Review: The Prince Who Fell From the Sky by John Claude Bemis

Title: The Prince Who Fell From the Sky [Amazon|GoodReads]
Author: John Claude Bemis [Website|Facebook]
Standing: Stand alone novel.
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Post-Apocalyptic
Published: May 22nd, 2012 by Random House
Format: Kindle edition; 272 pages
Source: ARC from publisher via NetGalley
Challenge: YA/MG Fantasy Challenge

In Casseomae's world, the wolves rule the Forest, and the Forest is everywhere. The animals tell stories of the Skinless Ones, whose cities and roads once covered the earth, but the Skinless disappeared long ago.

Casseomae is content to live alone, apart from the other bears in her tribe, until one of the ancients' sky vehicles crashes to the ground, and from it emerges a Skinless One, a child. Rather than turn him over to the wolves, Casseomae chooses to protect this human cub, to find someplace safe for him to live. But where among the animals will a human child be safe? And is Casseomae threatening the safety of the Forest and all its tribes by protecting him?

Middle-grade fans of postapocalyptic fiction are in for a treat with this fanciful and engaging animal story by the author of the Clockwork Dark trilogy.

Anyone who’s been reading my reviews for a while now has probably realized that I love when a book puts a spin on my traditional way of thinking.  I don’t always agree with the spin, but I like knowing it’s out there affecting the way people think about things.  The Prince Who Fell From the Sky was one of those books.  I was worried on more than one occasion that it would cross the line into ‘big message’ territory and make me groan, but it didn’t!  John Claude Bemis weaved his tale with a deft hand in a way that made me think without making me feel like I was being judged.  Not completely easy for a story about post-apocalyptic earth where the humans live no more and animals pass down stories of the Skinless Ones’ cruelty to the Forest.

The Prince Who Fell From the Sky was an interesting weave of native mythology, animal fantasy, and the currently popular post-apocalyptic setting.  The main character, Casseomae (or Cas for short), is an aging bear with the instincts and desire to be a mother.  Unfortunately, all of her cubs have been stillborn.  As a result, she feels very protective of all those in need, saving each member of the band repeatedly throughout.  When the Skinless Ones fall from the sky (presumably in some sort of space craft) and a child emerges, Cas refuses to let the hierarchy of the Forest kill him, despite the risk.  The only memories creatures of the forest have of the Skinless Ones are of killing and destruction. She sets off with the companionship of a somewhat knowledgeable rat, a Faithful dog, and the ‘cub’ in tow.

The Prince Who Fell From the Sky is the story of unlikely partnerships between animals of different standing and relation to humans.  It seems that each type of animal has their own stories and myths about humans, and I loved to see the alternate takes that the animals had.  The greatest humor of the book sprouted from Dumpster, the rat who begrudgingly journeys alongside Cas in search of his Mischief and the Havenlands.  He is the Memory for his Mischief, the one who is supposed to remember all of the stories and history.  As such, he considers himself the authority on all things human, but of course, at least half of his ideas are laughably ridiculous and nonsensical to our human minds.  For example, the idea that people had fire escapes on buildings so they could escape fire on the ground and run up to safety.

The relationship between Cas and the ‘cub’ is powerful.  Despite a language barrier (and I honestly loved that the human and animals couldn’t talk with one another), she manages to impart wisdom and respect for the Forest into him.  This, she hopes, will make him a part of the Forest and unlikely to cause the destruction that all of the animals fear he portends.  The ending of The Prince Who Fell From the Sky is unequivocally perfect.  It’s realistic, heartwarming, and sad all wrapped into one.  Plus I have to say, that I totally dig this cover.

While I obviously have many kind things to say about John Claude Bemis’s The Prince Who Fell From the Sky, I will admit that this story didn’t really grab me.  It was well done, unexpected, and made me think from a new perspective, but at the same time it was very easy to put down, and didn’t have me longing for more.  I feel descriptions of this one as a post-apocalyptic Jungle Book are fairly on the nose, though that is another story I was never enraptured by.  Personally, I could take it or leave it, but I do feel that it will be a better fit for many young readers.

Likelihood that I'll be back for more:  This was my first John Claude Bemis, and while I enjoyed it, I didn’t fall madly in love and am not sure I will be picking up the Clockwork Dark trilogy.

Recommended for: They’ve pitched this one more to fans of post-apocalyptic fiction, but I personally feel it’s a better fit for fans of animal fantasy such as Redwall, Wattership Down, The Jungle Book or the Warriors series.  Nice crossover appeal! 

