Book Review: Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Release Date: July 3, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen 
Pages: 292
Received: ARC from Goodreads First Reads
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Summary

From Goodreads:

Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair. . . .

Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.

Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything--her family, her future--to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

Review

How I would have told myself to adjust my expectations

Don't expect a fluffy romance that will sweep you off your feet. It's harsh, cruel, and heartbreaking. It's not swoony and dreamy. It's raw, confusing, emotional, bittersweet, and tender. There are also many kinds of love explored, and each one of them broke my heart.

Don't expect characters who are easy to relate to or understand. These are not the type of people you invite to sleepovers.

Don't expect a quick moving plot. It's slow. But, it's like molasses: perfect when it's thick and slow, slow, slow. Some stories shouldn't be rushed.

Don't expect a light read. Do expect your heart to get ripped out and stomped into a million pieces. This is a dark book with unsettling characters and unhappy endings.

I'm having a hard time reviewing this

Tiger Lily is one of those books that's really hard to review because it is a book that I appreciate, but it isn't necessarily one I enjoy. Every bit of this book is sad, and while that almost makes it beautiful in a way, it's also, well, SAD. And I don't like feeling so dreary.

There were also somethings that happened and I'm still not sure how I feel about them.

One is a suicide, and it made me angry because it felt so needless. Maybe that's the point. I felt angry with the character for taking their own life when it felt so unnecessary. I wanted to go back and scream at them that things will get better and not to do something so drastic. I was also angry with them for how their actions affected their loved ones. How could they do that to them?? 

But, I guess I need to grudgingly admit that this is the way people often feel when someone they care about commits suicide, so points to Jodi Lynn Anderson for writing something that evoked such a visceral reaction from me, even if I would have rather not felt it.

Also, there is the presence of Christianity versus paganism/homosexuality, and I'm really tired of this plot point in books. It just feels so worn out, like that Christmas song that was annoying the first time but has been played fifty million times in the span of one festive month and I pretty much want to puncture my eardrums by the time new year's rolls around. It didn't help that this whole part felt forced and not really necessary, but maybe that's because I don't like this plot point ever.

These people are weird

Tinkerbell narrates and talks about how desperately she loved both Tiger Lily and Peter Pan, and how neither of them showed her much affection in return. Tiger Lily is an odd duck, almost feral and treated as an outcast but also loved deeply by a select few. Peter Pan is twisted, torn between the uncertainty of adolescence the responsibility of adulthood and the impulses of childhood.

All three are almost inhuman in their oddities and the detached way Tinkerbell describes them from her own non-human perspective makes them even more difficult to connect with. Even the traits I could have in common with Tiger Lily were made foreign by her entire aura of otherness.

I was fascinated by these characters, but it was almost the type of horrified fascination reserved for things like gruesome car accidents. These characters are all clearly broken and floundering, grappling blindly to put their pieces together. I so wanted them to be ok, but, of course, anyone at all familiar with the story of Peter Pan knows there are few happy endings in this tale. 

Readers who like character studies, especially when the characters are complex, difficult, and despite it all, sympathetic, will appreciate the sensitive hand Jodi Lynn Anderson used to sketch these characters. They are not people who are easy to like, but they are easy to love.

Bottom line

This is not the kind of book for everyone, but I do think it will really hit its mark with some readers. If you want another light and fun fairy tale/paranormal-type book, then look elsewhere. This retelling is more like the darker fairy tales and I would probably give it to my more mature YA readers and not so much my MG tweens. Also, YA readers who enjoy serious contemporary books might like the focus on characters with "issues" and watching them navigate complex interpersonal scenarios.

Overall, I think the best way to describe my feelings is that I appreciate it. Reading Tiger Lily may not have been the most enjoyable experience (I'd give it about 3 stars because I struggle with sad books), but it was without a doubt a captivating and cruelly beautiful experience (I'd give it 4 stars for that). I am curious to see what Jodi Lynn Anderson writes next.

This is a standalone.

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

Do you have any questions about Tiger Lily that I haven't addressed?
Feel free to ask in the comments!

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Cover Review: Through the Ever Night

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Rarely does a cover grab me so strongly that it makes me drop everything and open up a blogger postbox, but that is exactly what I did when I saw this cover.

