The Alchemist’s Daughter ~ By Mary Lawrence 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Tudor England

 I received this ebook from NetGalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review.

In the year 1543, Bianca Goddard is a chemist who uses her knowledge of medicinal herbs and plants to help the poor in a disease-ridden slum of London. Shortly after her friend Jolyn comes to her complaining of stomach pain, she dies, and Bianca is suspected of killing her. Since the constable is already convinced of her guilt, it’s up to Bianca to clear her own name, before she’s sent to the gallows.

The Alchemist’s Daughter graphically depicts the living conditions of the poor during the Tudor period. This is no fanciful or romantic rendering of King Henry VIII’s England. Life is so desperate that those without money will do anything to survive, including using other people to get ahead. These were the days where work consisted of prostitution, muckraking, and rat-catching. And the law was more interested in what was easy and convenient, rather than the truth. This is what young Bianca faces, even as she works to live down the infamy of her father, who at one time, was accused of attempting to poison the King. Conditions are so poor, she lives in one room, which is also where she mixes up her concotions. In addition to being unsanitary despite her best intentions, it also has the potential to be extremely unsafe. This is made clear when her friend Jolyn dies after Bianca gives her an herbal tea to soothe her stomach. At first even Bianca is afraid that she may have mixed up the ingredients and inadvertently poisoned her friend. Once it is clear however that Jolyn was poisoned before her visit, Bianca determinedly sets out to discover who the true villain is. This is made somewhat difficult by an inept constable who is more interested in using Bianca to further his career. Also getting in the way at times is Bianca’s beau, John. While he comes through in the end, during much of the story, he’s rather immature and seems more upset over Bianca’s perceived inattention, than the looming threat of her being hung. Bianca herself, is an intriguing character. It is thanks to her efforts that her father is free, and she’s managed to carve out an independent life during a time when it would have been far easier for her to just wed. The mystery is very well written, with plenty of twists and no end of potential suspects. Despite the prevalence of historical slang, I found this to be a fairly quick read. Mary Lawrence has obviously done her research as everything is consistent with the times. In keeping with that, there are some pretty squeamish passages, which may give one pause. That said, I think this is solid introduction to a new series, and those who enjoy historical mysteries will be pleased.

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Wednesday Wit

Tags

Douglas Adams, Humor

 I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.

~ Douglas Adams ~

Dragons Are People Too ~ Sarah Nicholas – 3.5 Stars

Tags

Action-Adventure, Secret Agencies, Shapeshifters, Urban Fantasy, YA Fiction

 I received this ebook from NetGalley and Entangled Teen in exchange for an honest review.

16-year-old Kitty Lung isn’t exactly your normal teen. Not only does she work for a secret government agency, but she’s a were-dragon. Her people’s existence has been kept secret, but when a junior operative accidentally changes form in public, the entire world knows about dragons and the Draconic Intelligence Command (DIC). Now the government has been pressured into imprisoning dragons in order to allay the public’s fears. Kitty and her best friend Builsani are the only ones who are still free, and when the president’ s son is kidnapped, they’ll have to rescue him if there’s to be any hope of liberating their fellow dragons. 

Were-dragons have always been one of my favorite types of shapeshifters since I first read the Jennifer Scales series by Maryjanice Davidson. I’m happy to say that, this is a fun and original take on dragons and shapeshifters. Kitty is an interesting character and once you get to know her, you’ll understand why a 16-year-old would be working undercover for the government. The daughter of two highly respected commanders, she’s been in training since she was four. She’s highly intelligent, and conversant in several different languages. Now for the bad part. For all her training, Kitty is incredibly self-absorbed and spends the majority of the book swooning over her best friend Sani. I understand she’s young, but to be perfectly honest, it got a bit annoying. Otherwise, I really liked her. She’s funny, brave, and determined to do the right thing. Despite her precociousness, she makes mistakes which saves her from being too perfect. I got the sense while reading that she’s not quite sure where she fits in which makes her quite empathetic. Except for the aforementioned swooning, the budding romance between Kitty and Sani is very sweet. Sani is an ideal partner for her because he’s much more level-headed, although I wish he wasn’t quite so passive. Starting with the descriptions of the were-dragons, the world-building is phenomenal. The dragons physical appearance and powers are all different depending on which country they’ve originated from. English dragons are large and breathe fire, while their Chinese counterparts are smaller and able to manipulate magnetic fields. Sani is an African were-dragon, but there’s not a lot of description regarding his powers, so hopefully that will be explored more in the next book. There’s other shapeshifters as well, which I assume we’ll learn even more about as the series progresses. You have to suspend disbelief at not only the actions of the government, but also how Kitty and Sani are the only dragons not captured, but as the action immediately starts on the very first page and never lets up it’s not difficult to do so. Overall, Dragons Are People Too is a worthwhile and enjoyable read as long as you don’t take it too seriously. 

