Why We Broke Up

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
Art by Maira Kalman
Little, Brown and Company, 2011
338 pages
YA; Contemporary
3.5/5 stars

Source: Received an ARC through Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.

While the cool concept of this book may have caught the eye of some, I was drawn by Daniel Handler. As you may or may not know, his pseudonym is Lemony Snicket and he is thus author of the beguiling Series of Unfortunate Events. I loved the first couple of books but still haven't got around to books 12 or 13 as the fun ran out.  A similar event happened here.

The concept is that Min is writing to her ex-boyfriend Ed, telling him why they broke up while detailing the objects and events of their relationship.  My first flag was that their relationship lasted from October 5-November 12, just over a month. Is a relationship of that length really worth a book-long screed? Especially a relationship of high-schoolers who are ostensibly restricted by school, extracurriculars, and parental guidance.

But I was swept away by Min's charming narration. Ed and his gang of athletes think of Min as different and compared to them, she is. She's whimsical, passionate about movies, and she seems like her own person. While the basketball players (and their girlfriends) are just like the all-too-typical depictions of popular kids, Min stands apart with her witty quips and her unusual object associations.  She viewed the world differently.

I assume that is also part of the reason why she meticulously detailed the history of their relationship through the rather large collection of items she amassed during their short relationship. Alas as the possessor of an ARC, the artwork was not fully complete. That will be a reason to pick up the finished copy as I look forward to seeing what is only hinted at by the words.  The words that do go on and on and on; frequent run-on sentences and a chatty tone originally charmed me but by the end, I was ready to break up with the book itself.

Overall: Ended up being too much: in style and length.

Promise the Night

Promise the Night by Michaela MacColl
Chronicle Books, 2011
262 pages
YA; Historical
4/5 stars

Source: Received an ARC for review from Amazon Vine.

I really enjoyed MacColl's first novel about young future queen Victoria so I was interested in her second outing, another historical fiction novel about a British heroine in vastly different circumstances. This time the heroine is famed aviatrix Beryl Markham, who grew up in British East Africa. I had never heard of her and entered the book with no idea what to expect.

I really liked the writing and the adventures. Beryl is not a shy, retiring young lady; she is bold and daring, not content to sit inside but wanting to be a warrior and trainer of horses. She gets in to so many scrapes but is dedicated to doing the right thing and confessing her wrongs to her father. She has a strong sense of justice even if as a child, she still has much to learn. However I didn't really identify with her, being a more introverted and indoorsy girl, and disapproved of her hijinks; honestly I thought she was a little bratty in some instances such as her obstinacy against learning basic mathematics. I wonder if a younger reader might be more enchanted.

The book is roughly divided into three sections: Beryl's life on her father's ranch and Beryl's life at school interspersed with journal entries chronicling her record-setting journey to be the first woman to fly London to New York over the Atlantic (the winds make it tougher than New York to London). I loved the journal entries and Beryl's time at school. However MacColl doesn't shy away from some of the nastier elements of colonialism nor does she downplay the dangers of Africa (leopards to say the least), both of which made me squirm.

Overall: I did prefer MacColl's first novel but I definitely want to applaud this exciting and well-written historical YA novel.

Cover: The cover I received featured a blonde girl in aviator hat and glasses, which doesn't really capture the book as flying is not the biggest element. However this cover is pretty bland.

Shatter Me

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
HarperTeen, 2011
342 pages
YA; Paranormal; Dystopia
3.5/5 stars

Source: Received an ARC through Amazon Vine.

I was so nervous starting this book because while I am thrilled for a blogger achieving her dream of publishing a book, I was also nervous of what I would do if I hated the book (I don't want to be mean!) Plus since it drew comparisons to The Hunger Games and X-Men, it had a lot of hype surrounding it. For me that meant anticipating a story containing a mix of dystopia and paranormal, which has not worked well for me in the past (see Possession). Similarly my opinion of this book is mixed. I didn't like most of the characters, didn't quite understand the setting, and struggled with some of the language but the end really picked up.

Our main character is Juliette, who has been imprisoned for years in various jails after accidentally killing a little boy with just her touch. Understandably this has led her to conclude that she is a monster, especially as her parents had only reinforced that idea during the time she was with them before captivity. She's hurt, lonely, and confused.

