It's Official...

My first blog is dead. I'm still very actively blogging over @ bookworm4life.wordpress.com. I just prefer what Wordpress has to offer over Blogger and only wish to maintain one blog instead of two. I hope you follow me over!

Impossible

by Nancy Werlin

Lucy Scarborough is looking forward to prom and her first date with the shy Gray Spencer. She has a pretty dress and the ironic red high tops to go with it. She's ready to go. The only thing marring the beauty of the moment is her mentally ill mother, Miranda. Lucy lives with her foster parents, Soledad and Leo, because her mother went mad right after Lucy was born. Often, Miranda disappears to no one knows where but occasionally she shows up and ruins Lucy, Soledad, and Leo's lives. Miranda makes an appearance on prom night shouting crazy things and throwing bottles. Little does Lucy know that this is Miranda's way of protecting Lucy. Lucy ends up going to prom and sets in motion a curse that has plagued generations of Scarborough women. Rejected by the original Scarborough lady, Fenella, the Elfin King cursed all Scarborough women to become pregnant at 17 and go crazy right after their daughters' births. The only way to save themselves and their daughters is to break the curse by solving and fulfilling the riddles in the song Scarborough Fair before giving birth. Lucy luckily finds out about the curse early in her pregnancy when she reads passages of Miranda's diary which the lucid, pre-baby Miranda left hidden for Lucy to hopefully find. Though they are skeptical at first, Lucy has the support of her foster parents and her childhood friend Zach. The four of them are determined to find the solution and save Lucy but will they be able to succeed where so many have failed?

Reaction: Impossible grabbed me and never let me go. I LOVED it! First of all, it was wonderfully written. Werlin definitely has a gift. She is a National Book Award Finalist so I suppose her writing ability should be no surprise. Second, I loved how the Elfin King and the curse were the only fantastical elements of the novel, which is so different from many other "faeries are real!" books. In Impossible, Lucy didn't suddenly see faeries everywhere or discover an alternative universe. She and the rest of her family continued about their real lives, going to school, working out, going to work, going to the doctor, etc. It was reality with a twist not an alternative reality. Finally, I enjoyed watching Lucy evolve. She grew from a teenager to a women in about a year. In fact, I believe Lucy and Zach at the end of the book were more mature than I am now but I suppose that's what happens when you're raped, then become pregnant, then realize you are cursed to go mad in a matter of months.

This book is definitely for romantics at heart. It is a story about the strength of love. I don't want to say much more for fear of giving too much away, but the ending definitely hinges on the main characters' bond. My only hesitation regarding the novel is the maturity of the romantic relationship. It works in the context of the novel and I certainly wouldn't change a thing but it is a relationship that is much, much bigger than what pretty much any teen reading would be experience or have experienced.

Check it out: Nancy Werlin's website which lists all of her books.

The Morganville Vampire Series

by Rachel Caine

The sleepy town of Morganville, TX is not all that it seems. It's the home toTexas Prairie University (TPEwwww), a school where partying rules and academics are an after-thought, and not much else. Claire is 16 and smart. She graduated high school early with acceptances to prestigious colleges such as MIT, Yale, and Caltech, but her parents were worried about her being so far at home so they forced her to go to TPU. Claire's miserable at TPU and is counting the days until she can transfer out. Classes are not a challenge and she's having some difficulties socially. She's always been a bit of an outcast -- being super smart and really short can do that to you -- but she has never encounter problems like those at TPU. Unwittingly, she made a very bad enemy of popular girl Monica and therefore Monica's entire crew. Monica has a cruel streak that has Claire actually fearing for her life. If Claire only knew that Monica isn't the only threat to her life! In an attempt to flee Monica, Claire seeks off campus housing. She finds a home and a pseudo family at the Glass House. Owned by Michael Glass, a young musician who mysteriously disappears during the day, and inhabited by not only Michael but Michael's friends Shane and Eve, Claire finds a pseudo family at the Glass House. But her new roommates may also be crazy because they tell her that vampires exist and they rule this town. Hadn't she ever wondered why so many people transfer from TPU? All too soon, Claire learns the hard way that vampires are in fact real and they are very, very dangerous.