Monday Musings

Tags

Imagination, Inspirational quotes, Sylvia Plath

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

~ Albert Einstein  ~

When We Were Animals – By Joshua Gaylord ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Coming-of-age stories, Father-Daughter Relationships, Gothic Fiction, Peer Pressure, Sexual Identity

 I received this ebook from NetGalley and Mulholland Books in exchange for an honest review.

A small Midwestern town hides a dark and shameful secret. When they hit puberty, teenagers “breach”, that is, they run wild and naked through the streets under the three nights of each full moon. They fight, have sex, and basically destroy everything in their way. Promising her father she’ll resist, Lumen Ann Fowler begins investigating the mystery behind this ritual. As she does, and the town’s past comes to light, it soon becomes evident that Lumen and her father are harboring secrets of their own.

~”It’s funny how many ways there are to hurt people. As many ways to hurt as there are species of flower. Whole bouquets of hurt.” ~

Did you ever read a book and wonder what it was you just read? That was my reaction after finishing this well written, yet disquieting story. The novel is written in the first person and is part memoir, part coming-of-age novel. The story begins with a now adult Lumen who is married, has a small child, and is living in a different town. As she reflects back to her childhood, the history of not only the town, but the relationship between Lumen and her father, is slowly revealed. This is a town which is completely unremarkable except for this bizarre change that affects its teenagers and marks each of them for roughly a year. In a way, the breaching reminded me of the complete breakdown of civilized behavior in Lord of the Flies. In the classic however, the breakdown happens when schoolchildren are completely isolated from adults and society. That’s not the case in this instance. The breaching, which is not supernatural in nature, has always existed in this tiny Appalachian like town, and no one seems to know why, or how to prevent it. On nights of the full moon, adults hide in their houses with their younger children and teenagers who have already breached. Then at dawn, they welcome their exhausted wild ones back home after a depravity filled night. Lumen has always been a little different from her peers, and since her mother mysteriously didn’t breach, Lumen thinks neither will she. She discovers when she’s sixteen, that she’s not immune to this condition but while she’s compelled to join the others, she’s still holds herself separate. In doing so, she discovers a mystery that leads her back to her deceased mother, and her own relationship with her father. Lumen is a complex and conflicted character. She and her father love each other, but the special closeness they had shared when she was young is no longer there. You can see how that hurt has affected her permanently during the chapters where she’s describing her present day life. She’s never told her husband about her past, and you can see how there’s a disconnect between them. Lumen, who’s now known as Ann Borden, actually finds it hard relating to anyone. It’s difficult to describe further what happens in this book without giving away spoilers. Joshua Gaylord’s narrative is beautiful, and perfectly captures the voice of the young confused Lumen who is battling both her own sexuality, and the expectations of her father and her peers. I think you could say that the entire story is a metaphor for not only adolescence, but the darker instincts that we tend to keep hidden. When We We Animals is not for everyone. Some of it is pretty disturbing. If you do decide to try it though, you won’t soon forget it.

Happy Earth Day!

Tags

Earth Day 2015, Inspirational quotes, William Shakespeare

And this our life, exempt from public haunt,

Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,

Sermons in stones, and good in everything. 

