Book Review: Poison by Bridget Zinn

Poison by Bridget Zinn
Release Date: March 12, 2013
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 288
Received: ARC from publisher
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads Page

Summary

From Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart . . . misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop
thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Review

Kyra can come to my sleepover, IF she brings her potions kit

Kyra is the kind of main character I like, but don't LOVE. She's determined, loyal (to some), and prepared to do whatever it takes to do the right thing—even if it's heartbreakingly hard. So, MAJOR respect points.

She's also an awesome potions master, which is just flat out cool (just try to imagine how much more amazing a sleepover party would be with an actual potions master in attendance!). All the potions talk added about a million points to the book for the sheer "I wish that were real" factor.

But, Kyra's also prickly, and much as I do like prickly characters, her style of prickly made her a little hard to get close to. She's always pushing people away, which is a trait I don't tend to like, especially when the reasons are as thin and unexplained as Kyra's were. I don't like it when I start to roll my eyes and yell at the main character because I think they're behaving in unnecessary ways.

Kyra's first-person narrative voice did help me like her a lot more than I would have had this been written in third person. Her internal feelings and explanations prevented me from actually disliking her when she did things I didn't think she should. So those actions turned into a slightly annoying quirk of someone you know and love rather than something that full on annoyed me.

Kyra also loses a few points because she isn't a big animal lover. She's more of a grudging tolerator eventually evolving toward unadmitted liker. So, good, eventually, but not great. I just can't fully get on board with a character who hardens her heart to the charms of adorable animals.

Fluffy romance

It's sweet and it's sort of a slow burn hate-turned-love type of romance, but not quite. It's also totally the lite version of those types of romance. There were undeniably a handful of swoony moments and the banter was great (their initial meeting is darn near perfect), but the overarching vibe of the romance was more Jessica Day George style middle grade cute than swoooooony.

Which can be totally fine, just so long as you go into it expecting Jessica Day George style romance and not fainting-couch, be-still-my-heart, hand-fanningly hot swoon (and while I knew I wasn't going to be getting the latter—this IS a Disney book!—I was hoping for something a little more YA than MG, so cue my very mild disappointment).

With the exception of his name (Fred?? Sorry Harry Potter fans, I just can't swoon over that name!), he's a pretty great guy. He's funny, sweet, adventurous, and clever.

But...maybe he's a little *too* great. He's always so happy-go-lucky (gosh, I might even call him chipper) and while that's nice and all, I like my male leads to be a little sarcastic. I'd even go so far as to say I like them to be a little surly.

And manlier, definitely manlier. Fred is very boyish.

I also can't help but be disappointed by his niceness because that robbed me of the "hate" part of the hate-turned-love romance. Kyra definitely doesn't not fall for him right away and they DO have some fun banter, but this was a very one-sided hate. The whole thing lacked the combative spark I hope for.

Fred seemed mildly amused with Kyra's attitude and gamely tagged along with whatever she was doing. I also never truly understood why he loved her. He was charming and sweet to her from the beginning and his attitude toward her never really changed.

Was it love at first sight for him? If so, why? (and, if so, bummer. I am so NOT a fan of love at first sight, which is pretty much the antithesis of hate turned love).

Friendship

While the friendship between Kyra and Princess Ari doesn't come close to a Ten Tissues on the Beaches Scale of Friendship, it IS a super sweet friendship and gets points for making me want to break into spontaneous hugging.

Their friendship added depth to Kyra and I found myself liking Kyra the best when she was with Ari. Kyra softened and loosened up a little whenever Ari was around. Putting Ari in Kyra's presence was like handing a puppy to a grumpy person and defying them to look into the puppy's little puppy face and try not to smile.

Not only that, but I truly felt for Kyra and her predicament as a result of this friendship. Kyra was trying to protect her kingdom, but her heart was breaking as a result. If I didn't see her friendship with Ari, I never would have been as emotionally invested in Kyra's plight as I was and I don't know that I would have liked her as much as I did.

Also, on the topic of friendships, who knew a pig could be so cute? I practically broke out into out-loud-awwws every time Rosie was mentioned.

Plot and all that

Everything moves pretty quickly with a little bit travel/questing, a little bit of mystery, and a little bit of back story. So, basically, most of my favorite plot elements. Everything reads very, very easy.

