Showing posts with label Dark. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dark. Show all posts

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Inland

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Inland by Kat Rosenfield

Callie Morgan has long lived choked by the failure of her own lungs, the result of an elusive pulmonary illness that has plagued her since childhood. A childhood marked early by the drowning death of her mother—a death to which Callie was the sole witness. Her father has moved them inland, away from the memories of the California coast her mother loved so much and toward promises of recovery—and the escape of denial—in arid, landlocked air.

But after years of running away, the promise of a life-changing job for her father brings Callie and him back to the coast, to Florida, where Callie’s symptoms miraculously disappear. For once, life seems delightfully normal. But the ocean’s edge offers more than healing air … it holds a magnetic pull, drawing Callie closer and closer to the chilly, watery embrace that claimed her mother. Returned to the ocean, Callie comes of age and comes into a family destiny that holds generations of secrets and very few happy endings. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

 I was completely drawn in to Rosenfield's Amelia Anne Is Dead and Gone, and had high hopes for the creeping horror in this novel, many of which were met. The prose was gorgeous. Callie's family mysteries were intriguing. The romance was mostly sweet and believable while not overwhelming the plot. I loved the ambiguity of Callie's condition- is she really ill, or is she some depth-dwelling horor-beast with gills?? 

Unfortunately, that's exactly where this book lost me. I really can't blame Rosenfield. It's not her fault that I'm so much more likely to believe, and be interested in, a fantasy plotline than a mental illness one. A book can drop all the hints it wants that the narrator is unreliable and likely disturbed- I'll still root for them being a mermaid or visited by fairies.

 (One exception to this rule is Caitlin R. Kiernan, but I think that's because she writes about people encountering supernatural occurrences while also battling depression or schizophrenia, all with a deft hand and distressingly evocative language)

 So, while there were plenty of things I liked about this book (and gave it 5 stars on Goodreads), I think it's one that will work better for its target teen audience, especially those who haven't binged on similar titles. If you're looking for something more adult on related marine themes, check out Caitlin R. Kiernan's The Drowning Girl or Sarah Monette's Somewhere Beneath Those Waves, and there's always the Mermaid tag on this very blog! 

 If you need me, I'll be rereading "The Shadow over Innsmouth."

Monday, October 28, 2013

Another Little Piece

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Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn

On a cool autumn night, Annaliese Rose Gordon stumbled out of the woods and into a high school party. She was screaming. Drenched in blood. Then she vanished.

A year later, Annaliese is found wandering down a road hundreds of miles away. She doesn't know who she is. She doesn't know how she got there. She only knows one thing: She is not the real Annaliese Rose Gordon.

Now Annaliese is haunted by strange visions and broken memories. Memories of a reckless, desperate wish . . . a bloody razor . . . and the faces of other girls who disappeared. Piece by piece, Annaliese's fractured memories come together to reveal a violent, endless cycle that she will never escape—unless she can unlock the twisted secrets of her past. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

This one is not for the faint of heart. It's dark and scary, and slightly confusing in a way that ends up being more disorienting and creepy than seeming like a flaw. The horror is given weight by family trauma, and the guilt Annaliese feels. Secondary characters are well-developed and complex, and the plot will keep you guessing until the bloody end. Quinn doesn't back down from grotesque horror or realistic high school issues. If you're a fan of intense horror and psychological drama, check this one out. If you can't handle something like Hannibal you might want to give this a pass.

Highly recommended for some last minute Halloween scares.

Friday, September 27, 2013

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

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The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

 If you know me, or have seen my somewhat alarming Goodreads account, you know that I read a lot. Really rather a lot. Kind of unhealthy a lot. So when I say that I stayed awake one night to finish this book, and that that hasn't happened for years, I want you to get my full meaning. 

 This book will sink its fangs into you and not let go, giving your neck a bit of a shake when you start to coast. It's suspenseful and absorbing and dark. It reminds you that vampires are horrifying and dangerous, while still agreeing that, ok yeah, they are, but of course people are still drawn to them. It deals with vampires in some of the same ways True Blood does at the top of its game- by exploring how people would react to vampires now. In this book, that means strict quarantines. It means reality shows. It means tacky merchandise. It means disenfranchised kids glorifying the undead, identifying with them, and naively running away from home to join them. It means, in my new favorite example of an author actually understanding youth culture, tumblr GIFs. 

 Tana is fierce, reckless and self-destructive, but protective and intelligent all the same. Her ex Aidan is even more flawed, and a train wreck in slow motion, but hardly a villain. Black does a good job with her sympathetic vampire character, but it is slightly well-worn territory. Much more interesting is the world-building, and the secondary characters. This book has something for every YA reader. Vampires, ballgowns, dystopian cities, disaffected youth, a handful of really steamy romance scenes- Black has you covered.

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Fall Preview

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I had pumpkin flavoring in my coffee today, which means something very, very important- fall is almost here! To celebrate this, the best of all seasons, here is a sneak peek at some of the books I will be reading and reviewing over the coming months.

Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn

Since this paranormal thriller is being billed as a cross between the writings of Stephen King and Pretty Little Liars, it promises a hefty dose of chills, drama and intrigue. I, a fan of CW dramas, particularly of a supernatural nature, am so there.







The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

"One evening, my father asked me if I would like to become a ghost bride..."

"Though ruled by British overlords, the Chinese of colonial Malaya still cling to ancient customs. And in the sleepy port town of Malacca, ghosts and superstitions abound. Li Lan, the daughter of a genteel but bankrupt family, has few prospects. But fate intervenes when she receives an unusual proposal from the wealthy and powerful Lim family. They want her to become a ghost bride for the family's only son, who recently died under mysterious circumstances. Rarely practiced, a traditional ghost marriage is used to placate a restless spirit. Such a union would guarantee Li Lan a home for the rest of her days, but at a terrible price." Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

Paranormal historical fiction with a gorgeous cover? Why is this not already on my shelf? 
Untold, The Lynburn Legacy Book Two by Sarah Rees Brennan

 You can read my gushing glowing review of Book One here. I love this series, with its mysterious small town setting, gothic trappings, quirky family dynamics, and well-rounded characters. The romance is a bit over the top, but, given the aforementioned fondness for the CW, I can hardly pretend to be above bad boy (or are they?!) love interests with leather jackets, motorcycles, and weird abilities, especially when their female counterpart is interesting, capable, and intelligent. 
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Holly Black has traded in fae-flavored urban fantasy for a vampire dystopia, and I am so on board. I'm hoping for some well-thought out and compelling vampire worldbuilding similar to what I read in Team Human (which is FANTASTIC, close this tab and read it immediately), rather than the slightly Mary Sueish genre lumbering from Julie Kagawa's The Immortal Rules, but we shall see.




Kinslayer by Jay Kristoff

 The first book, Stormdancer, was a bit love or hate for most readers, and I loved it. Sure, Kristoff borrows a lot from Japanese culture, and it doesn't always work, but I give him major points for even approaching Steampunk from a different cultural perspective than "white upper middle class Englishman." Also, I have a mighty need for more Buruu in my life. Plus, when do I ever turn down a demon-hunting protagonist? Ok, sometimes, but a demon-hunting protagonist with her very own talking griffin? Not bloody often, mate, that's when.


The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

 Guys. GUYS. More Raven Boys. More Blue Sargent and all her clairvoyant family. More ghosts and romance and Ronan. And his baby raven. AAAAHHHH.







The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente

 I can't even tell you how much I want to be back in Fairyland with September, A-L, and the other characters from this series. I tend to get a little carried away when talking about this series, so you might just want to read the first two blog posts I've done, before I get carried away again. 



There are more, of course, many of which are on the scarier side (Halloween being not far off, after all), but I don't want to give everything away at once. Stay tuned, folks.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Somewhere Beneath Those Waves

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Somewhere Beneath Those Waves by Sarah Monette

The first non-themed collection of critically acclaimed author Sarah Monette''s best short fiction. To paraphrase Hugo-award winner Elizabeth Bear's introduction: '"onette's prose is lapidary, her ideas are fantastical and chilling. She has studied the craft of fantastic fiction from the pens of masters and mistresses of the genre. She is a poet of the awkward and the uncertain, exalter of the outcast, the outre, and the downright weird. There is nothing else quite like Sarah Monette's fiction." -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

Ok, so this isn't YA. I was getting desperate for another post, and I know there are people who may read this blog occasionally who would love this one. Before this one I had read The Bone Key, her collection of short stories about Kyle Murchison Booth, a sort of supernatural detective. She really captured the feel of Lovecraft's horror in some of those stories, without getting bogged down in the prose or offering faceless narrators. She also has the detective story thing down, and I'd love to see a Mystery! production of Booth's stories, in the same vein as Miss Marple or Poirot. 

