Yep, you heard me right, Goodreads. Five freakin' stars for this one.
Aurora Rising seems to have gotten a cool reception from fans of Amie Kaufman anYep, you heard me right, Goodreads. Five freakin' stars for this one.
Aurora Rising seems to have gotten a cool reception from fans of Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff: people comparing it unfavorably to the Illuminae Files, saying Kaufman and Kristoff recycled the same tropes but in blander fashion, etc., etc., etc.
Full disclosure, I couldn't get into Illuminae. I quit about 10% of the way through because the characters didn't grab me. Also--anybody remember how long those books were??? Because I do. They were L O N G. Long and thick, crammed with small print and tech jargon. Aurora Rising is nothing of the kind. It's a breezy little jaunt with nothing so tech-y or science-y that I can't bluff my way through with my distant high school knowledge and "a little bit of faith." (Thank you, Squad Leader Jones, that will be all.) It's got a vivid cast of spunky misfits, stereotypes, sure, yet each rising above their stereotypes in one way or another. [My only quibble was Zila: but even she gets deeper and more sympathetic by the end, so I'm optimistic about her portrayal in Book 2.]
Above all? Aurora Rising is FUN.
If I may paraphrase Nathaniel from the Council of Geeks, "it may be trash, but it's fun trash." Pure fluff, but good fluff. It warmed my cold, dead heart, set my pulse racing, and allowed me to escape from the bleakness of 2020 for a few days: and really, what more can I ask from an adventure novel?
I love outer space hijinks. I love smooth uniforms and crackling comms and highly effective stun blasters. I love grimy intergalactic port cities where a hundred languages, a thousand cultures, rub shoulders and throw punches. I love badass pilot girls covered with tattoos, and equally badass girls who can ease their way past a guard with just a few well-turned words. I love powerful "crazy" girls with a magic no one understands--not even themselves. I love the stone-faced alien warrior dudes who would literally bust skulls to keep the aforementioned "crazy girls" safe. I love the geeky mechanics and science nerds who are always ready with a new plan to save the day, as long as you keep 'em supplied with Wi-Fi.
And (even though this isn't really my type), I can even grow to love the by-the-book golden boys tasked with keeping these maniacs in line.
All I can say is, my library had better stock Aurora Burning before I call Kal and Auri to provide some--ahem!--extralegal persuasion. ...more
"Almost all men respect the Storyteller. You can make time disappear. You can bring us to places we never dreamed of. You can make us feel sorrow and "Almost all men respect the Storyteller. You can make time disappear. You can bring us to places we never dreamed of. You can make us feel sorrow and joy and peace.
"You have great magic."
wow that was super life-affirming and vocation-affirming and also just a rip-roaring good winter survival adventure???? with drama and angst and High Stakes???? 10 stars out of 10....more
This was (and remains) in many ways a brilliant story, but that ending was just Not For Me, folks. Not For Me, at all.
I don't feel like writing a fulThis was (and remains) in many ways a brilliant story, but that ending was just Not For Me, folks. Not For Me, at all.
I don't feel like writing a full review, but if you want my informal thoughts, or notes on content, comment below [or message me!]
*sadly & solemnly chucks this book onto the growing pile of "Russian inspired fantasy that I thought would make me super happy but instead ended up making me super mad"* ...more
"THAT is the magic, the alchemy: the primitive, deep-seated element that is in you--that IS you--while you live, and which leaves the moment you die. "THAT is the magic, the alchemy: the primitive, deep-seated element that is in you--that IS you--while you live, and which leaves the moment you die. You can't get it back. Nothing can buy it. No amount of tears will ever call it home."
. . . may I just take this moment to observe, Ally Condie is scarily good at writing about death.
As for the rest: this is a very intriguing, steampunk-ish, dystopian adventure starring an unapologetic anti-heroine whom you nevertheless want to root for??? I recommend it, although it gets a bit violent. Battles an' all....more
Art has a way of revealing truth, but love triangles are for the birds, friends.
That's basically how I'd sum up this book. Half of it was a truly profArt has a way of revealing truth, but love triangles are for the birds, friends.
That's basically how I'd sum up this book. Half of it was a truly profound exploration of the gift of creativity, and half of it was ROMANCE DRAMA AND ANGST AND WHAT AM I EVEN DOING HERE, I'M TOO OLD AND CRABBY FOR THIS NONSENSE.
I love, absolutely love, the magic system Lindsay Franklin conjured up here. Basically, in the land of Tir, storytellers have the magic gift of creating objects through the power of their words--their stories. Words become colored light, which then solidifies into cloth or stone or fire or water or whatever you need it to be. It's pretty rad, pretty useful during a fight (heh), and any scene which features said 'story weaving' is 100% excellence.
The main conflict centers around the new king of Tir, Gareth, who's decided storyweavers are dangerous to him & his regime. Because they have the power to create, and more urgently, because they have the power to reveal truth--their gifts must be suppressed and censored. Only 'crowned' stories, stories that paint the king in a good light, are allowed.
