White Cat, Holly Black

I'll give you the run-down I gave my younger siblings, because it was apperantly so effective that now my 11 year old sister declared her interest in reading it. *edges away from angry parents* (I said no, t'wasn't age appropriate, if you MUST know.)

Cassel is running a betting operation out of his dorm room in boarding school. Everyone in the school is laying odds on everything from if the mouse in the common room is going to die, (and if so how,) to what the next pop quiz is going to be on, to LONG odds on shrewish teachers hooking up.

Oddly enough, this is Cassel's version of going clean. Because, you see, his family is in the mob. His Dad's dead, his mom is currently in jail for entrapping rich men with the intention of separating them from their savings, and both his older brothers are working as enforcers for a major crime lord. Though you can't really blame them for following the dark side. His whole family is and has been Workers, which mean they can work magic. The only issue with that is that magic has been illegal since the 1920's, so workers tend to end up in Organized Crime, whether they intend to or not.

Cassel's not a Worker, which one of the reasons he knows his family lets him make nice plans for a peaceful civilian life. He's a bit of the family disappointment, and now he's just trying to move on and get over his past. His personal past. Because his family might be in the mob, and he might be the only one who isn't a Worker, but he also killed his best friend when he was 14. He doesn't even know why, he just remembers standing over her bloody body with a maniac grin on his face.

So yes, running a tiny little betting operation that involves the whole school is Cassel's version of toeing the straight and narrow. And he's TRYING. Only he keeps sleepwalking, and having freaky dreams which seem to imply he's going insane. And believe me, the issues I've just mentioned to you are only the tip of the iceberg that are his troubles.

I have difficulties expressing the awesomeness that is this book without spoilering it. Curses. (heh.) I would just like to take this moment to say a few words. One, the characters are delightful, and are all three-dimentional to the point that I am sure even the dead ones have nefarious plots they're enforcing from beyond the grave. I love his entire family with a stark, unholy and deeply unsafe love. Unsafe because, well, this is CASSEL'S family we're talking of. (Barron, I can always count on you to make my heart soar. Right before you set it on fire and roast marshmallows on it.) The plot is twisted in the manner of a bent corkscrew, so just when you think you can tell where things are going, they curve off in another truly awesome/disconcerting manner.

You know how you try to dissect songs sometimes, and you're left going- wow, there are NO wasted words? Every single syllable is doing double duty towards the general awesome! This book is like that. (And what, you say only strange Jasmines and their fathers do that, therefore I am strange? I say Psh, you know not of what you talk. Get with the program. Dissecting songs is awesome.)

I gave it five stars out of Five, because to my way of thinking of how a story should be told, this one is up at the top of the curriculum. (Wow, let's see how unclear I can make a sentence, eh? LET'S ADD MORE 'OFs" AND SEE IF THAT MAKES IT BETTER.)

P.S. *cough* Sorry, this is not the most clear of all book rants I've ever ranted for you. But I know only inane people read this blog anyways, so I figure you can deal. ^_&

Read Your Own Books Read-a-thon: After Action

So I started into A Love Story, but it's about grief, at least at the beginning. And I don't really deal that well with the dark side of life right now, in my reading. I can delve into self-hatred and impotent fury and futility quite well WITHOUT written assistance, thank you very much. So I'm still planning on finishing it, as honour demands, but it won't be in one sitting. I'm reading it in small bites, with time to detox afterwards.

And overall? I really liked the read-a-thon. :D I liked working through my list, and seeing all the other people chip away at their respective lists, and the general atmosphere of pro-reading. Yay, reading is fun! However, I didn't like that I had to work and be social when I could be READING. Which yes, is my default state of mind, but the added kick of the OBLIGATION to read made me more twitchy than normal. So I'd like to participate in one where I have to do nothing but read all weekend. Read and review, and be awesome, you know? ^_____^ I'll just keep alternate books in case I run up against HARD ISSUES again.

