FADE by Lisa McMann

 

Since the events of Wake, Janie Hannagan has been working for the police, along with secret boyfriend Cabel. There’s a new case in the works at Fieldridge High, and undercover ‘Dream Catcher’ Janie is the only person with the skills to uncover the secret.

FADE is really a teen crime novel with a dash of paranormalcy (my new word) thrown in. I prefer my paranormal fiction with the paranormal a bit more prominent, while this book deals mostly with the crime drama/romance part, but in the end, it made the book’s chemistry just right. The passage of time marked by time stamps instead of prose really makes it feel like a case file sometimes, which helps set the mood for the story.

The book is really well written, and it’s always nice when characters have fully developed problems and background stories. Although, the two main characters have such sad pasts, it sometimes seems like they’re just trying to have themselves a pity-party, but it does make some of the character motives more believable, because really, they’re all each other has.

The Recommendation – FADE is perfect for fans of crime drama and romance. But I must warn you, there are some graphic elements in this book, including much cussing, and some scenes that are not sexually graphic, but, let’s say, sensual. (Just in case you can’t handle that kind of thing.)

The Other Books – I already own WAKE, the first book in the trilogy, and I really think I might buy GONE, the final book. I’m really curious to see how the story ends.

The Vitals* – FADE is available in hardcover for about $15.99, and WAKE is available in hardcover ($15.99) and Paperback ($8.99).

The Links - Lisa McMann's Official Website Some Fun Extras for WAKE

 

* = All prices from Borders.com, and are subject to change without notice.

Endymion Spring by Matthew Skelton

 

When Blake and his sister Duck travel to Oxford with their mother, who is currently separating from their father, they find a mysterious Blank Book. Blake is pushed to uncover the centuries-old secret to gaining the knowledge that the book holds, while burning through the web of lies and and dangers surrounding it.

This book took me about three years to read. It’s not so much that it’s a bad book. It just that every other book that came into my possession was better, and more worth my time. The storyline was great, but I think it could have been executed better. It just never grabbed my interest, never made me burn with wonder at what would happen next.

The moments that are supposed to be ‘thrills and chills’ moments are really geared for a younger generation, even though (as far as I know, my research yields conflicting results.) it is a young adult book, not a children’s book. I just got kind of bored with it. (Maybe I’m so scary immune, it was darker than I thought.) I hate to sound harsh in any way about a book, because it did have its up points. But I think the characters could have had more depth, and it could have had a bit more intrigue. The ‘thrills and chills’ should have been a bit darker, more age appropriate for the group they’re marketing to.

The Recommendation – Despite the apparent harsh review, I still think this book is a good read, especially if you don’t like darker storylines.

The Vitals – Endymion Spring is available in hardback ($17.95) and paperback ($9.99) from Random House.

The Links - Random House's Official Endymion Spring webpage

Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor

 

 

Redd’s back, and working to launch an attack against Alyss. But little do the people of Wonderland know, they have another threat working against then as well.

Seeing Redd really lives up to expectations as the sequel to The Looking Glass Wars, with the same strengths as a story as it’s predecessor had. The plot really begins to deepen as the story unfolds, revealing more about the characters and their motivations.

The Recommendation – I’d recommend this book to pretty much anyone, but especially fans of reimagined novels and Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, and anyone who read The Looking Glass Wars.

The Other Books – The third and final book in The Looking Glass Wars trilogy comes out tomorrow, and I can’t wait until I can get my hands on a copy!

The Vitals* – Seeing Redd is available in Hardcover ($17.99) and Paperback ($8.99) from Dial Press.

The Links - the Looking Glass Wars Official Website

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

 

Inspired by a deck of cards, Frank Beddor’s debut novel The Looking Glass Wars tells the ‘true’ story of Alyss Heart of Wonderland, where Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll / Charles Dodgson is the author’s misinterpretation of the Princess’s tragic tale.

