Oh, Ellen: Prophecy (The Dragon King Chronicles, #1)

January 2, 2013
HarperTeen
YA Historical/High Fantasy, 320 pages
Acquired and read: From the local library cooperative (love those guys!) like weeks ago, and resurrected from my teetering book pile yesterday afternoon.
  
The greatest warrior in all of the Seven Kingdoms... is a girl with yellow eyes.

Kira’s the only female in the king’s army, and the prince’s bodyguard. She’s a demon slayer and an outcast, hated by nearly everyone in her home city of Hansong. And, she’s their only hope...

Murdered kings and discovered traitors point to a demon invasion, sending Kira on the run with the young prince. He may be the savior predicted in the Dragon King Prophecy, but the missing treasure of myth may be the true key. With only the guidance of the cryptic prophecy, Kira must battle demon soldiers, evil shaman, and the Demon Lord himself to find what was once lost and raise a prince into a king.

Intrigue and mystery, ancient lore and action-packed fantasy come together in this heart-stopping first book in a trilogy.

There's a lot to be said for low expectations.

Wait, I think I said that wrong. See, whenever I've really, really balled up my fists and thrown a tantrum with lots of pillow flinging and high-pitched screaming over the fact that I didn't get the ARC of a debut I really, really wanted, chances are I won't like that debut as much as I really, really thought I would.

Translation: My expectations were too high. Thus, they were quickly, cruelly and irrefutably crushed.

Note that these debuts weren't bad. Far from it. It was just a matter of me building up the title and its subject material to something that it actually wasn't - example: a fun little read on pony power becoming a MASSIVE CYBERPUNK EPIC with programmable robot unicorns roaming the streets of New Tokyo and eventually fighting a lab experiment escapee that has a bad habit of going around and smashing down buildings...when, really, it was a fun little read on pony power.

Back to the review on Prophecy. I really looked forward to this release, but I definitely did not put it on the shelf of Instant Win next to Graceling and Eon, as it was pitched. Recently, I find myself doubting pitches. They just seem to aim too high and don't give debut authors a chance to find a proper spot of their own in the Book Club of Awesomeness.

If you want proof: "Beautiful Creatures is Twilight meets The Hunger Games."

I rest my case.

Anyway, when Prophecy came, I was pretty excited (but not to the brink of insanity) because Ellen Oh is the sweetest on Twitter and has some mega-awesome ideas on diversity in YA (us diverse girls gotta stick together, you know?). And, in the end, I think those reasonable expectations saved me from a world of disappointment.

Because Prophecy is not Eon.

Kira is not Eona.

And that's perfectly okay, because she has some (lethal) charms of her own.

From the very first page, I was hooked on this strange-eyed, so-called kumiho demon slayer. True, some of her friend-family dynamics are pretty cliche if you're on the Asian TV scale of things (family member who distrusts her strange powers, surprisingly supportive and not at all shocked that they have a savior for a daughter parents, and, a little down the way, an unabashed fan boy who hams it up in a truly Korean fashion).

Regardless of that, I found myself feeling for Kira. Even if she's a woman warrior, in a time period and world that I have no experience with, she still has feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. She doesn't think there's any way that a girl who has spent most of her life hated and feared can turn out to be the savior of an entire nation.

(Spoiler: She is.)

I can say that there were some moments in the text and plot that tripped me up (please avert your eyes from the spoilers): everyone's parents have to die? REALLY? Why does it always have to be a wise old monk who reveals the prophecy? There are some cool Buddhist nuns, you know. Share the girl power!

Uh oh, bad guys! No, wait, these are the bad guys? I could totally take them!

(No, really. Don't underestimate me just because I'm sweet and I read YA. Some have made the same mistake and NEVER REPEATED IT.)

...Wait, are those the Japanese? Did you just make the Japanese the bad guys?! (Okay, so I know in a historical context, Japan and Korea have not always been the best of friends, but...loyalties die hard, okay?)

Also, I may or may not have snickered at the use of "oppa" and "noona" in a context out of contemporary K-pop and -dramas. Ignore me, I'm weird sometimes.

In any case, I will be the first to admit that Prophecy does have its flaws. But that's the wonderful thing about a debut. It's your chance to make your entrance in the writing world, to enjoy those who understand and appreciate your loves, and learn from your mistakes and find wonderful friends to be your wingmen. I think Ellen has done all of that, and you can tell how much she loves Korea and its rich history.


Also, people, don't think that being a debut excuses you from awful grammatical faux pas and the overuse of love triangles. I can only be so nice.

(Side note: If you want to read Prophecy and aren't swayed on the idea of a K-drama set in a historical backdrop, read it for the romance - or lack of, as it pretty much lingers on the back burner. It's rather refreshing.)

Warnings: There are a few bad words here and there, insults against people's mothers, painful character deaths, some creepy demons who devour livers and possess humans...Eesh. Then again, this is Asian mythology, so expect the freaky here, people. But other than that, it's pretty clean.

Author's website | Twitter | Prophecy on GoodReads

Top Ten Tuesday: 2013 Debutantes I Need in My Life

Hosted by The Broke and Bookish; see the site for past and future topics, and other info for jumping in!