The problem is . . . if a storyweaver suppresses his/her creativity long enough, their mind turns against them and they become a monster. Cuz you can't choke down the stories inside you, fam.
So far, so good. So excellent, even. I REALLY LIKED THIS MAIN FRAMEWORK. I thought it had enormous potential! I was super excited to spend a good long time exploring an environment where expressing your inner truth will get you killed, but hiding it will *also* get you killed. The problem is, this is the first book in a trilogy; and by the end of Book 1, (view spoiler)[the king is dead, the old regime has been defeated, our MCs are free to exercise their gifts, and THE PROTAGONIST'S MAJOR WORRY FOR THE NEXT BOOK IS WHICH HOT GUY SHE SHOULD PICK. (hide spoiler)]
Excuse me???????
That's it???????
Furthermore: I realized (since writing the above) that the love triangle is actually a Love Square; and I ain't about that life.
Brac loves (?) Tanwen, who loves (?) him but also loves (?) Mor, who loves Gryffelle; and frankly, given that Brac is a certified jerk who kisses girls without permission and tries everything he can think of to manipulate them into marrying him . . . and given that Tanwen honestly has no business crushing on Mor as hard as she does when she literally only just met the dude . . . I don't feel particularly invested in most of the angst & drama & feelsiness bouncing all up in here. [Except for Mor & Gryfelle. Them two are goals.]
Now, I'd like to take this opportunity to say a few words about love triangles, love squares, and love polygons; since this book has got me thinking pretty seriously about such things.
You cannot make me like a protagonist who waffles between two love interests. And you cannot satisfactorily develop either relationship, either set of emotions, if you're constantly zig-zagging back and forth between the two. Would Mor and Tanwen be a lot more interesting, a lot more believable, if her thoughts weren't constantly flitting back to Brac? YOU BET YOUR BOOTS THEY WOULD. Alas, we never really get the opportunity to focus on their burgeoning connection . . . cuz she can't keep Brac (jerk that he is) outta her brain.
I honestly believe Brac was only in this book to manufacture artificial tension. That is never a good reason to write a character. You need to respect the people you've created more than that. Give them a raison d'etre that's more than just "this girl needs a hot guy to obsess over but not *really* wanna be with."
And one more thing. Brac is an unfortunate specimen of a super common trope, both in fantasy romance and romance in general, the Boy Next Door Who's Loved You Since You Pushed Him Off a Swing That One Time. And . . . I don't think I'm entirely alone in saying this trope is outdated. It's harkening back to a 'simpler time.' It's becoming less and less relatable with each passing decade. For a lot of us Millenials [and I think Gen Z, too, although I won't presume to speak for them], there never was a boy next door. There never was a boy at church. There never were many, if any, eligible boys in our hometowns for our parents to wish we'd get with. Am I making sense here? I'm not saying this in a bitter, "oh, where have all the single guys gone" way: I'm just saying, this isn't how we meet people anymore. Our neighborhoods are too fragmented and our childhoods involve too much moving-across-country and our peer groups are too small anyway and it just doesn't Work Like That. So, to have our fiction perpetually echoing a pattern that no longer holds true, gets a bit ANNOYING.
(Especially since the Boy Next Door is usually the losing party in a love triangle, so like, he could've just as easily not been in the story at all.)
I do want to read the next book in the series, The Story Raider, but . . . we shall see, we shall see. ...more
This book leans wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more heavily than Sorcerer's Stone into the whole 'Slytherins are inherently evil' trope, and as a Slytherin, I This book leans wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more heavily than Sorcerer's Stone into the whole 'Slytherins are inherently evil' trope, and as a Slytherin, I profess myself #Annoyed.
Welp, this is it, guys. I've fallen in love with Harry Potter.
I watched all 8 movies recently and really, really loved them, but I was afraid the booWelp, this is it, guys. I've fallen in love with Harry Potter.
I watched all 8 movies recently and really, really loved them, but I was afraid the books wouldn't be as good. Spoilers: they are.
Harry Potter is such a great protagonist. A realistically sweet, spunky, and sassy little boy, who's plucked out of an abusive home background, told "yer a wizard, Harry," and whisked away to a flipping ENCHANTED CASTLE--who wouldn't want to live that adventure???? I know I sure would. Now, thanks to this series, I can.
It's not just Harry, though. All the characters here are incredibly vivid and human. Hermione Granger in particular cracks me up. When she was like "don't worry, I got a hundred and twelve on my exam so they're not gonna expel me," I died laughing because THAT'S ME ALL THE WAY. Good grades cover a multitude of sins, it would seem. :-P :-P
The worldbuilding is stunning. I could almost see Diagon Alley and Ollivander's shop and the Great Hall and the Gryffindor common room more clearly in this book than in the movie, and that's saying quite a lot. I love picturing the floating candles and magically refilling plates [I prefer to imagine them filled with pumpkin cakes, because, y'know, PUMPKIN CAKES.] Also, wizard chess is purty awesome. Just sayin'.
