Sadie Hawkins Sunday Review #33: Across a Star-Swept Sea

Across a Star-Swept Sea
For Darkness Shows the Stars, Book 2

Author: Diana Peterfreund
Pages: 464
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: October 15, 2013
Read: September 2-5, 2013
Source: Gifted ARC - thanks, Lenore!
Recommended by: Christina of Christina Reads YA

Description from Goodreads:
Centuries after wars nearly destroyed civilization, the two islands of New Pacifica stand alone, a terraformed paradise where even the Reduction—the devastating brain disorder that sparked the wars—is a distant memory. Yet on the isle of Galatea, an uprising against the ruling aristocrats has turned deadly. The revolutionaries’ weapon is a drug that damages their enemies’ brains, and the only hope is rescue by a mysterious spy known as the Wild Poppy.

On the neighboring island of Albion, no one suspects that the Wild Poppy is actually famously frivolous aristocrat Persis Blake. The teenager uses her shallow, socialite trappings to hide her true purpose: her gossipy flutternotes are encrypted plans, her pampered sea mink is genetically engineered for spying, and her well-publicized new romance with handsome Galatean medic Justen Helo… is her most dangerous mission ever.

Though Persis is falling for Justen, she can’t risk showing him her true self, especially once she learns he’s hiding far more than simply his disenchantment with his country’s revolution and his undeniable attraction to the silly socialite he’s pretending to love. His darkest secret could plunge both islands into a new dark age, and Persis realizes that when it comes to Justen Helo, she’s not only risking her heart, she’s risking the world she’s sworn to protect.

In this thrilling adventure inspired by The Scarlet Pimpernel, Diana Peterfreund creates an exquisitely rendered world where nothing is as it seems and two teens with very different pasts fight for a future only they dare to imagine.

Previous Book in Series:
1: For Darkness Shows the Stars

First Sentence: "If the Wild Poppy dared return to Galatea, Citizen Cutler was ready."

Review:
There's a life lesson in this series for me. Much as I think I'm going to love the books that retell favorites, I'm probably actually going to prefer the ones that retell books I didn't like or that I haven't read. The latter is the case with The Scarlet Pimpernel, though I do have it on my shelves, along with a fifth of the other books I hope to read someday but haven't. Initially, I was a bit skeptical to a sequel to For Darkness Shows the Stars, but Peterfreund weaves Across a Star-Swept Sea into that world brilliantly, creating a read I found much more emotionally resonant.

Not being particularly familiar with The Scarlet Pimpernel, I cannot tell you with any degree of accuracy how well the retelling has been done, but I suspect quite well, as Peterfreund did a fantastic job with Persuasion. Even better, Peterfreund has done a gender swap and made The Wild Poppy. Persis Blake pretends to be an air-headed socialite so that no one suspect that she is in fact the most notorious spy in the kingdom.

Peterfreund really digs into gender roles and the absurdity thereof. In Across a Star-Swept Sea, three different cultures mingle, all with different gender roles for women. Even in Galatea, where women have been able to hold rank and rule for ages, everyone automatically assumes that The Wild Poppy is a man. Of course, this feeling that women cannot be so clever or powerful does make it easier for Persis to totally mess with their minds. I liked how, even though she makes use of the resources available to her, even if that means the assumption of her weakness or stupidity. Persis is a truly remarkable girl, intelligent, focused, resourceful, and a skilled actress.

The reason The Wild Poppy exists is to save Galatean nobles. In that country, the regs revolted and overthrew their leaders. However, they're not happy with equality; they want payback, and are punishing their leaders with Reduction. The world building is a bit complex and won't make much sense if you haven't first read For Darkness Shows the Stars, so I would really start there, even though this is marketed as a companion novel. Anyway, the pink pills simulate actual Reduction and remove a person's mental faculties, so that the regs can force the aristos to labor for them for a change. Medic Justen Helo, a symbol of the revolution because his grandmother Persistence Helo developed the cure to Reduction, fears that the new government has gone too far and seeks to escape to Albion. All of the medical stuff surrounding Reduction, both the sort that happened organically because we tampered to much with genes, and the created sort are entirely horrifying. Society, can we please not do this?

The plot runs largely more to intrigue than to daring rescues. In fact, she only goes on a couple of Poppy missions throughout the course of the novel, stuck instead at feigning a romance in her home country of Albion for most of the book. Romance is pretty central to the plot, not that I think the world building is neglected or anything, but it's key. Justen and Persis have this great hate to love thing going, and have the added complication of having to pretend to be a couple to explain why he's in Albion, since the Galateans don't know he no longer supports the actions of the Revolution. Basically, I ship this QUITE a bit. They have excellent banter, and it's fun to watch their feelings slowly change. Justen, of course, is in the difficult position of thinking Persis is an idiot, as she very much pretends to be.

However, much as I loved Persis and Justen, a couple of the secondary cast were wonderful too. Isla, the young leader of Albion is clever like Persis, and she has the cutest little romance going that she's not meant to. Watching her stop deferring to the old men in her council was super gratifying in patriarchal Albion. Tero and Andrine, the reg siblings, are fabulous. The show stealer, though, is Slipstream, aka Slippy, Persis' seamink. I picture him looking mostly like an otter. He's basically the cutest and also very useful. I would like a sea mink, though I doubt my cat would approve.

Across a Star-Swept Sea was pretty close to perfection for me, except for one thing: the hackneyed way that the novel resolved. Now, with a large aspect of Across a Star-Swept Sea being the romance, certain aspects of the ending are pretty much definite. Essentially, I was left feeling unsatisfied, because the romance aspects were left hanging. The book ends in what feels like the middle of the scene. No doubt this was done intentionally, but, as a reader, I am really tired of spending hundreds of pages getting emotionally attached to a particular couple but never getting that emotional payoff in the end.

On top of that, a very large plot point was left wholly unresolved. Without going into too much detail, there's a crossover with the plot from For Darkness Shows the Stars. We get to see those characters briefly, but they essentially don't serve any plot purpose that couldn't have been done more neatly with other characters. Yes, it's nice to show how the book's fit together, but that doesn't mean the characters can show up and have their plot entirely dropped.

Diana Peterfreund's follow-up to For Darkness Shows the Stars truly is best read as a sequel, and not a standalone, at least if you like to have all of the knowledge, like I do. Across a Star-Swept Sea is more light-hearted and romantic than its predecessor, with the same excellent writing and intriguing world building. Long as it is though, it did feel a bit abbreviated, though I still recommend it quite highly.

Rating: 4/5

Favorite Quote:

"'You think they like you because you're soft on them. But all you're teaching them is that you're soft.'
     Now Isla did turn, and fixed Councilman Shift with her most royal glare. 'And if I let your insult pass unpunished, sir? What am I teaching you?'"

Don't Take My Word for It:
The Social Potato's word: "Is it really good? Hell to the YES." - 5 stars
Good Books and Good Wine's word: "this novel was a pure delight" - 5 stars
The Biased Bookie's word: "not a book you should read drowsy" - 4.5 stars

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Up Next:

The next Sadie Hawkins Sunday book will be If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch. This one was recommended by two separate people convinced I will love it, so *crosses fingers*

Want to tell me what to read? Fill out the following form with a suggestion! For more details, check this post.

Review: Love in the Time of Global Warming

Love in the Time of Global Warming

Author: Francesca Lia Block
Pages: 240
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication Date: August 27, 2013
Read: August 15-16, 2013
Source: ARC from publisher

Description from Goodreads:
Seventeen-year-old Penelope (Pen) has lost everything—her home, her parents, and her ten-year-old brother. Like a female Odysseus in search of home, she navigates a dark world full of strange creatures, gathers companions and loses them, finds love and loses it, and faces her mortal enemy.

In her signature style, Francesca Lia Block has created a world that is beautiful in its destruction and as frightening as it is lovely. At the helm is Pen, a strong heroine who holds hope and love in her hands and refuses to be defeated.