Final Stats

• Pages Read: 1,256
• Books Read: 4
• Blog posts: 9
• Books Reviewed: 4
• Cups of Ice Cream: 1
• Mugs of Tea: 4
• Cups of Coffee: 6

Books:
Mistwood, Leah Cypess
Restoring Harmony, Joelle Anthony
A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend, Emily Horner in progress
Brightly Woven, Alexandra Bracken
Nice And Mean, Jessica Leader

P.S. Have an awesome picture.

Mistwood, Leah Cypess

 

She has no memory of who she is, or what she is. They say she is the Shifter. They say her name is Isabel. This seems reasonable. They say she is immortal, and has protected the kings of the realm for centuries. Which she knows to be true.

They say she is to protect the King, who is named Rokan. His sister is Clarisse. They say she served the King until twenty years ago, when she left suddenly- no one knows why. This seems reasonable. They say the new king is in danger from an unknown foe, and she is the only one who can protect him. That's why they sought her out. Which she knows to not all be true.

They're lying. Everyone has their lies they are busily weaving- it is a royal court after all. But only some of the lies concern her, and no one trusts her. And when you can't remember the truth, how can you tell the minor lies from the ones that will split your loyalties along with your heart?

The plot on this book is TWISTED. It's one of those where you have to keep track of all the double POVs so you can remember who is lying to who about what, and who knows what about how much the other ones know. A lot like George R R Martin, or one of those POLITICAL INTRIGUE books. Because of that, some people will say that it's about choosing kings, or the rights of monarchy, or even feminism. I really DON'T think so. I thought it was more about family, and vengeance, and divided loyalties, and who you should trust. And how love will really twist you over. :P

Oh, and the twist at the end actually make me say- OUT LOUD- "Oh, that's brutal." I very rarely say that. But when you get to the twist, that's how very effectively twisted it is. I can't say that I loved it, because I like happy lots-of-hot-chocolate-and-a- big-turkey-dinner endings. But it was very well done. I gave it three stars out of five.

Restoring Harmony, Joelle Anthony

Molly McClure is a 16 year old farm girl, on her way to the big city for the first time. The local doctor diagnosed her mother's pregnancy as high-risk just before he died in an accident, but now Mrs. McClure isn't going to listen to ANYONE except a(nother) doctor about taking it easy. She's too busy fretting about her Father, left alone in the city since his wife has just died. Without Molly's grandmother to take care of him, he'll soon be wearing clothes with no buttons, and starving to death when he runs out of food that doesn't need to be prepared. He also happens to be a doctor.

Mr. McClure looks at his wife, in need of a doctor and fretting about her father the doctor, and then he looks at resourceful, stubborn, hardworking, never-say-die Molly.

So Molly is on the way to the big city for the first time, to fetch her grandfather and bring him back to their island. As soon as she leaves home she finds out that the trip isn't going to be as smooth as everyone had thought- and once she finally arrives at her destination she finds out that getting there was the easy part. Soon she's up to her eyebrows in making money, summer canning, the hazards of busking in areas with organized crime, a cute boy who might just be involved in that organized crime, orphan children, and transportation in a time when the train lines aren't exactly reliable, and it might be faster to go by foot. Also, stubbornness seems to run in the family.

Oh, and it's set in 2041. ^_________^

I loved this book. I loved the futuristic setting, I loved that the heroine was Canadian, I loved the organized crime element, I loved the romance, and I loved the political climate. Yes, the politics. Usually in SF books everything dissolves into anarchy after the Great Crash, but this one kept things in a recognizable setting- just twisted. I delighted in that. :D Oh, and the romance! I believed in this one! I could rant about it all, but I won't. It's just sweet, and redemptive, and lovely. *happy*

Okay, this is rapidly sliding into true incoherence, but I just had to mention one more thing that I liked. You know how when people are from the country in books, usually it's a bad thing? They have to "get over it," and learn to function in "real life." Not in this book. Molly is a farm girl, thank you very much, and she can handle herself. Better than YOU can, probable. :)

AND THE MISSIONARY IS WIN OF ALL WIN. That's all I'm gonna say there, cause you just have to meet, and see for yourself, the wonder and joy of those scenes.