Also, I cried during the Mirror of Erised scene. Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. *sniffles*
I don't like Dumbledore but that's Another Story for Another Day; and anywho Dumbledore is just one character in this glorious cast-of-thousands so it's fine.
My biggest peeve so far is the whole "Slytherins are inherently evil" thing. Because it's not just the characters who are saying so--JK Rowling herself, as the narrator, seems to be pushing the idea fairly hard . . . and as a proud Slytherin in my own right, I take issue with that. You can't just define an entire group of ELEVEN YEAR OLDS as "inherently evil" just cuz some magic talking hat decided that ambition, cunning, & loyalty were their primary traits. Like, erm, sorry, JK, but no.
Content wise:
Since I know some of y'all will be interested, I'll give you my thoughts on the [controversial] magic system here. It is my personal opinion that the magic in Harry Potter has been blown rather out of proportion. Yes, the characters do use spells. But that's no longer unusual in YA fantasy; and even compared to OTHER fantasy books, the spell magic really is kind of . . . tame. It's not being used to 'create' power or 'summon' power, but only to direct it. It's internal, not external. We are shown explicitly that Harry (and, by extension, all his friends) can do magic without wands or spells; they're born with that ability. It's genetic. It's in their blood. That's how they know they're wizards. The problem with spell-less magic is that it gets messy & bystanders tend to get hurt: hence, the use of wands and spells to bring order to chaos. For this reason, I see no problem with it; any more than with the fairy godmother in "Cinderella" using her wand to transfigure Cinderella's dress, or with Gandalf using his magic staff to duel Sauron. It's clearly fantasy--it's not the real world--and it's a special ability these characters were born with. Therefore, I'm not worried about it.
Now, I agree that kids, young kids, MIGHT get confused by these types of stories and start to wonder, "oooh, what happens if I try to do magic?", not knowing that our world and the fantasy world are two totally different things. But . . . well, I'm not a kid. And I've got no children of my own to worry about. When it comes to teens or adults reading these books, I don't personally see an issue. In fact, I heartily recommend them [WITH the usual reservations & caveats that everybody has different standards, everybody likes different stuff, and that the later stories get sort of dark in tone so if that's not your thing--you have been warned. :-P]...more
Dang it, this book was good. I expected to /like it/ and instead I ended up LOVING IT TO THE MOON AND BACK.
Things to ra*flails quietly in the corner*
Dang it, this book was good. I expected to /like it/ and instead I ended up LOVING IT TO THE MOON AND BACK.
Things to rave about: - The setting (!!!) and magic system (!!!!) - Okay so if you've read the book--or read the synopsis--you know this story has a "multiple Londons" thing going on. That is, the action alternates between universes, each universe centered on a single city inexplicably called "London" in every single language. Grey London, that is, historical London, where King George III hangs out; Red London, where magic is plentiful and life is very, um, ruddy (couldn't resist xD); White London, which is slowly starving to death (ow); and Black London, which is A BURNING PILE OF PESTILENTIAL RUBBLE RUN AWAY RUN AWAY RUN AWAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY. Yah. Fun times. :-P - As a lifelong Anglophile, it's hard to put into words the thrill I got at seeing the London I know, from actual history, through the eyes of a magic traveler who knows it's just one of many Londons. I practically squealed when I realized the author had chosen to use the much-beloved Thames River as the 'source' of all mythological power and fairytale essence in her imaginary world. #nerd moment And when that old guy at the end was like, "No London is entirely without magic," I nearly cried. PREACH TO THE CHOIR, BROTHAH.
- The characters! - Kell is a Soft Magic Boi who can move between worlds because of his literal black eye--and whose extraordinarily dumb acts of teenage rebellion [predictably] put literally the entire multiverse in danger--but whom I can't help wanting to hug, nevertheless. And he wears a six-sided coat. We have been blessed. - see also: DELILAH EVER-LOVIN' BARD - Lila Bard is my queen. A mere slip of a girl, some might say, a "starved bird" in the author's own words, who wields a voice like a knife--plus many many Actual Knives & guns & other implements of mayhem. Yes, she's a thief. Yes, she enjoys it. But her dad tried to sell her as a sex slave when she was fifteen and she killed the guy instead, and that is the kind of role model I need in my life. She's been through horrible things; but she'll never be crushed by them. - Plus. She wants to be a pirate for the AESTHETIC of it and I just . . . I just. My smol sweet dreamer child. <333 No matter how dark her life gets, Lila holds onto that image of herself in a long swoopy cape & tall high-heeled boots, standing on the deck of her own ship with "a map to anywhere" in her hands. It's her identity, and she carved it out all by herself, instead of letting anyone else force stuff on her. #what a boss - Also: no spoilers, but: BEST. MAKEOVER. SCENE. EVER. - Holland . . . is my son. He's a Bad Son, but he's still my son. *sniffles slightly* - Is it bad that I lowkey want to marry Barron? :-P
- The prooooooooooooooooooooose. Good gracious, the prose. And the DIALOGUE. Er mah gash. - Examples:
"An appreciation for the enduring, and the effort it took to make something so."
