Team Human by Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan

I thought Team Human by Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan might be just a spoof of Twilight and other swoony vampire books -- but I was impressed to find that it is more than that.

Mel is firmly on Team Human. Sure, she lives in New Whitby, a town renowned for being vampire-friendly, but Mel has no desire to meet vampires, hang out with vampires, or (especially) become a vampire. She'd rather die. On the other hand, her best friend Cathy has always been fascinated by vampires. When a hot vampire guy enrolls in Mel and Cathy's high school, Mel fears the worst. Cathy is smitten with the newcomer, and he seems to return her interest. Mel is determined to save Cathy from a fate worse than death, whether Cathy wants to be saved or not. Mel is also investigating the mysterious disappearance of another friend's father, so she has a lot on her plate. Life gets even more complicated when she meets Kit, a human raised by vampires. Between Kit and Cathy, Mel is starting to rethink her position on vampires -- perhaps they're not all completely evil -- but she's still not about to let her best friend make the worst mistake a human can possibly make!

First of all, this book does bring the funny. There's the obvious question of why a centuries-old vampire would want to attend high school, and plenty of humor surrounding Kit's quirky adopted family. What really impressed me, though, was Mel's character development, and the way she comes to grip, over the course of the novel, with her own prejudices. It's handled lightly, of course, and that's all for the best -- the book would have been ruined if it came over all message-y. So, kudos to the authors for both writing something that gently mocks vampire romance, but is also worth reading in its own right.

(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library system.)

The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis

The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis is not my very favorite of the Narnia books, but it always ranks in the top three. Unlike other Narnia books, this book does not feature characters traveling from our world to Narnia, but is set in Narnia throughout. Shasta, a young slave boy in a seaside town in Calormen, escapes being sold to a cruel master by running away with that very man's prize warhorse -- a Narnian Talking Horse, though the cruel master didn't know it. On their way, Shasta and the horse Bree meet up with Aravis, a high-born Calormene girl, and her own talking horse Hwin. Together, the four companions face the dangers of the city and the rigors of the desert, foil a secret plan for a Calormene invasion of Narnia, and discover the secret of Shasta's heritage.

If you've never read the Chronicles of Narnia, this is not the obvious place to start. (I always recommend starting with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.) This book actually takes place during the period of time covered in the last chapter or so of LWW, in the geographical region south of Narnia. It has plenty of adventure and humor (Bree, the proud warhorse, is often unintentionally funny), really good characters (if you're looking for a strong female lead, Aravis is probably the best the series has to offer), and a great scene between Shasta and Aslan near the end.

I've been reading the Chronicles of Narnia with my young cousin for the past two years. I hold to the original publication order, so we have finished five books now, with two still to go. We read them sporadically, whenever I come for a visit, so there are sometimes gaps of a couple months in between chapters (I try to find good stopping places, and have gotten pretty good at summarizing and recapping before starting up again). I remember listening to my dad reading the books to me when I was about my cousin's age, and I want to pass that experience along.

(Reviewed from my personally purchased copy.)

Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama is a story about mermaids, but probably not like what you're thinking. In this book, the mermaids are generally dark and vicious, even when they don't mean to be. Also, there are vengeful ghosts.

I keep trying to find a good angle from which to summarize the plot of this book, and I can't seem to do it. There are two interwoven stories, one in the present and one in the past, and of course the events in the past have a great deal of impact on the events in the present. The intricacy of the plot is a testament to the quality of the writing -- I didn't get lost or bogged down in reading it. There were a few things that were a little difficult to buy (the romance, for one -- I'm getting awfully picky about the romantic plots in books, aren't I?), and I think most readers will see certain twists coming before the main character does, but that's all part of the fun.

I realize this is a pretty vague review, but if you think complicated plots involving vicious mermaids and unquiet spirits might be your thing, this book is for you.

(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library system.)

Wise Child by Monica Furlong

Wise Child by Monica Furlong is one of those books that I am amazed not to have discovered earlier. It is the sort of book that I would have relished as a teen -- I relished it now.

Wise Child finds herself on her own after the death of her grandmother. Her mother has long since left the village, and her seafaring father cannot be depended upon to provide for her well-being. The village priest asks the parishioners to take Wise Child in as an act of charity, but the whole village is surprised when Juniper, the village witch, offers to take the child in. Under Juniper's care, Wise Child learns about herb lore and healing, and real magic as well. Wise Child learns to love her unusual guardian. But when the tide of sentiment in the village turns against Juniper, will Wise Child and Juniper be able to avoid a terrible fate?

There's wonderful character development here, as well as some very nice worldbuilding. I would like to have a while to explore Juniper's house, which strikes me as a very comfortable and satisfying dwelling. Wise Child comes across as a little bit spoiled at the beginning of the book, but even so I found her sympathetic and interesting. Definitely recommended.

(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library system.)

Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin

Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin is a lovely little book which incorporates Japanese folklore and mythology with a young hero's quest.

Rendi is running away from home, but when the merchant whose cart he was hiding in discovers his presence, Rendi is stranded in the tiny village of Clear Sky. Worse, every night his sleep is disturbed by a pitiful moaning sound: the sky mourning because the moon is missing. Rendi may be the only one who has noticed that the moon is gone. Is it because he, like the moon, is not in his proper place? Through the stories shared by the villagers and visitors to Clear Sky, Rendi will go on an introspective journey that will lead him to the point where he is able to share his own story -- and, yes, to find the missing moon in an unexpected place.

This book is a companion to the Newbery Honor-winning Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, and I found it just as charming. The two books feature different protagonists, and stand alone perfectly, but they also work beautifully together.