First Sentence: "The building has gold columns and a massive doorway, a mural depicting Giants, with small bodies sticking out of their mouths like cigarettes."

Review:

Let it not be said that I don't read with an open mind. There's a lot of talk on Goodreads and in the book blogging community about "hate reading" and whether or not one should do it. Deciding to read Love in the Time of Global Warming might have seemed a questionable choice, because I absolutely loathed with every fiber of my being the first and only Francesca Lia Block book that I read: Weetzie Bat. However, if I didn't risk possibly hating this one and feeling stupid for wasting my time or being deemed a "hate reader," I wouldn't have gotten to experience this amazing book. Even going into a book fearing the worst, there's a chance that you will be unexpectedly swept off your feet, and I've seen this happen to pretty much every blogger I know. So, surprisingly enough to me and to Bekka of Pretty Deadly Reviews who convinced me to read Love in the Time of Global Warming, I kind of loved this book.

My issue with Weetzie Bat was that the book read like I'd been unwilling forced into some sort of drug trip, which is not my thing in the slightest. The book is crazy and the writing annoyed me to no end. Love in the Time of Global Warming is definitely incredibly odd and a little bit crazy, but, for some reason, one I can't really put my finger on except to say that it just sort of comes together perfectly, this one worked for me.

The writing, while still more poetic and off the wall then I generally like, is this lyrical prose that fits perfectly with the story. Block makes excellent use of imagery and achieves a style that hearkens back to Homer's Odyssey while still being totally her own, which I really admire, because it's so tough to achieve.

What I really love about Love in the Time of Global Warming is that it's this genre mash up of awesomeness. Block blends together mythology, science fiction, post-apocalyptic, and magical realism into a book that should come out an incomprehensible mess, and may for some readers, but combined to be this brilliant, strange utterly unique little book for me.

There's this real blend of science fiction/post-apocalyptic with the retelling elements. While some aspects are explained with science, like the giants, others are where the magical realism comes into play, like the lotuses. Personally, I love magical realism and the way that it brought everything together and really made this retelling possible in a world no longer populated by gods and goddesses in our cultural imagination.

In no way is Love in the Time of Global Warming a strict retelling, but Block manages to bring in quite a few of the major plot elements, and they're clearly recognizable. Even better, Block doesn't have the tendency to go on and on in endless descriptions like Homer does. Also, Block takes a story that's very patriarchal, with the only women vile seductresses or waiting at home for their men, and makes it an LGBT love story with a heroine, slyly named Penelope in a nod to the one awesome woman in Homer's work, instead of a hero. All of the main characters have LGBT leanings and they're all messed up, but ultimately likable people with more to them than what initially meets the eye. In some ways, the apocalypse is what frees them to be who they are, because the end of the world really puts life into perspective.

My only reservations are these: one personal and one more analytical. On a personal note, I didn't feel any real emotional connection, this not being so much a character-driven story. In fact, I'm amazed I liked it so much given that I'm such a character-based reader, however the writing and story really resonated and struck the perfect tone. Analytically, there was a little plot line about Pen's parents that I didn't really think was entirely necessary. I didn't remember this from The Odyssey, but apparently another account (as in not written by Homer), explains this little addition. While I can see why she did that, it felt rather out of place since not much really happened with regards to this small twist.

If you appreciate genre-bending novels, particularly those with magical realism, I urge you to give Love in the Time of Global Warming a try. It's a strange, unique book and won't be for everyone, but Francesca Lia Block has woven together something magical here.

Rating: 4/5

Favorite Quote:

"I sniff. 'What is it?'
     'Punch!' he laughs. 'I don't know. Something strong. We need something fucking strong, don't you think? The world actually ended. As in the apocalypse? We better have something strong.'"

Review: Emma Emmets, Playground Matchmaker

Emma Emmets, Playground Matchmaker

Author: Julia DeVillers
Pages: 240
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: June 27, 2013
Read: June 22-23, 2013
Source: ARC from publisher for review

Description from Goodreads:
How will Emma make her mark this school year? Will she…

a) Bring love to her fellow classmatesb) Become the most popular girl in schoolc) Finally meet her crush, teen singing sensation Jake LaDrake) ALL OF THE ABOVE! On the first day of school, Emma Emmets surveys her classmates and sees plenty of shared interests, crushes not being acted upon, and people too afraid of cooties to know what they're missing. Emma tries her hand at uniting lonely Leah and nerdy Otto . . . and a matchmaker is born.

After successfully matching bullies, dorks, athletes, and weirdos, she’s ready for her most high-profile client yet: Isla, a fourth grader so popular she hangs out with the fifth graders. But when Emma's efforts go terribly awry, she finds herself with a powerful new enemy.

Suddenly life on the playground is horribly wrong. With all her classmates blissfully paired off, Emma's left with no one! Is the matchmaker destined to be alone?

First Sentence: "Being a fourth grader definitely felt different, Emma decided as she walked along the sidewalk toward the elementary school."

Review:

One of the most delightful things about middle grade fiction is the focus on friendship and family over romance, which tends to dominate a lot of young adult reads. In this case, though, romance is the name of the game, at least on the surface. I was a little bit skeptical of the premise, but Emma Emmets, Playground Matchmaker turned out to be totally adorable, full of nerdy jokes, cuteness and allusions to some of my favorite books.

Though the blurb doesn't mention this, probably because kids wouldn't much care, I am one hundred percent convinced that Emma Emmets, Playground Matchmaker is a retelling of Jane Austen's Emma. How awesome is that? SUPER AWESOME. Basically, Emma inadvertently matchmakes Annie and Henry at summer camp, and, when Annie credits her skills, Emma decides this could be just what she needs to make something of herself. Em has been pretty unpopular, because of the horrifyingly EMbarrassing nicknames Isla, the most popular girl in their grade, had given her. Now, she plans to tout her matchmaking skills to make people happy (and to boost her own place in elementary school society).

Like Emma Woodhouse, Emma Emmets has mostly good intentions, but doesn't necessarily have a great grasp on the whole matchmaking thing, because she's not all that familiar with romance and gets a little too caught up in herself. Still, she's pretty successful at matchmaking on the whole. All the boyfriends and girlfriends in fourth grade did creep me out a little bit (there weren't many couples until middle school in my day - most of us still thought the opposite gender was kinda gross), but I like that DeVillers put an emphasis on matchmaking friendships too, not just romantic relationships. The overall message really was about helping kids find kindred spirits, and it really shook up the school's cliques and brought people together.

Emma has a little romance of her own going, that also follows a sort of Jane Austen line. The new boy, Daniel Dunne, makes fun of Emma on the very first day. Since he's rude to her, she decides she hates him too and considers him an enemy. Obviously they're not, and they have a cute little flirtation going, though I love that it's kept very simple and not overly emotion-y.

The writing didn't do too much for me though. DeVillers writes in third person, but it really reads like first person. I am just not a fan of when third person narration is full of exclamation points and ellipses. I prefer my narration a bit more staid and for the thoughts of the MC to be delineated separately. I'm sure this won't bother the intended audience, but it was an annoyance for me.

Emma Emmets, Playground Matchmaker is a funny, sweet story about the trials and tribulations of elementary school friendships and relationships. Though not an ideal read for older readers, the Jane Austen connections were enough to keep me happy!

Rating: 3/5

Favorite Quote:

"'That's not a stick, that's my wizard wand,' Marshall said, waving it in the air.
     'Oh, my dog knows that,' Jane smiled. 'Her name's Ginny Weasley. She knows it's a wizard wand. She just thinks it's hers.'"

Review: Dr. Frankenstein's Daughters

Dr. Frankenstein's Daughters

Author: Suzanne Weyn
Pages: 247
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Source: YA Books Central for Review

Description from Goodreads:
A new generation is creating a monster....

Giselle and Ingrid are the twin daughters of Doctor Victor Frankenstein, but they are very different people, and when they inherit his castle in the Orkney Islands, Giselle dreams of holding parties and inviting society -- but Ingrid is fascinated by her father's forbidden experiments.

