Review: A Spark Unseen Blog Hop, Day 3

A Spark Unseen
The Dark Unwinding, Book 2

Author: Sharon Cameron
Pages: 352
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: September 24, 2013
Read: September 9
Source: ARC from publisher for Book Vortex's blog tour

Description from Goodreads:
The thrilling sequel to Sharon Cameron's blockbuster gothic steampunk romance, THE DARK UNWINDING, will captivate readers anew with mystery and intrigue aplenty.

When Katharine Tulman wakes in the middle of the night and accidentally foils a kidnapping attempt on her uncle, she realizes Stranwyne Keep is no longer safe for Uncle Tully and his genius inventions. She flees to Paris, where she hopes to remain undetected and also find the mysterious and handsome Lane, who is suspected to be dead.

But the search for Lane is not easy, and Katharine soon finds herself embroiled in a labyrinth of political intrigue. And with unexpected enemies and allies at every turn, Katharine will have to figure out whom she can trust--if anyone--to protect her uncle from danger once and for all.

Filled with deadly twists, whispering romance, and heart-stopping suspense, this sequel to THE DARK UNWINDING whisks readers off on another thrilling adventure.

Previous Book in Series:
The Dark Unwinding

First Sentence: "I opened my eyes, the air in my bedchamber pulsing with the kind of silence that only comes in the wake of sound — a sound that never should have been there."

Review:

The Dark Unwinding enchanted and delighted me, so, upon the news that there would in fact be a sequel, I was thrilled, even though such surprise sequels generally result in angry Twitter rants. Of course, sequels to books that were closed enough that you didn't know there would be one can be a tricky business. Though I didn't enjoy A Spark Unseen as much as its predecessor, I'm still happy to have read it and would, if a third pops up, read that one too without a doubt.

In The Dark Unwinding, I fell in love with the characters that call Stranwyne Keep home, and they are just as wonderful in A Spark Unseen. Katherine Tulman very much takes center stage this time, because Lane's missing and Uncle Tully is incapacitated because reasons for much of the book. Though I did miss them, Katherine is a magnificent heroine. She's incredibly strong emotionally and intellectually, and I completely love her for the way she stands up to people. Also, she may be the inheritor of an estate, but she doesn't think herself better than anyone else because of an accident of birth and fortune. At one point, her maid, Mary, rings a bell for her to come and she does, shocking a visitor, but that's the sort of person Katherine is.

One of the highlights of A Spark Unseen turns out to be Mrs. Hardcastle. Initially, she's this nosy, untrustworthy busybody. Over the course of the book, though, she begins showing hidden depths. I mention this fairly minor character to highlight an aspect of Cameron's characterization that I love: people are not dismissed as stereotypes. Uncle Tully could have been dismissed, as he is by many, as a nutcase, but he's respected and loved by the people of Stranwyne Keep. He's brilliant if you stand by to see that, and I like the way Cameron gives depth even to more minor characters.

Now, I do warn that a very minor spoiler is ahead, so you can duck out now if you wish. One of the big plot points is that Lane, Katherine's love interest, has been gone for a year and a half, and is now presumed dead. Katherine heads to Paris to search for him, and, inevitably finds him. A heroine finding her love interest alive in this sort of book is to me not a spoiler, but whatever. Anyway, my very favorite part of the book is when Katherine takes Lane to task for not contacting her and for trying to push her away for her own good. She monologues at him for a couple of pages, and it is a thing of beauty. More heroines need to act this way when their boys start making decisions for them. You tell him, girl!

However, much as I love the characters, I did struggle a bit with A Spark Unseen. I feel like the plot of The Dark Unwinding was more character-focused with an almost magical realism feel to Uncle Tully's toys. A Spark Unseen goes much more heavy on the historical and the political. Sadly, I'm not as interested in the political machinations as I am in the interactions of the colorful cast. For readers who are more plot-focused, I'm sure A Spark Unseen will be your favorite of the two novels. There are also some intriguing twists for those who like those best.

Though not my favorite of the series, A Spark Unseen does contain the magic that made The Dark Unwinding a favorite. As ever, I eagerly anticipate whatever Sharon Cameron writes next.

Rating: 3.5/5

Favorite Quote: "'And I suppose,' I said quietly, 'that you thought the loss of my good name would be too much for me. Would have me flying to pieces and make my life unlivable. Well, thank you so much for making that decision for me, Mr. Moreau. It was obviously my good name I was searching every hospital in Paris for!'"

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Review: The Iron Wyrm Affair

The Iron Wyrm Affair
Bannon & Clare, Book 1

Author: Lilith Saintcrow
Pages: 303
Publisher: Orbit
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

Description from Goodreads:
Emma Bannon, forensic sorceress in the service of the Empire, has a mission: to protect Archibald Clare, a failed, unregistered mentath. His skills of deduction are legendary, and her own sorcery is not inconsiderable. It doesn't help much that they barely tolerate each other, or that Bannon's Shield, Mikal, might just be a traitor himself. Or that the conspiracy killing registered mentaths and sorcerers alike will just as likely kill them as seduce them into treachery toward their Queen.

In an alternate London where illogical magic has turned the Industrial Revolution on its head, Bannon and Clare now face hostility, treason, cannon fire, black sorcery, and the problem of reliably finding hansom cabs.

The game is afoot...

First Sentence: "When the young dark-haired woman stepped into his parlour, Archibald Clare was only mildly intrigued."

Review:
Dudes, I was SO excited about this. I mean, look at that cover! Steampunk awesomeness surely awaits within, right? Well, sort of, depending on what you're looking for, but not so much for me. I, sadly, spent most of the book bored, though occasionally hopeful after a promising bit. All of that promise didn't ever turn into anything more concrete.

Let's start with the pleasant aspects, shall we? Saintcrow's steampunk world building is intense. She has created an alternate universe that just brims with detail and is one large step over from the Victorian world we knew. Names have been tweaked slightly: London is Londinium, The Thames is The Themis, etc. Mechanical creatures abound to satisfy steampunk fans. With the increased popularity of steampunk, a couple clockwork creatures are enough to earn the label now, but this one really merits it.

Bannon & Clare show a lot of promise as a lead duo. Emma Bannon is the kind of powerful woman that thrives in steampunk, one of the reasons I love the genre; women always seem to be more powerful and better in a crisis in steampunk novels. Emma has insane amounts of power, one of the highest order of sorcerers, a Prime. She gets to use her magic a lot, but, honestly, her magic was a bit odd to me.

Clare, on the other hand, has mind-based power. He is a mentath, which I need to discuss in more detail, as it was my favorite bit of worldbuilding. Mentaths are, essentially, Vulcans: "Mentaths did not feel as others did; logic was the pleasure they moved towards, and irrationality or illogic the pain they retreated from. Emotions were to be subdued, harnessed, accounted for and set on the shelf of deduction." Without problems to solve, deductions to make, mentaths literally go insane. A life of mental stagnation kills them. As such, Clare quite enjoys even the worst bits of this adventure, because it gives him so much to ponder.

