Review: Lament by Maggie Stiefvater

     Calling all Twilight-fans who are looking for another supernatural romance. This teen novel is written by amazingly cool and very much talented Maggie Stiefvater and is full of action, the supernatural, romance, and of course, an inhumanly attractive and tortured soul for you to dream about. Rather than the typical path of supernatural fiction that most authors take, Stiefvater chooses to focus on fairies. And yes, I did say fairies. Now before you completely write off the book because you don't want to read a story about a girl who falls in love with a male version of Tinkerbell, Stiefvater constructs a world where fairies are dangerous. They're sneaky, unpredictable, and certainly can be vicious. They do not care about the human race and they live an immortal life of fun, mischief, and pleasure.

     This book of fairies is not a happy, utopian world. Lament does not have a shortage of violent episodes and a suspenseful, bloody climax that will have you on the edge of your seat. Lament helps to rewrite mythology about fairies and chooses to focus on the fairies who aren't frilly, sweet, and about pure goodness. Fairies are real and they are dangerous. Cloverhands are the humans who have the ability to see fairies, and once the fairies know who you are, they are attracted to that person. They view their interactions with humans as games--and their games can easily turn to bloodshed.

     Maggie Stiefvater proves to us her adaptability as an author. I read Scorpio Races first and this book is nothing like that one. I'm a fan of her work, so I decided to give Lament a shot. I did not expect to be hooked and finishing the book in a matter of hours. Lament is part of a series and is the first book in that series, so there's lots to love. The premise is a mortal girl, with a strange ability to see fairies, falls in love with a tall, dark, [*cough* handsome], and dangerous stranger who is not all that he seems. The theme of "love conquers all" reigns true in this book--even if you're basically a hired hit man and you're supposed to kill the one you love. A love triangle, various interesting characters (both fairy and human), and music are all important components of the book. As someone who grew up in a musical home (7 years violin, 6 years flute, 2 years piccolo, 1 year piano), I appreciated the inclusion of music in the book.

     More than the Dee (protagonist's) musical abilities on the harp (also, an amazing choice for her characterization), is the fact that the Dee suffers from social anxiety. I can identify with her in how awful and crippling social anxieties can be to deal with as I went through a bad period of battling it. Dee faces anxiety when having to publicly perform and ends up vomiting before every performance. I am a huge fan of authors who create an imperfect protagonist for us to root for because it makes them more human. The "ordinary, rather lonely" girl/boy protagonist is overdone. It's boring. I love that this protagonist has a real flaw, something that thousands of people can relate to, even if they have never experienced it themselves. It teaches young adults that something as crippling as social anxiety does not make you a weak person by any stretch. People with social anxiety can still be heroes, they can be strong, they can fall in love, and they can be loved by someone who is as impossibly perfect and devoted as Luke is.

     The book is definitely worth a read if you're interested in supernatural romances, mythology, or if you just like teen/YA novels. Maggie Stiefvater is definitely a perfect addition to any bookcase.  I enjoyed Lament so much that I've added Stiefvater's Shiver trilogy to my list of books to read next. Lament is beautifully written, exciting, and surprising. You will never look at fairies, clovers, or rabbits again. Also, you might think twice about going into the woods alone. Apparently vampires and werewolves are not the only dangerous things out there...

Review: The Titan's Curse (Graphic Novel) By Rick Riordan

   

     I love the cover image for this graphic novel. It's absolutely my favourite cover image out of all Riordan's books. There's something about Percy looking all powerful--looking like a true son of the sea god--but this image really stands out to me. I love the ghostly images of the Big Three, with Poseidon front and centre above his son. Each god looks ancient, powerful, and a little frightening. Poseidon looks wise and thoughtful, while we see Zeus' power and fury in his dark expression, lit up by a bolt of lightning. My sole complaint about the image is of Hades. He looks so...unappealing; unappealing and maybe a little Voldemort-esque (yes, I just made up that word and used it in a sentence!). The lord of the underworld shouldn't be appealing in the sense that Zeus is often depicted as appealing, but he's certainly not sinister. I do like the dark, celestial background his face appears in. It's alluring and makes me think of the afterlife. The flecks of gold make me think of the fires of Tartarus, though maybe I'm reading too much into the image after reading through HoH. Regardless, his expression and colouring of his face and eyes bothers me. Hades is misinterpreted 98% of the time as being a villain. If you read mythology (or Riordan, for that matter, it is clear that Hades is not evil. He's bitter, but not evil).

