Best of 2017

Man am I ever so glad to see the back of 2017. Could be the fact that my husband accepted a job offer and we moved across the state all within the span of a month. And that we sandwiched said move right between the holidays. Ugh. Don't do that to yourselves, friends.

But there has also been a lot of really, really good and surprisingly exceptional things that happened in 2017. I started editing for another publisher and have been enjoying a steady increase in my freelance business too. Dreams do come true! And there were some pretty wondrous books that came my way. This year I read 176 books -- 12 audio, 91 ebooks, and 73 in print. Some of these were published prior to 2017, but I'm still counting them because I'm a rebel like that.

Best Fantasy
A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab
This book lived up to every expectation V.E. Schwab set in the previous books and then some. Her character arcs were heartbreaking and beautiful and maybe I cried for like the last 30 pages of the book. Maybe. I wanted to get lost in the gorgeous words and luxuriate in the descriptions. Schwab is a master at her craft and I so loved every single moment I spent with Kell, Lila, Holland, Rhy, and Alucard in the four Londons.

Best Feminist Manifesto
Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu
I read a lot of feminist stuff this year. A lot. But it's like, once you know this stuff is out there, you can't stop seeing it ... or wanting to know more, in my case. This though-provoking YA tackles the ever-present sexism and abuse girls face every single day. Moxie does a fabulous job at reminding the reader just how terribly hard it is to grow up female. I want Moxie to become required reading -- and I hope it inspires girls to stand up for each other.

Best All The Feels Romance
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
This is one of those books that have been recommended to me over and over again but I never felt like I was in the right place to enjoy it. I'm so glad I waited until this year because I think I was at the perfect place to appreciate the story. I actually began listening to it and really fell in love with the dual narrators. Ms. Niffenegger masterfully made both Claire and Henry's voices come alive as they shared the impossible and the utterly mundane. This book was so viscerally real to me, I actually took over a month to finish it because I just had to savor the words and digest them.

Best Doorstop Fantasy
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
This book is HUGE, like over 1,000 pages huge, and everyone who actually finishes it should get an prize. But Brandon Sanderson needed every single one of those pages to fully embrace and explore his many, many characters on their incredible journeys. This series does such a phenomenal job of fully capturing the nuances of good and evil. It's like he's taken a lens to each character when their back is to the wall, simply to find out, what will they do now? Riveting stuff.

Best Beauty and the Beast Retelling
Hunted by Megan Spooner
This category is kind of a cop-out because Hunted is so much more than a retelling. It's a gorgeously penned story of a fierce female huntress with an incredible weight on her shoulders. The setting becomes almost a character in and of itself and yes, there is a truly epic love story. It's one of those books where I caught myself physically petting the pages because of all the beautiful words.

Best Middle Grade
The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin
Uniquely beautiful story about a girl who struggles to find herself in the perilous struggle of middle school while dealing with loss and grief in her own way. Weighty and unexpectedly lovely, I cannot recommend this one enough.

Best #LoveOzYA
Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley
Gorgeously written with one of the best ideas for a bookshop. Can someone please make this place real? Cath Crowley is an amazingly talented writer and I could not get this story out of my head for weeks. She made the pulse of the ocean and the profound serenity to be found in books come alive. Such beautiful words.

Best Horrifyingly Elegant Mystery
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Another 'classic' book that I finally got around to reading this year. Twisty, elegant, and utterly horrifying plotting by Donna Tartt. She takes this group of misfit Classics students and turns them into a sinister and underhanded lot. Richard is a fabulous unreliable narrator and there were so many moments of dawning horror when I realized just how terrible every single character truly was (even their so-called 'authority figure'). But above all is Ms. Tartt's unmistakable genius.

Best Didn't-Read-as-a-Serial Serial
Clean Sweep, Sweep in Peace, One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews
So I technically read Clean Sweep as a serial on Ilona Andrews' blog when it was first being released, but serials and I don't really get along and I so waited patiently for the rest to come out before binge reading. It'd probably be a surprise if an Ilona Andrews book didn't make my best of list. The storytelling is magnificent and Dina and her inn, Gertrude Hunt, are amazing protectors of all things family and loyalty.

Honorable Mention

Best Twisty YA
Conviction by Kelly Loy Gilbert
I discovered this gem randomly clicking through the archives of Forever Young Adult and it more than delivered. From the multi-layered meaning of the title, this books screws with your head in the way only truly talented authors can manage. Braden, Trey, and their dad, Mart, are all such carefully drawn characters in a story that unfolds in a terrifyingly real and heartbreaking way.

So that's it for me. What books made your Best Of lists?

See Michelle Read's Best Of 2016 2015 2014 2012 2011 2010

Loving Richard Feynman by Penny Tangey

I just love it when quirky little books find their way to me.

Loving Richard Feynman first popped up on my radar after Mandi (@thebookishmanicurist) spotlighted it on one of her amazing Insta posts. Being married to an engineer who is an avid devotee of Richard Feynman (they even share a birthday!), I was immediately intrigued about the concept of a teenage girl writing letters to dead Nobel-winning physicist. I'm not exactly one who reads science-y books, but I've actually read the book Catherine rations out reading, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman, which serves as a perfect device to help explore her ever-changing feelings for the physicist and life in general. It was actually a treat to see many of my same observations of that book echoed by Catherine in such an intelligent and pragmatic manner. I too think Catherine is a 'box of nerdish delight."

