Review: How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

  Title: How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf [Amazon|GoodReads]
  Author: Molly Harper [Website|Twitter|Facebook]
  Standing: 1st in the Naked Werewolf duology
  Genre: Romance, Paranormal
  Published: February 22nd, 2011 by Pocket Books
  Format: Paperback; 371 pages.
  Source: Borrowed from my local library.

Northern Exposure

Even in Grundy, Alaska, it’s unusual to find a naked guy with a bear trap clamped to his ankle on your porch. But when said guy turns into a wolf, recent southern transplant Mo Wenstein has no difficulty identifying the problem. Her surly neighbor Cooper Graham—who has been openly critical of Mo’s ability to adapt to life in Alaska—has trouble of his own. Werewolf trouble. For Cooper, an Alpha in self-imposed exile from his dysfunctional pack, it’s love at first sniff when it comes to Mo. But Cooper has an even more pressing concern on his mind. Several people around Grundy have been the victims of wolf attacks, and since Cooper has no memory of what he gets up to while in werewolf form, he’s worried that he might be the violent canine in question. If a wolf cries wolf, it makes sense to listen, yet Mo is convinced that Cooper is not the culprit. Except if he’s not responsible, then who is? And when a werewolf falls head over haunches in love with you, what are you supposed to do anyway? The rules of dating just got a whole lot more complicated. . . .

Okay, How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf is really not the type of book I would normally pick up, but I’ve been trying to read out of my box more as I’ve been reading more—else you get bored!  Two things happened this year that led me to Molly Harper: 1) I determined that yes, I do indeed like romance and 2) Melissa Marr bespoke her love for Molly Harper on Twitter.  Harper was described as funny and snarky, and I found this to hold as true as I read, laughing often at Mo’s situations, way of thinking, and occasional witty reference.

I loved our lead, Mo, and I absolutely adored the entire town of Grundy, Alaska.  How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf is full of so many wonderful small-town characters from the cute old man, to the slutty waitress, the neighbors that will do anything to help one another out, and of course, the overly grouchy hot guy.  Cooper, our male lead, reminded me a lot of Luke from Gilmore Girls.  He liked his small town the way it was, he was wary of outsiders, and overly gruff with pretty much everyone besides his cousin.  And since I’ve been in love with Luke for over a decade, of course I was pumped about Cooper!  There’s a decent hate/love thing between him and Mo, which I always enjoy, and even though something about it seemed a bit off (like maybe a little too much I don’t want to want you but I do?), and their relationship went from 0-60 in 10 pages flat, I enjoyed them as a couple. 

Mo herself is a piece of work.  I love that she’s the classic child of the overbearing parents striking out largely to get away from them (yeah, you can see a bit of a Lorelai resemblance here too, but it’s not extreme).  The best part of this?  Her parents are hippies!  Uber hippies.  Her mother is the worst sort of helicopter mom, but not in your usual way.  She’s constantly barging her way in to Mo’s life to make sure that she’s eating organic, and sticking with the values they taught her.  For goodness sake, Mo had to enroll herself in public school at 13, knowing that she’d never learn anything or function in the normal world if she let herself be homeschooled forever.

Now, I’d already decided some time ago that adult sexytimes make me super uncomfortable, and that I don’t enjoy reading them.  Which made me really hesitant to try How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf knowing there would indeed be some beyond PG13 scenes.  All of the romance I’ve managed to get my hands on so far has been very chaste or vague, glossing over things, and I really liked that; but then I realized while reading How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf that I didn’t mind sexytimes so much after all!  I even kind of enjoyed them.  Then I sat down and thought of what turned me off of explicit sex scenes, and I came up with two things.  1) Hearing them on audio, most likely with a parent in the car.  I don’t care that I was over 18 at this point, it’s always awkward to acknowledge sex in front of your parents (unless you have Mo’s parents, that is). 2) Last year I attempted to read Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz.  The book basically opens with one of the main characters giving head to her fiancé's brother at her own engagement party.  I was so disgusted by this, I can’t believe I powered through as much of that book as I did.  I know some people don’t mind cheating, or at least reading about it, but I realize now that I really really do, and that it was the infidelity that disgusted me, not the sex itself.  So call me cured, and sign me up for more!