One day a new prisoner is introduced into her cell; he is named Adam and they actually used to know each other in earlier years. While he ends up being a soldier for the ruling government, it turns out that he's been in love with her for years and is the first person to be able to handle her touch. Honestly, he seemed a little too perfect but their passion does light up the page.

The last main character I'll mention (since the other two I'd like to note are spoilers) is Warner, a power-mad commander with daddy issues who wants to channel Juliette's powerful touch for his own ends. Although Warner is definitively not a good guy, I found him electrifying and even when he scared me (I felt the only thing stopping him from raping Juliette was his fear of dying from touching her), I wanted him to stick around because at least he's an exciting character, especially in comparison to Juliette and Adam.

Then we have the setting, which seems to be a dystopic one, headed by the controlling Reestablishment. I didn't get a good sense of the world, which on the one hand is appropriate as Juliette has been isolated for so long and doesn't know that much but on the other hand is disappointing to me as a reader of dystopians. I like hearing how the former government failed and how the latter government stepped in; I want to know specifics of how they control and punish the people.

Another point of difficulty for me was the writing style. It is heavy on metaphors, mentions shades of red a lot, and contains many phrases that are struck through as can be seen on the ARC cover. I guess some people will love this but others, like me, will not.

SPOILERS:
Lastly a spoiler section, which relates to events of approximately the last third or less of the book, which was definitely my favorite section. Juliette and Adam escape from the compound where she is kept and connect with Adam's sweet younger brother as well as with rebels. Those rebels are what have probably drawn the X-Men comparision as some of them have powers just like Juliette. I can't wait to learn more about them. I also loved the younger brother James, who was so adorable but who I am terrified will end up dying, and Kenji, another "mutant" like Juliette-playful but serious when necessary. I also like him more than Adam.
END SPOILERS

Overall: An intriguing debut with a writing style that is likely to split audiences, with a love story that will capture people, and with enough good books to have me interested in the sequel.

Cover: Is this a HarperTeen book? Then it must have a pretty girl in a dress...although actually I don't really like this dress as white gowns always make me think bridal.

Liesl and Po

Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver
Harper, 2011
307 pages
Middle-Grade; Fantasy
5/5 stars

Source: Received an ARC from Amazon's Vine program in exchange for an honest review.

Before I Fall was one of my favorite books last year and while Delirium didn't quite work for me, I remain enchanted with Oliver's writing and I wanted to give her third book a shot, especially as it is the middle-grade category.

Liesl is the main character, a young girl living imprisoned in an attic by her evil stepmother who murdered her father. Soon she meets Po and Bundle, ghosts from the Other Side. Their paths are entangled when Will, an alchemist's apprentice, accidentally switches wooden boxes containing on the one hand, the most powerful magic ever and on the other hand the ashes of Liesl's dead father. When Liesl escapes to fulfill her father's final wish of having his ashes scattered by their old house, the plot kicks into high gear with various adult characters chasing after her.

My favorite part of the book was how the different characters and their wishes and schemes were first introduced and then became entwined. It always makes me think of Dickens, except in this case the prose is more manageable and less long-winded! There's the high-handed Lady Premiere and the scheming Stepmother, both mean social-climbers who are exposed and thwarted through their greed in following Liesl. But there's also the kindhearted guard Mo, who loves hot chocolate and cats (my kind of guy!)

I was also really excited about this being a middle-grade novel because it probably meant less romance, which was true! Although there is love in this book, it is familial and totally heart-warming. Friendships are fostered, good is saved, and evil is punished in appropriate ways.

As I look over what I have written, I realize that I have mostly neglected talking about the ghosts Po and Bundle. As they have been on the Other Side for a long time now, their earthly form has dissolved such that gender and species is difficult to discern; thus Po is referred to as it and Bundle might be a dog or a cat-we don't know and it doesn't matter. Because they are invisible to most (but not to Liesl), they are incredibly useful as guards and spies in assisting Liesl on her mission. But honestly I was more into seeing the wicked adults be punished so they weren't my favorite part.