First Sentence: "What unbearable guilt!"

Review:
No matter my opinions on the source material, I cannot resist retellings. I read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in high school, and I loathed pretty much every bit of it. Perhaps I might be able to appreciate its wordiness and lack of action more now, but, at the time, it was torture. Suzanne Weyn's novel picks up some time after Frankenstein concludes, following his daughters, in a very different kind of story.

Where Frankenstein consists of a lot of endless descriptions and foliage, Weyn substitutes the castle and mysterious murders to create the gothic feeling of the original. Weyn also does a good job of simulating the language of the time. It's a bit stilted occasionally, but largely well done. The narration switches between Giselle's and Ingrid's journal entries, and the two narratives are kept distinct by the entirely different interests held by the two girls.

The major theme in Dr. Frankenstein's Daughters, as with Frankenstein, is that of madness. With the two Frankenstein girls, Weyn highlights two different kinds of madness, with the most obvious being the madness of obsession in scientific discovery. The desire for knowledge, to know whether something can be done without considering whether it should be done, runs through Ingrid, the smart twin, just as it ran through Victor.

Though much of Dr. Frankenstein's Daughters moved at a pretty sedate pace, again akin to the original, the ending is quite shocking. The first half focused largely on romance, and it seemed less a retelling and more a historical romance with a needless reference to Shelley's creations. In the second half, Weyn really sells it, and the shift is startling in a good way. I did not expect her to end things quite as she did, and it's nice to be surprised by a book.

Unfortunately, the novel has a major flaw in my opinion. Though I do not think it is Weyn's intention to do so, I do not like the treatment of female characters in the novel. Besides Giselle and Ingrid, there is only one other female character who gets a line. The girls are on this isolated island, but meet multiple attractive men. Yet, somehow, they do not meet any women. I do not like the message this sends that aside from our heroines, females really are not important. Though perhaps I should be grateful that the two girls are the only ones to receive any sort of character development; all those multitudes of men are flat as pancakes.

The only other woman to have a voice is Mary Shelley. Weyn has done what so many retellers like to do: brought the author into her story. This is, actually, one of my least favorite literary devices. An author chooses to retell a story, most likely because of a great respect and admiration of the original work and its creator. Generally, the author is brought in as a character to be inspired by the scenes he/she witnesses, and to then go on and write their famous work. Am I the only one who finds this incredibly insulting to the original author, diminishing the power of their imagination to that of a chronicler?

Dr. Frankenstein's Daughters is a quick read that becomes progressively darker as the pages fly by. This will be a good read for those who appreciate gothic narratives, but don't want to wade through 400 pages of dense prose.

Rating: 2.5/5

Favorite Quote: "I read and read without ever being bored as long as there is daylight."

Review: The Trouble with Flirting

The Trouble with Flirting

Author: Claire LaZebnik
Pages: 288
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Borrowed from YA Litwit

Description from Goodreads:
Franny's supposed to be working this summer, not flirting. But you can't blame her when guys like Alex and Harry are around. . . .

Franny Pearson never dreamed she'd be attending the prestigious Mansfield Summer Theater Program. And she's not, exactly. She's working for her aunt, the resident costume designer. But sewing her fingers to the bone does give her an opportunity to spend time with her crush, Alex Braverman. If only he were as taken with the girl hemming his trousers as he is with his new leading lady.

When Harry Cartwright, a notorious flirt, shows more than a friendly interest in Franny, she figures it can't hurt to have a little fun. But as their breezy romance grows more complicated, can Franny keep pretending that Harry is just a carefree fling? And why is Alex suddenly giving her those deep, meaningful looks? In this charming tale of mixed messages and romantic near-misses, one thing is clear: Flirting might be more trouble than Franny ever expected.

First Sentence: "When Jasper Snowden's parents divorced, Jasper got to stay in his bedroom in the big house he'd always lived in, while his parents took turns living there with him."

Review:

Awwww, you guys, this is one of those times where I had super low expectations, because of ideas in my head. I expected this to be super silly, more of a guilty pleasure than anything else. Well, you know what, there is zero guilt in the pleasure I found in The Trouble with Flirting. LaZebnik's loose Mansfield Park adaptation achieves a real teen feel, and is sweet and funny on top of that.

First, I have to talk about the adaptation, being the Jane Austen fangirl that I am. Now, for all that I love Dear Jane, Mansfield Park is a hot mess. Fanny Price is one of the most boring, passive heroines in fiction, the plot line is way too melodramatic with all of the couple-swapping and infidelity, and, in the end, Fanny marries her cousin. So, as you may imagine, I was a bit hesitant to buy into an adaptation for teens. However, I was totally game, because, if LaZebnik botched it, I wasn't going to be offended like I would be with Austen's other novels.

LaZebnik not only does Mansfield Park justice; she greatly improves on it. Now, I'm not going to argue that LaZebnik's writing is more likely to withstand the test of time, but her characters have so much more life and more appeal. I'm really impressed with the way LaZebnik has arranged Mansfield Park into such a different setting, a summer camp for theater students at Mansfield College. She stays true to the romantic entanglements that are at the heart of Mansfield Park, the petty jealousies, the rampant flirting, and the betrayals.

Now, I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't, but I do have to make vague reference to my very favorite aspect of her modern retelling. LaZebnik starts out with all of the characters very true to their Austenite predecessors, but, as the novel progresses, she brings out the real people underneath the facades. I find this doubly delightful, both because it adds depths to the cast of Mansfield Park and because it's a reference to Jane Austen's most popular novel, originally titled First Impressions. The Trouble with Flirting is very much a study in not judging people too harshly off of first impressions, of the importance of looking more deeply into someone's behavior.

As the cover suggests, The Trouble with Flirting does focus almost entirely on romance. There are some sweet friendships, but not much time is spent on those. If you're not all about the romance, this will probably not be your thing. LaZebnik does a great job with the romance, though, creating real bonds between characters, staying away from instalove, and looking into the motivations for characters' behavior.

Also wonderful is how sex-positive The Trouble with Flirting is. Now, it's not graphic, and, actually, I'm not sure if any of them did have sex, but they might have. Franny could easily have been judgmental of Marie, a girl cheating on her boyfriend, or at least trying to, but there's no condemnation in her. Is she thrilled about it? No, but she isn't rude either. She has nothing bad to say about the switching from relationship to relationship that the kids are doing at camp. In fact, she thinks it's very natural, and has no problem with people hooking up, even if it's just for fun. Even better, despite the competition for the small crop of straight guys at the theater camp, the girls remain minimally catty throughout.

The one thing that left me a bit disappointed is the lack of theater. Yes, there are some scenes devoted to theater, but it receives minimal screen time. I would have liked the importance of acting in their lives to be a little more obvious. The acting serves solely as a backdrop to the flirting and as yet another reference to Mansfield Park, in which the play performed did serve as an excuse for flagrant flirting.

LaZebnik's retelling of The Trouble with Flirting charmed me utterly, and does a brilliant job retelling Jane Austen's stodgiest novel for a young adult audience. This is a wonderful read if you're looking for something light-hearted, funny, and uplifting.

Rating: 4.5/5

Favorite Quote: "Harry says, 'I'll carry that.' In kind of a proprietary way. Like even though Alex bought the books, Harry is the one who should carry them. Because they're mine. Which you'd think would mean I should carry them . . . but apparently not if you factor in stupid sexist male posturing."