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With Bated Breath (1)

Hi friends!  So here’s the thing.  When I started my blog, I intended on doing some With Bated Breath posts and then I didn’t do them.  I’ve done them for new releases each month, but I meant it to be more fun than that.  I kind of let Waiting on Wednesday take its place, but I’ve never really felt like that meme was the right fit for me or my blog.  I don’t want to talk about just one book a week, and I don’t want to just talk about books that are upcoming.  I want to talk about any book that’s made its way onto my TBR in the last week or so, and let you know where I heard about it too, since this will give you the chance to see the wonderful reviews and posts that led me to said books.  With Bated Breath is part Waiting on Wednesday, part On the Smuggler’s Radar, but mostly it’s my own damn thing.  Enjoy!

House of Mystery by Matthew Sturges and Bill Willingham
January 1st, 2008 by Vertigo
[Amazon|GoodReads]

Matthew Sturges, writer of the Eisner-nominated JACK OF FABLES, and his JACK co-writer Bill Willingham, proudly unlock the doors to the HOUSE OF MYSTERY, a series that reinvents a classic DC Comics comic. HOUSE OF MYSTERY focuses on five characters trapped in a supernatural bar, trying to solve the mystery of how and why they're imprisoned there. Each one has a terrible past they'd like to forget, and with no books, newspapers or TV allowed in the House, they face an eternity of boredom. But stories become the new currency, and fortunately, the House attracts only the finest storytellers.

I came across this one last week while reading a fantabulous interview with one of my favorite authors, Bill Willingham, over at Omnivoracious.  Bill Willingham is the author of one of my all-time favorite graphic series, Fables, and even though I’ve never picked up Jack of Fables (because quite frankly he’s the Fables character I dislike most), I really want to check out this series that is set to complete this August.

Basically, it sounds like a No Exit type set up that can produce absolutely any kind of story imaginable.  Count me in!

The Billionaire’s Curse by Richard Newsome
May 18th, 2010 by Walden Pond Press
[Amazon|GoodReads]

Hello, Gerald. I hope this isn’t too weird for you—a letter from beyond the grave! By now you are my heir and worth a good deal of money. I hope you don’t mind. . . . I expect you’ve figured out that I was murdered. I would like you to find out who did it.

Gerald Wilkins had only been hoping for a ski holiday, but plans change when a great aunt he’s never met leaves him her entire estate worth twenty billion pounds! Whisked by his parents to London, England, Gerald is given a letter and told not to open it until after the funeral.

Now he’s got a mystery to solve. With the help of his new friends, Sam and Ruby Valentine, Gerald follows the clues into secret passageways, a musty jumbled bookshop, an ancient crypt and a colossal cavern where the secret of a priceless treasure lies protected by deadly booby traps.

This series was originally published in Australia, but was picked up for publication in the U.S. by one of my favorite MG imprints—Walden Pond Press!  To celebrate the release of the third book in the trilogy this past week, The Billionaire’s Curse was free for one day only on Kindle.  I snagged it up, because Walden Pond Press has never steered me wrong with gems like Neversink and The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom.  Completely forgot to put this one in my last IMM, so had to feature it here!

Dead Reckoning by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill
June 5th, 2012 by Bloomsbury USA
[Amazon|GoodReads]

Jett is a girl disguised as a boy, living as a gambler in the old West as she searches for her long-lost brother. Honoria Gibbons is a smart, self-sufficient young woman who also happens to be a fabulous inventor. Both young women travel the prairie alone – until they are brought together by a zombie invasion! As Jett and Honoria investigate, they soon learn that these zombies aren’t rising from the dead of their own accord … but who would want an undead army? And why? This gunslinging, hair-raising, zombie western mashup is perfect for fans of Cowboys vs. Aliens and Pride & Prejudice & Zombies.

Okay, this is one of those where the ‘perfect for fans of list’ really turns me off, but I still totally broke my own rules about NetGalley requests for this one because Mercedes Lackey is one of my all time favorite authors, and if there’s one trope I can’t resist it’s freaking girls disguised as boys.  Thanks so so much to Misty of The Book Rat for bringing this one up in one of her Coming Attractions posts, or it would have flown right over my head.  As is I must have it.

Un Lun Dun by China Miéville
February 13th, 2007 by Del Ray
[Amazon|GoodReads]

What is Un Lun Dun?

It is London through the looking glass, an urban Wonderland of strange delights where all the lost and broken things of London end up . . . and some of its lost and broken people, too–including Brokkenbroll, boss of the broken umbrellas; Obaday Fing, a tailor whose head is an enormous pin-cushion, and an empty milk carton called Curdle. Un Lun Dun is a place where words are alive, a jungle lurks behind the door of an ordinary house, carnivorous giraffes stalk the streets, and a dark cloud dreams of burning the world. It is a city awaiting its hero, whose coming was prophesied long ago, set down for all time in the pages of a talking book.

When twelve-year-old Zanna and her friend Deeba find a secret entrance leading out of London and into this strange city, it seems that the ancient prophecy is coming true at last. But then things begin to go shockingly wrong.

