Entwined

I picked this book up years ago and after reading through the first couple of pages gave it back to my local library (go support your libraries, ladies and gents. It's worth it!). I knew I wanted to read it again or at least give it a try, but when my library was "weeding" the books they were going to get rid of this one. So for $0.50 I snagged it, hoping I'd get to it eventually. Well, I got to it eventually, lol.

This is a fairytale retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. Azalea is the eldest of eleven princesses whom she loves and takes care of while their mother is deathly ill. Their mother is pregnant and sick and on the night the youngest is born she dies. The girls and the King grieve in different ways, but all are subjected to mourning for a year. Merry Christmas, everyone. The thing that the girls love most is dancing and because of mourning they are denied this. They get scolded and reprimanded for sneakily doing it in defiance of their father, knowing "Mother would have let us do it." The castle they live in is a magic one and they find an enchanted room in their fireplace where a man with magic has been imprisoned by the same magic he uses. He invites them all down every night to dance and enjoy themselves. They greedily take the opportunity. Between arguments with their father, grieving over their mother, being forced to be alone in mourning, and the occasional "political business" where gentlemen would strut around trying to entice the princess into political marriages, they dance.

I really enjoyed the ending of this book. The beginning was a bit cheesy, which is why I didn't get very far the first time, and the middle was a little elongated more than it really needed to be, but the ending was very well done. Highly intriguing and engaging where I finished the last 200 pages in a day--where as I somewhat struggled picking it up in the middle. It was worth it in the end. I'll definitely be keeping this book on my shelf and will probably read through it again later.

The driving force of this book was more to do with Father/Daughter relationships more than "I love this boy" which is different than most YA books out there. Yes, there is romance, but moral of the story is family. They learn to grieve together and it's not something that happens over night. That build up of Parent/Child relations is what took the middle of the book so long. It was needed and important for the end, so I'm glad it was there, but it might drag a bit for some. Family is first. Loving family first where boys and potatinal marriages are second. Different and good.

There is a struggle some authors have in keeping different character (especially lots of different characters) separate and distinct. Heather Dixon does a good job with this. All the girls are flower names, but they are all in alphabetical order so then we as the reader can at least guess as to where they land in age. Azalea is 17 or so all the way down to baby Lilly. We can keep them in order because of their names. There are also a lot of gentlemen who come and go throughout the story and, through their names as well, we are able to keep them separated as well as given a bit of their personalities. Lord Teddie is rambunctious, Lord Bradford is practical and a good political while still being kind, Lord Fairweather is constant and stiff. Names and personalities here were well straightened out for the most part, which is hard to do with so many people.

The setting was fun, and the magic in the world was simple, yet different. The large portion of magic at the end, the climax and resolution of it all, was set up well enough but there was one part I had a problem with due do lack of explanation--which gave its excuse of it possibly being "Old Magic" therefore mysterious. Slight cop out, but I guess it works.

The only thing that I can complain about is the slight cheesiness of the dancing toward the beginning. It got better as it went on and it might have to do with the fact that I'm not a dancer, really, and don't get the fascination so much. Good for them if they do, but it was kind of cheesy to me. The reader can get over it and it's not so bad, just push on and it gets to be better.

In the end, it's a really good book. Heather Dixon did a really good job at portraying this story which often gets over looked for other "princess classics." Read it and enjoy.

Girl in the Blue Coat

World War II stories are hard to read at times. This one is no exception.

Amsterdam, 1943. Hanneke (the audiobook had it sound like Hanika) works in her own little way to resist the Nazi occupation by being a black-marketeer in finding things that people need. But suddenly one of the ladies she normally finds things for has a missing girl that she wants found. Only this girl isn't supposed to be there. She is a Jew and has somehow vanished. She can't go to the guard, obviously, or other authorities, so how is she going to find this girl in a blue coat?

This was a very well done piece. It was written well and kept me very engaged the whole time. While Hanneke and the rest of the characters may be fictitious, the actions and events were very historically sound. The black market, the college resistance fighters, the theater and nursery across the street that helped save hundreds of people who would have died... These are all amazing things that Monica Hesse has portrayed beautifully, realistically, and powerfully. I very much enjoyed this and am even more interested in the other stories Monica Hesse has written.

I enjoyed the characters and how they felt lifelike. There situations and reactions to their circumstances were real and made me worry for them more than I worry for many of the other characters I read about.

