Review: Beautiful Creatures by K. Garcia & M. Stohl

Read the original review over at NerdSpan.

Beautiful Creatures (Beautiful Creatures Series #1) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. Little, Brown 2009. 563 pgs (paperback). Young Adult, Supernatural fantasy.

Book Summary: In a small South Carolina town, where it seems little has changed since the Civil War, sixteen-year-old Ethan is powerfully drawn to Lena, a new classmate with whom he shares a psychic connection and whose family hides a dark secret that may be revealed on her sixteenth birthday.

Beautiful Creatures is, quite frankly, really good. Most YA fiction is told through the eyes of teenage girls, where whining about boyfriends and cat-fights seems the norm. But Beautiful Creatures (and I’m assuming the rest of the series) is told through the eyes of Ethan Wate, a young boy whose life is about to be changed forever by a new and mysterious girl. The story is set in Gatlin, a fictional small town in South Carolina, where nothing has changed in years. So when a new girl shows up on the first day of school, she is immediately the talk of the town.

The tale begins with a dream, one that has been a recurring nightmare for Ethan, where he’s losing his grip on a girl, the love of his life. He wakes up and finds himself covered in dirt—part of the dream—and immediately decides that it’s a trick of his mind, or some of it flew in through his open window—but why was it open, anyway? Then Ethan goes to school and we meet Link, his best friend. On the way, we also see something that is very important, a black hearse driving down the road. Ethan is instantly intrigued, but doesn’t think much of it past that first glimpse.

School begins. There’s a new girl. Ethan is interested, but not overwhelmed. Finally, he meets the new girl, Lena. She wears a crazy assortment of clothes always paired with her old black Chucks, and a necklace that looks like it’s made from junk—bottle caps, plastic rings, etc. She’s more beautiful than anyone he’s ever met before. She has dark hair and big green eyes, and her skin is paler than snow. To Ethan, she’s perfect, but not everyone sees her that way. To everyone else, especially the popular cheerleaders, she’s a threat.

But soon her beauty and perfection are gone; strange things begin to happen. Ethan begins to hear someone’s thoughts in his head, like they’re talking to him directly. Turns out, it’s Lena speaking to him. Turns out, it’s Lena who’s the girl in his dream. Lena gets so angry one day that the windows shatter in English class, but nobody saw what happened. Ethan learns that Lena is a Caster, which is sort of like a witch, and since she’s coming up on her sixteenth birthday her powers are beginning to show. Soon Ethan realizes that the months leading up to Lena's birthday might be all the time they have together. They dig deep into the past to find out if anything can change her future.

There is a whole cast of characters to love, and hate, in this book. Ethan, Lena, Marian, Macon, Amma, Aunt Del, Reece, Ridley, Larkin, Ryan, Emily, Savannah, Mrs. Lincoln, Link—everyone has an important part in this book. There are literally no characters in here that feel out of place or thrown in for “extra” page space.

The book takes its time getting to the climax, but there is nothing wrong with that. It sets up the plot for the second book quite nicely. The last 100 pages were tremendously fascinating and entertaining. I’m usually pretty good at picking up on the plot twists in YA fiction, but not with this one. The ending literally threw me for a loop.

If you liked Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight or Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire Mysteries (Sookie Stackhouse books), you’ll enjoy Beautiful Creatures. I, for one, am excited to start the next in the series and find out what happens next! I'm also super excited about the movie adaptation coming out February 13th! Watch the movie trailer here!

Changes & Making a To Read Pile

I'm expanding my blogging here from just book reviews to all sorts of non-sense about books, reading, writing, and the life surrounding it. I hope you enjoy it and stick around.

Recently, I've become affiliated with NerdSpan.com as a book reviewer. You can read my first review of Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb here (or simply look in the previous post for part of the review and a link). I've won some free books from Goodreads.com and really like their First Reads program. I'm just now finishing up my first book, Killmaiden's Compendium of Uncommon Occurences by James A Shapiro. I'll post a review later on.

I received a bunch of gift cards for Christmas and guess what? I spent it mostly on books. (Shocker, right?)