In the few scenes where Bannon and Clare are actually together, they have a nice back and forth. They respect one another's abilities, while also making their own little judgments. Their relationship thus far has also been free of any romance, and I hope it stays that way. There have been some hints on Clare's part that they might end up together, but I think that would weaken things. Plus, Mikal and Bannon have some great chemistry, when they're allowed time together.

The problem lies in the fact that, despite having these great characters, she doesn't make full use of them. Interaction is kept to a minimum. More dialogue and character development would have worked wonders. Unfortunately, Saintcrow cared much more about building up her steampunk world and so the reader is instead bombarded with description after description.

While I love me some complex writing and am used to world building set up from epic fantasy, I just could not deal with Saintcrow's style in this book. Her descriptive paragraphs constantly threw me out of the text. I couldn't ever get into the novel. I'm not sure if her descriptions were clunky or what. I kept finding myself skimming them inadvertently and fighting battles with my eyelids. So many descriptions and yet I still have so little mental picture of what happened. Also, I know German and some of the German in here is wrong.


This was my first experience with Lilith Saintcrow, so it's hard for me to say whether this is her typical style. I suspect this writing may work better for others, but did not resonate with me at all. The most important aspect of a book for me is characterization, so I could not enjoy this one, despite Saintcrow's world building efforts.

Rating: 2.5/5

Favorite Quote:

"'You are likely to have some entertainment planned for the evening.'
   'If by entertainment you mean conspiracy-hunting and unpleasantness, as a matter of fact, yes.'"

Review: The Dark Unwinding

The Dark Unwinding

Author: Sharon Cameron
Pages: 352
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: September 1, 2012
Source: Scholastic for blog tour

Description from Goodreads:
A spine-tingling tale of steampunk and spies, intrigue and heart-racing romance!

When Katharine Tulman's inheritance is called into question by the rumor that her eccentric uncle is squandering away the family fortune, she is sent to his estate to have him committed to an asylum. But instead of a lunatic, Katharine discovers a genius inventor with his own set of rules, who employs a village of nine hundred people rescued from the workhouses of London.

Katharine is now torn between protecting her own inheritance and preserving the peculiar community she grows to care for deeply. And her choices are made even more complicated by a handsome apprentice, a secretive student, and fears for her own sanity.

As the mysteries of the estate begin to unravel, it is clear that not only is her uncle's world at stake, but also the state of England as Katharine knows it. With twists and turns at every corner, this heart-racing adventure will captivate readers with its intrigue, thrills, and romance.

First Sentence: "Warm sun and robin's-egg skies were inappropriate conditions for sending one's uncle to a lunatic asylum."

Review:
Sometimes I can tell immediately that I'm going to enjoy a book. There's just something in the writing, the tone, the way the words flow in those first sentences that declares the book an utter delight. For me, The Dark Unwinding was one of these books. That first sentence shown above hit the perfect level of amusement and concern for me as a reader. Cameron hooked me with that and sustained my interest consistently all the way through.

Katharine differs greatly from the majority of YA heroines: she's very practical. Though this practicality is not perhaps her natural way of being, she learned to be so in order to get through her life with minimum fuss. After her father's death, left to the guardianship of her Aunt Alice, Katherine serves essentially as a drudge. Aunt Alice reminded me heavily of the Dursleys, utterly devoted to her piggish, stupid son. With all of Alice's affection going to her precious child, she has no interest in Katharine except in what she can do for her, like manage the accounts or run errands.

Another thing that nieces are good for? Sending off to the family estate to ascertain the truth of rumors of insanity, so that one can enjoy the season. Katharine's Uncle Tulman has, so it is said, been wasting the family fortune on the interests of his diseased mind. Clearly, this cannot be allowed to stand or Alice's precious Robert will inherit less. Thus is Katherine sent off to Stranwyne, since family members can report insanity and have the touched party sent to an asylum.

Once at Stranwyne, Katherine discovers that the situation pales in comparison to what she and her Aunt were expecting. Her Uncle Tully does appear to be quite mad, but the scale of his madness surpasses anything anticipated. He spends his time in the production of toys, clockwork creatures. In order to do so, two whole towns have grown up around the estate. Where she expected to find twenty-some perhaps in his employ, she finds hundreds.

Out of practicality, out of a desire to save the estate's fortunes for Robert, who she has some hope of manipulating enough to gain some amount of independence for herself, Katherine plans to depart and report her Uncle immediately. Before she can do so, however, she finds herself charmed by several townsfolk, all of whom work to convince her not to do so, as does the family solicitor, who swears that things are on the mend.

Due to their pleas, Katherine agrees to stay for a full month, ignoring her aunt's letters and getting to know her Uncle. What she discovers is that Stranwyne is a magical place, full of tunnels and secret rooms. I want so badly to explore this estate! Plus, she finds out that Uncle Tully, while certainly a special snowflake, sees the world with childlike eyes, able to see beauty where others do not. At his best, he is utterly sweet, funny and disarming.

Plot-wise, very little came as any sort of a surprise to me. I had the antagonist pegged from the first appearance, as well as the romantic lead. I say this not to denigrate the story, but to stress that the plotting is not where the magic lies. The beauty of The Dark Unwinding is in the characters, who were all brilliantly well-drawn, with perhaps one notable exception. The most charming scene for me, without a doubt, made me wish I knew how to roller skate; there was magic in that scene.

If you're looking for an action-packed, steampunk adventure, The Dark Unwinding is not the book you want. However, if you're looking for a well-written story populated by quirky characters, like Uncle Tully who will be stopping by later today, and brilliant setting, look no further.

Rating: 4/5

Favorite Quote: "I had the most curious feeling then, stronger than my little flight of fancy when we'd arrived at the hill, and the very opposite of my first day in Stranwyne. Instead of moving backward through time, I felt as if I'd moved forward, and to a place that was mine, where all was as it should be."

Lullaby from Pan's Labyrinth

Skylark
Skylark, Book 1

Author: Meagan Spooner
Pages: 344
Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab
Source: Meagan Spooner signing at BEA

Description from Goodreads:
Sixteen year-old Lark Ainsley has never seen the sky.

Her world ends at the edge of the vast domed barrier of energy enclosing all that’s left of humanity. For two hundred years the city has sustained this barrier by harvesting its children's innate magical energy when they reach adolescence. When it’s Lark’s turn to be harvested, she finds herself trapped in a nightmarish web of experiments and learns she is something out of legend itself: a Renewable, able to regenerate her own power after it’s been stripped.

Forced to flee the only home she knows to avoid life as a human battery, Lark must fight her way through the terrible wilderness beyond the edge of the world. With the city’s clockwork creations close on her heels and a strange wild boy stalking her in the countryside, she must move quickly if she is to have any hope of survival. She’s heard the stories that somewhere to the west are others like her, hidden in secret – but can she stay alive long enough to find them?

First Sentence: "The din of the clockwork dawn was loudest in the old sewers, a great whirring and clanking of gears as the artificial sun warmed up."

Review:
Meagan Spooner's debut novel Skylark creates a fantastical steampunk world where magic has a physical presence, and people are varying degrees of monster. While many dystopias focus on action and drama, Skylark moves along at a slower pace, a bit more contemplative. Thankfully, the personality-filled writing and gorgeous world building kept my interest level high.