Was it the stylish random swirly things he's walking through?

Um, no. Looks like his staring-into-the-distance gaze is going to lead him to trip right over that dangerously placed front swirl. He doesn't know it yet, but he's about to fall flat on his face.  And I'm totally the type of person to point and laugh hysterically (of course I'd give him a hand after I caught my breath).

How about the pretty purple and blue "bruised thunderstorm" backdrop?

Nope, sorry! Though it is pretty and he does look rock-star awesome walking out of those clouds. Anyone ever see the Full House episode where Uncle Jesse was lowered onto stage from the ceiling wearing a leather jacket with foot-long fringe? There was a smoke machine and I think I remember he was told to stick his tongue out ala KISS and act like a vulture (aaah, found it! Here you go).Well, this is right up there on the cool scale as far as dramatic entrances are concerned.

Oh, oh, could it be the super serious tagline?? "A world torn apart!!! A love under siege!!" (exclamation points mine).

Ha, no. Though I'm having a ton of fun clutching my chest and saying the tagline with breathy peril. Or using Deep Movie Trailer Narrator Voice. I mean, really, can we get any more angsty than that tagline?

No, much as these features are all very eye-catching and have provided me with lots of laughter, what drew my eye was that hot eye candy clad in post-apocalyptic leather pants and a scoop-neck pec-revealing clean white shirt.

A world torn apart?? He looks like he's modeling clothes on a fashion runway. I'm also having trouble buying the "love under siege" bit because how can his female lead NOT throw herself at him when he's sporting so much of that shiny toned chest?

Ok, sooo maybe his ensemble doesn't exactly jibe with the post-apocalyptic storyline, but HarperCollins must know my weakness for guys who score high enough on the hotness scale to land themselves a guest spot on The Vampire Diaries (have you noticed the hotness quotient on that show?!). Yet again, HarperCollins gives me a cover that looks like it has nothing to do with the book and makes me want to simultaneously stroke it lovingly and hide it from every single person who might know me or ever know me in the future.

What do you think about this cover?
Do you like it? Dislike it? 
Does it make you want to read the book?

 

Interested in covers?
Be sure to check out another Cover Crazy post by Gina from My Precious.    Click here for more of my cover reviews!

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Book Review: The Queen's Vow by C. W. Gortner

The Queen's Vow by C. W. Gortner
Release Date: June 12, 2012
Publisher: Random House 
Pages: 400
Received: ARC from publisher, via NetGalley and finished review copy from publisher
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Summary

From Goodreads:

No one believed I was destined for greatness.
 
So begins Isabella’s story, in this evocative, vividly imagined novel about one of history’s most famous and controversial queens—the warrior who united a fractured country, the champion of the faith whose reign gave rise to the Inquisition, and the visionary who sent Columbus to discover a New World. Acclaimed author C. W. Gortner envisages the turbulent early years of a woman whose mythic rise to power would go on to transform a monarchy, a nation, and the world.

...From the glorious palaces of Segovia to the battlefields of Granada and the intrigue-laden gardens of Seville, The Queen’s Vow sweeps us into the tumultuous forging of a nation and the complex, fascinating heart of the woman who overcame all odds to become Isabella of Castile.

Review

The best kind of historical fiction!

I love history, but I'm such a slacker. I don't really have the patience for a lot of non-fiction books, so I usually turn to historical fiction to learn through entertainment. And, of course, this is usually a tricky approach because it is historical fiction after all, and authors have license to stretch the truth or not even really focus on the real historical figures much.

But The Queen's Vow is the absolute PERFECT type of historical fiction! And this is why...

It's like reading a story, but with a smarty pants hat on

The Queen's Vow is Historical fiction with a capital H and you can totally use it as a cheat sheet for learning about Isabella of Castile (don't know her? Yes you do. Think things like Columbus and the Spanish Inquisition).

While there are a few tweaks made with the timeline of events and there's a made up character here and there, by and large the book is accurate enough to quote facts to your friends and family (just remember, there's a lot of controversy about what actually went down at the time, and C. W. Gortner explores a few of the very possible but more sensationalist theories).

