Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts

Book Review - Vicious

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Labels: , , , , , , , · Posted by Anonymous at
Cover art courtesy of Barnes and Noble
Title: Vicious
Author: V.E. Schwab
Publisher: Tor
Publication Date: January 20, 2015
Version I Read: Paperback

Rating: 5/5

Wow. All I can say is wow. When you read the summary of a book and think “There is no way in hell I’m going to like it,” yet you have this almost morbid desire to buy and read it anyway, and then it turns out to be one of the best books you’ve read in years, that’s saying something.

Victor Vale has just broken out of jail, which he was in for murder, in order to kill someone else. Seems like a great guy, huh? The reality is a lot more complicated than that. While in college, Victor and his then-best friend, Eli, became intrigued by the possibility of creating an ExtraOrdinary (or EO), a human being with supernatural powers. Ultimately, they succeeded, Eli becoming gifted with regenerative abilities, and Victor having the ability to turn off (and on) his and others’ pain. But things quickly turn sour between the two friends, setting off a plot that many consider The Count of Monte Cristo meets superheroes.

There have been more and more deconstructions of the superhero genre in recent years (Watchmen probably being the most famous and influential), but this one certainly stands on its own and I think it’s worth a read to just about everyone, even those who aren’t normally into speculative fiction. If you are into speculative fiction, buy this book and read it. Now.

Spoiler alert.

I loved every single character. And I mean loved. They are all so believable and textured, and human. Even Eli, as messed up as he is, (he was abused by his father, always sympathy points from me) is incredibly nuanced. Serena is very interesting and trying to decipher her motivations was something I had a lot of fun with while reading. I especially love her twisted relationship with Eli, and how, in a lot of ways, she really is the one in the driver’s seat. And yet her humanity still shows through, as shown when she lets Sydney go the second time, and for a very interesting reason: that Sydney seems to have become more alive and defiant after death. And Mitch. I friggin’ love Mitch. I think he’s probably my favorite character.

For being advertised as a really dark story (with “bad against worse,” as the opening quotation says), I don’t think it is. The worst thing Victor does is torture and kill Dale, and while that would normally be enough for me to hate a character, I can understand why he did what he did under the circumstances. It’s also entirely possible that the loss of empathy is something physiological that’s happened to the brains of the EOs, which means they literally cannot function the way normal humans can, which, to me, anyway, only makes them more sympathetic. And in spite of that hardship of being human anymore, all of them show signs of empathy at multiple points during the story. Victor, despite what he seems to think, clearly cares about Sydney and her feelings. And Sydney and Serena care very deeply, about each other, the respective missions, and in Sydney’s case, the dog Dol. Eli may have little empathy for his victims, but his motivations clearly stem from the way he was raised, and in spite of the horrible things he does, it’s hard not to feel sorry for him.

The powers the EOs themselves are appropriately muted and, dare I say, realistic. Of our main characters, Victor has control over pain, his own and others, Eli can regenerate endlessly, to the point where he might not even be able to die, Sydney can revive the dead, and Serena can essentially mind control others. Victor and Eli discover that EOs can be born under the right circumstances, and all of them have had near death experiences, which is also quite unique.

The non-chronological narration was an interesting choice that worked with the almost noir feel of the story, and I didn’t think it was particularly hard to follow. Sometimes this can be a problem in books, as in more visual media like comic books or film, you can show visually how different a scene in the past (or the future) is from one happening now. This is obviously more difficult with books, and I did find myself going back and checking chapter headings every now and again, but for the most part I think it worked just fine with the narration.

Eli’s end was quite fitting, and while I was reading the climax, at first I thought things kind of ended up that way, but thinking more about it, it was probably Victor’s plan all along. Which went exceedingly well, might I add, because now that he’s officially dead, no one will be looking for him. It is, dare I say, a very happy ending, and a very satisfying one.

There are some unanswered questions, which I think work to the story’s advantage. What exactly is that thing EOs lose? What will happen to Eli? What happened to Mitch? Is he going to stay with Victor? What about Sydney, for that matter? And Victor himself—what’s he going to do with his goal accomplished? We get nearly no hints of this, but, again, it works.

Verdict: Between the phenomenally unique take on superheroes, the nuanced, believable characters, and the fast-paced, intelligent plot that leads to an amazing conclusion, you do not want to miss this book. 

