Review: Ruby Red (Edelstein Trilogie #1), by Kerstin Gier

Ruby Red (Edelstein Trilogie #1)
By Kerstin Gier
Publication Date: In the US, May 10th, 2011 (Henry Holt and Co), originally published January 6th, 2009 (by some German Publishing House I can't find the name of)
Hardcover, 330 pages
Genre: Sci-Fi; Romance; Historical Fiction; Adventure; Fantasy; YA
Source: School Library! :)

DESCRIPTION:

Sixteen-year-old Gwen lives with her extended—and rather eccentric—family in an exclusive London neighborhood. In spite of her ancestors' peculiar history, she's had a relatively normal life so far. The time traveling gene that runs like a secret thread through the female half of the family is supposed to have skipped over Gwen, so she hasn't been introduced to "the mysteries," and can spend her time hanging out with her best friend, Lesley, watching movies and talking about boys. It comes as an unwelcome surprise then when she starts taking sudden, uncontrolled leaps into the past.

She's totally unprepared for time travel, not to mention all that comes with it: fancy clothes, archaic manners, a mysterious secret society, and Gideon, her time-traveling counter-part. He's obnoxious, a know-it-all, and possibly the best-looking guy she's seen in any century...

—from the book's dust jacket

REVIEW:

Every once and a while, it's refreshing to read something straightforward and without the extra wordage lots of writers like to put into their stories. That straightforward book was Ruby Red. Of course, the straightforwardness of the book could be because the author is German and the book was translated into English, so some meaning could be lost in translation, but I don't know. I mean, I believe Inkheart by Cornelia Funke was translated into English from German, and that book is incredibly wordy. So it could just be Kerstin Gier's style. But that's besides the point.

Gwen's best friend, Lesley, was my favorite character. The best-friend-characters tend to be more likable than the actual protagonist to me for some reason. My biggest problem with Gwen, however, was that she was completely useless. The type of useless comparable to Sleeping Beauty's uselessness. I didn't care for Charlotte, Gweneth's cousin, but I don't think the reader is suppose to feel too sympathetic towards her. Nor did I care for Gideon. He was the love interest of the story (not a spoiler due to the book description) and was characterized quite blandly, meaning that he was characterized as the sterotypical male love interest of most young adult lit.: arrogant with some hardcoming that hurts them so badly that somehow it turns their personality inside out and makes them some sensitive nice guy.

Bleck.

The way Gwen's family treated her reminded me of Harry Potter. Everyone overlooks her because she's simply ordinary. They don't think there's anything special about her. Then, when she learns that she carries the time travel gene, some people in her family treat her even worse. It's not exactly the same as Harry Potter's situtation, but it radiated vibes that reminded me of Harry Potter.

Being the first in a triology, this book was more of an exposition for the whole series. That said, there wasn't much action, not much of a climax at all. But it certainly has promise and I'm excited to read the next one.

RATING:

Review: The Monstrumologist (The Monstrumologist, #1), by Rick Yancy

The Monstrumologist (The Monstrumologist, #1)
By Rick Yancy
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2010 (Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers)
Genre: Horror; Historical Fiction; Paranormal; Supernatural; Fantasy; Mystery; Sci-Fi; Adventure; YA
Source: Library!

DESCRIPTION:

"These are the secrets I have kept. This is the trust I never betrayed. But he is dead now and has been for nearly ninety years, the one who gave me his trust, the one for who I kept these secrets. The one who saved me...and the one who cursed me."

So starts the diary of Will Henry, orphan and assistant to a doctor with a most unusual specialty: monster hunting. In the short time he has lived with the doctor, Will has grown accustomed to his late night callers and dangerous business. But when one visitor comes with the body of a young girl and the monster that was feeding on her, Will's world is about to change forever. The doctor has discovered a baby Anthropophagi—a headless monster that feeds through the mouthfuls of teeth in its chest—and it signals a growing number of Anthropophagi. Now, Will and the doctor must face the horror threatening to overtake and consume our world before it is too late.

The Monstrumologist is the first stunning Gothic adventure in a series that combines the spirit of HP Lovecraft with the storytelling ability of Rick Riordan.

—from goodreads.com

REVIEW:

The Monstrumologist was the first ever Gothic horror novel I have ever read, AND I'M DEFINITELY READING THE SEQUEL! I judged a book by it's cover while I was in the library and it paid off! This book was excellent!