And oh boy will you learn a TON of trivia! Schools mostly gloss over Isabella as that lady who sent Columbus to the new world, but my gosh, she was so much more. Isabella had her hands in SO many crazy things. Her life was one giant hopscotch game of war, more war, new wars, old wars, lots of mad dashes in the night, inquisitions, scheming, bribes, and a whole lot of praying.

Not to mention scandal. Do you like gossip? Then you're going to love the scenes with Isabella's odious sister in law.

The best part is that all of this moved along at a pretty quick pace. I was never bored or bogged down with tedious descriptions or long drawn out stuff that I don't care about. C. W. Gortner knows how to prioritize a story and keep things interesting so that I happily read along oblivious to the high page count. I would have even gladly read a few hundred more pages (I'll have to satisfy myself with Gortner's previous work The Last Queen about Isabella's daughter). 

The characters come alive

Ok, I have to get this off my chest first. Isabella is SO lame.

This is maybe a tiny bit spoilery: There's this one point where the evil queen is forcing her to marry this absolutely horrible old man and then right before he's scheduled to pick her up, he DIES! Beatriz, Isabella's incredibly awesome totally getting a sleepover invite maid is all, "Score! Lady, God is totally looking out for you!" and Isabella is all, "Oh no, I am but a mere speck of bland piousness and surely the lord does not even consider me. Plus, I would never wish ill upon another for my own sake." And Beatriz and I are standing there with our jaws to the floor sputtering, "Honey, ding dong the witch is dead! Can we please hold off on the Hail Marys for just a sec and do a happy dance??"

So yeah, Isabella = 0, Beatriz = 500000000000xinfinity. (And this is only a tiny fraction of the awesome points Beatriz earns throughout the book.)

But that was young Isabella. Give her a hundred pages or so and she grows up. She becomes a lot more ruthless and her piousness borders on the crazy dangerous side of things (she thinks she's so innocent, but watch out!). Which, as far as becoming best friends is concerned, Isabella gets a big HECK NO from me (I'm a little afraid of her), but as far as reading about a fascinating woman? Yup, Isabella definitely scores highly in that regard.

She may be irritatingly righteous, rash, and SO judgy, but she's also tenacious and determined to get her way, which is kinda admirable in its own way. And scary. And a heck of a lot of fun to read about. It was so easy to get swept up in the story and Isabella's cause that I was totally fist-pumping and cheering her on, even when I wasn't actually 100% on board with what she was doing. She seems like the type of queen who could inspire lemming-like sacrifices on the strength of her personal conviction alone.

The best part is C. W. Gortner's presentation of her. The whole book is narrated by Isabella, so automatically I was inclined to want to sympathize with her. But, C. W. Gortner doesn't make excuses for her either. Isabella is presented as a woman with hopes and fears and motivations that are left to the reader to decide whether or not she was on the right side of things.

It was almost like, hm, well, have you ever read one of those books that tells things from the villain's point of view and you find yourself coming around to their side of things and hoping the pretty princess eats the poisoned apple? That's what this book felt like to me. I'm not sure I objectively like Isabella (though I can respect a lot about her), and I think she definitely dons the crazy hat at times, but I feel for her.

Warning

The Queen's Vow is adult fiction, and while nothing is super graphic, it IS described and Isabella and her husband enjoy one another deeply. Think on the level of Lily of the Nile and Song of the Nile, which are billed as YA/Adult crossovers. Readers will have to decide for themselves whether that's too "adult" for them or not, but outside of that, YA historical fiction fans can find much to like in The Queen's Vow.

Bottom line

I've found myself a new historical fiction author to read! And lucky for me, he has already published three other books to keep me occupied until his next release. I have ordered a copy for my library, but mostly I'll be handing it around to adult readers and a few mature YA readers.

This is (regrettably) a standalone.

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

Do you have any questions about The Queen's Vow that I haven't addressed?
Feel free to ask in the comments!