Overall: A magical experience with sweet main characters, a fast-moving plot, and an easy writing style.

Tuesdays at the Castle

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2011
232 pages
Middle-Grade; Fairy Tale
4/5 stars

Source: Received an ARC through Amazon's Vine program in exchange for an honest review.

I've enjoyed previous Jessica Day George books so I felt confident requesting this book and I was right! This is a fun book with a great heroine and lots of magical happenings. It is set in the Land of Sleyne inside the Castle Glower, under the reign of King Glower the Seventy-Ninth and a magical castle that changes at will and seems to possess its own mind about how thing should be.

The current King Glower and his wife have four children. The youngest is Celie, aged 11, and she is the main character with a special affinity for the castle. She is delightful with a deep love for the castle. Unfortunately tragedy soon strikes. While her parents and eldest brother are away from home, they are ambushed and declared dead, leaving the other three children to defend Castle Glower from rapacious foreign princes.

Celie and her siblings Lilah and Rolf rise to the occasion, using every trick and aid of the castle to oust the invaders, with many amusing instances. There are also their loyal friends and the villainous Kletch, who made me think of a Gail Carson Levine character; high praise indeed! Although not everyone is well-developed, they served their purpose and I hope all of the good characters will return for more adventures around the magnificent Castle Glower.

SPOILERS:
I was pretty sure the parents were not dead because what a brutal book this would have been! I hope sequels come with more about the parents. It looks as if Celie could get into plenty of mischief with or without her parents around to supervise or interfere.
I was a bit disappointed with the ending. The castle seems to be dead, or perhaps just sleeping, until it all of a sudden comes back; not sure if it's Celie's profession of belief or the danger she is in that brings the castle back to life but it was a little too easy for me. Not too big of a deal.
END SPOILERS

Overall: A delightful journey through an amazing setting with sweet characters; excited about future books!

The Girl of Fire and Thorns

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Greenwillow Books, 2011
422 pages
YA; Fantasy
4/5 stars

Source: Received an ARC from Amazon's Vine program in exchange for an honest review.

Garnering comparisons to Kristin Cashore and Tamora Pierce as well as rave reviews throughout the blogosphere, I was very excited to dive into this book as I hoped for a fast read in an atmospheric world with an outstanding main character.

Unfortunately the beginning was very slow with a main character who is very convinced of her unremarkable personality and who left me convinced of same. Still she is a princess with a gem in her belly button, having been chosen for a mysterious duty, as have others in previous centuries according to an ancient prophecy. The jewel marks her as the hope for many but also puts her in danger as she learns when she embarks on a new life, secretly married to a king of a neighboring country.

When Elisa arrives, she is comfortably ensconced but unfulfilled as some scheme against her, openly and secretly. After a frightening event, she is pushed far beyond her limits and begins to dig deep into her inner resources to discover great strength and to save her people.

Actually once that event occurred, the book became a lot more interesting to me because that's when Elisa finally starts doing stuff. I understand the need for setup and how those earlier scenes paid off later in the book. But Elisa was so passive and boring at the beginning. I guess it's hard for me to care when a character is so convinced of her worthlessness; I tend to start to agree. But thankfully she does start to kick butt, using her physical abilities, her brain, and her kind heart to help.

At the beginning the other characters interested me more but as Elisa, rightfully, overshadowed them, I didn't become any less interested in them. I became invested in most of them, shocked at some of their actions, and grieved by some of their goodbyes.

The other really fascinating element of this book is the focus on religion. Elisa comes from a very conservative, rigid variation while she marries a king whose country is a bit more liberal in their interpretations of texts for the same religion. Then there are their opponents who are considered barbaric but also seem to worship in a similar fashion. I loved the incorporation of religion and the importance of faith for Elisa and the other characters. I am also fascinated by interpretations and translations of the Bible so seeing some of the characters here engage in the same work with their sacred texts was delightful and really helped distinguish this book from some other fantasy.

Overall: A slow beginning that does pay off with lovely prose and exciting action. Not a cliffhanger but still leaves you eager for further adventures.