As far as the paranormal elements of the story go, I enjoyed them.  The werewolf lore was fairly similar to Twilight in that wolves could change at will, and that it was a genetic trait passed down in certain native families.  I’m happy to report though, that it’s similarities deviated in two important ways (apparently I’m all about the lists of two this review): 1) there’s no vamps.  The werewolves don’t change because of any threat, they change each generation because they always have. 2) The chicks change too!  Yeah I know Twilight had one chick werewolf, but it was something all new and scandalous because we need men to take care of things after all.  Not so in How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf.  All family members that share the genetic trait change.  Woohoo!  Mo seems to accept the werewolf thing pretty readily, but not instantly.  She spends some time thinking she’s good and crazy, and freaks out a bit, which I appreciated.  Cooper’s desire to run from his past give Mo and him something big in common, and I thought the story was well done—neither too light or heavy.

Finally I just have to point out that I adore the cover art, despite the fact that Mo is supposed to have a pixie cut and this chick really doesn’t….but whatever.  I devoured How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf in a day (a day where I got very little else done), and I’m happy to report that adult paranormal romance can fill a hole where I’ve been avoiding the YA versions as of late.  It’s light and uncomplicated, but sometimes that’s exactly what a girl needs.

Likelihood that I'll be back for more:  Already put the second book, The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf on hold!  It centers around Cooper’s little sis, and I’m totally in.  After that, I’ll likely dip into the Nice Girls series.  Because a children’s librarian who’s a vampire?  I can do that.

Recommended for:  Readers sick of YA paranormal romance looking for a more adult read, or romance readers who don’t mind a paranormal twist.  Those who like humor and snark.

Real life repercussions of reading this book:  I informed the bf that if we break up, I’m moving to Alaska.  

Get a second opinion:
Lurv a la Mode
Pedantic Phooka
Beckoned by Books

Salute Your Shorts: Faery Tales and Nightmares by Melissa Marr–The non Wicked Lovely edition.

Salute Your Shorts is a weekly (ish) feature here at Bunbury in the Stacks highlighting and reviewing short stories and novellas. Everyone is welcome to join at any time, just grab the pic above and shoot me a link in the comments so that I can include your post in a roundup.

Title: Faery Tales and Nightmares [Amazon|GoodReads]
Author: Melissa Marr [Website|Twitter]
Standing: Stand alone anthology, BUT half the stories are in the Wicked Lovely universe (I’ll discuss those stories in a later post).
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal
Published: February 21st, 2012 by HarperCollins
Format:  Hardcover; 418 pages 
Source: Borrowed from my local library.
Challenge: YA/MG Fantasy Challenge

Dangerous promises and beguiling threats swirl together in a dozen stories of enchantments dark and light by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr. Uncanny and unexpected creatures appear from behind bushes, rise from beneath the seas, or manifest from seasonal storms to pursue the objects of their attention—with amorous or sinister intent—relentlessly.

From the gentle tones of a storyteller’s cadences to the terror of a blood sacrifice, tales of favorite characters from Marr’s Wicked Lovely novels mix with accounts of new characters for readers to fall in love with...or to fear.

Lush, seductive, and chilling, Melissa Marr’s stories revel in the unseen magic that infuses the world as we know it.

Welcome to the non-Wicked Lovely edition of Salute Your Shorts: Faery Tales and Nightmares!  I’ve decided to split my review of this anthology into two posts so that those of you who haven’t read Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely series can know what this book has in store for you, without forcing you to skip the spoilers!  This works out quite well for everyone since of the twelve stories included, six have nothing to do with Wicked Lovely.  That means you can enjoy half this book!  Here’s what we have to offer:

Where Nightmares Walk

This very short story works as somewhat of an introduction into the book, and lets you realize right off the bat that it will indeed be as much about nightmares as about faery tales.  It’s a chilling intro that will make you fear the night.

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Winter’s Kiss

This short story evokes the image of a traditional fairy tale, but one you haven’t heard before.  It tells the tale of a princess who has the curse of icy breath, and the snow bear that would see it as a gift.  Winter’s Kiss is charming, beautiful, and a reminder of perspective.