One of the things I liked most about this book is how the author adds just the right amount of dark imagination to the story, not so much that it become something stupid for trying to hard. Some of the best reimaginings have really lost something in translation for changing either too much or too little, or changing it in the wrong way. But Frank Beddor has managed to avoid all those little missteps and created something perfect.

One of my favorite elements in the story are the dimension-jumping puddles, puddles where no puddles should be, that enable to inhabitants of Wonderland to cross form their world to ours, and vice versa. Very cool. They even have their own song. (More on that later.)

The story is expertly written, and the characters are very real, and understandable. You can really get to know them through the course of the story. Most of the characters are reimagined versions of characters from Lewis Carroll’s novels, and even though they are changed to fit the storyline, they stay true to the original characters, as do all elements of the story that come from the original novels. As I read, I really came close to believing that this was the true story; it’s very easy how everything could be interchange from dark, tragic story to silly, whimsical children’s novel.

The book even has it’s own soundtrack. I’ve only heard a few full tracks from the website, but I’ve really loved what I heard. Don’t be fooled into the thinking the soundtrack is just bunch of silly little instrumental tracks made to go with the books. While there are a few instrumental tracks, which are beautifully executed, the album does feature songs by established bands that fit with the theme of the book. There is also supposedly a movie in the works, but don’t tale my word for it. There’s information on the official site, though.

The Recommendation – I’d recommend this book to pretty much anyone, but especially fans of reimagined novels and Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.

The Other Books – Well, I already own the sequel, so that should tell you how I feel about continuing with the story. There is also a companion book called Princess Alyss of Wonderland which is a book made similar to Dragonolgy and the other ‘Ology books. I’ve been meaning to give it my money, because I think it’s incredibly worth it (I collect those, too.) but I either can’t find it or have forgotten about it when I make it to the bookstore. But I think they’re well worth the money for my collection. A graphic novel series called Hatter M (Bet you can’t guess who it’s named for.) is also in publication.

The Vitals* – The Looking Glass Wars is available in Hardcover ($17.99) and Paperback ($8.99) from Dial Press.

The Links - the Looking Glass Wars Official Website has tons of information and extra content, as well a few tracks from the soundtrack you can stream for free. They also have specials in the store sometimes, so it can be a great place to purchase the books and other merchandise in combinations.

 

 

* = All prices from Borders.com and are approximate and subject to change.

Poison Study by Maria V Snyder

 

 

Have you ever started a book and known as soon as you got a few pages in that you were going to love it? Well, that happened to me when I began Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder, and I was not disappointed.

Yelena is a prisoner in the Commander’s dungeon, and faces execution, but is offered a choice to live. Because it can only be offered to someone whose life is forfeit, the position of food taster is offered to Yelena. She accepts, yet Valek, the Commander’s closest friend and advisor, knowingly gives her a poison called Butterfly’s Dust, and Yelena must report to him everyday to receive the antidote, or else she will die.

The book’s plot is very well done, with enough twists and turns to keep from being obvious. There were plenty of little off-the-plot things to occupy the story, without going crazy and veering off form the point. The characters each have their own histories and motivations, some not so obvious as others. The romantic element between the main characters is, in my opinion, the perfect amount. It never overshadows the rest of the story, which is how I like my romance.

Recommendation – I’d definitely recommend this book to pretty much anyone. Except for a little coarse language and some adult content (nothing graphic), there’s really nothing to shy away from.

The Other Books – I’m going to look into Maria V. Snyder’s other books, as well as the two sequels to Poison Study, because I’m really quite impressed. This book kept me up reading at night, where I had to force myself to sleep. Not many books have done that.

The Vitals – Poison Study is available in paperback for about $13.95 from Mira Books, a division of Harlequin.  According to Borders.com there is another paperback edition that sells for about $9.99.

