Twisted by Bonnie M. Hennessy

Bonnie Hennessy cracks open the fairy tale of Rumpelstiltskin beautifully.  The characters are complex and add to the heartfelt drama that comes from a powerful curse.  We see the sins of the mothers are passed down with as much fervor as those of the father.  When first readers meet Aoife, a strong headed young woman, she is collecting her besotted father from the local brothel.   When the newly returned Duke shows an interest in this legendary woman who can “spin straw into gold” (by here amazing farming, bookkeeping and sales skills), Aoife’s life becomes complicated quickly.  Give this title to readers of Alex Flinn and Sarah Cross.

The Bronze Key (Magisterium book 3) by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

I am enjoying this story, because although there are some familiar tropes; dynamic between three friends (2 male and 1 female), malicious outsider who turns out to be helpful (although not friendly even by book 3), our main character being the incarnation of the past evil mage as well as the only survivor of that group (there must have been others hiding in different parts of the world otherwise there wouldn’t be anyone else in the school…).  It is breaking out of some expectations.  The characters are likeable and relatable.

I’m not sure how many books these authors are aiming to create, but I’m not committed to finishing the series.  I would hand these to junior readers who are interested in Harry Potter but are intimidated by the girth of the books.

And I Darken by Kiersten White

The female protagonist of this story is bold, fearless and hard to love.  She is easy to respect and has  great integrity as well as fierce loyalty.  Lada creates her own standard for what it is to be a woman.  She first allies herself with her father and other men, however she grows to find other women with strength, power and a will of their own even as they outwardly fit the customs of female fashion.

My favorite thing about this book is that Lada, even in love, commands respect and makes her own choices.  I will look forward to the next instalment of this series.

The Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Favorite quotes:

“When Kaz had brought her to the Slat, he’d warned her that he wouldn’t be able to watch out for her, that she’d have to fend for herself, and she had. It would have been easy enough to turn away when they called her names or sidled up to ask for a cuddle, but do that and soon it was a hand up your blouse or a try at you against a wall. So she’d let no insult or innuendo slide. She’d always struck first and struck hard. Sometimes she even cut them up a bit. It was fatiguing, but nothing was sacred to the Kerch except trade, so she’d gone out of her way to make the risk much higher that the reward when it came to disrespecting her.” (p. 61)

“‘Your conscience is interfering with your memory.'” (p. 178)

“He’d helped her build a legend to wear as armor, something bigger and more frightening that the girl she’d been” (p. 189)

“It had started with a storm, and in a way, that storm had never ended. Nina had blown into his life with the wind and the rain and set his world spinning. He’d been off balance ever since.” (p. 224)

“It’s not natural for someone to be as stupid as he is tall, and yet there you stand.” (p.229)
“She poked him in the chest.
‘ Stop that.’
‘No. I’m beguiling you.’
‘Quit it.’
…
‘It’s working! The beguiling has begun….'” (p. 240)

“The guards always thought they could rely on someone else to catch a mistake or fix a problem..Laziness wasn’t as reliable as greed, but it still made a fine lever.” (p. 280)

“You love trickery.”
“I love puzzles. Trickery is just my native tongue.” (p. 347)

Down hill from here: summer reading

Summer reading consumes much time, energy, thought, planning, budget, effort that for a public youth librarian, seeing school supplies being stocked in the market is a harbinger for relief.  We have about four weeks of summer events left.

We have done some amazing things this summer so far:

Lord of the Rings Live Action Role Play

In this teen event, our adventures played through an original game set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s world of Middle Earth.  The quest required them to work together in order to defeat the Necromancer and his minions that attacked Minas Tirith and intended to use the port city to drag Gondor and all of Middle Earth into a shadow realm.  Teens answered riddles, faced the challenge of the unknown and stretch their physical abilities to complete the quest.

 

Ravenclaw battled Slytherin for the Muggle Quidditch challenge.  Slytherin won the game, although Ravenclaw did put up a good fight.

Mad Science educator, Cretaceous Cara, at the Berthoud Community Center.

Pepper painting faces at our Summer Reading Kickoff Party!

Forget Tomorrow by Pintip Dunn

Let me start by saying, this is birthday season in my family, which would explain the metaphor I’m going to use for this book.

Forget Tomorrow is like a lovely, rich chocolate cake that is drowning in an awful, paraffin infused, sticky sweet frosting.  The storyline is intriguing and the world view is tantalizing in its hinted at origins!  This is the cake, the bit that deserved more attention, time and care.  I wish it hadn’t collapsed under the weight of the sticky sweet romance that continually lumbered in trying to make the product look pretty and palatable while all the time ruining the best parts.

