Book Review: Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Princess Academy

Shannon Hale

Publication Date: April 17th 2007

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Pages: 336

Genre: Fantasy, Middle-Grade

Miri lives on a mountain where, for generations, her ancestors have quarried stone and lived a simple life. Then word comes that the king's priests have divined her small village the home of the future princess. In a year's time, the prince himself will come and choose his bride from among the girls of the village. The king's ministers set up an academy on the mountain, and every teenage girl must attend and learn how to become a princess.

Miri soon finds herself confronted with a harsh academy mistress, bitter competition among the girls, and her own conflicting desires to be chosen and win the heart of her childhood best friend. But when bandits seek out the academy to kidnap the future princess, Miri must rally the girls together and use a power unique to the mountain dwellers to save herself and her classmates.

Princess Academy was the first book I read by Shannon Hale and quickly sealed my love for her writing. It succeeded at completely surprising me with the direction it went and thus pleasing me greatly. It succeeds at not being cliché within a story that is predisposed to being that way. When you read the synopsis and then you start reading the book you expect it to be a classic fairytale story where the main character gets the prince and lives happily ever after. The book however is not about that, it's about eyes opening because of knowledge.

As a bookworm myself and someone who likes to have a children's book focus on something other than the girl gets the boy because she's beautiful and they love each, I enjoyed this direction.

The fantasy element that is added in to the story is also very well done. It flows naturally into the story and is not forced at all.

The only thing that did bother me in the story was Miri's age, and that was mostly because I kept imagining her younger than fourteen, I do think a portion of this is because of the cover on the paperback which features a younger looking girl (possibly eight) and I do know the new version of the cover being released features an older girl and I'm interested to see if that would have changed my perception of Miri's age. (The newer version is the cover I feature above)

Quarry Speech is an incredibly inspired idea. Linder seems to be a combination of the idea of quartz and marble, marble for its appearance and quartz for its "recording" ability. The idea that rocks can record memory is something that is debated upon and proven (It is how Phonographs worked if I remember correctly). I feel like Hale took this idea and expounded upon it, giving it a fantastical element that proved to be very original and work with the plot.

I really like the way Miri debates about what she wants. What she really wants is for her family to have a better life, not to marry a prince and her realizing that was beautiful, and then with the learning of Commerce she can make life better without needing to marry a prince.

This is one my all time favourite books. It is an MG book I recommend to anyone who loves MG fantasy and those who want to share stories with younger friends, siblings or children with nice messages in there, yet a fun sense of adventure.

5 Bookmarks

Book Review: Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis

Kat, Incorrigible (The Unladylike Adventures of Kat Stephenson #1)

Stephanie Burgis

Publication Date: April 1st 2010

Publisher: Atheneum

Pages: 304

Genre: Historical, Fantasy, Middle-Grade

Katherine Ann Stephenson has just discovered that she's inherited her mother's magical talents, and despite Stepmama's stern objections, she's determined to learn how to use them. But with her eldest sister Elissa's intended fiancé, the sinister Sir Neville, showing a dangerous interest in Kat's magical potential; her other sister, Angeline, wreaking romantic havoc with her own witchcraft; and a highwayman lurking in the forest, even Kat's reckless heroism will be tested to the upmost. If she can learn to control her new powers, will Kat be able to rescue her family and win her sisters their true love?

Either I am predisposed to love the books I'm reading or I'm just picking up better books, because I feel like most of the books I've read lately have been 4.5/5 Bookmark books, Kat, Incorrigible rates up there as well.

Kat, Incorrigible is historical, fantastical and all around adorable. Staring a plucky, rebellious young heroine (which I always adore) and her overbearing, but loving sisters and the strange and magical adventures they get themselves to.

The greatest achievement of this book are the characters, hands down. The characterization reminded me greatly of a Diana Wynne Jones: clever, caricatured, but full of heart. The way magic was approached in the book was also originally done, which I enjoyed.

There is a sequel to this book that I feel excited to read. This book sets up a world, and I would love to read a book exploring this entertaining world.

Elissa! Oh Elissa and Mr. Collingswood crack me up with their gothic romance/tragedy obsession of personalities. Watching them be all dramatic through Kat's eyes made me laugh out loud several times.