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Transition

Eliana has been getting weird and uncontrollable headaches.  She loses time—she can’t remember hours of her life.  She’s stopped talking to doctors, they just think she’s crazy, and she’s begun to self medicate with drugs of another sort.  When she ends up in the graveyard with the boy she’s currently seeing, she can’t get her mind off someone something else, and she can’t help feeling as if the statue is watching her.

Transition is a chilling vampire story about the circle of life (or death…or undeath<—see what I did there?) in which Melissa Marr puts her own tale into a fairly traditional (and thus sexy and gory) lore.  This type of story right here is the reason people love vamps, and not the sparkly kind.

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Love Struck

Every once in a while, I feel like I get as much out of a short story as I do out of a full-length book.  This is one of those times.  Love Struck was a beautiful love story and fairy tale, about selchies.  Selchies!  I’ve been enamored with Selchies since The Secret of Roan Inish, and have been craving more.  I mean…who wants mermaids when selchies are about, really?  At least you don’t have to question the logistics of their anatomy quite so much… 

Alana is chosen to be the mate of Murrin, who intends to court her, but instead he accidently traps her as has been done for generations.  She holds his Other Skin, is compelled to hide it, and she cannot return it unless he finds it himself.  Alana doesn’t want to break her own rules, she doesn’t want a relationship, and certainly not one with some guy she barely knows.  She’s convinced that it’s the selchie magic drawing her to Murrin, and is deeply torn between wanting to be with him and wanting freedom for both of them.  Love Struck was a beautifully rendered tale, and I adored it.  It was the non-Wicked Lovely story in this collection that I was looking forward to most, and it did not disappoint!

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The Art of Waiting

This title made me think of the poem One Art by Elizabeth Bishop.  It’s the story of a small hamlet of a town, that is incased in snow and ice each winter that melts to beauty in the spring.  A man and his daughter come to the town, and the townspeople wait to see if they, like so many others, will leave.

This short is perfect for anyone who lives in a quaint little town and loves it.  It’s hard for people to understand this mentality, but those who live there wouldn’t have it any other way. 

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Flesh for Comfort

A disturbing tale about what we are willing to go through for beauty.  A poor girl in a mountain town knows she will never get out.  She is not rich enough, or attractive enough.  But when a mysterious creature offers to make her beautiful, she is tempted, knowing if she were attractive enough she could trade flesh for comfort and escape.

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These six stories range in length from about 3 to 60 pages, and are all very worth reading!  I particularly enjoyed Love Struck, and the most disturbing award goes to Flesh for Comfort.  Enjoy!

Audio Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Shiver [Amazon|GoodReads]
Author: Maggie Stiefvater [Website|Twitter|Facebook]
Standing: First in The Wolves of Mercy Falls series.
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Published: August 1st 2009 by Scholastic Audio
Format: Audiobook; 10 hrs, 43 min.  Read by Jenna Lamia and David LaDoux.
Source: Borrowed from my local library.

When Grace was six, she was attacked by wolves.  But something (someone?) saved her.  Since that time, she has been obsessed with the wolves that live in the forest behind her house in Mercy Falls, Minnesota.  Obsessed, in particular, with one wolf.  She thinks of him as her wolf.  There’s something in his eyes that makes him seem so intelligent, Grace knows she should fear him and not get too close, but she can’t help herself.  The wolf watches her too.  When a boy from her high school is reportedly killed by a wolf attack, the townspeople of Mercy Falls step up to eradicate the danger, legal or no.  Grace is desperate to stop men from shooting the wolves she feels such a kinship to, but finds herself engulfed in a world much more dangerous and mysterious than she had anticipated when she finds a boy bleeding on her back porch.