" 'Death comes for everyone. I'm not afraid of dying. I'm only afraid of dying here.' "
" 'Purity without balance is its own corruption.' "
" 'No London is entirely without magic.' "
" 'Peace,' he said softly, a parting word for a broken man."
". . . then turned to find Lila waiting, her back purposefully to the tavern, as if her present were already her past."
"Upstairs, an old woman, all in faded black, is lying on a narrow bed. But you wouldn't think she was dead, because there is a big card on a string ar"Upstairs, an old woman, all in faded black, is lying on a narrow bed. But you wouldn't think she was dead, because there is a big card on a string around her neck that reads:
I ATE'NT DEAD
. . . and you have to believe it when it's written down like that."
All witches are selfish, the Queen had said. But Tiffany’s Third Thoughts said: Then turn selfishness into a weapon! Make all things yours! Make otherAll witches are selfish, the Queen had said. But Tiffany’s Third Thoughts said: Then turn selfishness into a weapon! Make all things yours! Make other lives and dreams and hopes yours! Protect them! Save them! Bring them into the sheepfold! Walk the gale for them! Keep away the wolf!
My dreams! My brother! My family! My land! My world! How dare you try to take these things, because they are mine!
this did not make me wild to read more books by this author, but I did enjoy it and it made me smile. especially the bit about Mrs. Dunwiddy. "Hunnertthis did not make me wild to read more books by this author, but I did enjoy it and it made me smile. especially the bit about Mrs. Dunwiddy. "Hunnert and four!" *giggles* ...more
"You were made of dreams and this world is not for you."
MY HEART
I CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN'T
Okay, real talk, I was going to give this book four sta"You were made of dreams and this world is not for you."
MY HEART
I CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN'T
Okay, real talk, I was going to give this book four stars instead of five solely b/c the violence level was a wee bit higher than I comfortably tolerate, so I was skimming stuff at times (Carmen's POV), but, RONAN LYNCH IS. LITERALLY. EVERYTHING. and therefore I cannot give it less than five. At this point, I'm 99.999% sure that Ronan-as-dreamer (and now Hennessey-as-dreamer! #new friends #excitement) is just a straight up metaphor for the struggles of being an artist, being a creator, and fitting into a society that can sometimes be really, really, reallyyyyyyy harsh in its assessment of your strengths & weaknesses & your 'value.' And I Felt That, fam. I Felt That in my Soul. Of course, it gets 10000x more poignant when you read the afterword about Maggie's struggle with chronic illness and her fight to be able to write again, and just . . . just . . .
"You were made of dreams and this world is not for you."
We creative peeps get that message a lot, don't we? Sometimes from other people. Sometimes, worse, from our own heads. But it's not true. It's never true. We belong here, and we have a gift.
*explosion of feels from that finale scene*
~List of Things I Loved~ - Ronan Lynch being a Soft Boy who can also Beat You Up - Ronan and Adam!!!! Can I just say what everybody's thinking real quick: the ultimate power couple????? The dreamer who can dream anything into existence, the magician who reads the mind of the whole world???? I can't believe I ever doubted (yep, wayyyyyyyy back at the beginning of TRC, I was a fool ;-) ) that they'd make a good pair. They are GOALS. I love how they steady each other, how they are each other's safe place. I love their crushing hugs. I love Adam rockin' that motorbike Ronan dreamed for him. Alsooooooooooooooooo, the way they speak Latin to each other makes me #weak. "Tamquam alter idem." brb i'm crying - Declan Lynch bein' a crime boss and an art connoisseur on the down-low. just, livin' his best life. - Ahhh, Declan, dauntless Declan. Mah baby boy. At one time (YES, I know, I know, I was a fool), I lowkey hated Declan for not understanding Ronan?? But I get it now, he's just a big brother with no parents, trying his best to take care of his little brothers. That's rough, man. And this feels weird to say, but in a way, I 'get' Declan even more deeply than I get Ronan. His ever-present anxiety, his stifling sense of responsibility, his chronic fear of giving away secrets. Also, like, he worries he's the "boring" one compared to his more rebellious, more magical siblings; and THAT I FEEL FOR SURE. - NEW OTP ALERT: DECLAN AND JORDAN - JUST KISS ALREADY, U IDIOTS - Gansey's run-on text messages; also, everything about the image of Gansey being tied to a tree to save it from getting cut down, this boy is my angel. - Le Catholic Aesthetic (TM). This is gonna be hard to explain to anybody who wasn't raised in the Church, but Maggie Stiefvater just gets it, man. So many little things, put all together, to make That Catholic Life. Ronan angsting over 'free will' re: his dream-copies, Ronan idly wondering whether he should 'confess' to the priest how nasty his vestments smell (!!!), Ronan effortlessly adhering to a basic moral code like it's muscle memory even as he breaks EVERY OTHER RULE IN THE BOOK because #yolo, Ronan crossing himself with holy water the minute he steps into church because his mama didn't raise no frickin savage . . . it's all there, and I adore it. Even the Palm Sunday cross. I swear, I wanted to cry when that showed up on the page. - Not gonna spoil this gem of description for anybody, but--but--the "mermaid church"???? WHY CAN I NOT WRITE LIKE THIS.