As in, take the time you would normally need to read a 288 page book and cut that time in half. Really. The chapters are short, the font is big, and it's super light reading.

The plot isn't entirely linear, taking a few trips down flashback lane. It was a little jarring and definitely hindered the momentum of the story, but it did help avoid info-dumps. Added bonus was how it fleshed out Kyra and the princess's friendship by showing instead of telling. This was VERY effective.

Most scenes ended up holding more significance than they at first appeared to and looped back around to tie in together at the end. Most of this was fantastic, though one connection seemed to come out of nowhere and I don't think it was really necessary.

Still, it was kind of neat, so I think I'd rather Bridget Zinn had spent more time fleshing this part out so it was less random and could have contributed even more to Kyra's character development (though I do recognize why this probably didn't happen).

It was all fun and kept me guessing throughout, but everything was almost a little *too* fast for me. I know, I know, I love fast-paced plots, but in this case the briskness felt rushed and under-developed. I wanted everything to be expanded just a little bit more. As it was, everything had a very sketched, outliney feel (though it's an outline for a fantastic book).

Where the star went 

That would be because of the writing. Wait, don't panic. The writing is fine. There aren't any grammatical errors or annoying similes or anything like that.

It's more that Poison felt like a draft that hadn't been fully fleshed out and finished yet. It made me think of Buffy's cookie dough analogy where she explains that she hasn't finished baking yet.

Let's forget for a minute that not-entirely-cooked-cookies are actually superior to the fully-cooked alternative and just go with it.

Poison is like Buffy's analogy. It's something really wonderful with the potential to be fantastic like warm, delicious cookies...when it's finally done baking. All the right elements are there: intricate plot, unique developments, crazy cool potions, intriguing mystery, and likable characters. It could have SO been a Special Shelf book.

But it's not done baking.

Bottom line

I had pined over Poison ever since I read the blurb and got those "This could be *THAT* book!" vibes. My hopes were SKY HIGH and I ended up having a lot of trouble reading Poison because of all my mixed emotions (I never want this to end! This is amazing! This is everything I've been looking for! No, no, I don't want to admit that this ISN'T *quite* everything I'd hoped it would be).

I was so torn that I actually put the book down at the halfway point and read a few books in between. Poison ended up being a book like To Catch a Pirate where I love it and will for sure own a copy and re-read it in that Special Shelf way, but it falls short of actually being a Special Shelf book.

When I re-read, I'll always have that little nagging feeling where my brain is trying to push the book into being what I feel it almost is, but isn't quite.

Still, I WILL re-read it and I wish the author were still alive to write more books because I would immediately add her to my Authors to Watch list. I'll also be pushing Poison on all sorts of people. Like, for example, fans of all these books:

Click on the covers to go to my reviews.

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

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

Have you read Poison? What did you think?

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Spotlight List: My Favorite Fictional Men

You know when you attend a party for someone's birthday and you get to the required gift opening time and it's sort of a mix of awkwardness, boredom, and jealousy?

Well, everyone, consider this post the internet equivalent to that time. Minus the awkwardness and boredom, but plus hot men and still with LOTS of jealousy (because don't we all want to unwrap hot men on our birthdays?).

Yes, that's right, today is Ruby's birthday, and my present to her is a SECOND collection of some of my favorite fictional guys. (On loan, naturally. Click here to see the last year's gift of hot fictional men).

Use them well, Ruby. Use them well.

The Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan

There's are so many wonderful men in this book that there's probably someone for everyone, but chief among them are the darkly mysterious Royce (he's an assassin!) and the pure-hearted swordsman Hadrian.

For me, it's Hadrian All. The. Way. He's a rough and tumble man's man, but his heart is set on leading a noble life protecting the innocent and upholding the rules of chivalry. He loves deeply and is unswervingly loyal.

The fact that I picture him pretty much exactly like the guy on the cover (on the left) doesn't hurt, either. (The guy on the right is Royce and is a TERRIBLE model choice. He looks too nice.)

The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner

Did you like Sage from The False Prince? Then you seriously need to introduce yourself to Gen. Gen is a master thief. He whines. He complains. He brags. He swaggers.

He's always fifty steps ahead of everyone around him, and twenty of those steps are deliberate missteps designed to get us all to play right into his hands until Gen finally decides to reveal what he's truly been up to all along.

And his romance? It's as complicated as he is, but it's so subtly sweet and even thinking about it breaks my heart into a million pieces and then glues them back together again with the power of their love.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Sure there might be two main love interests in this book, but only one was ever a real consideration for me: Choal. He's an uptight warrior with a sense of morality, best friend of the prince, and unfailingly loyal.

He doesn't exactly approve of Celaena, what with her being a notorious assassin and criminal and all. But, he's set to guard her and train her and you know what that means, right? Lots of sizzling hate-turned-love banter!

Their training sessions alone were enough to keep me breathless, but the tender scene with the ring or the heart-wrenching scene where he doesn't let her quit are the stuff made for re-reads.

Angelfall by Susan Ee

The world of Angelfall may be a post-apocalyptic nightmare, but by gosh you can send me there in a heartbeat just so long as I can have Raffe as a traveling partner.

Sure, our time might be spent fighting off some of the most disgusting creatures I've ever read about, but getting to see his angel muscles ripple as he expertly swings his sword would make it all worthwhile.

And between the slaughter, there's banter! Lots of sarcastic, clever, funny, adorable banter! Even his non-verbal banter with Penryn is fantastic:

“'Leaking sacks of mutated maggots?' He raises his perfectly arched eyebrow as though I'd just failed my verbal insult exam."

Note the lifting of one eye-brow? As an essential characteristic of hot, sarcastic male leads everywhere, I rest my case.

Which hot fictional guy are you willing to loan Ruby on her birthday?

Have you read any of these books? 
Do you know any fictional men like them that I should drop everything to track down and read?

Be sure to check out Ruby's blog today and throughout the month of April for her April is Awesome event (there are lots of awesome author interviews, guest posts, and giveaways...including one from one of my Special Shelf authors!)

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Books I got (11)

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 week or so.

Click here to see my previous indulgences.  

For Review

The Glitter Trap

by Barbara Brauner

Goodreads Page

Fairy godmothers, magic, and humor? Can't go too wrong with that! This was a cute beginning to a series that should appeal to Goddess Girl fans.

Requested and received via NetGalley.

Frogged

by Vivian Vande Velde

Goodreads Page

Vivian Vande Velde!!! I am a HUGE VVV fan! Lately she's been playing with fairy tale retellings, and I'm looking forward to seeing how she twists The Frog Prince with her wry sense of humor and less-than-perfect heroines. I'm reading this one now and loving it.

Requested and received via NetGalley.

Rebel Spirits

by Lois Ruby

Goodreads Page

I requested this one a while back after reading this in the blurb:

"Infused with history and mystery, this tale of ghosts, love, and murder takes place in present-day Gettysburg, where the Civil War still looms large."

Civil War? Ghosts? Mystery? Romance? YES PLEASE! 

Requested and received from publisher.

Sidekicked

by John David Anderson

Goodreads Page

 The publicist at Walden Pond Press has impeccable taste (she highly recommended The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, so, yeah, case closed) so when she pitched Sidekicked I immediately said YES PLEASE!

In a world of superheroes, this book focuses on a side kick. I had already had my eye on it, but her endorsement sealed the deal for me. Then I got it and read the first (funny!) chapter. Yup, I think I'm going to LOVE this!
 
Pitched by publisher.

Spirit

by Brigid Kemmerer

Goodreads Page

I haven't read the first two books in the series, but I've definitely been curious. My vague impression of this series is that it's paranormal and the focus is on a group of hot guys? I know that's kind of a thin plot, but, really, it's enough to pique my interest.

Has anyone read this series? Can I read it safely out of order?

Unsolicited review copy sent by publisher.

Forevermore
by Cindy Miles

Goodreads Page

A gothic ghostly romance set in a castle! Like Rebel Spirits, I'm not expecting incredible depth or anything like that. I'm hoping for something light, fun, and swoony like To Catch a Pirate (love!).

Requested and received from publisher.

Bought

Resenting the Hero

by Moira J. Moore

Goodreads Page

I actually bought this one unread because so many people were saying how good it was with the hate-turned-love romance and since I couldn't get it from any library, I finally caved and bought it new.