I was pleasantly surprised and happy at having chosen to listen to the audiobook of Shiver.  Being completely out of the reading loop for a few years due to school and other real life business, I hadn’t even heard of this series until I was browsing the shelves at Barnes and Nobel this past year and came across the paperback of Forever, the final book in the series.  I fell in love with the cover immediately, and subsequently with the covers of Shiver and Linger as well (okay...so Linger's a little GREEN for me).  The books didn’t sound overly exciting to me, basically Twilight without the vampires (this is also how my friend Alyssa of Books Take You Places described them to me), so I wasn’t in any rush to actually read them.  That said, when I found them available for download through my library, and the mood for paranormal romance struck, I put Shiver on my i-pod and proceeded to savor it over several weeks.  

Listening to Shiver was addictive.  I found myself unable to put down the i-pod when I had other things to do, and looking for more brainless activities to give me more listening time.  Needless to say, the kitchen was cleaner than normal for the time it took me to get through this book.  It helped me realize some things about myself and my book preferences.  For instance, I much prefer dual perspectives when read by several narrators (I haven’t listenened to many multi-narrator books before), and while I enjoyed David LaDoux as Sam, I have completely fallen for Jenna Lamia as a narrator.  Her narration as Grace was wonderful, she locked me into the story and made me enjoy the characters immensely.  It’s so nice to have someone narrate a YA book who actually sounds like she could be in high school!  This made Grace more believable than some of the other YA audiobooks I’ve listened to in the past.

Now for the story.  I honestly had fairly low expectations going in, and found myself pleasantly surprised by the story of Shiver.  Yes, it’s your classic YA paranormal romance, but Maggie Stiefvater created a unique and interesting werewolf mythos that kept me hooked and wanting to learn more.  Without giving too much away, I’ll say that the title (and the temperatures given at the beginning of each chapter) are a reflection of the werewolves physical changes as a reaction to temperature rather than moon cycles.  All of the questions that were raised for me at the beginning I felt were answered (like, if the werewolves change in reaction to temperature drops, why don’t they just move to Hawaii?).  Other factors that I greatly enjoyed were the fact that there was no love triangle (Ms. Stiefvater I could kiss you!), no cliff hanger, and there was enough side story going on to keep me from gagging at the gushy stuff.  Okay, I gagged a little.  I’m sorry, I can’t stomach poetry and song lyrics very well in text, but when you put them on an audiobook I have that whole ‘omg this is so embarrassing’ reaction where I feel nauseous and turn beet red like it's happening to me.  Unfortunately, Grace and Sam’s connection was that “I’ve always loved you” type, second only in play to insta-love, but whatever.  I can overlook this trope every so often when I enjoy the story.

I do kind of wish that I had finished Shiver before reading The Scorpio Races, because quite frankly that book was so much better it hurts.  Still, I did enjoy Shiver, and plan to read the rest of the series, but am hoping that future Stiefvater work is elevated to the level she presented in The Scorpio Races.  It’s kind of hard to go back to ‘pretty good’ after you’ve achieved ‘excellent’ (also see: why I’m not sure I’ll ever read anything else J.K. Rowling publishes even though I’m sure it will be all well and good).

Likelihood that I'll be back for more:  I'm gearing up for The Raven Boys, but I'll admit that when I tried to listen to Linger, I just couldn't get into it. I'm not writing it off though, and am thinking I'll come back to it when I'm more in the mood.

Recommended for:  This is a good series for any paranormal romance fan, particularly those of us who like the wolf boys.

Real life repercussions of reading this book: I discovered, to my horror, that Maggie Stiefvater was born a Heidi.  She changed her name to Margaret when she was 16.  Now I love the name Margaret/Maggie, but it saddens me that anyone would dislike being a Heidi that much.  I love it!

Salute Your Shorts: The Ties That Bind by Rachel Hawkins

Salute Your Shorts is a weekly (ish) meme hosted here at Bunbury in the Stacks highlighting and reviewing short stories and novellas. Everyone is welcome to join at any point, just grab the pic above and shoot me a link in the comments so that I can include your post in a roundup.

Title: The Ties That Bind
Author: Rachel Hawkins [Website|Twitter|Facebook]
Standing: Stand alone short set in the Hex Hall universe.
Genre: Historical, Paranormal
Published: October 28th, 2010
Format: Blog post = free and easy!
Source: These Dark Things

So...as YA readers, I'm guessing that you've probably heard of a couple of authors named Myra McEntire and Victoria Schwab that debuted in 2011 with a couple of books called Hourglass and The Near Witch.  But did you know that these two lovely ladies hosted a short story blog together?  It's called These Dark Things and was used by Myra and Victoria to challenge one another to write short stories adhering to a monthly theme.  Now, the blog's been hearing crickets since late 2010 when these ladies got busy gearing up for their debuts, but that just means it's easy to read through all of their stories!  Today, in honor of Spell Bound, the third and final Hex Hall book by Rachel Hawkins releasing, I'd like to highlight her guest post story on this blog.

The Ties That Bind is historical fiction, where Rachel Hawkins put her own twist on the Bloody Bender Family that ran The Devil's Inn from 1871-1873.  Basically, this was a family from Germany who just showed up in Kansas and started killing people, complete with creepy symbols and spiritualism.  By the time people figured out what was going on and went after them, the Benders were gone, and were never caught or seen again.  You can read the history behind this story here, and Rachel talks about it on her own blog here.

The Ties That Bind takes place in a world with the same rules as the Hex Hall universe, so it's a great place to start if you're debating whether or not that series is for you!  Of course, I feel it's my duty to point out that Hex Hall is funny and there is kissing, despite the fact that there is none of either in this short.  The Ties That Bind is totally creepy, and wonderful because it's based on a true story!  It's probably the longest 'short' on These Dark Things, but it's only about 2,000 words, which is shorter than some book reviews.  Check it out!  

Review: Darker Still: A Novel of Magic Most Foul by Leanna Renee Hieber

Title: Darker Still: A Novel of Magic Most Foul [Amazon|GoodReads]
Author: Leanna Renee Hieber [Website|Twitter|Facebook]
Standing: First in a new series.
Genre: Young/New Adult, Historical Fiction, Gothic, Paranormal
Published: November 8th, 2011 by Sourcebooks Fire
Format: Paperback; 317 pages.  
Source: Borrowed from my local library.

New York County, Municipal Jurisdiction
Manhattan, July 31, 1880

New York City Police Record Case File: 1306

To whoever should have the misfortune to review this closed--but still unresolved--case, I extend my condolences.  I tell you truly that all persons involved have been insufferably odd.

All we know directly of Miss Natalie Stewart, disappeared at age seventeen, is what you will read here in what was left behind as an absurd testimonial.

Herein you shall find pertinent newspaper articles enclosed by Miss Stewart regarding Lord Denbury and his infamous portrait.  There are also letters from involved parties.

I am left to conclude that everyone involved is a certifiable lunatic.  Should you wish to indulge yourself and read a young lady’s foolish reveries on such highly improbable events, so be it.  Should you believe any of it, I hope you have no business with the New York Police Department now or in the future.

Regards,
Sergeant James Patt

Natalie Stewart hasn’t spoken since her mother’s death when she was four.  Despite the pitying looks she’s constantly receiving from those who meet her, she is neither deaf nor dumb, but rather quick of wit and strong of character.  Her father’s employment at the fledgling Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City has put her in the position to pressure him into working with the buyer of a unique painting to put that painting on loan--and more importantly--give Natalie time to view it.  The portrait of Lord Denbury has gained renown for its lifelike image, and many believe it to have supernatural qualities.  Natalie alone, however, will find herself privy to the reality--that Lord Denbury’s good soul is indeed trapped in his portrait, and that a devil roams New York wearing Denbury’s body.

Natalie’s story is told, as indicated from the letter above, through her own words recorded in her diary and the addition of relevant newspaper articles and letters.  I enjoy this narrative style quite a bit when it is done well, and Natalie’s ability to recount events in the written word is believable in particular as she is an intelligent and well-spoken character who has had no other way to express herself (save for those few who understand sign language) for the bulk of her life.  However, this style also has its limitations, in that it limits the possibilities of where a story might go.  I kept expecting/almost wanting some horrible betrayal or event to occur, but how could it when somehow losing our narrator would also guarantee our loss of story?  I did very much enjoy Natalie’s character as a narrator with a disability, however mentally stimulated, though I think I would have preferred it had it not been something she could ever physically overcome (she technically has the capacity to speak, she simply has a traumatic mental block keeping her from doing so).   

