I did not love The Nightmare Affair, the first in the Arkwell Academy series but I did not hate it so I requested the sequel with the hope that this iI did not love The Nightmare Affair, the first in the Arkwell Academy series but I did not hate it so I requested the sequel with the hope that this installment would show growth in both the writing and the story. I believe in giving second chances though I have been burned enough times to completely abandon that belief now.
See, The Nightmare Dilemma did not work for me at all. I was able to at least push aside my complaints in the first novel, and enjoy the story for what it was but that was impossible to do in the sequel because the bad was just so bad. First, the writing is the biggest obstacle when it comes to enjoying the story. It’s not polished, the use of language is stale and there is no attention being given to rhetoric. I would give examples but I have an ARC copy and we’ve been requested not to quote from ARC copies.
Yeah, this sequel did not work for me on so many levels. But maybe it’ll be awesome for people who really liked the first novel. I can see them liking it. Maybe....more
This book � what a book. Rich and provocative, beautiful and poignant � honestly I lack the words to properly convey how much this book meant to me.
I This book � what a book. Rich and provocative, beautiful and poignant � honestly I lack the words to properly convey how much this book meant to me.
I had the kind of ideal childhood that people usually read about. Rambunctious cousins, felicity of the mornings, sugarcane farms, freshly tilled fields and an innocence that permeated our lives. The art in this graphic novel evoked the feelings in me that growing in Fiji made me feel. Jillian manages to capture, for me, that exuberance of childhood. Those golden moments suspended in time and memory where all was right with the world and life was all about the feel of the sand under our feet.
Rose and Windy are two friends who meet once a year when their families go out to their summer cabins in Awago. Rose and Windy are both on the cusp of, if not adulthood, then something, that transient period of existence which is less innocent than childhood but less cynical than adulthood. Rose’s mother is going through issues which are real and serious but at the same time, does not excuse the way Rose is treated. I often feel that parents ask children to understand things they are not equipped to. They are often told to excuse crappy parenting simply because the parents are going through stuff and I don’t know how I feel about that. I mean, I understand that parents are people and are individuals with lives and feelings outside of their relationship with their children but at the same time, I resent that children have to bear burdens they are too young for. I aligned myself with Rose and felt as angry as she did at her mother. I loved her father because Rose loved him.
Then there’s Windy who is a Puck-like character, fey, fickle and oddly difficult to pin down. She straddles both childhood and adolescence and her innocence is charming. She is a great foil to Rose’s character who is calm and more acerbic understandably. Their friendship is subtle; one initially maintained by habit but by the end sustained by a sincere fondness for each other. I love how subtle everything is in the novel. Mariko’s writing is perfectly in tune with the truly gorgeous art and multiple readings will evoke multiple flavours from the narrative.
Rose and Windy both do some growing up in the course of the narrative. Interestingly enough, they are, oftentimes, situated as viewers and observers whether of movies or of real life and I guess that is kind of what growing up is all about. When you stop observing and start taking part? When you separate yourself from your parents and start acting on your own. I don’t know what else to say except that I truly loved this book.
I sincerely recommend this book to anyone who loves beautiful books....more
The Secret Hum of a Daisy is about, amongst other things, acceptance. Grace’s mother led a nomadic existence, moving from one city to another wheneverThe Secret Hum of a Daisy is about, amongst other things, acceptance. Grace’s mother led a nomadic existence, moving from one city to another whenever whim took her and she in turn took Grace with her, never letting her settle in one place long enough to make friends and lasting connections. When they found themselves at Mrs. Green’s house though, Grace put her foot down and said she wanted to stay. Her mother disagreed and they had a falling out which would have been fine they would have made up later. But then her mother went and died and Grace’s world fell apart.
She was moved to live with a grandmother she hadn’t ever met and of whom she had heard the cruellest things about. Her grief spills over and stops her from writing which is the primary way of catharsis for her. Her friendship with Mrs. Green’s daughter is in danger of falling apart as distance determines that lives will change no matter how much the ones living them do not want them to.
I liked this book quite a bit. I thought Grace’s interactions with and her gradually journey towards her grandma were poignant and realistic. The Brannigan family especially the kids, Jo and Stubbie, were wonderful characters. I especially loved Stubbie whose insistence for an entombing party was subtle yet loaded with meaning. The slight hint of romance added a nice layer to this book which took some complex people together and gave them complex lives. Grace’s disillusionment with her mother, that moment when the rose-coloured glasses are taken off and you see a parent for the human being he/she is, was a nice addition to the narrative.