Review: Austensibly Ordinary

Austensibly Ordinary

Author: Alyssa Goodnight
Pages: 320
Publisher: Kensington
Publication Date:January 29, 2013
Source: Author for review

Description from Goodreads:
Steamy, funky, and thoroughly modern, Austin, Texas isn’t much like the gardened country estates of Jane Austen’s work. But there might be a few similarities in its inhabitants…

Cate Kendall is no stranger to daydreams of brooding men and fancy parties—after all, she teaches one of her beloved Jane Austen novels in her English classes every year. But as for romance or adventure in her own life, the highlight of most weeks is Scrabble with her cute coworker, Ethan, and he draws the line at witty banter. But Cate is ready for a change. When she finds a mysterious journal that seems to have a link to the soul of the great Jane Austen herself, she knows it’s her chance. And she grabs on with both hands…

Before she knows it, Cate has invented an alter ego with an attitude, attended some seriously chic soirees, and gotten tangled up with a delicious mystery man. And she’s uncovered enough unexpected secrets about Ethan that her Scrabble partner has taken to brooding looks and unfathomable silences. It’s a positively Austenite predicament, and Cate is sure she’ll land in hot water and heartbreak—but maybe not with Jane herself to guide her…

First Sentence: "'What does it say about me that I'm jealous of the lives of fictional characters?'"

Review:

Yet again the universe rewards more for not writing an author off after one uninspiring experience. In preparation for reading this, I read Goodnight's first book to which this is a companion, Austentatious. While I did enjoy reading Austentatious, I really wasn't wowed by the book either, and had assorted issues therewith. Goodnight has improved so much, and Austensibly Ordinary turned out to be an utter delight from start to finish.

Since I read predominantly for character, a heroine can make a big difference. Though I didn't dislike Nicola, I didn't relate to her particularly either, though. Cate Kendall, though, I love. She's sassy, silly and completely ridiculous. Where Nicola spent much of the book endlessly considering the scientific possibilities of the journal, Cate takes things much more at face value. Plus, Cate's funny and a little bit crazy. Her character came through much more strongly. Not only that, but I got a much better feel for her family and friends as well, which gave the novel a broader impact.

Another wonderful change from Austentatious to Austensibly Ordinary is that I think the Austen references have been much more pertinently used than before. Austensibly Ordinary loosely retells Emma, using the matchmaking subplots to full comedic effect. While this does make the story more predictable, I have no problem with that whatsoever, since shock value is not what readers go to Austen retellings for. Mostly, we go for clever allusions to Austen, which I found in spades here.

The common thread weaved through these two books is a magical journal, a bit of magical realism, supposedly possessed by the spirit of Jane Austen. When a person writes an entry in the journal, "Jane" erases all but a few words, leaving a pithy, vague, fortune-cookie-fortune sort of message for the reader. These pieces of advice nudge the heroine in the right direction eventually, but they're so vague that the heroine generally takes some major detours along the way, much like Jaye does in episodes of Wonderfalls. While Cate does use and very much enjoy the journal, she does not obsess over it the same way that Nicola did. Taking a step back and leaving the journal as a fun little aside from time to time was the right choice in my opinion.

Like Emma, Cate makes some really stupid romantic decisions along the way, perhaps even dumber ones. However, you're so much in Cate's head that, even though you want to shake her, you can understand why she had to see a particular situation through. Basically, she's confused and a lot of things change that she was in no way prepared to handle. Also, I did not mind her action as much because she did act, coming up with plans to make her way through confusion, rather than whining about her inability to decide. I like my heroines proactive.

The romance here really worked for me. Cate's Mr. Knightley is nerdy deliciousness. I mean, seriously, sign me up for one of those. *waits* There relationship has a firm foundation and is one that I can really imagine lasting, rather than some sort of instalove disaster doomed to imminent failure. Also, these two have mad crazy sexual tension that comes out of nowhere and I love that. The scene when they first get together consists of much swoon. Though a departure from Austen's format, I liked that the novel didn't end immediately after the couple managed to find their way to one another.

If you liked Austentatious, you're sure to love Austensibly Ordinary. If you didn't or were on the fence, I still think it might be worth your while to give Goodnight another chance. I deem Austensibly Ordinary to be a delightful romance, with Austen-y goodness and a bit of fantastical silliness.

Rating: 4/5

Favorite Quote: "'That's what friends do,' he said, taking another pull on his beer and keeping his tone matter-of-fact. 'They warn you off unsuitable men. Men have a way of impairing your judgment—I call it the Darcy Effect. Bad manners and mediocre good looks and you think he's a worthy specimen. Turns out he's more like a bug. So I dissect him.'"

Review + Giveaway: The Madman's Daughter

The Madman's Daughter
The Madman's Daughter, Book 1

Author: Megan Shepherd
Pages: 368
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: January 29, 2013
Source: For review from YA Books Central

Description from Goodreads:
London, 1894. Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father’s gruesome experiments. But when she learns her father is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations were true.

Juliet is accompanied by the doctor’s handsome young assistant and an enigmatic castaway, who both attract Juliet for very different reasons. They travel to the island only to discover the depths of her father’s madness: he has created animals that have been vivisected to resemble, speak, and behave as humans. Worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island’s inhabitants. Juliet knows she must end her father’s dangerous experiments and escape the island, even though her horror is mixed with her own scientific curiosity. As the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father’s genius—and madness—in her own blood.

First Sentence: "The basement hallways in King's College of Medical Research were dark, even in daytime."

Review:
My review style is, and always will be, to write up my review right after I complete the book, and I do mean right after. If I can't write the review, I will save the last chapter until I have time. Doing otherwise would allow me to slack off, and I would never get anything reviewed, as well as giving me time to forget the book. The downside of this reviewing method, one I just have to accept, is that occasionally I have to try to compose a meaningful, coherent review while shell-shocked by what I've just read. Bear with me, as The Madman's Daughter definitely left me feeling a bit dazed.

On a lot of levels, I'm really not entirely sure just how I felt about this novel. One thing that I do know quite for sure is that Shepherd writes well. Her syntax and diction dovetail with the historical setting, and never once threw me out of the book. Though much of the novel consists more of suspense than outright action, Shepherd kept the story tense and me on the edge of my couch.

Littered throughout The Madman's Daughter are literary references. Of course, the novel itself retells H.G. Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau, which I have not read. However, my perusal of the Wikipedia article convinces me that Shepherd reworked the story with a deft hand. In addition to this, she sprinkled in numerous references to Shakespeare, including The Tempest, a very apt work to be brought up in this instance. There is even a reference to X-Men, though not, obviously, so overt of one, since it didn't exist back then.

What I found myself utterly unprepared for was how utterly dark, gruesome, creepy and horrifying this book is. Had I read Wells' work, I would have been better informed of the coming experience, but I knew nothing. Yes, the cover hints at creepiness, but this turned out to be one of the scariest books I have ever read. Of course, suspense has always been my weak point, as well as some other issues that I'll tackle next. Shepherd hits most of the staple varieties of horror: not knowing who to trust, fearing darkness with in oneself, mad science, gore, suspense, chases and more. Were I a big reader of horror, I do not know that I would have marked this as a must-read, but, let me tell you guys, you want this.

However, I know a lot of people, myself included, have a big issue with animal death in novels. For me, kill a human and I'm rarely bothered; kill a furry, adorable creature and I will ugly cry. An animal dies in an awful way in chapter two, and over the last half of the novel focuses on just vicious, awful things done to animals in the name of science. Again, were I familiar with Dr. Moreau, I would have known, but... If you're seriously concerned, my recommendation would be to read Wells' novel or a summary of it online, because I suspect Shepherd's is darker than the original, based on my sole Wells experience.

Juliet Moreau has a lot of sass and she made a delightful main character. I rooted for her along the way, which only made the horror that much more terrifying. Juliet's father, the infamous Dr. Moreau died, and, eventually, her mother did as well, leaving her to the charity of family. Unfortunately, her extended family turns out not to be at all charitable. Pulling on an old connection of her father's, she manages to obtain work at King's College as a maid, sunk low in prospects and station. At the college, Juliet is sexually harassed in the first chapter. I worried about whether she would have enough spunk to be an interesting main character, but, believe me, this girl holds her own once she is not trying to keep her job anymore.