Operation Napoleon

Operation Napoleon by Arnaldur Indridason
Translated by Victoria Cribb
Minotaur Books, 2011
Originally published 1999
328 pages
Thriller
4/5 stars

Source: Received an ARC through Amazon's Vine program in exchange for an honest review.

This book was definitely me going out of my comfort zone. First it's a translation from Icelandic; second it's an adult book; and third it's a thriller. I don't read many of those! But after seeing Captain America, I was kind of primed for some WWII suspense so I took a chance.

I mostly ended up enjoying this. The characters didn't have a great deal of depth, being defined largely by one or two traits but I'm not sure I usually expect more in my thrillers. For one-offs, as I think this is, I want to be on the edge of my seat watching people narrowly escape dangerous and reading about things blowing up. The characters don't have to engage my sympathy or even much of my interest for me to be able to enjoy the book.  It's good that I wasn't very attached as several of the characters were casually dispatched by other characters in chilling scenes of murder.  There was no hesitation; just boom! Dead.

I thought it succeeded as a thriller because I was very much on the edge of my seat trying to piece together the puzzle of what is Operation Napoleon? However I'm still not entirely sure I understand it; whether that's the nature of the book or of the translate or possibly even my own slowness, I don't know. I would have preferred more answers.

Something that was very unique to me was that the villains were the Americans, who apparently have a very complicated relationship with the people of Iceland.  On the one hand, their military base pumps a lot of money into Iceland's economy; on the other hand, they are overbearing, arrogant, and rude, bossing around top Icelandic government personnel in order to pursue their own agenda. No wonder they're not popular.

Overall: A fine thriller with exciting scenes and a daring main character who manages to evade a lot of threats.

Dearly, Departed

Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
Del Rey, 2011
471 pages
YA; Steampunk; Zombies
4/5 stars

Source: Received an ARC through Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.

I was captured by the striking cover of this book so I requested it from Amazon Vine. Then I realized it was a zombie book so I opened it hesitantly as I haven't liked the few zombie books I've tried. However this one blew me away! It's a unique mashup of steampunk elements, zombie convergences, mystery, romance, and amazing world building.

Setting: New Victoria in 2195, living in a society that has reverted back to their idea of gentility and culture as epitomized by Victorian society in order to deal with the rebuilding of society after mass chaos and death. While the surface seems mostly calm, there's a secret roiling beneath the surface that the government is trying hard to repress. That secret is the existence of zombies, humans brought back to life for a limited period of time even as their bodies continue to decay. I'm not sure the steampunk elements were fully utilized but the world that was described fully captured my attention.

Characters: This novel is told in five alternating perspectives, which was a little much for me; not sure if they were all necessary. I'm not going to share two of them because it might spoil you but I will describe three of them. First is Nora Dearly, who I felt was the main character. She is newly orphaned and ends up kidnapped by a squad of zombies. Among those zombies is Bram, about two years undead but still in possession of most of his dignity and brain. Their star-crossed love forms a subplot. While I loved them becoming friends and hanging out, I can't really support a relationship between someone living and someone dead (this is why I don't support vampire romances either).  This is especially heartbreaking because zombies only reanimate for a couple of years so the clock is ticking on them.

A third character is Nora's best friend Pam, who originally doesn't seem like much but demonstrates tremendous strength of character as the zombies get out of hand. I think she ended up being my favorite character especially because I couldn't get behind the love story. I loved how kick-ass Pam was and how she didn't crumble despite having many reasons to do so.

Plot: I really don't want to give too much away but I felt like the plot moved at a decent pace and a lot happens over the many pages of this book. Admittedly some probably could have been cut such as the two perspectives I didn't describe but I was mostly absorbed and enthralled by this unique book.

Overall: A great introduction to a promising new series; there's so much in this book that I didn't touch on in this review so all I can say is go read!

Sweet Venom

Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs
Katherine Tegen Books, 2011
345 pages
YA; Sisters; Greek; Paranormal
4/5 stars

Source: Received a free copy from Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.

I was first captured by the cover, which I saw featured on many blogs. It's not my personal favorite but many other bloggers were struck by it and that brought it to my attention. The Greek myth and sister aspect were what really drew me in. Of course I love mythological stories (especially ones that aren't focused entirely on romance) and my love of sister stories is pretty well-documented throughout my reviews, I think.

