Wolfsbane

Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer
Philomel, 2011
390 pages
YA; Paranormal
3.5/5 stars

Source: Bought

This was a very frustrating experience for me because most of the YA books I've read that feature love triangles are pretty obviously bent to one side (now, I do tend to avoid love triangle stories so my experience is not necessarily representative of the current trends in YA lit). But this book, while leaning one way, has not obviously knocked out the other player.

On the one hand, Shay seems to be the obvious victor. He's now a wolf with a mysterious destiny, has a much higher page count than Ren, makes Calla a little bit jealous, and basically seals the deal by the end of the book. (He's also my personal pick as Ren did some low things to Calla in the first book. Although I'm also on a kill the main character kick, which seems unlikely in this first-person narrated book but if Calla were to die to save her pack, leaving Shay and Ren to mourn, I'd be down with that.)  And yet Ren still remains a presence, confusing Calla's mind and heart.  While I say that I love unpredictability, that element in the triangle is annoying me. I just want Calla to make a decision and remain with it instead of constantly twisting herself. She's supposed to be the alpha, the confident leader and yet when this trips her up, I lose respect for her.

That's the main reason for the low rating. Another is that the characters aren't really exciting to me. Nightshade ended by introducing a bunch of new characters, who are more fleshed out in this book, but none of them grabbed me. We also get to see some more of Calla's pack and the hated villains of the first book but most of the book is spent on the newbies.

The other reason is that I didn't feel very drawn to finish this book. I started it, abandoned it about halfway through, and then came back to it because I knew I wanted to post this review. Thus I did not find it quite as compelling as Nightshade.

However I do think Andrea Cremer shines when giving us backstory and world-building because I gobbled those bits up. I suppose it might have something to do with her being a history professor but the wolf mythology and the way that history has been disseminated among the various rival groups within the Nightshade trilogy has me hooked. I will probably read the third book just to see the unraveling of the past lies and for more of the well-written action scenes.

Overall: Love the wolf parts; not really enjoying the romance.

Unnatural Issue

Unnatural Issue by Mercedes Lackey
Daw Books, 2011
361 pages
Fantasy; Fairy Tale
4/5 stars

Source: Library

Although Mercedes Lackey is a prolific writer of fantasy, I'm really only familiar with her 500 Kingdoms series and her Elemental Masters series, mostly because they draw heavily on fairy tales. That makes me feel somewhat bad that I haven't explored her oeuvre more but happy whenever a new book comes out such as this one.  This is another companion to the Elemental Masters, drawing upon the fairy tale "Donkeyskin" (yep, the same story that influenced Robin McKinley's Deerskin).  While technically considered the seventh, it takes place before at least one (Phoenix and Ashes) and incorporates characters from several of the other books, expanding on the magical partnerships described in earlier books.

The book opens with Earth Elemental Master Richard Whitestone heading home to see his beloved pregnant wife; alas she had died several hours before he arrived. Although the baby survived, he disowns her and locks himself in his rooms. The child, Susanne, grows up in an awkward place: not quite gentry but not fully a servant. She also takes on the responsibilities of caring for the land that her father had neglected. All seems fine until Richard catches sight of Susanne and realizes how much she looks like his dead wife. He seizes on a plan to bring his wife back to life and to stuff her spirit into Susanne's body using the dark arts of necromancy.  When Susanne discovers part of his evil machinations, she flees and eventually receives enough magical aid to confront her father.

That's only half the story though as WWI breaks out and time is spent on explaining how the war is polluting the soil on which it is fought and how it is decimating their magical ranks and abilities. Now I liked this part but I thought it detracted from Susanne's story.  I would have liked either a shorter story that more closely focused on her or a longer story that could weave in the bits about WWI better.  As it was, I felt only partly satisfied which each half.

I did prefer the bits that drew from "Donkeyskin." Richard Whitestone was very crazed and his menace was well conveyed as was his patronizing sexist attitudes that contributed to his downfall. Among the new people she meets after fleeing are Lord Peter Almsley and his manservant Garrick, who I've read are supposed to be based on Lord Peter Wimsey and the amazing Bunter (who I adore) and have been tasked with tracking down the necromancer.  I really enjoyed them although I haven't read enough Lord Peter Wimsey to give an opinion on how much they owe to the earlier creation.

Overall: A good addition to the Elemental Masters series with some interesting information about necromancy and the darker side of magic. For newcomers, I would probably start with an earlier book because this one isn't as gripping as, say, Phoenix and Ashes.