I think that the novel had many wonderful elements to it but it may have tried too hard by introducing the horse narrative to the story. Sure, I like horses and I liked the idea of rebirth but at that point, the story seemed a tad overwritten as though the author spelling everything out instead of letting the narrative breathe on its own. On its own, the horse narrative is effective but when it’s put together with everything else, the other more gorgeous, more subtle, poignant moments lose their effectiveness.
That said, I did enjoy the novel and do recommend it strongly to anyone who wants an introspective novel about grief, forgiveness and the courage to move on....more
I'm going to have to go back and read the series so I can know what's going on. Someday maybe.I'm going to have to go back and read the series so I can know what's going on. Someday maybe....more
Valiant by Sarah McGuire is a delightful retelling of The Brave Little Tailor collected by Grimms, Lang and many others. I really liked the way McGuirValiant by Sarah McGuire is a delightful retelling of The Brave Little Tailor collected by Grimms, Lang and many others. I really liked the way McGuire retold this story in a way that incorporates modern sensibilities and contemporary thought yet retains the essence of the fairy tale.
Saville has a fractious relationship with her father, a tailor who, after conflicts with his guild, has uprooted them from their home and relocated them to the city of Reggen. Saville’s father has more love for his bolts of silk and other precious materials than his daughter. He does not consider her desires or feelings before making her leave the only home she has known, the place where her mother is buried. Then, as soon as they reach the city of Reggen, he has a stroke and is confined to bed due to paralysis. This throws Saville into a crisis as their situation is dire. Once their money runs out, they have no way of making more as only men are allowed to create clothes for men. So Saville does as she must; she hacks off her hair, dons a suit and presents herself to the king with a proposition. Hiding her gender is easy enough but winning the king’s favour? Not so much. At least not until she sews a becoming jacket for the king; a jacket that hides the paucity of his figure and flatters him like no other clothes can.
Saville manages to make a living by pretending to be a male tailor. She picks up a young boy, Will, who was starving on the streets and offers him a home and food. She takes care of her still ungrateful father. Things are going fairly well when Reggen is attacked by giants. When Will goes to fight the giants and puts himself in danger, Saville has no choice but to try to save him armed with only her wits. The rescue closely mirrors the “original� fairytale where Saville tricks the giants into leaving without blood being shed.
Saville’s victory over the giants makes her into a hero for her people and the king announces that the young tailor will be given his sister’s hand in marriage. Things get hairy from hereon as Saville’s true gender is revealed, the king’s young adviser makes an appearance, and a villainous duke demands the king abdicate his throne for him.
Saville is an easy character to like and empathize with. While she is not overly complex, her strained and bitter relationship with her father gives her depth. I also loved the attention McGuire paid to Saville’s knowledge about tailoring and materials. One of the scenes I particularly loved is when Saville tells Galen, the young adviser, what she has found out about the giants simply by the type of clothes they were wearing.
Like the original tale, the conflict and plot of the novel are fairly straightforward. The villain is blackhearted and not the shades of gray more common to modern fairytales. I did not have a problem with that because I was content to hate him.
I really liked that McGuire doesn’t use the “mean girl� trope when she could have, really easily. Instead, she chooses to let each character individuate herself with her own actions and words. I liked the portrayal of the princess–she is vulnerable to the whims of her brother but has a steely core and determination that is illustrated by the end. The romance, too, is sweet. You guys know how picky I am with romance. I am happy to tell you that the amount of mush in this novel is exactly right. I really loved the relationship between Will and Saville though. Their dependence on each other, even though they’re not blood related, has the sweetness of a relationship between siblings.
The greatest departure from the original tale, however, is Saville’s insistence that the giants are more than mindless creatures commanded to attack the humans. I love that she persists in seeing them as people and goes out of her way and into danger to talk to them so she can understand their motivations. If one wanted, there could be a postcolonial discourse in there somewhere about the treatment of strange people as “savages� especially in comparison with one’s own status.