Lord Neville on the other hand sent shivers down my spine, I was almost sure that he would win and was incredibly disheartened, thinking there was no way out for them. But, of course, Kat comes through being clever and rebellious and saving Elissa from both herself (and her need to be tragic) and Neville.

I was also very proud of Stepmama at the end, it really showed Kat and the readers that she does care about the girls, even if it didn't seem that way.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves MG Fantasy, especially those who love the characterizations that usually come from Diana Wynne Jones. I am also slightly reminded of the Theodosia series.

4.5 Bookmarks

ARC Book Review: A Want So Wicked by Suzanne Young

A Want So Wicked (A Need So Beautiful #2)

Suzanne Young

ARC Disclaimer: I was not paid in any way by the publishers to review this book favourably. The review is my own honest opinion (Whether or not it is agreed with). 

Review of A Need So Beautiful (Need #1)

Publication Date: June 26th 2012

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Pages: 288

Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult

Elise is a normal seventeen-year-old girl until the day she wakes up in a desert park, with no idea who she is. 

After that episode, her life takes a bizarre turn. She’s experiencing unexpected flashes of insight into people’s lives—people she’s never met before. Strangers frighten her with warnings about the approaching Shadows. And although Elise has never had a boyfriend, she suddenly finds herself torn between two handsome but very different young men: Abe, the charming bad boy whose affect on her both seduces and frightens her, and the mysterious Harlin, who’s new to town but with whom Elise feels an urgent, elemental connection—almost as if they are soul mates.

Now Elise begins to question everything about her life. Why do these guys both want her so desperately? What are the Shadows? Why does the name Charlotte inspire a terrifying familiarity? And who is Elise, really?

A Want So Wicked was the other book that I had won along with Thumped that I had to first check out the first book in the library. It also, along with so many other books it seems this way, trumps the first book by a landside.

We once again find ourselves alongside a Forgotten. This time around, however, the stakes are much higher and the story and fight more complicated. The idea of Shadows are explored in more detail, especially Onika and it really works to give her a more well rounded character. Once again I enjoy the characters and the poetic prose style (though I do admit I can get tired of the poetic style after a while).

As much as I enjoyed reading this (which was a lot) I do wonder about Charlotte/Elise as a character at times because she is so self-sacrificing. I can't decide if it feels too goody-two-shoes or still works as a character. The book is also very good vs. evil, but at the same time I feel like this book goes a bit grayer. Something I do like though, is how Young approaches the idea of angels and good versus evil without connecting it to any specific religion, just the thought of being good. Sure, Elise's father is a pastor, but Elise doesn't come off as very religious herself, and when Forgotten are explained, it is in more of a Spiritual way and not Christian way, so there is a bit of balance.

I started guessing about halfway through that Abe was a Shadow and that Lucy was also a Forgotten. I really think the way that Charlotte became a "special" Forgotten was a great way to let her and Harlin be together again (I like happy endings), yet still not erasing the self-sacrificing of her in A Need So Beautiful. I also enjoyed that it wasn't the same idea this time around, it instead took it out and explored the world more, the main issue being Abe and Onika and not the fact that everyone is forgetting Elise.

I recommend this book to those who loved A Need So Beautiful and want to explore that world more. However this book is less of a tragedy than the first (though I will warn you it's not completely tragedy-free) so if that is the part you loved about the first book, don't be expecting it in this one.

4.5 Bookmarks

Update: There and Back Again

Hello followers and readers old and new!

I am absolutely exhausted from driving my soul to bits and pieces but I'm back to having computer access so I can post up the many reviews I have backlogged (I wrote five before I took off). I'm also super excited because I had a very successful library trip in which I just happened to find a bunch of books I'm excited to read by browsing AND while I was gone I was able to receive my signed copy of Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore, which I am so ready to read. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous!

I also have two netgalleys to read (Glitch and Throne of Glass), and pretty much I'm hoping that I'll have tons of time to read this upcoming week so that I can read everything I want to.

