Review: Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini (Inheritance Cycle #4)

November 2011, Random House Children’s Books

Young Adult fantasy

Not so very long ago, Eragon—Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider—was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.

Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chances.

The Rider and his dragon have come further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?

This is the much-anticipated, astonishing conclusion to the worldwide bestselling Inheritance cycle.

What a long journey the Inheritance Cycle has been! From the first book about a poor 15-year-old farm boy to this final volume about a mighty Dragon Rider, the series has undeniably developed and matured along with its protagonist. I’ve been reading this series since I was about eleven years old, and I felt an acute sense of nostalgia as old characters and locations were revisited. The nostalgia wasn’t always entirely welcome, however: the long, arduous descriptions found throughout the series haven’t lessened in Inheritance, and neither have the meticulous political arrangements that are unlikely to fascinate the average reader.

Christopher Paolini is an excellent writer. For the majority of the book, though, I felt this talent was a bit overused. For the first six hundred pages or so, the vivid descriptions of people, landscapes, mental states, weather conditions, and nearly everything else were an inescapable impediment to the action and flow of the story. This, in turn, made me a thoroughly disengaged reader for the majority of the book, and was in part why it took me several months to plow my way through the novel. The overuse of description and slightly heavy-handed plot set-up are my only real complaints about Inheritance.

Once the action really gets going, as the plot nears its climax, Inheritance improves immensely. The heart-pounding action and suspense really kept the pages turning for me as the final confrontation grew near. Paolini’s characters are, as always, delightfully varied and skillfully painted, from the haunting witch child Elva to the despicable King Galbatorix himself. The world of Alagaësia is enthralling, and it’s clear that Paolini put much time and effort into its development. It’s world-building at its best, and the sort that I aspire to.

Most fans of the Inheritance Cycle have probably already readInheritance and are “tsk-tsk”-ing behind their computer screens at my slowness. Fans of high fantasy who haven’t started this series yet should definitely try it. It’s a difficult-at-times but rewarding reading experience.

Overall Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: The Hunger Games, the Movie

I really need to come up with a standard review format for films. I have it for books. What do people put in movie reviews? The director? The actors? The rating? Well, here’s a pretty picture, then I’ll get on with it.

The book is always better than the movie. This saying, common among us reader-types, holds true for The Hunger Games. The book was very good and made an important, needed commentary on our society and how it regards youth. The film did a commendable job as an adaptation of the book, and, as just a movie, was excellent. With the months of hype leading up to the actual release, we had very high hopes. No movie could possibly live up to the expectations of the hard-core fans, so there was bound to be some disappointment. I was much less disappointed than I thought I was going to be.

For the most part, I agreed with the casting. Jennifer Lawrence, who fills the main role as Katniss Everdeen, is an extremely talented actress and conveyed Katniss perfectly. My only argument with Lawrence is her physical appearance: obviously older than the heroine’s supposed age of sixteen and lacking the malnourished edge fans of the book would expect. Josh Hutcherson portrays Peeta well, and Liam Hemsworth, though we hardly get to see him, is outstanding as Gale. The vast majority of the supporting actors are quite suited to their roles.

I felt that, up until the Hunger Games themselves started, the film was fast-paced to the point of rushed. We hardly got to meet the other tributes to the Games and got little sense of Katniss’s life back home in District Twelve. The movie gets the main points across, however: District Twelve is poor, the Capital is decadent and wealthy, there’s a range of ability among the Tributes, and the Capital somehow refuses to see how brutal the killing game is and is only entertained.

Once Katniss and Peeta are thrust into the arena with the twenty-two other teenage tributes, the action starts and hardly lets up. My heart hammered through the fighting, and it was hard to remind myself that I knew the outcome. The “Cave Scene,” somewhat infamous among fans, is one of the only lulls, and was handled masterfully by Lawrence and Hutcherson.

Overall, this is a film worth seeing even if you haven’t read the books. It might be slightly hard to get into if you’re not familiar with the story, though, so I do recommend reading at least Book One in advance.