I think Monica Hesse was a very brave woman to end the story the way she did. This is war and wars often down have happy endings for everyone involved. The ending was fulfilling and the focus of the story was different than most would suspect, which is also a very brave move for the author to do walking the fine line between what the plot needs and what the audience wants or expects. And I think she pulled it off well.

Good on you Monica Hesse. It was a very good book and one that I probably wouldn't mind reading or listening to again.

Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules

Delilah Dirk is one of my favorite people. Top 5 favorite characters from anything I've read. Easy. I was so excited to see than Tony Cliff wrote and illustrated another one of her adventures. It is definitely on my "I will buy ASAP" list.

Delilah is nearly always after some type of treasure, unless she is helping someone she likes--which often has some type of treasure or something along side it because she's picking on a bigger bruit than the guy that needs help. *breathes* While helping a bunch of sailor into a harbor, Delilah Dirk style, she meets a European with a tale of treasure. Not only do they find a slew of it in an unknown cave not far away, but also a clue to a larger horde and bigger price. Delilah doesn't turn down a challenge. Mr. Selim, Delilah, and the European writer (who ends up chronicling their tale) start their Indiana Jones-style archaeological dig.

Delilah is fantastic. At one point she is in jail, again, chipping away at the wall with a rock. The jailer looks down at her and asks what she's doing, she promptly states "Escaping" which she does. Awesomely!

I also love the way Mr. Selim and Delilah work together. It appears that by now they have done so many things together that they rely on each other (though not super heavy, they are their own people after all). I also really like the way he tells a general off. That was fun and I want more of it.

I also felt so sad at the very last picture in the back of the book. So sad... I loved the little boop she gave. It hurt my heart.

The artwork is beautiful. The adventure is fun. And I really want to read it again, even after just finishing it.

P.S. I'm going to be Delilah for Halloween and it is going to be awesome. More people should know Delilah Dirk. No, no, no, everyone should know her. She's just fantastic.

Siren's Lament: Season 1

Siren's Lament is a web comic I was introduced to by my best fwiend (yes, that was intentional) and it's artwork is BEAUTIFUL!! The second I opened it up on my phone I was take aback by the beautiful artwork (and cute chibis) that make of Siren's Lament by instantmiso.

This story is about sirens and the curse that it is to be one. Sirens seek out brokenhearted people, kiss then, then trade places with the human becoming human again while the person becomes a siren with no memories of their previous life. Lyra watches the boy that she's liked for years be with the most beautiful girl whoever mo-ped-ed into the city. Not wanting to change the friendship that they do have, she says nothing. One night, after a "not-date" is canceled with Shon (the boy) she goes to the ocean crying. Hearing a strange song she falls into the ocean and is saved by a siren's kiss. However, something goes wrong and they both end up on land with legs, except for when they are submerged in water when they gain fins. Neither Ian nor Lyra wants to be a siren so they must find a way to break the curse before time runs out and she loses everything.

This was a sweet story even though it has a nasty love triangle. Normally I don't like them, I blame a specific vampire novel for that. So if I know that the main point of the story is a LT I tend to skip it. However, if it isn't the main focus or if both guys are awesome I can over look it. LT's often have too much unneeded YA drama. This, because the characters are older, out of high school, most of the flaring drama recedes. Yay for this story!

I do really like the characters here. Both of the guys because they are very different and Ian is hysterical. Lyra is funny too and while Shon isn't as outwardly comical, he definitely has his funny moments. Their chibi's and the way they act around one another is great. It seriously made my day. There is some mild bedroom humor, but nothing overly obnoxious. Pele and Tua are great fun too and I like them both a lot, especially together. Over all, for everyone there were times when I busted up laughing and had my husband look at me strangely. It was great fun.

The basis of the story is compelling and the world that is made around it is an interesting one that I want to dive more into. Trying to get the curse lifted alongside gaining enough courage to say how you feel work well together. It also brings great conflict amongst the characters even as they are growing closer together. The ending of Season 1 was particularly thrilling and I busted chapter after chapter very quickly wanting to know what was going to happen.

It is only available online as a web comic (at webtoons.com) or an ebook. It appears most of Season 2 is published online where you can read it, but because it hasn't been completed as of 9/2018, I'll wait to give my review of Season 2 once it is done. It comes out weekly with new updates, so read the continuing story.

Enjoy.

P.S. Here are some photos of the beautiful artwork that is just amazing.

