caprici2

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Title: Wings
Written by Aprilynne Pike
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: Young Adult
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (May 2009)
Rated: 4/5
Author Blog
Follow Aprilynne on Twitter

Kailana and I didn’t exactly read this together, but when we discovered that we both needed to review it, we decided to review it together! Check out her review here.

Laurel is a not-so-normal teenage girl struggling to have a normal teenage life. She’s the new girl at school, after being home-schooled by her somewhat hippie parents. She’s trying to make friends, even though she’s painfully shy. She loves the outdoors. She doesn’t eat any meat, barely any vegetables; she mainly subsists on clear soda and fruit. Strangest of all is that new, painful, huge pimple on the center of her back? That is her flower; with huge petals that look like wings on her back.

When Laurel was three, she was left on her parent’s doorstep in a basket, with no note and no knowledge of where she came from. Now that her parents have moved and are trying to sell their old estate and Laurel’s life is changing to drastically, her past and her present meet in a sudden and distressing way. It turns out Laurel isn’t human at all. She’s a faerie.

Why was she sent away from home to live with her human parents? What is her position in this new world she didn’t know existed? And is there any place for her in the home she has come to love and cherish? And what does Avalon have to do with all of this? Laurel has a lot to figure out, and fast, before both of her cherished worlds are irrevocably changed forever.

You know, I didn’t know what to expect of this book when I first saw it. The leaves/wings on the cover don’t really give you much to go on. I hadn’t heard anything about it. I just saw the book at a yard sale and snatched it up. Once I started reading though, it was difficult to put down and I read it in like – two days – I think. The characters are what really make this book. You can’t help but love Laurel. She’s one of those seemingly fragile girls who you immediately want to protect, but really have a fine, steely interior that can stand up to anything. I had my problems with her of course. She could be a little dense and sometimes missed the obvious. But she is sweet and likeable. David, the boy Laurel meets at school, and who takes an immediate liking to her, is a little too good to be true, but I liked him well enough. Now, Tamani, the male faerie of the story, on the other hand, he’s the hottie of the book and the guy I’m (of course) rooting for. Because you know, like most other faerie tale books of this genre; this is part of a trilogy.

Wings is a great, light, summer read, perfect for beach, pool, or backyard in the sun reading.

Now, for the questions:

1. What did you think of the twist of the flower petals/flower in Laurel’s back?

I’ll admit; I really liked it. I thought it was something new, original; I’ve never seen anything like it in any of the many, many fairy books I’ve read. I liked the way she changed the wings into something more organic. It made it feel more plausible, that there were little people out there who were a cross between a plant and a person as opposed to little winged creatures out to turn your cow’s milk sour.

2. And what did you think of the Arthurian legend being incorporated into the plot?

I liked that too. I’ve always enjoyed Arthurian stories anyway and, seeing as most faerie myths come from Britain, I thought it was a clever twist to combine the two stories. I’m actually surprised no one has done it before, at least as far as I know.

3. What did you think of David, Laurel’s extremely nice and understanding potential boyfriend?

He was…extremely nice and…extremely understanding. Very easy going, willing to wait for Laurel to sort out her feels and never seemed to get very MAD about anything. Do you know a guy like this? A TEENAGE guy? Because none of the guys I grew up were like this. David fits the mold of these new too-good-to-be-true male characters I’ve been seeing in YA fiction lately. Have you noticed? Is this the Edward Effect? Because I’m not sure I like it.

Also reviewed by:

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Posted on July 23, 2009 by caprici2

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Title: Graceling
Written byKristin Cashore
Reading Level: Young Adult
Published byHoughton Mifflin Harcourt (October 2008)
Hardcover: 488 pages
Rated 4.75/5
Author Blog

You know how when you read The Hunger Games, (WHAT? You haven’t read The Hunger Games? Go, right now and buy it. Then sit down and read it. For goodness sakes, what am I going to do with you?) how you thought Katniss was the youknowwhat, so tough and strong and superior to any man around?

