Book Review: Clariel by Garth Nix

Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen by Garth Nix
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: October 2014
Pages: 400
Source: e-book from Edelweiss
For: Review
Series: Old Kingdom, Prequel

Summary from goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old Clariel is not adjusting well to her new life in the city of Belisaere, the capital of the Old Kingdom. She misses roaming freely within the forests of Estwael, and she feels trapped within the stone city walls. And in Belisaere she is forced to follow the plans, plots and demands of everyone, from her parents to her maid, to the sinister Guildmaster Kilp. Clariel can see her freedom slipping away. It seems too that the city itself is descending into chaos, as the ancient rules binding Abhorsen, King and Clayr appear to be disintegrating.

With the discovery of a dangerous Free Magic creature loose in the city, Clariel is given the chance both to prove her worth and make her escape. But events spin rapidly out of control. Clariel finds herself more trapped than ever, until help comes from an unlikely source. But the help comes at a terrible cost. Clariel must question the motivations and secret hearts of everyone around her - and it is herself she must question most of all.

Things I Liked:
Finally!  And I've forgotten pretty much everything about Sabriel and crew.  This book made me want to go reread all of those.  But I still fell into the whole world all over again.  I loved seeing the history of the abhorsens.  I loved the characters, though they had kind of an inevitable choices feel to them.  Like they would end up one way and there was no way it could be different.  Fated? I don't know.  It was a sad story.  I adore the magic and the way things are set up, even if I did pretty much forget everything I'd learned about the charter from before.  Such a great series.

Things I Didn't Like:
It was rather long and had a lot of extraneous detail, sometimes.  Also, very slow building.  Still, very well-written and hard to not enjoy :)

Read-alikes:
Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen by Garth nix

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none
that I recall :)

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->->
some

Overall rating: ****

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Bloggiesta Wrap Up

Is bloggiesta over already? Man, that was a fast week.  I did pretty well with my goals, though I got kind of burned out by a crazy week from about...Wednesday on.  I did accomplish a few things: I've written and formatted a number of reviews, but really, considering I have 40+ titles waiting to be reviewed...well, I don't think I made much of a dent.  Here's the list of what I did do:

Updated Author and Title review archive pages
Wrote some reviews (not caught up, but pounded out some)
Cleaned up side bars
I also did a little bit from Ms. Bookish's mini-challenge to brainstorm blog post ideas (not the full challenge, but I made a short list)

I seriously can't believe I didn't make it to a single twitter chat! I really wanted to, but every time I planned to, I got busy with my daughter (she's rather a handful right now, which makes it hard to tweet and watch her :)

The new spokesperson for Ally Carter's books :)

Anyway, I loved having a whole week to work on it, because there were some days where I honestly didn't have the energy or time to sit down and work on it.  But there were still days where I could.  Nice! How did your bloggiesta go?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw by Christopher Healy

The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw by Christopher Healy
Publisher: Walden Pond Press
Publication date: April 2014
Pages: 528
Source: Won from publisher!
For: Fun!
Series: League of Princes, Book 3

Summary from goodreads:

Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You think you know those guys pretty well by now, don't you? Well, think again. Posters plastered across the thirteen kingdoms are saying that Briar Rose has been murdered—and the four Princes Charming are the prime suspects. Now they're on the run in a desperate attempt to clear their names. Along the way, however, they discover that Briar's murder is just one part of a nefarious plot to take control of all thirteen kingdoms—a plot that will lead to the doorstep of an eerily familiar fortress for a final showdown with an eerily familiar enemy.

Things I Liked:
Ah, the League of Princes is at it again. Only on the wrong side of the law. And I just still love all the hilarious mix-ups and shenanigans that go on.  Healy is a hilarious writer and I will read anything that he puts out.  It's so relaxing to just read something light, frivolous, and fun.  Also, happy endings are not exactly as you'd expect!

Things I Didn't Like:
Nothing! Need more. A book of tales about Sir Bertram the Dainty perhaps?

Read-alikes:
Reminds me of Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris
Maybe a bit like A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none

Overall rating: *****

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: The Vault of Dreamers by Caragh M. O'Brien

The Vault of Dreamers by Caragh M. O'Brien
Publisher: Roaring Press Books
Publication date: September 2014
Pages: 432
Source: e-book from Netgalley
For: Fun
Series: Vault of Dreamers, Book 1

Summary from goodreads:

The Forge School is the most prestigious arts school in the country. The secret to its success:  every moment of the students' lives is televised as part of the insanely popular Forge Show, and the students' schedule includes twelve hours of induced sleep meant to enhance creativity. But when first year student Rosie Sinclair skips her sleeping pill, she discovers there is something off about Forge. In fact, she suspects that there are sinister things going on deep below the reaches of the cameras in the school. What's worse is, she starts to notice that the edges of her consciousness do not feel quite right. And soon, she unearths the ghastly secret that the Forge School is hiding—and what it truly means to dream there.

