Book Review: This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

This book was checked out from my local neighborhood library. I’ve never read any other stuff by this authors, though I know she’s all the shit in some circles.

The Goodreads Bit:

There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives.

What I had to Say about it:

This one gets a strong 3 stars or a wobbly 4 stars. 

Book Review: And The Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich (Horror-tober)

I'm always a fan of the horror genre but this month is October, so it's a special treat to kind of focus on it this month. To the extent that my attention span allows, a'course. I picked this book up purely based on the chilling title and the spookily- amazing cover porn.

The Goodreads official summary:

When Silla and Nori arrive at their aunt's home, it's immediately clear that the "blood manor" is cursed. The creaking of the house and the stillness of the woods surrounding them would be enough of a sign, but there are secrets, too--the questions that Silla can't ignore: Who is the beautiful boy that's appeared from the woods? Who is the man that her little sister sees, but no one else? And why does it seem that, ever since they arrived, the trees have been creeping closer?

Filled with just as many twists and turns as The Dead House, and with achingly beautiful, chilling language that delivers haunting scenes, AND THE TREES CREPT IN is the perfect follow-up novel for master horror writer Dawn Kurtagich.

What I Had to Say About It:

Ok, yall. First this book is kind of fucked up.

Book Review: Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

Rebel of the Sands has been on my radar for about a hundred years, even though it was pubbed just a few months ago. This must mean that I saw some early cover reveals or something. Anyhooo. I checked it out from the library and read it in about two seconds.

Here’s the GoodReads mumbo Jumbo.

 

Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mythical beasts still roam the wild and remote areas, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinn still perform their magic.  For humans, it’s an unforgiving place, especially if you’re poor, orphaned, or female.

Amani Al’Hiza is all three.  She’s a gifted gunslinger with perfect aim, but she can’t shoot her way out of Dustwalk, the back-country town where she’s destined to wind up wed or dead.

Then she meets Jin, a rakish foreigner, in a shooting contest, and sees him as the perfect escape route. But though she’s spent years dreaming of leaving Dustwalk, she never imagined she’d gallop away on mythical horse—or that it would take a foreign fugitive to show her the heart of the desert she thought she knew.

Rebel of the Sands reveals what happens when a dream deferred explodes—in the fires of rebellion, of romantic passion, and the all-consuming inferno of a girl finally, at long last, embracing her power.

What I had to say about it:

Fake Book Review: The Madwoman Upstairs by Catherine Lowell

Firstly, let me just say that I love this cover. I'm basically a big sucker for the orange and teal combination right now. Like, ridiculous. But I also love feathers... basically, the only reason I lifted this off the bookshelf was for the cover. I have to tell you, the whole judging a book by it's cover thing has never gone badly for me. Well, not that I can remember. 

Book Review: The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner (#RocTBF2016)

Alrighty! Speeding at a slow crawl through the author list of the Rochester Teen Book Festival. If you don't know about  my challenge to myself (to have read at least one book by each author who attends by at that date), links are below.

Click here to learn about my mission.

Click here for the Rochester TBF web page.

Here's the Goodreads Summary:

"Dill has had to wrestle with vipers his whole life—at home, as the only son of a Pentecostal minister who urges him to handle poisonous rattlesnakes, and at school, where he faces down bullies who target him for his father’s extreme faith and very public fall from grace.

The only antidote to all this venom is his friendship with fellow outcasts Travis and Lydia. But as they are starting their senior year, Dill feels the coils of his future tightening around him. The end of high school will lead to new beginnings for Lydia, whose edgy fashion blog is her ticket out of their rural Tennessee town. And Travis is happy wherever he is thanks to his obsession with the epic book series Bloodfall and the fangirl who may be turning his harsh reality into real-life fantasy. Dill’s only escapes are his music and his secret feelings for Lydia—neither of which he is brave enough to share. Graduation feels more like an ending to Dill than a beginning. But even before then, he must cope with another ending—one that will rock his life to the core."

Here's what I have to say about it:

Book Review: Razorhurst by Justine Larbalestier (#RocTBF2016)

Count this as another book I never would have read if it wasn't for the Rochester Teen Book Festival. I assume you know about my challenge to myself (to have read at least one book by each author who attends by at that date).

Click here to learn about my mission.

Click here for the Rochester TBF web page.

I actually already owned this book because it came in a Book Riot YA box last year. So, while I intended to read it, it was not likely I would have ever gotten to it. I checked out a different book of Ms. Larbalestier's from the library before I realized I already had this one and asked Twitter which I should read. Ms. Larbalestier let me know that she had the most fun writing this one... there really isn't a better recommendation than that! I'm glad I asked.

Here's the Goodreads Summary:

The setting: Razorhurst, 1932. The fragile peace between two competing mob bosses—Gloriana Nelson and Mr Davidson—is crumbling. Loyalties are shifting. Betrayals threaten.

Kelpie knows the dangers of the Sydney streets. Ghosts have kept her alive, steering her to food and safety, but they are also her torment.

Dymphna is Gloriana Nelson’s ‘best girl’, experienced in surviving the criminal world, but she doesn’t know what this day has in store for her.

When Dymphna meets Kelpie over the corpse of Jimmy Palmer, Dymphna’s latest boyfriend, she pronounces herself Kelpie’s new protector. But Dymphna’s life is in danger too, and she needs an ally. And while Jimmy’s ghost wants to help, the dead cannot protect the living . . .

Here's what I have to say about it: 

Book Review: Santa Muerte by Lucina Stone

So, last month I posted a Themed Thursday post about bad- ass women monster killers. Super fun post to write, by the way. Check it out... Anyway, in response to that I was offered a copy of Santa Muerte to read and review because it seemed up my ally. Free book? Have opinions? Yes, please!