Add it on Goodreads
Buy it on Amazon

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Book Review: Scary School by Derek the Ghost

Scary School by Derek the Ghost
Release Date: June 21, 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 237
Received: Review copy from author 
Rating: N/A
Goodreads Page

Summary

From Goodreads:

You think your school's scary?
Get a load of these teachers:
"Ms. Fang," an 850-year-old vampire
"Dr. Dragonbreath," who just might eat you before recess
"Mr. Snakeskin"--science class is so much more fun when it's taught by someone who's half zombie
"Mrs. T"--break the rules and spend your detention with a hungry "Tyrannosaurus rex"
Plus
Gargoyles, goblins, and Frankenstein's monster on the loose
The world's most frighteningly delicious school lunch
And
The narrator's an eleven-year-old ghost
Join Charles "New Kid" Nukid as he makes some very Scary friends--including Petunia, Johnny, and Peter the Wolf--and figures out that Scary School can be just as funny as it is spooky.

Review

You know how sometimes MG books are written in a way that makes them great for adults to read, too? Well, Scary School was not one of those MG books for me. As an adult, I struggled to get through the book. I found the humor not to my taste and the repetitive phrases grated after a while.

But, I am far from the target audience, and as far as they're concerned Scary School should be a big hit. Narrated by a ghost (though it reads more like the omniscient third-person), the story loosely follows Charles Nukid (who is also the new kid in school, haha) as he makes his way through his first year and participates in the Ghoul Games.

I say loosely because most of the book focuses on vignettes introducing the various characters and providing humorous backstories for each. Though there is a touch of Alice in Wonderland-esque nonsense to many of the characters, their stories are memorable and will likely all hit the mark with young readers.

Scary School breaks the mold and is a breath of fresh air in a genre riddled with typical paranormal creatures described in typical ways. Everything from witches and vampires to the unexpected dress-wearing tyrannosaurus rex and unconventional dodo birds make an appearance, but even the more mundane creatures are given new life through the author's creative descriptions.

But who exactly is the target audience? I'd say elementary school girls AND boys who are able to handle a longer chapter book. While this is a MG book, it is definitely on the younger side of the spectrum.

Though called "scary" there isn't much tension or peril to frighten sensitive readers. I would hand Scary School to my library kids who are a little too timid to try something like Goosebumps but want something more like the Bunnicula-type "horror." (Warning though, characters drop dead left and right, and even though most come back to life in some way or another, this might trouble some extra-sensitive readers.)

Kids able to appreciate deadpan humor, puns, and nonsensical humor will likely eat this up. Also, reluctant readers may appreciate the almost short story nature of the vignettes. The book is also peppered with fabulous illustrations kids will likely enjoy.

I am not rating this book due to the clash between my personal level of enjoyment and the fact that the target audience should enjoy it a lot more than I did. 

Do you have any questions about Scary School that I haven't addressed? 
Feel free to ask in the comments!

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Book Review: Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends 
Pages: 294
Received: ARC from publisher, via NetGalley
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Summary

From Goodreads:

Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.

In Emmy Laybourne’s action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world—as they know it—apart.

Review

Is that a guy or a girl??

What an awkward question, right? But there's no sense in denying that with some people, you really can't be sure with just a glance. That's what it was like for me with the narrator, and I'm sorry to say their characterization was a weak point of the book for me.   

Monument 14 started out exactly how I want books to start, with a ton of edge-of-your-seat suspense, action, and gore. The narrator's description of events was totally evocative and I felt every drop of fear, tension, and stunned stupor they were going through. Except nagging at the back of my mind throughout this whole beginning part was the question, "Should I be picturing a guy or a girl??"

So I will tell you: You should picture a guy. A guy named Dean. There, now you can enjoy the mayhem without gender uncertainty.

No points for you!

I'm a character girl, so I automatically had to take off a few points for Dean's wishy-washy voice, but the other characters didn't help much. For as ambiguous as Dean is, the other characters were all pretty stock cardboard cutouts. It was like The Breakfast Club: The Post-Apocalyptic Years.

When I read post-apocalyptic books, my brain automatically starts sifting characters into "Useless" or "Awesome" categories. Unfortunately, the former category was filled to the brim, but thankfully there were two characters in the Awesome column! (Usually there are none, so Monument 14 gets tons of points for this.)

The Useless characters were all focused on stupid stuff like boob grabbing, love triangles, boozing, and doing similar boring stuff. I guess it was interesting to see how they totally unraveled when thrown into the crazy situation, but it was mostly just frustrating. I spent a good part of the book mentally yelling at them to buckle down and properly inventory their supplies (which they don't do. Idiots).