Shepherd also excelled at Dr. Moreau, who fits the mad scientist role to a T. Not really a spoiler because obviously: he's actually alive. He also very much comes across as a man of the time period. So many historical novels depict most of the characters as rather modern with regards to women's rights, particularly those appealing to female readers. Dr. Moreau has no such conceptions, believing women are to be married to the men their fathers say, and that they should do nothing but needlework and piano playing until that time comes. Juliet, feisty and clever, struggles against how he wishes her to behave.

Sadly, I was not so fond of her love interests, Montgomery and Edward. Yup, a love triangle strikes again, though not one of the most annoying ones. I will credit Shepherd with not making it insanely obvious which man would be her choice, and with making both of them very obviously flawed, though neither one ranked as swoon-worthy for me. The love triangle reminded me somewhat of that in Griffin's Masque of the Red Death, though I felt a bit more sure in The Madman's Daughter which guy would win in the end. However, the ending did surprise me, so bonus points for that.

Do not let the lovely cover fool you: The Madman's Daughter is horror through and through. Though not for the faint of heart, Shepherd has constructed a well-written and clever retelling, sure to delight fans of creepy tales.

Rating: 3.5/5

Favorite Quote:

"'Are you feeling—?' Montgomery said, but I cut him off.
     'To hell with how I'm feeling.' I folded my arms, staring at Father. 'I want an explanation.'"

Giveaway: 
I am offering up my ARC to one of my readers. Simply fill out THIS FORM (name and email only) and leave a comment on my review by December 26. US/CAN only, as I will be shipping this myself. And, of course, following is always a good idea if you don't want to miss any giveaways. ;)

Review: All Men of Genius

All Men of Genius

Author: Lev A.C. Rosen
Pages: 464
Publisher: Tor Books
Source: Publisher for review

Description from Goodreads:
Inspired by two of the most beloved works by literary masters, "All Men of Genius "takes place in an alternate Steampunk Victorian London, where science makes the impossible possible.

Violet Adams wants to attend Illyria College, a widely renowned school for the most brilliant up-and-coming scientific minds, founded by the late Duke Illyria, the greatest scientist of the Victorian Age. The school is run by his son, Ernest, who has held to his father's policy that the small, exclusive college remain male-only. Violet sees her opportunity when her father departs for America. She disguises herself as her twin brother, Ashton, and gains entry.

But keeping the secret of her sex won't be easy, not with her friend Jack's constant habit of pulling pranks, and especially not when the duke's young ward, Cecily, starts to develop feelings for Violet's alter ego, "Ashton." Not to mention blackmail, mysterious killer automata, and the way Violet's pulse quickens whenever the young duke, Ernest (who has a secret past of his own), speaks to her. She soon realizes that it's not just keeping her secret until the end of the year faire she has to worry about: it's surviving that long.

First Sentence: "The two men sat silently in the carriage."

Review:

How did this book not end up on my radar until now? Seriously, how did I miss this? A book inspired by two of my favorite works of literature, Twelfth Night, my very favorite Shakespeare play, and The Importance of Being Earnest? On top of that, add some steampunky goodness, and you have a book that was obviously just made for me.

Now, when I say inspired by those plays, I don't mean that All Men of Genius is a retelling. It's not. For the most part, Rosen uses those two plays for character names, some assistance with characterization, and the basic shenanigans of a crossdressing plot. There's a stronger correlation to Twelfth Night, obviously, but Rosen has very much created his own story and characters. If you are as much of a fan of these two works as I happen to be, you will probably giggle with delight at the way he weaves quotes and references to them together in brilliant ways. If you haven't read them, I see no reason why All Men of Genius cannot be greatly appreciated on its own merits; there should be no confusion for not having read his inspiration materials, though I do greatly recommend that you do so for your own well-being.

Rosen has created a rather large cast of characters, and done so quite deftly. In some novels, an author attempts to trace a number of story lines and characters, with the end result that all of the characters feel rather flat. Rosen, on the other hand, has created a loveable group of genius misfits, giving depth even to those with smaller parts, like Mrs. Wilks, Violet and Ashton's housekeeper. I really appreciate authors that take the time to care even about more minor characters. There are a few instances where he would have been better off leaving some of the detail out, as with a few of the professors, since we track them for such a brief time and don't accomplish much of anything, but, for the most part, I approve wholeheartedly of how he constructed this.

A handful of the characters are directly comparable to their counterparts in either Twelfth Night or The Importance of Being Earnest, while others come largely from Rosen's own brain or have been tweaked ever so delightfully. Cecily Worthington, for example, has the same sweet, naive spirit of the character of the same name in Wilde's play, as evidenced in her poor choice in a crush and her toy rabbit Shakespeare, which she still takes everywhere with her at sixteen. In All Men of Genius, she also happens to be a genius, rather than a bit of a ditz. Others who hearken strongly to their inspirations are Toby Belch, Miriam (Maria of Twelfth Night), and Malcolm Volio, although in most every case, perhaps with the exception of Volio, they have additional complexities.

As with Cecily, Violet has much more intelligence than Viola, her counterpart in Twelfth Night. While she goes through the same ordeals, she has a much more powerful idea of what women are capable of, while also figuring out that she does want to be a woman, rather than wishing to have been born a man. Her transition throughout the novel had a lot of power to it, allowing her to truly feel that women really are just as powerful as men. Rosen did a good job navigating the dangerous waters of the gender divide. In some cases, as with Ernest Worthington and Jack Feste, Rosen has borrowed the name, but largely built the character from scratch. Whether the characters really served as references or not, I found that I greatly delighted in nearly every single one of them.

Obviously, All Men of Genius is rather lengthy. Much as I enjoyed it, plowing through it did take some time. There's quite a lot of discussion of the various sciences, but kept at a reasonable level that even I, who have always been atrocious at science, could understand. For those who delight in steampunk, Rosen has created a swath of wonderful inventions. Personally, I would love to get my hands on Toby's hangover cure.

My favorite aspects of the novel have to be some of the clever references that Rosen threw into the book. For example, in All Men of Genius, a big change from Twelfth Night is that Violet's brother is gay, whereas in Shakespeare's play he gets to hook up with the woman who falls for his sister disguised as a man. In Rosen's novel, Ashton falls instead for Antony, which every reader of Twelfth Night can probably admit would have been the ending were Shakespeare honest. Rosen also does something quite clever and hilarious with Bunburry. Seriously, if you love those plays, you MUST read this.

As I conclude my review, I've just checked Goodreads to see if Rosen had any more books for me, and found that he doesn't have any other books out yet. He should get on that, because I want more. Witty literary references, well-drawn characters, and good writing to boot? This is my kind of author.

Rating: 4/5

Favorite Quote: "'Ah, but those genius women, they are the most difficult of all womankind.'"

Review: Splintered

Splintered

Author: A. G. Howard
Pages: 384
Publisher: Amulet Books
Publication Date: January 1, 2013
Source: Krazy Book Lady's ARC Tour

Description from Goodreads:
This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

First Sentence: "I've been collecting bugs since I was ten; it's the only way I can stop their whispers."

Review:

Much as I love retellings, I have been burned, and badly, in the past. In fact, the latest gross disappointment was a purported retelling of Alice in Wonderland, which turned out to have nothing whatsoever to do with Alice in Wonderland. With this background, I embarked, somewhat skeptical but still hopeful. Splintered did not quite achieve what I dreamed it would, but it's a fun read that's not just pretending to be inspired by a classic to sell more copies.

A. G. Howard's debut brims with all of the kookiness of the original source material and adds in the creepiness of Tim Burton. Do not doubt, though, that Howard put her own spin on the story, because she very much did. She has not merely repeated Alice in Wonderland with an older heroine, sexy times and modern language; she has made something clearly her own out of Carroll's story. Reading this book, there is absolutely no doubt that Howard spent a lot of time reading Carroll's books, coming up with awesome ways to tweak and react to his books. This one is the real deal.