Love you all,

Sam

Book Review: The Thirteenth Princess by Diane Zahler

The Thirteenth Princess

Diane Zahler

Publication Date: September 9th 2009

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pages: 256

Genre: Fairytale

Zita is not an ordinary servant girl--she's the thirteenth daughter of a king who wanted only sons. When she was born, Zita's father banished her to the servants' quarters to work in the kitchens, where she can only communicate with her royal sisters in secret.

Then, after Zita's twelfth birthday, the princesses all fall mysteriously ill. The only clue is their strangely worn and tattered shoes. With the help of her friends--Breckin the stable boy, Babette the witch, and Milek the soldier--Zita follows her bewitched sisters into a magical world of endless dancing and dreams. But something more sinister is afoot--and unless Zita and her friends can break the curse, the twelve princesses will surely dance to their deaths.

A classic fairy tale with a bold twist, "The Thirteenth Princess" tells the unforgettable story of a magical castle, true love, spellbound princesses--and the young girl determined to save them all.

I believe I mentioned in another review how the "Twelve Dancing Princesses" is one of the most adapted fairytale in YA/MG history, and well here's another one. What's great is that it seems like every adaptation I read puts their own little twist on it. In the case of The Thirteenth Princess there is, well, thirteen princesses, the last one not raised as a princess and the main character. The story's focus is also not about the fairytale, but instead about the family themselves and the character of Zit, and I really liked that. In fact the fairytale does not even kick in until the second half of the book.

The book made a great comfort read, with me reading a few chapters a night before going to sleep as the prose was light and entertaining, but not overly thought provoking.

It is well written, but I will admit it does not make too  much of an impression as many other books I read do (as I'm reaching for straws for something else to mention about it).

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys fairytale adaptations, and those who especially love the Twelve Dancing Princesses, especially with an original spin on it.

3.5 Bookmarks

Waiting on Wednesday: The Treachery of Beautiful Things

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

The Treachery of Beautiful Things
Ruth Frances Long

Expected Publication Date: August 16th 2012

A darkly compelling mix of romance, fairy tale, and suspense from a new voice in teen fiction

The trees swallowed her brother whole, and Jenny was there to see it. Now seventeen, she revisits the woods where Tom was taken, resolving to say good-bye at last. Instead, she's lured into the trees, where she finds strange and dangerous creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with secrets of his own. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack's help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where stunning beauty masks some of the most treacherous evils, and she's faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice--and not just her own.

Why:
I have a theory that there may be some horror elements to this book and that's what akes me more excited for it than other fantasy/faerie books I've encountered. The idea that there are these insanely beautiful things that are just to lure you in and hurt you.


Also, I am a sucker for gorgeous covers and this is def a gorgeous cover.

ARC Book Review: Thumped by Megan McCafferty

Thumped (Bumped #2)

Megan McCafferty

ARC Disclaimer: I was not paid in any way by the publishers to review this book favourably. The review is my own honest opinion (Whether or not it is agreed with). 

Review of Bumped (Bumped #1)

Publication Date: April 24th 2012

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Pages: 304

Genre: Dystopia, Young Adult

It’s been thirty-five weeks since twin sisters Harmony and Melody went their separate ways. And now their story has become irresistible: twins separated at birth, each due to deliver twins…on the same day!

Married to Ram and living in Goodside, Harmony spends her time trying to fit back into the community she once believed in. But she can’t forget about Jondoe, the guy she fell for under the strangest of circumstances.

To her adoring fans, Melody has achieved everything: a major contract and a coupling with the hottest bump prospect around. But this image is costing her the one guy she really wants.

The girls’ every move is analyzed by millions of fans eagerly counting down to “Double Double Due Date.” They’re two of the most powerful teen girls on the planet, and they could do only one thing to make them even more famous:

Tell the truth.

Bumped is like a light social commentary, Thumped is a full out media rebellion. It tops Bumped by a lot and I am incredibly glad that this one I own, because I plan to reread it. This is the book where things get good. Some time has passed between the last book and this one and now they are on damage control, selling an image of the twin girls having twins. Jondoe is in complete love with Harmony, Harmony is back at the Church with Ram, and Zen and Melody have a plan.