Neither Karen Lofgren nor Loyalty Press has any affiliation with the author or publisher. This review constitutes Fair Use. 

Book Review - Shadow and Bone

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Labels: , , , , , · Posted by Anonymous at
Cover art courtesy of Barnes and Noble
Title: Shadow and Bone
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Square Fish
Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Version I Read: Paperback

Rating: 3.75/5

Shadow and Bone was one of those books I picked up on a whim while I was in a YA mood, and I found it to be much better than many of its brethren.

Shadow and Bone, the first novel in the Grisha trilogy, tells the story of Alina Starkov, a teenage girl who grew up an orphan. With her through it all was another orphan named Mal, whom she has always loved but never had the courage to tell. They live in the country of Ravka, which has been cut in two and devastated by a strange dark wasteland where monsters dwell, created by a rogue Grisha (magic user) hundreds of years ago. On a trip through the Fold, the convoy is attacked, and Alina discovers powers she never knew she had that change her life forever.

Here there be spoilers.

One aspect that I really liked about this novel is Alina’s relationship with her power. I know that sounds kind of odd, but because of her background as an orphan, she has spent her whole life feeling like nothing belonged to her. So when she discovers that she has this great power inside her, she rejoices because it is hers and hers alone. This makes the Darkling’s betrayal and attempt to control the one thing that is hers hurt all the more. It’s also interesting that she subconsciously suppressed it for so long so she could remain with Mal and not have to become Grisha. While we’ve seen characters hide who they truly are for the sake of fitting in before learning it’s better to be true to yourself many, many times in fiction, I think that theme felt right at home here.

I like the characters, too. Alina, while not the most unusual YA protagonist (first person, spunky heroine with special magical powers in love with a childhood friend), manages to be a relatable, sympathetic character audiences can root for. Mal seems to have some more layers to him, even though we only really get to see that in the last third of the book or so. The Darkling steals the show in how seductive he is, and when the book teetered on the edge of making him a flat-out megalomaniac trying to take over the world, I cringed a little, because this character is so much more than that. I hope future installments make him more gray/ambiguous and less pure black, because that is one of the best aspects of his character.

The biggest flaw of the book is that the sections where Alina is in the Little Palace drag, but fortunately the book picks up again by the end. I also feel Alina’s about-face of opinion in regards to the Darkling based only on what Baghra says happened a bit too quickly. I could also have used a bit more depth to this world, as I feel the worldbuilding was a bit simplistic. (In the book's defense, however, the focus is more on Alina's relationship with the Darkling. And I always appreciate more unusual settings in fiction, and a world inspired by Imperial Russia certainly fits the bill.) Actually, if anything, this book could have been longer, with more character development and more worldbuilding. The magic system was also relatively weak as not much time was given to explaining it or how it worked.

Verdict: Shadow and Bone is a good YA fantasy novel with a good focus on the psychological connection between the protagonist and the antagonist. Weak world building and magic system.

Neither Karen Lofgren nor Loyalty Press has any affiliation with the author or publisher. This review constitutes Fair Use.

Book Review - Sunwing

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Labels: , , , , , , · Posted by Anonymous at
Title: Sunwing
Author: Kenneth Oppel
Publisher: Aladdin Paperback
Publication Date: July 10, 2001
Version I Read: Paperback

Rating: 4.5/5

I first picked up Kenneth Oppel’s Silverwing on a whim many years ago when I was a wee lass. I remember loving it and its sequel, Sunwing (as I always have and still do love books about animals), and so I decided to dig out my old copy (as I’ve been doing with a lot of other books I loved as a kid to see if the held up) and reread it. Side note: I read Firewing as well and thought it was a huge step down from the other two, and I never read Darkwing.

Anyway, let’s talk about Sunwing, because, even more than Firewing, this book serves as the penultimate installment in the series. And I certainly feel as though it delivers.

Picking up where Silverwing left off, Shade and Marina have completed their journey to Hibernaculum to find Shade’s family. However, there are a lot of unsolved mysteries that some of the more adventurous bats in the colony, such as Shade’s mother Ariel and colony elder Frieda, want to solve. Specifically, the mystery of the metal bands that humans have been affixing to bats, and the whereabouts of Shade’s missing father. So a group sets out from the safety of the roost to seek answers. Meanwhile, an old enemy is lurking, waiting for his opportunity to take revenge.