 

 

Alright, so I haven't done this dance in a while, but the topic was so good today I couldn't resist, and I know you guys won't be able to either. Okay, ready? It's... Top Ten 2013 Debuts. Perfect, right? (Except for the problem that I'm pretty much psyched for every single title locked in for 2013, but you can't win them all.)

 

Today, however, I'm making my own rule for the post. Instead of ten, I chose thirteen of my favorite books. That way, I got to add on three more titles, and have a way of paying tribute to the awesome books we can look forward to this year.

 

Yes, I know. I'm a genius.

 

 

 

 

1. Dualed by Elsie Chapman - Okay, okay, I know I'm cheating with this one. I've read it, wrote the review, got the t-shirt...hey, wait, I didn't get a t-shirt. Must correct that. But anyway, I don't think it's completely cheating because I now consider Elsie a good friend and I adore her and her writing and I'm totally going to throw a party on her book birthday just because this book is so darn awesome.

 

Moving on...

 

2. The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shephard - Anyone willing to lend me an ARC? Because I can't seem to get my hands on this little gem anywhere *sobs* Ah, well, there's always the library.

 

3. Taken by Erin Bowman - Yay for Pub Crawl ladies! Seriously, that blog is manned with the stars of the publishing world. There's also the double-whammy of it having a male protagonist and a cool cover.

 

4. Ink by Amanda Sun - ...And you already probably knew I was going to somehow slip Japan in here somewhere. You guys are really smart, you know that? Or maybe, I'm just a little too predicable. Anyway, I've talked to Amanda a few times around these parts, and she seems really sweet, and of course, have you ever known me to resist a book that involved Japan?! Please.

 

5. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Tucholke - See, this book is mainly why this post is titled the 2013 Debutantes I NEED IN MY LIFE. The new pitch, as taken from Edelweiss, pretty much describes it as Fitzgerald with a dark side. I'm now picturing angsty jazz, dark secrets and possibly someone being hit with a car being driven by a reincarnated Lovecraft monster. (If I'm totally off the mark with this description, someone please go out and write this story.)

 

6. Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis - There isn't a cover for this one yet - at least not that can be found on GoodReads - so I have both that and the general anticipation for this title crushing my soul. Have you read the query letter on YA Highway? This, this is the type of stuff that deserves salvation from the slush pile and a position on my shelf ASAP.

 

7. City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster - Confession: I didn't really know what this book was about until like a few weeks of following Miriam, mainly because I was distracted by how funny and talented she is. But when I realized how much awesome girl-power potential it had, I was all over it. And have yet to get a hand on a copy of it. *growls*

 

8. The Falconer by Elizabeth May - I found out about her through WriteOnCon (she happens to be a success story). Definitely one author you need to keep an eye on: Steampunk Scotland? Forget England, people. This girl's setting out for the new frontier.

 

9. Splintered by A.G. Howard - It's about Alice in Wonderland, which means it's based off a classic, which means that I don't actually have to explain to you how awesome it is and convince you to pick it up. You just will.

 

10. Premeditated by Josein McQuein - Look up the query letter on Query Shark. That is all you need to know.

 

 

Bonus!

 

11. In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters - I love the cover for this one. I love the summary. I love the fact that it's coming out sooner rather than later, so I can actually read it without depending on NetGalley and their capricious way of picking reviewers. :(

 

12. Infinite Sky by C.J. Flood - It involves gypsies. It sounds very Diana Wynne Jones-eque blurb-wise. And it's from Britain. The Charlotte Bronte spirit within me swoons.

 

13. Transparent by Natalie Whipple - Natalie is one of those bloggers slash writers that I just kind of eye shyly and follow avidly. And trust me, you've always wanted to be invisible at some point or another, right? Now you get a look at what it might actually be like!

 

 

 

  

Are any of these on your list? Do you think I missed out on anyone? Let me know, and I wish you a happy 2013 full of rich, inspiring debuts!

Chapman, Elsie: Dualed (Dualed, #1)

Expected publication: February 26, 2013 (yes, totally jumping the gun on this one!)
Random House
YA Dystopian, 304 pages
Acquired and read: Through NetGalley in return for a fair and unbiased review; I read it within two nights.  

You or your Alt? Only one will survive. 

Dualed is a thrilling high-concept YA where citizens must prove their worth by killing their Alts--twins raised by other families. 

The city of Kersh is a safe haven, but the price of safety is high. West Grayer has trained as a fighter, preparing for the day when her assignment arrives and she will have one month to hunt down and kill her Alt. Survival means advanced schooling, a good job, marriage--life. But then a tragic misstep shakes West's confidence. Stricken with grief and guilt, she's no longer certain that she's the best version of herself, the version worthy of a future. If she is to have any chance of winning, she must stop running not only from her Alt, but also from love . . . though both have the power to destroy her. 

Elsie Chapman's suspenseful debut weaves unexpected romance into a novel full of fast-paced action and thought-provoking philosophy. When the story ends, discussions will begin about this future society where every adult is a murderer and every child knows there is another out there who just might be better.