And then there were kids. A lot of kids. And kids, I'm sorry to say, are a big no-no for me in post-apocalyptic books. Why? Because kids can't do much. If the author is realistic, then the kids will spend most of the time whining, crying, being annoying, doing stupid stuff, and being a liability. If the author isn't realistic, well, the kids can be cool then, but I have a hard time believing them.

Mostly Emmy Laybourne's kids were of the realistic but super duper annoying variety, which kinda sucked to read. Most "survival energies" and page time were directed toward managing the kids and making them feel happy and deluded.

But death rained down around them and destroyed life as we know it in a blizzard of natural disasters and chemical-induced psychoses, boils, and murderous rampages! And we couldn't talk about that because it would upset the kids. I was totally gypped in jaw-dropping end of the world descriptions.

Instead I got lisping kids and tantrums. Oh yay.

Though, to be fair, the kids were kinda cute sometimes and I did laugh out loud once or twice. It also was interesting from a psych standpoint to see how they managed the kids.

Tons of points for you!

Most of the book focuses on the Useless characters and their various interpersonal dramas, which sucked, BUT, in the background were two totally awesome characters.

Dean's younger brother is a science whiz/genius and while I had to stretch my imagination a little to believe his character, he was so cool I don't care. He was down to earth, calm, and he KNEW what needed to be done. He pushed aside his feelings of panic because, hey, the world is ending, and instead focused on how to make do with the supplies they had on hand. Thankfully it sounds like he's going to be a narrator in the next book, because this kid is made of win.

The other character I loved is Niko. Niko is one of the teens, a former boy scout, and he is also getting an invite to my post-apocalyptic survival bunker. The guy wanted them to inventory! He had a Plan of Action. He had strong protective instincts. Swoon!

The only thing that sucked about Niko, is apparently he's also a total weenie when it comes to interpersonal stuff. He's the only person there who has any clue what they should be doing to survive THE END OF THE WORLD and they're not listening to him because he's not cool (?!). So what does he do?

He goes to the sporting goods section of the superstore, grabs a weapon he knows full well how to use, flexes his muscles, and lays down the law because this is survival time baby, and we don't have time for silly high school games.

Oh wait, no, that's what I wanted to happen. What actually happened was Niko rolled over like a puppy, piddled on the floor a little, made an awkward and lame bid for Survival Class President, skulked in the background, and blushed because he's got a crush and that's totally more important. It was painful to read. 

So much potential

The set up for Monument 14 is pretty much a dream come true for me. Ok, I could maybe do without the megatsunamis, death, and destruction, but the idea of getting locked in a superstore? Totally awesome! I like setting things up and survival stories offer tons of opportunities to obsessively plan out how supplies can be used in creative ways and organized to last a long time. I know that might sound kind of boring, but for me, it's like the opportunity to color code my notes: the Stuff Dreams Are Made Of.

So I was pretty disappointed when I didn't get to spend much time on the survival aspects. Dean's brother and Niko handled that stuff, and they did it all pretty much off the page, so I didn't get to tag along. Mostly though, the situation was looked at through the eyes of the dumb teens who figured they had a ton of food and toys so they could kick back and enjoy without much thought. My inner-organizer was aghast at their lack of care.

Still, I was *IN* a superstore in a post-apocalyptic survival situation, and despite whatever problems I might have had with it, it was still pretty awesome.

My eyes were glued to the pages

I know I'm complaining a lot, and as much as I'm a character girl and I was disappointed with the characters, I could NOT stop reading. The situation was tense, and even if most of the action was focusing on the dramas inside the superstore, it was impossible to forget what was going on outside the store. The destruction and chemical-induced CRAZY Emmy Laybourne created was utterly chilling.

I kept flipping the pages wondering what was going to happen next. Even though the pacing wasn't very fast after the initial Big Event, I was fascinated with the day to day events as the kids dealt with their new situation. I may not have liked most of the characters, but I was invested in all of them.This is mostly where my stars are coming from.

Bottom line

The ending is a total cliffhanger, so heads up on that. Nothing is resolved and I will definitely read the sequel to find out what happens next. Though the sequel had better have the characters using their brains a little more, or at least deferring to the characters WITH brains, because I don't think my patience can last as long in the new setting (new setting? Yes, you'll have to read the book).