My haul (and books I intend to review):

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Changeling by Philippa Gregory

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Swamplandia! by Karen Russell

The Illumination by Kevin Brockmeier

Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day by Ben Loory

Sweet! Expect a review of Beautiful Creatures up on NerdSpan soon (I'll also post an excerpt here), followed by Killmaiden's and others. I don't know what I'm reading next. Probably Warm Bodies in anticipation of the movie. :)

I also wanted to talk about my recent applications to grad school for creative writing. I graduated with a Master of Arts in Teaching in May 2012. I didn't find a job, but I have been subbing off and on. It's fun, but not as fulfilling as I'd hoped. I'm sure it would be if a had a full-time gig, but that hasn't panned out yet.

So I applied to four MFA programs (Master of Fine Arts) at University of Alabama, University of Mississippi, Oregon State University, and McNeese State University. Originally I had only wanted to apply to Alabama, but some people on the Draft pointed out that applying to multiple places will slightly increase my chance of being accepted somewhere, and also make those rejections hurt less. Or so I hope. I'll keep you updated on the status of those applications as I receive them. I should hear back from all schools by the end of March.

So while I'm waiting, I've been working on some ideas for novels along the way. It's mostly YA or even adult fantasy, but we'll see. I've been working on something slightly sci-fi lately and I think it's going pretty well. I need to work on it a bit more this weekend.

Well, I think that's all for now. Until next time, guys!

Keep reading.

A Darling Novella

Review: Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb

Originally posted over here at NerdSpan.

Ship of Magic (The Liveship Traders, Book 1) by Robin Hobb. Bantam Books 1998. 685 pages (hardcover). Fantasy. 

Ship of Magic is a good start to a fantasy trilogy. It begins with the awakening of the Tangle, a group of sea serpents, and is a storyline woven throughout the book (and I would guess the entire trilogy) quite nicely. It brings you into the Liveship and Farseer universe tinged with mystery and magic unknown.

This book tells the tales of a wide cast of characters, though its main concern is the Vestrit Family of Bingtown, a lively trading port in a land south of the Six Duchies. Bingtown is a center of exotic trade and home to merchant nobility famed for its liveships. Liveships are vessels carved from wizardwood, which “quickens” magically into awareness after three generations of sailing. The Vestrit family fortunes rest on their newly awakened liveship, Vivacia.

For Althea Vestrit, the ship is her rightful destiny unjustly denied her and she will risk anything to reclaim it. Althea’s nephew Wintrow, who was pulled from his life of priestly training to take her spot, sees his time aboard Vivacia as a life sentence. The fate of the Vestrit family and their liveship may lie in the hands of an outsider, the ruthless and power-hungry pirate, Captain Kennit.

The story can sometimes be slow-going, but overall it was enjoyable. Having read the Farseer Trilogy beforehand, I knew immediately some of the references the characters spoke of, like the “red war” or the “mountain barbarians.” If you’ve also read them, you’ll be familiar with other references, too.

The first fifty pages were hard for me to get into mostly because Hobb’s style is a little different in this one. Instead of focusing on one or two main characters, like in the Farseer books, Hobb deals with up to ten main characters and their interwoven storylines. Of course,  the Vestrit family plays a huge role in the story, but so do other characters.

My favorite characters are Brashen and Paragon, from the very beginning. There is no contest for my affections, honestly. Althea’s and Wintrow’s sections were good, as well, but I was drawn immediately to the relationship between Brashen and Paragon, and the information their interactions give the reader. I have high hopes for the characters, Brashen, Etta, Kennit, and even another liveship named Paragon. The Liveship Traders Trilogy is a very different one from the Farseer, though they take place in the same world. I see them colliding soon, but not before you get through The Rain Wild Chronicles and The Tawny Man Trilogy.

If you’ve read and enjoyed The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb, you’ll like The Liveship Trader Trilogy too. If you’ve read George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, you’ll enjoy Robin Hobb (who also writes as Megan Lindholm, FYI). If you like fantasy at all, give Hobb a try. She’s fantastic and won’t disappoint.

Review: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Hush, Hush. Becca Fitzpatrick. Simon & Schuster 2009. 391 pgs. Young adult, urban fantasy, romance.

Readability Score: 4

Books I've Read Similar to Hush, Hush:
* Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
* Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

"When Nora and Patch are forced together as lab partners, Nora would rather fall to her death than put up with his elusive answers to her questions, his teasing, and his infuriatingly handsome face and hypnotizing eyes. It seems Patch was put on earth just to drive her crazy.

But before long, Nora's defenses start to break down as her curiosity about Patch heats up. Why does he always seem to be wherever she is and know exactly what she's thinking? How does he know what to say to both attract and repulse her? And what is up with those V-shaped scars on his chiseled back?