This book is suitable for both middle grade readers and older YA readers. Valiant is sweet and a welcome addition to the genre of fairytale retellings. I enjoyed it and I dare say anyone looking for a fun, entertaining read will too....more
When I request The Girl With All the Gifts, I did so under the impression that it was a fantasy novel. I am quite comfortable with fantasy novels sincWhen I request The Girl With All the Gifts, I did so under the impression that it was a fantasy novel. I am quite comfortable with fantasy novels since fantasy is my preferred genre. Imagine my surprise when I started reading the novel and found out, to my horror (pun possibly intended), that the book is about zombies. I hate zombies; they scare the bejeezus out of me and I try to avoid reading about them if I can help it. So being tricked into reading them was not something I appreciated at all. The point of a synopsis, after all, is to let the reader know what the book is about and I would have appreciated the heads up.
That said, I did manage to read the entire book while being creeped out by it. I haven’t read anything in the genre; post-apocalyptic fiction is a genre I do not actively seek out. However, I must say this, for all my whinging, The Girl With All the Gifts is thought provoking and well written. The kind of thoughts that lead to nightmares but still, the book makes you think because it presents an entirely viable and possible epidemic that sweeps over the human race turning them into hungries (as the zombies are known here) and those that the disease leaves unaffected become food for those who are.
Melanie is a second generation hungry. This is not a spoiler. She is kept by the military for test purposes by the mad scientist � a woman who seems to have stopped existing anything but a scientist. She is taught in a classroom by Miss Justineau who battles with her conscience while she teaches what everyone considers the little monsters. The military camp is attacked by people of the hobo kind who have organized themselves into an sizeable army for reasons that remain unknown. This leads to Miss Justineau, a sergeant, the mad scientist (Dr. Caldwell), a soldier and Melanie on the run. They are running towards a city where presumably the rest of the humanity that survived the zombie disease live. The novel largely focuses on this journey.
The research is well done and for someone who took two classes about fungi and has spent many hours studying the mycelia of various fungi, this book was freaking nightmarish because I could visualize in alarming detail the appearance of the zombies as the disease progressed. In fact, one of the scenes where the human is split by a growing wall of fungi just made me stop reading and tremble.
So yeah, the novel is well researched and well written. The pacing did seem slow at times but on the whole, the book was thrilling in one of those, omg, I’m going to die, aren’t I ways. The ending had the most remarkable effect on me and it fit the overall tone of the novel. I can’t discuss it in detail for obvious reasons but I will say that the ending was what made the novel for me. It elevated the novel from being simply a thriller to a book that considered possibilities and took the most realistic but least comforting path.
Do I recommend it? Yeah, if zombies are your thing, sure. Go for it. As for me, I’m going to pretend it didn’t happen and eat the hell out of all mushrooms I can find as revenge. Yeah....more
I am not entirely sure what tone to take with this review. Should I default to my irreverent tone or try to be formal in the report of my experience r
I am not entirely sure what tone to take with this review. Should I default to my irreverent tone or try to be formal in the report of my experience reading this novel? I don't know. Let's just play this by the ear and I'll tell you what I thought of the novel. I will avoid major spoilers but I will address the very misleading synopsis. In fact, let's start with the official synopsis:
The world is at peace, said the Utterances. And really, if the odd princess has a hard day, is that too much to ask?
Greta is a duchess and crown princess—and a hostage to peace. This is how the game is played: if you want to rule, you must give one of your children as a hostage. Go to war and your hostage dies.
Greta will be free if she can survive until her eighteenth birthday. Until then she lives in the Precepture school with the daughters and sons of the world’s leaders. Like them, she is taught to obey the machines that control their lives. Like them, she is prepared to die with dignity, if she must. But everything changes when a new hostage arrives. Elián is a boy who refuses to play by the rules, a boy who defies everything Greta has ever been taught. And he opens Greta’s eyes to the brutality of the system they live under—and to her own power.
As Greta and Elián watch their nations tip closer to war, Greta becomes a target in a new kind of game. A game that will end up killing them both—unless she can find a way to break all the rules.
The synopsis focuses on Greta and Elian and the implication is that these two will have some sort of relationship and if you've read enough YA novels, you will immediately be bolstered by the belief that the relationship will be a romantic one with shades of insta-love. Elian ¾±²õÌýimportant to the narrative and Greta »å´Ç±ð²õÌýfeel something for him, something that can be construed as a warm feeling but the primary relationship in the narrative is between Greta and Xie, the heir to a monarchy that rules the majority of central Asia. Elian does have an effect on Greta if only to bring to head the simmering political conflicts between Greta's country and his. And in case the synopsis didn't clue you in, when countries go to war in their world, the children of the rulers die.