Book One: Glass Houses

The beginning. Claire goes to live in the Glass House and learns the truth about Morganville. Just because she lives off campus now does not mean she safe from Monica or the Monikettes (Monica's crew). Monica has a vampire protector, as do many of the people who live or are from Morganville, and her protector is after Claire at night just as Monica is out for Claire during the day. After a particularly nasty incident with a particularly nasty vampire named Brandon, Shane makes a pact with the vampire; Brandon can take some of Shane's blood in return for the safety of Shane's friends, specifically Claire. Claire feels horrible about the sacrifice that Shane is making for her sake. She vows to find a way to release him from the deal. The only way seems to be to find a special book the vampires have been searching for for years. No human knows what's in the book but it would be an amazing bargaining tool. Claire hopes to find the book and free Shane from his obligation but will she survive the search and, if she finds the book, will it help or make things even worse for Claire and her friends.

Book Two: Dead Girls' Dance

Shane's father is in town and he's bent on revenge. He and his gang of unruly biker friends have decided to take on the vampires. Though Shane doesn't think his father's plans are wise he cannot help but be drawn to his father and his father's cause. When Shane is found at the scene of a vampire murder, he is taken into custody and sentenced to die. Claire knows Shane is innocent and will do whatever it takes to save him and hopefully bring Shane's father, the true murderer, to justice. On top of that, Eve's deranged brother, Jason, has been released from jail. Eve is the one who testified against him and put him in jail, so understandably Eve is worried what Jason will do to her now that he's free. Jason's m.o. is murdering young girls and soon girls are turning up dead. Is it Jason or just a coincidence?

Book Three: Midnight Alley

Claire has signed a contract of protection with the most powerful vampire in town, Amelie, the creator of Morganville. In return, Amelie wants Claire to study with Myrnin, a very intelligent scholar but very sick vampire, as well as take advanced classes. As volatile as Myrnin can be, part of Claire is really excited to be learning about new and challenging topics, especially after the relative ease of all of her typical freshman courses, but soon she learns that studying with Myrnin is a death sentence. Myrnin continues to decline and his mind is going; often he only sees Claire as a meal not a student, but with Amelie calling the shots is there anything Claire can do to protect herself? Also, Jason is still on the loose and more young females are turning up dead. Jason is becoming bolder and is beginning to threaten Claire and Eve. The question is, why isn't anyone trying to stop him?

Congratulations, you've made it this far! What a long post this will be. Keep reading and you'll get my reaction. I'll try to be brief! :)

Reaction: I devoured these. I was hungry for a good vampire series and these certainly fit the bill. I like that they are different from many of the other vampire series out there since in this series vampires are the villains, though there certainly are a lot of humans who are also villainous. I also like that the main characters, specifically the main characters involved in a romance, are human. Vampires play a very important role in human lives but the main characters are very human (well, most of them). I admired Caine's creativity, specifically regarding the idea of protection contracts and the bracelets that would show which human belonged to which vampire. This definitely showed the humans' subservient position to the vampires.

My dislikes were few but not enough to keep me from recommending the series. My biggest gripe was the fact that so much happens in so little time. I read three of the current four books but I think maybe only a month passed from the beginning of the series through book three. You read the summaries I wrote (I'm assuming), a lot of things happened in so little time! I wanted to tell Caine to slow down or at least give these poor characters a few weeks to recover between life-shattering, near-death incidents. The short time frame also cheapen the romance to me. They never get to spend any time together so I feel like it is a romance of convenience and circumstance rather than reality. The Morganville Vampires books are not the best written but they stand out in an ever-growing group of vampire series.

What's Next: Feast of Fools, which is out now, Lord of Misrule, slated for January 9, 2009, and any others Caine decides to write. I have Feast of Fools but I needed a break. While I really enjoy the series I was reading them too fast so I'm waiting and will read Feast of Fools as a treat in the coming months.

Don't just take my word: TheYaYaYas take.