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

Do you have any questions about Monument 14 that I haven't addressed?
Feel free to ask in the comments!


Add it on Goodreads
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Books I got this week (2)

It's been established so clearly that I can't even lie about it: I have no self-control when it comes to books. I acquire them at a much faster rate than I can actually read and review them, but hopefully these posts will help those books get some exposure NOW instead of waiting until I actually manage to find time to, you know, read them.

This post is for the past two weeks.

Click here to see my previous indulgences.  

For Review

Soulbound
(Legacy of Tril #1)

by Heather Brewer

Release Date: June 19, 2012
Publisher: Dial
Pages: 304
Goodreads Page

Love triangles, paranormal beasts, boarding school, girl training to fight in secret, epic wars looming. Yeah, this has all the ingredients of a mixed bag for me, and that's pretty much what I thought of the book, too. There were a lot of things I was kinda eh about, but overall I enjoyed myself and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

Hard copy. Showed up unexpectedly on my doorstep, but I think that was because of something I entered through Shelf Awareness.

The Queen's Vow

by C. W. Gortner

Release Date: June 12, 2012
Publisher: Random House
Pages: 400
Goodreads Page

I was reading this through NetGalley but at 400 pages I was struggling trying to find time to finish it on my computer before the expiration date. I requested a hard copy because, holy cow, this book was fantastic!

If you're looking for gripping historical fiction that reads like a novel but still serves as an awesome cheat-sheet for learning about history, then you definitely need this book in your life.

Hard copy. Requested and received from the publisher.

Something Strange and Deadly

by Susan Dennard

Release Date: July 24, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 400
Goodreads Page

Steampunk + zombies is a pretty good mix, but what makes this book totally awesome is the roguish romantic lead, thoroughly likable heroine, and Kiersten White-ish vibes I'm getting. I'm reading it now and loving it!

Hard copy. I don't know how I got this book. I put in a request months ago and I interviewed Susan during the Historical Fantasy Jubilee AND I filled out a request through Shelf Awareness, so I'm not sure which reason got me the book, but I'm super happy either way.

Griffin's Fire

by Darby Karchut

Release Date: April 15, 2012
Publisher: Twilight Times Books
Pages: 200
Goodreads Page

I enjoyed the first book Griffin Rising and requested this sequel because, wow, after that ending, I need to find out what happens to Griffin next! Darby sent this copy out super fast and I can't wait to dive in. She also included a signed bookmark of her upcoming new series Finn Finnegan, which sounds like it will have a lot of fantastic banter (I love banter!)

Outpost

by Ann Aguirre

Release Date: September 4, 2012
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Pages: 336
Goodreads Page

Enclave gave me a ton of zombie slaying action and two characters I almost instantly fell in love with. I can't wait to see what happens to Deuce and Fade in this sequel!

Hard copy. Requested and received from the publisher.

Bought

Tributary

by Lisa T. Bergren

Release Date: June 8, 2012
Publisher: Bergren Creative Group
Pages 163
Goodreads Page

Doesn't Luca look nice on that cover? He's my favorite, so I'm hoping there's a lot of Lia and Luca in this book. But if not, it's not like I'd be disappointed by a lot of Gabi and Marcello. Or Greco and...

I bought this through Amazon when it was only 99 cents! (at least, I'm pretty sure that's what it was). Total steal, but it's still a bargain now at $2.99, and even though it's technically a novella, 163 pages is a pretty hefty novella!

Eternal Spring

by Various Authors

Release Date: April 2012
Pages: 284
Goodreads Page

This book was free! You can download it now through Amazon (and probably Barnes and Noble, though I'm not positive) and as soon as I heard Stephanie Dray had a story in it I snatched that puppy up. I love Stephanie Dray's writing. Finding out there's a Diana Peterfreund of killer unicorns fame story in there definitely sweetened the already sweet deal.

What did you get this week? Are you interested in reading any of these books? What did you think of them if you've read them already?

In future posts, do you have a preference between stock pictures or photographs of the actual books?