You spend most of the novel wondering where everything is going to end up. There is this huge knot and there seems to be no way to unravel it. I ate this book right up, once again it is fast paced and the writing is well done, not distracting from the storyline. It brings to light more of the questions that many readers wondered during Bumped.

In this social system, everyone's part gets questioned and analyzed and we ask ourselves is this right, what if this ever happened?

This book reads more like YA Dystopia than YA Contemporary, but it does still have that feel to it.

I really adore two things about this book the most. The first is the way both Melody and Harmony pretty much commit the biggest rebellion each one could do for themselves. Harmony runs from the Church, cuts off her hair, dyes it and has the babies a man she isn't married to. Melody on the other hand wants to have sex with no baby aftermath and she is faking being pregnant which goes against her entire education.

The second thing I love, because I'm a sap, is the fact that it ends happy. It is a happy ending for everyone and that pleases me. Melody gets her message out, the Jaydens get the twins they were promised, Ram comes out, Harmony doesn't want the kids so she's okay giving them away, and Jondoe gets Harmony. Of course I know things shouldn't really line up that nicely, but it made me super happy that they did. I finished reading the book with this gigantic grin on my face, so go McCafferty for that.

Thumped thumps Bumped as a book, so if you enjoyed the first you will adore this sequel. It really does make you think, while still being a light and fast paced happy read.

4.5 Bookmarks

Book Review: The Daykeeper's Grimoire by Christy Raedeke

The Daykeeper's Grimoire (Prophecy of Days #1)

Christy Raedeke

Publication Date: May 8th 2010

Publisher: Flux

Pages: 352

Genre: Mystery, Adventure, Young Adult

Can one (super smart) girl
(who just wants to be discovered)
decipher the cryptic Mayan calendar prophecy and SAVE THE WORLD? 

When her safe-cracker mom and code-breaker dad inherit a dreary Scottish castle, sixteen-year-old Caity Mac Fireland is not happy. Ripped from her cushy life and friends in San Francisco, Caity’s secret fantasy of being discovered by a Hollywood agent, talent scout, or even just a pageant coach seems more unlikely than ever.

But when Caity stumbles across a hidden room in the castle, its walls covered in strange symbols, her life takes a bizarre turn. She finds herself center stage in an international conspiracy involving warring secret societies, assassins, the suppressed revelations of the Mayan Calendar and the year 2012, plus the fate of humanity.

With the help of her friend Justine back home, and Alex, a gorgeous and mysterious Scottish boy, Caity must race to decipher the code and reveal its message to the world before time runs out.

This review of Prophecy of Days may just be one of the hardest reviews I've ever had to write. For me there are many different parts to what makes a book great: the prose, the plot, the characters, the research, the believability and the voice, among a few others I probably can't think of now. Unfortunately, some of those parts mean more than others, so even if a book is amazing in many parts, but fails in others it can bring the enjoyability of the book down.

The idea, research and plot of this book were extrodinairy. It was just as complicated and well thought out as The DaVinci Code going deep into the Mayan Calender and Secret Societies that resonated with me. But… I hate to say this because I really did enjoy this book, the prose and actual writing of this book feel rather subpar. There are a lot of "telling not showing" and the writing finds itself being very simplistic in a way that is less stylistic, but more like the author was just trying hard to get from point a to point b instead of having the characters be characters.

It could be that it is because this is not a character orientated book at all and it ends up being a matter of preference, but I really felt like the prose could have benefited from a bit more drive and believability from the characters, Caity especially had a robotic feeling to her, as if she was just going through the motions that a teenaged girl should instead of feeling any passion or ideas about it all.

The thing is, normally with books with this quality of writing, I put them down and I don't finish them, but the idea of this book is amazing and I loved the mystery of it all. I really enjoyed learning about the mystery of the Mayan Calender, so much I myself am going to start looking up to see what day each day is (if people have updated it past 2012 that is) as it goes along with my love of Astrology.

I also really love the idea of kids uniting all across the world.

I'm not as passionate about the "twists" in this book as I have been in the past. I completely guess Donald would end up going with them to Easter Island, and even though I was surprised about Dr. Li, I have a hard time believing he was really betraying them, and I'd rather think that he is solving some other mystery.