Well, let me tell you, she ain’t got nuffin’ on Katsa. She is the new youknowwhat. For you see, Katsa is a Graceling, one of the unusual people born in her land with an extreme talent and identified by their unusual different colored eyes. Since the age of eight, Katsa has been able to kill a man grown with her bare hands. All Gracelings by law belong to the king, so Katsa lives with her uncle King Randa and becomes his thug – delivering his messages and carrying out all his punishments. Katsa hates this and to help balance the bad, she creates a Council, who help people behind the king’s back. It is during one of these missions for the Council that she meets Prince Po.

Prince Po is from a neighboring country – and is also Graced. As they come to know each other, to fight, to confide and to become friends, Katsa’s life begins to change in ways she never expected, or dreamed. She learns new truths about herself and finds the courage to break out of her bondage and become the woman she was meant to be. Along the way she makes new friends, discovers friends she didn’t know she had and helps uncover a sinister secret.

And wow, Prince Po is something else. Can you say HOT?

Aside – Have you noticed how the male roll in YA books seems to be changing? I’m pondering a separate post on this, but he typifies this new male character I’ve been seeing emerge in the last few YA books I’ve read. I like it.

Anyway.

Awhile back, Kailana at The Written World and my reading twin, dared me to read this book. This was back before this “I Dare You” challenge thing that’s going around, but anyway. I take her opinion pretty seriously so I got it from the library. I was still somewhat dubious, I have no idea why, but last Friday night I thought “what the heck!” and picked it up. I am usually a fixture on Twitter on Friday nights, but you may have noticed I was suspiciously absent. I was lost in this book! I barely put it down until I finished it Sunday (I had to put it down a few times, I had birthday parties to begrudgingly attend).

This is a thoroughly well-crafted first novel. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought Ms. Cashore had written many more novels. The characters are all well-rounded and well-thought out. Katsa is a excellent adolescent heroine, confident in her strengths but still unsure of her weaknesses. Her growth as a character through the story is pronounced and feels accurate. No action goes without consequences and it has such a satisfying ending. Well, satisfying except for leaving you wanting more! Which, incidentally, the next part in this trilogy, FIRE, will be coming out soon! I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

Also by Kristin Cashore

The soon to be released companion to Graceling – Fire

Also reviewed by:

Forgotten Friday

Posted on July 17, 2009 by caprici2

I’m looking to start a new tradition here on my blog. There are a lot of books that, I am ashamed to say, have gone unreviewed this year. My goal is to review every book I’ve read this year, so I’m going back to the beginning and reviewing what I missed and will post these “forgotten” reviews on Fridays. I’m starting with this one.

An Abundance of Katherines

Title: An Abundance of Katherines
Written by John Green
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (September 21, 2006)
Rating: 4/5
Author website
Nerdfighter’s website
Follow John on Twitter

Okay, look y’all. It’s been awhile since I read this and I have a tricky memory at best, but I do, very clearly, remember that I really liked this book. Really, really. Liked it so much that I want to review it like, 6 months later. Because I THINK YOU NEED TO READ John Green’s work. And really, I remember more than I think I do, which is very surprising since I barely remember what I had for lunch yesterday…oh yeah, tomato sandwich…. Anyway, I must have really liked this book!

An Abundance of Katherine’s is the story of Colin Singleton. Colin has had nineteen girlfriends and they were all named Katherine. And all of them have dumped HIM. He’s also a once-upon-a-time math prodigy, he has a passion for anagrams and he has the absolute craziest best-friend in the world. After the last Katherine has dumped him and left him broken-hearted, Colin sets out to prove a new theory – The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability; a theory Colin’s hopes will predict the future of all relationships, reaffirm his lost genius and finally, hopefully, win him the girl.

I admit it, I didn’t love this one as much as Green’s Paper Towns (you really should read that one!) but I did enjoy it immensely. Green has such a sharp, intelligent voice that I just can’t help loving his work. I mean come on, this book has MATH in it and I enjoyed it. That says a LOT for Mr. Green right? This is why I majored in English in college. Heather and the mathematics are like oil and vinegar. And I totally was not bothered by the math in this book. I adored Colin, I adored his buddy Hassan (the best buddy I’ve seen in a book in really quite awhile. And this is SIX MONTHS after I read the book.), and I adored their road trip.