Follow Hop 12August11

Book Blogger Hop

Q. "Let’s talk crazy book titles! Highlight one or two (or as many as you like!) titles in your personal collection that have the most interesting titles! If you can’t find any, feel free to find one on the internet!"

A. I think The Implosion of Aggie Winchester by Lara Zielin is kind of a crazy title; the name is wacky and "implosion" is just a fun word. I doubt I've seen any other title that includes it.  This is one question where I'm really looking forward to the other answers.

Follow Friday

Q. "How have your reading habits changed since you were a teen?"

A. Interestingly I think I read more YA now than I did when I was a teen!  I'm also now less interested in mysteries than I used to be, except for the rare YA mystery.  Additionally because I became a Christian when I was 18, my reading now is more interested in religion in general than my younger self.

Nightshade

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
Atom Books, 2010
452 pages
YA; Paranormal
3.5/5 stars

Source: Won a signed copy through Princess Bookie's Contest Craze (interestingly, this is a British edition.)

I mostly picked this up to read because I had won it and because I went to a launch party for the sequel Wolfsbane. I had avoided it before because of the werewolf element, which is not one of my favorite plot points.  But I was surprised by how much I did end up enjoying that!

Calla Tor is the alpha daughter within the Nightshade pack. She is due to marry Ren, the alpha of the Bane pack and form a third pack as a line of defense against Searcher enemies.  This match has been dictated by the Keepers, the human masters who provide everything for the wolves.  Everything about this mythology, what Calla thinks she knows and what she learns over the course of the book was really interesting even if some of it was a bit predictable (ie there were several bits of information that were revelations to Calla but which I had already told her; darn fictional characters, not listening to me!)  But I loved learning about how a pack interacts, how they shift from human to wolf and back fluidly, and the other rituals that comprise their lives. I have so many questions that will hopefully be answered in the next book!

I was somewhat icked out by the romance. Calla is supposed to marry Ren on their 18th birthdays (they were both born on Halloween although tradition mandates that it is called Samhain). He has whored around with seemingly half of the girls in their school while she has to remain pure until their union; I hate when the guy is afforded unlimited sexual freedom and takes advantage of that while the girl is not allowed at all and is forced by other females to dress attractively in order to please him. Additionally I'm grossed out by the fact that high school seniors are being forced to marry no matter what their will.  Ren himself is not to my taste, as a dominating alpha male who pushes against Calla's boundaries and bosses her around (alpha male is in charge of all including and especially the alpha female).  She is frequently referred to as being "his" and "his property."

There is a second romantic option though being Shay. The new human in town whose life is saved by Calla in her wolf form and who really pushes against the boundaries of Calla's knowledge about her shifter role. I liked Shay a bit more possibly because he would never even look at another girl and because we get to spend more time with him.  I don't like him because I'm not entirely sure why Calla does and he is almost as territorial as Ren.  The back cover also references Shay, asking "Is one boy worth losing everything?" My answer is no but this is a strong thread running through the book as is the related question "what is love?" which is partly answered as risking everything to save the other person.  Regardless, there are a lot of scenes with sexual tension between Calla and each boy that worked for me despite my qualms about the romance and the fact that I don't really have a preference.

Additionally within the packs, there are already pairings that seem to be permanent, which is just weird to me. Do some people meet the person they will marry in high school? Yes. Do most? I doubt it. I guess it makes sense because they're all paired up within the shifter community and it would probably be hard to mate outside of the pack with a normal human but it still skeeved me out.

One last note is about the ending, which brought in a ton of new characters and confused me with those additions. I don't think it's super important to know all of those people but I don't think it's the best ending to leave the reader confused by the influx of new characters. However I feel confident that the second book will pick up here and fill me in.

Overall: Juicy paranormal background but some ickiness in the romance.

Drop Dead Divas

Drop Dead Divas by Virginia Brown
Bell Bridge Books, 2010
255 pages
Mystery; Contemporary
3/5 stars

Source: Received a free e-copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I requested this, I did not realize it was the second book in a series, which was unfortunate because there are many references to the murder and various happenings that somewhat confused me. I'm also very much not the target audience for this book, which I would describe as middle-aged Southern women like the main characters of this book. In comparison, I am in my twenties and am a proud Yankee.  But there were still charms in this book.

I loved the small-town feel where pretty much everyone knows everyone and is related to a big part of the town. I enjoyed seeing their relationships and the gentle chatter. Because this was a cozy, it wasn't too violent and I enjoyed seeing the ladies detect even when the patronizing police told them to stay at home and knit.