The meeting with all the kids was absolutely awesome, and I only wish that it pulled off more belieavable as well. It was just too easy for Caity and Janine to get to the places they needed to get.

Okay, this book is good, but more than likely many would not consider it written well, so this is up to you guys if you want to pick this book up or not. If you can let writing that may not be up to the par of others by, then I highly recommend this book, because it is really interesting and I did enjoy it quite a bit.

3 Bookmarks

Book Review: A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young

A Need So Beautiful

Suzanne Young

Publication Date: June 21st 2011

Publisher: Balzer & Bray

Pages: 267

Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult

We all want to be remembered. Charlotte's destiny is to be Forgotten...

Charlotte’s best friend thinks Charlotte might be psychic. Her boyfriend thinks she’s cheating on him. But Charlotte knows what’s really wrong: She is one of the Forgotten, a kind of angel on earth, who feels the Need—a powerful, uncontrollable draw to help someone, usually a stranger.

But Charlotte never wanted this responsibility. What she wants is to help her best friend, whose life is spiraling out of control. She wants to lie in her boyfriend's arms forever. But as the Need grows stronger, it begins to take a dangerous toll on Charlotte. And who she was, is, and will become--her mark on this earth, her very existence--is in jeopardy of disappearing completely.

Charlotte will be forced to choose: Should she embrace her fate as a Forgotten, a fate that promises to rip her from the lives of those she loves forever? Or is she willing to fight against her destiny--no matter how dark the consequences.

Like with Bumped, A Need So Beautiful was a book I checked out because I had won the sequel, A Want So Wicked. It had been a book I had been debating about reading for a long time however never got to it. There is really one word to describe it: Beautiful.

This is a story about the ultimate sacrifice, about what love is and how much memory means. Charlotte has odd urges to help people how, tell them the one thing they need to hear and now she's started losing skin and turning gold, then she is told that eventually everyone she loves will forget her.

It was absolutely heartbreaking to read, but I couldn't stop. The writing style fits the plot so perfectly with its slight poetic tone. It really makes you wonder what would you do if you were in Charlotte's position. Would you give into temptation? Or would you want to sacrifice yourself? I honestly am not sure what I would do myself, as one of my biggest fears is not existing (weird I know), so the idea of it scares me so much.

I cried when Harlin came running for at the bridge because he remembered her still. While everyone else forgot, he had remembered it and broke my heart even more while making me so happy for Charlotte. The fact that he was also a Seer made sense and my heart goes out to him so much, I am really interested to see how he plays out in the next book. The idea of the Seer is just as bad as the Forgotten in how torturous it is. I loved the idea that Onika played in this. That she showed what happened when they fell in love, what happened when a Forgotten tries to overcome the destiny set out. It's very devil versus angel, but I feel like that it'll end up more complicated than that as time goes on.

This is a book one reads while listening to epic Celtic music. It's paranormal, but plays out more like a Tragedy than YA Paranormal. You leave the book with an odd feeling inside of you that I can't quite explain, all I can say I don't regret reading it one bit.

4 Bookmarks

ARC Book Review: On Demon Wings by Karina Halle

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On Demon Wings (Experiments in Terror #5)

Karina Halle

Review of Lying Season (Experiments in Terror #4)

Publication Date: May 13th 2012

Publisher: Metal Blonde Books

Pages:

Genre: Horror, Paranormal

When the life you wanted has crumbled beneath your fingers, there’s nothing left to do but pick up the pieces and soldier on. You’ve done this before.

But what happens when you no longer feel like yourself anymore? When fires spontaneously start-up around you, when you hear growling coming from underneath your bed, and you no longer recognize your face in the mirror. What happens then?

Ghost-hunter Perry Palomino doesn’t have much time to find out. Now, the evil she used to hunt is a lot closer to home. It’s inside of her, taking over her life bit-by-terrifying bit, and there’s only one person who can help her. If part of her doesn’t kill him first.

Oh. My. God. This is possibly one of the best books I've ever read, I'm not even exaggerating. It is so good that I am going to have to come back to this review in like a day to write most of it because I a still reeling from the experience. Needless to say this is the best written and scariest so far of the Experiments in Terror series. Halle has completely out did herself and I am on edge to see what will happen next. Why is this book not on every horror lover's shelf? It certainly deserves to be.