In fact, the world building is where Splintered really shines. Her vision strikes me as gloriously cinematic and true in essence to the original, though with a darker flair. Her changes were largely well-explained, and made the transition to an older heroine and audience completely smooth. Tim Burton could make one heck of a movie out of this, I have no doubt. Several scenes have a major creep-factor, most especially the one with the children's toys and how they're used in Wonderland. *shudders*

Howard's writing dovetailed with the story perfectly. I liked her style from the very beginning. She describes landscapes wonderfully, such that even a not-very-visual reader like myself had a pretty nice picture of Wonderland. I also credit Howard with being able to handle the nonsense, which requires a lot of skill.

At the beginning of Splintered, we meet Alyssa, who has evidently inherited the insanity that runs in the women of her family going back to Alice Liddell (the girl Alice in Wonderland was written for). She can hear bugs speak. To silence them, Alyssa kills them. Waste not, want not, so she makes art out of them. You guys should know that I freaking hate/am petrified of bugs, but her artwork sounds incredibly cool and I almost want to see it.

Artwork aside, though, I had a really difficult time connecting to Alyssa...or any of the characters really. The biggest problem was the romance, a love triangle so obnoxious that I simply could not approve of any of the people involved in it. For a little background, though, we start out with Alyssa and her best friend, Jeb, who she has been in 'love' with for ages. He, for some reason, is dating Taelor, the bitchy, shallow, popular girl from school, who loves to make fun of Alyssa. Instead of doing the wise thing and getting over Jeb, because who wants a guy who would date someone who treats his best friend like shit, Alyssa acts petty and jealous, and also commits theft. We're off to a great start.

As the story really gets going (and I will spare you concrete details), we meet the third party in this love triangle: Morpheus. My blogger friend KM warned me that I probably would loathe Morpheus, and she was right. Morpheus is manipulative and awful, completely sapping Alyssa of free will, because he is apparently made of catnip or something. Also, he's the kind of guy who wears leather pants, which is a surefire sign that he's an asshole. If that wasn't enough, he has blue hair and wings.

For some reason, I picture him as David Bowie.

Actually, though, I liked Morpheus MORE than Jeb. See, Jeb has a girlfriend but continues to flirt with Alyssa. You know what's not cool at all? Cheating. Morpheus is undoubtedly more of an asshole, BUT he knows this about himself. Alyssa and Jeb regularly forget that Jeb even has a girlfriend, which I find utterly reprehensible.

Even worse, this love triangle indulges in the worst possible love triangle trope: true love. Throughout the book, Howard tries to maintain the sense that Alyssa loves both and is hopelessly attracted to both. I don't hate love triangles on principle, because, in real life, people don't always know who they want. However, I lose all respect for heroines or heroes who try to get away with cheating or leading people on by pretending that they have equal affection for both. Authors, if you try to make me believe that your heroine is in LURV with two guys at the same time, the end result will be me wanting to light all three of them on fire, especially when the heroine describes BOTH guys as angels during the course of the book.. Just saying.
 

Splintered could have benefited from a good bit less romance; I really don't feel romance was all that necessary, really. Despite that, Splintered proved quite enjoyable, and I'm very glad to have read it for its unique spin on Alice in Wonderland.

Rating: 3/5

Favorite Quote: "Frumious. Anything that inspires its own adjectives is a force to be feared."

Review: Ironskin

Ironskin
Ironskin, Book 1

Author: Tina Connolly
Pages: 304
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication Date: October 2, 2012
Source: Tor via NetGalley

Description from Goodreads:
Jane Eliot wears an iron mask.

It’s the only way to contain the fey curse that scars her cheek. The Great War is five years gone, but its scattered victims remain—the ironskin.

When a carefully worded listing appears for a governess to assist with a "delicate situation"—a child born during the Great War—Jane is certain the child is fey-cursed, and that she can help.

Teaching the unruly Dorie to suppress her curse is hard enough; she certainly didn’t expect to fall for the girl’s father, the enigmatic artist Edward Rochart. But her blossoming crush is stifled by her own scars, and by his parade of women. Ugly women, who enter his closed studio...and come out as beautiful as the fey.

Jane knows Rochart cannot love her, just as she knows that she must wear iron for the rest of her life. But what if neither of these things is true? Step by step Jane unlocks the secrets of her new life—and discovers just how far she will go to become whole again.

First Sentence: "The moor was grey, battlefield grey."

Review:
An alternate history set in the era around WWI plus paranormal elements? Umm, yes! At least, that's my first thought, though The Sweetest Dark made me cautious, as it totally failed the wonderful premise. Ironskin has those things plus Jane Eyre. Be still my heart, I think I'm in love. Of course, these things can be a let down, not coming close to living up to possibility. Not this one, though. Ironskin is masterfully crafted, a truly impressive retelling with a sublimely unique paranormal twist.

As a retelling, I found Ironskin incredibly powerful. Though there are many things that are quite different from Jane Eyre, even some of the major, integral moments, the story and the characters maintain the precise feel and mood that I've always felt on readings of Jane Eyre. I do find it curious, though, that Connolly apparently didn't originally think this was a retelling at all. Or so Unabridged Chick said. Assuming that's true, and I don't think Audra would lie to me, I wonder whether the story was changed greatly by an editor who saw possibility or if the author just did not see the influence.

Jane Eliot has much in common with Jane Eyre, though they are not one hundred percent the same. Both are intelligent, artistic, snarky and unimpressed with high society. And, like her classic counterpart, Jane Eliot does not care for her visage. Not only is she plain, but she also wears Ironskin, a mask of iron which keeps the fairy curse of rage on her cheek from leaking out and infecting others. This mask marks her as damaged, lesser, cursed.

You see, in this world, WWI was fought against the fey. Though the fey lack physical bodies, they had the power to infect humans and then take over the bodies when the person was killed. Yup, they basically made themselves into a zombie army. They created bombs that would curse people to this fate. Those that survived wear iron over the infected area, like Jane does, to prevent the leaking of whatever terrible emotion they bear. The fey are weak only to iron, thus the iron for dampening. This whole conflict is so completely mind-bogglingly cool that I just can't even.

The humans won WWI, but they struggle now, having grown used to using fey technology for pretty much everything: lights, cars, etc. Now, without the fey, they have to start back over from scratch. There remains a deep-seated fear of the fey, of their possible return, and a mistrust of the ironskin. Also, this right here is totally how you make a statement about something without being preachy. Connolly totally used this as a metaphor for first world countries getting everything from overseas, and it's so much more effective than the book I'm reading now that just tells you this and that are bad.

Back to Jane. Her sister, Helen (a change!), has gotten engaged and Jane, unwilling to sit around and live off her brother-in-law's kindness, finds herself a position at Silver Birch Hall as a governess. Immediately, the oddness of Silver Birch Hall becomes apparent. Mr. Rochart has an odd sense of humor and is oft-absent and the servants are strange. The Hall itself is half-destroyed, wreckage from the war unfixed. Weirdest of all, though, is Dorie, Edward Rochart's daughter. She has a touch of the fey, to such an extent that she can move things with her mind. This would likely see her killed were it known, which is why Mr. Rochart has trouble finding non-kooky servants and why he needs a governess. Jane's job is to try to convince Dorie to act normally, to use her hands, clumsy and awkward though they are from disuse, rather than her fey talents.

While most of Ironskin feels like Jane Eyre, deliciously moody and mysterious, Connolly adds some straight up horror. There's a scene at the end that literally makes me twitch to think about. I wish I could say more about that, because it is so COOL and GROSS and AHHHH, but I will leave you to be horrified when you read this yourselves.

Much as I completely adored the writing and the storyline, I never really connected with the characters. They were well done, in that they fit the retelling perfectly, but I just didn't get particularly caught up in them. Jane was the only one I really cared about, and, though I suppose I like this guy better than Rochester, it's not by much. The one character I really did not like was Helen. She completely lacked depth, and just didn't feel right, since Jane supposedly loves her so. I didn't get any of that affection spilling over to me at all. This wasn't a huge drawback, since everything else kept me highly engaged, but kept the book from being perfect for me.

