143. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

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L’Engle, Madeleine. AWrinkle in Time. New York, NY: Square Fish, 1962, Print.

232 pages

Reviewed by Jess d'Artagnan Love

A Wrinkle in Time is a classic in young adult/children’s science fiction. It tells the story of Meg, her younger brother, and a friend as they travel through space and time to try and locate their missing father. The book is heavy handed on Christian themes, and quite obscure and abstract in certain parts. I’m glad I read this as an adult and not a child. Had I read it as a child, it would have all been muddy and confusing to me.

I am generally not a big sci-fi fan but something about how l’Engle crafted this story made it feel cozy rather than technical. The characters were lovable and I especially loved Charles Wallace, Meg’s younger brother. The world building was difficult to process. I am not well-versed in quantum physics and this book is thick in it. In order to really enjoy the book I had to just let go of my wish to actually understand how things were happening and just experience the story as a story.

All in all, I enjoyed reading the book and found the ending touching but I don’t foresee reading this again in the future.   

Would I read it again? 

No

Recommended for

I’m not entirely sure, honestly. It doesn’t read like “true” sci-fi but it also isn’t really a fairy tale.

Not Recommended for

Readers who need clarity or are uncomfortable swimming in abstractions.

3.5 stars out of 5

Madeleine l’Engle’s website: https://www.madeleinelengle.com/

Madeleine l’Engle on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/106.Madeleine_L_Engle

 

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136. Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

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Briggs, Patricia. MoonCalled. New York, NY: Ace, 2006. Print.

288 pages

Reviewed by Jess d'Artagnan Love

Mercy Thompson is a shape shifter who can shift into coyote form. She lives next door to a pack of werewolves and makes a living as an auto mechanic for vampires. When her local pack is invaded by  rogue bunch of vampires and the pack leader, Adam’s, daughter is kidnapped, Mercy starts the process of solving the mystery and tracking down the kidnapped girl.

This book is whimsical, sexy, and well paced. I know a lot of my Christian readers have an issue with any kind of book that represents magic or the fantastical but interestingly, Mercy is portrayed as a Christian character. The werewolves, fae and other magical creates are seen as evolutionary more than anything. I found that an interesting world-building choice that may appeal to a Christian audience more readily than other fantasy novels.

There weren’t a lot of big questions asked or much exploration of major themes. Briggs is more interested in entertaining the reader than teaching them. If you want to read a book that doesn’t make you think to hard about life but still provides enough context to be good escapism, this is a great book for you.

Would I read it again? 

Yes. This was actually the second time I read the book as I’d like to re-read the series this year.

Recommended for

Readers who want some decent escapism.

Not Recommended for

Readers who desire a book with heavier themes.

Word Bank

Harridan p.6

Reticent p. 7

Sufference p. 10

Desultory p. 12

Limpid p. 49

Canted p. 55

Gracile p. 62

Quelling p. 96

Cozen p. 127

Anathema p. 129

Obstreperous p. 186

Vassalage p. 189

3 stars out of 5

Patricia Briggs' website: http://www.patriciabriggs.com/

Jennifer Lynn Barnes on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/40563.Patricia_Briggs

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133. Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

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Mead, Richelle. Shadow Kiss. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 2008. Print.

443 pages

Reviewed by Jessica Love

This is the third book in the Vampire Academy series. In this installment, Rose is dealing with an inner battle through most of the book. She is seeing ghosts and working through unexplained rage and blood lust. Without giving away spoilers, I can't say much more than that. 

In my review of the previous book, Frostbite, I mentioned that if there was anything int he series that would make me stop reading, it was Rose herself. I didn't like the way the protagonist was emotionally abusive and irrational. This book helped to further elucidate that issue. I like the way the majority of the book was Rose turning inward, trying to figure out why she behaved the way she did and resolve her inner conflicts. She frames mental health, personal growth, and psychotherapy in a positive and somewhat realistic way which I think is so good for teens to read! 

Mead wraps up the story with some actual physical battle which keeps the book exciting. If I had to pick out strengths and weaknesses of the series so far, I would say Mead's weakness is world building, and strength is character development. The world building is still pretty flimsy. I feel like there are so many blanks to be filled in before this will feel like a fully formed "world." The characters though, are excellent. She is skilled at giving each character a voice that is their own. 

My final verdict is that this book is (and series) is pure entertainment and was decent enough to send me on to the next in the series. 

Would I read it again? 
Maybe. 

Recommended for
Fans of the vampire genre.

Not Recommended for
Readers expecting complex, thorough world-building. Readers younger than 13. 

Word Bank

None

3 stars out of 5

Richelle Mead's website: http://richellemead.com/

Richelle Mead on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/137902.Richelle_Mead

Connect with me!

Instagram: @ladylovestead

Twitter: @ladylovestead

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/8035862-j-d-artagnan
Read to Grow Book Club: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1058875-read-to-grow-lovestead-book-club

Other Vampire Academy Books Reviewed
Frostbite

131. Frostbite by Richelle Mead

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Mead, Richelle. Frostbite. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 2008. Print.

327 pages

Reviewed by Jessica d'Artagnan Love

I don't know what it is about Thanksgiving but it seems that I am always drawn to reading vampire lore around this time of year. It is actually Thanksgiving day as I sit and write this review. It seems every year there is a different series I read about vampires in late fall. 

Mysterious timing aside, Frostbite is the second book in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series. The first chapter or so of the book was a recap of the first book, Vampire Academy, which I appreciated. It has been nearly a year since I read the first book and was a bit fuzzy on characters and story line. The quick recap easily jogged my memory and made it easy to dive back into the story.

In this installment, Rose is still battling feelings for her teacher, Dimitri, as she trains to be a guardian for royal vampires. There is a string of murders targeting royal vampires that shakes up her community and makes her training even more important. 

As far as vampire fiction goes, this isn't the best I've ever read, but it also isn't the worst. The world building is a bit flimsy, but there is at least enough structure that it wasn't distracting and the story could still be entertaining. The prose is pretty simplistic but Mead does do a nice job of painting a character. The first seen with Adrian Ivashkov was so vivid he felt like someone who could actually exist. Honestly, I've met my fair share of human men like him and she did a good job distilling the essence of this kind of guy.

If there is anything that would make me stop reading this series, it's the protagonist, Rose. Rose is immature and psychologically abusive of the people who care about her. This isn't someone I want to be represented as a heroine. Interestingly, by the end of the book, there was a hint of explanation as to why she behaves this way, so I will continue forth with the next book in the series.  

Would I read it again? 

I don't know. I think it will depend on how the rest of the series turns out. If future books suddenly turn amazing, then I probably would re-read the first two books again. If the rest of them are duds, then no, I wouldn't.

Recommended for

Vampire fiction fans who don't want to think too hard about what they're reading.

Not Recommended for

Vampire fiction fans who want complex world building. 

Word Bank

• None. The language is pretty simplistic.

3 stars out of 5

Richelle Mead's website: http://www.richellemead.com/

Richelle Mead on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/137902.Richelle_Mead

Connect with me!

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Twitter: @ladylovestead

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/8035862-j-d-artagnan

124. "The Burning Bridge" by John Flanagan

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Flanagan, John. The Burning Bridge. New York, NY: Puffin Books,  2005. Print.

262 pages.

Reviewed by J. d'Artagnan Love

The Burning Bridge picks up right where the Ruins of Gorlan left off. Morgarath is planning for a war with the kingdom and Will and Halt are following the trail. Spoiler alert, as the title suggests, Morgarath built a bridge and Will burns it down. The end. 

I want so badly to like this series. People in my life cherish it, but I just did not enjoy this book. The descriptions of battle practice were long and monotonous and there was an obvious subtle misogyny underscoring the entire story. 

The portrayal of women and girls in this series just infuriates me. If there was a woman ranger, I'd be all about it, but the women in this series all have soft roles--negotiator and cook (barf). Women in leadership roles in the kingdom are spoken to rudely and treated as if incompetent. Don't forget a nice dose of mansplaining as the cherry on top. Here's an example:

"I'll speak of her, all right! I'll tell you this. She's a woman meddling in a man's world, where she has no place. She should have found a husband years ago and raised a brood of squalling babies. Surely there's a deaf and half-blind man somewhere who would have ten her" (93). 

The worst part of this dialogue? Nowhere does anyone defend Pauline, the woman being spoken of and nowhere is this attitude refuted as despicable or even questionable. 

This book's target audience is boys age 10-12. If I had a son who wanted to read this series, I would let him because I'm anti-book banning BUT we would have a SERIOUS conversation about the toxic masculinity represented in these stories. 

Would I read it again?

NOPE

Recommended for: 

Maybe someone in gender studies looking for a series that overtly teaches young boys toxic masculinity.

Not Recommended for: 

Pretty much most decent human beings.

Word Bank (new-to-me vocabulary)

• cowl (p. 59)
• fenlands (p. 11)
• nocked (p. 82)
• recurve (p. 82)
• saxe (p. 41)
• sintered (p. 51)
• spurious (p. 93)
• tarpaulin (p. 68)
• triumvirate (p. 16)

1 star out of 5. 

John Flanagan's website: http://www.worldofjohnflanagan.com/

Previous Ranger's Apprentice books reviewed

The Ruins of Gorlan: http://thewritereader.blogspot.com/2017/08/108-rangers-apprentice-ruins-if-golan.html

Connect with me!

Instagram: @jdartagnanlove

Twitter: @jdartagnanlove

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/8035862-j-d-artagnan

121. "Daughter of Smoke and Bone" by Laini Taylor

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Taylor, Laini. Daughter of Smoke and Bone. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2011. Print.

418 pages.

Reviewed by Jess d'Artagnan Love

Karou lives in Prague and where she leads a double life: in one life she is a young art student, and in the other, she works with her chimera family collecting teeth from around the world. The teeth are used by the mysterious Brimstone, essentially her father figure, and Karou is tasked with trying to figure out what really happens in Brimstone's shop. A monkey wrench is thrown in her plans when she meets Akiva, a Seraphim, and her portals to Brimstone's world are destroyed, leaving her stranded in the human realm. 

As I read the book, I found it a bit challenging to keep up with what the chimera look like. Chimera are half human and half animal and each chimera character is a different combination of the two. What I found most helpful, was leaving a post-it flag bookmark on pages of chimera descriptions that I could flip back to for reference. 

That being said, Laini Taylor is a true wordsmith and masterfully describes characters and settings. The way she painted Prague and the Poison Kitchen made me want to hop on a plane and head there to purchase some property--it is the exact kind of place I would love to be to sit and write. 

While Prague was expertly crafted, I definitely related to Karou's sense of spiritual "homelessness." She lives with a sense of not really having a "true" home where things just feel right and whole. I experienced this quite a bit throughout my life and have come to accept that "home" for me is in multiple places across the globe in the same way it is multiple realms for Karou. 

My biggest problem with Daughter of Smoke and Bone was the exceptionally long flashback toward the end of the book. The plot is a typical nonlinear plot that moves from past to present fairly seamlessly until the last third of the novel. In the last third of the novel there is a 75 page flashback. This was exhausting because through that entire 75 pages, I was still trying to maintain the tension created by the present-tense story line. While I understand why Taylor may have chosen to organize the flashback this way (which I will refrain from discussing due to spoilers), I also know there are better ways to handle this. This was my biggest issue with the novel and what kept me from giving 4 stars instead of 3. 

Aside from that, I really loved Taylor's prose. She used some wonderfully cozy animal metaphors and I particularly liked the metaphors she used with butterflies and cats. It created a little bit of hygge in the story that was warming and sweet. 

Would I read this book again? Yes. I am also planning on reading the next book in the series. 

Recommended for: Fans of YA urban fantasy. 

Not recommend for: Readers who don't enjoy fantasy.