So, the Goodreads summary is mad long, go find it [here.] Once you've read that you can come back here and I can give you the real story.

- Jeopardy Theme Song- 

Book Review: The Diviners by Libba Bray

This book was published in 2012 but it kind of feels like one of those "classic" books, already. Why, though? I think that it's because it has been on so many different must read lists and it gives you them sense that everyone has read this already. Maybe it's just my own fear of missing out... but, anywhooo...  

The Goodreads Summary:

Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City—and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It’s 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult.

Evie worries he’ll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer.

As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho hides a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened.

My Thoughts:
I guess my first thought was about how fricking big this beast of a book is. But I got over that because of how annoying the main character is. Evie is a flapper in the 20's. She's a member of the primary counter- culture for young women in her time and she faces it head on, drinking, smoking, showing a little too much leg, and basically sassing every adult who's responsible for her.

I'm all for that but she's inconsiderate of her friends and puts people in danger too often. I'm too old to think that's cool, I think. Her friends know she's selfish but also know that she's got a heart of gold, or she thinks she does, anyway. We know pretty quickly that Evie is able to read people's secrets from their regular every day objects. She's too reckless to learn from her mistakes and keep her trap shut about this superpower, like other people are able to.

Many of the other characters have some kind of supernatural ability and almost all of them have gotten into some kind of trouble as a result. This is a world where magic exists, but people really don't talk about it. Something big is brewing that is pulling "magical" people to New York. Or maybe it's not. Maybe it's a coincidence that all these people end up in the same city and begin to cross paths. This book is obviously the setup for a much bigger story. There are more characters than you need, more repetition than is necessary, and really about 300 pages too many for this not to be leading somewhere. There's really A LOT going on in this book: religious cults, murder, cyborgs, occultism, grave robbery, and speakeasies. There's a mystical murder mystery happening while we are introduced to and have flashbacks for almost completely unrelated characters. For example, if you take out all scenes with Theta and Memphis (and fam) who seem like main characters, you wouldn't miss any of the main story line. While my favorite characters in the story so far really have very little to do with this book, I'm looking forward to spending more time with them in the novels to come. The Diviners must be getting together for something, right? Maybe the murder mystery thing was just the "monster of the episode." 

Don't get my wrong. I enjoyed this book. It's nestled firmly between a 3.75 and a 4.25 stars out of the usual 5 point scale. The characters are diverse with interesting back-stories. I like the tone of the book and the fun '20s lingo. The pace was good, even when tangential. The emotional experience of the book is spot on and you definitely get the heebie jeebies at all the right spots. There are two potential love triangles that have utter disdain and complete anticipation for, not to mention the inter-racial relationship that is sure to cause more tension. The whole political (with both racial and sexual bits), religious, sexual, and roaring 1920's backdrop is actually a strong point of the book. Importantly, these elements are part of the story and don't feel contrived as book-selling fodder. 

The sequel, Lair of Dreams, dropped in August 2015 so I'll probably read that soon. Goodreads ratings suggest the story continues strong. But I've kind of had enough of Evie for right this minute.

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Book Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

I'll admit that I picked up this book almost exclusively because of all the Social Media love that it's been getting recently. Once I had gotten it from the library it took me a while to read it for the same reason. Ya know how sometimes you just know that a book isn't really going to live up to the hype so you don't want to really jump in and be disappointed. But, then, if it does live up to expectations you're going to be irritated because you have to wait for the second book, anyway! There is no way to win... 

Anyway, though. I loved this book and am, indeed, irritated to have to wait until the anticipated pub date of book 2 (September, 2016). I need this book and am willing to bargain to get it sooner. What business, Ms. Bardugo?

Book Review: The Golem and The Jinni (#MustRead)

This is one of those books that was recommended on some list for something or other. I actually worry that all of my social media sites are actually just becoming different places for lists of books I should read. It's ridiculous. So, maybe this book was on a list of books for people who like fairy tales, or fable creatures, or something. It could have been on a "best thing we read this week/ month" sort of a list. It's definitely made my best of 2015 list for the year.

This story is really about four characters:

• A rare female golem (Chava) made with curiosity and intelligence for her master, who promptly dies, and the man that created her. 
• A jinni (Ahmad) who has been trapped in a flask for 1000 years and can't remember how he got there, and the man that becomes his mentor and friend.
• There are a number of other characters that move the story along: a man who is struggling to keep a homeless shelter open with scraps, a love- seeking young girl that Chava works with and befriends, etc. 

Books about Books: Yes, Please! [Book Review: 24- hour Bookstore]

First, let me just tell you that I was bamboozled. I think when I downloaded this audiobook, there should have been a warning that I would miss out on the glow-in-the-dark feature on the actual book. Seriously, it’s like no one has heard of informed consent! 

Ok, anyway. This is probably one of my favorite books of the year so far, but I’m not sure that it’s for everyone. Here’s why it was the right book at the right time for me:

It’s about books and a bookstore and I am a nerd. Do I have to explain this one? No. The characters visit several book stores and warehouses full of amazing tomes and artifacts. Hello! That’s good stuff.

It is about geeks talking about geek stuff and I am a geek. If you don’t like video games, technology, the internet, making things from cardboard and clay, or geeking out, this book will not hit you in the G (eek) spot like it did for me. Hehe… that’s funny. See what I did there?

There is an adventure that geeks go on that relates to stuff they read in fantasy novels as teens and I am, again, a big geeky nerd. What!? The last time my 15yo and I were in a library we imagined that behind the shelves there was doorway to Narnia and Diagon Ally. Even though the shelf was, indeed, a door, it was a secondary entrance to a conference room. No satres, no dragons, no underground book society. So, yeah. This book totally gives you that grown up taste of discovery and adventure.

Spectacular book quote:

"There is no immortality that is not built on friendship and work done with care."