Dealing with time and time travel is challenging for the best writers, but when our protagonist is being sidetracked by water glistening in the hair of her love interest, it becomes difficult for readers to A) follow the adventure and B) care about the characters or even see them in more than two dimensions.  I am hopeful that this author will continue to write and grow.

Normally, if I don’t care for a book, I won’t finish it, nor will I blog about it.  However, this book, for all the issues I have with it, did offer enough good ideas that I wanted to include it in my blog and would recommend it to teens who enjoy romance with a little sci-fi thrown in.  With the caveat that I don’t personally promote people as possessions in romance and this book does,

Our protagonist awakes to find herself curled up with her male rescuer…”And his arm-it holds me close, traps me possessively, like I belong to him and him alone.” (p.142)

There are some gems worth digging for,

“The voice is young, so she must’ve been a newbie herself not too long ago. But her tone is heavy, weighed with the kind of complexity you get only with experience.” (p. 77)

“I think suddenly of the tree that grows in the middle of our school lobby. Students cover the bark with their initials and drawings-the only place in school where graffiti is tolerated. The only place it’s even possible. Everything else is metal and plastic.
Living things, it seems, are easier to disfigure.” (p.84)

*My son’s feeling was that he would’ve preferred to know more about the character who cut her arm to keep track of time and followed her story than the chosen protagonist.

The Steep and Thorny Way by Cat Winters

Cat Winters reimagines Hamlet in a totally different way.  Our main character, Hanalee, has recently lost her father.  Almost a year ago he died, the court said it was due to the injuries he sustained from being struck by the car of Joe Adder, the preacher’s son, while intoxicated.  Now Joe is being released for good behavior.  Some think Hanalee should stay away from Joe Adder, but she is bent on vengeance and plans on making him pay for what he did.

Set in the 1920’s in Oregon, Cat Winter’s takes on some tough topics, like the Klu Klux Klan, homosexuality, and eugenics.  She masterfully weaves history, Hamlet, and fiction into an exciting read (plus, I love to geek out over all the Shakespeare references).

Hanalee and Joe take readers on a wild ride full of intrigue, mistrust, and violence to rival the Danish play.

This book is for older teens and emerging adults (especially Shakespeare lovers).  Parents be advised of the above topics covered as well as some cursing.

The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry

Author, Julie Berry, brings to life a story from a very dark time in history.  Protagonist Dolssa de Stigata is a young woman living in the 13th Century.  Dolssa is educated and pious, from a wealthy family.  Unfortunately, the Middle Ages were marked by paranoia, persecution, and hypocrisy, therefore, many women who dared to preach (like Dolssa) were stripped of their wealth and executed.

Dolssa’s story brings the tragedy of the inquisition into sharp focus through character’s around her as well as through her own voice.  The author brings some empathy even to the persecutors as the story unfolds for them as well.

Love, friendship, religion and piety are all examined throughout this story.  This would make a wonderful book club book for discussion or to teach in a high school history class.

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

Alwyn Hamilton brings myth to life and gives an Eastern flavor to a teen trope in Rebel of the Sands.  The tale’s protagonist, Amani, feels trapped in the tiny desert town of Dustwalk.  Under the roof of her uncle, she is destined to be married against her will.  Amani knows she was meant for greater things.  She has one talent that may be able to get her out; she is a crack shot with any firearm.  Unfortunately, girls are not allowed to compete in the gunslinger’s competition.  She must rely on stealth and subterfuge to enter the contest.  When she meets Jin, a stranger who is almost as good a shot as Amani herself, she is led down a path to discovering a secret that she’s kept from herself.  This is a fine launch into an adventure series with a sweet romance.

Blood Stain by Linda Sejic

The beginning of this story has me intrigued.  Elliot is an educated girl.  She holds a chemistry degree, what she can’t hold is a job.  Money is tight, in the wake of an unspecified hospital stay for her mother, Elliot and her sister, Clara (not to mention Elliot’s brother-in-law and new nephew) are going to have to cut some serious corners.  Big corners for a gaming girl like Elliot, like internet access.  No internet service is the straw that breaks the camel’s back and pushes Elliot to work for the creepy doctor in what appears to be a haunted mansion.  Elliot wants to run, but she can’t go home, she needs this job too much.  I am curious to see how the cast of characters interacts in the next instalment.

*Review copy provided by Image comics*