I thoroughly enjoyed Catherine's odd-duck observations on the mysteries of teen-dom. When done well, epistolary novels are often my favorite type to read and Catherine's struggles to deal with ridicule and overtures of friendship from her classmates are presented with careful honesty in this format. I found myself utterly swept up in her clear prose. I couldn't recommend this book enough and I'm so glad I took the trouble to track a copy down.

One new moment of Feynman's life I discovered thanks to this fabulous little story was a love letter Feynman wrote to his deceased wife two years after she passed. Read it without tears, I dare you.

Y'ALLWEST 2017

April was like a month-long feast for book festivals! The weekend after the LA Times Festival of Books, I went down to Santa Monica for Y'ALLWEST. It's an all-things YA festival and tons of fun. 

Joined by some fellow book nerds, we headed down to the Friday night preview -- which was basically just an extended book signing. If I had known that, we might not have gone, but it was still fun. My daughter is a huge fan of Shannon & Dean Hale's Princess in Black series and so I was excited to get signed copies for her. When I told the Hales they were signing for my daughter Nora, Shannon told me that she named Princess Magnolia after her own daughter, Magnolia...who originally was to be named Nora! 

No lie, there were so many panels/signings/giveaways that I wanted to attend Saturday that I wound up creating an hour by hour spreadsheet so I wouldn't miss anything. My husband totally made fun of my OCD but I'm well aware of my nerd status. But! It was immensely satisfying to see other proud booknerds carrying around their own (color-coded!) spreadsheets the day of.

I was able to snag a ticket to go to a special Leigh Bardugo signing of Wonder Woman: Warbringer! I was so excited to meet the creator of Kaz and Inej and Nina and Matthais... Leigh was so nice and I can't wait to read her latest.

At LATFoB I spent most of my time attending panels, but at Y'ALLWEST it was all about the signings and giveaways. I did go to a few panels, including this one with Ally Condie, Lilliam Rivera, Jennifer Niven, Benjamin Alire Saenz, and Angie Thomas. While they were all interesting and well-spoken, we all know I was only there to see the fabulous Angie Thomas and I was happy to have her sign copies of The Hate You Give afterwards.

Highlights of the panel include Benjamin Alire Saenz serenading the crowd with "Summertime" when asked what song they would pick for karaoke and it came as no surprise that Angie Thomas picked a combo of Beyoncé and Tupac for her favorite famous persons ("Can't you see me at a signing with a wind machine?").

And then there was the BIG reason I went down to Y'ALLWEST: Megan Whalen Turner!! Well since it's been SEVEN years since we last had a new MWT, you know I was not going to miss out on that opportunity! 

I met up with my friend, the fabulous Maggie of @treatyoshelf and we enjoyed her panel with Alex London, Cassandra Clare, Danielle Paige, Daniel José Older, and Zoraida Cordova. 

During the panel, we both agreed that Daniel José Older needs to start doing audio book narrations or something, because hot dog! I could listen to him allll day! 

 I came home with sooo many books and swag! Most of these I'm super excited to start reading (Hello, Words in Deep Blue and Jane, Unlimited! Although boo for waiting in line for the newest Stephanie Perkins only to find out it was only a teaser!). It turned out to be an exceptional day, full of good books and meeting lots of super nice book enthusiasts. I'm so glad I went and can't wait to attend next year too.

Zeroboxer by Fonda Lee

Curious about Zeroboxer after reading  Fonda Lee's guest post over at Fantasy Cafe for their Women in SF&F Month, I dove right into this debut not realizing I would be thrown into the world of Carr Luka, a young rising star in the futuristic weightless combat sport known as zeroboxing. Which is really just UFC fighters in space! Well, color me happy! Being a MMA fan myself (who isn't these days, really?) and with a sister who competes in the sport, I had no trouble diving right into this charged story.

Instead of the UFC's Octagon, these fighters (can I just call them MMA fighters? they definitely aren't just boxers) go head-to-head in the Cube, a zero gravity, clear cube-shaped arena - each looking for a win by TKO or submission. And Carr Luka DOMINATES! He's a likable guy (none of that typical alphahole fighter stuff, thank goodness) who is conflicted on a variety of levels with his involvement in the sport, but you just know any time he steps into the Cube it's gonna be intense. The descriptions of his fights and the dynamics between the individual fighters were nuanced and highly entertaining. There is even an obvious nod to the UFC's Dana White in the form of Bax Gant, the media-hungry Martian(!!) co-owner of the ZGFA.

Despite some mild pacing problems, I was 100% behind Carr Luka's meteoric rise to stardom as a zeroboxer. The fighter's mentality was spot-on and the Martian-Earth politics terribly fascinating. This reader will absolutely be on the watch for more by Fonda Lee. Genetic engineering, submission fighting, and futurist politics, oh my!

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

The Fault in Our Stars, it ain't.

The premise of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is this: Greg and his friend (we'll just call him a friend), Earl, make these terrible homemade movies. And then Greg gets roped into hanging out with Rachel, who has leukemia, because he can, inexplicably, make her laugh. Shenanigans ensue, oftentimes unplanned and life-ending-ly embarrassing (Heh. Terrible pun there).

This book is bananas in the best possible way. Hilarious and irreverent and just so exactly what high school is like. I never understood those kids who say they loved high school. It is just the. worst.

Case in point, here's one of my favorite totally random, ridiculous scenes taken from dinner one night starring Greg's all too-real family. By the way, Gretchen is 14, which will explain a lot:

Meanwhile, at home, Gretchen was going through this phase where she could not make it through an entire meal if Dad was at the table. This was in part because Dad was going through a phase of his own wherein he couldn't stop pretending to be a cannibal. If we were eating anything with chicken in it, he would pat his stomach and announce, "Huma-a-a-a-an flesh. TASTE LIKE CHICKEN." This caused Gretchen to burst into tears and stomp out of the dining room. Things only got worse when Grace started doing it, too, which was insane, because a six-year-old pretending to be a cannibal is one of the greatest things there is.