Overall Rating: 4 stars

Review: A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray (Gemma Doyle Trilogy #1)

December 2003, Random House Children’s Books

Young Adult fantasy

It’s 1895, and after the suicide of her mother, 16-year-old Gemma Doyle is shipped off from the life she knows in India to Spence, a proper boarding school in England. Lonely, guilt-ridden, and prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true, Gemma’s reception there is a chilly one. To make things worse, she’s been followed by a mysterious young Indian man, a man sent to watch her. But why? What is her destiny? And what will her entanglement with Spence’s most powerful girls—and their foray into the spiritual world—lead to?

I adored Libba Bray’s most recent novel, Beauty Queens, so it’s a wonder I haven’t read the Gemma Doyle Trilogy, for which Bray is better known, before now. I’m sorry I’ve waited so long. This book is, simply put, utterly flawless.

A Great and Terrible Beauty starts off with a scene the majority of the readership will be able to relate to: a mother-daughter dispute. From there the story takes off and refuses to slow. Bray sets the scene vividly and shows sharp contrast between the three main settings, India, England, and the spiritual realms. Most of the characters started off as simple, but as I got to know them better through Gemma’s eyes, new layers of complexity were added and I found myself deeply invested.

Bray is known for confronting issues prevalent in her adolescent audience head-on in her writings, and this book is no exception. Things as light as high-school politics to as heavy as self-mutilation are seamlessly touched on, but I especially noticed Bray’s inclusion of girls’ budding sexualities in a society where showing one’s ankles is considered scandalous. Readers will undoubtably see portions of themselves reflected in the characters and perhaps even find comfort.

A Great and Terrible Beauty is dark, adventurous, romantic, fantastical–there’s something for everyone here. It’s consistently well-written and believable; it’s not particularly difficult to read–the thoroughly engaging plot forbids that–yet is anything but mind candy. I can’t wait to get on with this series, and, as an added bonus, there seems to be a movie planned for 2015 release. This book is a must-read.

Rating: 5 stars

 

Review: Mastiff by Tamora Pierce

Mastiff by Tamora Pierce (The Beka Cooper Trilogy, #3)

October 2011, Random House Children’s Books

Young Adult fantasy

Three years have passed since Beka Cooper almost died in the sewers of Port Caynn, and she is now a respected member of the Provost’s Guard. But her life takes an unexpected turn when her fiancé is killed on a slave raid. Beka is faced with a mixture of emotions as, unbeknownst to many, she was about to call the engagement off.

It is as Beka is facing these feelings that Lord Gershom appears at her door. Within hours, Beka; her partner, Tunstall; her scent hound, Achoo; and an unusual but powerful mage are working on an extremely secretive case that threatens the future of the Tortallan royal family, and therefore the entire Tortallan government. As Beka delves deeper into the motivations of the criminals she now Hunts, she learns of deep-seated political dissatisfaction, betrayal, and corruption. These are people with power, money, and influence. They are able to hire the most skilled of mages, well versed in the darkest forms of magic. And they are nearly impossible to identify.

This case–a Hunt that will take her to places she’s never been–will challenge Beka’s tracking skills beyond the city walls, as well as her ability to judge exactly whom she can trust with her life and her country’s future.

 Let me start off by saying that Book One of this series, Terrier, is one of my all-time favorites. It was exemplary in characters, action, and plot. Beka was ineffably believable in this volume, along with the rest of the cast. Things only went downhill a little in Bloodhound, as the plot got a bit less intriguing, but it was still an excellent book. In Mastiff, most of all the wonderful things about Terrier are lost. Beka seems an entirely different person, changed so much over three years that she is not at all recognizable as the shy but street-smart Lower City trainee of the first book.

