Book Review - Hopper's Destiny
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| Cover image courtesy of Barnes and Noble. |
Author: Lisa Fiedler
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication Date: March 17, 2015
Version I Read: Hardcover
Rating: 4.5/5
I continue to really appreciate these books, and this second outing of the Mouseheart series was even better than the first.
Hopper and his friends have succeeded in driving away the feral cats from their beloved city of Atlantia and ending the rather atrocious agreement the former emperor Titus made with the feral queen Felina. It all sounds like a happy ending, except everything has gone wrong. The city is in ruins, attacked by feral cats at every turn, and food is scarce. What's worse, Hopper's sister Pinke has become the new leader of the Mus, and refuses to offer her resources to anyone else. Only Hopper's most steadfast friends are supporting him anymore. And what is going on with Pup?
I've only seen one other book that so thoroughly broke down its main character at the beginning, and that is Tad Williams' The War of the Flowers, which is decidedly less kid-friendly fare than Hopper's Destiny. That being said, the fact that everything goes so horribly wrong for Hopper and co. really makes the reader believe why Hopper would want to run away and never come back, Lion King style. This gives his inner struggle once he goes to the surface a lot more weight than would be usual.
The themes dealt with in this book are heavy and, in my opinion, quite well-handled. Titus' actions and repentance are given a lot more meaning when his motivations are revealed. Another major theme discussed is the ways of nature, and how, yes, cats and snakes eat mice. They have to to survive. Hopper eventually comes to accept this, but refuses to allow killing for reasons other than hunger or self-defense, which I think was a good moral. The final heavy topic is the book's discussion of faith and how, like the humble cockroach of La Rocha's namesake, it is indestructible. That being said, the book goes out of its way to say that the real strength of faith isn't that some supernatural force is going to come in and make everything better. No, its true strength is to inspire you and get you to believe in yourself. Again, a great message.
Fiedler takes the characters she started with in the last book and builds on them marvelously, offering new dimensions to nearly all of them (except maybe Zucker, who is MIA for most of the book), as well as showing us some new faces, perhaps most memorably Ace the cat and the mysterious true identity of La Rocha. Fiedler's writing is also top notch here, with some incredibly beautiful passages sprinkled throughout the book. Most come from La Rocha himself, but just about every character has something meaningful to say.
The plotting is tight and the action moves along at a good pace, and pretty much everything that happens in the book is important in some way, which I always love to see.
(Though seriously, what professional exterminator uses shovels?)
Neither Karen Lofgren nor Loyalty Press has any affiliation with the author or publisher. This review constitutes Fair Use.
Short Story - The New Pet
Labels:
creative writing,
free story,
short story,
short story collection
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More news about the collection will follow, but for now, enjoy!
The New Pet
It was a sad, sad day when Brooke came home from work and found her roommate, Belle, sobbing on the couch, a pile of wadded up Kleenex decorating the coffee table in disgustingness. Belle’s dog was nowhere to be seen.
Naturally, Brooke inquired as to what happened, dropping her purse and work papers on the kitchen table before sliding in next to her friend, regarding her with an expression that could only be described as complete and utter worry.
Tearfully, Belle explained. That morning, Daisy, her Cocker Spaniel, hadn’t wanted to get up. A trip to the emergency vet had shown that the dog had pancreatic cancer, and the kindest thing had been to put her down.
What followed were the saddest weeks in both of their lives. Belle had always been the kind of person who loved animals more than people, and losing her first and so far only pet had been a blow that sent her spiraling into a depression she had only just gotten out of after a rough senior year in college. The fact that Daisy had been the perfect dog for her; quiet, sweet, and always wanting attention, did nothing to help. Nor did the fact that her mother had hated dogs, meaning her first opportunity to get one had been when she’d moved into an apartment of her own.
They discussed the possibility of getting another dog, because, as Brooke had oh-so-accurately put it, “You’re the kind of person who will either go out and get another one right away, or never get another dog again.” Belle, however, wasn’t yet ready for another pet, and Brooke understood that. She did her best to be by her friend’s side, but work and other commitments did limit her ability to help, something she was ashamed of. But as the months went by and Belle didn’t seem to get any better, Brooke started urging her to visit shelters.