I have read and loved Erin Bow's previous novels, Plain Kate ²¹²Ô»åÌýSorrow's Knot, and fully expected to like this one at the very least. The Scorpion Rules is a step away from the fantasy genre for Bow and a step into the post-apocalyptic genre. Bow's background in science is very evident in the narrative as she discusses the state of the world after the ice caps melt and the surviving landmass has to be re-negotiated to take in account the decreasing water supply.  In the aftermath of the ice caps melting, an AI, originally created and used by the UN to prevent wars, decides to take over the world. In his words:
Once upon a time, humans were killing each other so fast that total extinction was looking possible, and it was my job to stop them.
Well, I say "my job." I sort of took it upon myself. Expanded my portfolio a bit. I guess that surprised people. I don't know how it surprised people--I mean, if they'd been paying the ²õ±ô¾±²µ³ó³Ù±ð²õ³ÙÌýbit of  attention they'd have known that AIs have th¾±²õÌýbuilt-in tendency to take over the world. Did we learning nothing from The Terminator, people? Did we learn nothing from HAL?
Talis, now the ruler of the world on account of having control of orbital weapons that can destroy entire cities in the blink of an eye, creates Preceptures that house the kids of kings, presidents, regents, people who control countries and have power. His reasoning is that the rulers are more likely to behave when it's their own blood (figuratively) on the line and for the most part, they do. I do wish it had been under the scope of the book to discuss how these new monarchies came about and to discuss the political realignment of the world but ah well.
Greta Gustafsen Stuart, Duchess of Halifax and Crown Princess of the Pan Polar Confederacy is one of the hostages (or as they're called in the book, Children of Peace) housed in a Precepture located in Saskatoon. She lives with the knowledge that any day might bring a Swan Rider (sort of like the police) to their Precepture for the express purpose of her death. Her country is on the verge of war with a neighbouring country on account of them wanting the water her country doesn't want to share.
The Scorpion Rules presents the future using language that is frighteningly realistic and Bow's expression of the future seems less speculative and more prophetic if the world continues progressing in the way it currently is. Greta is raised as one of the children of peace and when the story opens, the Preceptures have accumulated a history spanning 400 years. These children who, if they have the good fortunate to survive till adulthood, will have immense power but during their formative years they are powerless against the dictates of the AIs who rule the Preceptures with iron claws (that's literal, by the way). Each Precepture is mostly self-sustaining as the human population has had to return to a simpler way of being that doesn't include poisoning the environment any further.
I loved the dynamics between Greta and her cohort, the understanding that they are all in this plight together but maintaining a deliberate distance in order to survive their deaths which could come without warning. But friendships will not be denied and from Thandi, the African princess to Grego from the Baltic region, Greta and her friends maintain a harmony during the days they spend gardening, learning about war, and chasing goats. These children have been raised as royalty and they know that whatever they face, death or the chance to rule, they must do so with dignity. Then Elian comes and turns everything upside down.
Elian was not born to royalty; he did not grow up knowing that his neck is constantly under a guillotine. He refuses to accept that his life now has an expiry date and his attitude shoves Greta out of the world she has created for herself, making her question what she has accepted without question before.
At this point, the narrative is similar to many others; it diverges considerably though from the moment Elian talks about escape. Greta is a fascinating protagonist; her motivations and actions always have a lot of thought behind them. She understands her limitations and unlike many other protagonists who seek to change the world on nothing but bravado, she knows that she cannot escape Talis.
±õ²ÔÌýThe Hunger Games President Snow is explicitly villainous--you may find the logic in his actions but ultimately, he is evil for the actions he takes without regard to human life. Talis, on the other hand, though his actions are just as destructive, cannot be cast as a villain as readily as President Snow. Because he is not human, he is not motivated by human reasoning or emotions. His actions though destructive and horrifying are coldly logical and are the only way to ensure the continuation of the human species. I was fascinated by his character and though the human part of me recoiled at what can be perceived as his cruelty, another part of me agreed with Talis's tactics as the only way to ensure continued survival.
So yeah, this book will mess with your head. A lot.