The plot is well laid in Mastiff, and once all the pieces are put together, the horrible truth does make sense. However, the story is grandiose to the point of being obnoxious: instead of tracking down kidnappers and counterfeiters in cases staying within city walls, Beka gallops across the realm, dealing with various noble houses and overall getting involved in things much bigger than she is. This sort of story may appeal to many, but it’s jarringly different from the first two books of the series. It might have been more tolerable for me if it had moved along a bit faster–it wasn’t until the final hundred pages or so that I began reading at more than a snail’s pace.

Beka wasn’t the only character who changed in this book. Favorites from prior volumes, such as the classic trio of “rushers,” Aniki, Kora, and Rosto, were all but nonexistent in Mastiff. As Beka expands her horizons, the wonderful world of the Lower City created in Terrier disappears in readers’ sights. It was, frankly, depressing, and the final pages left me discontented and disappointed.

Tamora Pierce, however, continues using her well-earned trademarks of strong female protagonists, intricate plots, and scrupulous description in Mastiff. Glimpses of Beka’s former life are breaths of fresh air throughout the story. Call me an old softy, but Pierce could have done better to stick with the Corus area and her fantastic older characters throughout this otherwise wonderful series.

Rating: 3 stars

Review: City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare (Mortal Instruments #2)

March 2008, Margaret K. McElderry Books

Young Adult urban fantasy

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what’s normal when you’re a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who’s becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn’t ready to let her go—especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary’s only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil—and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings—and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

As I continue on my quest to read the Mortal Instruments series in its entirety before the movie, slated for release in 2012, comes out, it’s fairly easy for me to see where this story is going. This isn’t entirely a bad thing: I can be a big believer in the classic storyline. Cassandra Clare’s true talent doesn’t lie in the realm of creating a storyline, but in the crucial ability to draw readers in. Clare has created a rich and addictive New York underworld that can be very hard to leave; it’s fully a sensory experience, replete with intriguing detail.

Clare continues to create strong characters to inhabit this world. Clary still isn’t one of my favorites, but everyone else is fantastic. The variety of supernatural creatures is astonishing, from grotesque demons to the elegant fey, with a few of our beloved vampires and werewolves thrown in the mix. (Have I mentioned how relieved I am that these vamps don’t sparkle?)

There’s plenty of action in City of Ashes, and this volume certainly has its fair share of angst. It isn’t markedly different from the first book in this series, but expands on the same themes, adding a few welcome new characters and subplots. This isn’t an extraordinary series, but one worth reading; I’ll be looking forward to reading Book Three.

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Lovesick by Tonya Hurley

Lovesick by Tonya Hurley (Ghostgirl #3)

July 2010, Little, Brown & Company

Young Adult paranormal romance

Before she can rest in peace, Charlotte Usher must return to the tragic site of her death: high school. She still has one last assignment to complete, but no one explained what happens if you fall in love with your class project.

Charlotte would die (again) for love. But when her only chance at an afterlife means having to face the dreaded, all-too-familiar pains of being invisible, it may be too much for her to withstand.

The Ghostgirl books are not easily forgettable. The first one, simply entitled Ghostgirl, made a strong impact on me–I’d even go so far as to say it changed my life. Twilight this isn’t. I feel guilty about slapping the “paranormal romance” label on it, because this, along with the previous two in the series, is a well-written, at times satirical, and carefully planned book that could be enjoyed by all sorts of teens and adults. And think of all the stigma attached to the genre! This is one of the best examples of it, and one that stubbornly refuses to become a franchise. It should be more well-known than it is.

Tonya Hurley knows how to manipulate readers’ emotions. If you’ve read books one and two, Lovesick will wrench you heart, threaten to rip it in two, and leave it in a bittersweet state once the book is closed. Over the course of the series, I grew to care so deeply about Charlotte and her human best friend, Scarlet, and seeing them both change from the forms I met them in was a bit painful. And Petula–the trendsetting prom queen we’ve all grown to deliciously despise–will definitely surprise fans.

(If said fans haven’t read it already, that is. I waited for this one to come out in paperback. Ahem.)