I have no idea WHY this is even in the book but it is AWESOME and gives you a pretty good idea of Greg's warped sense of humor.

Although how in heavens name they made this into a movie (especially with that little paragraph about THAT EXACT possibility in the epilogue) without it turning into a majorly R rated film due to constant profanity, I'm not sure. Cause you know, teenage boys don't always talk like roses (especially Earl). But I really want to see it.

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

Okay, so after a stint of not reading any YA dystopian novels because my reactions were shall we say, less than positive, I decided to take a chance with Joelle Charbonneau's debut The Testing. A cut-throat university setting where students are expected to learn how to rebuild the world without being stabbed in the back by their class mates? I'll bite.

After the world was decimated and recognizable civilization all but destroyed, tiny pockets or colonies were established to help bring mankind back to life. Only the brightest and best however were sent to Tosu City, to the University, to learn how to help rebuild and become the future leaders. Cia is a young candidate, chosen from her primarily agricultural colony, selected for the Testing -- a rigorous testing to be allowed entrance to the University. Where the penalty for wrong answers is more than just a bad grade. Warned by her father to trust no one, Cia is packed off to the big city where her life and her family's will forever change. If only she can make it through her exams.

I was initially very much on board with the idea behind The Testing. But like so many others it quickly began to deteriorate into a less polished derivative of The Hunger Games. Which may be harsh to say fresh out of the starting gate, but let me say this: the comparisons are inevitable. Cia, a young girl from an unappreciated colony, travels to the big city, has unknown people 'watching' out for her, and must fight for her life to succeed. More than a little similar. The Testing started off at least with some original ideas but predictably fell into common tropes.

Let me back up, The Testing did have some good ideas - the general concept that after the world was all but destroyed, the colonists were trying to rebuild it by educating people on how to genetically alter plants and discover new energy sources - but the execution seems just short of believable. It's a book that wants to be technical but doesn't ever get much past general knowledge.

For example: we have Cia, a sixteen year old (prodigy, no less) who 'a few years ago' built a solar power system for her family. Okay, I'll buy that there are some very talented and resourceful teens who could accomplish that but I didn't get the sense that Cia was all that mechanically inclined beyond the author telling us she was by a few token descriptions. I'll be honest, I'm married to an engineer and from day one I knew his mind worked just a little bit differently from my own. To put it bluntly, Cia acts like someone's idea of how a mechanically-minded person thinks they would, but never really gets past the surface ideal. There is no fiddling, no try and retry, there isn't even jimmy-rigging for heavensakes (which I have learned is imperative to those of the mechanical bent)! And maybe I wouldn't be bothered quite so much if I wasn't intimately acquainted with someone just like that, but I am and thus Cia is utterly unbelievable. But kudos to Joelle Charbonneau for trying to write writing about a female interest in mechanical things.

Ultimately, my major problem with this book was the actual testing portion the candidates faced. Yes, it was intense and even a wee bit terrifying at times, but I began to wonder Is this really how they are searching for the best of the best? With the exception of the last survival exam (don't even get me started on that one), the tests were a gauge of intellect not knowledge. For example: what plants are poisonous, how to build a radio, history, etc. Nothing that checks for intuitive thinking. If I wanted to find the brightest future leaders, I think I would administer more tests of creativity and ability to learn and adapt rather than what they have already had in their teenage heads. So while The Testing had it's moments ultimately, it fails. In a big way.

The Testing comes out June 4, 2013

series reading order:
~ The Testing
~ Independent Study (Jan 2014)
~ Graduation Day (June 2014)

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Heise Reads & Recommends review
Little Book Star review
Popcorn Reads review
Resistance is Futile review
Winter Haven Books review

book source: review copy from publisher

Crash Course in YA

I have this wonderful friend that I've come to know better in the past year and it's slightly baffling how similar our tastes in books are. It all started with a surprise discovery of our shared devotion for Kate Daniels, Mercy Thompson, all things Jennifer Crusie and Jane Austen which then spurred a back and forth lending of various books we thought the other had missed out on (a little October Daye here, some vintage Lisa Kleypas there).

But then I recently went to her house and discovered the woman had never really read any young adult novels to speak of (aside from a ill-fated brush with Twilight and a near miss with Hush, Hush -- one I responded to with: "No. Just say no, my dear."). She then proceeded to oh so casually ask me which YA books I recommended. Shut the front door. Well. You can surely imagine my sheer giddiness at being offered such a open invitation and I cavalierly said I'd make a list of my top favorites. Walking away I began thinking how fun this was going to be until I realized I was going to have to put together a list of my favorite YA books. Oh. Crap. A favorite YA books list. And I was supposed to do this how?

After much agonizing deliberating over which would be the perfect introduction to one of my favorite genres, these are the books I've come up with.

Fire (or Graceling, Bitterblue) by Kristin Cashore Fire is a comfort read to me. It's the book I have to reread about every six months because it is just that good. And every time I'm surprised. Fire's determination to be something other than her father is something to behold.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater This one is all about place for me. Although the feisty Puck and steadfast Sean may have something to do with it as well. Also, killer horses from the sea. (I was gonna say 'killer sea horses' but I didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea)

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth E. Wein Because I'm still thinking about this story of two best friends facing all kinds of hurt during WWII. Nothing is what it seems and you will want BOXES of tissue.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Another WWII book about a young German orphan girl but I've never encountered another story like it. This man’s prose will change the way you think. Seriously. He’s that good. I'll never forget some images from this book.