So this week I kind of fangirled all over China Miéville’s new YA book, Railsea.  Fell for his writing hard core.  And the lovely Catie of The Readventurer was kind enough to point out to me that if I enjoyed the quirkiness, I’ll probably especially enjoy his MG book, Un Lun Dun.  MG Miéville you say?  Sign me up!  If you need convincing, you should check out Catie’s review here.

Eve & Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate
October 2nd, 2012 by Feiwel & Friends
[Amazon|GoodReads]

Sixteen-year-old Evening Spiker lives an affluent life in San Francisco with her mother, EmmaRose, a successful geneticist and owner of Spiker Biotech. Sure, Evening misses her father who died mysteriously, but she’s never really questioned it. Much like how she’s never stopped to think how off it is that she’s never been sick. That is, until she’s struck by a car and is exposed to extensive injuries. Injuries that seem to be healing faster than physically possible.

While recuperating in Spiker Biotech’s lush facilities, she meets Solo Plissken, a very attractive, if off-putting boy her age who spent his life at Spiker Biotech. Like Evening, he’s never questioned anything... until now. Solo drops hints to Evening that something isn’t right, and Emma-Rose may be behind it. Evening puts this out of her mind and begins her summer internship project: To simulate the creation of the perfect boy. With the help of Solo, Evening uncovers secrets so big they could change the world completely.

I’m honestly having a hard time coming up with where I first heard of Eve and Adam, but I know I decided pretty readily that I wanted to read it.  It may have been when perusing the BEA lists (because YES, this will be there), in an edition of On the Smuggler’s Radar over at The Book Smugglers, or browsing Macmillan’s fall catalog, but wherever it was I first heard of Eve and Adam, I know for certain I’ll be hearing a lot more. 

Side note: Why have I not yet read any Michael Grant?  Everything his name is on makes its way to my TBR, but I have yet to touch any of them.  Shame on me, maybe this will be my first? 

The Seven Tales of Trinket by Shelley Moore Thomas
September 4th, 2012 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
[Amazon|GoodReads]

Guided by a tattered map, accompanied by Thomas the Pig Boy, and inspired by the storyteller’s blood that thrums through her veins, eleven-year-old Trinket searches for the seven stories she needs to become a bard like her father, who disappeared years before. She befriends a fortune-telling gypsy girl; returns a child stolen by the selkies to his true mother; confronts a banshee and receives a message from a ghost; helps a village girl outwit—and out-dance—the Faerie Queen; travels beyond the grave to battle a dastardly undead Highwayman; and meets a hound so loyal he fights a wolf to the death to protect the baby prince left in his charge. All fine material for six tales, but it is the seventh tale, in which Trinket learns her father’s true fate, that changes her life forever.

This one I know I only found through Macmillan’s fall catalog, and I am so glad I did!  This looks exactly like the type of MG I love.  I love historical, fairy-tale like adventures, and I adore this cover that reminds me of Catherine Called Birdy.

This being my first issue, I could certainly go on, but I’m going to restrain myself so that I have some fodder for next time!  Let me know what books, new or old, you’ve added to your TBR as of late.

Review: Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty

Title: Sloppy Firsts [Amazon|GoodReads]
Author: Megan McCafferty [Website|Twitter|Facebook]
Standing: Book one in the Jessica Darling quintet.
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Published: August 28th, 2001 by Crown Publishing Group
Format: Kindle edition; 304 pages.
Source: Borrowed from my local library.

“My parents suck ass. Banning me from the phone and restricting my computer privileges are the most tyrannical parental gestures I can think of. Don’t they realize that Hope’s the only one who keeps me sane? ... I don’t see how things could get any worse.”

When her best friend, Hope Weaver, moves away from Pineville, New Jersey, hyperobservant sixteen-year-old Jessica Darling is devastated. A fish out of water at school and a stranger at home, Jessica feels more lost than ever now that the only person with whom she could really communicate has gone. How is she supposed to deal with the boy- and shopping-crazy girls at school, her dad’s obsession with her track meets, her mother salivating over big sister Bethany’s lavish wedding, and her nonexistent love life?

A fresh, funny, utterly compelling fiction debut by first-time novelist Megan McCafferty, Sloppy Firsts is an insightful, true-to-life look at Jessica’s predicament as she embarks on another year of teenage torment—from the dark days of Hope’s departure through her months as a type-A personality turned insomniac to her completely mixed-up feelings about Marcus Flutie, the intelligent and mysterious “Dreg” who works his way into her heart. Like a John Hughes for the twenty-first century, Megan McCafferty taps into the inherent humor and drama of the teen experience. This poignant, hilarious novel is sure to appeal to readers who are still going through it, as well as those who are grateful that they don’t have to go back and grow up all over again.