Hurley continues to meet her standards of smart, sharp, and mostly realistic dialogue, excellent scene-setting description, and vivid characterization. The book’s beautiful design in both paperback and hardcover editions will draw old and new readers in–but please, if you’re just getting into the series, start at the beginning. It’ll only confuse you, and going in without any background will take away half of the experience.

I will admit that the plot gets a little repetitive in Lovesick; the same thing happened with book two, Homecoming. I didn’t care too much, though. This is, overall, a great installment in this fascinating series, which, if the closure–The end?–is to be believed, will be as infinite as any afterlife, whether Hurley continues to write it or not.

Rating: 4 stars

Review: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (Mortal Instruments #1)

April 2007, Margaret K. McElderry Books

Young Adult urban fantasy

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder—much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing—not even a smear of blood—to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .

Finally, I get around to reading something out of the Mortal Instruments series. Am I ever glad I did. While not (yet, anyway) in the league of the absolute best books I’ve ever read, City of Bones is definitely high on the list. This is a gritty, tough, and refreshing urban fantasy that surely will appeal to readers across genres. The story starts out strong and doesn’t let up, leaving readers with plenty of loose threads to be picked up in the sequel, City of Ashes.

The vast majority of characters were fantastic. I liked them all, except Clary. Well, it’s not really that I didn’t like her, just that I didn’t make that connection to her that readers forge with excellent protagonists. She seemed slightly flat to me, or perhaps so multidimensional that it was difficult to comprehend her. All the others, though, were very well-developed and believable. I loved Jace–such an adorable jerk. The Lightwoods were awesome, and I hope to see more of them in future volumes. (Or volumes that are already out and my slowpoke self is just getting around to, more accurately.)

Clare really puts readers through the loop with numerous, hugely unexpected plot twists. It made me both nervous and excited to see which established story paradigm would be shattered or added to next. The action is fast-moving and just gory enough to give an edge and element of horror to the story.

That’s another one of this book’s strong suits: its ability to transcend genres while still keeping a firm footing in urban fantasy. Action-adventure, horror, and romance fans will all find something to appreciate here, right along with the fantasy junkies. The cover may look like a wacked-out Avon romance (you know that it’s the same buff, shirtless guy, plus Shadowhunter tattoos), and the description may seem like just another trendy YA, but the stuff in the middle–the actual story–is much richer than any of it.

Rating: 4 stars

 

Zombies Vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier

Zombies Vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier

Margaret K. McElderry Books, September 2010

Young Adult fantasy, short stories

It is a question that has long been debated (well, since 2007): Which is better, the zombie or the unicorn? Finally, this argument will be decided.

Zombies are lovers and fierce warriors, hunters of the living and just plain cool.

Unicorns are sparkly, pastel, and fart rainbows. But they’re also arbiters of justice, healers and vicious man-killers.

Ultimately, the decision rests with you—which side are you on?

Offbeat, funky, and totally epic–that’s Zombies Vs. Unicorns. Any fan of fantasy, science fiction, and horror will devour this collection, which comprises short stories by such diverse and talented authors as Libba Bray, Scott Westerfeld, and Cassandra Clare. I had at least two dork-out moments during each of the twelve short stories included in this collection, and I wanted it to go on and on. I was bereft when I finally finished the last piece, “Prom Night,” by the great Libba Bray herself. I’m definitely holding on to this book for re-reading.

I have little to no argument with the anthology as a whole, and certainly not with any of the short stories when taken individually. It’s impossible to pick a favorite, though standouts include Scott Westerfeld’s “Inoculata” and “The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn” by Diana Peterfreund. It would take a very cold person to not enjoy this book. I can easily see this unfortunately underrated anthology going on to become a cult classic.

Of course, what it all boils down to is, which is better, zombies or unicorns? I thought that by the end of all the stories, I’d be able to easily say which team I’m on. It’s been quite a while now, and it was an extremely difficult decision, but I think, when all’s said and done, I’m on…

Rating: 5 stars

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Entwined by Heather Dixon

March 2011, HarperCollins Publishers

Young Adult fantasy

 

 

Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her . . . beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing . . . it’s taken away. All of it.

The Keeper understands. He’s trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.

Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.

But there is a cost.

The Keeper likes to keep things.

Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

 Entwined is a beautiful book: beautiful design, beautiful concept, beautifully written. Heather Dixon is an excellent storyteller, and her re-imagining of the classic Grimm’s fairy tale “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” is at once lovely and disturbing. Don’t let the lovely float-y dress on the cover fool you: this is can be an extremely dark book, besides the seemingly innocent premise of an old enchanted palace and twelve sisters who live to dance. Yes, there is the occasional scene of fluffiness, but after reading I saw how effective these were at contrasting the sisters’ lives before and after their mother’s death and their discovery of the Keeper’s pavilion.

I adored all the characters, from the princesses to their various gentlemen suitors, to the dark and handsome Keeper. Every one was believable and either loveable or hate-able, depending on which side he or she was on. Dixon did an admirable job of fleshing out the flat characters of the original fairy tale. That’s one of my favorite aspects of the fairy tale or myth retelling– being able to expand on old stories and characters that have that spark but leave lots of questions hanging.

My other favorite aspect about fairy tale retellings is the author’s ability to give a feminist turn to the stories, something that I don’t think Dixon did such a good job at. How many times can Azalea swoon? And why is it the gentlemen who ride in on their charging horses and sweep the princesses off their feet– literally and figuratively– with their bravery and prowess? I would have liked to see a lot more “girl power” in Entwined. Bramble was my favorite character in this division, and I don’t think anyone gave her enough credit for her spunk, sass, and get-‘er-done attitude.

Entwined effectively combines the dark and romantic (about that–did anyone who has read this book find it odd that, at the end, Azalea still refers to Mr. Bradford as…Mr. Bradford? Do we even know his first name?) for a satisfying read. I only wish that Azalea hadn’t fainted more than once. Blame it on the corsets, but if she were a truly strong character, she would have rebelled and gone without the troublesome things.

Rating: 4 stars

Abandon by Meg Cabot

Abandon by Meg Cabot (Abandon Trilogy #1)

April 2011, Scholastic, Inc.

Young Adult fantasy

New from #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot, a dark, fantastical story about this world . . . and the underworld.

Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can’t help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she’s never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

But now she’s moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid.

Only she can’t. Because even here, he finds her. That’s how desperately he wants her back. She knows he’s no guardian angel, and his dark world isn’t exactly heaven, yet she can’t stay away . . . especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.

Meg Cabot never fails to amaze me. Abandon is, in the vernacular of the peasantry, freakin’ awesome.

This book has everything you’d wish for in a YA fantasy: mystery, death and darkness, romance, and a fresh spin on old themes that never tire out. The Abandon Trilogy is, in the words of the publisher blurb, “The myth of Persephone…darkly reimagined.” So far, I can certainly see parallels between Persephone and Pierce, but the character of Death– his name is actually John– reminds me more of the macabre English Romantic tales of the likes of Edgar Allan Poe than of classic mythology’s Hades. I sense a spoiler coming on if I continue on this thread, so allow me to break off by saying that Abandon will appeal to both classics lovers and Poe fans.

I loved the descriptions of Isla Huesos (a Floridian island apparently based on Key West), the setting of Abandon. That cemetery was downright spooky! It makes me wish I’d read this book closer to Halloween, as it would have been quite appropriate– so if you’re reading this review and mentally adding Abandon to your To-Be-Read stack, I’d put it on hold until October. You’ll be glad you did, as the thrills and chills should go right along with the season.

I only have one teensy bone to pick with Abandon, and it should in no way be blamed on Meg Cabot: the cover. Why is Pierce just lying there, limp, waiting to be rescued? The only time she actually does that in the book is when she was more than half-dead at the bottom of the swimming pool, and I don’t see any water on the cover. Pierce is a strong heroine, and the cover makes her seem like a first-class damsel in distress.

Besides the cover issue, Abandon is basically flawless– a must-read.

Rating: 5 stars