The plot proved interesting and spaced itself away from the vampire/werewolves/supernatural power/sinister academy/fallen angel/fairy books with all those dark looking cover that I'm so very sick of seeing in libraries and bookstores and hearing people rave about (not that I don't like them, because I do like them, just the well-written ones because they're turning those supernatural books out so fast they seem like a generic cereal bran, all with the same character archetypes and plots).

Although the book does have a sinister antagonist in it that is indeed a monster, this monster is completely different from lipstick-wearing vampires that love the scent of strawberry shampoo. This monster is seldom heard of and isn't found in any human-creature romance. Instead, you'll find this monster ravaging human flesh with razor teeth. Wanna looksee?

Picture from the blog, Corner Ink Journal

I baby-barf just looking at it.

Worst part? They've infested New England and it's up to the monstrumologist, Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, and his indispensable twelve-year-old apprentice, Will Henry to exterminate the infestation.

On the negative side, the beginning of the book is very slow-paced, and did little to draw me in (with the first chapter as an exception). I always tried to get a chapter in before bed, but the chapters were so long that I would usually only get half in.

Don't get me wrong: there were phenomenal chapters, my favorite being the one with the old man in the insane asylum ("What of the Flies?" I believe it is called. You'll know what I'm talking about when you read it), and in those cases, I'd read more than a chapter and my eyes would swell because before I would know it, it would be one in the morning.

The writing style is formal and wordy since the book takes place in the 1888. I also suppose that's the reason why the chapters are so long.

The book started to pick up pace during the chapter called "The Help," because it introduced a fascinating character named Jack Kearns. I must admit that I liked him better than Will Henry.

The Monstrumologist is a perfect scare for people who like both historical fiction and fantasy.

RATING:

Review: The Apothecary, by Maile Meloy

The Apothecary
By Maile Meloy
Publication Date: August 29, 2011 (G.P. Putnam's Sons)
Hardcover, 362 pages
Genre: Fantasy; Adventure; Historical Fiction; Mystery; Childrens;  YA
Source: Library (but I loved the story so much that I bought it)

DESCRIPTION:

It's 1952 and the Scott family has moved unexpectedly from Los Angeles to London. Janie Scott feels uncertain in her strange new school until she meets Benjamin Burrows, the local apothecary's curious defiant son, who dreams of becoming a spy.

Benjamin's father promises Janie a cure for homesickness, and it seems to work. But Mr. Burows is no orindary apothecary, and he holds dangerous secrets. When he disappears, Benjamin and Janie find themselves entrusted with his sacred book, the Pharmacopoeia. And Russian spies are intent on getting their hands on it.

Discovering transformative elixirs they never imagined could exist, Janie and Benjamin embark on a dangerous quest to save the apothecary and prevent an impending nuclear disaster.

From award-winning author Maile Meloy comes a novel that sparkles with life and magic. Breathtakingly illustrated by Ian Schoenherr, this is a sotry that will delight kids and return not-so-young readers to a world in which the extraordinary is possible.

—from the book's dust jacket

REVIEW:

I love love love The Apothecary. It's classified as a childrens book, but I'd say it's boarderline young adult. Scratch that. The Apothecary is for anyone young at heart,  but I think female fans of Harry Potter will enjoy it the most.

Anyway, The Apothecary had a completely delightful cast of characters.

Janie was a real diamond in the rough in the world of weak-female-protagonists and male-hero-dominated-adventure-books: she was both a strong and determined main character, and a pleasant narrator (the book is written in first-person). As a reader, I found Janie easy to get along with. Benjamin, who I'd say was another protagonist, was admirably brave, and Pip, the street urchin was resourceful, funny, and intelligent. Pip wasn't my favorite, but he could easily be any reader's favorite.

My favorte character was Sergei. I completely adored Sergei. He reminded me of a more lonely version of Neville Longbottom, and I pitied him so much for it. I loved Jin Lo second best, because she acted tough and nonchalant on the outside, but harbored hidden sorrows inside. 

The plot rocked. It was fresh and ingenious. Even though the characters often brewed potions such as the Smell of Truth and the Invisibilty Elixar, I found none of it cheesy or unbelievable partially due to the way the author, Maile Meloy, and Janie presented it in the book. By "Chapter 7: The Message," which began on page 60 in my hardcover copy, the pace of the book picked up and I coudn't put it down. By the end, all the sub-plots and plots and conflicts were so tangled together that I didn't know how the end would turn out (and it seemed like the author didn't know either because one point of the conflict was lamely compromised), until I reached the ending.