As their connection grows stronger, Nora's own life becomes increasingly fragile. Nora needs to decide: Is Patch the one who wants to do her harm or the one who will keep her safe? Has she fallen for one of the fallen?"
          -- from Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

So despite this being almost unacceptably similar to Twilight (girl meets boy in biology, boy seems to hate her, danger and romance abound), I actually enjoyed reading this book. Overall it was decently written (better than Twilight, anyway), and although it felt very cheesy at times, Hush, Hush was enjoyable. But it's more of a rainy-day book or a beach read, not a serious type of book.

Aside from that, there were a few very obvious timeline mistakes going on. This happened in Twilight, too, and it's one of those things that takes more away from the story than it should. There is a moment in the book where Nora's mother is supposed to return late Sunday night, but Sunday night comes and goes without a mention of her mother. And a few pages later, Nora says something about her mother coming home Monday night. It's not such a big deal if her flight got delayed or she had to stay late, but it seems like an oversight of both the author and editor to leave that error in the book.

There are other smaller errors, but not big enough to point out here. It just brings me back to the idea that authors should really keep timelines for themselves, so they can keep things straight in the story. Even if the characters don't say dates, at least the author can have an idea of what's going on each day, and keep events in order.

At some point, I'll try to pick up the other books in the series. I bought Hush, Hush for $5 at Barnes & Noble, and I felt it was $5 well spent.

Also, I have no idea what the title Hush, Hush, has to do with the story at all. We'll see if it's explained in later books.

Reading Next: Origin by Jessica Khoury

Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Stephen Chbosky. Gallery Books / MTV Books 1999. 213 pgs. Young adult, epistolary novel.

Readability Score: 4

Books I've Read Similar to Perks:

* The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon
* The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

"The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a story about what it's like to travel that strange course through the uncharted territory of high school. The world of first dates, family dramas, and new friends. Of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Of those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up."
          -- from The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I loved this book. Charlie is such a unique and interesting character. I wouldn't call him autistic, though I'm sure some people have. He's more of a quiet, introverted freshman who has no idea how to behave in social situations. Eventually he learns, though, with the help of two seniors named Sam and Patrick. Incidentally (which is one of Charlie's favorite words), Charlie states in the beginning that all the names have been changed to protect people's identities.

Charlie isn't just a kid in a book -- he is also a very real person. You can see parts of him in every teenager, even yourself! This is a coming of age novel that even an adult can enjoy! I know exactly what it's like to be in that awkward teenage phase, or what it feels like when you don't know what to do or say around someone you truly like. Charlie's story, told through a series of letters to an unknown "friend," captures the essence of what it's like to be a freshman in high school.

I think Charlie's story is not only about his own experience, but it's also a reminder to every teenager out there that you're not alone with these strange feelings and desires, and that you will find friends and be happy. Without giving away too much, I would say everyone should read this book. It's easy to read but is full of complicated themes that all humans deal with to some degree. Whether you have teenagers of your own or you are a teenager, give this book a try. You may find that Charlie's story is just what you need.

I'm very excited to see the film adaptation that's coming out in a few weeks!


Reading Next: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick.

Leave suggestions of books I should review in the comments below!

Review: Fire by Kristin Cashore

Fire. Kristin Cashore. Penguin 2009. 461 pgs. Speculative fiction, fantasy.

Readability Score: 3 **

Books I've Read Similar to Fire:

* Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

* Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan

First of all, I am going to try something different with this review by first giving you the book's own back-cover description so you can decide for yourself if you want to read it, and then give my review/take on the book.

"She has been hidden away. Now she is choosing to use her power.

It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. Young King Nash clings to the throne, while rebel lords, in the north and south, build armies to unseat him. War is coming. The mountains and forests are filled with spies and thieves.

This is where Fire lives, a girl whose startling appearance is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of everyone around her.

Everyone . . . except Prince Brigan."
          -- from Fire by Kristin Cashore

Fire is a lot like Katsa in many respects. An independent woman with no thoughts of marriage or children, skilled at fighting, who finds herself on an unexpected journey. Both characters are strong, independent, no-need-for-man type of women. The real difference between the similar heroines of her first two books is that one is obviously more developed than the other. Fire actually has a more concrete reason to not want to have children: any offspring of hers will have her curse of being a monster. Now, monsters are not scary, scaly, stinky creatures in this world; monsters are beings of unimaginable beauty, brightly and brilliantly colored, who all have the ability to control the minds of others. Fire is unique in the sense that she is the only monster human left in the land of the Dells. Katsa's reasons are purely selfish and, incidentally, kind of weak. It's fine not to want to have children, of course (hey, I'm in that boat myself), but it just seemed Katsa's reasons were less concrete than Fire's. Perhaps that is simply a product of Cashore's development as a writer; the longer you write, the more concrete and "real" your characters become.