The Explotionist

by Jenny Davidson

Fifteen-year-old Sophie lives in Edinburgh, Scotland in the 1930s, but Sophie's Scotland is much different from the 1930s Scotland found in our text books. In Sophie's world, England lost the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and the northern countries banded together to form the NewHanseatic League. Sophie's Scotland is dealing with suicide bombers who are thought to be related to a group called the Brothers of the Northern Liberties but the truth behind the bombings may be a bit more sinister than that. When a bombing happens close to Sophie's school, Sophie becomes more interested in who is in charge of the bombings, especially when her classmates begin to suspect Sophie's beloved teacher, Mr. Peterson. Bombings aren't the only thing Sophie has to worry about. A mediumforewarns Sophie of a terrible danger that is heading her way and not long after the premonition, the medium is found murdered. Is their a connection between themedium's warning to Sophie and her death? On top of all this, Sophie is concerned that her future aspirations of going to college will be dashed when she is sent toIRLYNS (the Institution for the Recruitment of Young Ladies for National Security), a supposedly prestigious group of young women groomed to be the best secretaries for high-up male officials. Sophie learns that there is something horrible happening atIRLYNS but she has been sworn to secrecy with her life on the line if she tells. How will she save herself and her friends from IRLYNS clutches? Sophie's life is about to be turned upside-down. With the help of her friend Mikael, will Sophie be able to get to the bottom of all the horrible things happening to her country before its too late? Sophie is forced to make some tough decisions in her fight to help protect her country and for her own survival.

Reaction: The Explosionist covers a lot of territory. It was very hard to write a summary because so many different things are going on. I really enjoyed the alternative history aspect of the book. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I knew more about the true history but the concept was creative and well done. I did think some of the writing was a bit shaky. My biggest complaint was with the ending. I thought it was rushed and wrapped up a bit too easily, despite the open-ended nature. Also, there were several moments where I felt I was told not shown. One major example of this is when Sophie finally realizes her feelings for Mikael.

All that being said, I think this would make a truly awesome book club book if you have a mature book club members because there are so many issues covered in the book that are relevant to the present day, specifically regarding what the possibility of going to war because of false information or pretenses (much like Bush and the wholeWMD thing), the effect of war on the soldiers--how do soldiers really feel about the wars they are fighting--and what is an acceptable price to pay for "the good of the country" and where does one draw the line? Plus, I think it could bring up lots of great discussions about what the world would be like if other major events had happened differently. For example, in the book the United States is two countries because the south won the war. What would it be like now if this had happened? How long would it have taken for slavery to have been abolished in the south? Or would it have been abolished yet? And what would the north be like with out its attachment to the south?

Here is one particular passage that caught my eye. The background is Mr. Peterson, the beloved teacher, is babbling while teaching Sophie how to drive to keep them both distracted from her inexperience:

"Most motorcars in Scotland are powered by fuel cells. A fuel cell is similar to a battery, except that whereas batteries run down, you can keep fuel cells going indefinitely by pumping in more chemicals. Thomas Edison invented this particular version in the 1880s; you put in hydrogen and oxygen, and the cell converts them into electricity, the only by-product being perfectly pure drinking water...

Ironically, given that Edison was an American, his invention never really caught on over there. You'll find a few fuel-cell enthusiasts in the Americas, of course, but most of their motorcars are powered by a filthy and wasteful method called internal combustion. All very well if you're an American sitting on top of huge petroleum reserves, but that kind of reckless consumption doesn't suggest a very sensible attitude toward the future!" (pg 133)

So many things could be discussed from this passage alone. It also reminded me that I forgot to mention that many famous people are mentioned throughout the novel, such as Edison.

In the end, this book's best quality is its ability to make you think and question. While I wasn't in love with the writing and it took me awhile to really get into the book, I am still eagerly awaiting the next book in the series to see what Davidson concocts.

What's Next: Sequels, possibly a trilogy. I've heard many things but have not found concrete evidence on my own. Check out Jenny Davidson's blog for (hopefully) more information.

...

Phew. It took me longer to post on this book (10 days) than it took me to read it!

Tail of the Moon (vols. 1 and 2)

by Rinko Ueda

Usagi's grandfather is the leader of a prestigious clan of ninjas. At one time, he had hoped that Usagi would become one of his ninjas but he has given up hope. Usagi is clumsy and not at all interested in ninja studies. Since she will never be a ninja, Usagi's grandfather sends her away to marry Lord Hanzo, another ninja clan leader, and have lots of ninja babies. At first Usagi is resistant to the idea, then she meets Lord Hanzo and he is the most handsome man she has ever met; now Usagi can't wait to marry Lord Hanzo. Too bad Hanzo says that he will never marry. Usagi is determined to change his mind.

