didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.
But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?
Sure,
I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the
rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look
like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked
Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed
for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but
even that's crumbling.
What happened?
Dorothy. They say she
found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power
went to her head. And now no one is safe.
Best Bits: Oh. My. Glob. There was something so deliciously twisted about this book that kept me from setting it down. I was reading it during my lunch break because I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. Amy is like Dorothy in many ways, she just wants to escape her life in Kansas. Her issues, unlike Dorothy's, are more serious and intense. This makes her a great character. She's not exactly likable all the time, but I understand her motivations. She's tormented by her peers, her mom is struggling with addiction, and she can't wait to leave her home behind. Perfect timing for a tornado, right? Paige was able to take Oz, and make it her own. The associations that I have about Oz from childhood were turned upside down, and I loved it.
The characters are everything that you want them to be, and Paige doesn't spare anyone. It's sort of like Game of Thrones, no one is safe! The reader never truly knows who is good and who is wicked, and if wicked is really good in Oz?! I'm looking forward to Amy's struggle with power, and her ability to navigate who to trust (and hopefully, ultimately, trusting herself). The characters we know and love(d) make an appearance, and they're absolutely vile. I never thought I would be disgusted by the cowardly lion (because really, in the movie I just want to give him a big hug). Paige excels in warping these characters, while giving the reader an understanding of why they serve Dorothy.
Nit Picks: There is a decent amount of swearing in this one. I didn't mind it, but those who try to avoid that should be aware.
Dorothy Must Die
By Danielle Paige
Published by HarperCollins
452 Pages
Purchased
Suley, Georgia, is home to
Lost Lake Cottages and not much else. Which is why it's the perfect
place for newly-widowed Kate and her eccentric eight-year-old daughter
Devin to heal. Kate spent one memorable childhood summer at Lost Lake,
had her first almost-kiss at Lost Lake, and met a boy named Wes at Lost
Lake. It was a place for dreaming. But Kate doesn't believe in dreams
anymore, and her Aunt Eby, Lost Lake's owner, wants to sell the place
and move on. Lost Lake's magic is gone. As Kate discovers that time
has a way of standing still at Lost Lake can she bring the cottages—and
her heart—back to life? Because sometimes the things you love have a
funny way of turning up again. And sometimes you never even know they
were lost . . . until they are found.
Best Bits: I love when a new Sarah Addison Allen book is released. The only way I can describe it is comforting. It's like visiting an old friend and being able to chat for hours. Sigh. She has an ability to weave magic into her stories that's almost dream-like in quality. People have small gifts (from the youngest characters to the oldest), and it never overtakes the story. Some gifts are subtler than others, but each person has a big impact on the movement of the plot.
The themes in this book are love and loss, and this read came at a perfect time for me. The reader sees how the loss of a spouse impacts Kate, the love and acceptance Kate gives her daughter as she allows her to explore and enjoy childhood. We explore different facets of the themes through each character, and while the book is fairly short, each character is given adequate time to grow. The real beauty in every one of her books is how it makes you examine your own life, and she really pushes the reader to question if they're living life to the fullest.
Nit Picks: I have no nit picks. It was a perfect read filled with laughter and tears. I can't wait to re-read this in the middle of summer when I'll be able to connect with the setting.
Lost Lake
By Sarah Addison Allen
Published by St. Martin's Press
296 Pages
Rapunzel’s tower is a satellite. She can’t let down her hair—or her guard.
In
this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and
Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow.
Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.
Their
best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since
childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has
made Cress an excellent hacker—unfortunately, she’s just received orders
from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.
When
a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has
her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will
let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder
may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones
who can.
Best Bits: My emotions! I really liked Cinder, and Scarlet was even better. That's a formula that usually means I've set myself up for disappointment. Cress surpassed my expectations, and the plot built on the last two books while throwing in some crazy twists, and great character development. I'm sure I must have looked a bit unhinged as I read the second half of the book. There was audible gasping and looks of shock...sadly no one understood exactly what was going on (and I wasn't about to spoil my sister who read the first book earlier this winter).
Meyer has a gift for creating complex female characters. Meyer has allowed her characters to be imperfect, to experience fear, happiness, love, longing, and desperation. She doesn't let them fall into the usual damsel in distress/strong and flawless tropes. Each girl is completely different than her fellow protagonists, too. Scarlet, Cress, and Cinder have unique experiences that have shaped their character. I particularly enjoyed seeing how growing up in a satellite has impacted the expectations of Cress when it comes to human interaction and earth. Despite their different circumstances, each girl experience similar emotions. They have their "prince", their own reasons for fighting against Levana, but their voices are so well-formed and different.
Nit Picks: I wish it had been longer. Ok, I know that's silly...the book is over 500 pages long. I just can't handle the prospect of waiting 1+ years until Winter. Someone hold me while I cry.
Cress (The Lunar Chronicles 3)
By Marissa Meyer
Published by Feiwel & Friends
560 Pages
Received via Contest Win. Thanks MacTeenBooks!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
*Don't forget, this post counts toward the monthly comment contest! See details in the sidebar!
The first
kidnappings happened two hundred years before. Some years it was two
boys taken, some years two girls, sometimes one of each. But if at first
the choices seemed random, soon the pattern became clear. One was
always beautiful and good, the child every parent wanted as their own.
The other was homely and odd, an outcast from birth. An opposing pair,
plucked from youth and spirited away.
This year, best
friends Sophie and Agatha are about to discover where all the lost
children go: the fabled School for Good & Evil, where ordinary boys
and girls are trained to be fairy tale heroes and villains. As the most
beautiful girl in Gavaldon, Sophie has dreamed of being kidnapped into
an enchanted world her whole life. With her pink dresses, glass
slippers, and devotion to good deeds, she knows she’ll earn top marks at
the School for Good and graduate a storybook princess. Meanwhile
Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks, wicked pet cat, and dislike of
nearly everyone, seems a natural fit for the School for Evil.
But
when the two girls are swept into the Endless Woods, they find their
fortunes reversed—Sophie’s dumped in the School for Evil to take
Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds
herself in the School For Good, thrust amongst handsome princes and fair
maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication..
But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who
Sophie and Agatha really are…?
Best Bits: Oh SfGaE, how I love thee. I know that I shouldn't, but I have a grocery list for things that I love in YA books. Your standard YA book usually has one or two items checked off, but this one seems to have it all: strong female characters (that don't fit into typical good/bad roles, despite what the title implies), a fairytale aspect, a focus on friendship (and a potential for interesting romances in books to come), and a big surprise at the end that I genuinely didn't see coming...it was a glorious read. The world-building was impressive, too. Due to the opposing natures of Agatha and Sophie, we get to see exactly what the differences are between the two schools. The courses are imaginative "Beautification" vs "Uglification", and they even have a class where the two school mix. Amazing drama ensues.
With the hours that I work I find that I get into reading slumps more frequently than I used to. This book, however, really motivated me. I found time each day to read, and it felt like a treat to myself. Plus, indulging myself in a good book is probably a bit better than eating all that Halloween candy that is left over.
Nit Picks: I'm at a loss for this one. It's been a while since I read this one, yet I still can't think of any issues with it. It even has a believable reason for insta-love...I just can't, it's too good!
Chainani has created a world with characters to root for, and I can't wait for more!
The School for Good and Evil
By Soman Chainani
Published by HarperCollins
488 Pages
Humans and androids crowd
the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the
population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make
their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.
Cinder,
a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a
mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her
stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the
handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an
intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty
and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her
past in order to protect her world’s future.
My Thoughts: Cinder totally captivated me. If I were to look back, I would say that it, in combination with Scarlet, are my top two books of the year. I know I'm really behind on this one, since it was released in January of 2012. Oops. I was so involved in this book that it was pretty much all I talked about during the few breaks that I took (I'm sure that I annoyed a couple people). The story is great because, while it's a re-telling, the world-building is awesome. The characters are fresh, and surprisingly aren't frustrating. I never wanted to bonk anyone over the head for making idiotic choices. Yes, one of the major plot points is predictable, but it's a re-telling...so that's kind of how it works!
The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth...
Cinder,
the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the
bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even
though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted
fugitive.
Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother
is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know
about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole
life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have
information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust
this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As
Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they
meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious
Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to
become her husband, her king, her prisoner
My Thoughts: Regular reads here will know how I usually see the second book in a series. I won't get into my cranky rant on that, but I will say that Scarlet really surprised me. We are introduced to new characters, the romance is reasonable (no eye-rolling over insta-love), and the plot becomes even more explosive. There were a lot of moments where I would read a paragraph, say "no" aloud, and I'm sure to the outside observer I looked like I had lost touch with reality.
What I really appreciate about both of these books is the way that Meyer crafts strong female characters. Yes, they experience romance in the books, yet they aren't reliant upon their male leads to protect and save them. Does that mean that they don't occasionally step in and help? No, what it means is that Meyer has crafted a series where it's really equal. The characters help each other, betray each other, and learn about who they are.
Seriously, so good! I can't even handle waiting for the third book. I'm going to go cry in a corner now.
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