So I’m just going to lay it out there.  I have never been so sexually frustrated at the end of a book.  Ever.  Now maybe that’s a bit spoilery, but I don’t think it’s so bad considering this is a five book series and we know these things get drug out in a five book series.  But I’ve never read a contemporary series before; in the world of cliffhangers, Sloppy Firsts is far from the worst, but it was enough to make me die inside just a little and keep me up all night worrying about what’s going to happen to my new BFF Jessica.  Which brings me to my basic conclusion about Sloppy Firsts--I freaking loved it.

Now, I pretty much never read contemporary before this year.  Sure, maybe, if a book was renowned enough or I was required by some form of schooling, but I never really got into the genre.  I’m totally a fantasy girl, and spent the bulk of my library time growing up on the floor of that one aisle at my library combing through the Sci-Fi/Fantasy collection and ignoring all other forms of literature.  And I’m cool with that.  But just this once, I found myself wishing with every fiber of my being that I had read Sloppy Firsts as soon as it came out.  Not only can it easily be crowned my favorite contemporary YA ever, I just know this book would have spoken to teenage me like a lifeline of sanity (or mutual morbidity).

Dude, Jessica Darling is my homegirl.  And I would totally print that on a shirt and wear it.  Yeah she has her annoying quirks, like getting all giggly when she’s awkward or embarrassed, but for the most part she’s probably the fictional character I could most see myself being friends with in high school.  We both really hate weddings and just want to elope, we both didn’t bother buying yearbooks, we’re both phone phobic, goody-goody ‘smart’ kids, and we’re both pretty hyper aware of our own ridiculousness.  That doesn’t stop us from stressing to the point of physically harming our own bodies, being dramatic about our problems, and searching for pretty much any purchase in our home towns.  I love that Jessica is holding out for a guy who can be her best friend, that she so dutifully keeps up correspondence with Hope, and that she writes us her story in her journal.  Technically, that makes Sloppy Firsts an epistolary novel.  I like that, and felt that the journal entries were believable, but at the same time, it read more like a strait up novel to me than you often get with the epistolary format.

I got such a strong feel for all of the characters in this book.  Jessica struggles with relating to her parents, caring at all about her friends (whom she hates), dealing with her mad crush on senior who doesn’t know she exists, and a period that’s completely M.I.A. Of course my favorite character besides Jessica would have to be (you guessed it) Marcus Flutie.  I loved Marcus, because even though I’d seen people mention him before I read this book, he was so completely not what I expected.  In fact, more than anything, he reminds me of my own best guy friend from high school, right down to his woodsy-smoky smell, and I honest to God had ‘why was I just platonic with that guy again?’ thoughts.  Because, dear friends, Marcus Flutie is awesome.  Okay, he’s pretty weird and kind of a dick at times, but he’s also unexpected, quixotic, and pretty perfect for Jessica even if the world doesn’t see it.  

One of my favorite things about Sloppy Firsts was that the two most important and influential characters in Jessica’s life, Hope and Marcus, were more or less absent for the bulk of it.  In fact, Hope is physically nonexistence, and Jessica has a weird curiosity about Marcus that begins to border on an obsession she just can’t drop, so while he’s mentioned often, he’s not very frequent appearance-wise.  I found myself positively pining for more contact with this enigma of a character, while simultaneously loving how drawn out the relationship was.  Sloppy Firsts was, to me, an entirely realistic representation of life in high school, and I loved every agonizing second of it.

Likelihood that I'll be back for more:  Okay, let me tell you, if I had had Second Helpings on hand, or if I hadn’t had to put myself on a wait list for the Kindle edition from Overdrive, I would have started it immediately.  And it was 2:00 am.  And I had to work in the morning.  I call that a sure thing.

Recommended for:  Absolutely anyone and everyone who enjoys contemporary YA.  I have to thank Forever YA for picking this as the March book club pick, or I never would have read it.

Real life repercussions of reading this book:  I have totally and irrevocably changed my opinion of contemporary YA.  It’s not that I haven't enjoyed contemporary since I’ve been pushing myself to read more this year, but this is the first time I’ve ever been completely riveted and dying for more.

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Audio Review: White Cat by Holly Black

Title: White Cat [Amazon|GoodReads]
Author: Holly Black [Website|Twitter|Tumblr]
Standing: First book in the Curse Workers series.
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy
Published: May 11th, 2010 by Listening Library
Format: Audiobook; 6 hrs, 40 min. Read by Jesse Eisenberg
Source: Borrowed from my local library.

The first in a trilogy, this gritty, fast-paced fantasy is rife with the unexpected. Cassel comes from a shady, magical family of con artists and grifters. He doesn’t fit in at home or at school, so he’s used to feeling like an outsider. He’s also used to feeling guilty—he killed his best friend, Lila, years ago.