I gave it four stars out of five. I will recommend it to any of my siblings who are able to handle a guy getting beaten.

Brightly Woven, Alexandra Bracken

A drought has held Sydelle's village in a strangle-hold since she was seven. They've survived by selling sand to glass-makers, but sand will only buy so much water for a whole community. The government sent wizards to try and fix the drought- but nothing worked, so yeah, maybe they'll try again later. Maybe. One sand-producing village isn't of THAT much strategic importance. So when a wizard appears out of the hills and makes the heavens open, her family and neighbours are almost delirious with thanks. They promise him anything he wants in payment.

The wizard, whose name is North, wants Sydelle.

Understandably, the community is creeped out by this. But they don't have too much time to be creeped out, because North wasn't causing rain to help them. He was trying to bog down the army that's coming over that hill. Which is- y'know- of strategic importance to the kingdom. Panicing as the enemy approaches the town, her parents throw Sydelle's belongings into a pack and agree that she can go with North, as his assistant, as he heads for the capital to tell IMPORTANT PEOPLE that the surrounding kingdoms are occupying little towns and filling them with soldiers, ready for the big push for the capital.

And, before you start going WHAT IS THIS BOOK DOING IN THE YA SECTION, know that the Wizard/assistant relationship is a lot like the Dr/Companion relationship. (Yay for Dr. Who references!) At least that's how it starts. But this book at heart is a romance, and about two pretty messed up people too boot. One of the people is messed up BEFORE, and one GETS more messed up as situations progress.

However, as I think I've mentioned before, I'm picky about romances. I don't believe in all of them, and this was one where I just wasn't tracking the relationship progression. We were going along, working on stopping a war, and then all the sudden everything was VITALLY IMPORTANT and ROMANTIC and SERIOUS, and we're all but kissing each other's feet. Meanwhile, I'm still stuck up on the poisoner and rouge magicians, and the IMMINENT WAR. Um, over here? Shiny swords heading over the border? *points at army threatening to burn civilian villages*

So for me, the book was slightly lackluster. I couldn't really figure out the religious element, the romance gave me whiplash, and I was eternally confused by the lack of urgency on part of the MCs. I also was in a mood to argue theology when I read it, I am romantically impaired, and I both come from a military family and was raised on tales of spies sneaking information vital to the war effort into the capital. So I am guessing that all the things that made me go huh? wouldn't bother most people. And despite the wait, what moments, I did quite like it. I gave it three stars out of five. I would pass it to my sisters who were over the age of 12, if asked.

I'm back in the land of internets!

CELEBRATE with nerd chocolates!

I also read two books in the car.

Stats

• Pages Read: 1,226
• Books Read: 4
• Blog posts: 5
• Books Reviewed: 1
• Cups of Ice Cream: 1
• Mugs of Tea: 1
• Cups of Coffee: 6

Books:
Mistwood, Leah Cypess
Restoring Harmony, Joelle Anthony
A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend, Emily Horner
Brightly Woven, Alexandra Bracken
Nice And Mean, Jessica Leader

"She's created very few disasters. A drought, a quake, a storm, and a landslide, and that's it!"

I read TWO books.

CELEBRATE by releasing the raven hordes!

Stats

• Pages Read: 615
• Books Read: 2
• Blog posts: 4
• Books Reviewed: 1
• Cups of Ice Cream: 1
• Mugs of Tea: 1

Books:
Mistwood, Leah Cypess
Restoring Harmony, Joelle Anthony
A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend, Emily Horner
Brightly Woven, Alexandra Bracken
Nice And Mean, Jessica Leader