The ending. Grrr. :( It took my breath away not in the way you may think. :(

The Apothecary, by Maile Meloy (funfact: Maile Meloy is the sister of Colin Meloy, lead singers in the band, The Decemberists) is a truely magical and ingenious book that I would read again and again and again and again and...

RATING:

Review: East, by Edith Pattou

East
By Edith Pattou
Publication Date: September 1st, 203 (Harcourt Children's Books)
Hardcover, 498 pages
Genre: Fantasy; Fairy Tale; Retelling; Romance; Adventure; YA
Source: Library (Reed Memorial)

DESCRIPTION:

A magical epic of love, betrayal, and loss.

Rose is the youngest of seven children, meant to replace her dead sister.

Maybe because of that, she's never really fit in. She's always felt different, out of place, a restless wanderer in a family of homebodies. So when an enormous white bear mysteriously shows up and asks her to come away with it —in exchange for health and prosperity for her ailing family—she readily agrees. 

Rose travels on the bear's broad back to a distant and empty castle, where she is nightly joined by a mysterious stranger. In discovering his identity, she loses her heart—and finds her purpose—and realizes her journey has only just begun.

As familiar and moving as Beauty and the Beast, yet as fresh and original as only the best fantasy can be, East is a bold retelling of the classic tale "East of the Sun and West of the Moon," a sweeping story of grand proportions.

—from the book's dust jacket

REVIEW:

If you don't read East, by Edith Pattou, you're not missing out on anything.

I knew I probably wouldn't like it by page 25, but I kept at it anyway. I even followed my Fiftieth-Page Rule, the one where "giving a book a fair chance" means reading fifty pages in, then deciding if I want to stop reading it. But I kept reading past the fiftieth page, so the book must be doing something right.

(By the way, here is a link to the original Norwegian fairy tale, "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" if you want to read it.)

First, East is written in first-person, but the views alternate between Rose, Neddy (Rose's older brother), Father (Rose's father), Troll Queen, and White Bear. I don't have a point-of-view preference, so I didn't mind the alternating view points.

The main character, Rose, was so foolish the majority of the time, it made me want to pull my hair out. Her foolishness seemed to clash with her admirable intelligence, which I don't understand. I don't understand how in one instance a person can set a character up as having quick-wit, and then in the next, make the character foolish. I just don't get it.

The climax was anything but that. I'm itching to sarcastically tell you the climax, but I can't because you may want to read it.

East was too long. Worst yet, I feel like East had no substance. It's hard to describe, but I'll try. In it, the narrator tells you this happened, then this happened, then this happened. The end. No moral. No value. Nothing.  

And what the H is with all of these Stockholm Syndrome fairy tales? Beauty and the Beast, anyone? Stockholm Syndrome does NOT equal romantic.

RATING:

Review: Sabriel (Abhorsen #1), by Garth Nix

Sabriel (Abhorsen #1)
By Garth Nix
Publication Date: 1995 (Harper Collins)
Hardcover, 292 pages
Genre: Fantasy; Adventure; YA
Source: Library

DESCRIPTION:

Ever since she was a tiny child, Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the random power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who won't stay dead. But now her father, the Mage Abhorsen, is missing, and to find him Sabriel must cross back into that world.

Though her journey begins alone, she soon fined companions: Mogget, whose seemingly harmless feline form hides a powerful—and perhaps malevolent—spirit, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage long imprisoned by magic, now free in body but still trapped by painful memories. 

With threats on all sides and only each other to trust, the three must ravel deep into the Old Kingdom, toward a battle that will pit them against the true forces of life and death—and bring Sabriel face-to-face with her own hidden destiny.

A tale of dark secrets, deep love, and dangerous magic, Sabriel introduces Garth Nix as an exceptional new talent.

—from the book's dust jacket

REVEIW:

First of all, let's talk about the book cover: Is that a girl or boy on the cover? Take a moment to look at it.

Odds are you're thinking about his man-hands. However, the truth in the matter is, that that man is a wo-man. Yeah...

Anyway, I don't buy books often. Okay: I try not to buy books often. Sometimes I buy books when I don't really have any money because (not necessarily in the order of reasons I'm most passionate about) 1) I love supporting the work of great authors; 2) I love the smell, the feel, and the look of a new book; and 3) I love sharing great books by lending them to friends. 

Sabriel, the first book in the Abhorsen Series (it was originally a trilogy, but that idea is no more. There are currently four books in the series), by Australian author Garth Nix, is a book I will without-a-doubt purchase.