Colin finally meets a girl NOT NAMED Katherine, her name is Lindsay and she helps him with his theorem. There is a lot of laugh-out-loud humor of the sophomoric and intelligent, which feels totally appropriate here. I mean we’re talking about a couple of teenage boys on a road trip! The boys have a great banter that is the hallmark of a John Green novel. I really recommend this book, as I do all of John Green’s books. This reminds me…I really need to pick up Looking for Alaska.

Also by John Green:

Looking for Alaska, Paper Towns, Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances (with Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle)

City of Ashes

Posted on July 16, 2009 by caprici2

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Ashes: The Mortal Instruments
Written by Cassandra Clare
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 464 pages
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (March 25, 2008)
Rated 4.75/5

This is the second book in The Mortal Instruments series. See my review of the first book, City of Bones, here.

This probably contains spoilers for the first book…just warning you. It is going to be really hard to review this and assume you haven’t read the first book, so I’m going to review it with the assumption that you have. If you haven’t, GO BUY IT. And, it goes without saying, but read them in order.

Clary is still dealing with a lot of changes that occurred in her life in a very short amount of time. She’s found out she’s descendant of the demon-killing Shadowhunters, her mother has put herself in a magically induced coma that no one seems to know how to get her out of, and she can see Downworlders like vampires, werewolves and faeries. To complicate matters, she has to fight the strange attraction she has for Jace, her gorgeous, exasperating, overprotective, newfound brother and figure out exactly what she feels for her best-friend Simon – the guy she’s kind of dating and has been in love with her “since they were five.” Jace is also fighting his attraction to her and, now that his true parentage has been revealed, he is fighting to prove his allegiance to the Shadowhunters – something he’s not even sure of.

To make things worse, someone is killing Downworlder children. No one knows who is doing it or why; but Valentine, Clary’s back-from-the-dead father is at the top of the suspect list. All Clary wants to do is help her mother and find her place in this terrifying and thrilling new world she has found herself thrust into. As Clary’s coming-of-age tale continues so does this un-put-down-able story of love, betrayal and magic.

One thing I want you to know right now; I KNOW it sounds like there is a lot going on in these books and I KNOW you’re probably thinking it doesn’t all fit, but IT DOES. Clare so obviously KNOWS what she is doing here and IT ALL FITS. Trust me. This second book is just as good, nay, better than the first one. Clary is a great female character. She’s confused, conflicted, but she refuses to be weak, to wait behind, to NOT help, when she knows she can, she’s determined and hardheaded. She has her flaws; she’s impetuous, she’s impatient, she’s passionate and honest. She has her whiny moments. But all this comes together in such a normal way; she doesn’t come off like a Bella Swan. And Jace. OMG Jace. Have I told you HOW MUCH I LOVE JACE? Gah. Please read these books, I’m begging you! I think I’m about ready to reread them myself!

Also by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones, City of Glass, Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd, Vacations from Hell

Also reviewed by:

Did I miss yours?

My Most Excellent Year

Posted on July 7, 2009 by caprici2

My Most Excellent Year

Title: My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Marry Poppins and Fenway Park
Author: By Steve Kluger
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardback: 416 Pages
Publisher: Dial Books, 2008

My Most Excellent Year, at its heart is the story of three friends; TC Keller, Augie Hwong, and Alejandra Perez. When they are assigned the essay “My Most Excellent Year,” they all agree it was their ninth grade year. It was the year TC fell for Alè, the year Augie realized he was falling for another boy, the year Alè moved into a public school and faced her strict, dogmatic parents and their expectations for her. Their story is told alternating points of view between the three teenagers, letters from their parents, letters from friends, IM messages, text messages, emails and more.

It’s about friendship, family, love, coming out, death, grief, baseball, finding acceptance, finding faith, Mary Poppins, Broadway, politics, social activism, show tunes and more. Yet it it’s not overfilled with any of these things. It only leaves you wanting more.

This was the first book I read for my bracket in the Nerds Heart YA tournament and I was almost afraid I’d made a mistake in starting with it. My love for this book is fierce. I, quite simply, adored it. And it all comes down to one thing – Augie.

At first glance, Augie seems like a somewhat stereotypical gay character. He loves old-time Hollywood film stars like Bette Davis, Natalie Wood and Judy Garland. He is a song and dance man; he knows all the Broadway shows. He is obsessed with musical-theater. He is a diva. He somewhat reminded me of Jack on Will and Grace, but younger. And he is so sweet in his confusion as he realizes for the first time that he has fallen in love with another boy. The best part of his story is how everyone and I mean EVERYONE accepts Augie as he is. Many know what he is before he even does and they don’t care. It was refreshing to see Augie accepted for himself and to see him accept himself so easily. No matter your stance on this issue, everyone has the right to be what and who they are, and I felt that this book pictured a world where that was possible.

The other characters are great as well. The characterization in this book was perfect. By the end, I felt as if I knew these characters as well as my own friends and was sad to say goodbye to them at the end. TC, the real main character, was amazing, such a boy, so sure of himself on the outside but inwardly doubting everything. I found it so touching how he wrote to his mother in his assigned diary and the way he befriended Hucky, the six-year-old deaf kid who in turn taught TC so much about life. I loved how Alè faced her parents and their desires for her life that went so against her own. All these characters were so bright, so passionate and alive – it’s hard not to love this book and I highly recommend it.

Come back tomorrow for my review of The Last Exit to Normal by Michael Harmon, my second read for the Nerds Heart YA challenge!

Here is the post where Valentina reviewed her two books for her bracket, and pushed My Most Excellent Year on through to me.

Also reviewed by:

Jellicoe Road

Posted on July 4, 2009 by caprici2

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Title: Jellicoe Road
Written by: Melinda Marchetta
Publisher: Harper Teen
Released: August 26, 2008
Previously released: 2006, in Australia
Pages: 419
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Here I am with another co-read/review with Kailana at The Written World.

From the prologue:

My father took one hundred and thirty-two minutes to die.

I counted.

It happened on the Jellicoe Road. The prettiest road I’d ever seen, where trees made breezy canopies like a tunnel to Shangri-La. We were going to the ocean, hundreds of miles away, because I wanted to see the ocean and my father said that it was about time the four of us made that journey. I remember asking, “What’s the difference between a trip and a journey?” and my father said, “Narnie, my love, when we get there, you’ll understand,” and that was the last thing he ever said.

With a beginning like that, how could you put it down? Well, I did, two times, but the third time…well…wow. Every once in awhile, a book comes along that just hits you in the gut. It hits too close to home, it tears your heart out, it grabs you by the roots of your hair and spins and doesn’t turn loose until well after the last page has been turned. Jellicoe Road did all these things to me and so much more.

Taylor Markham has been living at the Jellicoe Road boarding school since her mother abandoned her at the nearby 7-Eleven six years earlier. She doesn’t really know what happened to her father; only that he has been gone for most of her life. Now she’s seventeen has been newly elected to the post of student leader of her dorm and to lead the Underground Community as one of the three boarding schools who battle for territory (among other things) in her small Australian community. The two other gangs are called the Cadets and the Townies. For years these three camps have fought in the “Territory Wars;” wars fought over land, trees, water, and more. Everything is going swimmingly, until Hannah, the closest adult Taylor has to family disappears without a word. Jonah Griggs, the boy Taylor ran away with three years ago and the leader of the Cadets has popped back into her life with smoldering looks and mystifying behavior. And all the young kids of Taylor’s house are now looking to her for everything. Things start falling apart.

Understandably Taylor wants to know what’s going on with Hannah. We are given glimpses of a novel that Hannah has been working on, which at first Taylor takes to be fictional but quickly realizes that it might not be so fictional. It provides an all important glimpse of Hannah’s, and Taylor’s, life. As she gets closer and closer to the truth the pieces of the puzzle start to fit together and, well, good luck putting the book down. This is an absorbing story where nothing is quite what it seems and the clues only lead to more questions for Taylor, as she tries to work out the connections between herself, Hannah, her mother and the character’s in Hannah’s book. This is a book about secrets, anguish, pain, love, betrayal, hope, death, life and oh so much more. It’s heartbreaking and beautiful. It’s gorgeous and haunting. It’s going to live with me for a long time, I’m sure. I’m so glad I gave it that third try.

Oh and this is important. Jellicoe Road won the Printz Award!

See Kailana’s review here.

And now, for Kailana’s questions for me:

What did you think of Taylor Markham? Did your opinion change as the novel progressed or stay the same?

