ARC Review: Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff

Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff by Robert Paul Weston
5/5 stars
Razorbill, 2013
206 pages
Middle Grade Fantasy

Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

To be honest, I probably would have never picked this book up if it hadn't been sent to me for review. Not because it looks uninteresting but because I don't read much middle-grade unless it's by authors who are established in YA already. But I am so very glad that I had the chance to read this because I absolutely adored it!

When I first started reading, I thought it seemed a little odd. That is because it is told in rhyme! Yes, the entire story is told in rhyming verses and although it felt a little forced sometimes (quince used because it rhymed with prince), it added a sprightliness to the storytelling. I think this would definitely be a fun nighttime story for families to read together, especially if someone has a good narrating voice. Also adding to the fun was the font as words like "sparkled" and "glitz" were swankified. There was an illustration or decoration of some kind on every page, making this a book to pore over and ensuring young readers have their eyes caught.

As for the story itself, there is the kingdom of Spiff where everyone loves fashion except for the princess who likes to wear pajamas and read (a girl after my own heart :) She is an embarrassment to her father. Meanwhile in the kingdom of Spud, they wear the most outrageous outfits and have recently designated Puggly as their prince. As Spiff's royal ball nears, the princess infuriates her father with her disinterest in clothes and Puggly ends up humiliated by a sneering couterier. The two leave in tears but team up to teach everyone a lesson.

Overall: A splendid time was had while reading this book-I chuckled and smiled throughout and ended by hugging the book close to me, a sure sign of a happy time spent reading!

ARC Review: The Madness Underneath

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson
4/5 stars
G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2013
290 pages
YA Thriller Supernatural
Book 2 in the Shades of London
Scheduled to release February 26

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

*Spoilers for book one*

After adoring first book The Name of the Star, I was chomping at the bit for this sequel and am so pleased to be providing an early review. I was mostly satisfied with the novel but had some big problems with the ending which will be discussed at the very bottom under the spoiler heading.

If you liked the snarky opinionated personality of Rory in book one, I am happy to report that she is back. Despite almost dying in the first book, Rory is too tough to be kept down although she is struggling with the discovery that ghosts exist and she can see them as well as recovering from her attack. She is recuperating in the countryside with her parents but craving the chance to know more about her powers. Somehow she returns to school but mostly ignores schoolwork in favor of spending more time with Stephen, Callum, and Boo.

However despite the strong narrative voice, this book kind of suffers from second book syndrome although I thought of it more in terms of films. You know how Pirates of the Caribbean was an excellent (and profitable) movie so they decided to make sequels? Then the second film set up a lot of stuff but it didn't pay off until the third? Yeah, that's kind of what happened here. Some things do happen but I feel like the third book is where things are really going to happen especially in regards to the spoiler below.

Thinking back over the book, I am remembering a few plot elements but mostly I get the feeling of waiting for something big. I appreciated that The Name of the Star was almost a standalone and loved the mystery revolving around Jack the Ripper. This book's plot is much less strong in my opinion although as I said, I do believe it will pay off in the third book, which of course I am eagerly anticipating! (Despite it not being currently listed on goodreads!)

Other Opinons:
The Compulsive Reader
Lisa Loves Literature
Pure Imagination

SPOILER:

What the heck? Where is Stephen? Rory better find him is all I can say.

END SPOILER

Hysteria

Hysteria by Megan Miranda
4/5 stars
Walker and Company, 2013
323 pages
YA Contemporary Thriller

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was very nervous to start reading this because one of the first reviews I saw was a DNF (linked below). What if I had the same problems? This is why I have a love-hate relationship with reading reviews early. I know I shouldn't because they get me nervous or they raise the level of hype but I'm really bad at stopping myself.

Anyway I picked up the story apprehensively but I ended up pretty much liking it. The basic story is that Mallory killed her boyfriend-no ifs, ands, or buts about it. She killed him good and now is suffering from all the guilt that comes from it, including his angry mother, her awkward parents, and legal woes. To protect her, her parents ship her off to her father's alma mater, a private boarding school. There she continues to feel her dead boyfriend's presence while also struggling to assimilate into the climate.

What I ended up liking most was the friendship between Mallory and her best friend Colleen who admittedly doesn't play that big of a role (Mallory's possible hallucinations get more page time as does the new boy, I'm pretty sure). But it is crucial for one of the themes and is a great example of a YA friendship. Although not perfect, the two are there for each other and I saw some of my own friendships reflected.

I also found this book very thrilling. Miranda doles out little pieces of information at a time and though I thought I was putting it together well, I was still on the edge of my seat to get the full story. Would this veer into a paranormal with an actual ghost haunting Mallory? Does Mallory actually belong in the psych ward? Who will survive? Then the ending effectively wrapped everything up-no cliffhanger here!