And may I just point out: that was one heck of a cliffhanger, Maggie. I ain't mad. I'm just. Y'know. Slightly impatient. Slightly.
;-P
If you've read The Raven Cycle, read this. If you haven't read The Raven Cycle, read it . . . AND THEN READ THIS....more
Harvest of Time was a Christmas present from my wonderful big brother, who feeds my Doctor Who obsession even though he does not share it. #A++siblingHarvest of Time was a Christmas present from my wonderful big brother, who feeds my Doctor Who obsession even though he does not share it. #A++sibling
And I had such a great time with it!!! I was a teensy bit apprehensive that the author wouldn't be able to capture the "feel" of the show, but I was proven wrong. As a matter of fact, capturing that very specific Whovian essence is what this book does BEST. That wide-eyed wonder, that zaniness, that optimism, darkly tinged with bittersweet realism at times, yet always bouncing back to incurable hope in the end . . . it's all here, from the first page to the last. Ya done good, Alastair Reynolds. Ya done good.
Harvest of Time features the Third Doctor (yep, Classic Who!), Jo Grant, Mike Yates, and the Master, all thrown together on a hair-raising mission to save the Earth from brutal alien domination for, like, the fifty billionth time. There are a whole lot of aliens out there, guys, and their sole raison d'etre is the enslavement of Earth, particularly Great Britain, okay?? Don't question the fundamental realities of the universe. ;-)
Actually, I misspoke: The Master isn't TRYING to save the Earth, he's trying to save his own skin; but sometimes self-interest just happens to line up with the lives of innocent people, dontcha know.
This particular alien invasion was unusually gross, even by Whovian standards, since it involved alien parasites infesting human hosts, using them to kill others, then leaving them for dead . . . so, certainly, stakes were believably high. Notwithstanding the whole "alien of the week" effect, I definitely hated these little beasts by the time all was said and done. I mean, SILVER ROBOT CRABS???? YUCK.
I loved that all the on-Earth action centered on the North Sea and its oil rigs; it was such a vividly bracing and cold and windswept atmosphere. Reynold's descriptions are so colorful!! There was one bit in Chapter Two where he described a rig as "an iron and concrete fist ramming its way out of the grey water, like the great gauntlet of some vast drowning knight," and as soon as I read that, I knew I was in good hands.
And the oil company executive--Edwina "Eddie" McCrimmon--her story left me with my jaw metaphorically on the floor. No spoilers, just . . . wow. Not many authors would devote such time and attention to a middle-aged single woman's character arc, WITHOUT including romance--let alone paint her as such a sympathetic and deep and flawed and admirable character. I am most definitely a fan.
I have to say, I wasn't quite as big a fan of the Doctor himself, in this book. It's not that he wasn't well written, because he was; it's just, I'm not used to seeing such an early incarnation of the Doctor (we're only on the Third here, after all). He still has so much left to learn. Which is totally appropriate, because the Doctor's story is all about growth and learning and change . . . You see, this Doctor is still teetering on the fence of "how much do I really care about the Earth and its people," having to continually reject the temptation to run away and leave us poor humans [including his friends!] to our fates. Like, by the time you get to the Tenth Doctor (my personal favorite), we're WELL past all of that--it's not even a question anymore. But I completely understand how necessary it is to show the early stages, the shaky beginnings of what is now a rock-solid bond.
All I'm saying is, I kept David Tennant's voice on repeat in my head, through all of those [slightly uncomfortable] scenes: "I think you look like giants."
*heart eyes for David because he deserves it*
Ahhhhhhhhhhh, what else? Mostly, Alastair Reynolds is an excellent writer, and this book is both thoroughly enjoyable science fiction and a beautiful tribute to the genius of Doctor Who. I highly recommend it, if you're a fan of either one.
"Depending on where you began the story, it was a story about Noah Czerny."
Some of you know I keep a tally of books that make my eyes tear up, and a t"Depending on where you began the story, it was a story about Noah Czerny."
Some of you know I keep a tally of books that make my eyes tear up, and a tally of books that leave me with actual tears trickling down my cheeks. The former list has maybe 10-15 names on it. The latter list has only three:
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. The Chosen by Chaim Potok. And now, The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater.
the Blurb: yeah so this time Jane doesn't actually marry Rochester Me *sobbing*: oh thank God
If you know me, you know I have little love or patience fthe Blurb: yeah so this time Jane doesn't actually marry Rochester Me *sobbing*: oh thank God
If you know me, you know I have little love or patience for the original Jane Eyre. [And if you know me, you also know it's no use trying to change my mind. ;-) ] But be that as it may, I found My Plain Jane to be an absolute delight. It's everything I ever wanted: real live ghosts, real live magic, political assassinations, secret agents, the 19th-century version of Ghostbusters, hEALTHY ROMANCE *pointed cough*, strong female friendships, and laugh-out-loud humor.
