Cold howling teens in love: Review of Shiver

Posted on January 28, 2013 by sarazaske

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

This is a teenage werewolf love story. I’m not giving anything away here. A wolf attack survivor, Grace is obsessed with the a wolf she’s seen in the woods behind her house, every winter ever since she was attacked. Of course, he turns out to be Sam, a werewolf who has been pining after her. The story is told from shifting perspectives between Sam and Grace.

I love the way Stiefvater writes. I can’t avoid the play on words: the opening of Shiver is chilling, and it pulls you into the story right away.

However, Shiver is a like a much-better written Twilight, only with werewolves. By which I mean sure it’s fun, but it’s not a very deep story. While Grace and Sam are well-developed characters, Shiver wallows a bit on their romance, turning almost a bit sappy at times.

Still, it is an enjoyable read, even though I can’t rave about it. And there are still a few days left on Amazon’s January deal on the ebook for $2.99.

In my opinion, Stiefvater’s more recent book, Raven Boys, (see my review here) is a much better story.

3_stars

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Odd and the genius of Neil Gaiman

Posted on January 21, 2013 by sarazaske

Odd and The Frost Giants
by Neil Gaiman

This is a story for kids and for adults, in typical Gaiman style. Odd is a twelve-year-old Norse boy with a twisted foot, a terrible step-dad, and an annoyingly constant smile. One winter that doesn’t seem to end he leaves home, only to make friends with a bear, fox, and an eagle. Of course, they are something much more than ordinary animals. And that’s all I’m going to tell you because I don’t want to spoil the fun.

Odd is a simple tale (and a short one), but it’s told with such elegance and power you’ll want to read it again and again. It brings up huge themes and resolves conflict in a clever way. The magical beings in this book are far from perfect. They are perhaps even more flawed than the human boy, Odd. That may be the point: that any being that seems all-powerful really has nothing on a clever human with the ability to grow and learn.

I might just have to read everything Neil Gaiman has ever written. He’s that good. I’ve picked up two books by him now, (earlier review of Coraline here), and they were both fabulously written stories of almost mythical dimensions. I have to wonder what magic he works with the ones aimed at adults.

I highly recommend Odd and The Frost Giants for readers young and old. Plus it was really flippin’ cheap:  The ebook is listed at $1.99 this month on Amazon.

5_stars

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Book v. Movie and Howl’s Moving Castle

Posted on January 14, 2013 by sarazaske

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diane Wynne Jones

In the ongoing battle over which is better: the book or the movie, I’m usually on the book side. However, Howl’s Moving Castle is a special case: the book is fantastic and so is the movie—but they are almost completely different stories.

The setup is the same: The main character, 18-year-old, Sophie is the eldest of three sisters so she knows according to the fairy tale rules of her world she won’t be having any adventures. But after she runs afoul of the Witch of the Waste who casts a spell on her to make her old, Sophie decides he might as well strike out to find her fortune anyway. Along the way she finds a strange castle with four doors that open on different worlds, a fire demon, and the mysterious, vain, tantrum throwing, wizard Howl.

But that’s where the similarity ends. The movie by Hayao Miyazaki is very much focused on war with Sophie discovering Howl playing a role in an ongoing, very destructive battles among countries. (If you haven’t discovered the great animator/storyteller Miyazaki yet, do yourself a favor and rent his movies, all of them. My personal favorites are Spirited Away, Ponyo, and of course, Howl.)

I came at this backwards and saw the movie first. I loved it and thought the book would be even better as books usually are. But it is hard to compare the two because the book focuses more on a personal level. Sophie discovers her true nature, and Howl’s, through the curse that is laid on her. The plot is incredibly complex with a lot of mysteries that Jones deftly ties up into a fabulous ending that left me smiling for days.

5_starsSo should you see the movie or read the book? My answer is: both in whichever order you want. Read it. See it. You’ll thank me later.

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Fantastic Recommends: The Raven Boys

Posted on January 7, 2013 by sarazaske

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

What would you do if your kiss was fatal? Never kiss anyone, right? Sixteen-year-old Blue knows that she’s fated to kill her true love with a kiss. She knows this because everyone in her family is a psychic. Everyone except her. But when she actually sees the spirit of her true love in a church graveyard, everything changes, and there are no simple solutions.