On the less positive scale, there is a new romance for Mallory at school, with a perfectly nice boy who did seem a bit unnecessary. I liked him (didn't swoon for him) but it seemed extraneous. I also was kind of mad at Mallory who only started dating her boyfriend because she had a crush on his brother who had a girlfriend. That never ends well as we see all too clearly here.

Overall: Interesting premise that should keep you on the edge of your seat.

Cover: I am possibly coveting that dress. I do own one red dress but I wouldn't mind another especially one that's tighter in the bodice and looser in the skirt. I love looking at pretty dresses.

Other Opinions:
The Book Scoop 
Books Live Forever
From the TBR Pile
In Which Ems Reviews Books-a DNF
Pure Imagination
Reading Under the Willow Tree

The Assassin's Curse

The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke
4/5 stars
Strange Chemistry, 2012
295 pages
YA Fantasy

Source: Library

*SPOILERS ARE CONTAINED IN A MARKED SECTION OF THIS REVIEW*

I wanted to read this book after loving the cover so much; I was also very swayed by the fact that Small Review put this on her special shelf (see below for link to review). For me, this book was good but not great. I'm not entirely sure what I found lacking but I just was not as blown away as I had hoped.

Upon opening the book, I read "I ain't never been one to trust beautiful people..." (pg 7) indicating to me that the book might be written in some sort of dialect. This is true and continues throughout the book. However it is still very easy to understand. I found it surprising as I've tended to find that fantasies have a more familiar language while this was very casual along with being representative of the narrator's level of education.

That narrator is Ananna of the Tanarau (a clan of pirates) and the beautiful person she's referring to her is her intended Tarrin of Hariri, son of another pirate captain. This arranged marriage would combine wealth and status-the perfect beginning to a marriage...for the parents. The children are less thrilled with Tarrin wanting to get his colors so he can sail and Ananna wanting the same. Tarrin's highhandedness turns her off and sends her feeling. But the Hariri will not be so disrespected so they send an assassin after her. After saving the assassin's life, some complicated magic is unspooled, cursing the two to remain together unless they can break the curse.

I was already very invested in Ananna, as the spirited wannabe pirate and I especially admired her competence. So good to read about a young woman who can mostly take care of herself and is able to admit when she does need assistance, as we all do at times. Less exciting was the assassin Naji who knows a lot of cool stuff but withholds much of that information from Ananna and by extension the reader. That's frustrating. For the most part, I was able to seat back and enjoy the ride but I think that was part of the reason why I didn't love it. So much was held back that could have been told earlier because Naji did know. Their relationship has a certain element of romantic tension, which will be appealing to others but which I did not totally love, again because of how he hides information.

The other problem was just a feeling that the book is maybe a little overstuffed. Pirates, assassins, magic from the north, floating islands, impossible tasks: some stuff that is teased on the back cover doesn't happen until almost the end and I was anxious waiting for it. I'm still interested in reading the next book but it's going to be on the back burner.

There was a part of the book that I really loved though, which is contained below in the spoiler section to end the review. I don't think it's a huge spoiler (no one is anyone's father for example) but it takes place about 10 pages from the end so I figured most people who haven't read this book might not want to know about it yet.

WARNING SPOILER SECTION AHEAD


Okay, so the way to break the curse is to complete three impossible tasks. The first two are unimportant to me at the moment but the third "is to experience true love's kiss" (pg 285). At this point, it is so obvious how in love Ananna is and she is even able to admit it to herself if not to Naji. Because she knows it's true love, she knows that the third task is not impossible and thus the other two must not be impossible either. But he rejects it as being as impossible as the other tasks.This just broke my heart. Even though I was not a big fan of Naji, I recognize that we all have different tastes, and I wanted Ananna to have her heart's desire. Although it left me sad, this ended up being my favorite part of the book. If you're reading this, I assume you've read the book. What did you think about this part?


END SPOILER

Other Opinions-for the most part, my friends LOVED this book but I did manage to dig up some less positive reviews just to give you the opposing view.

A Whole World in Pages-3/5 stars
The Authoress-5/5 stars
Book Sake-4/5 stars
Candace's Book Blog-5/5 stars
The Dreaming Reader-2.5/5 stars
My Precious-5/5 stars
Reading Under the Willow Tree-5/5 stars
Small Review-5/5 stars, special shelf

The Week to Come: 03FEB13

What? It's already the second month of 2013? How did that happen? Although I didn't read as much as I would have liked in January, I did read some great books with an average rating of 4 stars on 24 books. I am slightly behind where I want to be (I need to read 25 books a month to reach my goal of 300 this year). I have posted the list at 2013 Reading but want to highlight my favorites here:

-Dancing in the Dark by Robyn Bavati
-Cinders and Sapphires by Lelia Rasheed
-Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
-Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff by Robert Paul Weston (review to come)

For me personally, I got to visit the Reagan Presidential Library this weekend, which was a HUGE thrill. My family and I are big presidential nerds and we've already visited the Nixon and Kennedy libraries. We are thrilled to add another one to the list.