I know that sounds like a complicated plot; and, well, it kind of is. Allow me to explain.
Basically, Jane Eyre and Charlotte Bronte are teenage best friends, and they live in an England populated / plagued by ghosts; some of them well-behaved, some of them not. The less-well-behaved ghosts are dealt with by the Society for the Relocation of Wayward Spirits, aka the R.W.S. You can only join the R.W.S. if you have the ability to see ghosts. Jane can see ghosts. Charlotte cannot. Charlotte is desperate to join the Society, travel, have adventures, and have fun. The Society, on the other hand [represented by the dashing young Mr. Alexander Blackwood] is desperate to recruit Jane . . . who will have none of such nonsense, being that she's utterly enthralled with her new job [and *ahem* her new boss] at a spooky old estate called Thornfield Hall.
But something fishy's going on at Thornfield; and neither Charlotte nor Mr. Blackwood can rest content until they've uncovered what it is . . .
I had so much fun reading this!!! Charlotte is the heroine we Need but Don't Deserve (TM); bookish, bespectacled, irrepressibly curious, unshakeably loyal, and nursing an adorable crush on an equally adorable boy. Their relationship is so truly precious; not in a sugary or cringe-worthy way, but just good, solid, Preciousness. I love their banter, I love their l'il baby fights, I love their firm support of each other. #Katie approves
AND THE ENDING SCENE AT WESTMINSTER. MAH GOSH. *swoooooooons*
Plus, I love the creepy atmosphere. So many ghosts! So little time! I love how it leans into the "Gothicness," the blood and mystery and danger, of actual English history; whilst poking fun at the tropes of the Gothic novel. (like rude Byronic 'heroes,' or 'crazy' women locked up in attics.) You don't need all that to have a good scary time, and this book is living proof.
Now, the question that y'all are probably asking:
If Jane doesn't marry Mr. Rochester, is that because Mr. Rochester is the villain?
(view spoiler)[No. Mr. Rochester is not the villain. Mr. Rochester behaves pretty nastily for about two-thirds of the book, at which point it's revealed that he has actually been possessed by an evil ghost working for the REAL villain. Once you get him un-possessed, he's quite a nice guy. A good family man. Devoted to his wife, the very lovely [AND COMPLETELY SANE AHEM] Bertha Rochester. He would never dream of looking at another woman . . . and that includes Jane Eyre. So that's how all that works. xD (hide spoiler)]
Another question some of y'all may be asking:
If these authors are rewriting a classic like Jane Eyre, does that mean they don't respect the original?
I would say, no. First of all, it's clear and obvious that they have enormous respect for Charlotte Bronte herself, for her major achievement in being like "y'know what, I'm tired of all these male narrators speaking FOR women, I'mma write a bestselling novel where my female protagonist gets to speak her own thoughts in the first person." We see little snippets of Charlotte writing Jane Eyre throughout the story, and it gave even ME, the anti-J.E.- fan, renewed appreciation for what she was able to do as an author. Howeverrrrrrrrrrrrrr . . . as you can probably tell from the changes I've outlined above, that doesn't mean the creators of My Plain Jane are averse to deconstructing and critiquing what they see as the internalized misogyny present in certain aspects of the original novel. Which I, personally, appreciate. If you're a diehard J.E. fangirl who isn't interested in a frank discussion of the book's flaws, though . . . My Plain Jane probably isn't for you. Just throwing that out there. ;-)
*end disclaimer*
Oh, and did I mention:
BRANWELL BRONTE IS E V E R Y T H I N G AND I AM IN LURVE WITH HIM. *hugs him* *feeds him chocolate*
I did think it was extremely unfair to make Bran the stand-in for St. John Rivers at the end there?? My Bran would never have done such a selfish thing as ask a girl to marry him when he knew she didn't love him. Never, never, never. #i am disgruntled #this was the book's only real flaw #but it annoyed me
Other than that, I looooooooooooved My Plain Jane. Five shining stars. Recommended to absolutely everyone, except those parties included in the disclaimer above. ;-)...more
This book is a conglomeration of so many awesome things, it's hard to untangle them to name in a review.
Short list of the awesome things:
- Blue not This book is a conglomeration of so many awesome things, it's hard to untangle them to name in a review.
