Taylor, Laini: Lips Touch: Three Times

October 1, 2009
272 pages, Arthur A. Levine Books (Scholastic Inc.)

A girl who’s always been in the shadows finds herself pursued by the unbelievably attractive new boy at school, who may or may not be the death of her. 

Another girl grows up mute because of a curse placed on her by a vindictive spirit, and later must decide whether to utter her first words to the boy she loves and risk killing everyone who hears her if the curse is real. 

And a third girl discovers that the real reason for her transient life with her mother has to do with belonging — literally belonging — to another world entirely, full of dreaded creatures who can transform into animals, and whose queen keeps little girls as personal pets until they grow to childbearing age.

From a writer of unparalleled imagination and emotional insight, three stories about the deliciousness of wanting and waiting for that moment when lips touch.

I never realized before what an important role is given to the reviewer. Reading a review can completely color your eyes towards a book and its author, even before you've felt it in your hands for yourself, or seen the familiar binding gracing the shelf of a library.


That being said, I will try my best in this review to show you exactly how amazing, electrifying, and simply marvelous this little flame-colored volume is, and why you should read it.

I know, it's a big responsibility, but someone's gotta do it.

Ready?


Okay. I've heard a lot about this book, even before Laini Taylor wrote the tantalizing (and much coveted on my part - curse you, all those lucky BEA attendees that have ARCs!) Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Three stories about kissing with a paranormal bent, yada yada yada.

My first reaction? A picture of this guy.

...No, not Rob Patz (though he's pretty traumatic in himself). The guy he plays. The sparkly vampire.


Yes. There's been so much paranormal floating about that I'm ashamed to admit I've become a bit jaded about new releases, and the possible appearance of another pale-skinned, golden-eyed, anguished immortal hunk (get yours today!) that I kind of put this title aside in my mind and forgot about it.


However, thanks to a few glowing reviews on GoodReads (particularly those of Nanalla and Tatiana - thanks girls!) made me pick this up at the library last week.


To make a potentially long review short, let me just say: if you're looking for one fantasy/paranormal/romantic/fairy tale book to make your favorite read of the year, this pretty much fits the ticket.


Positively. Gorgeous.

And I don't just mean the illustrations.


To quote the book itself:


"Kizzy wanted to be a woman who would dive off the prow of a sailboat into the sea, who would fall back in a tangle of sheets, laughing, and who could dance a tango, lazily stroke a leopard with her bare foot, freeze an enemy's blood with her eyes, make promises she couldn't possibly keep, and then shift the world to keep them...She wanted to be inscrutable, have a drink named after her, a love song written for her, and a handsome adventurer's small airplane, champagne-christened Kizzy, which would vanish one day in a windstorm in Arabia so that she would have to mount a rescue operation involving camels, and wear an indigo veil against the stinging sand, just like the nomads.


Kizzy wanted."

and...


"The others all remembered that stare in the garden, and they could see now in the look that passed between the two that something was already under way. A bridge begun at both ends, reaching toward the place in the middle where they could rest against each other and find completion."


I could post more, but I really don't want to spoil the book for you. Like that breathless moment before a dive into the deep end of a pool, or the sensation of first love, this is something you really have to read - and adore - for yourself.


Warnings: A bit of sexual innuendo. The last story, at least to me, was also a bit more disturbing (a demon queen that keeps human children as pets, and then breed new ones when they come of age), so just keep that in mind.


If you like/recommended for: Fairy tale lovers. It doesn't matter how old you are. Fairy tales are meant to be universal. Why do you think there are around a hundred versions of Cinderella?

Definitely a book you don't want to miss. And please, do yourself a favor and read it instead of listening to the audiobook. Your eyes will thank you.

Lee, Y.S.: The Agency: A Spy in the House

March 9, 2010
335 pages, Candlewick Press

Steeped in Victorian atmosphere and intrigue, this diverting mystery trails a feisty heroine as she takes on a precarious secret assignment.

Rescued from the gallows in 1850s London, young orphan (and thief) Mary Quinn is surprised to be offered a singular education, instruction in fine manners — and an unusual vocation. Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls is a cover for an all-female investigative unit called The Agency, and at seventeen, Mary is about to put her training to the test. Assuming the guise of a lady’s companion, she must infiltrate a rich merchant’s home in hopes of tracing his missing cargo ships. But the household is full of dangerous deceptions, and there is no one to trust — or is there? Packed with action and suspense, banter and romance, and evoking the gritty backstreets of Victorian London, this breezy mystery debuts a daring young detective who lives by her wits while uncovering secrets — including those of her own past.

Okay. If you've read The Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter (and if you haven't, I don't know what is wrong with you), just picture the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Girls placed in the middle of grimy, smelly, decadent 19th century England. Make Cammy an ex-thief with a hidden family background, put Zach in gentleman tweeds and a carriage, and add in the possibility of smugglers.

Yeah. Pretty cool, right?