And...I'm kind of regretting that. I'm reading it now and while it's ok, I'm not in love with it yet. Maybe that will change? I'm only about 50 pages in so far, but the tone is a lot more adult urban fantasy (which I don't really like) than YA fantasy (which I love and was expecting).

The Riyria Revelations

by Michael J. Sullivan

Goodreads Page

I can't even express how much I adore this series! I read the series first through the library and then immediately went out and bought the whole series before I had even finished reading it. I'm trying to write my review now and it's hard to capture all my gushy love in mere words. Special Shelf series for sure.

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?

Also, I still have some Books To Trade available if anyone is interested!

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Book Review: The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett
Series: #1 in the Arkwell Academy series
Release Date: March 5, 2013
Publisher: Tor Teen
Pages: 336
Received: ARC from publisher, via NetGalley
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads Page

Summary

From Goodreads: 

Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

Literally.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.

Then Eli’s dream comes true.

Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

Review

Thanksgiving turkey

We've already establish how much I like food, so I'm going to go with a food analogy on this one.

When it comes to Thanksgiving, I'm pretty much in food heaven. I'm a sides and dessert kind of girl, so the bulk of my plate space is taken up with things like stuffing (all varieties), mashed potatoes, that awesome sweet potato pie with the marshmallows on top, corn pudding, dinner rolls, string bean casserole, candied apples, roasted potatoes, and so on.

And then, oh the desserts! You see where this is going?

What I don't pay much attention to is the actual turkey. It's not that I don't like turkey, because I definitely do and I always make sure to have a little bit of room on my plate for some, but it just doesn't have the same draw as all those sides and desserts.

It's just, it's plain. It doesn't even look particularly interesting. I mean, when you stick a casserole of super sweet bright orange mashed potatoes topped with gooey marshmallows on the table next to plain old sliced meat, the turkey doesn't really hold up to the comparison. Sides are embellished, sides have surprises, sides have depth and texture and all sorts of things like that. Turkey is plain and predictable. 

Which isn't all bad. Like, come, say, the next day, when the fact that the turkey is leftover and predictable and unadorned suddenly makes it a comfort food.

How The Nightmare Affair is a Thanksgiving turkey

At first I thought the idea of nightmares as paranormal creatures would be so unique and exciting and side-dishably appealing, but I was wrong. Nightmares are interesting, but the development wasn't really there enough to make them fascinating. Sure they were different, in concept, but in execution they don't really hold their own in my mind or have any kind of lasting power.

Neither does the plot. After the first few chapters, it' pretty easy to sketch out a rough outline of everything that is going to happen next. This was less a result of the plot, though, and more a result of the cookie-cutter characters.

I knew exactly what I was getting with The Nightmare Affair because I've read about all these characters before in tons of other books. I know a certain type of character can't possibly be the villain because they're never actually the villain. I know who the villain is because that character is always the villain. I know the love interest and how that will play out, the friendships, the relationships with the teachers, and on and on.

But, like a Thanksgiving turkey, The Nightmare Affair was plain and predictable and definitely lost the majority of my plate space because of it, but I also found it next-day-leftover comforting for those very same reasons.

Old reliable

The Nightmare Affair might not be a unique book, but it does take after a type of book I very much enjoy.

Main character Dusty is lunch table fun (if not sleepover party level), her romantic interest is crushable (if not knee-wobbly swoony), her friend is fist-bumping cool (if not unique, at all), and the villain is easy to dislike in a good way (if not terribly interesting).

This is the kind of book I'd read when I'm looking for something I know I'll enjoy. It's not super fast-paced, but it isn't slow either. The mystery is just engaging enough to keep me reading, though I know I won't get swept up into the world and lose myself for days. It doesn't have that kind of hold on me (like, say, pecan pie). It's more like the kind of book I can float through easily, enjoying myself in that non-taxing, surface way that leaves me satisfied but not wowed.

Basically, it's a solid "good." 

Ack, grizzle

Have you ever eaten turkey that wasn't carved 100% perfectly? So, you're sitting there, happily eating when all of a sudden, crunch, squish, ugh, you bite down on a bit of grizzle. Gross.

That's kind of how I felt with a plot point. Without giving anything away, there's a plot point that integrates a popular staple in mythology and I thought it had no place in this book. It stuck out, didn't work, and was a totally unnecessary addition.

Bottom line

I would read more of Dusty's adventures for sure, especially if they focus more on the paranormal solving-mysteries-through-dream-walking plots instead of the overarching Big Bad (which ties in with the grizzle plot point).

The ending wraps up well enough in that there isn't a big cliffhanger, but the Big Bad is on the loose. It might feel more cliffhangery if I cared more about that, but I don't so I'm perfectly content waiting for book two.

I won't rush out and buy book two, but I will read it eventually. I'll probably wait for a time I'm looking for a comfy read that isn't too mentally or emotionally taxing. Also, I'll get it from the library.

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

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

Looking for another book like this? 

You might like: 

Click on the covers to go to my reviews.

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DNF Explanation: Cinders & Sapphires by Leila Rasheed

Did Not Finish Explanation

Cinders & Sapphires by Leila Rasheed

Received: ARC from publisher

Read pages: 136 of 389

This hurts to write. I mean, not only did I have high hopes for this book, but I even requested it! And now I feel all guilty and sad and like I need to go find some rock to crawl under.

Look, it's not that Cinders & Sapphires is a BAD book. It's a fine book. It's written in a fluffy, straight forward style that makes reading a breeze. It was almost like reading a large type book where I feel like I can award myself "Fast Reader" points because I can fly through a bunch of pages in a really short amount of time. So if you're at all scared off by the large page count, don't be.

I can see readers looking for something light and entertaining devouring Cinders & Sapphires. There will be a large audience for this book, of that I have no doubt.

Except I'm not part of that audience. Ok, I just need to muster up my courage and spit it out already. There are two main reasons I DNF-ed Cinders & Sapphires.

Lay back and think of England, not Oxford

First, this is not a historically accurate book. Ruby and I were talking one night about what makes a historical fiction book something we like and we both agreed that character realism was a must.

If I'm reading about some old timey setting, I don't want the characters spouting off modern ideas that no character in that time period would ever even think about let alone righteously endorse. (*cough*)

So that was strike number one against Cinders & Sapphires. The characters felt entirely too modern in their values, thoughts, and approach to life. If I wanted contemporary characters, then I would read contemporary novels. I can't get lost in a book when I'm being constantly torn out of the time period by anachronisms.

This goes double when the characters are little more than cardboard cutouts with nothing but ridiculously unrealistic thoughts and actions. I didn't even have a believable basis for how the characters' background and experience would ever lead them to act the way they did. They just didn't make any sense.

Don't sell me on Buffy and then give me Dawn

Strike two came about because of comparisons. I know comparisons can be great marketing tools (hey, tell me something is the next Crown Duel and I'll be all over that in a heartbeat), but it can also cause massive eyerolling and lots of disappointment (which is why I pretty much refuse to read anything billed as "The Next Harry Potter" or "The Next Hunger Games").

I've heard Cinders & Sapphires described as Gossip Girl meets Downton Abbey, and, yeah, I totally see that comparison. Except, instead of being "inspired by" or "in the genre of" or some other allusion like that, Cinders & Sapphires reads more like unoriginal fan fiction.

And if you're going to write fan fiction, you'd better offer up something inspired. If we're pulling from Gossip Girl, then the scandals had better be way jucier than those in GG. If we're drawing on Downton Abbey then the sprawling period details need to be just as rich (they're barely even there) and, again, the scandals need to be even more shocking (yawn).

So when Mary (spoiler for Downton Abbey season 1) has such phenomenally fantastic unwedded sex with a Turkish man  leading him to DROP DEAD IN HER DEVIRGINIZING BED, I'm not going to be very impressed with a few forbidden kisses with a boy from India. Even if he is a revolutionary (just like Tom from Downton!)

And the comparisons don't stop there. Most characters and events beg direct comparisons from either source material...and pretty much every trope in the genre. And they fall short in every instance.

I don't want to read a book and think, "Oh look, that's O'Brian, but less devious" or "Oh, that's Thomas (in C&S's case, the "token gay romance"), but without any character nuance" or "That's Chuck, but he's more like a flimsy shadow" or "That's Blair, without any depth, skill, or flair."