Ironskin has a gorgeous, somewhat creepy, cover and I can tell you right now that it perfectly matches the book's contents. Jane does even wear a dress like that at one point in the book. I am so excited to find out what the next book will be like! Go forth and procure this book, you lovely fans of gothic and retellings, for it is not a trap.

Rating: 4/5

Favorite Quote: "But if she did not belong there, did she belong at Silver Birch Hall? At least she was needed there. Perhaps she would never be comfortable anywhere; perhaps she had not that gift."

Review: Romeo Redeemed

Romeo Redeemed
Juliet Immortal, Book 2

Author: Stacey Jay
Pages: 364
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Source: Won ARC

Description from Goodreads:
Seductive companion to the popular Juliet Immortal, in which former lovers—Romeo and Juliet—meet, not as true lovers, but truly as enemies.

Cursed to live out eternity in his rotted corpse, Romeo, known for his ruthless, cutthroat ways, is given the chance to redeem himself by traveling back in time to save the life of Ariel Dragland. Unbeknownst to her, Ariel is important to both the evil Mercenaries and the love-promoting Ambassadors and holds the fate of the world in her hands. Romeo must win her heart and make her believe in love, turning her away from her darker potential before his work is discovered by the Mercenaries. While his seduction begins as yet another lie, it soon becomes his only truth. Romeo vows to protect Ariel from harm, and do whatever it takes to win her heart and soul. But when Ariel is led to believe his love is a deception, she becomes vulnerable to Mercenary manipulation, and her own inner darkness may ultimately rip them apart.

First Sentence: "We reach the lonely hilltop as the sun sets over Verona."

Review:
Something I love to do but don't get to all that often is read a series pretty much back to back. With a memory like mine, reading the series altogether is the only way that I can guarantee I don't miss key plot lines or internal references. Although Juliet Immortal has apparently not been especially popular with bloggers, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the book. Romeo Redeemed struck me as one of the most consistent sequels I have ever encountered. I liked and disliked the very same things about this one as the first, so, if you liked Juliet Immortal, you're in for another crazy, fun ride.

At the opening of Romeo Redeemed, Romeo wanders the earth in his specter form, more disgusting than any zombie. All he feels is pain. He hears the screams of people running away from him. Basically, he's Humperdinck if Westley followed through on his threats. The Nurse offers him a choice, though: perform a trial task for a chance to become an Ambassador or continue living in his refuse heap of a body. Unsurprisingly, he chooses to do anything other than be himself. His task: to make Ariel fall in love with him.

Ariel, the girl whose body Juliet inhabited and died in during Juliet Immortal in an alternate universe, has problems. She's got scars on her face, no self-confidence and she hears voices sometimes, and, when she does, she wets herself. Because of an episode like that, she's been a pariah at school since childhood, with only one friend, Gemma, who isn't necessarily the most supportive BFF all the time, focusing more on her own drama and needs.

Romeo has been put, again, into the body of Dylan. He takes over mid-date, after Ariel's learned Dylan was trying to sleep with her for a bet and before she tries to drive the car off the road. With foreknowledge of what she would do, he manages to prevent the accident. She gets out of the car and runs. He, with the need to woo her, talks her down and convinces her to spend the rest of the night with him.

As with Juliet Immortal, I liked the writing a lot, and the reading of the book was a pleasurable experience, but the romance plot line makes me antsy. My biggest problem is that Ariel, poor, damaged Ariel, would never trust someone so quickly, let alone a guy who bet on her and threatened rape. She has trouble trusting her mom, who loves her even if she's not great about saying so. Why would she trust Dylan/Romeo? In the course of just three days, she falls in love with him. I'm not saying he couldn't have made her fall in love with him over time, but three days? No. Issues with self-worth and trust do not go away that quickly. They just don't.

Romeo, too, inevitably falls for Ariel, which makes more sense, considering that's what he's always done. Romeo's thoughts: "Oooh, a pretty girl. I wonder if she'll sleep with me. Probably not yet. Maybe if we were in love? Oh, sweet torture to love her so but not be able to, you know, love her so." Thus, I can accept this part, and laugh at Romeo's idiocy. He manages to act all jaded for like twenty pages, but very quickly returns to his natural state: obsession with the first pretty girl to cross his path. Some people grow and change, like Juliet did in some ways, and some don't, like Romeo.

I so wanted to be able to give this book a 4, that extra bump up, but I just couldn't do it. What it came down to was the ending, which was just too cheesy. Where I wanted her to go tragedy, she went drama! Romeo and Ariel living happily forever after? I THINK NOT. Also, there's a twist that did not work for me at all.

Though by no means a perfect series, I appreciate these books for taking a fresh, completely unique look at an overdone series. For my tastes, they could have benefited from a couple dashes more cynicism, but at least I got to revel in how much Romeo and Juliet didn't work out.

Rating: 3.5/5

Favorite Quote: "'Never underestimate the allure of the Goodwill.'"

Review: Juliet Immortal

Juliet Immortal
Juliet Immortal, Book 1

Author: Stacey Jay
Pages: 306
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Source: Own

Description from Goodreads:
Fans of Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver and Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush will relish this intense paranormal love story featuring Romeo and Juliet, literary history's most tragic couple, who meet again, not as true lovers, but truly as enemies.

The most tragic love story in history . . .

Juliet Capulet didn't take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, a sacrifice made to ensure his own immortality. But what Romeo didn't anticipate was that Juliet would be granted eternity, as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light. For 700 years, she's fought Romeo for the souls of true lovers, struggling to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent. Until the day she meets someone she's forbidden to love, and Romeo, oh Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy that love.

"These violent delights have violent ends 
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder, 
Which as they kiss consume." 
—Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

First Sentence: "Tonight, he could have come through the door—the castello is quiet, even the servants asleep in their beds, and Nurse would have let him in—but he chooses the window, climbing through the tangle of night flowers, carrying petals in on his clothes."

Review:
In all honesty, I really didn't expect to like this. Romeo and Juliet was not my favorite play to begin with, and, because of its ubiquitousness, I've grown rather to loathe it. While I general hunt down retellings like Jaws hunts down the people of Amity, I make an exception for Romeo and Juliet most of the time. To my pleasant surprise though, I really, really was impressed with Juliet Immortal and am thrilled that I have a copy of the sequel Romeo Redeemed ready to go.

Stacey Jay made Romeo and Juliet palatable characters by completely changing things up. In this version, it turns out Romeo is totally willing to turn homicidal on Juliet in exchange for eternal life, given him by forces of evil known as the Mercenaries. Juliet, thanks to last minute intervention from Nurse, gets eternal life as well, signing on to work for the Ambassadors, the forces of light. I acknowledge that this all sounds patently ridiculous, but it's fantasy, so just take my word for it that, by and large, this paranormal plot line worked quite well for me.

Most of the narration (minus three chapters/intermezzos) is Juliet's first person perspective. Her work for the Ambassadors entails taking over another person's body, chosen seemingly at random. From this vantage point, her goal is to find a pair of lovers and make sure they reach true love, rather than one of them being recruited into the evil/eternal life scheme as happened with Romeo. While in another person's body, Juliet must avoid changing their life over much, but does try to improve things, which reminded me rather strongly of Mercy by Rebecca Lim.

This time, Juliet manifests in the body of a deeply depressed, lonely girl named April. Unfortunately, Romeo, who takes over dead bodies, restoring them to life and not the zombie-looking kind, appears in the same car with her, since April and Dylan had just been in a major car crash. Basically, Dylan had a bet that he could sleep with April, she found out, he tried to force her, and she crashed the car, killing him. In other words, Dylan sucks. Guess what, though! Romeo's WAY creepier. Call me morbid, but I got serious enjoyment out of watching the 'true lovers' end up such a hot mess.

Jay's writing and concept were phenomenal, and I was never bored. However, I did have some problems with the book. The main one is Juliet's gullibility. She's depicted as this strong, determined character, who has wised up from all of the horrible things Romeo has put her through. Though she supposedly works in pursuit of true love, she doesn't really believe in it anymore, and really just hopes for a chance to revenge herself on Romeo. All of that = fantastic.