Sabriel isn't about Sabriel, the 18-year-old female protagonist, journeying into the afterlife to save her dead father from, well, death, by bring him back to, well, life. I thought it might be. Not really though. Sabriel only goes into Death a handful or two handfuls of times in the book. Most of the time is spent in this raw, broken country called the "Old Kingdom," as Sabriel and her companions are chased by the Dead (what we would call "zombies") and an unspeakable evil that is trying to manifest itself again in the world of the living.

Sabriel was a pretty flat character. I liked Mogget, the "cat," and his smugness. Touchstone made me laugh, even though I don't think some of the parts he was highlighted in, such as his crazy-rage parts, were meant to be humorous. Still, I found Touchstone pretty unremarkable.

The world-building in Sabriel is fantastic and the ideas in it are unlike anything I've ever read. 

Sabriel's world is made up of two completely different places: Old Kingdom and Ancelstierre. Think of Ancelstierre as similar to our own world, with perhaps a pinch of World War Two England in it: electricity, modern-ish weaponry, boarding schools. Then Ancelstierre is like some rouge, war-torn country, with Free, lawless magic. Ancelstierre and Old Kingdom are right next to each other, the only thing separating them from one another is a wall and a second-rate army on the Ancelstierre side. Cool world, right? Taking gated communities to a whole new level.

More on the world: there's Gore Crows, which are basically zombie crows; Mordicants, beasts made of human blood, moulded bog mud, and magic freakin' blasts out of their mouths and drips from their claws (aka: awesome); and Mordaut, which are parasitic zombies. Of course there's more, but those are my favorites. 

RATING:

Review: I'll Be There, by Holly Goldberg Sloan

I'll Be There
By Holly Goldberg Sloan
Publication Date: May 3rd, 2011 (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Hardcover, 392 pages
Genre: Adventure; Coming of Age; Contemporary; Romance; YA
Source: Library

DESCRIPTION:

Sam Border wishes he could escape. Raised by an unstable father, he's spent his life moving form place to place. But he could never abandon his little brother, Riddle.

Riddle Border doesn't talk much. Instead, he draws pictures of the insides of things and waits for the day when the outsides of things will make sense. He worships his older brother. But how can they leave when there's nowhere to go? Then everything changes. Because Sam meets Emily.

Emily Bell believes in destiny. She sings for her church choir, though she doesn't have a particularly good voice. Nothing, she feels, is more coincidence. And she's singing at the moment she first sees Sam.

Everyone whose path you cross in life has the power to change you—sometimes in small ways, and sometimes in greater ways than you could have ever known. Beautifully written and emotionally profound, Holly Goldberg Sloan's debut novel deftly explores the idea of human connection.

—from goodreads.com
 

REVEIW:

OhmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshOHMYGOSH!

I'LL BE THERE WAS FLIPPIN' AMAZING! WHERE HAS THIS BOOK BEEN MY WHOLE LIFE? You'll be asking the same thing once you read it. :)

Sam Border, a kindhearted musical-protege, and his highly introverted brother, Riddle Border, live a nomadic life with their violence-prone, schizophrenic father, Clarence Border. Life with Clarence Border consists of Clarence driving his truck and kids (which are the last thought in his life) to a medium-sized town. Here, Clarence commits petty crimes, such as stealing, breaking-and-entering, and vandalism. When people start getting suspicious, Clarence packs the truck up and leaves, taking Sam and Riddle with him.

Because Clarence is a criminal, Sam and Riddle have to be invisible, leading into the fact that seventeen-year-old Sam hasn't been to school since second grade, and twelve-year-old Riddle has never been to school.

However, one day, Sam "randomly" picks a church service to go to not to be preached to, but to hear the music. At the service a girl named Emily Bell sings "I'll Be There" and Sam falls in love with her—convinced not by her awful singing voice, but by the fact that she seems to be singing to him, singing the powerful words sincerely—completely changing his life and his brother's life.

Until they have to pack up and leave again with their father, leaving the life and love they established behind...

Sam Border, Riddle Border, and Emily Bell, were characterized much, but it worked for the style of the book. There were at least eleven secondary characters who were essential to the plot as a whole. At the beginning, all of their plot lines seemed random, and I had no idea how things would play out, but in the end, the strands came together to resolve the story beautifully.

I'll Be There is written in third-person omniscient point-of-view, making the reader feel like a spectator, watching events unfold. If I remember correctly, Sam, Riddle, Emily, all eleven (if not more) secondary characters, and a bear (yes, a bear) were all highlighted at some point by the omniscient narrator.