If I had never seen Gossip Girl or Downton Abbey, then Cinders & Sapphires might have been more appealing. As it was, I couldn't stop making comparisons, and Cinders & Sapphires never once came out ahead. A better comparison might have been the Luxe series (which left me with similar complaints).

Bottom line

So, definitely for some readers (a lot, if Goodreads is any indication), but not for me.

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

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Book Review: Angelfall by Susan Ee

Angelfall by Susan Ee
Series: #1 in the Penryn and the End of Days series
Release Date: 2012
Publisher: Amazon/Feral Dream
Pages: 283
Received: Bought
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars, Special Shelf
Goodreads Page

Summary

From Goodreads:

It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister, Penryn, will do anything to get her back. Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel. 

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl. Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. 

Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where Penryn will risk everything to rescue her sister, and Raffe will put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again. Ee's debut novel is a promising opener to what looks to be a YA series worth following, one that explores what it means to be human and what it means to be a hero.

Review

Ho-lee-cow

I'm sorry if this review is incomprehensible. It's just. THIS BOOK. It makes me want to bash my keyboard with capslock and bold and italics and underlining and maybe even adding extra colors for emphasis and abuse the exclamation point like a sugar-rushing third grader.

All in a good way. No, make that all in a TOTALLY AMAZING MIND BLOWING EARTH SHATTERING WAY!!!1!!1!!  

Penryn gets ALL my BFF charms

I'm not sure if I'm cool enough to hang with Penryn, but I'm forcing myself on her because she is the awesomest ever AND she's sure to keep me alive during all the post-apocalyptic craziness.

She's tough, realistic, and extremely no-nonsense. I award her all the points in the universe on the simple fact that she knows how to stock up for survival situations. Meaning, she grabs all the good supplies and doesn't pass over the weapons (which, duh, why do characters always leave them behind?? PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO KILL YOU! Arm up ladies!!).

But, she's also down to earth. She's not some hardened unable to relate with warrior woman who never makes mistakes. She's just a smart, normal girl thrown into a sucky situation and trying to make it through alive (as the laugh out loud angel wings scene clearly demonstrates). Also, she's super loyal, which is a trait I definitely want my post-apoc friends to have in spades.

Penryn's life is really crappy

Her mom's not exactly stable and has spent most of Penryn's life babbling about evil demons and engaging in crazy, erratic behaviors that may or may not have led directly to Penryn's little sister's paralyzing injuries. But, hey look, now there really ARE demons (er, angels) flying down from Heaven on a mission to violently obliterate humankind. So, yay mom?

Except, even if she's technically right about the post-apocalyptic dangers, she's still off her rocker. Which is kind of a liability. As is taking care of a wheelchair-bound tween (even a saintly one like Penryn's little sister). So Penryn is basically saddled with navigating a post-apocalyptic world of massive danger with two of the WORST possible survival buddies imaginable.

And you know me. I have zero tolerance for injecting useless characters into post-apoc settings. But not here! And, ok, some of my being ok with this probably comes from the fact that Penryn's sister gets snatched by an evil angel early on and so while she's often on Penryn's mind, she isn't slowing down our odds of survival. Penryn's mom also bows out toward the beginning of the book and appears in odd but convenient ways later on. So, points for all that.

But it's not just the people making her life awful. There's also all those angels killing people and basically turning the world into a post-apocalyptic wasteland of danger and death and suck. But don't worry, it's not depressing. There's too much peril and action and ohmygoshDIDTHATJUSTHAPPEN to be depressing.

Penryn also has great internal commentary and her banter with Raffe is funny, charming, and overall fantastic.

Baby, someone call God 'cause he's missing an angel

Did I say Raffe? Oh dear lord there's Raffe.

Raffe is, well, he's just HOT. He's an angel, but he's not particularly interested in killing Penryn or, really, any people (angels though, he kills the crap out of angels). I'm not sure why yet, and while I'm kind of curious, I also really don't care. Because he's that kind of hot. The kind where he could do horrible things and then smile and say something snarky and I'll melt into a puddle of swoon.

But Raffe doesn't really do horrible things. He might have in the past, we don't know (the man's a mystery, of course), but during his time with Penryn he's pretty much gorgeous, snarky, sarcastic, devoted, protective, badass (what this man can do with a sword!), smart, supportive, and funny. And all that's wrapped up in general rugged manliness.

Also, that past? He has secrets! Secrets I can't talk about. But secrets I SO want to talk about because, eeep!! Intrigue! Politics! Warring factions!

AND, it's slow burn hate turned love! With lots of glorious, snicker and swoon inducing banter. 

Prepare yourself for gore

I'm issuing the Don't Read This In Public warning because Angelfall made me exclaim out loud (very loud) a bunch of times, and that can get kind of weird if you're in public.

There were a lot of "OH MY GOSH" and "That didn't just happen???!?" and "HOW ARE BOOKS LIKE THIS??" and "I've never read anything like this!!" And general exclamations of "THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER. EVER!!" and lots of mentally running around in circles screaming and flailing with excitement and fear and dread and love.

I'm lucky I read the book in a few days (and therefore didn't prolong my embarrassment) because I spent pretty much the entire time uncontrollably flailing my arms and spouting off half-sentences about the amazingness of Angelfall and how everyone should read it and how I'm in awe and similar half-coherent babbling.

And also, "EEEEEEEEWWWWWW"

Because, yeah, just. EW. There are a few things, but this one scene in particular. Oh, but wait, there was also that other scene. Oh, and those things! I don't know that I've ever read anything so horrifying, disgusting, awful, gut-punchingly sad, disturbing, and awesome. The fact that Susan Ee's writing made me feel like I was actually there experiencing everything upped the jaw-dropping gross factor by about a bizillion.

Which is all to say that I was really, really into Angelfall.

Bottom line

I will auto-buy every single book in this series (which, at present is a projected five). Why do I even have to wait? I don't want to wait, and with that cliffhanger ending, I don't know if I CAN wait. I'm not sure what to do with myself except maybe re-read Angelfall and then pace around in circles pulling at my hair and mumbling incoherently.

And, I know I'm all about suggesting people wait until all the books are published if there's a cliffhanger, but, please, don't wait. I need to talk about this book with people. I need to push it on everyone I know. I need to buy it for my library and every other library on the planet. I just. Well, I highly recommend Angelfall.  

Side note: It was Krystle's review plus the five free chapter preview that made me buy Angelfall before I actually read the whole book (and if you know me at all, you know I'm super cheap and almost NEVER do that). Obviously, I'm not regretting that purchase.

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

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

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Book Review: A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Breannan (+ Giveaway!)

A Natural History of Dragons
Series: Not at present
Release Date: February 4, 2013
Publisher: Tor
Pages: 336
Received: Finished copy from publisher
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads Page

Summary

From Goodreads: 

You, dear reader, continue at your own risk. It is not for the faint of heart—no more so than the study of dragons itself. But such study offers rewards beyond compare: to stand in a dragon’s presence, even for the briefest of moments—even at the risk of one’s life—is a delight that, once experienced, can never be forgotten. . . .

All the world, from Scirland to the farthest reaches of Eriga, know Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world’s preeminent dragon naturalist. She is the remarkable woman who brought the study of dragons out of the misty shadows of myth and misunderstanding into the clear light of modern science. But before she became the illustrious figure we know today, there was a bookish young woman whose passion for learning, natural history, and, yes, dragons defied the stifling conventions of her day.

Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit who risked her reputation, her prospects, and her fragile flesh and bone to satisfy her scientific curiosity; of how she sought true love and happiness despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her thrilling expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world forever.

Review

Best friends FOR LIFE!

I've already extended sleepover party invites to Kat and Theodosia, but both came with the caveat that they're young and I'm old and so there's some creative time travel going on with those invites.

But no time travel is needed for Isabella because she's a grown-up version of those middle grade characters! Isabella is like a Jane Austen heroine, but with the spunk of Kat and the bookish practicality of Theodosia (and by practicality, I mean Theodosia's all, "I'll just need to collect these ingredients so I can create an ancient spell that will repel these cursed mummies. No matter the danger. Oh dear, and I must make sure to do it all in time for the gallery opening. Well, let's begin." See, practical and awesome).

AND Isabella has an undying passion for studying dragons.

Yes, DRAGONS!