Things I Liked:
Intersting premise - I thought the idea of a reality TV show about students was quite believable - (so many reality TV shows on now).  I also liked the sinister feeling of how it progressed and how Rosie wondered about things and then found out about them.  It made a slow steady change from reality TV drama to disturbing psychological drama.  Also, weirdest. Ending. Ever.

Things I Didn't Like:
Seriously, the ending. I was wondering how on earth O'Brien was going to wrap the story up, because it was really interesting.  But the ending was just so out there.  It seemed really strange and almost disconnected to the whole previous story.  I'm baffled.  I guess there will probably be sequels? I thought it would be better as a stand alone, if a weirdly ending one. Not sure how interested in sequels I am right now.

Read-alikes:
Uh...maybe a touch like Variant by Robison Wells

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
to be honest, I don't remember there being a lot, but probably some :)

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->
more creepy than gory

Overall rating: ** or ***

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White

Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: September 2014
Pages: 288
Source: e-book from Edelweiss
For: Review

Summary from goodreads:

Jessamin has been an outcast since she moved from her island home of Melei to the dreary country of Albion. Everything changes when she meets Finn, a gorgeous, enigmatic young lord who introduces her to the secret world of Albion’s nobility, a world that has everything Jessamin doesn’t—power, money, status…and magic. But Finn has secrets of his own, dangerous secrets that the vicious Lord Downpike will do anything to possess. Unless Jessamin, armed only with her wits and her determination, can stop him.

Things I Liked:
This book was really entertaining.  I LOVED our heroine, Jessamin.  I loved how she was different in her world, from somewhere outside, but White kept her from being stereotypically an outsider.  She reminded me of Nimira from Magic Under Glass, except Jessamin was smarter, stronger, and so different from what you expect.  I really liked the magic in the story and I loved that it's a stand alone.  The love story was good too, if a bit hard to believe. Mostly, I found the magic system and story to be quite fascinating and the characters exhibited my favorite Kiersten White banter.  Enjoyed it all around!

Things I Didn't Like:
Hm, not sure I can remember.  I just quite liked it.

Read-alikes:
Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
some

mrg-factor: none
just some kissing

v-factor: ->
a little bit

Overall rating: ****

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Bloggiesta!

Oh how I've missed participating in Bloggiesta! It's been three years?!?  How time flies when you aren't updating your blog :).  If you've no idea what Bloggiesta is, click on that link and find out!  Anyway, I'm so far behind in blog upkeep that a whole week wouldn't be sufficient even if I did have a week's worth of time.  But, maybe with some encouragement and participation in the blogging world again, I'll get some stuff done.  With that long and exceedingly drawn-out intro, here's my list:

Update Author and Title pages (sadly neglected)
Catch up on writing reviews (yep, still doing last year's books)
Maybe give my blog header some updating? (Meh, probably not - I'm not feeling inspired)
Clean up side bars (wow, some of that stuff is seriously outdated) As good as it will get :)

Write or brainstorm some non-review type posts

Well, it's not a long list, but I assure you there is enough work in there.  Participating in Bloggiesta? What are you excited to work on this week?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden by Philippa Dowding

A Karissa Review

The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden by Philippa Dowding
Publisher: Dundurn
Publication date: January 2014
Pages: 200

Summary (from goodreads):

This morning, I woke up on the ceiling ... So begins the strange story of Gwendolyn Golden. One perfectly ordinary day for no apparent reason, she wakes up floating around her room like one of her little brother’s Batman balloons. Puberty is weird enough. Everyone already thinks she’s an oddball with anger issues because her father vanished in a mysterious storm one night when she was six. Then there are the mean, false rumours people are spreading about her at school. On top of all that, now she’s a flying freak.
How can she tell her best friend or her mother? How can she live her life? After Gwendolyn almost meets disaster flying too high and too fast one night, help arrives from the most unexpected place. And stranger still? She’s not alone.

Things I Liked:
The idea of this book is a cool one. I like that it keeps to reality – what it’s like to fly in a world of non-flyers. I liked the main character, Gwennie – she’s a solid character. I loved her best friend Jez, and her flying mentor, Mrs. Forest.

Things I Didn't Like:
I didn’t like the overall incomplete feel of the book. Towards the end, you realize the author is setting up a second book for the character, but I was very frustrated, because she didn’t do it well. It’s funny, in the book, Gwennie mentions reading the Harry Potter books, and I have to make an unfortunate comparison to them. One of the reasons Harry Potter was so successful was because of the completeness of each book. You are fully immersed in that world, and each book can stand alone. It has a solid beginning, middle, and end. You want more books because of the fullness of the world Rowling created, not because she leaves you hanging at the end of each one.  This book is not like that. It almost feels like the author should have spent more time on it. The first 2/3 of the book is very reality based, and then kind of suddenly in the last 1/3 it veers off into more fantasy-ish.