Mary upholds herself throughout the story as a put-together, independent heroine. She's been through the worst that the world has thrown at her and bears her scars, but is not emotionally dependent on the love interest (though he is pretty awesome himself when it comes to the detective business). Of course, there are a few instances when you can't help but shake her when it comes to speculating about said love interest - "is he in love with her? No, he can't be. But what if he does care? He does care, doesn't he?" Fortunately, these brief instances are overshadowed by the plot line.

Everyone has a secret, even the intrepid detective herself - and believe me, hers is one I definitely wasn't expecting. The plot line keeps you guessing right up to the climax, which is something I've been looking for in recent mysteries and, unfortunately, usually falls flat of the target.
 
Warnings: There is some mention of social issues that you know did happen, but might be a little squirmy to read about. The master of the house owns a questionable book detailing the forced liaisons between slave owner and helpless slave woman. One of the maids is thrown out for being six months pregnant by said master, and a few people actually accuse Mary of being her replacement. Things like that. So you definitely know this isn't for younger readers.

Recommended for... Fans of Sherlock Holmes. Anyone who likes Ally Carter (though it's a different style and time period). People looking for a bit of girl power, adventure and a proper serving of romance.


Final notes. 
 
4. Just one stroke off.

- Intriguing cast of characters.
- Likable heroine.
- Unexpected twist of fate.

I guess the reason I couldn't give this a full five-star...er, paint stroke...rating was simply because at one point, the plot just seemed to drag. Maybe it's because it's me and I'm a bit impatient to get on to the next read waiting in my book bag, maybe because the speculation behind the whodunit was taking too much time for my fancy. Eh. You can decide for yourself.

Wood, Maryrose: Why I Let My Hair Grow Out (Morgan Rawlinson, #1)

March 6, 2007
218 pages, Berkley Jam

Being sent to your room is one thing. But being sent to another country? 

Morgan's boyfriend dumped her on the last day of school - it seemed the only thing to do was to hack off her hair and dye the stubble orange. Unfortunately, Morgan's parents freaked and decided a change of scenery would do her good. So they're sending her off on a bike tour of Ireland. 

But Morgan gets more than she bargained for on the Emerald Isle - including a strange journey into some crazy, once upon a time corner of the past. There, she meets fairies, weefolk, and a hunky warrior-dude named Fergus, and figures out that she's got some growing to do-and she doesn't just mean her hair.

So Morgan might be reacting a little badly to her recent breakup.

Well...badly might be an understatement.

After she takes the shears to her hair, Morgan's parents totally hit the roof and ship her off to Ireland for a bike tour, hoping (perhaps a little too optimistically) that a little time away from home will straighten her out. The country is unexplored, the fellow tourists all with their own interesting quirks and reasons to get away - and of course, there's Colin, who seems to Morgan to be the perfect rebound boy for her heartbreak.

Of course, this is all before she knocks her head and wakes up to long hair, a beautiful ancient warrior with a familiar face, and a talking horse standing guard over her body. Can anyone say, time travel?

After meeting her and reading her other two series (The Poison Diaries and The Incorrigable Children of Ashton Place - both are still in progress, and both are amazing), this book sets a different tone than Maryrose Wood usually has. Still, though, the writing is pretty good; she hits the feel of a hurt, troubled teenager spot-on. My only complaint would be the coarse language, of which there is a LOT, and a lot of unnecessary innuendo.

Warnings:

Mature language, extremely obvious innuendo, alcohol served to a minor, a bitter teenage girl with no verbal or mental filters - you get the idea.

And let's tally up the rating points!

Points for:

Historical research

Realistic character

Accurately retelling mythology

Minus for:

Language

Innuendo

A rather rushed resolution ending, in my opinion (I felt almost like I was living out someone's confuzzled nightmare after eating cheese right before bed - it was that confusing)

Final notes:

I'm not sure if I'll keep reading this series or not. It's definitely something different, but the language issue is always a touchy spot for me. And besides, I still have the second book of the Poison Diaries (ARC! I am so glad to have a generous younger sister) to finish up... ;)

Bradbury, Jennifer: Wrapped

May 24, 2011
320 pages, Athenum 
Historical Fiction/Adventure/Suspense

Agnes Wilkins is standing in front of an Egyptian mummy, about to make the first cut into the wrappings, about to unlock ancient (and not-so-ancient) history. 

Maybe you think this girl is wearing a pith helmet with antique dust swirling around her. 

Maybe you think she is a young Egyptologist who has arrived in Cairo on camelback. 

Maybe she would like to think that too. Agnes Wilkins dreams of adventures that reach beyond the garden walls, but reality for a seventeen-year-old debutante in 1815 London does not allow for camels—or dust, even. No, Agnes can only see a mummy when she is wearing a new silk gown and standing on the verdant lawns of Lord Showalter’s estate, with chaperones fussing about and strolling sitar players straining to create an exotic “atmosphere” for the first party of the season. 

An unwrapping. 

This is the start of it all, Agnes’s debut season, the pretty girl parade that offers only ever-shrinking options: home, husband, and high society. It’s also the start of something else, because the mummy Agnes unwraps isn’t just a mummy. It’s a host for a secret that could unravel a new destiny—unleashing mystery, an international intrigue, and possibly a curse in the bargain. 