Beauty by Robin McKinley THE Beauty and the Beast retelling which sparked my love affair with this story so long ago. McKinley's imagination and lovely writing do all sorts of good things for this book.

The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan This whole series is somewhat mind-blowing but this one, with its' focus on two very different brothers, caught me from the very first sentence.

Melina Marchetta -- Looking for Alibrandi, Jellicoe Road, Saving Francesca, The Piper's Son This is totally cheating but I love everything this woman has ever written. She's an Aussie writer with serious chops and her contemporaries and fantasies alike are jam-packed with such real people that I can't recommend them enough.

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier I could (and have) go on and on about this retelling of the seven swans story but really, Marillier does it so much better, so I'll just leave it to her then.

The Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner A uniquely drawn fantasy full of political intrigue and EMOTIONS and one spectacular thief. Full stop.

Going too Far by Jennifer Echols Let's start with the classic bad girl meets good boy story and then turn it on its head with characters who totally rock and are so much more than they seem. Add in a dash of snarky banter and you're golden.

Bonus pick: The Road Home by Ellen Emerson White Sadly out of print, this book about a nurse during the Vietnam war broke my heart in all kinds of good ways. Rebecca is easily one of the most brilliant characters I've ever encountered.

So those are my picks -- but please tell me, for all that is holy, where would you have a novice YA reader start?

Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo

Thanks to Holly I was altered to the fact that the Aussie debut, Good Oil by Laura Buzo would soon be making it's appearance in the US under the new name of Love and Other Perishable Items. I just knew it was something I had to pick up (even though frankly I was a little disappointed with the title and cover change). And just because I think the description from Goodreads is just so dang perfect, here ya go.

"Miss Amelia Hayes, welcome to The Land of Dreams. I am the staff trainer. I will call you grasshopper and you will call me sensei and I will give you the good oil. Right? And just so you know, I’m open to all kinds of bribery."

From the moment 15-year-old Amelia begins work on the checkout at Woolworths she is sunk, gone, lost… head-over-heels in love with Chris. Chris is the funny, charming, man-about-Woolies, but he’s 21, and the 6-year difference in their ages may as well be a hundred. Chris and Amelia talk about everything from Second Wave Feminism to Great Expectations and Alien but will he ever look at her in the way she wants him to? And if he does, will it be everything she hopes?

I had heard from various trusted reviewers that Love and Other Perishable Items (aka Good Oil to the rest of the world) was a title not to be missed, especially for fans of the Melina Marchetta ilk. Well, I'm definitely in that category and I can safely say this Aussie debut completely stole my heart. Most notably however is utter realness and believablity of Amelia and Chris' characters. I know many readers will immediately latch onto their struggles because they are the crises of every single teenager and young adult. Amelia facing the hopelessness of a crush she knows she'll never, ever be able to be with and Chris for his inability to settle on a course for his future -- the sort of limbo most college students inevitably face. On the surface, their heartaches and trials seem minor and not at all earth shattering until you come to understand them as individuals and reader, I can tell you, that they also now mean the world to ME.

How I wish I could go back and read many of those books Amelia is trying to figure out for the first time again. Her visceral responses to many of the seeming injustices of the characters lives (like why oh why did Pip wind up with Estella?? I always hated that ending anyways) so resonated with me.

And Chris *sigh* At times I simply wanted to smack that boy upside the head for his seemingly unendless supply of cluelessness. For all his book smarts and sociable ease, he sure drove me up a wall with his never ending ineptitude on the female front. My heart ached for Amelia as she listened to his many confidences, knowing she'd never have a chance with him. That said, Laura Buzo did have a flash of brilliance when she decided to split the novel POV's in chunks between the two protagonists. Gaining insight into Chris' own heartaches consequently left me longing to simply scoop him up and lovingly point him in the right direction. And the ending? Well, the word bittersweet comes to mind and beyond that I'm not gonna say anything because you just have to pick it up for yourself.

My only complaint? That it ended too soon. I'd love another chance to catch up with Amelia and Chris -- especially in another ten or fifteen years to see how they are getting on. Sadly, no sequel seems to be on the horizon but you can bet that Love and Other Perishable Items will be a title that I'll return to in the future. It's got a voice I just won't be able to forget easily.

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Book Harbinger review
Chachic's Book Nook review
Inkcrush review

book source: Netgalley

Westmark by Lloyd Alexander

Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted at Angieville and focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc.

As Retro Friday reviews go, this one has been a long time coming. I find I must start with a confession: I have never read a single, solitary book by Lloyd Alexander. Baffling, no? Looking back, I find it a HUGE oversight on the part of all those librarians I unabashedly pestered as a youngster. But I'm older now, and wanted to mend my ways and after some gentle prodding from Angie's direction, decided to have a go with Westmark as it was promised to include political intrigue and high adventure. Which was basically like dangling the proverbially carrot in front of a hungry horse.

On the run and facing imprisonment (or worse) Theo runs head-long into the finest charlatan ever to walk the streets of Westmark, Count Las Bombas and his dwarf companion, Musket. Although uncomfortable with their easy style of thievery, Theo is reluctant to part company after they are joined by the street urchin Mickle and eventually travel to the palace itself to face the Chief Minster Carrabas, who is determined to take control of Westmark for himself.