Read-alikes:
Abby Carnelia’s One and Only Power by David Pogue (a much more satisfying and fun read)
Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements (A really solid, powerful book)
(Both of these would get an Overall Rating of: ****)

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none

Overall rating: **

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Top Ten Books for Readers Who Like Retellings

 Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

It's been ages since I've done a Top Ten Tuesday and I've really missed doing the lists.  It's no secret I'm a fan of retellings, so I thought I'd come up with a top ten.  Then, I realized I had too many faves, so I decided to cheat and separate fairy tale retellings from classic retellings.

Top Ten Twelve Fairy Tale Retellings:
League of Princes series by Christopher Healy (multiple tales)
Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer (multiple tales)
Entwined by Heather Dixon (12 Dancing Princesses)
Woodcutter Sisters series by Alethea Kontis (multiple tales)
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier (12 Dancing Princesses, Frog Prince)
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge (Beauty and the Beast)
A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce (Rumplestiltskin)
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George (East of the Sun)
Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier (Six Swans)
Thornspell by Helen Lowe (Sleeping Beauty)
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale (Maid Maleen)
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (The Goose Girl)
  
Top Ten Classic Retellings:
The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein series by Kenneth Oppel (Frankenstein)
For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund (Persuasion)
Dodger by Terry Pratchett (Oliver Twist)
The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King (Sherlock)
Scarlet by A.C. Gaughan (Robin Hood)
The Dark is Rising sequence by Susan Cooper (King Arthur)
The Once and Future King by T.H. White (King Arthur)
Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis (Cupid and Psyche)
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan (Greek mythology)
The Actual & Truthful Adventures of Becky Thatcher by Jessica Lawson (Tom Sawyer)

What are your favorite retellings?

 

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Series Review: The Selection Series by Kiera Cass

The Selection, The Elite, and The One by Kiera Cass
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication dates: 2012-2014
Source: Library
For: Book Group
Series: The Selection, Books 1-3

Summary (from yours truly, for a change):
In a world where castes rule the choices of career and love for many people, America Singer gets the chance of a lifetime - to vie against 34 other girls for the hand of Prince Maxon.  If only she had wanted that chance.  Already in love, she isn't interested in winning his hand.  Or is she?

Things I Liked:
The whole series is nice, easy to read, fluffy and entertaining.  It's not the kind of story that grips you, exactly, but I felt like I needed to read the series to the bitter end. (But not really the next books...).  I have to admit, it is somewhat fascinating reading about bachelor-style romances.  The very idea of them is so stupid, but it's dreadfully entertaining to watch them cat fight. 

Things I Didn't Like:
The last two books (in the original trilogy, don't get me started on more sequels) really annoyed me. I wanted to smack America over and over.  She just kept saying she needed to decide and then saying she would worry about it later.  No wonder you ended up with problems, girl.  You can't put that kind of stuff off forever.  Seriously, she was super naive and the books were all super predictable.  I almost had the entire ending figured out by the end of the first book.  And I really, really hated the love triangle disaster.  That was prolonged until I wanted to beat my head against a wall.  So why did I keep reading?  Entertainment. 

Read-alikes:
Eh, I don't know.

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
there might have been a few

mrg-factor: X
mostly snuggling and making out and such

v-factor: ->
some scary stuff and people die but very mildly described

Overall rating: ** or ***

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer

The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication date: April 2005
Pages: 352
Source: Library
For: Fun
Series: Artemis Fowl, Book 4

Summary from goodreads:

The evil pixie Opal Koboi has spent the last year in a self-induced coma, plotting her revenge on all those who foiled her attempt to destroy the LEPrecon fairy police. And Artemis Fowl is at the top of her list.

After his last run-in with the fairies, Artemis had his mind wiped of his memories of the world belowground. But they have not forgotten about him. Once again, he must stop the human and fairy worlds from colliding—only this time, Artemis faces an enemy who may have finally outsmarted him.

Things I Liked:
I really like the world Colfer has created.  The hilarious tongue-in-cheek and yet taking-themselves-seriously characters and just the whole idea of an underground world of fairies is so fantastic! And Mulch Diggums!  This is fabulous, witty, fun fantasy at its best.  I love the wicked plotter Opal and I love how Artemis is still an evil mastermind, but might be growing a conscience.

Things I Didn't Like:
Hm, not sure.  I just enjoyed the ride.

Read-alikes:
It's a bit of a young, silly Harry Potter read to me

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none

Overall rating: ****

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage