Small Review

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday (18)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we all feature upcoming books we're eagerly anticipating.

I've altered things a little to include one book that hasn't come out yet and one but that has already been published but I still haven't gotten around to reading yet.

My Unfair Godmother by Janette Rallison
Release Date: April 12, 2011
Only one week away!
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
Pages: 320

Goodreads Page

From Goodreads:

Tansy Miller has always felt that her divorced father has never had enough time for her. But mistakenly getting caught on the wrong side of the law wasn't exactly how she wanted to get his attention. Enter Chrysanthemum "Chrissy" Everstar, Tansy's fairy in shining, er, high heels. Chrissy is only a fair godmother, of course, so Tansy's three wishes don't exactly go according to plan. And if bringing Robin Hood to the twenty-first century isn't bad enough for Tansy, being transported back to the Middle Ages to deal with Rumpelstiltskin certainly is. She'll need the help of her blended family, her wits, and especially the cute police chief 's son to stop the gold-spinning story from spinning wildly out of control. Janette Rallison pulls out all the stops in this fresh, fun-filled follow-up to the popular My Fair Godmother.

I adored the first book My Fair Godmother so, so much. Like, Special Shelf adoration. The first book ended as a standalone and it looks like My Unfair Godmother is more of a companion novel than a sequel with an entirely new cast except for the adorably inept fairy-godmother-in-training Chrissy. Janette Rallison is one of my favorite authors, combining likable characters, feel-good resolutions, and hilarious wit. I cannot wait to find out the hilarious situations and fractured fairy tales Chrissy will whisk our hero to next.

Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
Release Date: May 6, 2008
Publisher: Hyperion
Pages: 392

Goodreads Page

From Goodreads:

Phoebe Kendall is just your typical Goth girl with a crush. He’s strong and silent…and dead.

All over the country, a strange phenomenon is occurring. Some teenagers who die aren't staying dead. But when they come back to life, they are no longer the same. Feared and misunderstood, they are doing their best to blend into a society that doesn’t want them.

The administration at Oakvale High attempts to be more welcoming of the “differently biotic." But the students don’t want to take classes or eat in the cafeteria next to someone who isn’t breathing. And there are no laws that exist to protect the “living impaired” from the people who want them to disappear—for good.

When Phoebe falls for Tommy Williams, the leader of the dead kids, no one can believe it; not her best friend, Margi, and especially not her neighbor, Adam, the star of the football team. Adam has feelings for Phoebe that run much deeper than just friendship; he would do anything for her. But what if protecting Tommy is the one thing that would make her happy?

I’ve been on the fence about this series because, well, I’m having a hard time accepting the idea of attractive zombies. It’s not that I don’t think the dead can’t be hot. Just look at vampires and ghosts. I’m all over them. But zombies? I can’t help but associate them with rotting corpses stupidly shuffling after your brains. So the premise is a little hard for me to swallow, and yet…there’s something that keeps drawing me to these books. I just want to read the first book already so I can stop wondering and just know. Plus, I own a copy of the second book, so it would be nice to read it.

While you are waiting for your books, you can
click here to submit your reviews for the next Review Comparison!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Book Review: Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis

Green Bean Teen Queen hosts a meme on Tuesdays called Tween Tuesday where great books for tweens are featured.

More of my Tween Tuesday posts.

Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis

Release Date: April 5, 2011 US (August 1, 2010 UK)
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Pages: 295
Received: ARC from publisher
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Page

Summary

From Goodreads:

Twelve-year-old Kat Stephenson may be the despair of her social-climbing Step-Mama, but she was born to be a magical Guardian and protector of Society--if she can ever find true acceptance in the secret Order that expelled her own mother.

She’s ready to turn the hidebound Order of the Guardians inside-out, whether the older members like it or not. And in a society where magic is the greatest scandal of all, Kat is determined to use all her powers to help her three older siblings--saintly Elissa, practicing-witch Angeline, and hopelessly foolish Charles--find their own true loves, even if she has to turn highwayman, battle wild magic, and confront real ghosts along the way!

Review

This is the type of book that makes me say words like “delightful” and “charming” in this affected and giggly tone. Readers who liked Marissa Doyle’s Bewitching Season or Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer’s Sorcery and Cecelia will probably love Kat, Incorrigible. Kat has the same upbeat, spunky feel found in these books and is also set in Regency England.

Though a MG book, I can see this book appealing to YA and adult readers as well. Kat is only 12 and so she doesn’t have any romance of her own, but she does act as matchmaker for her two older sisters. Her sisters’ romances were completely heartwarming and satisfying.