Both these points, while true, don't do any justice to Monette's own voice as an author, which is distinct, memorable, and masterful. These stories will creep up on you- the language is evocative and conjures up images that will stick with you. The other thing that sets Monette apart, and that many other reviewers have commented on, is the feeling of Otherness embodied by most of her narrators. Her protagonists are, for the most part, outsiders, people who find themselves treading boundaries. To call them quirky would be an insult- they aren't stock characters with a twist, or exploding with irritating eccentricities. They are three-dimensional people, drawn believably but with surprisingly few strokes. Some, like the cops in "A Night in Electric Squidland" and "Impostors," and the aforementioned Booth, are recurring characters. Others, like the courtesan/spy from "Amante Doree" or the heartbroken musician from "Katabasis: Seraphic Trains" (possibly my favorite story), you'll only see for a few brief pages but are unlikely to forget. 

I'd recommend this, and The Bone Key, for fans of Neil Gaiman, Margo Lanagan, Charles DeLint, Catherynne M. Valente (the Seraphic Trains story really reminded me of Palimpsest), Lovecraft, Hellboy, Supernatural (not only are there paranormal cop buddies, there's a naive but tetchy angel), urban fantasy, horror, and magic realism. 

*A caveat: some of these stories are extremely dark, and not just in the sense that they deal with supernatural beings and gothic situations ("The Séance at Chisholm End" is a fantastic period piece about spirit mediums). No, some of these stories deal openly with some heavy stuff, like the loss of an older brother to Vietnam ("Letters from a Teddy Bear on Veterans Day"), surviving conquest ("A Light in Troy") and trauma ("After the Dragon"), and the horrors of war ("No Man's Land"). Serious trigger warnings for these, especially the last.   

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

In the Shadow of Blackbirds

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In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

In 1918, the world seems on the verge of apocalypse. Americans roam the streets in gauze masks to ward off the deadly Spanish influenza, and the government ships young men to the front lines of a brutal war, creating an atmosphere of fear and confusion. Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself has never believed in ghosts. During her bleakest moment, however, she’s forced to rethink her entire way of looking at life and death, for her first love—a boy who died in battle—returns in spirit form. But what does he want from her?

Featuring haunting archival early-twentieth-century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

There is a lot going on in this book (a flu outbreak, WWI, spiritualism, photography, true love), and it covers a lot of ground genre-wise (historical, mystery, romance, horror, a hint of Steampunk, meditations on war abroad and at home). Thankfully, Winters blends these elements into a pretty cohesive whole, and as in Libba Bray's excellent The Diviners, the historical setting and disparate but complementary elements come together to tell a compelling and atmospheric story.

I griped about the portrayal of a headstrong and scientifically minded heroine  in The Madman's Daughter (another period piece) because that character felt forced to me. Here we have Mary Shelley, who, despite having similar inclinations in a setting not too far in the future, seems believable. For one thing, her family clearly helped to foster her talents and interests (her mother was a physician and her father named her after the author of Frankenstein- obviously written by a talented woman with an interest in science). Sure some people look at her askance when she takes apart machines to figure out how they tick, but there is no tedious "a WOMAN doing science? Heaven forfend!" hand-wringing to drag the reader down. Oops, tangent. Anyway.....

I went into this book not quite knowing what to expect, other than being excited about the spirit photography elements, which I think was a good thing. I won't go into much more detail here, other than to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this read and would recommend it to fans of dark historical fiction and stories that will keep you guessing.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Warm Bodies

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Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

R is a young man with an existential crisis--he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse. Just dreams.

After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and strangely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend. Julie is a burst of vibrant color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that R lives in. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.

Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies is about being alive, being dead and the blurry line in between. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads


You know when you find a book at exactly the right time, and things just gel? I can't remember the last time I was so pulled into a book, not just for it's likable characters or snappy dialogue, but because I cared so deeply about what was happening in the world of the book, in our world, or when I felt like I completely agreed with and understood the author's point. I love how well Marion uses zombies as a metaphor without seeming pretentious or heavy-handed- partially that's because his zombies seem original while still being familiar and often terrifying. I loved the language in this book, too:
  
“I want to change my punctuation. I long for exclamation marks, but I'm drowning in ellipses.”  

“There is a chasm between me and the world outside of me. A gap so wide my feelings can't cross it. By the time my screams reach the other side, they have dwindled into groans.” 


“Of course, if I don't eat all of him, if I spare his brain, he'll rise up and follow me back to the airport, and that might make feel better. I'll introduce him to everyone, and maybe we'll stand around and groan for a while. It's hard to say what 'friends' are any more, but that might be close.” 

If you haven't already guessed, while there is plenty of humor, most of it is of the very dark variety. Don't be fooled though, this is no cynical snarkfest. There is genuine heart here, under the tasty brains that will make you relive that day you owned the discussion in English class because you "totally get what the author is saying, man."

Then again, I say all that but COMPLETELY missed the bones of a famous play that are shallowly buried here. (Hey guys, did you know The Lion King is "Hamlet"?!) I think I'm glad I did, actually, I loved it on its own and might have been distracted if I knew to look for more references.

I love R. I love Isaac Marion. I love that I get to use the phrase ZomRomCom again to describe the upcoming feature film adaptation. Who would have thought that phrase would be resurrected post-Shaun of the Dead? Speaking of the King of the Zombies, Simon Pegg contributed a blurb for this book which I think sums it up perfectly: “A mesmerizing evolution of a classic contemporary myth.”

Warm Bodies shuffles into theaters February 1st.


Monstrous Beauty

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Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences.

Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra’s help, Hester investigates her family’s strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean—but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

 I've been waiting for this one for months! I was so excited for another mermaid story, and a serious, dark, and historical one to boot. So was it worth the wait?

 Yes. I loved the edgier take on mermaids that Fama presents here- no shell bikinis for Syrenka! Instead, a wickedly long tail, razor sharp fins, and creeptastic eyes. I loved the overlapping past and present narratives, and the moody Massachusetts setting. There were also plenty of details to geek out about- Hester works in a living history village and a few pages snarkily rebuking teens in Pilgrim-speak, for instance, and I would love to get my hand on a copy of Ezra's lovingly described natural history notebook. Add in an unorthodox Scottish priest and a Tall Dark and Handsome and you've got a book I'll happily devour.

 One word of caution for supernatural fans- I'm not sure how much of this was due to Fama's use of foreshadowing and dramatic irony, and how much of it is because I am a rabid fan of all things occult, but I got bored of understanding things chapters and chapters before Hester did. Could she really not piece together the truth of what was happening? And once one thing was revealed, couldn't she put more pieces together herself? *sigh*

 Still, most of this book was intriguing and a pleasure to read, and even the paranormal romance aspect was handled well. Four stars.

Friday, December 7, 2012

The Brides of Rollrock Island

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The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan

On remote Rollrock Island, men go to sea to make their livings--and to catch their wives. 

The witch Misskaella knows the way of drawing a girl from the heart of a seal, of luring the beauty out of the beast. And for a price a man may buy himself a lovely sea-wife. He may have and hold and keep her. And he will tell himself that he is her master. But from his first look into those wide, questioning, liquid eyes, he will be just as transformed as she. He will be equally ensnared. And the witch will have her true payment. 

Margo Lanagan weaves an extraordinary tale of desire, despair, and transformation. With devastatingly beautiful prose, she reveals characters capable of unspeakable cruelty, but also unspoken love. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

 I'd been seeing the cover of Margo Lanagan's Tender Morsels all over the place and it's been on my To Read list for awhile now, but when I saw that she'd written a young adult book about selkies I had to have it immediately. Having read this, I am completely bewitched and will be seeking out her books and stories from now on. 