Fast-paced yet utterly subtle in it's detail Westmark was a revelation to me. I don't think I have ever read anything so tightly written with such deliberate adventure but still chock-full of complex discussions on right and wrong. By allowing the reader to follow Theo on his travels through Westmark, we are able to witness as he evolves and even get frustrated as his ideas of right and wrong are challenged by every single character he meets along the way. Yet due to stellar pacing and superb writing the book is never bogged down into a preachy mess.

Weighing in at just under 200 pages, Westmark packs quite a punch. Lloyd Alexander caught me over and over again with his seemingly innocent yet startling phrases like this opening line which reads:

Theo, by occupation, was a devil.

Which although being perfectly true, doesn't exactly mean what you think it might. You see, Theo is a printer's apprentice and those apprentices go by the title of a printer's devil. Makes perfect sense, no? But at the same time extremely memorable and a technique he uses to perfection throughout the entire series. I never got tired of these little flashes of creative genius. They never failed to catch my full attention with very little effort and usually with stunning results. Matched with the cleverness of how Alexander would then bring each detail to light was absolutely lovely. If this is what every Lloyd Alexander book reads like, you can be sure I'll be blazing through his oeuvre without delay.

side note: Just after I finished reading this standout trilogy, I discovered that the library at my alma mater has a exhibit in their special collections affectionately called "the box." It is comprised of many of Lloyd Alexander's manuscripts, original artwork and even several typewriters from his private office. Anybody want to pop over to the HBLL and check it out for me? Pretty please?

series reading order:
~ Westmark
~ The Kestrel
~ The Beggar Queen

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Angieville review
Book Loons review

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

It's been rather quiet around here because a couple of weeks ago I spent a fabulous week at the beach with my family. Over that six day period we enjoyed the most perfect weather -- sunny and warm with a slight breeze. Perfect weather every day except for one. That day it was cloudy with a cold, brisk wind that rushed at us from the waves. Never ones to let a little bit of weather daunt our leisure, we stayed that entire day parked alongside the crashing water. And as I watched the larger-than-normal waves surge again and again onto the beach I was struck suddenly by an irrepressible longing for a certain book. And as these things usually go, it was the one I hadn't thought to bring along. The particular book happened to be The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater.

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.
(via Goodreads)

Can you see now why this was the book I was longing for on the windy beach? All day I was certain I would see one of the fierce capall uisce surging up from the waves. Of course, that never happened. But as soon I arrived home, I did pluck my gorgeous copy of The Scorpio Races off the shelf and proceeded to devour the story once again.

No holds barred: this is my new favorite Maggie Stiefvater novel. It's one I can see myself reading over and over again because the story and the writing and the characters (horses included here) and the island itself are just so dang unforgettable. When I read it for the first time back at the beginning of the year, I remember feeling utterly swept away by all the drama and the tense wondering of who was going to die today? and the sloooow tension that was Puck and Sean and their race to find happiness. And now I can attest that The Scorpio Races holds up incredibly well to rereads. Incredibly well. No longer breathlessly curious to discover just how it would all turn out, I was able to pace myself as I watched Sean carve out his measure of happiness and Puck find a new rhythm with her brothers, Dove, and above all, with Sean.

What I perhaps enjoyed most about The Scorpio Races this time around is how sharply atmospheric it is. Part of what makes the island, the people and the races all come alive so distinctly is the fully grounded mythology Ms. Stiefvater creates for the water horses and the lives of those rooted in its traditions. Just the lore of Thisby alone was enough to give me shivers -- a violent island that didn't care one way or another if you lived or died.

Alternating point of view between Sean and Puck also does wonderful things for the story. Scenes and conversations between the two would often switch midpoint with such delightfully crisp results. Beginning as almost perfect strangers bent on winning the race, Sean and Puck eventually move towards uneasy friends and then perhaps to something even more. It's that last bit that Maggie Stiefvater does such a bang-up job with. By the end of the novel Sean and Puck's relationship is never quite defined (although alluded to by some perceptive onlookers) but that doesn't matter one bit as I was left utterly satisfied by the conclusion. There's something about a book that delivers an achingly unforgettable story without having to actually set down every single detail. Okay, okay. There's just something about The Scorpio Races period.

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Angieville review
Book Harbinger review
Bunbury in the Stacks review
The Book Smugglers review
Chachic's Book Nook review

book source: purchased

Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier

Dealing the worst kind abandonment a girl could ever have to face, Neryn has become a wanderer. Unable to return to her home village for years now -- a place filled with so many memories of death and pain she'd hardly be able to return even if it was safe -- or to settle down anyplace new in Alban, Neryn decides to set off for the mythical haven known only in whispers as Shadowfell. A place where one such as herself, a girl with the uncanny ability of communicating with the Good Folk, could finally find peace and safety from the merciless hunting of the King's men.

Though most people she meets along her way are too scared of King Keldec's wrath to help a stray girl, Neryn does encounter a select few who secretly offer her a meal or a slight kindness. Including a dark stranger called Flint, who after saving her life, Neryn cannot seem to shake from dogging her very footsteps. Along with her strangely persistent savior, the Good Folk become more and more bold with Neryn, hinting that ahead of her lies a great work and that she must be ready when the time comes. Fearful of accepting aid from either set of her new companions, Neryn swiftly comes to learn her part in the struggle to free Alban will be great and to succeed, she's going to need all the help she can get. But she just has to make it to Shadowfell first.