Short list of the awesome things:
- Blue not eating her greens - Blue subsisting entirely on yogurt - Gansey's 1000% relatable anxiety attacks - Ronan and the Epipens and the hand lotion (DOES THIS BOY HAVE NO FLAWS that was a rhetorical question shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh) - Adam! finally! discovering! his! self! worth! - The Dog - tea - phone calls - Blue and Gansey almost-kissing but NOT *wails* - Noah being petty and aggrieved and precious (I'm srsly worried about my Noah, I don't want him to disappear into the ether or something ackkkkkkkkkkk) - that dang tapestry - that dang rhyme - THE. COURTROOM. SCENE. - Ronan's tie being actually straight . . . help me I'm emotional - Ronan being worried when Blue went missing????? - Adam and Ronan in the church together - THE WHOLE THING WITH THE STATUE OF MARY 'CAUSE I'M CATHOLIC AND THIS STUFF MAKES ME WEAK, OK.
[a serious side note: I will never get over how casually and yet how profoundly Maggie Stiefvater is willing to toss Catholic themes into her work. I mean, come on, it's everywhere: "the broken gaze of a suffering Christ," the Lynch brothers attending Mass each and every Sunday, that thing where Adam is wondering whether Mary would want him if she truly knew him, yet being comforted by the thought that she knows Ronan but still wants HIM . . . these books, and this author, never cease to astound me. It's beautiful. <333]...more
Greetings, lords, ladies, peasants, and assorted jesters!
*sweeping bow whilst scattering fairy dust*
(Okay, okay, none of you are ACTUALLY peasants. TGreetings, lords, ladies, peasants, and assorted jesters!
*sweeping bow whilst scattering fairy dust*
(Okay, okay, none of you are ACTUALLY peasants. That would be very rude of me. Of course I'm not suggesting anything of the sort. ;-) )
Here's my review of the latest installment in Allison Tebo's The Tales of Ambia series: A Royal Masquerade.
First off, I'll give you Alli's official synopsis, since she explains things far better than I could:
"Burndee can barely tolerate the mischievous Prince Colin, but the two of them are invariably thrown together in a way that keeps them at one another’s throats. While attending a noblewoman’s wedding, Burndee and Colin’s private feud comes to a climax when Burndee loses his temper and does the unthinkable. With Prince Colin unable to attend to his royal duties and Burndee bound by an inconvenient spell, can the two of them work together long enough to unsnarl the mysterious goings-on around them?
"A madcap and magical retelling of The Goose Girl from a unique perspective."
Burndee, you see, is a fairy godfather. GodFATHER, mind you, not godmother. (He'd be very insistent on that point.) We first met Burndee in Book 1, The Reluctant Godfather--and let me tell you, that title says it all. HE'S NOT VERY GOOD AT HIS JOB.
Poor fellow, he doesn't even like it. Nobody asked him if he wanted to control the destinies of addlepated humans who can't even tie their own shoes without getting the laces crossed!
"Lord, what fools these mortals be," is Burndee's motto. Given a choice, he'd spend his time and energy on a quieter, more refined pursuit. Like baking. (Which he excels at. Seriously, the food described in these books is to die for.)
But crotchety Burndee is learning . . . and growing. Ever so slowly, true, but growing! The Reluctant Godfather finds him making common cause with one of his charges, a sweet servant girl named Ella. Now, in A Royal Masquerade, he's forming an uneasy alliance with another godchild: Colin, Crown Prince of Ambia.
The operative word here is 'uneasy.' Colin, let it be known, is a high spirited and handsome and charismatic young man a complete imbecile; and the combination of him and Burndee together at a royal wedding is simply too great a temptation for Fate. Tempers flare. Spells go awry. Grand sticky messes are created. It's tremendous fun--for everyone except our dear protagonist.
Now, I know what you're thinking:
What does this have to do with "The Goose Girl"?
That's the genius of A Royal Masquerade: it doesn't LOOK like a retelling of "The Goose Girl," until all is revealed in the final act, leaving the audience to let out a collective "OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" at Alli's cleverness. It's beautifully plotted and beautifully disguised ('masquerade'--get it?) I was most impressed.
And I really appreciated Alli's reasons for crafting the story in this way: as she explained in her Author's Note, the original "Goose Girl" is much too dark for a G-rated universe like The Tales of Ambia. I was very grateful that Ambia didn't take a sudden grim turn in this installment, because, after all, my baby sister reads these books and she's not up for a bloody, gruesome version! But that's not AT ALL what we get here. It is light-hearted and perfectly clean, and I'd have no scruples about handing it off to a sensitive child. At the same time, though, the stakes are high and the drama is spicy all the way to the end. Winning combination. *thumbs-up*
I had so much fun with Burndee and Colin in this book. I loved watching them bumble around the palace grounds, periodically blowing up at each other, while the whole time, A PRINCESS IN DISGUISE NEEDS THEIR HELP AND THEY DON'T NOTICE TILL IT'S ALMOST TOO LATE.
It's a frothy, giddy, merry-go-round of a story. A very Wodehousian flavor, I thought . . . Burndee reminds me of a much grumpier, crankier Bertie Wooster, you know? "Hapless fellow attempts to rescue even-more-hapless friend from unbelievably intricate scrape, in hopes that said friend will finally leave him in peace."