In my opinion, Fire is basically an embellished copy of Graceling, with a few changes (names, places, maybe a bit of plot difference). Other reviews have said that these books are "high fantasy" and that Cashore is "great at world building." Both of these could not be further from the truth.

I will admit that both of these novels are decently written and have a decent world building aspect to them, but I would never consider these to be high fantasy in any respect. Fantasy, sure, but far from the likes of JRR Tolkien and George RR Martin. And, in my very humble opinion, world building goes far beyond mentioning some different aspects of the world one is building and showing a map at the beginning of a book. There is no description of food or ceremonies, customs or oddities, nothing that compares to the way Middle Earth and Westeros are described.

Overall, I enjoyed this book to a point. In about the last 100 pages, Fire finds herself in quite a predicament. She escapes with nothing but a horse to carry her, but when she is pursued, somehow she has a knife and a bow and arrows. How did she come by these things? There was no mention of her leaving with bows and arrows and knives; did they just magically appear? Little details like this are what make a book less than stellar for me. Cashore shows promise as a writer, and while I will probably read Cashore's third novel Bitterblue at some point, I am not exactly excited to do so. I hope it's different than both Graceling and its companion book Fire.

** Readability is defined on  a scale of 1 - 1o, 1 being exceptionally easy to read, and 10 being exceptionally difficult.

Reading Next: Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.

Review: Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Graceling. Kristin Cashore. Harcourt 2008. 480 pgs. Speculative fiction, fantasy, romance.

Books I've Read Similar to Graceling:

* Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

* Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan

Graceling is the debut novel by Kristin Cashore. I will admit that at first I gave this book absolutely no credit.  The cover is childish and gave me no idea of what the book would be about. The UK cover is much more indicative of the story than the US cover. Once I dove into the story, however, I was instantly drawn in.

It is a story of a young assassin named Katsa, who is Graced with the power of killing - or so she believes. When Katsa meets Po, a mysterious young prince from an island kingdom, she is suddenly thrown into a world of intrigue and danger. Ultimately, this is the tale of Katsa's journey of discovering - or rediscovering - herself.

Cashore writes with a simplicity that lends itself to the reader's imagination. She draws on other novels in the same category for themes that are now, in my opinion, overused - seven kingdoms, a damsel in distress, etc. Despite that, the story is compelling and Katsa is a heroine worth reading about.

In Katsa's world, there are few people born with an advanced skill, skills ranging from cooking to riding to fighting. These people are marked by their two different colored eyes. This condition doesn't always manifest itself at birth; sometimes it takes years for a Graceling's eyes to settle. Katsa's eyes are blue and green and are said to be very beautiful, though it is because of her Graced skill that people rarely look her in the eyes for long.

Katsa's Grace presented itself when she was only eight years old. A friend of her uncle tried to touch her at dinner, and she simply reacted to keep him away; instead of simply hurting him, she killed him. King Randa, her uncle, decided to hone her skills as a Graced killer and use her against those who displease him. Katsa becomes known throughout the seven kingdoms as Randa's assassin. After meeting Po during a secret mission for the Council, a group dedicated to helping people which often goes against Randa's orders, Katsa begins to question her loyalty to her king and uncle. Katsa must choose between loyalty to her king or what is right, and finds herself on a journey to save Po's cousin from King Leck of Monsea, a kingdom bordering Randa's, and facing many obstacles (including herself) along the way.

Graceling, overall, is well written and the story flows well. The names of the characters are certainly unique, but sometimes silly. I found myself thinking of the movie Kung-fu Panda whenever Katsa thinks about or talks to Po. Think about the names of other characters that resonate with you and stick in your mind. Do names such as Po and Katsa have such a meaning? I personally do not think so, but it doesn't detract from Cashore's ability to tell a story. I found myself liking this novel and wanting to read other books by Cashore.

That's it for today! Please leave a comment below telling me how I did. Since this is my first book review (outside of English classes), I'd like any and all constructive criticism you could give me! Thanks again!

Read on, book lovers!

~ Penmaiden