But when Cassel begins to have strange dreams about a white cat, and people around him are losing their memories, he starts to wonder what really happened to Lila. In his search for answers, he discovers a wicked plot for power that seems certain to succeed. But Cassel has other ideas—and a plan to con the conmen.

Sometimes I don’t really bother to figure out what a book is about before I pick it up.  When I decided to check out White Cat, by Holly Black, somewhat on a whim, it boiled down to 4 simple reasons: 1) It was available on Overdrive, 2) It wasn’t too long (I was burnt out from listening to 14-18 hour books) 3) It was by Holly Black, an author I’ve been wanting to read more of and 4) the series was wrapping up, so I could go through the whole thing without having to wait.  Needless to say, I was hoping White Cat would be decent, but didn’t expect it to be near as intriguing, original, or engrossing as it turned out to be!

Full disclosure: I’ve had a huge girl boner for con men ever since…well forever.  There’s something about grifters that is just undeniably sexy and alluring to me.  I blame my parents for glorifying The Music Man so much as a kid…you know that’s totes why I became a librarian, to meet my con man!  So…Cassel Sharpe?  Yeah, I’d hit it.  I probably wouldn’t even care if he were just using me as a means to an end (but he’d totally want to be strait with me because I’m the woman who would change his life).  I’ve never had a thing for Jesse Eisenberg before, and the second his voice came out of my headphones (yeah, I didn’t even read who the narrator was prior to checking this out), I had all sorts of thoughts flash through my head, most of which added up to: I don’t know how I feel about this.  But now?  After finishing?  I love me some Jesse Eisenberg.  I mean, I liked Zombieland a lot, but his other movies like Adventureland and Social Network were largely depressing views of the world and humanity, and since the kid comes across as a slightly less awkward and slightly more attractive version of Michael Cerra, I wasn’t exactly wringing out my panties for the guy.  But now I know that if I were to ever see him, I’d probably try to muster up the courage to tell him that I love his audiobooks: 1) Because it’s true, 2) Because I bet actors don’t get that a lot, and he’d totally want to have a night of splendor with me because of it, and 3) It’s cool, my boyfriend doesn’t read my blog.

Where were we? Oh yeah, con men. Sexy magical con men. Sorry Sawyer, my heart was yours, but it’s been sold to another because you lack the literal magic touch.  Holly Black has created a world in which there are curse workers; humans who have the ability to change something with a single touch.  There are seven kinds of curse work: luck, dream, emotion, memory, death, transformation, and physical.  A curse worker has to touch you with their bare hands in order to work you, which is why everyone wears gloves all of the time, and a bare hand is terrifying to behold.  Working people is illegal, and has been for several generations.  People that were once held up, have now been cast down as lowlifes and criminals, the worst of the worst and the lowest of the low.  And for the most part, they’ve taken on this mantle.  Worker families have become the crime families of the world.  They can change your memories, change your emotions, make you believe what they want you to believe, and kill you with a single touch.  They are, suffice it to say, scary awesome.

Cassel’s family doesn’t run a crime ring, but they’re not too far off.  His mother is in prison for working men for money, his brother is working for one of the biggest crime bosses around, and him?  Well, he’s just trying to finish high school.  Cassel is the disappointing child, the one without the power to work.  Raised in a worker family, he knows all the tricks.  He knows how to work a mark, and can almost always manipulate those around him to get what he wants.  He’s haunted by his past, and the worst memory he has: killing his best friend, Lila, at age 14.  As Cassel struggles to find out what really happened to the girl he loved, he begins to uncover a reality that he’s almost better off not knowing. 

Cassel is one of those bad boys that you just can’t help but have a thing for…because he’s also kind of a good guy.  Cassel wants to do the right thing, it’s not his fault that doing right by someone often means doing wrong by someone else.  Seriously, if this book doesn’t sound intriguing to you, then I think you might be broken.  It’s cool, I’ll get Cassel’s mom to work you into feeling like you must read this series.  Because really, you should.

Likelihood that I'll be back for more:  I’m pretty sure there’s no question about that.  I’ve already checked the last two books out, and am most of the way through Red Glove as I write!

Recommended for: YA UF fans, chicks who dig con men, those who want a story that is dark and edgy with a male narrator—no fluff-n-stuff in White Cat!

Real life repercussions of reading this book:  Hey, did you guys know/notice that Jace Wayland from Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series makes an appearance in all three of these books?  Made my day in the “I spotted the pineapple in Psyche!” kind of way.

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Review: Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

  Title: Howl’s Moving Castle [Amazon|GoodReads]
  Author: Diana Wynne Jones [Website|Facebook]
  Standing: First in the Castle trilogy, can be read as a stand alone.
  Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
  Published: April 22nd, 2008 by Eos (first published April 14th, 1986).
  Format: Paperback; 429 pages.
  Source: Borrowed from my local library.