As soon as I put down this book I immediately flipped back to the beginning without hesitation, set on rereading the entire thing again right then and there. It's been awhile since I've had a Juliet Marillier book captivate me as much as Shadowfell did. And as always for me with her books, its the characters that are the true standouts in this story. I've seen that some readers have been put off by Neryn's wanderings but can I say how utterly opposite I felt regarding that solitary time? Such introspection is always welcome and Marillier proves once again that she has a deft hand when it comes to portraying young women figuring out how to become strong, brave and capable. That said, I adored the back and forth exchanges between Neryn and Flint too. Their slow, tender friendship was beautifully developed with plenty of secrets hinted at to keep things interesting. Likewise, Marillier's depictions of the Good Folk and their mythology never failed to delight. I so loved the glimpses of their individual personalities and their varying reactions to Neryn.

Admittedly, I was a wee bit happy to find Shadowfell a bit more...mature...than her previous YA novels, books I truly enjoyed but never really fell for. Shadowfell in contrast has everything I like about her adult fantasy novels, complicated heroines setting out on a seemingly hopeless quest aided by unexpected companions (and usually a good solid --and handsome-- hero) and the fickle Good Folk. Though there is also a definite shadow of darkness over this book which underscores the necessity and danger of Neryn's task. And makes for some compelling sequences I tell you what. I could not help holding my breath each time Neryn came thisclose to disaster. Shadowfell is the latest in a long line of beloved Marillier books and, I am extremely happy to report, the first in a new series. Because there's no such thing as too much Juliet Marillier.

Shadowfell is due out September 11, 2012.

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
A Rogue Librarian's Reading List review
Book Harbinger review
Cuddlebuggery review
Raiding Bookshelves review
Read. Breathe. Relax. review

book source: NetGalley

This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

When I first heard that Courtney Summers, an author known for her contemporary novels exploring tough issues, was writing a zombie apocalypse book I sorta scratched my head and had to reread the synopsis of This is Not a Test again. Sure enough zombie apocalypse. Really? At first I assumed it was another YA author jumping on the bandwagon, but really, it's Courtney Summers we're talking about here. The woman is an absolute genius with a pen and never does anything halfway so I figured I better give her latest a shot. 

One moment Sloane is worried about being punished for being late to breakfast (her dad is not a nice man at all) when pandemonium breaks out and the world ends. No joke. As she is swept up in a group of six kids who have barricaded themselves into Cortege High School against their friends and family turned zombies, Sloane doesn't know how long she can pretend. Because the morning the world ended for everybody else, Sloane had tried to end her own life. And just how does she expect herself to keep going when all she wants to do is give up?

This is Not a Test is NOT AT ALL what I've come to expect in your typical zombie book. That said, it is (for the most part) what I've come to expect from a Courtney Summers novel. First of all, this story is really a contemporary novel exploring the issues of life and death and family drama with a side of zombies thrown in to keep things interesting. If by interesting you mean bloody and run for your life. Which I do.

Courtney Summers is fantastic at exploring family drama without making you feel like you're watching a soap opera. While exploration of Sloane's terrible relationship with her abusive father and the abandonment of her sister are at the forefront, we also get a glimpse at the tight bond between Trace and Grace, twins who Sloane used to hang out with. I'm not sure why, but their relationship killed me folks. Watching them deal with loss and anger and forgiveness was a sight. But really, every single character and every single relationship was complicated and raw but still detailed with such haunting clarity.

I think the one point that This is Not a Test utterly blows away every other young adult zombie apocalypse/end-of-the-world book is that this book doesn't just focus on the here and now; the physical and emotional turbulence of surviving such destruction. Sure, such problems are explored -- how to get food and water, finding shelter, whom to trust -- but This is Not a Test goes one step further (maybe I should say back?) by focusing on the past. In Sloane's case, her internal turmoil stems from something that happened a few months prior, when things were supposedly normal. Not because life as everyone knew it ended. For her, the world didn't end when zombies attacked that morning, it had already ended months ago. She had been ready to give up for weeks and now the prospect of trying to survive seemed pointless. Really, this isn't a novel concept when you look at Ms. Summers' previous books, but for this genre, it's nothing short of groundbreaking. Well played indeed.


Still not sure? Read this first chapter here.

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
The Book Smugglers review
Bunbury in the Stacks review
Chick Loves Lit review
Good Books & Good Wine review
Presenting Lenore review

book source: review copy from the publisher

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Eight years after watching her father, King Leck, be killed and inheriting the troubled kingdom of Monsea, Bitterblue still feels a long way from being settled as Queen. Secrets surround her. Secrets from her father's reign of terror, secrets about her own memories of her childhood, and the secrets seemingly everyone seems to hide in Monsea. Well Bitterblue is tired of secrets and the endless drudgery of pushing papers and signing documents -- she wants a chance to truly understand her people and their struggles. And so one night she decides to secretly leave the castle to do just that. Disguised and alone, she begins her exploration of Bitterblue City. What Bitterblue discovers on her nighttime wanderings is confusing, exhilarating and depressing all at once. In the secluded story rooms her people gather to recount tales of Leck's reign (often different from Bitterblue's own memories) and the adventures of renowned Gracelings such as Katsa and Po. There she also meets Saf and Teddy, two thieves who only steal what has already been stolen and who slowly teach Bitterblue about the real underlying problems of Monsea. Underscoring all this new information is the fact that as much as everyone seems to want to forget Leck and his horrible legacy, Bitterblue begins to understand that her people must uncover their hidden past before they can ever move forward.

Well, well, well. Talk about your emotional read. Like many of you I'm sure, Bitterblue is one of those books that I have been building up in my mind for a long time. Graceling effortlessly wowed me and Fire left me stunned beyond recognition so that I have been earnestly waiting this sequel of sorts ever since. What Kristin Cashore delivers is extremely different from her previous novels although strikingly similar at the same time. Bitterblue centers around many of the same characters we've come to love, like Katsa, Po, Giddon and even Fire makes an appearance but Bitterblue is decidedly a more quiet novel filled with political maneuverings and inner turmoil. For much of the book, Bitterblue is frustrated by her lack of understanding for what her people faced during her father's reign. Especially since she feels that to finally overcome their struggles, she has to know what demons they face daily. This is never more apparent within her own set of advisers, talented men who also served under Leck but who cannot seem to help Bitterblue move the kingdom in the direction she knows it must go. I'm sure partly this is intentional, but I became extremely frustrated with the runaround Bitterblue got from her advisers. Too much time was spent agonizing over and over the same details that I wish certain parts had been resolved a little more quickly.

Although I cannot say enough about the quality of Kristin Cashore's writing, in my opinion Bitterblue is not as strong a book as either Fire or Graceling. While excellent at developing feelings and the unraveling of secrets, I felt as if too much time in Bitterblue was devoted to political intrigues and the quest to understand history. I was not able to spend as much time with the people I really wanted to learn more about: Saf, Death (a fearful librarian who utterly stole my heart), Teddy, Giddon and many others. Frankly, although I was pleased with how Bitterblue's story was concluded as far as Monsea is concerned, I was not at all pleased with how we left her personally. Especially since Ms. Cashore gave us over 500 pages to get to that point! In the interest of not getting spoilery, suffice to say I feel like I still need yet another Bitterblue book to assure myself that she is truly going to be alright. I understand that such an emotional book was not meant to wrap up everything in a pretty little bow but I would liked to have seen a bit more resolution regarding her personal relationships. But that is not to say that Bitterblue isn't a beautiful book full of drama and ciphers and danger. It is. It's just not what I was expecting -- for good or bad.

series reading order:
~ Graceling - my review
~ Fire - my review
~ Bitterblue

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
The Book Smugglers review
Chachic's Book Nook review
Good Books & Good Wine review
The Readventurer review

book source: ARC from the publisher

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Code Name Verity is the book I have been dying to read even before I knew it existed. It's the book I will still be talking about for the rest of the year (and probably much longer). And it's the book with so many complexly interwoven details that I'm sure it will continue to stun me for many rereadings to come. 

Verity, the code name of our narrator, is actually an Allied agent who has been captured by the Nazis in occupied France. Opting against torture, Verity (also known as Queenie to her friends) has agreed to divulge codes and other Allied wartime secrets for her captor, SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden. Thus begin the outpouring of secrets. Though even as she is proclaiming herself a coward (and traitor) with her every breath, Queenie is constantly needling her captors and poking fun at her own very dire situation with her endlessly dark and razor sharp humor. What Queenie does write to her captors however is not simply a list of British secrets and codes but the story of herself and her best friend Maddie, an airplane pilot. Woven into their initial introduction and developing friendship are all the details von Linden demanded asked for, but by setting it agonist the backdrop of their relationship, you have an inside view of the life of two strong-willed women during WWII: the secrets they kept and the lies they told.

Almost from word go, you get the immediate sense that Queenie is not all she proclaims to be. In fact, she herself describes herself thus:

I am in the Special Operations Executive because I can speak French and German and am good at making up stories and I am a prisoner in the Ormaie Gestapo HQ because I have no sense of direction whatsoever.

'Making up stories' indeed. With this one sentence very early on we get an immediate sense of the vitality and humor possessed by Queenie and that perhaps our storyteller is not as reliable as she proclaims herself to be. What makes this story so unforgettable (just like one of Queenie's stories) are the details. Hundreds of tiny historical facts about planes, the RAF, the WAAF, literature, and even the history of the ballpoint pen! I simply couldn't wait to pick up Code Name Verity as each time as I knew every page would contain  another adventure, another heartbreak.

Perhaps my favorite line from Cody Name Verity (and you better believe my copy has been bombed with bookmarks) is after Queenie and Maddie have just begun to get to know one another and Queenie writes,

It's like being in love, discovering your best friend.

This line, my friends, utterly encapsulates why I am head over heels for this book. Yes, it is full of surprises and intrigue but at the heart it is a beautiful story of two friends -- who would have never, ever become close had the situation been different -- but who did find each other and had one of those stunning relationships that you always find yourself completely giddy over. I can't say it enough, this book blew me away. I simply cannot get the story out of my head. Verity's voice and Maddie's story are so intricately crafted. It's one of those lovely stories that as soon as you finish, you just want to immediately jump right back into a satisfying reread to rediscover (or maybe even for the first time) all those seemingly innocent details inserted along the way. Just go ahead and read it now, I'll patiently wait for your gushing reply. Grab a box a tissues though, you'll be needing them.

And, if you get the chance, check out these links for a few interviews with Elizabeth Wein.
~ Shelf Awareness
~ Huffington Post (in which Elizabeth Wein reveals she's working on Part II of Code Name Verity!! wheeee!)
~ Kirkus

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy review
The Book Smugglers review
Chachic's Book Nook review
Maggie Stiefvater Five Things review
Steph Su Reads review

book source: NetGalley

Read-Along Review: Northlander by Meg Burden

This past week has been filled with all sorts of fun as I did my first read-a-long with my good blogging friend Chachic. We selected Meg Burden's Tales of the Borderlands duology for our first read-along and I for one could not have been more pleased with the series. Or the constant comments flying back and forth between Chachic and I. Since we basically wound up saying most everything we'd want to get across in a review in our emails back and forth, we decided to simply post our exchanges (minus spoilers!) for your enjoyment. 