Disclaimer: This is a pre-release ARC received from the publisher. As such, please check any quotes or information against the finished copy of the book.

You know, I think there are one or two sites on the Web where you're allowed to creep - and no, Facebook isn't one of them. (Believe me - I was totally freaked when one of my friend's younger sisters confessed that she's seen her sister look me up no less than five times to "see what I'm up to". Laugh at me all you want, but it's different when you're not the stalker. Trust me.)

NetGalley and GoodReads on the other hand...Go ahead. Knock yourself out. You can never have enough reading material. And books totally don't mind it when you check out their biodata before starting a conversation.

So anyway, I was stalking...*cough*...browsing NetGalley the other day, when I happened upon Dualed. I scrolled down, and back up. I checked the link to make sure it wasn't for some obscure country (read: any country that Kaye doesn't have access to galleys from). And then I clicked Request and prayed that someone, somewhere in Random House, would take pity on a little blogger girl from a small town and let me have this galley the first time around, please and thank you, Amen.

And what do you know? It worked.

As stated up there (in all that gobbledygook I'm pretty sure you just scroll by - after all, my reviews are the best part right?) it took me two nights to finish Dualed. Two nights of nail-biting and cringing and one moment where I calmly shut off my Kindle, closed my eyes and hoped that the author wouldn't be cruel enough to leave it right there.

Confession: She isn't cruel at all. She's really sweet. (That does count as unbiased still, right?

Anyway, after those two nights of nail-biting and cringing and eye-closing, I finished it. And I immediately went on Twitter to tease...er...compliment the author on her great achievement.

This is pretty much how it went...

Kaye: I finished Dualed last night. Wow...just wow.

Elsie: Really? How did you like it?

Kaye: *hums innocently*

Elsie: Gah. Tell me.

Kaye: You can take comfort in the fact that I don't tweet authors about their books if I totally hated them. I'm not that cruel.

(See how I answer the question, and don't answer it at the same time? Smooth, Kaye. Very smooth.)

Elsie: GAH.

So yes, maybe it wasn't complimenting so much as teasing. But here's the part where I tell you exactly what I told her: this is some good dystopian, right here.

West is one of those heroines that you can feel in your blood. Every single moment, from when she entered the secret world of assassins, or strikers, to receiving her assignment and seeing her own other self for the first time - you can see it.

And it really, really will freak you out.

I mean, this is a world where the government creates another you just so you can fight it out and possibly lose your life, all for the sake of a better society.

Um, what kind of logic is that?

I know that some people will totally jump down my throat for this - mainly because so many comparisons are being drawn to the Hunger Games recently - but West really reminds me of Katniss. Minus the annoying "Peeta or Gale? Bread boy or wild hunter?" debate. And the long braid. And the whole being the Girl on Fire imagery. They are both caught in this dog-eat-dog world, having to kill or be killed, and both authors have the skill to yank you into the book by the arm and drag you along for the ride. There's fast-paced drama, sniper missions and assassin assignments (I mean, what's a future world without some dude finding a loophole to override the system?).

Of course, it's not all fun and games. West can be a little - how to phrase this politely? - annoying. Picture her as the cousin you have to babysit who plays with matches, opens the door for a stranger, and doesn't know how to turn off the oven. There were a few times I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and scream, "WEST! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Also, despite being spared of the typical Dystopian Formula (see my review of Masque of the Red Death for further details), it's obvious that she and Chord are going to end up together, regardless of the arguments and the stomping out the door and the near-death escapades. If you're the type of person who wants the heroine to spend 50% of the storyline playing Eenie-Meanie-Mini-Mo between two buff, mysterious, snarky-mouthed heroes, this is not the dystopian for you.

(Thank God.)

So, since my spoiler filter is being strained to the max, and my inner goody-two-shoes blogger is screaming, "THIS IS A 2013 RELEASE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING, GIRL?!", it's time for a review:

1. 2013 = releases of win.

2. Elsie Chapman = debut author of win.

3. Dualed = read whenever you can get your hands on it.

Which, seeing as NetGalley and Edelweiss have pulled it for the time being, won't be soon enough for your liking, I'm afraid.

And here I've gone and wound you up. What a cruel blogger I can be. But then again, I think Elsie can attest to that now.

Cover Reveal: THE ARCHIVED by Victoria Schwab

If you've been keeping up with current (book-related) events recently, you've probably been on pins and needles waiting for The Archived cover to be revealed. I mean, a book centered around a library of the dead? How are the designers going to manage that?

Turns out,. you really shouldn't doubt the designers. Especially at Disney*Hyperion. They are totally made of win.

As seen below:

For some reason, I just love the shades of blue they used here. And the way that the smoke forms her face? Very mysterious. And knowing Victoria, the inside is going to be just as awesome (if not MORE) as the gift wrapping.

For a peek at the (just as gorgeous) back cover and more information, check out the original post on Mundie Moms today! And don't forget to stop by Victoria's blog post today to see ways that you can share the love for The Archived and WIN some fabulous love back from her in return!