Sophie Hatter is certain she is doomed to a boring life.  As the eldest child, she is bound to fail while her younger sisters go on to happiness.  This inevitability seems to come to fruition when their father dies.  Lettie, her middle sister is sent to apprentice at the town’s bakery where she is likely to catch a fine husband, and Martha, the youngest, is sent to Mrs. Fairfax to apprentice the witch and learn her spells and power.  Sophie, fatefully enough, is stuck managing the family hat shop with her step-mother.  Resigned to her woeful inheritance, Sophie breaths life into her work, creating hats of beauty that bring in business from all corners.  Intrigued in her skills, The Witch of the Waste pays a visit to the shop, where she ends up cursing Sophie with old age, while ensuring that she won’t be able to tell a soul.  Sophie determines that there’s little point in staying around, and decides to strike out and seek her fortune.  As her fortune would have it, she ends up at Howl’s door.

This book.  I loved this book.  It was so much fun, full of fantasy and wonder, I honestly don’t have a bad word to say about it.  This is the kind of book that makes me cry over not having read it as a child, and I want to push it into the hands of anyone and everyone I know who loves middle grade and fantasy, no matter their age.  Diana Wynne Jones’s writing is so very whimsical and smart.  I love middle grade authors that are so utterly intelligent.  I feel like too many times the age group gets written down to, but not in this case.  In fact, the characters in Howl’s Moving Castle aren’t even middle grade themselves!  Sophie is eighteen (or about 90, respectively), Howl is in his 20s; in my mind Howl’s Moving Castle brilliantly includes characters of all ages, managing to write them faithfully to their differences and similarities. 

Sophie is timid, and lacks confidence as a young woman, but almost instantly upon becoming 90, she sheds the uncertainties and delicacies of youth.  She doesn’t have to be self-conscious of the things a teenager does, and so Sophie allows herself to be the hardened, nosey, insistent woman she really is.  I love it.  I love that Sophie is constantly doing things she knows will upset Howl, but she never lies about them when he confronts her, she just owns up.  Howl, of course, is a wonderful character.  What he appears to be on the surface, and what he really is underneath don’t quite line up, but yet he manages to be completely himself at all times.  They’re both rather saucy really.

The other characters in the castle, Michael and Calcifer, are equally wonderful.  Michael is the 15 year old apprentice boy, and Calcifer is the fire-demon who helps to power Howl’s moving castle.  Calcifer entreats Sophie to stay (and she very much wants to, because honestly, where else would she go?) and break the contract locking him and Howl together.  Michael, obviously annoyed with Sophie initially, quickly softens and begins to take to her.  So many of the characters in this book seem to have such large hearts, despite their appearances (and possibly their intentions). 

The story of Howl’s Moving Castle is full of magic, whimsy, and spectacle.  I loved that while the story stayed strictly tacked on to Sophie, it was very clear that everyone else was having marvelous adventures as well.  I find it enchanting that we get to know this, to glimpse these other stories, without really being privy to the details.  Also, I found Howl’s Moving Castle to be pleasantly unpredictable.  I was never sure quite which way the story was going, and I loved that Sophie and the others seemed to figure things out before I did.  I hate always being the first to know!  I really couldn’t recommend Howl’s Moving Castle more, and I’m certain I’ll be reading it again in years to come.

Likelihood that I'll be back for more:  Even though Howl’s Moving Castle can be read as a standalone, I already can’t wait to read more stories from Ingary.  I’ll be picking up Castle in the Air next time I pillage the tween stacks.

Recommended for: Anyone who loves MG, fantasy readers, people who enjoy whimsy and hats.

Real life repercussions of reading this book:  While I absolutely adore the movie Spirited Away, and really liked both Ponyo and Princess Mononoke, I’ve never actually watched Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle.  Consider that remedied as soon as I finished this book!  I also haven’t seen Castle in the Sky, which apparently has nothing to do with Castle in the Air despite the similarities…will have to check it out as well.

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Review: Railsea by China Miéville

Title: Railsea [Amazon|GoodReads]
Author: China Miéville [Website]
Standing: Stand alone novel.
Genre: Young Adult, SciFi, Retelling (ish)
Published: May 15th, 2012 by Random House Publishing Group
Format: Kindle edition; 448 pages
Source: ARC from publisher via NetGalley

On board the moletrain Medes, Sham Yes ap Soorap watches in awe as he witnesses his first moldywarpe hunt: the giant mole bursting from the earth, the harpoonists targeting their prey, the battle resulting in one’s death and the other’s glory. But no matter how spectacular it is, Sham can’t shake the sense that there is more to life than traveling the endless rails of the railsea—even if his captain can think only of the hunt for the ivory-colored mole she’s been chasing since it took her arm all those years ago. When they come across a wrecked train, at first it’s a welcome distraction. But what Sham finds in the derelict—a kind of treasure map indicating a mythical place untouched by iron rails—leads to considerably more than he’d bargained for. Soon he’s hunted on all sides, by pirates, trainsfolk, monsters, and salvage-scrabblers. And it might not be just Sham’s life that’s about to change. It could be the whole of the railsea.