 Getting accustomed to Lanagan's prose took several pages. I had to reread passages to see if I had missed a crucial detail, or tease out some other meaning to her words. I felt like I wasn't seeing her words from quite the right perspective, but then something shifted, everything clicked, and I was transported to Rollrock. She writes so evocatively that once you catch her rhythm, it's incredibly easy to visualize the windswept beaches strewn with seaweed, the Spartan cottages, and the pounding waves on the shore. It's unflinching in a way that reminded me of Robin McKinley's Deerskin, and offers a powerful sense of place and people like the best of Alice Hoffman's magic realism. 

Rather than being your standard linear novel, this book is broken up into stories told by various narrators at different points in time and over a few generations. One of the most intriguing is from the perspective of Misskaella, the so-called witch, but my favorite was voiced by a boy growing up on this lonely island. There was a point where I worried that the book would meander too much, that the loosely related stories would not come together, but things do come together to tell a satisfying story you won't soon forget.

 Not your typical YA fare, this fantasy is strange, dark and lyrical. If you enjoyed Mermaid: a Twist on the Classic Tale by Carolyn Turgeon, or if you're a fan of Donna Jo Napoli, Neil Gaiman, or Jane Yolen, or have worn out copy of The Secret of Roan Inish, give this book a try.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Teeth: Vampire Tales

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Teeth: Vampire Tales edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling

The first bite is only the beginning.

Twenty of today's favorite writers explore the intersections between the living, dead, and undead. Their vampire tales range from romantic to chilling to gleeful—and touch on nearly every emotion in between.

Neil Gaiman's vampire-poet in "Bloody Sunrise" is brooding, remorseful, and lonely. Melissa Marr's vampires make a high-stakes game of possession and seduction in "Transition." And in "Why Light?" Tanith Lee's lovelorn vampires yearn most of all for the one thing they cannot have—daylight. Drawn from folk traditions around the world, popular culture, and original interpretations, the vampires in this collection are enticingly diverse.

But reader beware: The one thing they have in common is their desire for blood. . . . -Summary borrowed from Barnes & Noble

I was thrilled when I saw that Datlow and Windling had put together a collection of vampire themed stories. Their collections are almost always stellar, and their Green Man: Tales from the Mythic Forest and The Faery Reel: Tales from the Twilight Realm are two of my very favorite story collections. I was also intrigued by the number of contributing authors that I'm a fan of: Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, Catherynne M. Valente, Garth Nix, Emma Bull, Delia Sherman, and more. Also, vampires! Hurray!!

All that being said, I wish I could say I love this book. Don't get me wrong- I really liked it, it was good seasonal reading, and some of the stories really stood out ("Baby" by Kathe Koja is one of the creepiest things I've read in a long time, I would be thrilled to read a novel length sequel to Delia Sherman's circus themed story, "Flying," and "Late Bloomer" by Suzy McKee Charnas was poignant and explored a facet of vampirism I'd never thought much about/seen explored this way elsewhere). And hey, maybe someone without a pile of other books to read clamoring for their attention would be able to settle down and enjoy this collection as much as I wanted to.

If you're looking for a new vampire read, or if you're looking for some new authors and would like to get a sample of many at once, or if you're a big fan of any of the authors mentioned, OR if you just think the cover is nifty, I would recommend this book.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Dark Companion

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Dark Companion by Marta Acosta

When foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birch Grove Academy for Girls and escape her violent urban neighborhood, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. She's even offered her own living quarters, the groundskeeper's cottage in the center of the birch grove.

Something's not quite right about the school -- or is it Jane? She thinks she sees things in the birch grove at night. She's also beginning to suspect that the elegant headmistress and her sons are hiding secrets. Lucky is the gorgeous, golden son who is especially attentive to Jane, and Jack is the sardonic puzzling brother.

The school with its talented teachers and bright students is a dream for a science and math geek like Jane. She also loves her new friends, including hilarious poetry-spouting rich girl, Mary Violet. But the longer Jane stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl and a missing faculty member.

Jane discovers one secret about Birch Grove, which only leads to more mysteries. What is she willing to sacrifice in order to stay at this school...and be bound to Birch Grove forever? -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

 I'm really torn about this book. For everything that irked me or made me want to just walk away and read something else, there was something that I loved. Completely. Argh.