Lark feels constant shame. She is the oldest person to not yet have been harvested. People years her juniors have been chosen before her. The other kids call her 'the dud,' 'the freak,' and she can't help but wonder if it's true. Nor can she find comfort at home. Her closest family member, Basil, a brother, left on a mission outside the wall and never returned, presumed dead. We never even see her parents. The only family member who seems to be around is her oldest brother Caesar, whose name is particularly apt, considering that he would do just about anything to advance his career.

Finally, though, Lark's name has been called and she is to be harvested. Excited does not even begin to describe how she feels, anticipating finally being normal and valuable. Despite having very little idea what her harvesting entails, she quickly comes to suspect that something weird may be going on. Why do they keep taking her to be harvested? Isn't that just supposed to happen once? Her answer, of course, lies in the secret room she discovered: she's a Renewable and they're going to plug her into the city until she becomes nothing but a husk.

The City, you see, runs on magic. Cool, right? In this world, magic exists in just about everything, including people. At the Harvest, they're using a machine to drain the magic (or, as they
call it, The Resource, from the children of the population. There used to be Renewables, people who could create more Resource, but there haven't been any born in a long time and the City's magic is depleting. They need Lark's Resource, but she refuses to be a pawn and escapes into the eerie woods.

What's especially neat about Skylark is how many different societies you can explore in this world. At the beginning, we're in the City with Lark, which is full of clockwork and magic. It's got a sort of industrial feel to it. Then, outside the wall, we get to see a bunch of different environments. Basically, the magic out there is all unbalanced, so some areas have to much and others none, which means that pretty much anything can happen. I just loved this world building, especially the changes that the magic bubbles wrought.

If you love reading about creepy monsters, Spooner cooked up some of those for you in her writer's cauldron too. The Dark Ones. I'm not entirely certain what happened to them, whether there was some sort of event or chemical, or if it was just a change out of necessity. Either way, they're cannibals, humans turned dark and twisted and hungry for other humans. This adds some fun spice to an otherwise fairly pleasant journey. I definitely would like to know how they came about, though!

Lark makes a great heroine. Her voice is clear and direct. Her narration kept me totally involved in the story. Despite being a complete newbie to pretty much everying, Lark tries really hard. She's not a complainer, and learns and grows from every experience. Otherwise, though, I would say characterization was probably the weakest point in the book. None of the other humans really manifested strongly to me. There are two possible love interests so far, but, thankfully, Spooner has so far resisted the urge to make this into a melodramatic love triangle.

My very favorite character, though, the one that totally stole the show in my opinion is not human. I freaking loved Nix. He's so adorable and cool and I don't even know. Basically, I want him to come hang out with me. Also, the way the scene where he learned things was just fantastic. He also raises some thought-provoking questions about sentience.

For stellar world building and some serious clockwork awesomeness, go get yourself a copy of Skylark. I really enjoyed it and will be keeping my eye out for the next book!

Favorite Quote: "'I don't want to be kept safe! I don't want to have someone constantly trying to keep me from tripping on my own incompetence. I want to live in a world where I know the rules, where people are just people. Not one where they keep trying to eat me. That's the reason I left the city in the first place. I don't want to be kept, not by anyone.'"

Remember: Every comment on a post during Dystopian August is an entry to win one of fourteen dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels IF you've filled out the form from this post.

Creeping Death - Apocalyptica

Masque of the Red Death
Masque of the Red Death, Book 1

Author: Bethany Griffin
Pages: 319
Publisher: Greenwillow
Source: Gifted

Description from Goodreads:
Everything is in ruins.

A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them.

So what does Araby Worth have to live for?

Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all.

But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.

And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her.

First Sentence: "The charcoal sky spits cold rain as we rumble to a stop at a crossroad."

Review:
Bethany Griffin's Masque of the Red Death is based on Poe's story of the same name. Having not read that, I cannot speak to the quality of this novel as a retelling. What I can assert with confidence is the awesomeness of this book as its own entity. The story contained inside this book perfectly matches the mood of creepiness and beauty set by the cover.

A horrible plague swept humanity, killing indiscriminately. There still isn't any cure, although the wealthy, at least, have found a way to protect themselves. Araby's father, a noted scientist, invented the mask which can filter the air and keep out the infection. Now those with money enough to purchase them can live with less fear of the disease.

Araby is one of the lucky ones, and she hates it. Her family has money and she is pretty well protected from the plague. None of this means anything to her without her brother, though, who died from the disease because she got the first mask instead of him. Filled with guilt and loneliness, Araby has made a vow never to do anything that her brother Finn didn't get to do.

Grief-stricken Araby suffers from intense depression, so deep that she nearly committed suicide. Her savior, April, gives her reason to keep going: escapism. With April, she gains access to the most exclusive club, The Debauchery Club. Within its walls, she can procure drugs or alcohol, forget about life for a while. Plus, she can eye the cute guy who works at the door. These opening chapters do lag a bit, suffering from a poor little rich girl vibe, but the story picks up when April's brother appears on the scene.

Like so many books these days, Masque of the Red Death does have a love triangle. Unlike most books, I have absolutely no idea which guy will win fair Araby's heart. In fact, I'm not even certain which guy I ship her with. Both have their moments and their drawbacks. Will seems almost too perfect, beautiful and kind; in a world such as this, I doubt someone could truly stay so pure, and so I imagine there must be some dark secrets there. Elliott, April's brother, definitely has issues, having had some serious family problems. Still, there's something so desperate about how much he clearly needs Araby that holds an appeal. Basically, I am torn, and I will remain undecided until the next book.

While the romance aspect does make up an important part of the plot, the world building definitely takes the lead. In this plague-ridden city, three different groups battle for supremacy. Prince Prospero has control at the moment, reigning from his castle, keeping his power through fear and withholding of resources. Two different groups aim to overthrow him, including the creepy as hell Reverend Malcontent. Add to this a totally new disease and it's possible no one will survive this future.

Masque of the Red Death is gorgeously written and atmospheric. The internet informs me that I have to wait until April 2013 for the next installment. This does not please me.

Favorite Quote:

"'She has to live, Elliott. I owe her a lifetime of apologies.'
   'Sometimes I think that's all we owe our parents.'"

Remember: Every comment on a post during Dystopian August is an entry to win one of fourteen dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels IF you've filled out the form from this post.

Cropduster - Pearl Jam

The Windup Girl

Author: Paolo Bacigalupi
Pages: 359
Publisher: Night Shade Books
Source: Library

Description from Goodreads:
What happens when bio-terrorism becomes a tool for corporate profits? And what happens when said bio-terrorism forces humanity to the cusp of post-human evolution? In The Windup Girl, award-winning author Paolo Bacigalupi returns to the world of "The Calorie Man"( Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award-winner, Hugo Award nominee, 2006) and "Yellow Card Man" (Hugo Award nominee, 2007) in order to address these questions.

First Sentence: "'No! I don't want the mangosteen.'"

Review:
For years, I have been looking forward to reading this book. I did check it out from the library once and read a couple of pages, but I gave up and moved on to something else. I hoped that now, with a broader experience of dystopias, I might get into the story and appreciate its marvelousness. Sadly, I did not. Were I not incredibly stubborn, I would have DNFed this early on.

Tons of brilliant people that I have the utmost respect for love this novel. Honestly, they're smarter than I am, I expect, so it could be that I just don't have what it takes to fully appreciate The Windup Girl. That said, I can appreciate the depth and breadth of Bacigalupi's world building. Many novels feel sort of slapdash, as though some things have not really been though out at all, but every bit of this has obviously been fine-tuned and worked out with precision.

In fact, there is such focus on the world building that I occasionally felt rather like I was reading a newspaper or a text book on that period of history. The whole book was a description overload for me. Perhaps if I had an interest in science, I would apprecciate all of those details, but, with science always having been my least favorite subject, I had trouble focusing or caring.

In The Windup Girl, mankind has, through the constant genetic modification of food, created new diseases and is having difficulty producing food. Conglomerates that produce new disease-free strains essentially run the world. The Windup Girl takes place in Thailand, where Anderson Lake has been sent to investigate the appearance of fruits previously disappeared. They are hiding a seedbank and his company wants access. In addition to the science, there's a ton of politics, which also really is not my thing.

The Windup Girl follows a fairly significant cast of main characters, not a single one of whom I cared a fig about. In fact, I'm not even entirely sure whether I was supposed to like them or not. Were some of them protagonists and some antagonists? Other than Emiko, the windup girl, being a protagonist, I'm really not sure. One of the characters dies fairly early on and I had absolutely no reaction to his death. Was I supposed to feel sad? Was I supposed to be glad? I legitimately have no clue.

The title character, the windup girl, proved most interesting, but even her sections got more boring for me as the novel went on. Actually, I think the only reason I cared what happened to her was that I felt pity for her. As she gained in power, she seemed to need my sympathy less and I was able to focus on just how little personality she really has. Admittedly, this is not her fault, considering that she is an engineered human, made to obey.

While I have no doubt of Bacigalupi's great talent, this novel, at least, was not for me. I failed to have any sort of emotional reaction to this book whatsoever; I was just bored. I hope that his young adult dystopia, Ship Breaker, is more accessible. The Windup Girl will appeal to readers who delight in detailed world building.

Favorite Quote: "'Sex and hypocrisy. They go together like coffee and cream.'"

"Light green to green, dark green, brown..
Every life is falling down
Brown to black, it's coming back
Dies to be part of the ground
Seed to seedling, root to stem"

Remember: Every comment on a post during Dystopian August is an entry to win one of fourteen dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels IF you've filled out the form from this post.

Out from Under - Incubus

Stormdancer
The Lotus War, Book 1

Author: Jay Kristoff
Pages: 313
Publisher:Thomas Dunne Books
Publication Date: September 18, 2012
Source: ARC from St. Martin's Press

Description from Goodreads:
A DYING LAND
The Shima Imperium verges on the brink of environmental collapse; an island nation once rich in tradition and myth, now decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshipers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red as blood, the land is choked with toxic pollution, and the great spirit animals that once roamed its wilds have departed forever.

AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST
The hunters of Shima's imperial court are charged by their Shōgun to capture a thunder tiger – a legendary creature, half-eagle, half-tiger. But any fool knows the beasts have been extinct for more than a century, and the price of failing the Shōgun is death.

A HIDDEN GIFT
Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, possessed of a talent that if discovered, would see her executed by the Lotus Guild. Accompanying her father on the Shōgun’s hunt, she finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in Shima’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled thunder tiger for company. Even though she can hear his thoughts, even though she saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her.

But together, the pair will form an indomitable friendship, and rise to challenge the might of an empire.

First Sentence: "As the iron war club scythed toward her head, Yukiko couldn't help wishing she'd listened to her father."

Review:
Holy epicness Batman. Stormdancer is, perhaps, the most talked about book of this summer, and, having now finished, I can tell you that all of that anticipation and expectation is well-deserved. However, Stormdancer is also not what I was expecting. Not at ALL. Partly, this was my fault, but partly this was because of the way books are marketed.

What I didn't find in Stormdancer was the sort of Joss Whedon-esque humor that I was anticipating from communicating with Jay on Twitter and Goodreads. There is humor of a sort, but that's not a driving force by any means. That was my incorrect expectation. I was also expecting, from the way this book was marketed, a young adult dystopia about Yukiko. Well, sorry, guys, but that's not what this book is.

Jay Kristoff actually wrote an incredibly insightful post that got me thinking about the distinctions between young adult fiction and adult fiction, and how, much of the time, the lines are entirely arbitrary. In fact, there have been several books recently that I never would have guessed were 'young adult, and this most definitely falls into that category. I wonder whether some readers will be disappointed and dislike this book because it's so unlike most of the other novels published under that unclear heading.

Although Yukiko is undoubtedly the heroine of our piece, Stormdancer is definitively not just about her. Told in third person, the narrative does not even follow her alone. Many important characters left their teens behind years before. This book does not tackle issues that face a teenage girl. The scope of Stormdancer is broad, and I think that, were this not a dystopia and were YA not so popular, this book would be marketed as epic fantasy, where I personally feel it belongs (if we feel the need to push labels onto our books).

Moving on from that rant, let's actually talk about Stormdancer. You may have noticed that this book (or at least the ARC version) is but 313 pages. Don't let this fool you. Stormdancer is not a short book. The ARC is larger than a traditional trade paperback, the font is not large, and the margins are small. Published in an ordinary fashion, Stormdancer would probably be somewhere from 500-700 pages. If published the same way Divergent was, it would be IMMENSE.

All of those words to read are not a struggle, though, or were not for me. Jay Kristoff can write. His language is ornate and complex, with some of the best diction I've seen from a modern writer, yet all quite natural. Seriously, this man is a genius.

The best part of the book, most definitely, is the world building. Jay Kristoff has built a truly epic world, a steampunk Japan full of demons and fantastic creatures. A young, merciless shogun, Yoritomo, rules as tyrant over Shima, allowing the country to fall to ruin. In this steampunk world, machines run on lotus (think opium...only with the ability to power machinery and to pollute the environment). The mass of the populace is dying from the lotus, breathing the smoke of the polluted air into their lungs. Shima's soldiers (Iron Samurai) and priests (The Guild) are encased in metalwork, safe from the environment.

Set within this dying world, addicted, one way or another, to lotus, Masaru, Yoritomo's master hunter, receives orders to capture and deliver to the shogun an arashitora, a thunder tiger (half eagle, half tiger, as seen on the cover). Though they are believed to be extinct, Masaru and his crew, including Yukiko, set out on the fruitless search. What could, in a lesser book, be the whole of the first volume, this quest takes only the first third or so of the novel. Once they find the arashitora, Buruu, that is when the book really (pardon the pun...or, actually, don't) took off.

At first, I was appreciating the language and the mastery of the world building, but I wasn't particularly involved yet. This is a big part of why I would call this epic fantasy: good epic fantasy takes some time, because there's so much that has to be set up since the world is so different. Once Yukiko and Buruu began to bond, I really became attached to their characters and caught up in their fates. Yukiko is, as the cover promises, a BADASS, with the all-caps completely necessary to convey the degree of her ability to be awesome. However, Buruu totally stole the show from her, I thought. He is definitely my favorite character, because he's funny and loyal and A FRACKING THUNDER TIGER! It does not get more hardcore than that.

The other characters are also fascinating, interesting in how unclear they are. I really don't know how to feel about most of them, unable to figure out whether they're trustworthy or not. Pretty much by the time you figure that out, it's too late. This is not a world where good and evil are always bathed in black and white, and both are generally bathed in red, either from blood or from lotus.

So yeah, Stormdancer is just as crazy cool and full of action and steampunkery (like chainkatanas...think chainsaw + katana and accept the fact that Kay Kristoff is better than you) as you could possibly want. I advise you not to get to hung up on what Stormdancer is, and just to sit back and enjoy the ride through the storms.

Favorite Quote...er, Scene: 

"'You forget where you are, Yukiko-chan,' Daichi waved his hand across the vista. 'The haunted valleys of the Iishi Mountains. Demons are as real as the trees or the sky to the children who grow up here.'
   'Then why do you stay?'
   'Long shadows. Dark nights. As far from the Shogun's throne as a man can be, and a thousand and one myths to keep superstitious eyes away.'
   'I thought oni were just that.' Yukiko looked at her hand, curling and uncurling her fingers. 'Stories to frighten the simple and the young.'
   'I am afraid not.'
   'Where do they come from?'
   Daichi blinked, as if he didn't quite understand the question.
   'From Yomi, of course.'
   'Yomi?' Her voice fairly dripped skepticism. 'The deepest hell?'
   'Hai.' His reply was flat. Iron. 'The deepest hell.'
   'But the old tales...' Yukiko shook her head. 'Even is they're true, the gate to Yomi was sealed shut. And the stormdancer Tora Takehiko gave his life to see that it would remain forever closed. My father used to tell us that story all the time.'
   'It was a great sacrifice,' Daichi nodded. 'But the cracks are big enough for the little ones to slip through.'
   'Cracks?'
   'The great boulder that the Maker God pushed into place over the Devil Gate is only stone. Stone breaks under enough force. Enough hate.'
   'So it's all true? The old stories? The myths my father told us at bedtime?'
   Daichi tilted his head and frowned, motioned toward Buruu.
   'You walked into this village with a thunder tiger beside you. You have slain demons with your own hands. Are the old myths really that hard to believe?
   'They wouldn't be myths otherwise, would they?'
   'Then have a care, Yukiko-chan,' Daichi smiled. 'Keeping the company of the last arashitora in Shima sounds like an excellent way to become a myth yourself.'

"To resist is to piss in the wind
Anyone who does will end up smelling
Knowing this, why do I defy?
Because my inner voice is yelling
There is a fist pressing against
Anyone who thinks something compelling
Our intuit we're taught to deny
And our soul we're told is for selling

Get out from under them
Resist and multiply
Get out from under precipice and see the sky
Get out from under them
Resist, unlearn, defy
Get out from under precipice and see the sky"

Vianne Confronts the Comte - Rachel Portman

Something Strange and Deadly
Something Strange and Deadly, Book 1

Author: Susan Dennard
Pages: 388
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: July 24, 2012
Source: Won from EpicReads giveaway

Description from Goodreads:
The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

First Sentence: "'Dead!' a woman screamed."

Review:
Much as I try to avoid reading reviews, I do generally take a quick glance at friends' reviews. From these, I went into Something Strange and Deadly warned that it might be a bit slow to start, perhaps even taking roughly half the book to get good, and that there wasn't really much zombie mayhem. I'm not sure if it was because I was forearmed or what, but I didn't have a problem with either issue at all. Something Strange and Deadly charmed me immediately, and I thought there was plenty of zombie goodness.

I can see, however, why some might be bored in the opening, so taking that warning to heart certainly can't hurt you. What made this book a perfect fit (pun!) for me from beginning to end was Eleanor Fitt. I just loved her and thought she made an utterly enchanting heroine. She's one of those heroines that I totally get and that I do not see often enough. She's snarky and doesn't feel at home in the uppercrust society to which she and her mother are just barely clinging. Unlike so many heroines, she doesn't turn all heads. She's not astoundingly gorgeous, she's well-padded, and she's outspoken. When people try to keep secrets from her, she pesters them until she learns what she wants to know. Tenacious, stubborn, nosey heroines just rock my socks.

Cementing Eleanor Fitt as one of the fictional characters I am sure I would be total besties with is the fact that, despite being a corset-wearing lady, she is no wilting flower. Early on, she gets attacked by zombies and doesn't run or faint: she attempts to defend herself with her corset. She's not very good at it, but she learns by watching the Chinese member of the Spirit Hunters how best to incapacitate the walking dead. She watches, learns, and fights herself. Throughout the book, she continues to use those skills, and becomes increasingly more badass. Seriously, at the end, I defy you to not think she is really fucking badass.

Now, the zombies. They may not be the central point of the book, but they are definitely woven throughout. They are not the big bads; they are merely tools wielded by an evil necromancer attacking Philadelphia for some unknown reason. Despite being essentially attack dogs, there were plenty enough horrifying zombie moments to satisfy zombie enthusiasts. It was also cool seeing the zombies used in some different ways, like as messengers.

Eleanor gets involved in all of this necromancy and walking dead business for two reasons: she suspects her brother has been captured by the necromancer for nefarious purposes AND her mother summoned an evil spirit at an otherwise routine high society seance. For help, Eleanor turns to the Spirit Hunters (Who ya gonna call?), here to help the city with their walking dead problem. Despite the prickly reception from the Spirit Hunter's inventor, Daniel, Eleanor will not be rebuffed.

I loved the Spirit Hunters, and am so completely looking forward to getting to know more about them in the subsequent books. Joseph, for example, I don't feel like I really got to know much of anything about. I could totally know more about Jie and Daniel as well. They're great characters (diverse too!) and have such a great group dynamic.

The ending, guys! I am seriously in pain at not having the next book in my hands right now and totally want to discuss it with someone. I saw the twists coming, but that did not detract from the my pleasure in the book, because I still didn't know what would happen AFTER that. Eleanor has a fun, witty way of thinking and her perspective keeps things from feeling all that dark even when they are. This juxtaposition totally shook me at the end, in the very best of ways.

If you like steampunkery, zombie mayhem, spunky heroines, good writing or, well, awesome things, I highly recommend this fantastic debut. This was pretty much everything I hoped it would be and more.

Rating: 4/5

Favorite Quote: "I brandished my parasol at him like a rapier. 'You, sir, are an abominable scalawag of a man, and I'll be damned if I let you threaten me.'"

Wild Wild West - Will Smith

Dead Reckoning

Author: Mercedes Lackey & Rosemary Edghill
Pages: 324
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Source: Bloomsbury via NetGalley

Description from 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..

First Sentence: "Jett Gallatin expected trouble in Alsop, Texas—but not zombies"

Review:
If Cherie Priest's Boneshaker and Wild, Wild West had a lovechild, it would be Dead Reckoning. The book is filled with zombie mayhem from beginning to end in a wild west, steampunk setting. Add in a girl dressed as a boy, some crazy scientists, and religious cult, and you've got the makings for one action-packed ride.

The zombies are pretty creepy, although the addition of the cult is what REALLY makes the whole thing terrifying. Again, the zombies aren't the focal point. They are a bit distinct from the zombies I've encountered in other novels. These are a bit shambly and slow, but they are crazy strong, and almost impossible to dispatch. These zombies, like the origin of the world 'zombie,' are based on voodoo legend. One thing I'm bothered by is the use of the word zombie. It seems that its usage did originate in roughly that time period, but it still felt weird to hear people talking about the Confederacy and zombies in one breath.

The creepy factor they definitely got down, as well as the western bits and the steampunkery with the vehicle and the science. I would have liked to see a bit more humor in it, though. Nothing in the book really made me laugh, and this is a premise that would definitely have been improved with humor. I mean, any gender bender ought to have some amount of humor, because there are so many confusions that can happen.

I read this book in just a couple of hours, one sitting. It's a really fun read, but there wasn't too much more to it for me. Character development is seriously lacking. Both Jett and Gibbons are seriously hardcore women, and, of course, I liked that. However, they were still lacking in any real depth. And they were the best-developed characters. White Fox completely lacks personality. Seriously. He was like so boring. I was also a little confused about why his character was a white man raised by an Indian tribe, rather than just being native. There could have been diversity here, but there isn't.

The other thing about this, which makes me suspect they may be planning to make this a series, is that there are a lot of dropped plot threads. Jett never finds her brother. Despite some comments about how attractive the characters are and some foreshadowing of romance, nothing ever comes close to happening in that department. It just didn't really feel finished to me.

Still, if you want a mindless (zombie pun) read with lots of zombie action that you can dispatch quickly, Dead Reckoning will definitely fulfill your needs. I don't recommend this to anyone looking for a dark, witty, impressively-written novel; this is for fun only.

Rating: 2.5/5

Favorite Quote: "Gibbons stifled a tiny sigh of exasperation at hearing the familiar sentiment. In her experience, there was no obstacle that did not fall before the power of the mind. Far be it from her to point out yet again that the majority of the lady pioneers here in the West spent the greater part of their lives either alone while their husbands were out hunting or trapping or tilling the soil—or performing those tasks themselves when one of the perils White Fox had listed carried the husbands off. Both men and women had lecture Gibbons on the unsuitability of her chosen vocation, and when she marshaled her arguments, said, ‘But that’s different!’ (How it was different, no one was ever quite able to explain to her satisfaction.)"

"Wild Wild West, Jim West, desperado, rough rider
No you don't want nada
None of this, gun in this, brotha runnin this,
Buffalo soldier, look it's like I told ya"

Soul Meets Body - Death Cab for Cutie

Magic Under Stone
Magic Under Glass, Book 2

Author: Jaclyn Dolamore
Pages: 291
ARC Acquired from: Bloomsbury Children's Books

Warning: This is the second book in a series, and the review will contain spoilers for the first book.

Brief Summary:
Erris, still clockwork although now capable of motion so long as he's wound, and Nim set out on a journey to find sorcerer Ordorio Valdana. He may have some idea how to turn the prince back into a real fairy. Unfortunately, when they arrive, they find that the sorcerer has gone and will not be back until the summer. They decide to wait for his return, but the King of the Fairies has put forces into action, a jinn named Ifra, charged to bring Erris back.

Review:
Once again, Dolamore's book got off to a slightly slow start. The reason for this was the introduction of a new character, Ifra, whom I did not yet care about. I wanted desperately to hear more about Erris and Nim, and it was disappointing. Well, thankfully, just like in book one, the story soon took off, bringing me along for a magical ride in its firm grasp.

There are a slew of new folks in this installment, most importantly Ifra and Violet, a spoiled young girl and relative of Erris. Violet could actually inherit if Erris does not survive. At first, I was not wild about these decisions. By the end, I was totally sold. Of course, Violet is mostly annoying, but, one thing I love about Dolamore's writing, is how everything is shades of grey. The characters are all so real, because there are things that annoy me even about my favorites, and sparks of good in the bad guys.

Speaking of things that annoy me, much as I love Erris, which I really do, he was driving me crazy! Nim too. He was all mopey and just wanted to be alone all the time. Come on, man. I know your situation sucks, but it's gotten better, so why are you grumpier than when you couldn't move. Sigh. I mean, I get it, but it was painful going through that with the characters. Even the pain is better than if he was constantly perfect, but I just want him to be happy!

There was definitely none of the "we're in love so it's us against the world with our perfect relationship" thing that often drives me crazy with YA romances. Despite their feelings for one another, Nim and Erris clearly are having some difficulties. Considering the fact that they had only known one another for a brief period of time and under very extraordinary circumstances it's no wonder that some peace brought complications. They have to form a real life, normal bond...all while he's stuck in a clockwork body. Yikes.

Anyway, all of that, even the whiny bits, are just to explain why this book's so good. Life isn't always happy, and that is captured in the book. Still, there are moments of joy, moments that make your toes curl, and moments of hope. Also, I loved seeing Nim coming into her own, becoming a strong woman in more than just guts.

I want to end this review with a quote that illustrates just why Dolamore's series is so wonderful. Every heroine should have this mentality, imho: "I am not going to be helpless while some magical villain hauls off the people I love." So says Nimira.

This is a wonderful series, and I really hope that more books are coming!

Rating: 4.5/5

"I want to live where soul meets body
And let the sun wrap its arms around me
And bathe my skin in water cool and cleansing
And feel, feel what its like to be new"

Piano Black - The Seatbelts

Magic Under Glass
Magic Under Glass, Book 1

Author: Jaclyn Dolamore
Pages: 225
Publisher: Bloomsbury

Brief Summary:
Nimira works in a music hall as a trouser girl, scraping together just enough pennies to stay alive. So much for earning a fortune like she planned when she left her home country of Tiansher for Lorinar. Her luck seems like it might finally be changing when sorcerer Hollin Parry offers her a job after having seen one of her performances. He wants her to sing to accompany a piano-playing automaton he acquired. Thrilled at first, both at the prospect of a better life and at Parry's attentions to her, she begins to realize that there are a lot of dark secrets in Parry's House. The automaton which was rumored to be haunted turns out to be a fairy trapped inside a clockwork body; she must find a way to set him free, hopefully while finding a purpose for herself.

Review:
The opening chapters did not interest me immediately, and I feared that I would not care much for this book or the sequel. Then Nimira went to Parry's house and suddenly, without noticing the change, I realized that I was reading voraciously, completely wrapped up in the story Dolamore created. From that point, she didn't let me go.

Nimira is not the typical strong heroine, nor is she a shrinking violet. She lacks in physical strength and she cries several times. Still, she is a powerful girl to be reckoned with. When the chips are down, she does not let fear stop her. She fights for those she loves and for herself.