Here is a novel for readers of all ages, a gripping and brilliantly imagined take on Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick that confirms China Miéville’s status as “the most original and talented voice to appear in several years” (Science Fiction Chronicle).

I’m not going to lie and say that Railsea is a book I will be recommending to all readers, but I will, with certainty, be recommending it to anyone and everyone I think would enjoy it.  Railsea isn’t what anyone expects to see under the ‘YA’ label.  Many have argued that it isn’t really YA at all, but when a book is pitched as ‘a novel for readers of all ages’, I don’t think it’s really trying to be.  Given its content, I think that ‘a novel for readers of all ages’ is the perfect description for Railsea.  It will appeal to Miéville’s adult fanbase, as well as make him more accessible to younger readers.  The teens who will fall in love with Railsea will be those who probably read a lot of adult sci-fi or fantasy already; they will be smart, appreciate a wry sense of humor, and have a wonderful sense of adventure.  Readers must be patient getting into this one, as it will take you a while to feel entirely at ease with the language and story, and to understand the world that Miéville has built, but I assure you that it will be worth the effort.

As China Miéville  has said himself: “Part of the appeal of the fantastic is taking ridiculous ideas very seriously and pretending they're not absurd.”  I couldn’t possibly describe Railsea in a more accurate sentence.  Railsea is ridiculous, but the respect and authority that Miéville gives to his characters in the story therein left me completely enraptured, enamored, and on the edge of my seat wanting more.  To me, Railsea was hilarious.  I was constantly laughing out loud in the way that you laugh at someone who you are never quite sure recognizes how truly clever they are.  I was initially worried that I would be bogged down in the language, but instead I found myself languishing in it, making Railsea one of the more literary works I have read for some time.

However, the best part of Railsea is the story that is found within all of this.  Railsea is a sort of Moby Dick retelling, but readers shouldn’t go in thinking this will be all about a captain balancing on the edge of sanity pulling all the stops to bring down the big one.  That’s only part of the tale.  In fact, our focus isn’t the captain at all, it is Sham ap Soorap, who dreams of a life more exciting than that of a doctor’s assistant aboard a moler, and gets it.  It’s the story of a sort of treasure map, a high seas adventure, and an escapade to the very ends of the earth. 

Now, those readers who love a focus on excellent world building and plot—Railsea is for you, but for those of you who are all about character development, you may not approve.  It’s not that the characters are shallow, but Railsea is not a book where we get strong images of the characters’ emotions.  And personally, I didn’t feel like anything was missing despite this.  The world of Railsea, with scavengers, pirates, and hunters riding the railsea on trains rather than ships made me think of a futuristic old west, kind of like a more localized take on Joss Whedon’s Firefly.  Add to that giant vermin such as fanged meerkats or predatory chipmunk packs living under the land of the rails, and you have some pretty terrifying imagery going for you.  In addition, Railsea contains a number of illustrations of the creatures described, drawn by the author himself.  I loved seeing them in detail, though I’ll admit I craved to see some of the drawings that Sham himself had done, or others depicting the railsea.

I’m always impressed when an author writes a book so utterly un-sexist, that traditional gender divisions aren’t even a thought.  As was the case with Railsea.  Gender roles are never even alluded to, it is just a part of the world that women do the exact same jobs as men, and nothing whatsoever is thought about this.  Our captain, Naphi, is a woman whose life philosophy has become killing Mocker-Jack, the Mole of Many Meanings.  And she’s not the only strong woman about, there’s scrappers, molers, and Caldera Shroake making Railsea a book that spreads the crazy, savvy, and skill all over. 

I realize I haven’t talked overly much about the plot, but the reality is, you don’t want me to.  You want to dive into the unknown of the Railsea with as few preconceived notions of the plot as possible.  This is one of those books I loved, but about which I still have a hard time adequately formulating my thoughts into words. While I have tried to express that this is not for everyone, I have to stress that those that click with Railsea will really click.  This will certainly be one of my top reads of 2012.

Likelihood that I'll be back for more: Oh goodness yes!  I’ve been wanting to read some China Miéville for some time, and since I particularly enjoyed the zany wit of Railsea, I think my next read will be his other book for younger readers, Un Lun Dun.

Recommended for: Fans of Firefly, Neal Stephenson, Tremors, Treasure Island and Moby Dick.

Real life repercussions of reading this book: Okay, I loved bats before, but now I want a pet day bat so badly it’s ridiculous.  Daybe for best animal companion of the year?

Also:

This one’s for Naphi.