3 darts/stars out of 5

Word Bank (new-to-me vocabulary)

• accretes (p. 410)
• atavism (p. 316)
• caracal (p. 362)
• chivvied (p. 81)
• concrescence (p. 391)
• demurral (p. 80)
• djellaba (p. 86)
• effulgent (p. 362)
• eidolon (p. 274)
• enfeeble (p. 199)
• fricative (p. 53)
• gnawa (p. 82)
• hummock (p. 267)
• ineffable (p. 196)
• ineluctable (p. 382)
• limned (p. 77)
• lintel (p. 196)
• medina (p. 78)
• menhirs (p. 112)
• moiling (p. 93)
• nacre (p. 410)
• rickrack (p. 109)
• rill (p. 381)
• sallies (p. 235)
• shrive (p. 172)
• spinnaker (p. 367)
• souks (p. 81)
• susurrous (p. 90)
• tadelakt (p. 299)
• tarboosh (p. 81)
• temerity (p. 193)
• thurible (p. 113)
• touts (p. 80)
• welter (p. 208)
• zelij (p. 299)

Laini Taylor's website: http://www.lainitaylor.com/

My Youtube review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2Dns_Gxfd8

113. "The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll

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Carroll, Lewis. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. New York: Sterling Publishing, 2005.

129 pages.

Reviewed by J. d'Artagnan Love

Most people know of this classic children's story. Most people also cheapen Alice's journey through Wonderland by claiming the story is just one big acid trip. While it is fantastical and full of whimsy, the story of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is much more political and social commentary than it is an acid trip.

In sum, Alice, a little girl follows a rabbit down a rabbit hole. This leads her to a series of adventures that are hard to believe. For example, in one scene, Alice enters the rabbit's house and drinks a potion that causes her to grow so large, she sticks one hand out the chimney and a foot out the door. A cat with a Cheshire grin seems to float through the air because he can make parts of his body invisible at will. The story is dizzying and disorienting and makes almost no sense. 

I enjoyed reading the book but I'll be the first to admit that fully appreciating this work is going to require that I do much more extensive research. A brief survey of the literature on this work points to Carroll indulging in a style called English nonsense verse that became fairly popular in his time. Carroll holds some scathing opinions about the English school system based on this tale and that is about as far as I've gotten with my research. 

The edition that I read appeared to only contain the first part of the story (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland) so I need to find the second half and read it (Through the Looking Glass) and continue to read more about how scholars have made sense (as much as one can with the genre) of the writing to feel like I truly "get" Carroll. I'm not yet a frenetic fangirl, but I am intrigued and will keep exploring. 

Recommended for: a reader who has time to dedicate to really learning about the political and social discourse happening in these stories.

Not recommended for: readers who want a story that makes sense or readers not accustomed to searching for clues in writing. Someone who hates poetry, for example, would probably hate this.

3 darts out of 5

Reference

Kwoka, B. (2009).  Literature, History, and Culture in the time of Victoria. Retrieved from http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/carroll/kwoka8.html

(I know I'm mixing citation styles here but I primarily use APA but started this blog in MLA and try to stay consistent. Forgive me?)

112. "Storm Front" by Jim Butcher

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Butcher, Jim. Storm Front. New York: Penguin, 2000.

322 pages

Reviewed by J. d'Artagnan Love

Harry Dresden is both a wizard and a private investigator. He takes a job with the local Chicago PD investigating a murder in which two people's hearts exploded out of their bodies. This was murder by magic and Dresden is set with the task of figuring out who could have the power to do such magic. 

The novel is a fun genre mashup of standard mystery novel formula meets urban fantasy. The pace keeps the reader interested and there is also enough detail provided to understand the world creation and magic system. Told from Dresden's first person perspective, the writing is both intimate and witty. A cast of characters is skillfully built to develop a series of additional novels. I was left wanting to learn more about the cast and to see which adventure Harry would be met with next. Overall, this was a quick, engaging read. It wasn't a literary masterpiece but it was an entertaining 322 pages. 

Recommended for: readers who enjoy a good urban fantasy suspense. Adult readers (some sexually explicit and violent themes I wouldn't recommend for children and teens).

Not Recommended for: Kids and teens or anyone wanting a book that has lyrical or masterful prose. Expect prose that is plot oriented and meant to entertain. 

3 darts out of 5

108. The Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins if Golan by John Flanagan

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Flanagan, John. The Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan. New York: Puffin Books, 2005.

SYNOPSIS: Orphans in this fantasy universe are made into apprentices when they reach a certain age. Will, the protagonist, is selected to be a Ranger's apprentice. Ranger's are, essentially, the CIA of the kingdom--specialty fighters trained in espionage. This book is part of a series and mostly focuses on setting up the characters and plot for the books to come.

WHAT I LIKED: This is a great adventure fantasy and is probably written for middle school aged readers. In middle school, I would have loved this book. The writing creates excellent tension and I wasn't ever pulled out of the story but was instead fully absorbed in the story. I liked the concept of the ranger and a ranger's role in a kingdom.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: I didn't like that there were almost no female characters. It grew tiresome reading about male characters through about 90% of the book. A female ranger would be AMAZING. Instead, all the women and girls in the book had soft roles--diplomat, and cook. YUCK.

I also didn't like that the solution to bullying was to beat the bullies senseless rather than reporting bullying to the proper authorities. Also, yuck.

RECOMMEND FOR: This could appeal to a wide audience of you're ok with minimal female roles.

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR: Readers who want to see women and girls taking part in the action.

2.5 darts out of 5

105. Locke and Key Volume 1: Welcome to Lovecraft" by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez

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SYNOPSIS: A family is struck by tragedy when their father, a school guidance counselor,  is murdered by one of his students. The event takes them out to a family house on the East Coast--Key house. When Bode, the youngest son, finds a key that unlocks a supernatural door in the house, the fun begins.

WHAT I LOVED: The art in this series is incredible. I spent countless time reading and re-reading this just to soak in the art. The drawings are so detailed and bursting with emotion.

WHAT I LIKED: I liked the fierceness of the sister. She copes with the tragedy by getting angry and being active which I think is an empowering illustration of coping rather than painting her as a tragic victim as so many female characters are.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: I found the level of violence in this hard to deal with. I tend to be sensitive when it comes to gore and wasn't expecting to see so much of it in a story about a mystical old house. I fully get that this is a "me" issue and not an issue with the series,  but that was my only unwelcome experience as I read.

RECOMMEND FOR: Those who enjoy a good horror film.

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR: Readers sensitive to violence and gore.

3.5 darts out of 5

93. "Fallen" by Lauren Kate

Kate, Lauren. Fallen. New York: Delacourt Press, 2009.

452 pages.

Reviewed by J. d’Artagnan Love

Lucinda arrives a Sword and Cross training school scared and sad and homesick. She’s recently gotten into trouble for starting fires and she’s trying to cope with what she thinks are hallucinations--dark shadows that seem to follow her everywhere and get stronger when something is about to catch fire. At Sword and Cross she meets Daniel, the guy of her dreams, but he insists on paying her no mind. Eventually, his resolve is worn thin, and readers learn the truth about the connection between Daniel and Lucinda.

If I could pin down a formula for successful YA urban fiction it would be this: Character A moves to a new school and falls for Character B. There is something mythical and magical about either Character A or Character B. The discovery of this mythical side of the character is discovered and kept secret. Adventure ensues. Twilight followed this formula. The Vampire Diaries followed this formula. Now Lauren Kate has also nailed the winning formula for a successful YA urban fiction novel.

This book is a fun read, albeit a bit too dramatic for me at times. The intensity of Daniel and Lucinda’s love for each other sometimes had a “gag me” effect but this is quite possibly caused by the fact that I’m no longer a teenage girl. When reading this genre it is so important to keep the audience in mind. I’m not necessarily the target audience but if I put myself back into my teenage frame of mind, I would have eaten this book up and loved, like, everything about it. *hair flip

This book is FOR: people who want a fun, quick, urban fantasy teen romance.