 

They make me laugh so much! 

Fruits Basket Another

FRUITS BASKET!!! My all time favorite manga has made a very short sequel series.

And it's not finished yet, but man I wish it was. When I say short, I mean short. Three volumes, or so, short--which comparatively to the original series at 23 volumes is not a lot. Natstuki Takaya is still releasing chapters every week in honors of the new edition of Fruits Basket. I love them so much. But sadly none of the original cast shows up.

This story follows a very "shy and self-conscious" girl named Sawa Mitoma. She constantly feels like an inconvenience and a burden to all who are around here and believes if she looks only at the ground, she won't be a hindrance to anyone. But bumping into a Sohma (what every other girl in the world wants to do) has started to turn her would upside down. She has suddenly, somehow, made it into the student body presidency alongside Hajame and Mustuki Sohma. All kinds of Sohma's come out of the woodworks in order to help Mitoma find a bit of self confidence.

It is sweet, well drawn, and fun to see the next generation of Sohma's and the people associating with them. From and expanded YUKI-club, to stepping on someones face because they are laying on the floor like a cat *cough cough*, to many other little things. *sigh* It is really cute and I can't wait for the rest of it to come.

I may update this once all the chapters are out.

Hero at the Fall

Hero at the Fall is the final installment of the A Rebel of the Sands novels and, boy, was it great.

After finally escaping the Sultan's harem while spying for the Rebel Prince, she finds herself trapped behind a magic wall inside the city with only half of rebellions leaders. The others have been captured and somehow taken out of the city to an unknown location. Amani, being a Djinni's daughter and also somehow injured, she's had trouble grasping onto sands she once controlled. After kidnapping the princess that betrayed them and finding how to get out, they start a long trip to find their Rebel Prince. They end up encountering more Djinni, Shadowalkers, invading armies, and old family, not to mention the golden killing machines that can vaporize people who are being commanded by the Sultan and power by her Djinni father and that's before they even get to Prince Ahmed and the others. She is steps up, feeling very much inadequate to lead the rebellion against the Sultan that always seems three steps ahead and always moving forward.

My favorite thing of this whole series is the voice. Even after a year waiting for this book to come out, I instantly felt at home back on the sands with Amani and Jin. There are some books that it takes a while to get back into the groove of a story. Not here. Alwyn Hamilton's voice that she presents is distinct and memorable  making it easy to step back into Amani's shoes and pick up right where we left off.

What makes this book great too is every moment there is something going on. We don't have a fall interest though the action tempers when people talk and discuss. We see the internal debate that is fighting insider her: the feeling of inadequacy because she's just seventeen and getting people killed, not intentionally of course, as wells as the "gifts" the Sin Maker that would help people live. Then, of course, there are the amazing moments when she sails over the Sea of Sands or faces the Destroyer of the World, and that is even before she reaches the Sultan. There is constantly something happening that kept me engaged and wanting more.

The books is mainly about Amani and there isn't much conversation between her and Jin or her and Shazad. There isn't much dialog in general comparatively to internal thought and storytelling. But that is okay here. It is set up as a storyteller would have told it and it fits well here.

The relationship between her and Jin is rocky here because of the stress Amani is under and does rely heavily on the previous stories. So if the reader comes to this book first, they would probably be disappointed in the building of this relationship because in Hero at the Fall is isn't really there. It is told of, but not given the opportunity to be shown here and, again, I'm okay with it.  There reaches a point toward the end when Jin and Amani become intimate. The moment is descriptive of her feelings more than physical touches. It was modestly done while still getting the point across. So, if that makes you uncomfortable, you can easily skim through and read the dialog or skip to the next chapter. If it doesn't bother you so much, I think it was done well.

I also have nothing bad to say about the characters. They didn't change/flip flop on themselves or do something uncharacteristically them. They grew as people do. They had their virtues and vices. We were given the internal dialog for Amani and her struggles that change throughout the book. I enjoyed getting to know them.

It was great fun and I'd like to read them again. The books before are A Rebel of the Sand and Traitor to the Throne.

Words of Radiance

Words of Radiance is the second book in Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive. This is my second readthrough of it and found I enjoyed it even more.