~ William Shakespeare ~

Cold Burn of Magic (Book 1 in the Black Blade Series) ~ By Jennifer Estep 4.0 Stars

Tags

Magical Communities, Relationships, Urban Fantasy, YA Fiction

 I received this e-Arc from NetGalley and Kensington-Teen in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: 4/28/15

17-year-old Lila Merriweather lives in Cloudburst Falls, also known as “the most magical place in America”. Having lost both her parents, and living in the library’s basement, she divides her time between school and running “errands” for pawnbroker Mo Kaminsky. Despite having some magical talents of her own, she tries to stay under the radar and out of the feuds between the three powerful Families that run the town. That is until the day that Devon Sinclair walks into Mo’s shop, and she winds up saving his life. Now she’s reluctantly accepted the position of bodyguard to Devon which given the sparks that fly between them, and the upgrade in living arrangements, shouldn’t be too difficult. But things rarely are ever that easy, for people who get involved with the Families wind up dead. Her own mother was murdered by one of them, and now it looks like Lila might suffer the same fate.

Being a huge fan of Jennifer Estep’ s adult series the Elemental Assassin, as well as her YA Mythos Academy, I started jumping up and down when I spied this on NetGalley. I imagine I looked something like this:

 After all, what’s not to like? It’s not only full of magical creatures like pixies, monsters, trolls, etc. but feuding Mafia style families? Awesome! Then as I began reading I was filled with a familiar sense of deja vu. Lila survives as a pickpocket and makes her home in a secret room in the town’s library. Hmm. Where did I read this before? Oh yeah! Just like Echo in Girl at Midnight. As much as I appreciate a snarky, kick-ass heroine, I was starting to feel a little skeptical. 

But happily, as I continued reading, the similarities bothered me less and less. First of all, there’s the concept of Cloudburst Falls. A magical community visited by tourists, and run by three constantly battling Families was just fantastic.  Jennifer Estep’ s greatest strength is her world building, and this was no exception. From the description of the town and it’s inhabitants, to the history of the Families, and the talents that magic users wield, she skillfully draws you into the story. Then there’s the characters. I love strong female characters, and even though Lila is similar to ones I’ve read in other books, she retains some unique qualities. She’s extremely smart, and has a good handle on her priorities. After accepting an offer she can’t refuse from Devon’s mother Claudia, the head of the Sinclair family, she discovers that it now may be possible to finally discover who murdered her mother three years earlier. She goes from hiding out in the library, to living in a luxurious mansion! She even scores her own pixie. So what if Oscar is a little surly and spends the majority of his time getting drunk and listening to country music. The little guy actually does grow on you. The dynamic between Devon and Lila was a little too “love at first sight”, but it grew on me. Even though Lila is providing security for him, Devon is pretty good at taking care of himself. His job as the Sinclair’s Bruiser is to protect the family’s interests, so he’s more than an equal partner for Lila. Best of all, there’s no love triangle! Not even the hint of one! The secondary characters are realistically written and I especially liked Mo, and Devon’ s best friend Felix, who sort of has a Romeo and Juliet thing going with the daughter of a rival family. The identity of the villain isn’t a big surprise, but the way that he’s vanquished is priceless. When I finished the book I found myself wanting to go live in Cloudburst Falls, warts and all. I think this is a good beginning to what has the potential to be an exciting new series.

 

 

 

Rainy Days and Mondays…

Tags

Graphic design, IPC

It’s dumping buckets here in Massachusetts and I don’t know about all of you, but that always puts a bit of a crimp in the beginning of a new week for me. So, if anyone else is feeling the Monday blues, maybe these incredible graphics courtesy of Eric over at http://isaacspictureconclusions.com will lift your spirits! Enjoy!