Okay, who would have thought that an author could make this work so well? I mean, Erris can't say anything but "Mmm," and can communicate solely by piano. His movements are similarly limited. Yet, Dolamore manages to make him come across as a real, dynamic character with a personality, rather than a static one. Wow. Just wow.

The inside flap compares Magic Under Glass to Libba Bray and Charlotte Bronte. My initial reaction to this was skepticism. I definitely didn't see the Bronte at all. When I found it, my like for the book became even stronger. This was pretty much the deciding factor for loving this book over merely liking it.

This book has everything. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Cinder or A Long, Long Sleep, other recent favorites. I am so incredibly excited to read Magic Under Stone.

Rating: 4.5/5

Note: I love this song for this book, because I like to imagine that this is what the automaton's piano sounds like, very different from the fairy music. :-p

Note 2: I prefer this cover, because it's the same girl who's on the cover for book two, who looks way more like Nimira than the girl on the cover of the edition I read.

Put Us Back Together - Headlights

Fullmetal Alchemist

Author: Hiromu Arakawa
Volumes: 27
Publisher: Viz Media

For this particular review, I'm going to forgo the summary portion, because I'm pretty sure it wouldn't make much sense. If you want to read one before reading my review, then go to Goodreads.

Fullmetal Alchemist starts off pretty lighthearted and comedic, giving the reader time to familiarize themselves with the characters and the world it's set in before breaking out the serious drama. Part of what makes this series so completely marvelous and one of the best mangas ever is that vein of humor running through even the darkest parts.

Of course, comedy alone does not make a good story. The darkness too makes the tale compelling. Aspects of this story, especially one in particular which comes not too far into the story, will undoubtedly haunt me forever. Actually, this same instance continues to haunt Ed and Alphonse all the way through their lives, as well. When you read it, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Add to the above a completely amazing cast of characters. Seriously. Ed and Alphonse's love and care of one another are completely charming. Their grandmother is hilarious with her tiny little pointy bun. Winry, the stubborn female automail mechanic, will always be my favorite. Then again, I also adore Colonel Mustang with his odd combination of jadedness and hope, and Lieutenant Hawkeye, who is seriously badass but also surprisingly sweet underneath. All of the human characters are just so vibrant and human, complete with foibles and hangups. I love it.

Plus the alchemy in a freaking amazing steampunk setting! Who doesn't like steampunk? Okay, lots of people probably, but they are lame and don't count (just kidding...mostly). Honestly, though, the alchemy in here is astounding. No wonder so many people spent their lives trying to figure out its secrets. I would too if I thought I could have powers like the Alric brothers.

If you have any interest at all in manga, Fullmetal Alchemist is a good one. Although aimed at a male audience, it has universal appeal. Unlike some shounen manga, you will not have lots of baloon boobs thrust at you for fan service, likely because the series was written by a woman. This manga has one of the best stories out there and I just cannot recommend it highly enough.

Note: I have not yet watched the anime version, either one. I do know, though, that you should not just the manga off of the original anime series. After the first few episodes they seriously part ways (or so I've heard), because the anime was made before the series had been completed. A couple years before. What a bad plan.

Rating: 4.5/5

"Take us apart and put us back together right,
So we can leave on our feet in the night."

Tears to Shed - Helena Bonham Carter, Jane Horrocks and Enn Reitel

Dearly, Departed
Gone with the Respiration, Book 1

Author: Lia Habel
Pages: 379
ARC Acquired from: Random House via NetGalley

Brief Summary:
Nora Dearly has been an orphan for a year. On the day another interminable semester at her school full of prissy girls finishes, her mourning period for her father's death has finished. Armed with her best friend Pamela, Nora returns home, only to be approached by an unfamiliar person with the milky eyes of the blind. Escaping, thanks to the fortuitous arrival of some policemen, she reaches the home she shares with her vacuous aunt, who informs her that they are out of money and both must marry well. Not only that, but the boy Nora's supposed to set her cap for is someone she believes to be a stupid jerk. She thought that was bad...until she was attacked by a large group of slavering flesh-eating creatures, only to be saved by another group, headed up by the person who confronted her before. When she wakes up on their military base, she discovers that she has been taken by zombies.

Review:
From the beginning, Dearly, Departed was a fascinating read. There is just so much going on in here, most of which I approve of. For example, this book, the start of a new series, manages to be both set in a future society and steampunk, which is, traditionally, historical in nature. So, while not technically steampunk, it reads that way entirely. Given that and the zombies, I bet Cherie Priest loved this book (or will love it...I have no idea if she's read it or not).

Above that, Dearly, Departed is also a dystopia, or at least has enough dystopian elements to keep me happy, er, unhappy. Actually, it has pretty much every kind of dystopia possible. Habel explains that the society in which Nora lives came about in reaction to a series of calamities that befell the human race in entirety (and Americans especially) 150 years previously. These include an ice age (didn't see that one coming), catastrophic storms taking out island countries, disease, famine, nuclear war, and the explosion of the supervolcano underneath Yellowstone. While I do think it's awesome that Habel included that stuff, I also feel like it may just be, focus on the pun, overkill.

That's one of my two concerns about the book: Habel seems to have tried to do a bit too much. While this didn't distract from my enjoyment of the novel too much, I did sometimes shake my head in response to the sheer number of crazy things, some of which were markedly unnecessary.

My other concern, in case you were curious, is zombies being hot. That's right, folks. Now, all paranormals are hot, even zombies. Of course, I have seen zombies that had relationships before, but they only dated other zombies (Breathers); this is my first run in with a couple composed of one living person and one dead person. That said, I really do like Bram, and, all things considered, this has been done as well as is possible. However, I cannot ship this or think it will end in anything but tears and/or nomming.

What I really loved about the book were the strong female heroines, Nora and Pamela. They are vibrant and really rise to difficult occasions. Despite being raised to be proper New Victorian girls (think Victorian social mores and customs), they refuse to be put into a box or onto a pedestal. Their chapters are definitely the best ones; I think I would have liked the book even more had it been told exclusively from their perspectives and could definitely have done without Wolfe's and Victor's sections (the POV switches). Examples of how cool these girls are: one of them climbed up rose bushes with bare hands while also firing at zombie attackers and the other killed a zombie with a parasol. Yeah, with a parasol.

To sum up, who doesn't want to read a good zombie novel where the living dead get taken out by a deadly parasol?

P.S. Is anyone else tired of every single paranormal book having a cheesy tag line on the front, such as this one "Love can never die." That's so melodramatic...and I'm pretty sure I've seen virtually the same thing on at least ten other books.

"If I touch a burning candle I can feel no pain
In the ice or in the sun it's all the same
Yet I feel my heart is aching
Though it doesn't beat it's breaking
And the pain here that I feel
Try and tell me it's not real
I know that I am dead
Yet it seems that I still have some tears to shed"

Not a Robot, But a Ghost - Andrew Bird

Steampunk!: An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories

Editors: Kelly Link & Gavin J. Grant
Pages: 412
ARC Acquired from: Candlewick

Steampunk is a fun genre, one I have begun to explore with excitement. While I have not loved all of the steampunk novels I have read to this point, I have uniformly enjoyed the idea behind them, the out-of-place mechanization accepted as normal in an otherwise old-fashioned society. What attracts me most to this, I expect, is the similarity between steampunk and magical realism, the only difference being that the magic lies in the technology.