As I said, this novel hit close to home. My own father died when I was very young and I was basically abandoned by my mother around the age of 3. The things Taylor has to go through in her quest to find out the all important “Why?” were things I was forced to go through too.

At first I had trouble liking Taylor. She was so remote, so standoffish; she didn’t want to be liked or to like anyone. But as the novel progress and I got to know Taylor better, I realized we had a lot in common. I began to identify with her, rather strongly, and by the end I admit, I really came to admire her and the choices she made. I think she was a wonderfully written, extremely well developed character. I too can be remote, standoffish, I’m probably considered cold by many people. It’s not true, but I know I have a tendency to hide myself away for fear of being hurt again. I don’t make friends easily and the ones that I do have I protect with a fierce dread that I will loose them in some way.

As the novel progressed, I came to greatly admire Taylor for the choices she made and to envy her maturity. She made choices that, upon reflection, I somewhat wish I had been able to make.

What are your thoughts on the cover? Did it make sense for the book at all? Do you like it?

At first glance, the cover really didn’t mean anything to me. A red poppy? Wow, it’s pretty, but eh? I, the cover whore, was not taken with it. But once it was introduced to the story and what it did mean became clear, well, I decided I liked it.

My questions to her, with my answers:

What did you think of the juxtaposition of Taylor’s first-person narrative and Hannah’s third-person omniscient “novel” in the book?

At first I had a really hard time with it, because I didn’t realize right off the bat that it was Hannah’s book. I wasn’t sure what it was and once it got through my thick head that it was Hannah’s narrative I felt slightly dumb. Once I knew what it was though, I thought the technique worked pretty well, especially since Hannah was gone from the narrative so early. I thought it helped bring her story and Taylor’s story together in an interesting way.

Who was your favorite secondary character?

Hmmm…that’s a hard question. There were so many characters I liked. Jonah, Hannah, Webb, Raffaela, Santangelo… but I think I’ll have to say Jonah. I just like those strong, silent, angsty types.

Also by Melina Marchetta: Saving Francesca, Looking for Alibrandi

Also reviewed by:

The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Posted on June 17, 2009 by caprici2

The Forest of Hands and Teeth
By Carrie Ryan
Official Carrie Ryan Website
Read An Excerpt HERE
Watch the Trailer HERE

It is becoming increasingly apparent to me that teenagers must love dystopian literature. They just love a little apocalypse. I’ve read some great YA books this year and it seems the best of them feature the world after some sort of cataclysmic end has occurred. The Forest of Hands and Teeth is probably the most heartbreaking, yet hopeful one I’ve read yet.

Mary lives in a small village in the middle of a very large forest with her mother. In many ways her life isn’t all that different from any other girl her age. She helps with the chores. She also has a brother, a sister-in-law and a best friend named Cassandra. But then, she’s very, VERY different. Her father went into the forest many days ago and she has all but given up hope of him coming home alive. Her village is controlled by a totalitarian and very religious group called The Sisterhood and is surrounded on all sides by a fence; a fence that is designed to keep out the Unconsecrated – a mass of mindless undead, hungry for the living flesh that lives on the inside, and who were unleashed many, many years ago by a mysterious and catastrophic incident.

“My mother used to tell me about the ocean. She said there was a place where there was nothing but water as far as you could see and that it was always moving, rushing toward you and then away. She once showed me a picture that she said was my great-great-great grandmother standing in the ocean as a child. It has been years since, and the picture was lost to fire long ago, but I remember it, faded and worn. A little girl surrounded by nothingness.”

Mary is a great character. Her mother has filled her head with tales of the ocean and the world before the Unconsecrated existed. Like all teenagers, she’s willful and very stubborn, but she’s also a dreamer and a doer, someone who isn’t afraid to take a chance to get what she wants. She dreams of seeing the ocean someday and there is nothing that will stand in her way. I would not have minded a little more strength in the secondary characters, but they were interesting in their own ways and were good supports for Mary. She was definitely the most well drawn of them all. She’s flawed, but you can’t help rooting for her.