I have found the idea of souls being trapped in pictures mind suckingly terrifying since I first read Roald Dahl’s The Witches as a child.  This terror is carried through in The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Darker Still.  The devil that wears Lord Denbury’s body like a suit uses it to partake in his carnal pleasures, and the results of his behaviors are reflected in the waining health of the Lord Denbury trapped in the portrait.  One Lord Denbury is good and kind to the point of making him vulnerable to those who would take advantage, the other is quite frankly a total creeper.    

As an obvious fan of Oscar Wilde, I could hardly pass up the chance to read a tale with such a clear nod to The Picture of Dorian Gray.  Leanna Renee Hieber’s tale used choice elements of this story beautifully, and in such a way as to make me rethink aspects the original.  While it is lacking the horrific edge of the Dorian Gray, Darker Still was a wonderful illustration of the possibilities fermented in Wilde’s novel.

Likelihood that I'll be back for more: I really enjoyed Darker Still, though I honestly went in thinking it was a stand alone.  I was happy with the ending, but the series premise could be interesting enough to keep me going--we’ll see.  I also now want to read The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker.   

Recommended for:  Fans of The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and the Gemma Doyle series.  Not for people looking for a horror novel (which is how it was categorized at my library); this is a paranormal romance with some admittedly creepy aspects, but it is not what I would call overly scary.

Real life repercussions of reading this book:  The likelihood of me ever sitting for a portrait is shrinking significantly from an already unlikely number.

Review: The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Title: The Name of the Star [Amazon|GoodReads]
Author: Maureen Johnson [Website|Twitter|Facebook]
Standing: Book one in the Shades of London series.
Genre: New/Young Adult, Paranormal, Mystery
Published: September 29th, 2011 by Putnam Juvenile
Format: Kindle edition.  
Source: Borrowed from my local library.

If Torchwood were more like Ghostbusters it would be:

1. Significantly better.
2. Shades of London.

Rory’s grown up in small town Louisiana, her parents are lawyers who also teach, and they have decided to spend a year teaching in Bristol.  Given the choice of where to spend her year, Rory decides to spend it at the Wexford Academy boarding school, in London’s East End.  She hardly expected that her arrival would be marked by a serial killer reenacting the violent murders of Jack the Ripper.  While London is gripped with Rippermania, Rory finds herself the only witness able to identify the murderer.  She must deal with the disbelief and doubts of her friends, the police, and her own sanity while coming to grips with some shocking new knowledge and the reality that the Ripper seems to have chosen her as his prime victim.  

The Name of the Star was my first Maureen Johnson.  Now there’s a couple of ways to get me to read a book:  One, set it in a boarding school, I have a thing for them.  When I was young, I was dying to go to boarding school.  I begged, I cried, I never went, and am living vicariously through teen lit to this day.  See, a friend of mine left our small town to live with her family at a boarding school in Africa where her parents would teach the kids of missionaries.  I was obscenely jealous.  My mom had attended boarding school for high school, so I thought, “Perfect, send me there!”, but she hadn’t loved it as much as I was sure I would, and they said no.  Of course now I understand that your kids are only young once and I would never send my own away and miss that part of their lives, but I couldn’t see that at the time.  Two, set your book in London.  I’m a wee bit of an Anglophile.  Maureen Johnson did both, pretty much guaranteeing I would check this book out.

I wasn’t sure about Rory at first, she seemed nice enough, but she also talked.  A lot.  Personally, I’m usually annoyed by those who are overly loquacious, and Rory felt some southern need to entertain with numerous tangential stories of her crazy relatives back home.  Luckily, we only hear her voice a story and a bit before she quite literally chokes on her words.  Thereafter, her stories are told mostly in text, and I actually quite enjoyed her weird comparisons and connections between her past and the ongoing events.

