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

The Awesome Factor

Don't know what to read this summer?

Check out this handy flow chart.

How bad is it that I want to have it printed out to hang on the side of my bookshelves?

Book Haul (1): fishpond & Sync

Well seeing as this is my first book haul post and all, I thought I'd post some lovelies I am most excited about that have come my way recently.

First up is also my first-ever order from Fishpond. I first heard about this site from Nomes (I think?) and although their prices are higher, they do have the added bonus of making available UK/Aussie books that I can't get over here. I was pretty impressed with their service -- three books for $14 and free shipping. I'm sure I'll be picking up books from them in the future. I bought the following, seeing as I cannot resist a pretty cover:

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

The Demon's Lexicon & The Demon's Surrender by Sarah Rees Brennan

I can't begin to say how giddy I am that I now have a matching set of this fabulous series. *pets* I think it's time for a reread of all four books.

Also! It's again time for Snyc's list of free summer audiobooks. Be sure to check out their list here; there are quite a few I'll be downloading (Hello-oo Daughter of Smoke and Bone!).

I've gotten some other books for review recently and hope to get around to some of those soon...including Sarah Rees Brennan's latest Unspoken. Although I'm sure to kill my eyes reading it as I only have a digital copy I can read on my computer. Not my kindle. Why oh why do they do this to me?

Very good things to come though I'm sure.

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

Bitterblue Winners!

Thanks to everyone who entered my Bitterblue giveaway hosted by Penguin! 

The winners of a copy of Bitterblue are:

Shelfworn

&

Charlotte

Please send me your address and I'll make sure a copy gets on it's way to you!

Smart Chicks Get What They Want

originally published at Book Harbinger's Seven Days for Sevenwaters but I wanted to make sure it wound up in my archives too.

Thank you very much to Holly for inviting me to be a part of her fabulous Seven Days for Sevenwaters series! I'm all aflutter at the chance to be able to talk about my favorite Sevenwaters book. And which particular volume of deliciousness am I going to blabber on about today? Hmmm. It was a little over two years ago that I devoured read this unforgettable series for the very first time. Believe it or not Daughter of the Forest simply blew my mind. And how could it not? It's an utterly gorgeous book full of long-suffering patience and love and sacrifice! Not knowing quite what to expect with the sequels however, I steeled myself not to get my hopes up too much ... just in case.Well, I settled into Son of the Shadows (book 2 in the series) and right then and there it was alllll over for me. Truly. Son of the Shadows was positively perfect in all it's heartbreaking hopefulness that it just had to become my new shiny favorite. And today I have the enviable pleasure of explaining just why my heart beats a bit faster every single time I pick up that extraordinary book.

A quick warning ... If you haven't gotten around to reading Son of the Shadows (and why ever not?!), I really don't want to spoil it for you. Really. So be warned. Spoilers, dishing over the villains, the HEA, and all those delicious details will be contained herein.

Like many other Juliet Marillier novels, what truly cemented my love affair with Son of the Shadows is its standout cast of characters. In addition to one dark, brooding hero with a mysterious past and his band of Merry Painted Men, it happens to contain one of my all time favorite female leads: Liadan, daughter of Sorcha and Red from Daughter of the Forest. Liadan is smart, she's resourceful, she's an infinitely caring person and one who values family above all else. But never fear! Our Liadan would never be described as a pushover. She's the type who utterly refuses to back down when it counts. And what's more, she knows what she wants and then goes out and MAKES it happen.

Case in point: At this point in Son of the Shadows Liadan has not had the best day. She's just been unceremoniously released by Bran and is now headed home to Sevenwaters brokenhearted and humiliated when the Fair Folk appear and decide to drop this bombshell.


Fair Folk: You've sorta been making some stupid choices in the man department.

Liadan: Excuse me? Are you talking to me?

Fair Folk: Yes, you. We've decided you need to stay near Sevenwaters. Forever.

Liadan: Huh?

Fair Folk: Oh and you can never get married.

Liadan: Whaaa???

Fair Folk: Promise?

Liadan: Uh, no.

Fair Folk: But! But! You could mess up the prophecy!

Liadan: Don't care.

Fair Folk: Well then. Doom on you! DOOM on you!

Liadan: Really. Don't. Care.


Remember now, Bran has just basically dumped Liadan after learning who she really was. And like many bad breakups, he said some truly not-so-nice things to her and Laidan is pretty convinced she's never gonna lay eyes on the man she loves ever again. But instead of swearing off men forever like the Fair Folk demand, she hasn't given up hope and chooses instead to decide for herself. Think of it: in the face of so much pain she still has hope for the future!

I truly don't think I've ever encountered a character with more hope than Liadan. She refuses to let fate dictate her path and instead fights for her own future. When the Fair Folk come back later and demand she choose Bran or her son Johnny (I KNOW! You'd think they'd learn by now), Liadan once again flouts their decree and then goes on to keep BOTH. But not because anybody handed her her happily ever after on a silver platter. Oh no, she's a smart chick with a very strong view on how her life will turn out and a deep understanding that she has to fight for that happiness. And guess what? She does get it all: her man, her son, and the chicken dinner. I'll just leave it to you to find out exactly how...

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