I’ll admit it. I chose to Raven Boys because it appeared on a lot of best of 2012 YA lists. (see previous post). It topped one of them, in fact, as having the best prose. And it does. This book is incredibly well written. As a writer, I want to study it because Stiefvater manages to use unique description and characterization without being heavy handed—a nice trick.

The premise is intriguing because you know she’s just got to meet this boy. And Stiefvater knows how to hook a reader from page one, even the prologue, a device I don’t usually like, is gripping.

I didn’t like the love interest at first. A privileged, super rich boarding school boy, he’s hard to relate to. He and his friends are simple stereotypes, but Stiefwater quickly gives each of them a secret that makes them real and riveting characters. And she doesn’t shy away from detailing the magic world of the book.

My only complaint is the end. I don’t want to say too much because I still highly recommend Raven Boys—but this book isn’t whole by itself. I do like series, but I felt let down by the conclusion of this book, obviously the first book in a series—it leaves too many unanswered questions.

And Raven Boys just came out in 2012 so now I have to wait a really long time to see if the answers are in the next one. And that’s not a very nice trick.

4_stars

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The Best of the Best YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy for 2012

Posted on December 31, 2012 by sarazaske

Like a good book blogger, I’ve been reading a lot of year-end lists, and I started to notice a few repeats. Those always catch my attention. I thought I’d share with you the results of my very unscientific cross-reference of the lists—for the best of the “best of” for 2012.


Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore. This is the third book in the Graceling series. I reviewed Graceling earlier this year. It is fabulous. If you haven’t read it already, do it now!

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The Raven Boys, by Maggie Steifvater. This book about a daughter of a psychic destined to kill off her true love with a kiss was #1 on the Atlantic Wire’s list and appeared on others. I read it recently. The review is coming soon!

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The Mortal Instruments: City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare. The fifth (!) book in the series, and it’s appeared on several best of lists this year. I haven’t read even the first one (City of Bones) because I’m a little tired of angels and demons, but with such high recommendations, I am curious. . .

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Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman. A bestseller about dragons who can turn into human form and live peacefully next to humans until a member of the royal family is murdered in a very dragon-like way.

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Son. By Lois Lowry. This is the third of Lowry’s ground-breaking dystopian Giver series. Reviewed here. I better catch up and read the second. Son has made almost every best of list I’ve come across.

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Some of my sources:

Atlantic Wire: Best Young Adult Books 2012

Goodreads Best YA Fantasy and Sci Fi 2012

New York Times Notable Children’s Books of 2012

NPR Young Adult Books that You ll never Outgrow

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

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Review of The Lost Girl

Posted on December 3, 2012 by sarazaske

Guest post by Madhvi Ramani, author of the magical children’s book Nina and the Traveling Spice Shed (for ages 7+)

The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna

Can you imagine living someone else’s life? Looking like them, eating exactly what they eat, dressing, and acting like them?

That’s what Eva’s life is like. She is an echo, a copy of a girl called Amarra who lives in India. Amarra’s family had Eva “stitched” by a Weaver at the Loom in London, because they can’t stand the idea of losing her. If Amarra were to die, Eva would replace her.

However, the Weavers have not yet figured out how to make exact copies, and although Eva looks like Amarra and is connected to her in some ways, she has her own personality, dreams, and desires. She hates having to read Amarra’s diary, to learn and copy her life.

Although Eva’s life in London with her guardians is fascinating, things take a dark turn when Amarra dies and Eva has to take up her role in Bangalore. There, she finds herself increasingly on edge, trapped between fulfilling the purpose for which she was made and fighting for her freedom.

Eva is a great character—strong and willful—and we really feel for her as she battles to forge her own identity, help a grieving family, discover love and ultimately, stay alive.

The Lost Girl explores deep questions, such as what does it mean to be human? and Should we mess with natural creation? These themes have been tackled before—just read Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go or watch AI or Blade Runner—but Mandanna weaves together elements from Frankenstein and Indian folk tales to create her own gripping, gothic story.

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Review of Raven’s Gate

Posted on November 28, 2012 by sarazaske

Raven’s Gate
by Anthony Horowitz

Matt, a troubled 14-year-old, goes a step too far and lands himself in England’s juvenile court system. He opts for a special rehab project that sends him to the countryside, only to find himself trapped in the creepy town of Lesser Malling by Mrs. Devrill whose evil intentions for Matt become quickly apparent.

Raven’s Gate opened well but then faltered. It had a solid premise and strong writing. Matt is a very well-developed character and Horowitz can really build a sense of danger that gets the pages turning.

But, I had two big problems with the book. First, it was almost a self-consciously boy-oriented story. There is absolutely no romance and very few female characters except for evil old ladies.

But its worst flaw is that it descends into random action at the end. In the best thriller stories, the action is surprising but makes sense. It arises out of the decisions of the characters. Too much in Raven’s Gate just seems to happen.

Raven’s Gate wasn’t for me. However, I suspect some readers might really enjoy this dark adventure. I consider Raven’s Gate to be “horror-light”—not as terrifying or gruesome as something Stephen King might write—but scary and evil enough to make for some chilling reading.

3_stars

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Scarlett Phoenix Tour Giveaway

Posted on November 23, 2012 by sarazaske

I am delighted to host a very special giveaway for  Scarlett Phoenix, a new book by Bella Harte.  This cover is on fire, no?

About the book :

“She is the only one of her kind; he is her last hope.”

Scarlett Paige is just a regular teenager until her parents suddenly decide move to back to America. Thrust into a new school, a new town and a whole new way of life, things can’t seem get any worse until her 18th birthday arrives. Her world as she knows it is irrevocably changed by a whole new set of life threatening complications.

Two brothers, one to save her and one to kill her, who will win?

Scarlett finds herself in the midst of a battle that’s been waged since the beginning of time with beings she never knew existed and hideous creatures she wished didn’t. Thrown into total chaos, she is plunged into an entirely different future, one that is utterly unexpected with consequences she never saw coming.

Read more and download the Scarlett Phoenix on:

Amazon.com                      Amazon.co.uk

The lovely giveaway:

To celebrate the launch of Scarlett Phoenix, Bella Harte  is giving away 10 Specially Commissioned Gorgeous Semi-Precious Gemstone and Swarovski Crystal Designer Chakra Tutti Fruiti Bracelets worth $55 (£35 )each.

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway  here (It’s really easy. All you have to do is answer a question and/or follow Bella Harte’s blog.) Good luck!

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The First is out in paperback

Posted on November 5, 2012 by sarazaske


The First is now available in good old traditional paperback! Not sure how Grandpa Baumler would feel about that, but it would sure make a nice gift for the YA reader on your Christmas list (or for yourself). Check it out!

It’s also been getting some great new reviews:

“This book was special in a way which I haven’t seen in ages. Not only is it different, it is creative and original.” —Elicia Cheah’s 5-star review on Goodreads. Read more Goodreads reviews.

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Zombie pulp fiction: Hollowland by Amanda Hocking

Posted on October 29, 2012 by sarazaske

Hollowland
by Amanda Hocking

This is a zombie apocalypse book, pure and simple. Remy is a teenage survivor is also a kickass zombie killer. A virus that turns people into zombies is ravaging the world, and the book opens, the zombies are attacking the quarantine where Remy is staying, and the people in charge have already evacuated her little brother to somewhere else. Now, she has to find him. That’s essentially the entire plot.

I felt I had to read Amanda Hocking because she’s an Indie author who’s made it. She’s sold millions of books, and naturally, I want to figure out her secret. I also heard she writes first drafts of books in 24 hours. I can’t fathom that any book written that fast could be good, as Truman Capote famously said, “That’s not writing. That’s typing.”

So it was with a great degree of skepticism that I picked up Hollowland (for free by the way on Smashwords!) It had a great first line that gave me hope:

“This is the way the world ends—not with a bang or a whimper, but with zombies breaking down the back door.”

And it was filled with action, but this is not a very deep book, and it’s riddled with problems both large (unbelievable plot elements, shallow characters) and small (typos, misused words.)

However, if you take the book as light, pulp fiction and  can overlook real eye-rollers, it’s a lot of fun. I can’t recommend it highly because of all of the problems, but Hocking obviously has talent. She’s a natural born storyteller.

And now that she’s a millionaire with agents and editors at her disposal, I only hope she takes the time to hone her skill and give us some really great stories.

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