Now, personally, having had a couple of ghost experiences myself, I find stories about hauntings incredibly fascinating. I am one of those people who watch shows such as "A Haunting", "Celebrity Ghost Story", "The Haunted", etc. So I have a bias towards more personal experiences, and that is what we get in On Demon Wings. Perry as a person is haunted, as opposed to a place, and I sit there reading, freaking out along with her, upset her parents are acting the way they are (though very realistically so). Because I believe in ghosts and such, I find this book the scariest out of all the Experiment in Terror books, there is a sense of realism in this book that isn't in the others. The kind of things that happens to Perry, are similar to experiences I've heard happening to other people and it's that that makes this book so scary.

Also, I have no idea if it's on purpose or not, but I love that there is a Rosemary's Baby feel to some of the book. I used to be really into old Horror flicks, and that is one that scared me in a psychological way, so good for that.

Now, steering away from the plot itself and towards the characters, once again Perry hits the nail with acting so much like me. The way she completely shoves off everything from Experiments in Terror and attempts to make a new life gave me chills because I had to do the same exact thing recently because of a "best friend breakup", and as people tried to reach out to Perry, pretty much just as I was reading those part, I had a friend from the past reach out to me (talk about scary coincidences). That aside though, what strikes me is that it is very realistically portrayed. Perry is running, and who can really blame her? Of course you can't run from vengeful ghosts.

Perry's family is well done as well. I love how Ada steps up. She is still one-hundred percent the character of Ada, but as the books have progressed you can really tell that she and Perry are finally connecting as sisters and that connection leads to just what Perry needed here. On the other hand, Perry's parents react to things in a very realistic way, they would much rather believe that something is wrong with Perry's head than something paranormal.

This is possibly one of the longest reviews I've ever written (and of course on the blog there is still the Spoiler section), but honestly this is one of the best books I've ever read. After finishing this book I set my e-reader down and had to take a moment. I really wish I could pick out everything that I enjoyed and why, because I'd love to convince everyone to read this series, if only to get to this book right here. I just cannot believe I have to wait for the next one, I want to read it so badly.

Dex to the rescue! I love you Dex, I really do, you get things done, I truly think Perry would have died without his interference, which also reminds me, thank you Ada I love you as well and I'm honored I got to host your blog post. It is really good, in my opinion, that they had that time away from each other. I think Perry and Dex really realized how much they needed each other in that silence and something about Dex made me feel like he had grown a bit since last time.

The use of a medicine man for the exorcism was also a stroke of genius on Halle's part. It gives a completely different flavor than the usual "priest and exorcism" route and it connects things back to Red Fox, which is a literary technique I adore.

Speaking of Red Fox, I want to kill Maximus, slowly and painfully. He's so two-faced it makes me just ARGH! Every time he went to Perry's parents and said that he was just humoring Perry, I would get so angry that my poor Kobo e-reader was almost chucked across the room. It's hard enough for Perry, without him making it worse! I also got pretty pissed when I realize that him ingratiating himself with Perry was a form of revenge on Dex, although so was Perry's reason for sleeping with Max, but I like Perry and I don't like Max, so there.

Oh and the great revelation of Pippa completely took me by surprise! There were so many clues that I am quite ashamed I hadn't put them together that Pippa was Perry's grandmother. It really does make complete sense why Dex and Perry both see Pippa, and it also gives a feeling of "destiny" or "fate" about Dex and Perry meeting. They were already connected before, so how cool is it that they have found each other and have such great chemistry. It also gives reasons to why Perry's parents are so ready to believe that Perry is crazy, her mother has dealt with this before and decided that her own mother was crazy, so of course Perry must be crazy as well. With Ada starting to see things as well though, I wonder where things are going to go.

Read this book, period. Well actually, read the first four books and then read this book. Even though I know from other books how great Halle's writing is, I had not expected On Demon Wings to be that much better. Others may have different opinions, but for me this is my favourite and that bodes well for the series, since it just keeps getting better and better.

5 Bookmarks

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