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

Coming soon to a blog near you!

Be sure to mark your calendars for the upcoming Seven Days for Sevenwaters feature hosted by the wonderfully talented Holly of Book Harbinger. She's got some incredible guest posts lined up -- including one from Juliet Marillier herself -- (and one from coughcough yours truly) that you won't want to miss!

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

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

Book Haul (2): Birthday Edition

Happy Birthday to me!

This year saw some very purty books come my way -- some old friends and some recently discovered treasures. Plus a few digital books that I purchased for my kindle with a gift card (love family who know me so well!). 

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (!)

Cold Magic by Kate Elliott

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Stand Down by Zack Emerson (I have been dying for a copy of this fourth book for ages!!)

A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont

Easy by Tammara Webber

I must admit Howl will be my very first ever foray into the world of Diana Wynne Jones and I am full of anticipation. Now the only question is...which to (re)read first?

Best of 2012 (so far)

Unbelievable. 2012 is halfway over! Crazy. So far this year has been a pretty decent reading wise. Not only have I discovered some truly unforgettable new books but I've also discovered some incredible oldies too. As of the end of June I've read 58 books, a little less than my tallies from previous years but still pretty decent. Out of those 58, here are some of my favorites (at least so far).

Click on the image to go to my review.

Published in 2012

             

Published before 2012

        

For their exceptional characters and unique storytelling abilities, Honorable Mentions should go to:

  

Embarrassingly enough out of these eight book I've only reviewed four. Shameful. Perhaps that should be my resolution for the second half of 2012.

So, what's on your Best Of list for 2012? Are you on track to meet your reading goals for the year? 

What fantabulous books have I missed out on? Anything you think I should pick up like right now?

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

Retro Friday Review: The Wind-Witch by Susan Dexter

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.

It's been quite some time since I came across a book this good. The Wind-Witch first popped up on my radar after a guest post Angie did over at Fantasy Cafe for her Women in SF & F series on under appreciated books in the genre. Truth be told, I had already read (and adored) a large percentage of the books she listed, so naturally, I glommed onto this one with promises of good things to come. And like so many other times, Angie's pick proved fantastic. First-rate. Marvelous. Superb. Well, you get the idea...

Druyan has lived her life as the dutiful daughter. Marrying when she was told, putting her talents to the skills deemed 'appropriate' for women. When her husband is unexpectedly killed, Druyan finds herself on a precipice -- submit meekly once again to her uncle, the Duke's, choice of a new husband or keep her loss private and work, work, work for a year and a day proving her holding profitable and become her own master. For once, Druyan follows her heart and chooses the latter. With the help of her meager farm help, her mythical horse Valadan and the unsuspecting raider turned farmhand, Kellis, Druyan begins to make Splaine Garth her own.

But Kellis is not simply a wounded foreigner hoping to pay a blood debt by working Druyan's farm. Cursed (or blessed) with the gift of sight, Kellis begins to see warnings of raiders invading Esdragon and even as he warns his Lady not to trust the visions, she is not content to simply do nothing. Each time Kellis scrys a vision of destruction, Druyan rushes off, fleet as the wind on the back of Valadan, to warn the unsuspecting victims. But Kellis cannot find it in himself to let his Lady ride off alone, unprotected, and their headlong flights bring unwanted scrutiny when they want it the least.

Heavens above, I think I fell in love with this one wholeheartedly from the very first sentence. First of all, it's full of lovely writing with a sloooow buildup of tension that I found myself all but gripping the pages in earnest concern as Druyan hurled herself into harms way time and again. Susan Dexter is such a wonderful storyteller. Truly. Her detailed passages of daily farm life contrasted against the looming threat of war never failed to thrust me right into the moment. Each sentence seemed to be crafted with such a loving touch that I wanted to mull over each word individually and digest them slowly.

Druyan has something of the wild wind within her (as you can gather from the title) but it has been battered down so thoroughly all her life, that the gradual loosening she allows was pure magic. Her quiet determination to save her farm, her friends, even her country utterly entranced me as I was constantly awed by her courage and loyalty. Under Kellis' careful and watchful eye, she becomes a woman of her own making and I loved every minute of it. I cannot recommend this treasure heartily enough and you better believe I've got the rest of the series already queued up in the TBR pile.

series reading order:
~ The Prince of Ill Luck
~ The Wind-Witch
~ The True Knight

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
All About Romance review
Angieville review
Stewartry review

book source: bought