 This, right here, is the type of book I want to write when I grow up.

With a seamless mesh of humor, authentic historical facts and adventure, Bradbury weaves the story of Agnes Wilkins, a young girl living in the heart of the Regency Period (one of my loves that I could not help but squeal when I realized Ms. Bradbury loves it just as well), obsessed with Jane Austen novels - though at the time they were penned by "A Lady" - and, at the very moment in which the story begins, standing with a knife in preparation to cut into a mummy.

Not in the sweltering heat and dusty lands of Egypt, mind you. Right at home in jolly old England, at the party of a certain Lord Showalter who may or may not be interested in making Agnes his next acquisition, and under the eyes of a suspicious young man who might or might not be a spy.

And then, right after Agnes guiltily ferrets away a particular find in her foot of wrapping - a small amulet that doesn't seem that valuable - a murder is announced.

And British society will never be the same.

Agnes is an endearing and strong heroine with a habit of translating A Lady quotes into other languages when she gets agitated - an unusual find in the recent deluge of Bella Swan knock-offs and boy-obsessed Juliets, and something which made me even more enraptured with the tale.

And of course, there's Caedon Stowe, museum apprentice, daring sidekick and a scholar of all that is ancient and decrepit. Don't you just admire a smart boy?


Warnings: Two brief and forgettable instances of vulgar language, and, for the faint of heart, mentions of dried out cadavers and murdered corpses. Be sure to have your smelling salts on hand.

And let's tally up the rating points!

5 - Strong heroine

4.5 - Likeable love interest (although he does have his moments of typical exasperating male behavior)

5 - Authentic historical facts, without coming off as a presumptuous prig (and a fine British aura to boot)

5 - Brilliant supporting cast, from the romantic French ladies' maid to the annoying older brother with his own secrets to hide

5 - No sudden bouts of the paranormal. Always worth a point in my opinion.

-1 - Cliche criminal mastermind that I totally saw coming.

Conclusion = A pretty spot-on tale. Definitely worth the read.

Ibbotson, Eva: Journey to the River Sea

Read it once, retain fond memories.

Read it twice, and feel the love be rekindled.

That's pretty much what I went through when I "rediscovered" this little gem from my elementary school years. For ages, I'd passed it by on the library shelves, always putting it on the reread list for when I had time - and a lack of new, shiny titles to discover. It wasn't until I discovered that our library had gotten rid of BOTH COPIES (I mean, who does that to classic children's literature!) that I took the initiative to revive my childhood memories.

And what memories they are.

Journey to the River Sea is centered around Maia, a sweet young orphan who finds herself abruptly shuttled from her peaceful life in a British boarding school into the hands of unknown relatives, the Coopers, dwelling within exotic, untamed Brazil.What at first seems like a blessing in disguise - a new family, cousins to be played with and an entire new culture to absorb - soon turns out to be something quite different. Mr. and Mrs. Cooper, each with their both hilarious and slightly disturbing obsessions, need Maia simply for the money her parents have left behind. The twins are self-absorbed and quite nasty, and as a result of contact with the despicable Coopers, the locals are sullen and quite unwilling to open up to newcomers.

And of course there is Miss Minton - the stern-faced, unusual governess with an authentic replica of a Viking spear for a hatpin.

The story hardly ends up there, however. Maia isn't one to let her misery keep her from adventure. A young actor in dire straits due to impending puberty, an heir on a mission to escape the shackles of wealth waiting for him back in England, and two persistent crow-like investigators, not to mention the late author's constant dedication to research and beautiful detail - make each page literally breathtaking. It might be marketed for children, but believe me, if you are young at heart and like a good tale of kind hearts and determination winning over...well, not evil, but not very nice people either...this book will not disappoint you.

This is definitely one book that's going on my wish list to share with my children in the future.

Wynne Jones, Diana: The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, vol. 1

In this multiple parallel universes of the Twelve Related Worlds, only an enchanter with nine lives is powerful enough to control the rampant misuse of magic—and to hold the title Chrestomanci... The Chants are a family strong in magic, but neither Christopher Chant nor Cat Chant can work even the simplest of spells. Who could have dreamed that both Christopher and Cat were born with nine lives—or that they could lose them so quickly?

f i n a l   t h o u g h t s

Though I'm pretty sure that Howl's Moving Castle will remain my favorite of Diana Wynne Jones' series (may she rest in peace in that great castle in the sky), Chrestomanci is quickly becoming a fast second.

I didn't know until I checked this volume out that it contains the first two books of the series - Charmed Life and The Lives of Christopher Chant. What's cool about it is that we're introduced to the current Chrestomanci, or head magician, in the first book, and then you get to read his back-story in the second volume.

I figured out pretty quickly that any assumptions you might have coming into a Diana Wynne Jones story should be kept silent. It's like running through a maze: you turn every corner, get a little lost, and then think you know the way out, only to be met with another new twist.

Only it's much cooler.

And less scary than getting lost for real.

my verdict. five stars. a must-read, even if you think you're too old for children's lit.