Because the characters (even the main characters) weren't characterized into 3D existence, because the book is written in third-person omniscient, and because the writing style of the book is straightforward, each portion of the book that follows a different character feels like a snapshot of what (or who) the character really is.

In that way, I'll Be There, by Holly Goldberg Sloan, is very much like a delightful movie (and it should be made into a movie), and reads exactly what a movie would read like, offering the movie-goer a glimpse into many different lives, lives of both horrific shock and of unmistakable beauty.

RATING:

 

Review: The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Fire and Thorns #1), by Rae Carson

The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Fire and Thorns #1)
By Rae Carson
Publication Date: September 20th, 2011 (Greenwillow)
Hardcover, 424 pages
Genre: Fantasy; Adventure; YA
Source: Library

DESCRIPTION:

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.

Elisa is the chosen one.

But she is also the younger of two princesses. The one who has never done anything remarkable, and can't see how she ever will.

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs her to be the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies, seething with dark magic, are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior, and he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn't die young.

Most of the chosen do.

—from the book's dust jacket

REVIEW:

Here. I will provide you, joyous reader, with an even shorter blurb, a summary if you will, brought to you by the copyright page of The Girl of Fire and Thorns:

SUMMARY: A fearful sixteen-year-old princess discovers her heroic destiny after being married off to the king of a neighboring country in turmoil and pursued by enemies seething with dark magic.

:/ Still not good enough.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns, the first book in a planned trilogy (I can't wait for the next book which comes out in September 2012!) follows the arc of Elisa, a fat and useless princess who God had chosen to provide an act of service to the human race. She sits around, eating pomegranate scones, venison with basil and garlic, and spiced lamb shanks with buttered spinach (Let your mouth water. Food is mentioned a ton in this book, but it is not overly described. It's always the occasional, "We're eating this:") until she's literally bursting her dress seams.

Yet, somehow, she is THE BEARER of this century's "Godstone," which is fixed in her navel, always reminding her of her destiny, turning cold to warn her and turning warm to assure her (in essence, Elisa's Godstone is a bit like Harry Potter's scar). Elisa, of course, knows God has it all wrong. He must have picked the wrong person, because she is no where near heroic. She's nothing like her sister, which she envies oh so much.

So, Elisa gets married off to the neighboring kingdom's king, who needs Elisa, Bearer of the Godstone, to help him defeat barbaric, bloodthirsty invaders and protect his kingdom. However, as a Bearer of the Godstone, she's more sought after than she thinks, by friends—and by cutthroat enemies.

THE END OF MY BLURB

Anyway, Elisa is a wonderful character. Quite Kick-Ass, if I do say so myself. Even while she was fat, she was never as useless as she thought she was. She saw the venomous people her husband's court for what they were, and the gears in her head were always turning. She was analytical and a wonderful problem solver. Quite frankly, she was utterly brilliant. And she grows into her skin even more than just figuring out puzzles—actually, I could say Elisa grew out of her skin, such was the nature of her destiny, courage, and will power.

To everyone who says they predicted something in a book: you will not be able to predict the mind-blowing events in The Girl of Fire and Thorns. It's like slight-of-hand. The surprises in The Girl of Fire and Thorns are like getting slapped; or being pushed out of a car going 60 miles-an-hour; or having your heart sucked out, through your mouth, by an industrial-grade vacuum cleaner.

I can't begin to tell you how much I found Elisa admirable and inspiring. It will probably come across as cheesy, dear reader, but she's the embodiment of heroism coming from a person nobody would define as even remotely "heroic." Nobody would ever suspect that Elisa is capable of having courage and being a strong leader. I like the idea that anyone, even that quiet, lonely person sitting next to you in Advanced Pre-Calculus, can have the making of a hero—they just need the opportunity.

Please please please bare with The Girl of Fire and Thorns to at least Part Two (page 142 in the hardcover edition) if you do choose to read it. If you want to put it then, sure; I won't hold a grudge because at least you tried. The beginning is awfully slow, and you will be tempted to put the book down (if we're being honest, I actually did put the book down numerous times because I had to return it to the library. I've had to borrow it at least three times, each borrow a period of two weeks. I've been reading it since April and just finished it yesterday, August 20th, 2012). But just please please please make it to Part Two at least: That's when Elisa stops being some fat girl who thinks she's useless, and starts to become the Bearer of the Godstone who knows her own strength—a girl truly of fire and thorns.

RATING: