For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

Do you have a favorite Jane Austen book? If you're reading this bloggy I'm more than a little positive you do. In fact, I'd wager a guess that many of you discerning readers place her timeless tale of Persuasion at the top of the pile. I do. More than a little bit. I remember cracking open its pages for the very first time after buying it at the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, England while on study abroad and just knowing that this was The Book for me. And it was. I've re-read it so many times but I still manage to cry (over Capt. Wentworth's letter of course) and to laugh and to smile and to sigh deeply at its end. So when I say that after hearing that a favorite author of mine was penning a retelling of said novel, I was a bit on tender-hooks. To discover that it was to be a post-apocalyptic retelling...well, say it isn't so Ms. Peterfreund.

As a Luddite, it has been ingrained in Elliot North since birth that her job is to watch over the laborers on her family's estate, the docile yet mentally 'incompetent' Reduced. Knowing full well she was the only North capable enough left to run the farm after the death of her sensible mother, Elliot nevertheless was ready to leave it all behind four years ago. Ready to leave with her best friend Kai, a Post-Reductionist (or a descendant of a Reduced who is normal) who was raised on the North estate. Yet responsible, practical Elliot changed her mind at the last moment as she forced herself to think of all those who depended on her for support and care, knowing her feckless father and prissy sister would never be able to keep things going on their own. A decision which left her heartbroken and alone, watching Kai leave for parts unknown with nary a word for over four years.

Imagine Elliot's surprise when Kai appears right in her backyard with a group progressive Post-Reductionists who want to rent her grandfather's boat building warehouse in order to build a new type of ship for exploration. No longer the childhood friend she remembers, Captain Malakai Wentforth (don't you love his new name?) is now cold and aloof and not at all pleased to be near Elliot. Which of course puts Elliot in a bit of a spot because how do you begin to tell your heart to stop loving someone just because they don't seem to want you anymore?

Diana Peterfreund you are a genius. Seriously. In a wash of classic retellings, you have managed to take my ALL TIME FAVORITE Jane Austen story, Persuasion, and remake it into a heart wrenching Sci-Fi adventure without the aid of a single vampire or zombie. Who does that?! In all seriousness though, I loved every stinkin' detail about this book. She reeled me in with those first few pages of letters between Elliot and Kai as children and then proceeded to sink her hooks into my heart as I watched Elliot try her best, fail and yet still managing to keep going -- even in the face of extreme suffering and betrayal. That is my kind of character, someone who I was rooting for and sympathizing with from the moment I saw that lovely cover.

Part of what makes For Darkness Shows the Stars such a special retelling is that I loved much how Ms. Peterfreund made this well-known story into her own. Yes, there are similarities between the two (enormously large ones in places) but readers can easily fall into the story and enjoy it solely on the basis of character conflict and story-building alone without having to have read Persuasion. My sole issue with this book is the ages of Elliot and Kai, who are eighteen at their reunion. I liked the characters being a bit past their prime in the original -- it added to the sense of life passing Ann Elliott by, but the age different does work here, if not as effectively.

I love reading authors' acknowledgments sections -- due to all the hidden gems contained therein -- and Ms. Peterfreund's proved exceptionally satisfying as she included Ms. Austen in her thanks saying: "Thank you for giving me the bones of this story, and forgive me the changes I've made to its DNA." Honestly, I can't think of a better way to describe this story. And really, I don't think she would have minded one bit.

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Angieville review
Book Harbinger review
Good Books & Good Wine review
The Readventurer review

book source: my local library

Tap & Gown by Diana Peterfreund

I hereby confess: It has taken me waaaay too long to finally read this book.

Amy and the Diggers have been through some truly rough spots in the past year. When her previous class decided to include girls in their age-old Boys Only club, they knew it was gonna be a bumpy road, but I don't think they ever imagined the sheer chaos in store. So you can imagine my glee when I (finally) picked up Tap & Gown - I never know what's going to happen next with Amy but heavens above, I completely trust Diana Peterfreund to get me there.

Graduation is looming hard and fast for Ivy Leaguer Amy Haskell and unfortunately for her, whereas most of her fellow Rose & Grave brothers have already nailed down their education/career plans, Amy's future couldn't be more hazy. As in trying to find a ray of sunshine in a hurricane hazy. Though of course our heroine doesn't necessarily have time to sit around and worry about what's in store seeing as she still has to submit one senior thesis and help choose the next class of Diggers. Both of which seem a lot easier to accomplish on paper. On top of her academic and society worries, Amy is trying to figure out just where her newly-established (yet truly goofy-grin inspiring) relationship with a certain fella will go. Not to mention that's she's stressed and still a little traumatized from the events of Spring Break (having someone try to kidnap you will do that to a girl), but Amy is determined to continue full steam ahead in true Bugaboo fashion. Though of course no Digger event or ceremony can ever be complete without a healthy dose of secrets, drama, and sometimes even a hint of danger...so why should Tap night be any different?

Finishing off this last book in Diana Peterfreund's Secret Society Girl series was a touch bittersweet. Fully awesome and everything and nothing I expected, but bittersweet none the less. I've been meaning to finish this series for months now and then Angie posted such a slpendiferous account of the books during Literary Love that I finally broke down, bought the thing, read it and then proceeded to pass it on to everyone I know. Knowing of course, that it was my last glimpse at Amy and her time at Eli.

Even though I did miss the less-society-centric drama of Rites of Spring (Break), I could not help but sink right back into Amy and the Drama Diggers. It must go without saying that the most anticipated part of this novel was Amy's time with the men-folk. Because, frankly, Diana Peterfreund has done such a bang up job of making me love, nay adore, each and every one of Amy's love interests in their time. First there was Brandon - the uber-smart, yet totally chill boy-next-door that I couldn't stop sighing over. Then came George Harrison Prescott with his sexy smile and bad boy persona: let's just go ahead and say that George is too delicious. And finally we moved onto Poe... *sigh* Poe of the lifesavers, Poe who signs his notes 'Pajamie,' and Poe who has more loyalty in his little finger than anyone in the entire Rose & Grave society combined. sigh And he has nice shoulders. I love the man. I do.

Another little reason I wholeheartedly recommend this series is because Diana Peterfreund is forever dropping little references to things that happened in the previous books. Things that usually meant a great deal when they initally happened, but then will only get a slight mention later on (none of this going back and explaining in full detail why X is so dang important stuff). So unless you are privileged enough to know the whole story,  you would miss out on all that added depth and meaning to many a scene. I'm a big fan of when authors do that. It makes me feel like I'm part of a secret club and I want to run around and ask everyone "did you notice this teeny-tiny part? did ya?" to see if they too caught on. Genius.

I hereby confess: I didn't want it to end.

series reading order:
~ Secret Society Girl - my review
~ Under the Rose - my review
~ Rites of Spring (Break) - my review
~ Tap & Gown

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Angieville review 
Me & My Books review 
Not Enough Bookshelves review
Reading and Ruminations review

book source: purchased

Rampant by Diana Peterfreund

Diana Peterfreund would like to take a moment to kindly rip to shreds everything you previously thought you knew about unicorns. Unicorns are not the fluffy, magical creatures from your childhood storybooks. In actuality, they are vicious, killer beasts whose horns can kill with a single scratch. Oh, and another happy thought? These man eating monsters aren't fiction and they aren't extinct.

These are the facts Astrid Llewelyn has heard from her certifiable mother since birth. Needless to say she's a skeptic. But all that changes when her boyfriend is gored by a rampaging unicorn and Astrid is suddenly shipped off to a convent of sorts in Italy where she will be trained to hunt (and kill) unicorns. Her qualifications? Astrid is descended from a long line of unicorn hunters; women who posses special abilities (like running or archery) which only manifest when they are in the presence of a unicorn, thus turning them into the perfect hunters of these killer beasties. It also doesn't hurt that Astrid is a virgin - much to her teenage chagrin. Female virgins are the only individuals immune to the deadly poison from a unicorn's horn and they also act as a sort of homing device for unicorns. Once again aiding in the Hunt and Kill agenda. But Astrid is a reluctant hunter to say the least. She doesn't feel like it should be her destiny to hunt unicorns like her fanatic mother believes. That is until she meets Giovanni in Rome and unicorns begin to attack her fellow hunters and Astrid discovers she has no choice but to join the fight against the unicorns.

Like many readers, I was eager to pick up Rampant. Come on! Killer unicorns - who would not read it on that premise alone? It's got to be one of the more ingenious concepts I've come across in quite a while. Astrid herself is a likable character although I did have some problems with her fanatical mom, Lillith. In essence she seemed a bit more like a plot tool than anything else. Lillith floats in and out of Astrid's life when convenient and never really acts like a mother figure at all. To be fair, Peterfreund never sets Lillith up as a model guardian - quite the opposite - her unicorn fascination has previously led to unemployment and general population shunning. So her actions are not necessarily out of character, they just didn't sit quite right with me.

In contrast, Astrid's interactions with Giovanni are blindingly real and absolute perfection. If you've read the Secret Society Girl series then you know just how well Peterfreund does relationships and Rampant is no exception. My only complaint? There simply weren't enough scenes between the studious Giovanni and Astrid to satisfy my inner romantic.

Another stumbling block to my enjoyment had to be the book's constant preoccupation with sex. I understand that a large part of Astrid being able to hunt unicorns is due to the fact that she is a virgin, but it was constantly pushed and seemed to be incorporated into every new plot development. After a bit, I felt like all Astrid did was: fight unicorns, wait around convent, talk about sex, fight unicorns, talk about sex, wait around convent, rinse, repeat. Perhaps the reason I was less than impressed with this cycle is simply because there were so many other interesting things that could have been discussed. She's in ROME! And a really cute boy wants to spend time with her! And there are killer unicorns after her! Sheesh. I'll get off my soapbox now and just hope that Ascendant offers more in the way of killer unicorn action and face time with cutie-boy Giovanni.

series reading order:
~ Rampant
~ Ascendant (September 2010)

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Angieville review and interview
Library Lounge Lizard review
Not Enough Bookshelves review
Presenting Lenore review
Rhiannon Hart review

book source: my local library

Rites of Spring (Break) by Diana Peterfreund

What Amy Haskel thought would be her best (and last) year at prestigious Eli University has been crazier than she could have ever imagined. After being tapped into the uber-secret Rose & Grave secret society she's dealt with:

1. disgruntled patriarchs who think adding girls to the society will be it's downfall

2. fellow society brothers who have no qualms about publishing society secrets; breaking several oaths in the process

So Amy hasn't exactly had much breathing room or time to work on her thesis for that matter. By the time Spring Break rolls around, Amy is more than ready for some R&R at the private Rose & Grave island, Cavador Key. Only she's not about to escape the ever-present R&G intrigue including threats of exposure even as she's eyeballing a particular patriarch who is looking less annoying and suddenly ever more appealing. *rubs hands together*

I don’t know why it took me so long to return to the Secret Society Girl series. Sure, I enjoyed reading about Amy’s escapades with her Rose & Grave brothers in Secret Society Girl and Under the Rose, but the previous two books just didn’t grab me in an unforgettable way. Don't get me wrong - both were lots of fun, just not...perfection. I could also attribute my reticence in continuing to the fact that the cover of Rites of Spring (Break) looks suspiciously like a fluffy gossip girl read and I was less than inclined to pick it up on that base alone. Shame on me for judging by the cover and all that nonsense.