Get a second opinion:
The Readventurer
The Book Smugglers (in Kirkus)
io9 YA Novels

Salute Your Shorts: Magic Mourns by Ilona Andrews

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: Magic Mourns in Must Love Hellhounds [Amazon|GoodReads]
Author: Ilona Andrews [Website|Twitter|Facebook]
Standing: Magic Mourns is a Kate Daniels novella between books 3 and 4.  This anthology also includes 3 other novellas which are part of the Guild Hunter, Sookie Stackhouse, and The Guardians series.  As I have not read these other series, I did not read the other 3 novellas.
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Published: September 1st, 2009 by Berkley Trade
Format:  Paperback; 361 pages. Magic Mourns alone is around 90 pages. 
Source: Borrowed from my local library.
Alternative Source: Magic Mourns is also available to purchase as an e-book single here.
Spoilers!: This review contains very minor spoilers for Magic Bites (reviewed here), Magic Burns (reviewed here), and Magic Strikes (reviewed here).  One could, theoretically, read this story without having read other Kate Daniels novels.

The phone rang again.  “Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid, Andrea—“
”Can I speak to Kate?”  An older male voice tinted with country accent.
”I’m filling in for her.  What do you need?”
”Can you take a message for her?  Tell ‘er this is Teddy Jo callin’ down from Joshua Junkyards.  She knows me.  Tell her I was drivin’ on through Buzzard, and I saw one of them fellers she hangs out with, the shapeshifters, run like hell through the Scratches.  Right below me.  There was a big dog chasin’ him.”
“How big was the dog?”
Teddy Jo mulled it over.  “I’d say as big as a house.  A one-story.  Maybe a bit bigger.  Not as big as one of them colonials, you understand.  A regular-person house.”
”Would you say the shapeshifter was in distress?”
”Hell yeah, he was in distress.  His tail was on fire.”
”He ran like his tail was on fire?”
”No, his tail was on fire.  Like a big, furry candle on his ass.
Bing.  Green five, shapeshifter in dire distress.  “Got it.”

When I picked up Magic Mourns, I was expecting Kate.  What I got was Andrea.  The shift in narrators was a surprise for me, but not an unwelcome one.  I love me some Kate, but I’ve really enjoyed Andrea’s character in the past two books, and knowing that Gunmetal Magic is coming out this summer with her PoV, I was pumped for the preview.  And friends, Magic Mourns did not disappoint! 

Often, when you pick up new narration by the same author, it’s incredibly similar.  However, Ilona Andrews really took me by surprise with Andrea.  She doesn’t write the same for this character at all.  Sure, it’s still written very well, but Andrea’s thought process is different to Kate’s.  We see that not only in her mental dialog, but because it is written in first person, we see it in every word.  Andrea’s narration isn’t full of well-known phrases and clichés, it’s not as clipped, moody, or sharp; it is another strong butt-kicking chick with a wry sense of humor, and I am now more than ever a fan of Andrea’s.

I’m going to say after the past three books, Ilona Andrews kind of owed us this one.  Magic Mourns tells the story of Andrea dealing with duty without Kate.  When she receives word of the (supposedly) giant dog chasing a shapeshifter outside of the city, she heads out to check the scene.  There she finds, much to her dismay, Rafael.  Rafael running from what is, indeed, a three headed dog the size of a house.  Andrea doesn’t particularly want to work with Rafael, but she doesn’t want to leave the guy either.  She wants to create a better bond between herself and the Pack, hoping that she can earn a position of trust similar to Kate’s, making relations easier for everyone. 

As always, we get a fun and unique play on mythology (Greek this time), but with it comes the gratification of Andrea and Rafael, and how their relationship differs from Kate and Curran’s.  Andrea and Rafael, unlike the other couple mentioned, actually acknowledge and talk about the issues between them.  For better or worse, at least they have some form of communication going.  Magic Mourns also gives us better insight into Andrea’s past.  We’ve known she is beastkin, but other than the stigma involved, we’ve been a little blind to what that really meant for her growing up.  I was incredibly interested to have her past laid bare, appalling as aspects of it may be.  Where Ilona Andrews has been giving us snippets of Kate’s past and relationship with Curran slowly over 3 novels, it was really quite satisfying to learn so much about another character in such a short period of time.  Not that I’m complaining about Kate’s pacing, quite the opposite, I love it, but that doesn’t mean I don’t need to be thrown a bone every once in a while.  Andrea’s story was well paced, informative, and the perfect balance between action and romance.

Overall, Magic Mourns is a must read for Kate Daniels fans, particularly those preparing to enjoy Gunmetal Magic!

Get a second opinion:
Janicu’s Book Blog (review of entire Must Love Hellhounds anthology)
Literary Escapism (review of entire Must Love Hellhounds anthology)
All Things Urban Fantasy (review of Magic Mourns)