In volume one Usagi learns she has stunningly beautiful competition for Hanzo's hand in marriage. In order to win Hanzo's heart, Usagi decides that maybe she can become a ninja after all. Though she does her best, Usagi just isn't cut out for ninja work. Despite this, she promises Hanzo that she will continue training. In volume two, Usagi returns to her home village after a fight with Hanzo and her former fiance and childhood friend, Goemon, decides he wants Usagi back. Usagi tells him that she only loves Hanzo but Goemon still tells everyone that he and Usagi will be married. Of course word gets back to Hanzo and he's none too pleased. After that situation is resolved (no marriage but Goemon's not giving up!) Usagi turns to helping two friends who love each other but have broken up get back together.

Reaction: Tail of the Moon follows a fairly typical Shojo storyline with a not uber attractive girl who is none-the-less cute and sweet falling for a man who is a 10+ on a hotness scale of 1 to 10. While hot guy resists attraction, cute girl can't help but win his affections, even if it is a slow process. And of course, there are many obstacles in their way. At first Usagi annoyed me. She seemed lazy as well as clumsy. You're obviously not going to do well at something if you don't even try. But she grew one me. It turns out that she does have a skill and one that she has worked very hard on, proving that she is not as lazy as I first thought. Her skill is with medicine. Once her skill is found out, she becomes very valuable and can certainly contribute something very useful to whichever clan she associates. Also, it becomes obvious that she is truly caring and can be selfless. Besides being hot, Lord Hanzo is gruff and has high expectations for those around him (as well as himself) but he is also very loyal. His character is a bit flatter than Usagi's but there is certainly an air of mystery around him (why does he refuse to marry?) that makes him intriguing. The first two volumes were fun so I'm looking forward to continuing with series.

Kitty Kitty

by Michele Jaffe

Jas is back (Bad Kitty) and trying not to be up to her same old tricks. She has vowed to be the model daughter so her father (Dadzilla) will allow her to leave her Venice prison and go back to California to be with her super-awesome friends, Polly, Roxy, and Tom, and her super-kissable boyfriend, Jack. But when all her efforts at being a model daughter don't get her a trip to California but instead brings the Evil Hench Twins, Jas' cousin Alyson and her best friend Veronique, to Venice, Jas decides to bag the good girl persona and instead try to be BadJas. Now that BadJas is in charge, Jas decides to help her one and only friend in Venice, Arabella, figure out who's following her. Jas is not sure that Arabella isn't making up her stalker, but then Arabella is found dead in an apparent suicide. Jas knows Arabella would not have killed herself and vows to find out who murdered her. And so Jas once again embarks on a dangerous and exciting adventure trying to solve not one but two murders, both Arabella's and Arabella's father's, with the help of her super-awesome friends, who of course show up for moral support, the Evil Hench Twins (now known by their faerie names -- Sapphyre with a "y" and Tiger's*Eye, the star is silent), a charming gondolier, but not her super-kissable boyfriend who isn't calling or emailing nearly enough to satisfy Jas.

Reaction: I love Jas. At times she is a bit much (for example, I can't stand when she says things like "ASA and P" for ASAP) but most of the time she and her friends and her enemies are simply hilarious. Here are some examples:

She waved a business card in my face and said, "I'm a reporter. You are going to be famous. Tell me how to spell your name. Is it Jane?"

"Yes," I agreed, practically running now. Model Daughters are allergic to fame. "It's Jane."

"Jane what?"

I said, "Jane Doe." And then the monkeys in my head who always like to help me out added, "--nut."

"Jane Doughnut?" the blond reporter lady repeated, giving me a look filled with pity and scorn ... "What is your name, really?"

"Jane Doughnut," the monkeys affirmed. (pg 45-6)

And, when Arabella is running for her life and pulling Jas along behind her, Jas observes:

What was pleasant about this was it allowed me to experience several of the rules of physics firsthand. For example, the faster you are going when you bash into a man with a hard-sided briefcase, the more it will hurt. (Force = Mass x Acceleration). And that being pulled between two women chatting and carrying shopping bags will result in them screaming not-very-nice things at you. (For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.) And my favorite: A Jas in motion -- such as one who sidesteps to avoid running into a stroller and instead finds herself tripping over a small dog and launching into the air as though she's a trouble-seeking missile -- will stay in motion unless acted upon by an equal but opposite force. (pg 36-7)

Kitty Kitty is just plain fun. The characters and the mystery are not exactly realistic but this does not detract from the greatness that is Kitty Kitty. The book is simply hilarious and I cannot wait for more from Jas and her crew, even the faerie Evil Hench Twins.