Unfortunately, Juliet, it seems, hasn't learned much of anything. She immediately instaloves with someone else, Ben, the guy who saves her from Romeo that first night. Good lord, girl! Didn't you learn the first time that it doesn't hurt to take some time and not rush into things? It's hard to believe she's got her emotional walls up, if she instaloves so easily. She doesn't even fight it very hard. Heck, the true lovers she's sent to help fight their love more than she does, for all her wordy protestations.

I just wish she had been that way in all of her life, been a bit more questioning of love the second time around. That's just not who she is, though, I guess. On an unrelated note, can we stop with the whole "I'm writing a retelling of this play set in high school, so I'll totally have the school perform this play!" thing. Yes, that was once a clever gambit, but that ship has sailed, dear authors. It has been done enough; try something new. Note: SHS doesn't actually perform Romeo and Juliet; they perform West Side Story, which is almost worse.

The ending, too, seemed a bit overly convenient. I didn't really feel like everyone could emerge from this tale quite so happily. Of course, there's always the next book, which might be slightly different. I am eminently curious to see what angle Jay takes in the next book.

Rating: 3.5/5

Favorite Quote: "There is school and the misery of being a person unseen, the jealousy that I can't be wild and beautiful like Gemma, that I am always an audience, never a player."

Review: Alice in Zombieland

Alice in Zombieland
White Rabbit Chronicles, Book 1

Author: Gena Showalter
Pages: 404
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Publication Date: September 25, 2012
Source: Harlequin at BEA

Description from Goodreads:
She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real….

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….

I wish I could go back and do a thousand things differently.
I'd tell my sister no.
I'd never beg my mother to talk to my dad.
I'd zip my lips and swallow those hateful words.
Or, barring all of that, I'd hug my sister, my mom and my dad one last time.
I'd tell them I love them.
I wish... Yeah, I wish.

First Sentence: "Had anyone told me that my entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, I would have laughed."

Review:
As soon as I heard about this book, I super wanted to get my hands on it. Zombie retelling of Alice in Wonderland? Umm, yes, please! How could that possibly go wrong? Well, it turns out, it could go wrong in a number of ways. Alice in Zombieland has a certain appeal, but not the one that I suspect most readers will be expecting when they crack its spine.

The very first thing you need to know about Alice in Zombieland: it has nothing whatsoever to do with Alice in Wonderland. Just sit back and soak that in. The only Alice in Wonderland references are in the title, the chapter titles and the white rabbit cloud that serves as an omen of doom throughout the book. These three things do not a retelling make. In fact, the links are so limited and on such a surface level that it appears this facade was set up only to bring in more readers; this may work, but those hear for Alice in Wonderland are going to be disappointed.

The next thing you need to know: the zombies aren't really zombies. Showalter decided to try to do something new and original with zombies. She sort of succeeded, but mostly just managed in making them confusing and less cool. See, I wouldn't really call these guys zombies at all; I would call them ghosts. If you're thinking, Wait, What?, believe me, I am with you, friend. These 'zombies' inhabit a spirit plane, and are visible only to people with zombie-fighting powers. From what I was able to gather, they're basically evil ghosts, their evil manifesting in rot.

In theory, I guess this was sort of a cool idea, but, come on, the whole point of zombies is being corporeal right? My biggest issue with this, though, was that it seemed a bit uneven. For zombie fighting, the slayers leave their bodies behind and fight in spirit, because they cannot punch the zombies as a living person. What happens to them in spirit will manifest on their bodies, though. The zombies have no interest in the body. If this is the case, why do they go nom on humans who can't see them? The precise degree to which the zombies were spirits was not entirely clear to me, and I'm just having major suspension of disbelief issues with the whole things. Can't we just call them evil spirits?

The third thing you need to know: Gena Showalter is a romance author. A lot of romance authors are branching into young adult these days, since there is a huge market in YA for romance. Some of these transitions are better than others. Most of the time, though, it's entirely obvious what the author's background is, although Inara Scott did surprise me. Alice in Zombieland is more about the romance than about anything else.

The story itself does entertain, assuming you can put those issues aside, but it's a mindless sort of fun, like when a real zombie eats your brain. How much you like this novel will depend to a large degree on whether you find Showalter's writing amusing. She tries pretty hard to be funny, and, if you don't think she is, it's not going to be pretty. Some of her jokes worked for me, but others fell flat.

Speaking of flat, let's talk about Alice, or Ali as she prefers to be called. No, I'm not talking about her chest (although she does complain about her boobs not being huge a couple of times maybe), but about her personality. Well, Ali does try really hard to have a personality. The problem is that she doesn't back up her inner sass and thoughts with actions, at least not at the important moments. Ali is one of those characters that thinks she is the biggest badass of them all, but really isn't.

One of the few characters that I really liked was Kat, Ali's best friend. Thought Kat is someone I would loathe to pieces in real life, she was really realistic and reliable for a YA best friend. She has substance, flaws and owns who she is, good and bad. When Ali needs help, Kat's there. If people are mean to Ali, you can bet that Kat will threaten either a verbal or physical smack down. Kat truly has her back. This would be great is Ali in any way returned the favor. Ali constantly forgets about Kat, and doesn't pay much attention to what's going on with Kat or to inquire if she's okay. Ali is an awful friend, but, when they're together, all of Ali's thoughts are about just how much she loves Kat. Actions speak louder, Ali dearest.

Then there's the romance portion of the evening. We have yet another half-hearted love triangle. Actually, it's probably not even half-hearted; it's more like quarter-hearted or sixteenth-hearted or something. As the hot new girl in school, Ali immediately attracts the attention of the two hottest guys (who obviously loathed one another even before the competition over Ali), straight-laced Justin and bad boy Cole. Not for one single second of the book is there a question of Justin every standing a chance, making him an incredibly pathetic, whiny character.

Showalter did avoid instalove sort of, but she didn't want to have to cut back on the number of kissing scenes. Solution: every day when Cole and Ali first make eye contact they share visions. These visions are not of anything practical or plot-enhancing (well, they are once or twice, but COME ON), but of Ali and Cole having incredibly hot make out sessions. Meanwhile, they're staring at each other like major dopes. Of course, when they do kiss irl, they nearly get off right on the dance floor at a club, because they're so into one another and omg it's so amazing. RIGHT.

As a couple, they really irritate me. I should be happy because, despite her immense attraction to Cole, Ali does try to keep a level head. She refuses to date him officially until such a time as she feels she knows him well enough to make that kind of commitment. Unfortunately, she spends pretty much all of her time wanting to bitch slap his ex out of jealousy and having smexy visions with him. In classic YA style, too, he constantly tells her what to do and she snarks in her head while doing precisely what he pleases. In one scene, Kat tells her about a text from her on/off bf Frosty (THAT NAME) asking her to do something, and Ali thinks about a text from Cole TELLING her to do something and smiles like that's CHARMING. No, it's goddamn not. Stop it.

My favorite characters by far, though, and my favorite part of the whole book, were Ali's grandparents, who take her in after her family dies. Sassy grandparents are such wonderful characters, and these are such sassboxes. I seriously loved their interrogations of the boyfriends and their attempts to use modern slang. They were sweet, caring, and funny.

Depending on your expectations and what you like out of a book, you might love this. I was entertained for the most part, although the book could have been shorter. However, the issues were so major and my interest in the characters so moderate that I do not personally plan on continuing with this series. This gets a rating of frustrated meh.

Rating: 2/5

Favorite Quote:

"With a shriek, she launched herself off her treadmill and onto mine. We tumbled backward, her on top. When we landed, I took the brunt of the impact, oxygen bursting from my mouth in a dizzying explosion. My head cracked against the concrete floor, and stars winked in front of my eyes.
   Is it sad that my first thought happened to be: Thank God I'm off the treadmill!"