ARC Review: The Reluctant Assassin

The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer
3.5/5 stars
Hyperion, 2013
341 pages
Young Adult Paranormal Time Travel
Scheduled to release May 7

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

I remember reading the first Artemis Fowl book and being blown away in particular by the first few chapters. I liked the rest of the story too but the beginning was the part I read over and over again. While I fell away from the series, I retained a fondness for Colfer and his writing. Thus I was pleased to see a new story coming out, one where I could jump feet first into a new world particularly as it teased time travel.

This novel brings together two unlikely compatriots. First is Riley, an orphan in Victorian London apprenticed to the cruel and evil magician/assassin Albert Garrick who ends up traveling to the future, our present, and intersecting with the second protagonist Chevron Savano, a young would-be FBI agent. The book spends time both in our present as well as returning to the past with Garrick chasing the pair throughout. He seems near indestructible and is a suitably terrifying villain.

For me, this book took ages to really get off the ground. I dragged my feet through the opening chapters with all their set-up but flew through the ending. Especially for a young person's novel, I think the story needs to delve into the meat earlier. Once it got going, there was some snappy dialogue and ingenious plotting but it took a long time to reach that point.

Riley and Chevron are perfectly nice characters. I loved his vulnerability, having being orphaned as a baby and with a cruel master while Chevron is an orphan, having become tough and daring on her quest to prove herself as a potential agent. They had a fun relationship trying to unravel the mystery of the time travel and attempting to keep one step ahead of the nefarious Garrick.

Overall: A fun plot that just takes a little too long to get going.

Cover: Really not a favorite for me with all the faces looking at me.

Kissing Shakespeare

Kissing Shakespeare by Pamela Mingle
2.5/5 stars
Delacorte Press, 2012
337 pages
YA Time-Travel Shakespeare

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

Like many book bloggers, I have a deep fondness for Shakespeare and I love retellings that incorporate him. I wasn't entirely sure how this one would do that but I knew I wanted to take a chance and read it. I thought this could be a cute read with a modern girl getting the chance to meet Will Shakespeare.

Well that's where the problem starts. The synopsis makes it sound like Miranda is asked to come back in time to meet Shakespeare; she's actually forced into it by a really rude guy named Stephen who has been pretending to be her contemporary who for some reason needs her to go back in time to ensure Shakespeare becomes the famous playwright he should instead of joining the Jesuits. I did think it was cool to learn more about young Shakespeare (I always picture him as Joseph Fiennes in "Shakespeare in Love") but I could not get past Stephen's jerky introduction and repeated meanness to Miranda, who is surprisingly calm if often acting in dumb ways during her journey to the past.

I could not connect with her at all and that's pretty much my main deal breaker. It took me several hours to get through the first 50 pages when I would have been able to finish the book had I felt engaged. I also would have liked more insight in Shakespeare's character as well as Miranda's inner conflicts since in the beginning of the book, she bristles against her actor parents' treatment of her and considers giving up acting as well. I thought that was referenced occasionally but not as much as I wanted.

For me the most interesting part ended up being the conflicts between the Church of England, Puritans, and Catholics. It's still fairly early in Queen Elizabeth I's reign and tensions are bubbling. Most of the characters in this book are Catholics masquerading as Protestants and plotting to restore England to the church. This isn't something I've read about much and I found it absolutely fascinating! I definitely need to check out some other books from the period that deal with this issue of religion in more depth.

Overall: Not the book for me although it has given me some topics to research!

Cover: I like the pink but the cover reminds me of some for eating disorder and abuse books so it doesn't really convey the story to me.

Blog Tour: Clockwise (+ #Giveaway)

Today is a special day as I have committed to being part of a blog tour hosted by Missy's Reads & Reviews for the YA contemporary/time-travel book Clockwise by Elle Strauss.  For long-time readers of my blog, you may have guessed that the time-travel aspect is what caught my attention and you would be right! I love seeing the different ways authors incorporate traveling through time, what era(s) they select, and the mechanics of it all. Read on for my review and for details about the giveaway!


Clockwise by Elle Strauss
4/5 stars
ESB Publishing, 2011
290 pages
YA; Contemporary; Time Travel

Source: Received an e-copy from the author as part of this blog tour.

Casey Donovan is our heroine, an ordinary girl with a best friends, a crush on the cutest guy in school, and somehow the ability to travel through time. However this is not without certain conditions. First she has no control over when she goes although stress seems to be a contributing factor. Second she has no control over how long she stays; as she ages, she seems to stay longer and yet no time at all passes at home. And third she has no control over where she goes: her hometown in New England, 1860 amid rising tensions between the North and South over slavery.

While Casey has shared about her ability with her best friend, she has no intention of telling anyone else. Not her bratty brother, her harassed mother, or her adulterer father. And certainly not her crush Nate. Until at the school dance when she travels back in time and brings Nate with her, allowing him the chance to notice how not-so-ordinary she is.

I'm always predisposed to like the main character of a novel especially when she is also the first-person narrator. Knowing that Casey has a strong background in American history really solidified our connection; when a MC and I share common interests, it makes it so much easier! Seeing her strength and perseverance through her jumps also really gave me cause to like her. Although she struggles with how this impacts her life, she doesn't let it ruin her.  Nate, meanwhile, seems like the stereotypical jock but as we get to know him through the course of the book, he reveals more depth and allows us to see why Casey has a crush on him.

I'm definitely curious as to what else we'll learn about time traveling in the sequel as well as the next steps in Casey and Nate's relationship.

So, sound interesting? Well, here are the Giveaway details:

You can win: an e- copy of the sequel, Clockwiser, graciously provided by Elle Strauss.

You must:
-"Like" Elle Strauss on facebook
-Leave a comment on this post saying that you have done so (I will contact you to confirm facebook name if you do not wish to disclose it in the comment)

Total winners: Unlimited :)