Our sleepover party would be filled with non-stop chatter about dragon anatomy and theories of development and habitation and other nerdy topics I love. We'd eat finger sandwiches and stay up late planning our next trek into the wilderness in search of daring adventures and the answers to all our burning scientific questions.

And, yes, I'm totally geeking out about this.

A notation on the narrative style, and other points of interest

This isn't an epistolary novel, but I think fans of epistolary novels will like the narrative style. A Natural History of Dragons is supposed to be Isabella's accounting of her life when she was a much younger girl. She makes frequent comments directly to the reader, noting how she views things differently now (neat observations) or how her editor balked at her including racier subjects (lame interjections).

The result is that the book reads a lot more like a old lady chatting with you directly about her life as a younger girl. So, readers looking for straight action novel-style writing might not like it very much. Normally that would be me (no patience!) but I actually LOVE talking with the grandparent generation and getting swept away into their stories of the past, so I was totally absorbed.

The first half of the book is a lot of non-action and mostly sets the stage of how Isabella got interested in dragons, how she met her husband (sweet, but not entirely swoony), and erm, well, it was basically a zip through of her life Pre-Adventuring. I enjoyed this part a lot, but I can't even entirely explain why considering I fully recognize that it's slower and disappointingly dragon and adventure free. But, I'm chalking my enjoyment up to:

• Isabella is awesome and I like spending time with her (especially the parts where she talks about loving books)
• It has all the Jane Austen stuff like Isabella's season and her mom worrying she'll never find a husband
• It contains the briefly mentioned but seared-into-my-heart sweet story of Isabella and her relationship with her father (the dragon book! Matchmaking! LOVE these scenes)
• Isabella meets her husband!
• Oh, and there is an escapade involving boy's clothing, a rifle, and well, it's a fun scene

Hm, well, I guess a lot of stuff does happen. 

The second half of the book

That's where the real adventure begins! There's mystery, romance, action, adventure, murder, intrigue, and SO much more!

This is also where all the secondary characters really come alive and the romance between Isabella and her husband starts to get swoony in a heart-melting way. 

A totally spoilery comment

In Marie's interview, she mentioned a scene that may inspire ranty emails and I would SO send my own ranty email except that I'm sorta kinda holding out hope that there's a sequel and the events that happened, while devastating and sad and gut wrenching, well, might they be clearing the way for a little hate-turned-love romance with a certain Mr. Wilker? 

Maybe?*fingers crossed*

The cliffhanger of doom!!! No, wait, what? This is a standalone??

This always happens. I always lament the fact that authors are so caught up in series that there are never any good old-fashioned standalone novels anymore.

And then I get one in the form of A Natural History of Dragons, and all I can think is WHY IS THERE NO SERIES PLANNED?!

True, it did end just fine as a standalone. And, true, it is very nice to be able to read one book and know I'm getting a complete story. But, but there is SO much more to Isabella's story! And I love her so much and her adventures sound so grand that I really, really want to read more about her life.

So, please?

Bottom line

I had never heard of Marie Brennan before this, but I wasn't even finished with A Natural History of Dragons before I started adding every other book Marie has written to my TBR (and checking to see which were available in my library. Which is none, unfortunately. BUT the library in the next town over has her series about Queen Elizabeth and fairies and I am totally willing to drive over to check those out. Though, I really wish they had her series about witches and dopelgangers, which sounds awesome. Anyone have these? Want to trade?).

Which is all to say, I enjoyed A Natural History of Dragons immensely. 

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

And, in case you missed this earlier...

Want a chance to win your own copy of A Natural History of Dragons? Thanks to the publisher, I have three copies to offer!

Click here to enter the giveaway!

Info for the giveaway:

• What you can win: Three people will each win one finished hardcover copy of A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan!
• As always, you do NOT have to be a follower
• You must have a US/CA mailing address
• You must be 13 years of age or older
• One entry per person
• Your address is not required, but including it will help with sending the book out to you sooner
• I will contact the winner through email and the winner will have 24 hours to reply before a new winner is chosen 
• This giveaway closes on March 20th 

Click here to enter the giveaway!

Do you have any questions about A Natural History of Dragons that I haven't addressed? 
Feel free to ask in the comments!

Looking for another book like this? 

You might like: 

Click on the covers to go to my reviews.

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