With such thoughts in mind, I was eager to read this anthology, particularly considering that some authors I already enjoy contributed stories, such as M. T. Anderson, Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray and Cory Doctorow. In fact, these authors cap the anthology. It begins with the stories by the three I listed last and ends with M. T. Anderson's tale.

Despite what should have been a strong beginning, I found the start of the anthology utterly tedious. I did actually Clare's, Bray's and Doctorow's stories, but none of them blew me away. Then, the next four stories I found to be completely awful, the anthology not picking up in quality again until Kelly Link's story, which, while interesting, really did not seem like steampunk so much as science fiction or fantasy, depending upon where the summer people came from.

The latter half of the anthology, though, was totally satisfactory. I enjoyed all of the stories but the graphic novel Finishing School. Speaking of the comics included (Finishing School and Seven Days Beset by Demons), why were they so awful? I love that comics were included and applaud the blending of formats, but really think they could have found something better. Seven Days Beset by Demons was by far the worst story in the anthology, for it lacked plot, carried a heavy-handed religious bent and did not particularly smack of steampunk. Epic fail.

The best stories, in my opinion, were "Steam Girl" by Dylan Horrocks, "Everything Amiable and Obliging" by Holly Black, and "The Oracle Engine" by M. T. Anderson, the final three stories in the anthology. I must admit I am a bit biased against most of the others, because I quickly tired of reading the poor grammar of western characters, who say things like "I done seen them people." No thanks.

If you hate that all steampunk takes place in Victorian England and want to see where else it can be set, then you'll enjoy this wide range of interpretations (although personally, I found the ones in a modern setting a bit odd). Be prepared to slog through a couple of long stories that you might not be especially interested in. Or just skip those and move on.

"I hear the clockwork in your core
Time strips the gears till you forget what they were for"

On Her Majesty's Secret Service - John Barry Orchestra

Phoenix Rising
Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, Book 1
Author: Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris
Pages: 347
ARC Acquired From: Voyager, a HarperCollins imprint, via NetGalley
Brief Summary:
Agent Eliza Braun of the Ministry of Paranormal Occurrences was ordered to dispatch a captured ministry agent, Wellington Thornhill Books, archivist for the MPO. When she realized she could rescue him, she did, assuming the Ministry would be happy to have him back, since he had not broken under torture. For her trouble, she was demoted. To the archives. And made the partner of Agent Books. Braun's loves in life are bombs, guns and trouble, so cataloging does not exactly satisfy. This leads to the new goal of convincing Books to help her solve unsolved ministry cases, namely the one involving her formal partner, now in an insane asylum. Lucky for Eliza, she is going to find that librarians (archivists!) are far more resilient than she ever suspected.

Review:
So, here we have a steampunk book with an archivist as a main character. Can you say awesome? I know a few archivists myself, and some of them can be quite awful and, well, stereotypical. Thankfully, Books falls firmly into the realm of the fantastic archivists. He is concerned with the "preservation of the Empire" and of the ministry's artifacts and papers (291).

From the beginning, I identified more with Books than with the confident, flirty heroine. A librarian myself, his attempt to find a nonviolent solution, along with his nerdy love of books and research, seems the ideal method. Eliza, while a strong heroine, never really felt like a real person to me. She lacks background, except that she misses her homeland of New Zealand. All I really know about her is that she likes to make Books uncomfortable and to make things explode (likely those two things will combine at some point, but not in this book, the first in the series). Hopefully, some more character depth will be forthcoming.

Clever people that you are, you have likely noticed that Books is a fitting name for an archivist. This naming convention continues throughout, with many of the characters wearing fitting monikers. Like the rather brawny Miss Braun. Or the female assassin del Morte. I found these little elements amusing, along with most of the old timey language. Expect pages "full of rabble-rousers, Fabians, cut-throats and Dollymops" (133). Although there are some occasional slip ups in the use of the old fashioned words, such as referring to an event as grizzly, when the authors really meant grisly.

I will undoubtedly be venturing forth into later volumes about the escapades of Books and Braun. Phoenix Rising was quite entertaining and I hope book two will be even better. If you love reading about librarians with a few aces up their sleeves, explosions and strong women, you won't want to miss this amusing steampunk novel.

Learn to Fly - Foo Fighters

Leviathan
Leviathan, Book 1

Author: Scott Westerfeld
Genre: steampunk
Audiobook Narrated By: (the incomparable) Alan Cumming
Discs: 7

Brief Summary:
Alec, son of the assassinated Franz Ferdinand and wife Sophie, escapes with his father's most loyal servants in a walker, a two-legged, mechanical war machine. Although he is not recognized as an heir to the Habsburg empire by his uncle, the Emperor, he still represents a major pawn as the powers of the world go to war in 1914. Meanwhile, Deryn Sharp, a fifteen year old girl, dresses up as a boy and lies about her age to join the British air forces. Britain flies fabricated animals (created through the blending of species, a science begun after the revelation of Darwin's theories) and aligns with the other Darwinist nations against the 'Clankers,' who use machinery (Germany, Austria Hungary, the Ottoman Empire. Deryn and Alec's paths lead them to the same place and to similar short-term goals as World War I erupts into full force around them.

Summary:
Normally, I steer clear of audiobooks, considering them just a step above not reading at all. For the most part, I think of them as cheating; listening to a book just isn't the same as reading one. I put aside my admittedly unfair assumptions for the Leviathan audiobook when I heard that Alan Cumming narrated it. Alan Cumming is one of the most delightful actors in my opinion and I could just not resist. I listened to the book on my drive up to my alma mater for a friend's wedding.

First, I cannot stress enough the love I have for Alan Cumming. He is an entirely spectacular narrator, as I expected he would be. He does the voices (with accents!) for the characters. As in the second X-Men movie, he does a great German accent and he is, of course, British, so he can do that too. His female voices are a bit lacking, but there are only two in the whole book and one is pretending to be a boy. Besides, no one's perfect. And his attempts at sounding female are pretty hilarious. His pacing is great and he conveys emotions perfectly.

Now, for the story itself, I can say that I enjoyed Leviathan far more than I did the other Westerfeld books I have read (the Uglies trilogy). His language either annoyed me less in audiobook format or was kept under wraps by the historical setting. The book was incredibly fun. Westerfeld did really interesting things in his reimagining of the war, changing some background seriously, but still causing everything to happen much the way it did. The Darwinist versus Clanker version of World War I makes me laugh and is, in its framework, easy to believe. Those alliance make more sense than the real version. I also found the idea that Darwin's discoveries led to so much scientific development totally awesome.

I flipped through the book itself and am sad to have missed out on the neat artwork. Still worth it for Alan Cumming though. Check this book out! It's totally worth either a read or a listen. The sequel, Behemoth, just came out.

"Fly along with me, I can't quite make it alone
Try to make this life my own"