"Now that Kaladin is working for Dalinar, Dalinar and Adolin are safe, Shallan has become Jasnah's ward, they've found out that the Almighty is dead as has been for quite a while, and so many other things, here is where they finally all get together. The book cover says: "Six years ago, the Assassin in while killed the Alethi king, and now his prime target is Highprince Dalinar. Kaladin is in command of the royal bodyguards, a controversial post for his low status, and must protect the king and Dalinar, while secretly mastering remarkable new powers linked to his honorspren, Syl. Shallan bears the burden of preventing the return of the Voidbringers and the civilization-ending Desolation that follows. The Shattered Plains holds the answer, where the Parshendi are convinced by their war leader to risk everything on a desperate gamble with the very supernatural forces they once fled." (Blurb from goodreads.com) It is a much better way to sum up than I could without giving too much away. 

Ah, I enjoy this series so much. This book and Way of Kings, are books I go back to all the time in my head. The scenes and images are so lush and vibrant that they have stuck with me and made me want to read certain passages when I'm in the midst of reading other things. They creep up into my thoughts saying, "This is a great part. Let's play it over again. We should probably read the book again. Yes, it's big, but it's fantastic." The writing is beautiful, as always, where it is so easy to get sucked in and forget that you are reading a story instead of living it. 

I love the characters in here. All of them. Kaladin and Shallan progress so much throughout both of these books. Shallan is given her flash backs in this story and her background is so sad. Not only is her family secretly in dire straits because of the broken fabrial, but we learn it is also because of the tyranny which their father reigned over them. We learn far more about her brothers and their dealings than I expected we would. Shallan also grows very much in a way I didn't expect her to do making her appear very different from in the first book. I've heard reviews that they didn't like Shallan's character development and that Sanderson wrote her so than she is nothing like her self in the first book. I see their point, but I disagree. Which she is very much different and there is a definite point of shift I can see the logical trial of her actions. It isn't out of character so much as expanding a new ability we didn't know she had. As a Lightweaver, she is able to make illusions after she has drawn them. Which means she can change things around her as well as herself. She takes on different disguises throughout the story and impersonates others. Our shy little Shallan starts to take more control of herself and her surroundings and changes them as she needs. But then she still has the ability to be herself. Through these different people she becomes she finds herself a little more. She sees herself in many of the characters she portrays. Which this journey I don't believe is complete (there are still three more books in this particular series), she has found probably a first destination on her journey on truly facing the things of her past that honestly haunt her. 

Pattern, whom we are introduced to as Shallan's spren, is cool. I like him for his childish curiosity and trying to understand that things that are around him. He is very much like Syl though he is more calculative and loves Lies while Sly is a bit more flighty. (Pun intended.) I've seen costume portraying what Pattern would look like (such as here ) which are really phenomenal. 

I really enjoyed the progression of Adolin throughout the book too. While he's not making giant leaps and bounds, it was fun to see more of him and I can't wait for Oathbringer to really see how he gets out of his mess that he made at the very end of the book. When I read it the first time, I didn't like it at all. That fact that he did what he did made me very angry, but through this re-read I am more understanding to what he did. (I also started reading Oathbringer a little and have found that he is concerned about what he did and when if finally comes out, because of course it will, people will be angry but they will also be understanding.) 

There will be one part that makes every reader kring (you'll know it when you get to it) because of what Kaladin does in the moment. After a glorious fight defending Adolin, he does something very stupid to get back at Amaram and it backfires drastically. It was stupid and you will have to get over it. Sorry. But I think that shows Sanderson as a good writer. He knows and we, as the reader knows, that what he is about to do is stupid but he is willing to let his characters be stupid when they are blinded by one thing or another. We all do that because we are human and Kaladin does that because he is human too. 

All of the characters are amazing in their own right. Sabriel is one of my favorites and Lift is downright hysterical with her "awesomeness." Lift has her own short story, because she is so well loved and fantastic will be one of your favorites because of how funny she is. Her poor spren. 

The plot and flow of the story was different than Way of Kings because Dalinar gives us a count down. There are only sixty-something days until something bad happens. How do they prepare? How can they go about saving humanity? Can they even stop it? How do they get the princes to follow him before this Everstorm comes?  

As the characters start really meeting up with one another, connections are made and which means things move forward and they take steps back at points. One of my favorite chapters/scenes/developments was when Shallan and Kaladin are dropped into one of the chasms and they are forced to work together to find a way out. But of course nothing can go easily and awesomeness ensues. 