“I don’t have time,” Belle would say. Or, “It won’t be Daisy!”
Brooke even went so far as to mention the possibility of grief counseling, which Belle had vehemently refused. But Brooke was near the end of her rope, for watching a loved one suffer, especially when there isn’t anything that can be done about it, hurts more than anything.
So Brooke decided to take matters into her own hands.
One morning, Brooke came back into their shared apartment, sneaking in and purposefully avoiding the spot on the wooden floor she knew squeaked in order to get inside unnoticed. It appeared Belle hadn’t yet come home from work, which was just perfect. She took the box into her room, slid a small treat inside which was lapped up by a warm tongue, and lay on her bed to get back to the book she just couldn’t put down.
Unsure how much time had passed, her heart jumped in nervousness and joy as she heard a key turn in the lock and the door open.
“I’m home,” Belle said, sounding perfectly normal. It was only late at night when she would cry, sometimes desperately desiring Brooke’s sympathy and other times craving the solitude of her room.
“Welcome back,” Brooke said, emerging from her room to see Belle putting away the leftovers of the lunch she’d evidently had with co-workers.
Unable to wait a moment longer to break the news, Brooke said, “I have something for you.”
Something in her roommate’s tone got Belle’s attention right away. “What did you do?” she said in the playfully exasperated tone she frequently used to address Brooke’s crazy antics.
Brooke slid back into her room and came out carrying a box with holes punched in the sides. “Here.”
Suspicious, Belle took the package and gave her roommate an incredulous look at the same time. Brooke was not the type of person to go around buying animals for other people without their consent. Nonetheless, she got her fingers under the cardboard and opened the box.
Inside was a small dragon with blue-violet scales.
Belle gasped in shock and joy. “Oh my gosh, he’s perfect.”
Book Review - Hidden
Labels:
book review,
dragonlands,
dragons,
epic fantasy,
fantasy,
hidden,
megg jensen
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| Cover image courtesy of Amazon |
Author: Megg Jensen
Publisher: 80 Pages, Inc
Publication Date: January 11, 2014
Version I Read: Kindle
Rating: 3.25/5
I’ve had only one other book in recent memory that conflicted me this much. Hidden is so interesting, because there’s so much it does really, really right, and just as much it does really, really wrong.
What it does really, really right:
The originality. The idea of a village surrounded by fog and cut off from the outside world makes this book stand out as completely unique within its genre. The reason why this village was selected for its fate made it even better.
The plot. The plot is genuinely interesting and cohesive throughout the story, especially in the latter half. It kept me guessing the whole way through, and I loved all the twists and turns.
The village itself. The society in the village feels absolutely real as a consequence of being cut off from the outside world. The selection of mates, the lack of horses, everything.
Most of the characters. With the exceptions below, most of the characters were just fine and even likable, particularly Leo and Jarrett. I even liked the forbidden love between Tressa and Bastian (cheating under their circumstances apparently doesn’t bother me as it seems to bother other people).
What is does really, really wrong:
Flat characters. Most of the characters are okay, but Vinya (seriously, what is her reason for treating her husband the way she does?) and Stacia in particular stood out as being absolutely horrible people for no real reason. Literally the only good thing about Stacia is that she’s a woman Big Bad, which makes her stand out a little. Having a weapon hidden in her hair was interesting… except for the fact that her braid was her main weapon, so it kind of entered the realm of implausibility. My biggest problem was with Henry, however, for how unbelievably poorly he was handled. His character does a 180 personality-wise for no adequately explained reason before being killed off in one of the most unceremonious and insulting ways possible for a character who was built up to be a major player in the story.
The excessive sex. I don’t mind sex in books. Hell, I like sex in books! But here the inclusion of so much of it felt juvenile, as if the author was only putting it in to make the story more “adult.” It really doesn’t work, make the story “darker,” or even more “realistic,” because people just don’t act or think that way.
A major plot hole. Who or what on earth were Tressa’s “father” and Bastian’s “mother” that our heroes encounter after leaving the fog? Maybe I missed something, but they were a major plot thread that was completely left hanging. I’m guessing they’re some kind of creatures that perhaps killed the real people and took over their bodies or something, but I suppose they could truly be who they say they are. Perhaps this will be explained in a later novel, I don’t know.
Also, their first encounter with Stacia was oddly handled, as it is poorly paced, it is far too much of a coincidence that she’s right there with her guard the moment our main characters come out of the fog, and the sacrifice of Connor made no sense because it was never really explained why (and if it was just to shag him, that qualifies as a pretty ridiculous reason).
The Verdict: For a freebie on Kindle, check it out for the good stuff, but don’t be too surprised if you’re turned off by the bad stuff.
Neither Karen Lofgren nor Loyalty Press has any affiliation with the author or publisher. This review constitutes Fair Use.
The Highest Hope - Chapter 2
Labels:
fantasy,
fiction,
serialized novel,
southern gothic,
the highest hope
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Enjoy it here!
Please note I've decided to leave the posting to FictionPress instead of my blog because it's just too much of a pain to format.
Book Review - Ink
Labels:
amanda sun,
book review,
fantasy,
ink,
paper gods,
paranormal romance,
romance,
the paper gods trilogy,
urban fantasy,
young adult
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| Cover art courtesy of Barnes and Noble |
Author: Amanda Sun
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: June 25, 2013
Version I Read: Kindle
Rating: 3/5
I’ve been trying to get away from YA paranormal romance as of late, because it’s all just so boring and not very well written. Ink is only a partial exception to that, but I found myself picking it up anyway because the premise and setting intrigued me.
Ink follows the story of Katie Greene, an American teen having to go live with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, upon the death of her mother. Grieving for her mother, feeling like an outsider in a completely different culture halfway across the world, all she can think about is going to live with her grandparents in Canada instead. But when she meets mysterious Tomohiro and strange things begin happening around her involving ink, Katie realizes there’s more to Tomohiro than the rumors suggest.
For the most part, Ink is pretty typical for its genre. Mysterious boy in high school who turns out to be some kind of supernatural being, tries to push the girl away for her own protection, girl is “special” for some reason, boy loses girl for some dumbish reason, no real plot to speak of, yadda yadda yadda.
That being said, there are a few things that set Ink apart from the crowd:
The culture. Amanda Sun has clearly been to Japan, because I have too and I can vouch for nearly everything being precisely true. The accuracy of it truly makes the Japan of the book come alive, so kudos to the author on that front. The one odd exception to this is the Kami themselves, who don’t resemble mythological Japanese kami at all. That being said, her take on them is interesting.
The dialogue. The banter between Katie and Tomohiro feels real and makes them feel more like real people than typical protagonists in a paranormal YA novel. Fortunately, Tomohiro also escapes the “abusive boyfriend” problem that tends to crop up in YA because all of his “bad boy” attributes turn out to be complete accidents or lies, and, aside from his powers, he turns out to be a rather normal Japanese teenager.
The true natures of Ishikawa and Takahashi were also pretty well-done, with Ishikawa turning out not to be so bad a guy (adequately foreshadowed) and Jun being kind of a megalomaniac wanting to take over the world (not so adequately foreshadowed, but it worked because it was an interesting twist). Yuki and Tanaka don’t have much personality, but they do feel like normal high school students. I was interested in Shiori and wanted to learn more about her.
At first I rolled my eyes at the ending (Katie’s grandparents being able to take her in and Tomohiro encouraging her to leave so she won’t be hurt because of his power) but it was not too badly done because of the last few paragraphs, where Katie says screw it and doesn’t go. I also consider Katie herself to be a rather strong heroine, as she knows kendo and uses it when they’re captured by yakuza. Even without using her physical strength, she manages to be an imposing figure, not afraid to speak her mind or challenge others.
The Verdict: Not perfect by any means, especially compared to my sensibilities and standards, but if you’re still on the prowl for Twilight clones, you could do a lot worse than this one.
Neither Karen Lofgren nor Loyalty Press has any affiliation with the author or publisher. This review constitutes Fair Use.
Book Review - Talon
Labels:
book review,
dragons,
julie kagawa,
talon,
talon saga,
young adult
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| Cover art courtesy of Barnes and Noble. |
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: October 28, 2014
Version I Read: Audiobook
Rating: 4.5/5
I’ve always had a lot of respect for Julie Kagawa, ever since I first picked up The Iron King. She has always managed to do the whole typical “teen paranormal romance” while, you know, actually having an interesting plot. Since her publishing contract appears to be with Harlequin Teen, that alone is pretty impressive.
Because I really, really don’t like vampires and post-apocalyptic stories, however, I ultimately chose to take a pass on Blood of Eden. But when I heard she had a new series coming out about dragons, I was more than ready to give it a shot, and I was not disappointed.
Talon follows siblings Ember and Dante Hill, who are nearing the end of their training in the global dragon organization called Talon. They are dragons, who can shift into human form, and after years of lessons are now living amongst the human population for a summer as something of a final test. Once they complete integration, they will be assigned their positions in the organization. Ember, while happy to be experiencing something resembling freedom, has a rebellious streak that begins to blossom into full mutiny when she meets a rogue dragon, Cobalt, who tells her of Talon’s true nature. Meanwhile, the Order of St. George, a militant organization dedicated to killing all dragons, has gotten reports of a dragon imposter in the town Ember and Dante are living in, and they are going to send their best operatives to find the “sleeper” and kill it. But their “perfect soldier,” Garret, may get way more than he bargained for.
I listened to the audiobook, which is something I’ve tried to do more of as of late. (I can read more books that way!) I’m not as familiar with the medium as I am plain old books, but I thought the performances were pretty darn good. (And Chris Patton is a dragon! Awesome!)
Here there be spoilers!
The characters are pretty good, maybe not the most original, but likable and good nonetheless. I especially like how Ember actually is a badass who, for the most part, doesn’t need to be rescued. So often in YA paranormal romance, a spunky heroine turns into useless so the guy can save her. Not Ember. She does get help every now and again, but she kicks ass all the way. Dante keeps the reader guessing as to his true feelings and allegiance, before the ending, which is pretty heartbreaking for the reader as well as Ember. It’s interesting to see Garret’s inner thoughts and how both he and Ember begin the story as pretty convinced their side is right before changing their opinions throughout the story (while expected, I think it’s done well). Garret’s inner whining about how he can’t be with Ember even though she captivates him can get a little irritating at times, but nothing too serious. And Riley/Cobalt is a rebel with an attitude, trying to save young dragons from the organization. It’s hard not to like him, and Wes, the snarky hacker, for that matter. Even the human girls Ember hangs out with feel like people, and not just stereotypical blonde bimbos.
The plot really kicks into high gear near the end, with Ember and Garret discovering each other’s secrets and choosing to spare each other’s lives, Ember deciding to flee with Cobalt, and Dante choosing to remain with the organization rather than follow his sister. This sets up readers nicely for the next novel, with Garret captured and about to be executed by St. George for collaborating with a dragon, and Dante and Talon’s search for Ember. I came to realize just how much I liked these characters and cared about what was going to happen to them.
The biggest plot hole in this book (I even went back to the first chapter and listened to the first half of it again to make sure I wasn’t missing an explanation) is the human involvement with Talon. It’s never adequately explained in Talon, and in Rogue, it appears Kagawa might be handwaving it, which is a bit of a disappointment. I can understand if the humans they have working for them are being bought out, and that many of them don’t know the true nature of the organization, but given what I know about humanity, I have a hard time believing Talon could get too many humans (short of ones being raised by Talon, I guess) to think of themselves as a “lesser” species (we're not known for being humble). For that matter, I think she needs to go into more detail about how Talon operates in general, but she has more books for that, so I'll give it a pass for now. I also think the choice of having Ember discover and love surfing was a little “Californian surfer dude/dudette” cliche, but not too obnoxious.
The other thing I’m hoping Kagawa addresses in later books is Cobalt’s network of escaped hatchlings, its mechanics, and his plan for it. So far, it’s pretty clear that he and Wes are running this operation single-handedly, which I think is a tiny bit farfetched, mostly because a juvenile can’t be the only rogue dragon out there attempting to screw over Talon. I really hope we get to see more rogue dragons.
The Verdict: I’d say Talon gets off to a slower start than most, but I’m glad I stuck around, because the story seems to get more interesting the deeper you get into it.
Neither Karen Lofgren nor Loyalty Press has any affiliation with the author or publisher. This review constitutes Fair Use.
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