But back to Greta. In the coming year, there are many books being released featuring royal protagonists but I sincerely doubt that many of them will be able to emulate the regal bearing, thought, and actions that define Greta.
She maintains a dignity even under threat of torture, pain, and death.
"But I'm not frightened." I was...something different than frightened.
Da-Xia lifted a regal to wave to everyone, to show we are all right.
"I'm not," I said, more firmly. "If a queen is quiet, it is not because she is frightened."
The book is brutal. As is Bow's habit, she doesn't shy away from showing the more unsavoury aspects of living under what amounts to a dictatorship. There's death, blood, and torture but none of it is gratuitous. The ending, too, leaves the reader with food for thought as is appropriate. The book stands alone though I understand there is a companion novel in the works.
I think older teens will enjoy The Scorpion Rules immensely and I think adults will be pleasantly surprised by the complexity of the narrative and the characters Bow has created. I strongly recommend this novel....more
The writing style just wasn't for me. It was way too fragmented. A proper review soon.The writing style just wasn't for me. It was way too fragmented. A proper review soon....more
Absent is a relatively short novel discussing the events occurring after a girl finds herself dead and stuck at her high school where she died. I justAbsent is a relatively short novel discussing the events occurring after a girl finds herself dead and stuck at her high school where she died. I just thought that the novel was lacking something intrinsic. First is the mystery of how this girl dies. When it is answered, it is tragic and I just couldn’t get over how easily the perpetrator was forgiven. I think it was the lack of emotional drama that got me. I wanted something more, something heightened that convinced me that the protagonist felt anger, relief and despair. What I got instead was a rather lukewarm acceptance of the circumstances � which though logical and pragmatic did not get me on the visceral level I was looking for.
Then there are the less than interesting characters. I thought the characterizations were 2-dimensional. It cannot be fun to be stuck in high school physically when everyone goes home and yet there is never any discussion about loneliness. About how time does not pass or even if it does pass quickly, is it because they are dead and do not feel time the same way humans do? As I said, I lacked an emotional connection with any of the characters.
However, the novel is not without its merits. I loved the mural and how it functions in the end. It is just an amazing way to signal both freedom and release. I also liked the pacing. The novel is very short and it has an appropriately brisk pace to march it along to its climax. If anything, this will appeal to those looking for a quick entertaining read....more
The Cracks in the Kingdom is everything I like in a sequel. The plot threads are picked up and the characters return with vigor and become even more cThe Cracks in the Kingdom is everything I like in a sequel. The plot threads are picked up and the characters return with vigor and become even more colourful than in the first installment of the trilogy. This book focuses more on Elliot than on Madeleine and this worked well for me because the action occurs where Elliott is. Madeleine’s character was developed quite thoroughly in the first book and I think because the first book was so introspective, so focused on her growth as a person rather than external action, the pace of it lagged quite a bit. In contrast, this book is chockful of action. Elliot finds himself having to take part in the Royal Youth Alliance which is just a cover for the actual work the group is doing: retrieving the members of the royal family who have been exiled to the World.
The Cracks in the Kingdom has Moriarty’s signature style of wit interspersed with such clever wisdom that I had to read a passage twice and even thrice to soak it in entirely. I love Moriarty’s turn of phrase and with this novel, she redeemed herself for me. Moriarty’s brilliance is character building; she manages to individuate each character so thoroughly that thinking of them as real people rather than fictional people becomes easy. No stock character tropes such as “love interest� for her, no, Elliot is fully realized as a person with hopes, wishes and flaws. I love the conversations he has with Madeleine and how he expresses his inability to comprehend her at times. Their interactions are a highlight of the novel and even when their relationship goes south, it does so in a believable way. All writers should aspire to write their characters the way Moriarty does because I know I do. The romance such as it is finally starts to unfurl. It is a small aspect of the novel though but a welcome one.
The novel is mainly about relationships between parents and children. The themes of loss are prominent and along the way there is a definite flavour of bildungsroman thrown in for good measure. The Kingdom of Cello is wonderfully created and the new characters introduced in the novel are all, as expected, fascinating. I love the twist at the end of the book; it was unexpected but welcome. The book leaves the reader at a good point: satisfied but wanting more. I recommend this series to you, really. Stop reading about sparkly vampires and give this one a chance. It will ask more from you but it gives more in return. Strongly recommended....more
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