It's an unusual formula for a fairy tale retelling. Unusual, and most refreshing.
Oh--and I ADORED the "princess" character in this one. I can't say much more about her, because #spoilers, but she's a dear. Definitely a fan. <3
Please do not mistake the lengthy ramblings below for "I-read-the-whole-book-and-here-are-my-thoughts," but rather, "I-decided-not-to-continue-anDNF.
Please do not mistake the lengthy ramblings below for "I-read-the-whole-book-and-here-are-my-thoughts," but rather, "I-decided-not-to-continue-and-here's-why."
*deep breath* *cracks knuckles*
Romanov is a historical fantasy novel starring 16-year-old Anastasia Nikolaevna, daughter of the last Tsar of Russia. We learn within the first few pages that Anastasia, or "Nastya," aspires to become a Russian 'spell master' (i.e., practitioner of an ancient brand of magic that lets you speak special words & thereby receive powerful favors). We also learn that Nastya's teacher/mentor in the basics of this art was none other than Grigori Rasputin.
There's a lot to unpack there, so let's start from the beginning.
First off, this type of "spell magic" is the exact same thing that got so many Christians so upset about Harry Potter. Now, for the record, I don't have a problem with HP; mainly because HP to my mind is clearly not intended as a representation of our real world. Howeverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, I do think spells like these become a lot more--shall we say--Murky when they're introduced into a real-world, historical setting [like the Russian revolution] and when they involve real, historical practitioners of black magic [like my man Rasputin over here].
Because that's who Rasputin WAS. You can't get around that part of his reputation. And you definitely can't convince me that his historical reputation as "Powerful, Successful Dabbler in the Occult" wasn't a big part of the reason why he was chosen for the fictional role of "Powerful Magic Teacher" in the first place.
I was, as I say, disturbed. But I was willing to continue reading to learn more about what sorts of things this fictional magic system does. I soon found out.
On page 11:
"Thirteen years ago, I'd watched Mamma and Papa open a layer of that painted doll and release the now-forbidden spell that brought us Alexei."
[Alexei being her younger brother.]
Yes. You read that right. These people have a magic spell that allows them to conceive a human baby.
And not [if I'm reading this correctly] to 'help' conceive, not to cure dysfunction or whatever; but to literally, directly conceive a child. To create new life where none existed.
Do you See *rubs nose pensively* do you Begin to See where the Problem might lie, Jeeves?
Real talk: I am not comfortable with seeing the power to create life allocated to human beings, through magic, even in a fantasy world with no God. But, this ISN'T a fantasy world with no God!!! This is our real, historical world, populated with real historical figures who profess to believe in God and Jesus and the Bible; and yet, when they wanna make a baby, they turn to magic and not to prayer. Which is . . . disturbing. The fact that this magic [allegedly, according to the story logic] ACTUALLY WORKS is 1000x more disturbing.
Like. Would you mind telling me, Mr. and Mrs. Romanov--would you mind telling me just WHO you imagine sent you this baby; and WHAT he/she/it/they might stand to gain in return?
Moreover, I'm not at all comforted by Nastya's assurances that this baby-creating spell is now "forbidden." Sure, maybe they don't use it any more; but they used it at least once? And it worked?? And now they have this living, breathing kiddo walking around who (by their own admission) was FedEx'd to their parents' bedroom from Somewhere in the Cosmos, and definitely not from the Big Fella Upstairs??? I can't get on board with that, people. I just can't.
The ONLY WAY I could continue reading this book with a clear conscience is if I had assurances that the whole point of the story would be overthrowing the magic system--if Nastya's character arc were aimed at her realizing that Rasputin had led her whole family astray and that she should never touch any of these spells, ever again. That, however, isn't the impression I get from other readers. In fact--I've been told that the climax involves Nastya using a spell to (view spoiler)[resurrect dead folks. Which is just . . . whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!?! Now you have power over life AND death, apart from God's power?? Just who do you think you are???? (hide spoiler)]
(view spoiler)[EDIT: I've been given more information about the dead-people thing and honestly I feel MORE disturbed than before: So, basically, Nastya uses a spell that allows you to remove your own soul from your body, for 'safekeeping' if someone's trying to kill you, and then have the soul return to the body [with all physical damage erased] by using the spell again after the danger is passed. One could argue that this doesn't equal "resurrection from the dead," since the person doesn't technically "die"; but I would argue that's EXACTLY what it equals, given that the definition of 'death' is separation of soul from body, and the definition of 'resurrection' is reunion of soul with body. If Nastya is using a spell which allows her to reanimate her own, previously soulless body . . . then that is self-resurrection in a nutshell, since it's precisely what Jesus Christ did on Easter Sunday. And that, my dudes, is what we call Theologically Problematic. (At least from my point of view.) (hide spoiler)]
Life is sacred. There is a reason we mere mortals don't get to control it. It should stay that way. Even in fantasy, I believe, it should stay that way.