Rory is strong, smart, and definitely a girl to root for.  I loved her relationships with the others in the book, as they reflected a very real teenage personality.  In particular, I loved her relationship with Jerome because it’s essentially no big deal.  It’s a real teenage relationship.  They crush, they flirt, they let their hormones rage, they do not pledge their undying love forever and ever after five minutes because they are seventeen freaking years old.  I appreciated this greatly, and it let me really like Jerome while simultaneously thinking Rory will be able to move on to other relationships (YES I have someone particular in mind) in the future without a ton of drama or heartache.  I liked the girlfriends, Jazzy and Boo (though those names...really?  I mean one sure, but both of them?), I even like the nemesis, Charlotte...though that’s probably largely because she goes to a costume party dressed as Amy Pond.

Maureen Johnson has very cleverly constructed a situation in which it is feasible to have very young characters doing very badass jobs (see above comment about Torchwood/Ghostbusters).  The Name of the Star is incredibly fast paced, in a unique way that allows for both the characters and the story to unfold and develop equally. Jack the Ripper provided both a terrifying and gripping plot laid over the invention of a new world with countless opportunities for further development.  I personally felt the story unwrapped itself layer by layer to reveal something much more complicated than suggested at first glance.  Besides people, it’s Jack the Ripper!  Who hasn’t been terrified by this man at some point?  The Name of the Star provides an excellent and fresh twist on the Ripper story, while creating its own unique tale.

Likelihood that I'll be back for more: The Madness Underneath is set to release later this year and I cannot wait!  

Recommended for: Fans of Jack the Ripper, those who like paranormal mysteries ala Odd Thomas, people into somewhat ridiculous but awesome off-the-books agencies.

Real life repercussions of reading this book:  I was torn between the morbid curiosity of wanting to look up Ripper info (and pics!) and not wanting to have to sleep with a night light on and check behind the shower curtain when I pee.  The pics won out.

Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Title: Everneath [Amazon|GoodReads]
Author: Brodi Ashton [Website|Twitter]
Standing: First book in a new series.
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Greek Mythology
Published: January 24th, 2012 by HarperCollins/Balzer & Bray
Format: Kindle edition; 384 pages.  
Source: ARC from publisher via NetGalley.
Challenge: Debut author challenge.

Nikki Beckett has returned after disappearing six months earlier.  She wasn’t really strung out or in rehab, she was in the Everneath for one hundred years, partaking in the Feed.  At a desperate moment, Nikki offered herself to Cole, an immortal being that must drain a human of energy every 100 years in order to sustain life.  To everyone’s surprise, however, Nikki didn’t waste away in the Feed.  She remembered her life, she remembered Jack, and she decided to return to her old life to see him and make amends with friends and family with what little time she had left.  Nikki has six months on the surface before the Tunnels come for her, using her as a battery to power the Everneath.  Her only option besides this hell?  To become an Everliving, like Cole, and potentially rule the Everneath as its queen.

Everneath was promised as a retelling of Hades and Persephone, but what resulted was more of a mashup of this myth with that of Orpheus and Eurydice, and some Isis and Osiris thrown in.  More of a nod to, as it were, than a retelling. The interplay of the mythologies was interesting to me.  What could have been a confusing train wreck ended up working surprisingly well.  You could see Nikki identifying with either Persephone or Eurydice, and because the book did not go too in-depth, it was possible to mix Greek and Egyptian mythology in a way that made sense.  The basic concept that all myths are rooted in reality is taken to a more literal level than usual, and I found the world Ashton created in the Everneath to be quite intriguing.

While I enjoyed the mythology created, I had a few issues with the melodramatic tone of Everneath.  Nikki is supposedly drained of all emotions, and will only recover the ability to feel over time on the surface.  While she does become increasingly emotional, I felt the story was rather full of emotion to begin with.  Nikki’s motives were confusing to me.  She seems bent on making amends, and yet she doesn’t want to get too close because she knows it’ll be worse when she leaves again.  She entered the Everneath in a time of extreme emotional strife, and her doubt of Jack was a contributing factor--yet despite her belief that he no longer cares for her, Nikki’s love is so strong that Jack helps her hold on to her life as a human.  I don’t really get this dynamic.  To me, a ‘true love’ connection, one that could literally get you through hell, needs to be one solid enough that you don’t have to doubt your feelings for one another.  Also, I was confused by Nikki’s relationship with her father.  Does he just assume she ran off and was drugged out like everyone else seems to, does she say this is true?  We don’t know.  I guess it’s not odd to me that this may be the rumor of choice, but it is surprising to me that those who knew Nikki would think this of her.  