      Moving on, the artist has Thalia is on his left, holding Aegis, her terrifying shield and summoning lightning in her typical "daughter of Zeus" style, with Zeus' face above her. On Percy's right is Hades above poor little Nico Di Angelo (someone who I'm really starting to feel sorry for after reading HoH). Nico's skills are depicted with the skeletal zombies crawling out of the ground. 

     I really could go on and on about how much I love this image. Everything from Percy's expression to Nico's frightened, but determined stance in the background fits well with the content of the novel. I also am a fan of depicting Percy as a teenager, though in the book he's only in grade eight.

     This graphic novel is as action-packed as the other two before it, although my overall lower rating comes from my disappointment in one particular area: the representation of Riordan's characters. Aside from Hades, what really bothers me is the depiction of Thalia. I spent several minutes trying to figure out who the dark-haired boy with Percy was. Thalia is supposed to be a little bad-ass, with short, spiky hair, a leather jacket and combat boots, but I quite literally could not figure her out until Apollo showed up and named her as the daughter of Zeus. There were SOME pages where Thalia is shown very close up with thick lashes and feminine features (the cover included), but for the most part, she looks like a scrawny, poorly drawn male. I'm disappointed in the artist here, but also in Riordan failing to ensure that even if the artist wanted to do an interpretation of the characters, that at least the readers would be able to recognize Thalia for who she is.

     I mean, really, we really couldn't make Thalia LOOK like Thalia, when Riordan himself already has included an image of her in his book The Demigod Diaries; an image that also has appeared many times over Facebook?

     I also struggle with the fact that all the faces of the older men in this book look too intense and almost mean, no matter what emotion they are trying to convey. There's one scene where Chiron is comforting Percy, but his expression looks just downright cruel. I'm sad to critique the art of this graphic novel, but it really does bother me that there's a breakdown in the characters, which in turn, affects the narration of the story. Subjective interpretation is always a factor in these graphic novel-spin offs, but Thalia is so undefined and poorly represented that I, as an adult reader with an English degree, who has read the Percy Jackson book multiple times, had a lot of difficulty figuring out who the tall, scrawny boy was.

     The expressions of the characters are just as important. The dialogue is almost secondary to the images in a graphic novel, but in many of the scenes, to take away the dialogue would be to completely alter the story in the reader's interpretation. The book does a good job at capturing the story and it follows a trimmed version of he plot of The Titan's Curse but if you're looking for a more faithful adaptation, the first two graphic novels were far better. Here's to hoping The Battle of the Labyrinth is a bit more on the mark...

Review: Marie Lu's Legend

Fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent will love this book. Marie Lu's Legend is a fast-paced, YA, dystopian novel about a futuristic United States. The book is centres on two characters: Day, a male hero and outcast, and June, a heroine who is as lethal as Katniss and as brave as Tris. The book ties tropes of love, survival, loyalty, and betrayal into one exciting tale. 

Legend is centred on a world with a militaristic government and one that is heavily divided by status. The heroes of the novel are caught up in a corrupt government's plan to rid the world of the weak and unworthy. The heroes, who come from opposite ends of the society, are drawn together by an unlikely and tragic incident. 

Lu's novel reminds me of 1984 by George Orwell, in the use of surveillance and centralizing on government conspiracy. It's a shorter book than Hunger Games and Divergent, so it's a faster read. Don't let the length make you think this book is lacking. This book is suspenseful from page 1 to the exciting conclusion. 

It's written in an alternating narrative between two heroes: June and Day. The narratives are easily distinguishable in voice and in the typeface used. It looks as issues of family and friendship, conspiracy, militaristic power, and what is right and wrong. 

The book is definitely worth a read if you're a fan of these types of novels. It's length makes it easy to carry around with you (less bulky and heavy than aforementioned dystopian YA titles). Also a good sign of the book's worthiness on your bookshelf or as a Christmas gift this winter: CBS Films holds the movie rights! 

Review: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

A beautiful novel about a very tragic moment in history. There are a wide range of books available about Stalin, the 1930s-40s and World War II, but this book stands out to me as being different from the rest. It's easy to locate many fantastic, well-written novels about the Nazis' persecution of the Jewish people, but this novel focuses on the genocide of the people of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania by the Soviets-- a tragedy not quite so common to YA literature. This book binds true personal accounts into the fiction of the narrative. It's a page-turning, shocking, and illuminating moment of insight into a terrible truth.

The cover art is gorgeous. I love the representation of hope springing up through all the death and darkness through the image of the leaf in the snow. In the end of the novel, there is a scene where the sun finally rises in the horizon in the Arctic, bringing light to the darkness. It's the same symbolic value, but this cover image works just as well. It's a beautiful image and the perfect cover choice!