I am also aware that the Super Bowl is happening today (I am rooting for the 49ers) but I don't care that much. I want to check out Beyonce and then focus on reading and blogging since I have a busy week to come.

As for THE WEEK TO COME, I have reviews of:

The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Hysteria by Megan Miranda

the highly anticipated sequel to The Name of the Star, The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff by Robert Paul Weston

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys (I actually read this in 2013 and it was one of my favorite reads-I can't wait to share about this with you!)

And Saturday ends with Getting Over Mr. Right by Chrissie Manby.

What reading are you up to? 

Every Perfect Gift

Every Perfect Gift by Dorothy Love
4/5 stars
Thomas Nelson Books, 2012
320 pages
Christian Historical Romance
Book #3 in Hickory Ridge trilogy

Source: Received a free copy for review from the publisher via Booksneeze.

My reviews of Beyond All Measure and Beauty for Ashes

Well, I read the first two books in this series so I was certainly invested in returning. Our heroine this time is orphan Sophie Robillard, who was adopted by Ada and Wyatt at the end of the first book. She has now grown into a fine young woman who struggles with her lack of knowledge about her blood relations and the subsequent torments she endured. Her ambition is to return to Hickory Ridge and revitalize their newspaper in the wake of the building of Blue Smoke Resort.

One of the first people she encounters is Ethan Heyward, who is in charge of getting Blue Smoke built along with his wealthy senior partner Howard Blakely. Although the pair clash initially due to her willingness to report on the less than ideal living conditions, a mutual respect develops. But both have big family secrets that have left scars threatening their future.

Sophie is a lovely woman-she is strong and tenacious. I love her go-getting ways, feminism, and optimism (it's 1886 and she's sure woman's suffrage is only a matter of time-try 34 years away!) As a writer, she has a commitment to the truth and trying to help people, which does in a variety of ways. Ethan was a bit harder to get to know since Sophie is the focus but he is also an upstanding hard worker and the pair are well-matched.

As the two fall for each other, more obstacles crop up with some well-resolved and others less resolved to my taste. Still, I think this was my favorite of the series and if you've read the others, you'll certainly want to read this one.

Cover: I do really love this cover-the white is so striking and pretty although something with newspaper might have been more fitting.

War and Peace: Book I, Part 1

Instead of my usual stats post, I will be starting each month with a wrap-up of my progress reading War and Peace. I have created a new page for my 2013 reading above if you are interested in checking that out.

This readalong is hosted by My Friend Amy and Iris on Books. Bloggers are linking up at Amy's site so you check that out for her thoughts as well as for more thoughts. Also it is not too late to join in-grab a copy and get started :) We're going to finish Book I, Part 2 for the end of February.

 
Amy helpfully provided some questions to get us started so here are my answers!

1) Why are you reading War & Peace?
I love the idea of reading classics but am frequently intimidated by reading them especially ones with the bulk and reputation of War & Peace. A year-long readalong sounded like a very manageable way to tackle this book. I also love getting the insights of other people into classics so that's another bonus.

2) What translation are you reading? Are you reading print, ebook, or audio?
I'm reading Peavar and Volokhonsky's translation in print. I've coveted this particular edition for ages so when I received it for Christmas, it seemed very serendipitous.

3) So far, is it different than you expected or the same?
It's different-I keep finding Tolstoy rather easy to understand (unlike some classic authors). His prose seems more straightforward (how much is owed to the translation though?) than I expected. It is also much harder keeping track of the names than I anticipated-I barely know who anyone is.

4) Do you have a favorite character? (lol just asking--I feel like I barely know these people)
I'm picking Natasha though-she seems very vivacious and I'm pretty sure I've read that she plays a pretty important role. I also am curious to learn more about Pierre (the one who inherited all that money).

5) Do you have any other predictions or expectations for the rest of the book?
I'm really curious to find out who else will die-not because I'm a morbid person. But this is a Russian epic set during war with a huge cast of characters-many more are going to die.

6) What was your favorite part of the first section?
I'm actually going to pick least favorite and it was the letters in French near the end and having to read the footnotes to find out what was going on-it was just so awkward.

7) What do you see as the biggest obstacle to finishing? 
I struggled to set out time to read in addition to my other blogging commitments. So for now I'm planning to read one chapter a night for the February section (which looks to be 21 chapters so I'll even finish early and can get started on the March reading). When you break it down like that, it shouldn't be too bad. But that's only if I can keep myself committed.

What did you think? Has anyone read W&P previously?