And now? Well, after reading about 20 pages of Amy’s story, my backside was so sore from kicking myself that I don’t think I can sit down for a week. Natch. I had forgotten just how intelligent, how layered, and ultimately just how much fun Amy and the crew are. Not to mention the genius inclusion of numerous lists, charts, and footnotes (of all things) right in the middle of the book that, if anything, were enough to make my inner OCD organizer fall madly in love. Who else but Diana Peterfreund could break up one of the hottest scenes(!!) I've read in a long time with Amy's list on why she shouldn't be in said situation and not have me completely put out but actually loving every bit of it? No one else, that's who. So why has it taken me so long to return to Amy, the Diggers and the all-encompassing drama of Eli? I have no idea. But return I did and I couldn’t have been more pleased. And, I hereby confess it will not take me half as long to pick up Tap & Gown.

series reading order:
~ Secret Society Girl - my review
~ Under the Rose - my review
~ Rites of Spring (Break)
~ Tap & Gown

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Angieville review
Darque review
Fresh Fiction review
Me and My Books review
Teen Book review

book source: purchased

Under the Rose by Diana Peterfreund

Senior year isn't going quite as Amy Haskel would have liked. Sure, she's at prestigious Ivy League Eli University and she's also a member of that oh-so exclusive secret society the Rose & Grave, but Amy is quickly finding out balancing classes, a senior thesis, and society business is not all it's cracked up to be. Once again, the R&G seems to be falling apart as the current members receive vague warnings threatening that the society is rotting from the inside out. What's more, a traitor, who is slowly spilling society secrets, is on the loose and has everyone up in arms and once again convinced that admitting girls to the R&G was the worst idea EVER. Amy doesn't know which of her brothers has leaked the information but she isn't about to trust any of them on her quest for the truth - hoping that it doesn't destroy the Rose & Grave along the way. Just once, Amy would like to enjoy being a part of her society without all the worry and fear.

The second installment of Peterfreund's tell-all novels plunges us right back into the world of Amy's not-so-ordinary college experience. Standing out in this series is Amy with her blinding intelligence and loyalty, she is instantly likable and an unforgettable narrator. She is neurotic and doesn't always understand her worth, but she ALWAYS gets the job done. What's not to love? At times, I felt the drama and society debates dragged on a bit and rehashed the same topic over and over but there was always some witty dialogue or snarky remark that would bring a smile back to my face. A fun, summer read that hopefully continues to be just as enjoyable.

Now if only I could convince my library to buy the last two books in the series...

reading order:
~ Secret Society Girl
~ Under the Rose
~ Rites of Spring (Break)
~ Tap & Gown

Summer Reading Blitz update: 6/30

Secret Society Girl by Diana Peterfreund

Amy Haskel is just finishing up her successful junior year at Ivy League Eli University. She's editor of the Literary Magazine, has an awesome internship lined up, and is currently enjoying a nice friends with benefits relationship. Now if only she could finish War and Peace before finals... Amy figures she is a shoo-in for the literary secret society on campus, Quill & Ink, but when she is finally tapped, she finds out it's not the safe literary group she thought, but The Most Prestigious secret society on campus - the Rose & Grave.

And they only tap men.

Amy is more than confused and the societies' strict no-talking-about-anything-secret-society ensures that she continues to be in the dark. It's only when Rose & Grave alumns who are decidedly against any female admittance to their 'boys club' does Amy get a broader scope of the R&G's power and control.

I left this novel torn between feeling like I missed out on something during college by not being at a university with such traditions and being so grateful I wasn't mixed up with all these sorts of shenanigans. But then again, how can a girl resist the tell-all nature of Amy's 'confession' as she faithfully outlines the inner workings of the R&G? Let's just say I didn't. Amy happens to be my kind of girl - she over thinks everything, makes hilarious lists (did I mention how much I like lists?), and she's always up for a good conspiracy theory (LOVE). Most of all, Amy always stands up for her friends - especially her fellow Diggirls. She is my idea of a model woman.

reading order:
~ Secret Society Girl
~ Under the Rose
~ Rites of Spring (Break)
~ Tap & Gown

Summer Reading Blitz update: 5/30