This book is NOT FOR: people looking for in-depth, accurate angel and demon representations or literary fiction.

3 darts out of 5

91. "Cinder" by Marissa Meyer

Meyer, Marissa. Cinder. New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2012.

390 pages.

Reviewed by J. d’Artagnan Love

Linh Cinder is a cyborg. She can detach her cyborg ankle and it’s during the process of attaching a new ankle that she meets Prince Kai, the smoldering emperor-to-be of New Beijing. Kai must figure out a way to protect his kingdom and the rest of the earth from the evil Lunar Queen who has left her moon-based home to pay respects to the death of the emperor (Kai’s father). The emperor died from Letumosis, a plague infecting many people across the planet, including Peony, Cinder’s stepsister. It is up to Cinder to fix Kai’s android that contains important state secrets, and work with leading scientists to find a cure from Letumosis while attempting to avoid the stiff curfews and rules set by her unrelenting step mother. All in a day's work.

Cinder was a fun read, like, really fun. It is, in fact, one of the best young adult books I’ve read in a long time. It is also the first book I’ve read in a long while that I missed reading when I wasn’t reading it. I found myself wanting to read it any spare second of time I had. I loved the way Meyer skillfully injected several fairy tales into one futuristic sci-fi, fantasy novel. I picked up on elements of Anastasia, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Cinderella with Cinderella being the predominate fairy tale. I’m sure if I read it multiple times, I would find more fairy tales that I didn’t catch the first time. Maybe it’s the nostalgia of these tales eliciting emotions, but I found the characters to be wonderfully real and satisfying. Cinder is worth loving, her stepmother is worth loathing and Kai is worth rooting for.

Meyer did a great job creating Cinder’s world and all the gadgets therein. It’s sci-fi without being suffocated by the typical "alien invasion" theme. The plot was believable and it is easy to see Cinder’s world as a potential future for us all without having to suspend our disbelief much. Cinder was Meyer’s debut novel and I’m excited to see how she develops as a writer in her future novels. The next book in the Lunar Chronicles has been added to my reading list!

4 darts out of 5 

87. "The Vampire Diaries: Awakening" by L. J. Smith

Smith, L. J. The Vampire Diaries: Awakening. New York: HarperCollins, 1999.

276 pages.

Reviewed by J. d’Artagnan Love

After reading Vampire Diaries: Awakening, I have a really hard time believing that Stephenie Meyer never read vampire fiction. Twilight parallels this book so very closely, it almost seem like she ripped off the story from L. J. Smith. That being said, in Vampire Diaries: Awakening, Stefan Salvatore is a new guy in town and, naturally, he’s a vampire. Elena, the female protagonist of the story is haunted by the recent death of her parents and infatuated with Stefan but Stefan is too troubled about being a monster to truly let Elena into his heart. By the cliff-hanger ending, a love triangle has formed. Sound familiar?

I found this book entertaining but a bit dated. It’s dated in the ways it illustrated teenage social structures. In the story there is one “queen” of the high school (Elena) and her “crowd” of cool people. Their values and interests are shallow and materialistic. The social structures are reminiscent of the films Clueless and Can’t Hardly Wait; they’re very 90s era and irrelevant to teenagers of today’s world. My biggest issue was how manipulative Elena was in trying to “have” Stefan. I’m pretty sure Mean Girls blew this kind of behavior out of the water (again, going back to how 90s clichéd this book is). If she could drop the manipulation and give some concrete reasons for why she loves Stefan other than him being “so hot,” I might actually like her.

If we stripped away the 90s social structures, the story itself is pretty interesting. One of my favorite parts of reading vampire fiction is picking about the vampire mythology used in each series or book. These vampires don’t sparkle and in order to change from human to vampire, the Dracula method is used (vampire sucks human blood and then human drinks vampire blood). There are some other fun magical features to these vampires but I’ll leave that up to you to discover should you choose to read this book.

2 darts out of 5

This book is FOR people who: want a quick, meaningless read with some fun vampire characters.

This book is NOT FOR people who: want character depth or maturity.