Having traveled with her father, a master healer, hastily and in secret from the Southlands, Ellin Fisher quickly learns she is neither liked nor wanted in the cold Northlands. Both of which are made perfectly clear one night when she is locked outside the city gates -- during a blizzard -- simply for having the red hair of a Southling. Fuming and in danger of freezing to death, Ellin takes refuge in a guard cottage only to be intruded upon by the same guard who earlier denied her entrance. Only this guard is now crying his heart out over the impending death of his father. The King of the Northlands. Whose father Ellin came to heal (I'm sure you can imagine his change of heart). Not willing to stand by when perhaps she can help, Ellin convinces the young Prince Garreth to taking her to the King's bedside where she attempts an illegal healing using abilities she has is still only learning herself. Of course, by taking that first step into the King's presence, Ellin is brought into the inner circle of the five young Northern princes whose world she is about to turn upside down. That is, if they don't manage to muck hers up first.


Chachic: I started on Northlander and I'm really liking it so far. I'm at page 50 but I stopped because I want to pace myself to read with you so let me know when you've started and we can go from there. But please, don't feel pressured to read if you don't find time for it.

Michelle: No worries! So I'm up to chapter 6. So far I really, really like it. You have to love that brilliant first paragraph!

Chachic: I'm really liking it too! The first few chapters really draw you in and I had to stop myself from reading more. 

Michelle: So who do you think Ellin is going to fall for? Because you know she IS going to fall for one of those brothers! I'm intrigued with Finn and the whole silent communication thing but of course Garreth insulted her first and so he's going to have to go to all sorts of lengths to make it up to her, right? So I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Chachic: LOL I'm Team Finn! Yeah, I have a feeling she's going to end up with one of the brothers eventually - although maybe not until the second book? I'm not sure how old Ellin or the boys are but I think they're a bit young, maybe early teens? Because Ellin said that Alaric and Coll are men compared to the boys.

Michelle:  By the way, I love the dichotomy of the Northland and Southland, so far the premise is awesome. Your thoughts?

Chachic: I'm looking forward to reading more about the history of the world - why Northlanders hate Southlings and vice versa. It's a really promising book and I hope I keep liking it until the end.

(spoilery conversation removed, moving on to thoughts after finishing the novel)

Chachic: So I did finish reading Northlander and I really like it! I'm going to wait for you to finish it before we discuss so I won't mention any spoilers here. Really looking forward to reading the sequel. :)

Michelle: HA! I literally just finished reading it about 10 minutes ago! Honestly, this has been so fun -- I totally kept thinking "I wonder what part Chachic is to now?" So glad we did this together.

Chachic: LOL so funny that we finished reading it at the same time! It was so much fun, wasn't it? I mean I enjoyed sharing my thoughts with you but I also liked that we picked a good book to read.

Michelle: Overall I especially like the pacing of this book, so much happens in such a short span that I feel like you barely catch your breath when the next unthinkable thing happens. I'm all wore out now. :) But very, very good reading. I'm so glad we went with this one! 

Chachic:  I know what you mean about the pace of the book - going in, I thought it was going to be a quiet fantasy novel but I was pleasantly surprised that so much happens. And it never felt forced, you know? I was with Ellin all throughout all of those events.

Michelle: Although, I'm not sure I loved whole reason for the King hating Southlings. I don't know, it just seemed kind of rushed and thin. I wish it had been something a bit more substantial -- and explained more, but there you go. A minor quibble.

Chachic: Yeah, the part with the King hating the Southlings felt a bit rushed, it would have been better if there was more of an explanation for the situation. But yes, it's a minor quibble because I still liked the book overall.

I'm excited to review this one because I feel like it's such an under-the-radar title. I bought it because of recommendations from Angie and Charlotte and I see that Laura (from Jane of All Reads) also liked it but aside from that, no one else has read it. And I saw that it's marked as "hard to find title" in the Book Depository.

Michelle: Agreed! Excellent choice in book(s). I'm glad you seem to have similar reactions that I did, that just made this whole experience so much more fun.

****
Obviously if you couldn't already tell, Northlander stole my heart. I found it extremely refreshing to see such a character like Ellin who is constantly out of her element but who is still willing to learn and admit to her mistakes. And constant is the key here. It seemed as if Ellin flew head-first from one dangerous adventure to another, yet I never once felt that her story was forced or implausible. Unexpected, yes -- but still utterly believable in context. The five Northern Princes were also a complete breath of fresh air! Alaric, Coll, Finn, Erik, and Garreth all stole my heart in their own way (probably around the time they each wormed their way into Ellin's heart too). Meg Burden did an excellent job of creating believable and unique relationships between Ellin and each of the Princes. Seldom do you find YA books that manage to include well-drawn friendships between males and females. Northlander is one of those rare books that will continually surprise you with it's endearing characters over and over again. So very glad I decided to read it along with my good friend Chachic!

Want more? Be sure to hop on over to Chachic's Book Nook for the second part of our tremendous read-along and our thoughts on the fabulous sequel to The King Commands (even if the cover is properly cringe-worthy).

series reading order:
~ Northlander
~ The King Commands

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
A Jane of All Reads review
Angieville review
Bookshelves of Doom review
las risas review
Wands and Worlds review

book source: purchased