Each of the sisters was equally endearing but very different from one another. It is impossible for me to choose which sister I liked the best, though Kat and Angeline are pulling a tiny bit ahead of Elissa. Kat is spunky and always getting herself into trouble (with hilarious commentary about it all). Angeline has a delightfully wicked streak and a take-charge attitude I loved. Elissa is the prim and proper sister who harbors a penchant for the drama and romance of Gothic tales. The interaction between the sisters reminded me of Jeanne Birdsall’s Penderwick sisters (another series I highly recommend!). I hope we continue to see all of the sisters in future installments.

There is a light-hearted streak through the whole book and all of the scenes are laced with this giggly tongue in cheek undercurrent. I was laughing late into the night at both the events of the book and Kat’s hilarious and over the top commentary. I kept reading each scene and thinking, “This is my favorite scene!” only to read a scene a few pages later and think the same thing all over again.

This is the first book in a series, but it can easily be read as a standalone. I really hope Stephanie Burgis runs with this series and makes a bunch of books following Kat as she grows older, gets into more trouble and adventures, and just maybe falls in love.

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key

Challenges this book satisfies:

Looking for something similar? You might like:

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

Monday, April 4, 2011

Cover Crazy: The Julian Game

Cover Crazy is a weekly meme hosted by Tawni at The Book Worms where a beautiful cover is featured each week for all of us to admire. I am going to use my Cover Crazy posts as an opportunity to review a book cover I love or review any cover (even the ones I don't love) from a book I've read. This week's Cover Crazy is for a cover :

The Julian Game by Adele Griffin

Remember this cover? I wrote a book review for The Julian Game a few weeks ago where I also mentioned my initial dislike for this cover. I thought it made the book look too quirky and irritating. I didn’t think it was “my kind of book” at all. So I avoided it based solely on the cover.

Then I had a total Oops Moment where I completely ate my words and ended up loving the book. As a result, I also gained an appreciation for the cover. There are so many elements here that relate to the story, and I always love it when that happens with book covers. I do still think the cover gives off the wrong vibe though.

Look at the blue hair. My initial reaction was, “No.” That’s it. I liked the color, but I do not like those quirky characters who are “off-beat” and “unique” for the sake of being off-beat and unique. That’s what I thought this girl was going to be and I had zero interest in reading about her.

As it turns out, the blue hair is a wig that plays a significant role that is both symbolic and concrete. If I had known the hair was a wig, I would have wondered what the girl was concealing and why. A wig only changes a person’s appearance slightly, so their identity is still there…but altered. In what way is this girl trying to alter herself, and is she successful?

The second thing I initially noticed was her bright green gloves. They really stand out with that color, but her hand position also made me think she was putting them on to “Get down with business.” Her position made me think of a doctor preparing for surgery. Add in the tagline (Play or get played),and all of these elements combine to make me think this girl is up to no good. I’m thinking revenge in a major way.

Only that’s not really what the book is about. Revenge plays a part, but it’s not the central focus of the book. It’s more the impetus that sets the stage for the events in the book than the climax this cover leads me to envision. The main character is not the quirky go-getter spearheading a revenge plot that this girl appears to be.

The gloves, like the wig, do play a significant role in the book, but not at all in the way I assumed. Looking a little deeper, it is the gloves and wig that really stand out. Without these splashes of color, the girl blends into the black and white background. I can’t say too much about this, but the symbolism here is extremely relevant to the book, though it’s something I did not pick up on until after I had read the story.

The final touch here is the title. I’m both shy and live under a rock, so I do not have a Facebook account. Still, my rock lets in enough of the world around me for me to recognize the Facebook-ish font used for the title. This reference, combined with the fact that the title (Facebook) is obscuring her eyes and therefore her identity is hugely relevant. This feature speaks to many of the core issues touched on in the book, though I also completely missed this symbolism until I read the book.

When you see this cover, what do you think the book is about? What are you assumptions about the storyline? What questions does it make you ask? Does it make you want to read it? If you’ve read The Julian Game already, how do your initial impressions of the cover compare with your feelings now that you’ve read the book?

Interested in covers?
Be sure to check out another Cover Crazy post by Gina from My Precious.

Previous Cover Crazy posts:

Immortal

More of my Cover Crazy posts

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Book Review: The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
Release Date: April 26, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 297
Received: ARC from Net Galley
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads Page

Summary

From Goodreads:

It's always been just Kate and her mom--and now her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld--and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy--until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

If she fails...

Review

I read this book quickly for two reasons. The first is Aimee Carter’s easy writing style. I like the way she writes and I felt transported into the world she created. The whole book had a dreamy, fairy-tale feel to it that was especially reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast.

The second reason is because I kept hoping something exciting would happen on the next page, but it didn’t really. Everything moved along at a very even keel for me. I never felt tension, excitement, or anything like that. Even the climax didn’t deviate from this steady level.

You will be tested

The point of the book is that the main character will experience a series of tests and I was looking forward to seeing how these tests would play out. As in all good tests of this nature, the main character never knows when she is being tested and what she is being tested on. The only problem in this case is neither does the reader (or at least this reader!).