The interesting dynamic the bats have with the humans is a bit different than in similar books I’ve seen. I usually don’t see humans or their technology used in the mythology of non-human species, so the fact that the bats struggle with their faith in humans as the truth comes to light is quite unique.

I love the semi-historical setting. I didn’t know about Project X-Ray until reading these books, and reading up on the actual history made me want to facepalm because whose bright idea was it to use bats to carry bombs? In spite of the fact that the setting is supposed to be World War II, the US seems to be at war with countries in South and Central America, not Europe and Asia. It kind of makes me wonder exactly what is going on on the human side of this story.

For the most part, the characters that populate this world are dynamic. Chinook in particular develops from just another bully to a rounded character who grows to respect Shade. Orestes and Romulus, the owl and the rat, respectively, who choose to ally themselves with Shade and ultimately bring peace to the warring animals, are highly distinctive characters. I think Orestes might be my favorite character in the whole series. Marina, like in the first book, still feels a little underutilized, as does Cassiel because he comes in so late in the story.

I appreciate the vagueness of some aspects of the story. Not everything is spelled out, especially the aspects of the magic Goth is using and the presence of the two deities, Nocturna and Zotz. (Interesting fact: Camazotz was a real Mayan vampire bat God.) It’s fun to fill in the gaps for yourself, based on the clues Oppel provides.

Verdict: I think Sunwing is actually an improvement on Silverwing for its fast-paced, interesting plot and deeply fascinating world and mythos.

Neither Karen Lofgren nor Loyalty Press has any affiliation with the author or publisher. This review constitutes Fair Use. 

Book Review - Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy

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Labels: , , , , · Posted by Anonymous at
Title: Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy
Author: Tui T. Sutherland
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: July 1, 2012
Version I Read: Paperback

Rating: 4/5

It's been so long since I've read children's books, because, you know, I'm not a kid anymore. For the most part, I find children's literature to be a little simplistic for my tastes, and it's not the genre I predominantly write in. But come on. This one's about dragons. I had to give it a shot.

And I wasn't disappointed. Sure, it's a children's book, but like the Warriors series, there are a lot of non-child friendly elements to the story, the characters are fun and have potential to grow, and the world and society that have been set up are complex and genuinely interesting.

In the land of Pyrrhia, seven tribes of dragons of different species with unique characteristics live. After Scavengers (humans) killed the Queen of the Sandwings and stole her treasure, her three daughters began vying for the throne. Each daughter reached out for allies and drew other dragon tribes into the dispute, which led to a massive war that has lasted twelve years. However, there is hope: a prophecy that states five dragonets of destiny will arrive to end the fighting.

Thus begins the tale of these five dragonets of destiny, who were taken by the Talons of Peace, an underground peace movement whose goal is to end the war, to hatch and grow up isolated from the world, protected by their "guardians." When one of their own is threatened, however, the dragonets decide they're done waiting around and choose to run away from their captivity to find their own destinies.

Spoilers ahoy.

I think the book started off kind of slow, but it did do some of the necessary things in storytelling, such as setting up the characters and the world they live in. It's kind of clever how the reader doesn't know much about the world outside the caves in the same way the dragonets do until the dragonets begin to experience it themselves. The plot really shifts into gear when the newly freed dragonets are captured by Queen Scarlet of the SkyWings.

The first book is narrated by Clay, the gentle MudWing. Like the others, he desperately wants to know where he came from and who his parents were, and dreams of a happy reunion with them. He likes food and dislikes violence, and isn't so sure about his adequacy for the prophecy. We do get basic framework for the other four main characters, who each get to narrate the sequels: Tsunami, a bold and brave SeaWing; Sunny, an eternally happy but odd-looking SandWing; Glory, a sarcastic and snippy RainWing who was kidnapped to replace the SkyWing that was supposed to be in the prophecy but killed; and Starflight, an intelligent but cowardly NightWing.

The different species of dragons are nothing short of original. Sure, you have your SkyWings, who most closely resemble traditional European dragons. But then you have MudWings and RainWings, the likes of which I've certainly never seen before in fiction. Even the SeaWings (we've all seen water dragons before) have characteristics such as their luminescent scales that I haven't seen before. It's a joy to learn about and experience these tribes, their allegiances, and what makes them different as well as the same.