This book starts with a bit of a bang (to put it mildly) and then it slows down a bit before speeding to the end. I liked that slow build up, as I thought it was a story that needed that slow, paced build up to the climax. There is a lot of background to get into, characters to meet, their history to learn, the history of the tiny village Mary lives in, the history of the Unconsecrated, the whole government, belief system and values to be set up…and I thought Ryan did a fantastic job. The slowness didn’t bother me a bit, because I found it all so FASCINATING. Even though the book is set in a very dystopian future, it felt very puritanical to me, which I liked about it. It felt very Nathanial Hawthorne meets George Romaro. But, please, please don’t let the “zombie” part put you off. While there are a few parts that will have you on the edge of your seat, it’s not as scary as you might fear. It’s not sugar-coated either, but really, I think you should give it a shot. For a first novel especially, I thought the writing was good. There were a few weak parts, a few questions I wouldn’t mind having answered, but I’m hoping they will be in the next part of the series. If you enjoyed recent YA read The Hunger Games, you will definitely like this book. I don’t compare the story or the writing, but more the FEELING I had reading each. Both left me breathless and anxious for more. The Forest of Hands and Teeth is nothing, if not a page-turner.

Also reviewed by:

Wondrous Strange

Posted on June 13, 2009 by caprici2

Wondrous Strange
By Lesley Livingston
Harper Teen, December 2008
336 Pages
Young Adult/Fantasy
Rated 3.75/5 (Pretty good)

Since the dawn of time, the Faerie have taken. . . .

Seventeen-year-old Kelley Winslow is living and working in New York. She’s just been moved up from the under-study of Titania in an off Broadway production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She has a loving aunt and a decent roommate. She has her feet firmly planted on the earth…things are going good. Until one day while rehearsing in Central Park she meets steel-gray eyed Sonny Flannery, and nothing will ever be the same.

Sonny is a changeling, a mortal stolen by the fae and raised among them, and now one of the guards of the Samhain Gate. The Samhain Gate is a gateway between the Faery world, an enchanted and dangerous place, and the mortal realm. This gate only opens on Samhain – October 31 and anything can pass through.

This year, as the time for the opening of the gate approaches, something is different. Something wondrous and strange. For Kelley’s eyes are not only opening to the Faery folk around her, but to her own birthright as well.

Needless to say, I really enjoyed this book. It was slow to start, but once it got going, I found it to be an interesting and different take on the traditional Faery story. I really liked the use of the Shakespearean play in context with the story going on around it. Many of the characters are the same and I thought it added a nice little familiarity to the story. It will remind you of Melissa Marr, Holly Black, and other such author’s works, but I think it’s different enough to be interesting. It had its weak parts, like most first novels, but in the end I think Livingston pulled it out. I’m definitely looking forward to the next one in the series.

When Kailana asked me if I wanted to co-read this book I jumped at the chance. Not only did I want to read this book (I’ve had it for awhile) but I’ve never done a co-review before!! I’m so excited! Now, for Kailana’s questions for me. Visit her site to see her review and my questions for her!

Who was your favourite secondary character in the book? Sonny. Does he count, since Kelley is the MC? I pick him anyway. He was a really nicely drawn, conflicted character. A lot of times, when characters “fall in love” almost immediately, it comes off as slightly unbelievable. I think Livingston managed to do quite a feat, it making me believe that Sonny was falling for Kelley, after only meeting her once. And he sounded pretty hot. *wink*

Of the ‘Fair’ folk, what was your favourite? Was it because of this book, or were they considered a favourite before? It’s kind of hard to pick. I really enjoyed how Livingston tied in the new and the old mythical names. I really liked Puck, Bob and/or Robin Goodfellow. He was his usual mischievous self, like in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but he had another side here, a kind, protective side and I really enjoyed that. I hope we see him again in the next book. I also enjoyed his character in A Midsummer Night’s Dream… I like those mischevious faeries. As long as they leave me alone.

Do you recommend this book? Will you be reading more from the author in the future? I do. I thought it was good fun and a nice, quick, light, summertime read. I’m really looking forward to the next one; to see where she’s going to go with it.

http://www.capriciousreader.com

I have moved! Please come to http://www.capriciousreader.com

Tag Archives: ya books

Fire by Kristin Cashore

Wings

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Forgotten Friday

City of Ashes

My Most Excellent Year

Jellicoe Road

The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Wondrous Strange