The book uses flashbacks and vivid imagery to construct the terrible history between the people of the Baltic countries and the Soviets. It is written for young adults/children, so the book isn't unncessarily graphic or disturbing. No more so than the typical type of writing found in YA novels about the persecution of the Jewish people.

The love between family members and the unification of people in the struggle to survival are important tropes in this novel. The main character, Lina, is deported by the Soviets to work under brutal conditions and be treated like savages. Lina, like many, many other Lithuanians, is subjected to torture, disease, inhumane working and living conditions, and to undeniable evils that actually happened.

The epilogue concludes with Lina's stating her reasoning for writing her experiences. She says that she passed on her stories in the hopes that by sharing the truth of what happened under Stalin's reign, that such evil will never happen again. It's a beautiful sentiment, and one that resonated with me as I finished the book. Having already finished school, I look back on my education in a Canadian school system and realize that Stalin, the USSR, and the genocide that he caused was not a major point of study, as it should have been. I believe this to be a sad truth.

This novel should be studied and given to novel-readers. It's a powerful book and should be considered as important, must-reads as other similar books about war, persecution, and suffering such as Lois Lowry's Number the Stars and Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl.

I highly recommend this novel! Everything about it makes me think that kids of a novel-reading age should be given this book to read for school. It's well-researched, it's well-written, and it's an exciting, page-turning, tragically beautiful novel.

Review: Who Could That Be At This Hour by Lemony Snicket

I read this book in one sitting. This book had the undertones of being Kafka-esque in the oddities of pointless, direct and snippy conversations the character Lemony has with the other characters. The whole plot feels like a nightmare with its sense of urgency to complete his mission and battle greater unconquerable forces to do so. Paranoia, urgency, distrust of law enforcement and society, a lack of justice--it's all very Kafka, but it's kid-friendly Kafka and I liked it. It reminded me greatly of The Trial, but a less scary, less metaphorical version of it.

The book follows a teenager named Lemony Snicket in a detective mystery/suspenseful tale of theft, betrayal, and heroism. As with Snicket's other books, the plot contains a certain amount of hopelessness and darkness in the setting, characters, and events. Snicket is an apprentice to a spy-heroic-P.I. type character who is less than helpful and even worse at providing her apprentice with knowledge and skills.

The book is fast-paced with many dislikable characters that the reader will love to hate. Snicket has the ability to keep the young reader guessing at the truths of plot and changing his/her mind about certain characters. Reading this book is a very similar experience to the sudden twists and turns, sense of urgency and the purposelessness within a purpose of a nightmare. That's not to say reading the book is like having a nightmare, of course.

I really enjoyed it. Who Could That Be At This Hour is quirky, it's odd, it's a little confusing--it's a typical Lemony Snicket book. It's a fairly fast read for more impatient readers and is full of action, mystery and some hilarity. A wonderful choice of book for pre-teen boys, early fans of mystery books, as well as fans of the Lemony Snicket books.

Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

As much as I wanted to love this series, I have it admit I struggled with this book: length-wise and plot-wise. There's a lot of acclaim for this novel and a huge fan base. I expect a lot of the love for the series comes from the YA audience it's aimed at-- teens who are desperate to find the next "Edward Cullen and Bella Swan"-type of love story. This book definitely gives readers the type of romance that today's best YA novels feature. Lena and Ethan really love each other and teens are definitely looking for their type of devotion and adoration in a romantic partner. In spite of their differences (these lovers struggle with the differences of a mortal and a witch) and the dark powers at work to ruin the world, Lena and Ethan have found real happiness.

The romance is great for the age-group, but the book is long and it drags. In my opinion, this book could have used an editor with a firmer hand. I found myself getting annoyed at a lot of text that felt like filler. There was a LOT of back-and-forth of indecisiveness and worrying on the part of Lena and Ethan. There were also many, many scenes of Lena whining about how they shouldn't be together. We get it: she has a terrible fate, her sixteenth birthday puts Ethan at great risk, her life sucks. There's no need to beat the reader senseless with it.