In the end, I love it all, even the kringy parts. It was well written and beautiful. I am going to step away from Roshar for a bit because this was such a big endeavor and will be reading something a bit more light before I try to tackle Oathbringer though it will be forthcoming. I hope you enjoy this book. 

The Emperor's Soul

The Emperor's Soul is a novella written by Brandon Sanderson and is one of my favorite books that he's written.

This book is so very different and so very new that the first time I read it, I couldn't put it down even while I was at work. (Thankfully I worked in the evening when the library was slow and no one came into the children's area which I was supposed to be supervising. :D )

The story takes place in 101 days of Shai being imprisoned for trying to steal The Moon Scepter with her own Forgery. But when she is caught, she is persuaded (ordered more like it) to assist the Empire by Forging their Emperor's soul--just a few days previous to her attempted thievery he was almost assassinated, they were able to heal his body but his mind was gone. Shai is put to the task of refilling his mind with her Forgery and to have this copy of their Emperor be perfect enough to fool everyone. But, of course, she has to also find a way to escape and get her own Essence Marks back from  her captors before they kill her, faking that they would let her go once her task was done.

This is a short book, only 167 pages, but it is enveloping and fast pace. Yet, amazingly, it gives enough background and character development for all the characters named that we care for them and are super sad when it's over. I think the characters are the reason I wanted to reread the book again. Yes, the story and the way of this world, the Soul Stamps, are amazing and and keep the story rolling, but this is very much a character driven novel that I have fallen in love with.

Then as a bonus, my favorite underlying message that everyone (especially now) needs to realize, is that there are so many things that go into a person. There are emotions on top of emotions, logics and counter one another while enhance others. People are all so complicated and it is only through careful examination, time, and the love that comes from being with them that we can even look through the window into who they really are.

ALSO, I love the cover art. It is beautiful!

Speak

"Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson is by far my favorite Young Adult novel I've read. I enjoy rereading this book and remember why I like it.

There are many reasons why I enjoy this book is due to many things. The writing style, the characters, the plot. Laurie Halse Anderson creates a setting that, I believe, realistic to the circumstances. This is also a book that I think every teenager, or even pre-teen, needs to read and it would make them better--better at dealing with friends who have gone through a traumatic event, hopefully better prepared at parties, better at speaking up for themselves or coming to terms with hardships.

Without giving too much away and using spoilers, Melinda Sordino calls the cops at a party before her Freshman year of high school. None of the party goers know why, but many of them got arrested and harsh feeling abound.

Melinda ends up walking home friendless and silent.

The story starts with her first day of school and her dealing with the her reasons for beings silent and the ridicule of the other students. Her old friends, as in most transitions from middle to high schools, find their own groups and cliches. Her "ex-best friend" doesn't speak to her at all, though her other two good friends aren't nearly as hostile. She finds solace in her art class where she can express herself via the assignments she's been given by her art teacher, Mr. Freeman. Melinda also finds a single friend, Heather-from-Ohio, who is a busy body and tries to get Melinda to get into the many clubs and groups that are around the school. There are very few others, in Melinda's eyes, that are even remotely kind to her. Her relationship with her parents is dysfunctional, like most YA literature out there.

Over the course of the school year she finds a way to speak up for herself as she starts to deal with what has happened to her.

The novel is written in first person giving us the impression of Melinda's thoughts. Melinda, in any other circumstance, would have been a talkative, sarcastic teenager and that comes through the narrative. There are conversations written on the bathroom stall wall between the girls, some of the teachers aren't given names, such as "Hairwoman"--her English teacher--for obvious reasons. Much of Melinda's character development happens through the unspoken narrative of the novel which is comical at times and rather thought provoking at others.

I find the characters to be very realistic. The conversations and feels of high school are very real and are portrayed well. Melinda, though practically mute throughout the story, has a lot to say.

There is also a lot of symbolism that can be drawn out of the art that she draws and the trees around her house. The metamorphosis that Melinda feels comes through her art in strange yet awesome ways. I particularly love the way Mr. Freeman is portrayed throughout the story and how he helps her find her voice and come to terms with what happened to her.

They have made a film adaptation that is worth the watch as well. I highly recommend it! It stays fairly close to the book. The actors and actresses that star in it work incredibly well together and in the characters they portray.

Again, I'll say it: I loved this book. It was published in 1999, and for the last decade and a half it has been taught and read by probably close to millions of readers. This is a beautiful piece.  I hope you enjoy it and much as I have.