In this instance, the Greek twist is that we have descendants of Medusa, not an evil Gorgon whose stare turned men into stone but a selfless guardian who protected mortals from monsters and has been the victim of a vicious and thorough smear campaign by Athena. Though Medusa is gone, every generation since has given birth to three girls who inherit powers and abilities to continue to protect mortals. This time, those girls are triplets who were separated at birth to protect them as they grew. As they reunited, they realize the tremendous task before them as the prophesied Key Generation.

The first daughter we meet is Gretchen, who was inducted into this kind of life at the age of 12, and has spent the four years since battling them and pushing everyone out of her life. Then we meet Grace, the cheery and crazy optimistic vegan who has just moved to San Francisco, where the entrance to the monsters' world lies. When the two come face to face, they are struck by their identical appearance but pleased to have blood family. The third sister is not introduced for a long time (I think a little too long). Her name is Greer and she's the perfect society sister who instantly clashes with Gretchen, leaving Grace to be the bridge trying to bring the triplets together.

There were some really great action sequences as the sisters individually and together battle the increasingly dangerous monsters and other threats to their person. The mythology is also tantalizingly being unwound; I, of course, always want to know everything immediately but I think we received some good clues in this book that will be further enhanced in the next one.

I was a bit worried about being able to tell the sisters apart (their names all start "Gr") and they alternate first-person chapters. Although it was a bit hard at the beginning, I was soon able to tell them apart due to their very different outlooks on life (Gretchen-cynical; Grace-optimistic; Greer-snobbish). Other characters also enlivened the narratives including potential love interests for each and Grace's brother Thane with his own secrets.  There are also two mentors for the girls although they are not able to take full advantage of their resources yet. And happily while the book doesn't end fully resolved, there is not a massive cliffhanger; I've had quite enough of those this year, thank you very much.

Overall: A pretty light and comedic story about three wildly different sisters and the destiny they share. Not heavy on romance or melodrama so recommended.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Little, Brown and Company, 2011
420 pages
YA; Fantasy
4/5 stars

Source: Received an advance reading copy through Amazon's Vine program.

Spoilers in the later part of the review:

This book has been pretty heavily hyped with loads of raves; although I'm not as in love with the book as others, I did enjoy it a lot and feel comfortable recommending it to others with the caveat that it's probably for older YA-16 and up.

Anyway the first part is absolutely enchanting. We're introduced to main character Karou who lives in Prague (I don't think I've ever read a book set there) and is an art student there with her best friend Zuzana.  The twist is that although she appears as a mostly normal if eccentric student with her her blue hair and numerous tattoos, she lives an otherworldly life with fantastical creatures known as chimera as her only family.  However something is happening; invaders are arriving and everything that Karou thinks she knows may be false as she learns of the sustaining force behind the chimera and discovers love with an ancient enemy.  The world created was very inventive and exciting-little bits are revealed to us in the beginning and I loved trying to piece them together and guess where Taylor was taking the story.

Now we get to the spoilery part. Unfortunately the later parts suffer first from a romance where I only liked one partner and detested the other (Akiva is presented as the enemy of Karou and all she stands for; I can't just switch my allegiance and start liking him instantly like she does; also he essentially killed Brimstone, my favorite character who I can only hope escaped death and will reappear in the second book-he was amazing). Of course she kind of has a reason for that instant connection building rapidly to love. She has the soul of his earlier love and they had previously hoped for a better future. She wanted peace and stood for hope. He is a killer, practically a machine until she shows him a better place and then after her death, he promptly forgets that promise on a quest for vengeance. I really do not like Akiva.

So I didn't like that plot element and I wasn't a huge fan of the narration method as the last part flashes back in time to share the love story of Karou's first body Madrigal and Akiva. I liked that love story more than Karou/Akiva but it felt weird. I guess that's because I don't think I've ever read another story framed like this and it was too different for me. I recognize my limitations as a reader.

Overall: The first section was amazing but the rest of the book did not live up to that promise in my opinion. I am eager to give the second book a try to spend more time with Karou and hopefully with one of my favorite characters.