I kept waiting for the tests to come but then…nothing. There were a few instances where I suspected something might have been a test, but they lacked impact for me. I don’t want to be beaten over the head with the obvious stick, so I do appreciate the author taking a more subtle approach. Still, I think things were taken beyond “subtle” and into “barely there.” Or maybe I’m just dense. It’s been known to happen.

The nature of the tests, once finally revealed, also didn’t seem to fit very well with the Greek myth aspects. I don’t really see why those tests in particular would be valued by the Greek gods (who weren’t exactly known for their principles) or how they relate to Kate’s eventual job as Hades’ bride.

This is Greek mythology?

One of the reasons I wanted to read this book so badly was because I’m a huge sucker for retellings. I love seeing how an author will twist a classic story while still retaining elements of the original. Part of the fun for me is catching all of the references to the original.

I am not an expert in Greek mythology, but I do have a passing familiarity with most of the major myths. Even with that, I had a very difficult time identifying many references. There were a few, but there weren’t nearly as many as I would have liked.

A bunch of the major gods and goddesses go “undercover” for the majority of the story. I liked this idea, but it is again done so subtly that there is very little connection between the characters and their mythological counterparts. I even peeked at the back to see which characters were supposed to represent each god, and I still had a hard time seeing the connections. I also don’t really think the characters’ personalities matched the personalities of the Greek gods and goddesses very well. Some did, sort of, but very loosely.

Cry me a river

Aside from the tests and the myth references, I wanted to read this book because of Hades. I love the bad boy, and for that can you get any better than Hades, god of the underworld? I think not. And yet, this Hades didn’t even have a shred of bad boy in him.

Instead of Bad Boy we get Sensitive Boy. Readers who like a male lead who is sad, sensitive, and meek and needs to be taken care of by the female lead will probably like Henry (Hades). If you like Sam from Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver then you’ll probably like Henry. I don’t like that kind of character, much preferring the strong Alpha male, so Henry just bored and frustrated me.

Both Henry and Kate struck me as bland. They were both so wrapped up in their own melancholy and for me that dragged down the story. I didn’t like either of them because they were both so depressing. The reasons for their melancholy do play an important part in the story, but it served more to distance me from the characters. Their apathy dragged on for far too long, especially Henry’s.

Kate was better and definitely did develop more drive as the book progressed, but I still had a hard time connecting with her. Her motivation primarily stems from her love of Henry, but because I didn’t love him I had a hard time figuring out why Kate cared so much. It just seemed like she was shifting her dependence from her mother to Henry. Her total absorption into their plights allowed her to put her own life completely on hold to the point that she seemed like a shell of a person to me. She felt like a doormat, always living for everyone but herself. I’m sure this is supposed to make her seem kind and generous, but to me it just made it difficult to respect her.

Where do we go from here?

Extremely mild spoiler:

The ending bothered me. I don’t like how things were resolved between Kate and her mother. I also don’t like the possible love triangle the very last chapter seems to be setting up. To me, that undermines the already unbelievable romance the entire book revolved around.

This is the first book in a projected trilogy, but it ends pretty well on its own. I think this would have been much better as a standalone book than trying to stretch it into a trilogy. The story feels complete here, though I don’t think it’s fair of me to make any final judgments on this until I’ve read the other books.

At this point I may read the rest of the trilogy, or I may not. This wasn’t a bad book, but I don’t really feel a burning desire to read more. I feel disappointed because of my expectations, but otherwise I just feel neutral. There is a good foundation here though, and I did like her writing style. While I’m not sure about continuing on with this series, I would probably read another non-Goddess Test book by Aimee Carter.

FYI note: Various characters have sex, though it is never graphic.

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key

Read another review for The Goddess Test at

A Girl, Books and Other Things!

This book satisfies the following challenges:

Looking for more mythological books? You might like:

The Everworld series by K. A. Applegate

Friday, April 1, 2011

Recap 3/26 to 4/1

In case you missed anything, here's a recap of what was posted Saturday, March 26th through Friday, April 1st.

Small News

We've had another death in the family this week, so if you have noticed a decline in my commenting recently that is why. The funeral is today and so I probably won't be commenting today or much of this weekend. Luckily Google Reader will ensure that I won't miss reading any of your posts!

Reviews

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
Where I Want to Be by Adele Griffin
Cover review: The House of Dead Maids

(Click on the links to go to my reviews)

Memes

In My Mailbox

Cover Crazy

Waiting on Wednesday

Features

Review Comparison Submissions
Still open!

Spotlight: Time Travel

What's Your Status?

A meme created by Zakiya from Butterfly Feet Walking on Life where we recap our reading week. Feel free to visit her site and link up your own What's Your Status Posts. Here's how my week went:

Finished