The Links – Maria V. Snyder’s official Website      Buy the Book from eHarlequin.com (20% discount)

Forest Born, by Shannon Hale

 

 

Well, my plan was to have this whole feature on Book Divas' author visit with Shannon Hale, author of The Books of Bayern. I was going to have trumpets and everything. Really.

But as usual, life got in the way. But I do have a nice review of Forest Born, and I might post her answers to my questions I asked on Book Divas.

Forest Born is the fourth novel in The Books of Bayern. This book tells the story of Rin. (If you’re familiar with the story of The Books of Bayern, you may know that Rin is the little sister of Razo.) Rin has always felt close to the trees in her forest home, seeking their refuge in troubled times. but when the trees turn their back on her, as Rin believes they have, she leaves her large family, and her life as Ma’s shadows, and accompanies her brother to the city for a change of scenery.

Whilst there she meets Isi, the Queen of Bayern, and her friends Enna and Dash, whom she lovingly names the Fire Sisters. Serving as a waiting woman and caring for the young Prince Tusken, she helps to uncover a plot which aims for one of Isi’s old enemies to take control of Bayern.

I hadn’t read the first three books in the series, yet even so the relationships of the characters came through very strong. Had I read the other books, they probably would have had more gravity with me, as I would have seen them grow. All of the characters were unique, and all with their own histories and problems. the book kept me engrossed, and I couldn’t wait to get back to it every night.

The only thing that really bothered me was some of the character’s speech. The book is set in a medieval type world, yet the characters use some really modern speech. This could have been intentional, since it is a fictitious world, but it still kind of stuck out at me. However, it was used to make the dialog more humorous, so I guess it was worth it.

Recommendation – I would recommend The Books of Bayern to any fan of fantasy, medieval fantasy, and fans of Fairy-Tale retellings. (The first book, The Goose-Girl, is a retelling of a story by the Brothers Grimm.)

The Other Books – I will probably backtrack and read the first three Books of Bayern at some point. They’ll be more toward the middle of my ‘To-Buy’ list, because funds are low (I know I’m not alone in that) and I have really important things coming out. But, I think they’re worth the money when the time comes.

The Vitals * – Forest Born is available from Bloomsbury in Hardcover for about $17.99, and The Goose-Girl, Enna Burning, and River Secrets are all available in both hardback (Prices seem to to range from $17.95 to $18.99) and paperback for $8.99 each. There is also a boxed set of the paperbacks of the first three for about $26.97. (The paperback covers match the hardcover of Forest Born, while the hardcover versions have different cover art.)

Shannon Hale is chatting about her books on Book Divas until October 5th!

* All prices from Borders.com

Promise of the Wolves, by Dorothy Hearst

Talk about culture clash! Promise of the Wolves by Dorothy Hearst is told entirely, with the exception of the introductions to the two parts of the book, in the point of view of a young wolf pup named Kaala. She is an outcast in her pack, the Swift River pack, due to facts that he is technically an illegitimate wolf ling, and that her mother was banished from the Pack. But of course, Kaala is destined for great things.

In my opinion, the book starts out a bit slow, and just a tiny bit sad. But once the book gets going, it's very interesting, and hard to put down. The perspective of the book is rather unique, (I've never read a book told by a wolf before. Have you?) and it's very refreshing to see the evolution of the canine-human relationship through the eyes of a wolf, instead of those of a human. The book is well written, and original. I recommend it for most people, especially animal lovers.

I deem this book dog/canine lover, cry when they die in the movies, just can't stand it when they get hurt even fictionally (Like me) safe. Go ahead and read it.

To find out more about Promise of the Wolves, and Dorothy Hearst, you can visit her website at http://www.dorothyhearst.com/. She has a lot of interesting information about wolves and the inspiration behind the story there.

This book is published by Simon Pulse/ Simon and Schuster, is currently available in hardback for about $25.00. (Steep, I know, but a good read nonetheless. I don't know if it will be published in paperback or not, but it is a good quality book.)