Plus, as an aside, I think that the teen lit genre needs more mysteries.

Previously: Bad Kitty

Read-a-like: The over-the-topness reminds me of the sarcasm of Maggie Quinn in Prom Dates from Hell and Hell Week.

...

I can't believe I forgot to write about this. Jas, when trying to channel her badness, came up with a saying to help her follow the bad path -- WWMrTD or what would Mr. T do. I LOVED Mr. T and the A-Team when I was growing up. Now, whenever I can't figure out what to do I am going to ask myself WWMrTD. Love It!

Chalice

by Robin McKinley

When the Master and Chalice die unexpectedly both without apprentices, their land is sent into a devastating upheaval. The remaining members of the Circle are forced to make choices and consult the rods to find replacements for these two most important people of the demesne. The Grand Seneschal makes the decision to call back the deceased Master's younger brother from the priests of Fire where he has been for seven years, but can an elemental priest who is no longer truly human learn to once again to live among people and be a good Master? The rods tell the circle that their new Chalice shall be a young woman named Mirasol who keeps a small woodlot and is known for her amazing honey. Mirasol is shocked by her new calling but must obey for she can feel that the land needs her even if she does not know what exactly it needs her to do. so Mirasol begins her journey as Chalice. She muddles through with books as her teachers and only her bees for company because most of the Circle looks down upon her and avoids her. When the new Master arrives from the fire, the Circle treat him in much the same manner except that they also greatly fear him but Mirasol believes in her new Master and hopes that he can bring peace and cohesion to the upset demesne. While progress is slow, Mirasol, as Chalice, feels the demesne calming, until the Overlord sends an Outblood (one not from the demesne) to stand in as the Master's heir. It is clear that the Overlord intend to usurp the position of the new Master and put his own heir in place. Can the new Chalice and Master fight the Overlord and his heir to keep their land in peace?

Reaction: I liked the idea of the story and there were moments of brilliance in the writing but overall I felt there was something missing. My beefs with the book: 1. It had a very confusing timeline. Sometimes I couldn't tell if we were in the past or present. The fact that the book did not contain chapters but four large parts could have added to this confusion. The set up was not helpful to someone who only had small chunks of time in which to read. Every time I had to put the book down and pick it back up later it took me awhile to reorient myself with the story. 2. There was a lot of repetition. Sometimes I liked this because it had the feeling of an oral history, like I was being told a story instead of reading it. Other times (most times) it was kind of annoying. I wanted to say, "I know!" 3. The unanswered questions. I'm ok with not know exactly what happened to the previous Master and Chalice. Enough info was given that I can at least piece together a general idea of what happened and that their reign was bad for the demesne. I'm also ok with not exactly knowing the hierarchy of all the lands. It is enough to know that a Master rules the land with the Chalice and a Circle but that they are still responsible to an Overlord. I would have liked to have a more clear depiction of all the members of this very important Circle and their responsibilities and purposes. The Circle's huge to the story and I don't particularly understand it. The biggest thing I would like to know is, what's up with the Elemental priests? What are their purposes? Why are people sent to them to become priests? I mean, the new Master was a third level Fire priest yet I have no idea what that means other than his eyes are red, his skin is black, and he can burn human flesh. What good is that? 4. Finally, what was with the abrupt ending? Something happened, then, bam it was over. How did it happen? And was Mirasol's journey for nothing, because it certainly seemed that way.

Sigh. I love Robin McKinley's imagination. This was a wonderful concept for a tale but, for me at least, the execution was off. From reading Amazon reviews, I am in the minority.

FYI: For those who also are unfamiliar with this word, demesne (according to wikipedia; great source, I know) is a term used in a feudal system for land granted to a lord for his use. You can definitely get the meaning from context, but the pronunciation! That baffled me. For those inquiring minds, it is pronounced /dəmeɪn/ [dih-MANE] or /dəmiːn/ [dih-MEEN]. I reminds me of "domain" which is similar and fitting. If you read Chalice, you will see the word "demesne" upteen million times, so now you will be prepared with how to say it in your head. :)