One thing that stood out immediately to me about the series is how feminist it is. In fact, it actually goes the other way and ends up as kind of sexist against men, since male dragons are generally seen as less important than female dragons in that they cannot be rulers of their respective tribes. On top of that, of the five main characters, there are two males to three females. Usually in books, when there are five main characters, the ratio is basically the opposite. I do appreciate the number of female characters, but I do wonder why none of the main characters wonder why males can't rule, because clearly, they're just as capable.

Back to the plot of the book. The gladiatorial matches Queen Scarlet holds for "fun" are genuinely horrifying and not much is glossed over - some pretty intense stuff for the first book in a children's series. I certainly feel sorry for Fjord, the nameless SeaWing Tsunami ends up killing, and Peril, though Peril is a complicated character whom you simultaneously feel sorry for and yet have a hard time forgiving. Fjord's death is the single reason Glory is not my favorite character (she is shown to be conflicted about it later, however), leaving that honor for Starflight.

Anyway, I went out and bought the next three in the series in paperback and am awaiting the fifth and the second series' release in paperback. So if that's not a ringing endorsement, I don't know what is.

Why four stars? This first book can be slow or unevenly paced in places, especially the beginning, and the writing can be a bit simplistic. But overall, these aren't huge problems once the plot kicks in.

Verdict: An enjoyable beginning to an enjoyable new children's series. I highly recommend.

Neither Karen Lofgren nor Loyalty Press has any affiliation with the author or publisher. This review constitutes Fair Use. 

Wolf Children

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Labels: , , , , , · Posted by Anonymous at
I finally got around to seeing Mamoru Hosoda's Wolf Children last week, and I'd really like to talk about it.

First off, can I just say that it's an absolutely beautiful movie. The animation is top notch and Hosoda creates an atmosphere as only a master can. I love all the character designs too, especially the wolves.

Can I also say that Hana takes home the award for one of the most badass anime characters ever? I think the only fictional mother figure that can compete with her is Mrs. Frisby. The lengths she goes through for her children are nothing short of amazing.

I liked the kids, too. Yuki is adorably spunky and fun and her brother Ame is adorably shy. Along with Hana, they are the stars of the movie and they are appropriately textured characters as main characters should be. I think Hosoda succeeded in his goal of making watching the movie like watching these children grow up.

Now, that's not to say it's a perfect movie. In fact, I actually had several problems with it, and while I enjoyed it (I don't get this engrossed in a movie often) I'm still not sure I'm going to invest in the DVD. So let's dive in!

I've heard criticism leveled at the fact that there's not enough explanation of the wolf-people, but I was actually okay with that because the movie is essentially a fairy tale that is mired in reality, and fairy tales don't really require explanations. Hana may have these strange circumstances surrounding her situation, but the reality of raising her children is shown with painstaking detail in the film, something I wholeheartedly admire.

There are two big problems with this movie, however, that prevent me from saying it is as good as the director's previous outing, Summer Wars. The first being the focus, which seems to change throughout the film. It goes from focusing on Hana and her love story, then to raising her children, then takes a quick detour to "how to survive in the country", before ultimately settling on the story of the children needing to choose their own paths in life. For the most part, I think it works, but it also makes the movie feel a little disjointed. There are also characters who are important to the story yet kind of drift in when they're needed and vanish when they aren't. The old man who teaches Hana how to farm is the most egregious example, but the wolf at the sanctuary and the fox that guards the mountain also don't get much development at all. Sohei didn't get much to do in spite of playing a huge part in Yuki's development. In short, I think the movie tries to tell more stories than it can handle at times.

The other issue I take is the manner in which Yuki and Ame each choose their paths in life. Perhaps this is because I was raised in America's culture and while I think there is some value in conformity, it certainly should not be to the exclusion of yourself as a person. If you are of the interpretation that the children's decisions are the result of them maturing and choosing their paths in life based off of who they are, then it's fine. But I think it comes off more as the kids feeling forced into their decisions (given how the girls react to Yuki initially and the bullying we see Ame endure). Yuki essentially ends up suppressing who she is in order to fit in and Ame runs away. In other words, the two kids end up choosing their paths in life not necessarily because it's what they want, but because they were never really given the other option.

I also find it hard to believe there's not some middle ground. Why choose one side at the expense of the other? At the very least, they should have had more time to make their decisions, as, let's face it, wolf kids or not, adolescents rarely make the best long-term decisions in regards to their lives.

So those are my thoughts. A good movie, to be sure, but I've seen Hosoda do better.
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