Despite these personal issues with Everneath, I do see it as a read that will appeal to many.  I did want to hug Brodi Ashton for giving both of her boys brown eyes (NO GREEN EYES HUZZAH), and I thought the smokey cover was gorgeous.  

Likelihood that I'll be back for more: Everneath wasn’t bad, but I don’t think it’s the series for me.  

Recommended for:  It’s funny, I’d say people who liked Fury, but I kinda feel like either you really like Fury, or you really like Everneath.  Haven’t seen a ton of crossover from people who enjoyed both (and I was a Fury fan).  Nonetheless, a good option for mythologeeks, and paranormal romance peeps.

Real life repercussions of reading this book:  I got really annoyed at the overuse of the word ‘niggling’.  I’d never even seen this word before, but apparently it’s completely replaced ‘nagging’ in Ashton’s vocabulary.  Kinda made me want to punch babies by the end.

Review: Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver

Title: Liesl and Po [Amazon|GoodReads]  
Author: Lauren Oliver [Website|Twitter|Facebook]
Illustrator: Kei Acedera
Standing: Stand alone novel.
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Paranormal
Published: October 4th, 2011 by HarperCollins
Format: Audiobook; 5 hrs, 55 mins.  Read by Jim Dale (!)
Source: Borrowed from my local library.

Three days after Liesl’s father dies, her sadness is noted.  Not by anyone of note, not by her stepmother or the family servants, or any adult for that matter, but by two others.  Po, a ghost from the other side, notices the girl has stopped drawing and it’s wondering why when it pops over to the living side together with his friend Bundle and meets the girl.  Will, the alchemist’s apprentice who likes to stare up at the pretty girl in the window hasn’t seen her working over a light, and wonders what could be wrong.

Liesl enlists Po’s assistance in contacting her recently deceased father, and becomes determined to return his ashes to the willow tree by the house where they once lived with her mother.  To do so she will have to escape the grips of her stepmother and make a journey with a box of ashes, a ghost, and his pet.  Meanwhile, Will bungles his delivery and confuses the alchemist’s box of powerful magic with a box of ashes from the undertaker.  He’s forced to go on the run from an irate master and his more than disappointed client.

I believe it’s no secret to any audiobook fan that Jim Dale is the best.  I’ll listen to anything he does, and snapped up Liesl and Po as soon as I saw him listed as narrator.  While it may be hard to draw the line between Dale’s charisma and the actual story, I found myself charmed by Lauren Oliver’s middle grade tale.  I felt the story had an almost Roald Dahl-like quality that I find irresistible.  In particular, I was reminded of Matilda in the way that all of the adults in the tale seem to be evil and selfish, and equally convinced that all children are conniving and full of lies.  However, unlike Matilda who is rescued by the kindness of a good woman, the only adults in Liesl and Po who seems kind are either largely dim witted or dead.

I did find myself questioning the choice to call the story after these two particular characters, as surely Will is at least as important as Po.  In fact, I was somewhat annoyed with the reality that Oliver felt the need to create a jealous sort of friendship triangle where the characters were too young to have a love triangle.  Additionally, I felt that the characters read as younger than Liesl’s stated 11 years, and seemed more like they were closer to 9.  I’m sad that I am unable to comment on the illustrations as I haven’t seen them, but Jim Dale provided an excellent counterbalance for this loss.  In the end there may have been a few loose ends that bothered me, but overall I found the tale of a journey and a series of un/fortunate coincidences lovely.

Likelihood that I'll be back for more:  Both of Lauren Oliver’s other books have been sitting in my TBR pile for some time, and I’m hoping to at least get to Delirium before or shortly after Pandemonium releases.

Recommended for:  Fans of Roald Dahl and MG fantasy, anyone who enjoys a Jim Dale audiobook.

Real life repercussions of reading this book:  I have a new appreciation for the word, “ineffable” as a word to describe what words cannot describe.