 -The cover is just gorgeous. But then, there's something about the book's construction that seemed distractingly cheap or hurried or something. 
 -The character portrays herself as smart, independent, and clever. BUT, she tells you that constantly, and then acts contrariwise.
-One of the love interests is sweet, unique, caring and genuine. The other is waspish, entitled, creepy, abusive and horrible- But guess which one Jane spends faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar too long of the book swooning over? While being unconvincingly dense and inexplicably harsh to the other?

Seriously, the romance in this book almost put me off completely. Imagine if Elizabeth had spent pretty much all of Pride and Prejudice being an absolute brat to Mr. Darcy, while following Mr. Wickham like a puppy dog, and that you, as a reader, know and understand more about these two men from their introductions than Elizabeth will know for 3/4 of the book. Argh.

On the other side, I loooooooved everything in this book that alludes to gothic novels- from the premise of the book (down on her luck but intelligent orphan is given a plum spot in a wealthy but mysterious place), to the swoony, gothic romance, to all the extremely well selected and placed quotes at the beginnings of chapters. These are culled from Shelley, Radcliffe, Byron, Polidori, Le Fanu, and, of course, Brontë. There's even a course taught at the school (Night Terrors, I believe. It's all very subtle) where these and similar works are discussed, which adds to the story. 

 I wouldn't give this a whole-hearted recommendation, but I will say that if the idea of a modern day Jane Eyre with even more mystery and darkness appeals to you, this could be worth the read. It does get better the further you get into it, and the Big Reveals were actually pretty neat.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Above

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Above by Leah Bobet

Matthew has loved Ariel from the moment he found her in the tunnels, her bee’s wings falling away. They live in Safe, an underground refuge for those fleeing the city Above—like Whisper, who speaks to ghosts, and Jack Flash, who can shoot lightning from his fingers.

But one terrifying night, an old enemy invades Safe with an army of shadows, and only Matthew, Ariel, and a few friends escape Above. As Matthew unravels the mystery of Safe’s history and the shadows’ attack, he realizes he must find a way to remake his home—not just for himself, but for Ariel, who needs him more than ever before. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

If you're into urban fantasy by authors like Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, Charles DeLint, and Laini Taylor (Daughter of Smoke and Bone)  I would recommend you give this one a try. It has lots of elements I love from those authors- unique language, a dark/rich/strange setting filled with fairytale creatures alongside street kids, and moments of genuine horror.

Ariel, the bee-winged girl on the cover, is not the protagonist, which was slighlty disappointing. But that's ok, as it means this isn't the paranormal romance I had been kind of expecting from the summary, and Matthew is a good, somewhat meta narrator (he's the Teller, the keeper of stories for his people, so a great deal of the book has to do with the nature of stories we tell each other and ourselves). Also, I kind of wish this book had been called Safe, since so much time is spent on what that means. Eh, quibbles.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Harbinger

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Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne

When sixteen-year-old Faye arrives at Holbrook Academy, she doesn't expect to find herself exactly where she needs to be. After years of strange waking visions and nightmares, her only comfort the bones of dead animals, Faye is afraid she's going crazy. Fast.

But her first night at Holbrook, she feels strangely connected to the school and the island it sits on, like she's come home. She's even made her first real friends, but odd things keep happening to them. Every morning they wake on the floors of their dorm rooms with their hands stained red.

Faye knows she's the reason, but what does it all mean? The handsome Kel tries to help her unravel the mystery, but Faye is certain she can't trust him; in fact, he may be trying to kill her - and the rest of the world too.

Rich, compelling writing will keep the pages turning in this riveting and tautly told psychological thriller. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads


I can't tell you too much without giving this book away. I will say that it is compelling, strange, dark, suspenseful, and in the end, maybe just a little bit too weird for me (and this is coming from someone raised on Oingo Boingo and Tim Burton). That said, it was a quick and hard to put down read, and it was definitely refreshing to read something so original and unpredictable. If you're grinding your teeth from an excess of love triangles, dystopias, and paranormal romances, this might be a bit of a palate cleanser. In a gibbering, Lovecraftian kind of way.

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