I mostly liked the narrator Trinket although I wish there had been more of her "gentleman friend" Kit, who she says she likes but who we see very little of. I attempted to like Trinket's best friend and cousin Bitty because she plays a prominent role but she's pretty awful and inevitably I ended up cringing whenever she made a tactless statement (i.e. often).

As to the mystery, I didn't think much of it. The story was pretty tightly focused on it although there were diversions as Bitty fears she's about to become broke, despite being very far from that situation.  I'm not sure there were often clues to actually solve the murder but I didn't mind too much.

Overall: A competent cozy; not my favorite and I doubt I will be continuing with the story.

Read for Cozy Challenge

Always a Witch

Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough
Clarion Books, 2011
276 pages
YA; Paranormal
4/5 stars

Sequel to Once a Witch

Source: Received a free ecopy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Some spoilers for Once a Witch!

After mostly enjoying Once a Witch, I was eager to pick up this sequel and even more pleased to discover that there was a significant time travel element!  This book picks up a few months after the first with everyone recovered from the menace of Alistair Knight but still on guard for his next move.  Tamsin is better integrated into her family, having discovered that she does in fact possess a talent and she seems to have a slightly better relationship with her sister as well as a stronger one with boyfriend Gabriel.

However their peace is shattered when a mysterious stranger travels into their time. Tamsin, banking on the prophecy of her grandmother decides that she is the one who must defeat their enemy and travels back into 1877 to warn her ancestors and protect her future.  Most of the book takes place while she is there, attempting to blend in and prepare for what she can.

For me, the best part of this series is the emphasis on family. Despite her difficult relationships with most members of her family, Tamsin fights for them even in the face of the terrifying Knight family.  I also really liked that they were good villains. They were selfish and thought they were superior beings because of their Talents. Because of their presumed superiority, they felt no compunction about hurting non-magical beings.  The solution caught me by surprise and left me admiring Tamsin and her brains for solving the puzzle.

One last note is that I'm not entirely sure about the mechanics of the time travel and how their actions impacted the future. However I was content to enjoy the ride instead of going back and puzzling through this with a fine-toothed comb.

Overall: A nice companion with another exciting, fast-moving story.

Cover: I do love a fancy dress but this one is kind of hard to see; additionally Tamsin's hair is too straight-it's supposed to be unmanageable.

Once a Witch

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough
Graphia, 2009
292 pages
YA; Paranormal; Sisters
4/5 stars

Source: Bought

Tamsin comes from a long line of witches and yet she has manifested no Talent and consequently feels apart from her family.  She has escaped to boarding school in New York City and worked hard to stay away from the painful feelings they engender. One night while working in her grandmother's bookstore, a customer mistakes her for her "perfect" older sister Rowena; she does not correct his misapprehension and soon finds herself, her sister, and her entire family swept up in a century-long feud with a rival family and dormant power.

Tamsin is not the greatest heroine in my opinion as she is really whiny and moody about her lack of Talent. She greatly resents the rest of her family especially her bossy older sister who is poised to be the new head of the family when their grandmother passes. Tamsin wants to prove herself and is the reason for bringing a malignant stranger into her family's midst.  But when it counts, she will fight for her family despite the risks to herself.  She is resourceful and perhaps a bit foolhardy; I know I would have been a lot more afraid at some of the situations in this book but she plows ahead.

My greatest interest was in the sister-sister relationship, which is especially fraught. Rowena possesses the Talent of being able to persuade anyone else to do what she commands and frequently acts in selfish ways to control situations to her liking.  However she is the one most in danger from the mysterious stranger, which spurs Tamsin's desperate attempts to save her. Tamsin bristles and rebels but she does love her sister, no matter how different they are and how difficult their relationship is. I know some people won't care about this part but as someone with a sister, this aspect always attracts me.

Then there is the magic element. Everyone has different powers although we do not get to spend a lot of time with them. Among those powers are Gabriel, an old family friend who got hot, who can find any object (and incidentally time travel); Aunt Beatrice, who can freeze people with a touch of her hand; Tamsin's mother who can move extraordinarily fast; and Tamsin's father, who can control the weather.  See, it's a really cool variety but those powers aren't the focus so much as the mysterious conflict with the shadowy stranger.

Another thing I liked was the relative shortness of the book. Yes, this meant that some elements were shortchanged but at least there weren't pages upon pages of boring description. Everything was pared down and moved quickly, enabling me to fly through the book.

Overall: Some really cool situations; check back tomorrow for my review of the sequel Always a Witch.