There's also a lot of waiting around for the ultimate dark event: her sixteenth birthday. A lot of wandering and aimlessness with the characters. Some tightening up of the plot and tweaking would have given the book a better rating from me. The book has so much potential, power, mystery and danger-- I don't feel like it gave us as much as it could. Or maybe, the authors planned to use the other three books to give us that oomph. Personally, I think the first book needs an amazing kick-off to pull me into the sequel. There was far too much build-up to Lena's 16th birthday and not enough of a pay-off in the drama and danger of the scene.
I love the Southern-spin on this love story, and I love that this supernatural romance is about witches. Thank you for stepping away from the vampire-love story (although revealing Macon and Hunting's secret lost the book a few more points from me).
As for the narrative style, the authors use the same open-ended, vague narrator as Stephanie Meyer, developing the other characters more than the main character. The open-ended, vagueness of the first-person p.o.v. allows the readers to submerge themselves into this ultimate love affair. While it is an effective device to hook readers, I still feel like I know Bella better than I know Ethan.
Overall, the book is edgy and has an exciting conclusion. There's no shortage powerful mythical things. It's a decent read and has good twist and turns. If you're a YA fan or a movie fan, give this book a go. It's a breath of fresh air in the YA section to have a book about witches. It's no Harry Potter and it really could have used a firm-handed editor, but young teens who enjoy the supernatural/romance/YA genre will enjoy it. As for me, I won't be reading the other books in the series. I'm glad I read it, but this is definitely not going on the favourites' shelf.

Review: The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan

Anything Riordan publishes, you should read. Rick Riordan is an extremely talented YA author who, without a doubt, is the only author I know who can successfully write about something so educational and so unique, and who does it not only with talent, wit, and his own creative touch, but who is accurate.

While I am a fan of the Percy Jackson series more than The Kane Chronicles, I did enjoy this latest installment from the series. The cover art might also be my favourite out of all of Riordan's books. I love the colours and the way the whole image is balanced on the white obelisk. The importance of the obelisk is actually perfectly portrayed in this image. The obelisk finally makes an appearance toward the end of the book, when Chaos is close to devouring Ma'at (essentially Good/Light for those of you who have not read the books/know little of Egyptian mythology). The obelisk appears at the point of the book when the darkness is at its most threatening, but its white light is still there, glowing with power. It's size and the use of white space here is just perfect. I find it isn't often that the cover art truly exemplifies the plot, so I am truly impressed by the artist.

This book is again written in the alternating narrative of Carter and Sadie, using wit and playful banter between the siblings as comic relief from the intense, action-driven plot. Children heroes save the day in the end, including some wild and talented Kindergartens (lovingly referred to as ankle-biters, much to my amusement). Although I am certainly not buying into the idea the parents of these five-year-olds were totally fine with leaving their children at a house to train with magic and fight a war, the idea is nice. The story empowers children, like many YA series. The idea of empowerment is a nice one, so I won't judge too harshly.

The Serpant's Shadow is essentially about the final fight of good and evil: between mortals/magicians/gods/goddesses/The House of Life and Apophis, a giant snake who intends to plunge the world into nothing by devouring the sun and ending the rule of the gods. Much like The Last Olympian, the book ends with an exciting and nail-biting final battle between a titanic evil and good.

I think it's also interesting to note that a lot of Sadie's narrative includes a love triangle. This love triangle is complicated and resolved in an interesting way that might give Twilight's human-vampire-werewolf's love triangle resolution a run for its money. Sadie is in love with a magician named Walt who is slowly dying of an ancient and inescapable curse. Sadie also loves Anubis, a god of the underworld. Sadie's relationship with Walt is complicated by time and his illness, and her relationship with Anubis is complicated by the probability of his being a god. The resolution of this love triangle--which I won't spoil in this review--is very interesting and very weird. Personally, I'm not sure what to make of the resolution. I think I might prefer my werewolf-love-interest falls in love with my half-human, half-vampire baby.

Riordan handles the subject of pre-teen love very well, though. Parents can be assured that the relationships are rated 'G' and is tastefully done to hook the reader into the romance, while keeping in mind that this is a YA book and its primary genre without sliding into the teen romance classification.

The book is full of mythology and in typical Riordan-fashion, the gods and creatures are given distinct and realistic personalities so that this book is not only a fun, exciting read, but also educational. Isis and Horus are a little petulant at times, but one could argue the gods are vain and immature in the myths, too.

The book had me turning pages, eager for the final battle of the Kanes and Apophis. Friendly faces from The Red Pyramid and The Throne of Fire make appearances in The Serpant's Shadow, and there is plenty of running, destruction, and end-of-the-world drama. The inclusion of Egyptian hieroglyphs make frequent appearances and readers can definitely walk away with a sense that they know more about Egyptian mythology. This book brings to life a lot of the Egyptian history children learn about in elementary school, including names like Ramses and Tut, but also the Egyptian gods, both minor and major.

All in all, a wonderful read and a great series for parents to give their kids who are able to handle the novel. Scholastic has the paperback edition this September, so order your copy through their Book Clubs flyers for great prices and many other great reads!