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Audio Book Review: The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy, read by Bronson Pinchot
Release Date: May 2012
Publisher: Harper Audio
Hours: 9 hours 5 minutes, unabridged
Received: Audio copy from publisher

Review

This is a review of the AUDIO version

If you are interested in my review of the book, check out my review. This is only a review of the reader in the audiobook format.

I should preface this review by confessing that I am not much of an audiobook listener. I try every now and then to listen to an audiobook because I feel like I should do something productive and entertaining while doing boring things like walking on the treadmill or folding laundry. But, embarrassingly, my mind wanders.Try as I might, audiobooks are often a struggle for me.

So that is why it is especially notable when I say,

This is the bestest audiobook in the ENTIRE WORLD!

At this point you're probably sick of me gushing about The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom because I've mentioned it, oh, maybe once or twice before...but that's because I'm so gosh darn in love with it. I didn't think my love could grow any larger than it already was, but then I listened to the audiobook...

...and dare I say it, but I think I'm even more in love with the audio version than I am with the print version. It was like taking all of the best traits of movies and all of the best features of books and smushing them together into a package of awesome.

The voices!

Bronson Pinchot doesn't just read the book. He becomes the book. He gives every character their own unique voice and channels all of their character traits perfectly.

You know how in a book the author needs to include things like "X character said" or whatever so you know who is actually speaking? I didn't need that at all here because Bronson Pinchot made all of the voices so distinct that it was as if I were listening to different people talk.

Even the girl characters sounded good, which is a pretty big feat considering Bronson Pinchot is not actually a girl (in case you couldn't tell).

Also of note is that each character has a different accent. Yes, accents! And they totally make sense for the characters. I don't remember the book specifying things like "said Liam with an Irish lilt" but somehow each accent Bronson Pinchot chose seemed like the exact right choice for each character and made me love them even more than I already did.

It's the little things like this that I think really made this reading. It's clear he took the time and effort needed to truly get the book and embody the characters. He did such a good job I almost want him to be the voice actor for every single character in the upcoming movie version (even though I'm sure they'll get, you know, real women and stuff like that).

It's like he took perfect chocolate, and then somehow made it better

Bronson Pinchot managed to avoid one of my biggest pet peeves with audiobooks, namely, I don't like it when the characters don't sound like they do in my head. Erm, I mean, when I read a book I imagine a character's voice sounds a certain way and audiobook readers usually sound NOTHING like how I imagine the character would sound (I cringe every time a woman reader does the "deep manly voice" for the hot hero).

It's like, ok, anyone read the Mortal Instruments series and totally NOT picture that tiny strange-eyed little guy they horribly miscast as Jace? Totally wrong, right?? Any tiny bit of desire I might have had to see that movie shriveled up and died when I saw that casting (especially after holding out hope for Mr. Hot Abs. I mean, Alex Pettyfer).

That's pretty much akin to the crushing, gnawing disappointment I experience with most audiobook voices.

But now think of the joy you experience every time you flip on The Vampire Diaries and see the smoking perfection of Ian Somerhalder not only capturing but enhancing all of the gorgeous goodness (and badness!) of Damon Salvatore (what, please tell me I'm not alone here??).

THAT is what I'm talking about. I mean, no, of course there are no shirtless men in the audio version of The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom (or any version, for that matter. It's MG, ladies! Sheesh). But what I do mean to say is that Bronson Pinchot's voice acting was the absolute beyond-my-wildest-dreams perfect "casting" for The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom. Every time he opened his mouth I basked in the sweet sounds of exactly what an audiobook should be.

Bottom line

I was thoroughly entertained and my mind didn't wander once while listening.

I doubled my workout times so I could listen to just one more chapter, and just one more (don't worry, I made up for it by eating extra ice cream).

I contemplated dropping my freshly laundered clothing into the dirt just so I would have to spend more time re-washing and folding so I could have an excuse to continue listening.

I think I'm going to go now and listen to it again.

I will now and forever compare all audiobook readers on the scale of 1 to Bronson Pinchot.

So, yeah, I recommend it.

Add it to Goodreads!
Buy it on Amazon!

Do you have any questions about the audiobook version of The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom that I haven't addressed? 
Feel free to ask in the comments!

Have you ever listened to an audiobook that had a beyond amazing reader? (My workout routine could seriously use your recommendations!)

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