 

In A Galaxy Far, Far, Away…

Tags

Father-Daughter Relationships, Movie Nostalgia, Star Wars VII

If you happened to hear any high pitched screaming earlier today in the northern hemisphere, that was probably me, after seeing the new trailer for Star Wars Episode VII! Okay. I probably was one of thousands of fans who were squealing around the globe. I can’t believe I was only twelve-years-old when I saw the first film with my father and was instantly captivated. I then had to put up with my dad’s incredibly corny Darth Vader impressions, raspy breathing and all. When The Empire Strikes Back came out, I remember cringing when Luke lost his hand, and sobbing uncontrollably into my dad’s reassuring shoulder as Luke learned that Darth Vader was his father. When Return of the Jedi came out, it was with mixed emotions that I went, because my father had passed away the previous year. I think he would have liked it though. Especially the chase scenes on Endor with the Speeder bikes. Unfortunately, the prequel trilogy didn’t quite recapture that original magic despite some great casting, including Ewan McGregor as Obi Wan. So it’s been with much trepidation that I’ve been awaiting the December 18th release of The Force Awakens. Will it be able to regain that spark of the first films, or will it give us more horrible storylines and characters like Jar Jar Binks? Well, after watching the trailer a few, oh all right, several times, I have hope. In addition to all the new and exciting footage, there were parts that just gave me goosebumps. There’s the powerful image of the scorched and battered helmet of Darth Vader.

There’s also the young voice Of Mark Hamill/Luke, from 30 years ago as he tells Leia: “The force is strong in my family. My father has it. I have it. My sister has it.” Now there’s a new addition. “And you have the power, too.”  Cue chills! What truly clinched for me though, were these two familiar faces. 

As Han Solo cracks that unmistakable crooked smile and says, “Chewie…We’re home” you can’t tell what they’re looking at, but I for one, feel, yes. I’ve come home.

The Girl at Midnight ~ By Melissa Grey – 5.0 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Friendship, Quests, Wars, YA Fiction

 I received this e-Arc from NetGalley and Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review. 

Release Date: 4/28/2015

17-year-old Echo has been raised by the Avicen for most of her life. This magical race of people with their beautiful birdlike feathers, have been at war with the dragonlike Drakharins for centuries. Although Echo is the ward of an Avicen council member, she is still seen as an outsider by some because she is human. Then she comes across a clue which could lead to the Firebird, a legendary creature which is rumored to be able to put an end to the war between the two races. Hopeful that if she finds it, the Avicen might finally accept her, Echo begins her quest, never dreaming that she’ll wind up partnering up with two Drakharins, and that everything she’s been told about herself, and the two feuding sides will now be called into question. 

Sometimes you’re lucky enough to come across a book that from the cover, to the pages within, is simply perfect. The Girl At Midnight was like that for me. At the beginning of the novel, Echo is a pickpocket and a bit of a rebel. She has two very close Avicen friends, and her guardian Ala who loves her, but it’s obvious that apart from this small circle, she feels disconnected from the others, and seeks to prove herself. When she brings the clue to Ala who asks her to go on this perilous quest to seek out the Firebird, Echo shows no sign of hesitation. Aiding her is her best friend Ivy, a fellow thief named Jasper, and after a bit of a rocky start, Caius, the leader of the Drakharin, and his friend/second-in-command Dorian. Echo and Caius slowly develop a romantic relationship, although Echo still has Rowan, her boyfriend back at home. While setting up a love triangle, it never really got annoying, mainly because Rowan was out of the picture for the majority of the book. I found Caius to be an intriguing character. He’s a centuries old prince who cares deeply for his people, yet has done some horrible things in order to protect them. The same can be said for Dorian also, who secretly loves Caius. Once Dorian meets Jasper though, well, there’s an interesting turn of events. Jasper is an amusing character who knows what and who he wants, and isn’t afraid to go after it. Dorian, while fascinated by Jasper, is much more reticent. I can’t wait to see how their relationship develops.  In creating this magical world, Melissa Grey does a wonderful job describing the various locations, whether it’s underneath the streets of New York where the Avicen live,  Echo’ s secret room in the New York Public Library, the Louvre, Kyoto, or the realm of the Drakharin, I felt as though I was there. Connecting everything are magical portals, and even though you see these often in fantasy, the author puts a unique spin on them. And finally, the “twist” which you know is going to happen from the very beginning, is skillfully written, and still manages to be something of a surprise. I read this book in two sittings because I found it difficult to tear myself away. I’m very much looking forward to the next book in the series.