(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library system.)

Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas has lots of great elements, including a female assassin. I really wanted to like it, but in the end, it pales in comparison with similar stories.

Celaena Sardothien was the most deadly assassin in Adarlan -- before she was captured and sent to the mines. For the past several months, simply surviving one more day has taken all of her strength. When Prince Dorian comes to her with a proposition that would take her out of the mines and allow her to eventually regain her freedom, she accepts his terms: she will compete against twenty-three other fighters to earn the position of King's Assassin. Celaena is taken back to the city, heavily guarded, and trained to compete in the challenges. Once in the city, however, Celaena finds that she faces more dangers than the ones posed by her competitors. Someone, or something, is killing fighters in gruesome ways, and Celaena's guard detail may not be enough to protect her from this mysterious threat. Moreover, both the prince and his Captain of the Guard pose another kind of danger . . . to Celaena's heart.

There's a lot of action in this book, even though the competition for the King's Assassin position gets sidelined in favor of the other storylines. The worldbuilding is also strong. On the other hand, the language is stilted at times, and the romance never hooked me. I also couldn't buy Celaena as the most famous assassin in the world; she took too many foolish risks and was bad about not watching her back. Inconsistencies in the writing compounded this problem -- for instance, Celaena makes sure that her door hinges squeal so that nobody can sneak up on her, but a few pages later, one of the Love Interests enters her suite without waking her from sleep.

Even with these issues, I might have enjoyed the story if it hadn't reminded me so strongly of another book with many similar elements, but also better writing and character development. If the description of Throne of Glass intrigues you, I'd actually recommend that you read Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder.

(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library system.)

Drama by Raina Telgemeier

Drama by Raina Telgemeier is a cute and fluffy graphic novel about the drama that goes on both onstage and off in a middle-school theatre department.

Callie loves the theatre -- she's an aspiring set designer who loves all things Broadway. Though working with a middle-school budget and limited technical capabilities, she's determined to create a top-quality set for the upcoming school musical. When she meets two talented brothers who are also theatre fanatics, it starts to look like romantic sparks will fly for Callie backstage, but what will her other friends think of Callie's new relationships?

This was a quick read (as one would expect from a graphic novel) and lots of fun. It made me nostalgic for my own days of backstage drama. My only critique was that I thought Callie and her friends had more technical skill (and more freedom with the equipment) than most middle-school theatre students would have. I could be completely wrong about that, though. I'll definitely recommend this to graphic novel fans who are growing out of the Babymouse series and looking for something else just as enjoyable.

(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library system.)

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

Evaluating The Casual Vacancy by J.K Rowling on its own merits, without mentioning certain other works by that author, is a nearly impossible task -- but I am going to attempt it.

In the village of Pagford, the town council is split into two warring factions. When council member Barry Fairbrother dies, various members of the community immediately begin scheming about who will fill his vacant seat. In the ensuing chaos, secrets are exposed, careers are launched and ruined, and relationships are forged and broken.

If I had to pick just one word to describe this story, it would be "bleak." It's a very dark book, and there's no light at the end of the tunnel. I felt like I spent the whole book mucking around in the seedy underbelly of human nature.

The characters were, I think, the real strong point of the book. They were all thrown at the reader at once, which made it a little hard to distinguish them from each other at first, but I thought it was interesting how my perception of some of them changed over the course of the story. The main instance of this was Barry Fairbrother. He's not very sympathetic there at the very beginning, but as you learn more about him, he becomes more likable. Then again, perhaps that comes of being dead -- maybe we get the idealized version of Barry from his friends' memories.

I found that I liked the storylines featuring the teens better than the ones with the adults -- perhaps because I read too much YA literature? Sukhvinder was probably my favorite character in this book.

On a purely technical level, I found that the perspective shifted around abruptly without any clear indicators, sometimes in mid-paragraph. I'd be reading about Miles and Samantha, and suddenly I'd be reading about what Howard was thinking or doing, and I'd have to backtrack to see if Howard was there with Miles and Samantha, or whether the narration had just wandered over to him (and it was usually the latter). I never had this problem with (ahem) other books by this author, so I'm not sure why it was such an issue in this one.

I also thought that the storylines all intersected too neatly. All of the teens had parents who were major players in the plot, and there weren't many tertiary characters -- no casual friends on the outside edges of the story, etc. Even the other council members were barely even mentioned. It was just all so tidy, at least in terms of plot. There was only one small child in the entire book and he was just there for a big dramatic episode at the end of the story.

To add to that, I felt that Rowling tackled too many Issues. Drugs? Check. Rape? Check. Child abuse? Check. Political corruption? Check. Bullying? Check. Suicide? Check. Unhappy marriages? Check. Obesity? Check. Mental illness? Check. Teen sex? Check. Cutting? Check. Welfare reform? Check. Shall I continue? Every character was loaded up with secrets and problems, and it just seemed like too much. I think this could have been a shorter, simpler book with just as much, or perhaps more, of an emotional punch.

All in all, I don't feel that reading this was a waste of time, but I'm not entirely sure that I would read more adult novels by Rowling.

(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library system.)

Ironskin by Tina Connolly

Ironskin by Tina Connolly is a fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre with a slight post-apocalyptic vibe to it. Sound interesting? It is.

Jane is ironskin -- one of the scarred survivors of the Great War. She was hit in the face by a blast of fey magic, and without the iron mask that she wears, everyone around her would be affected by rage seeping from her wound. When Jane sees an advertisement for a governess position to Dorie, a little girl born during the Great War, worded in a way that makes it clear that the child is somehow different, Jane thinks she knows what to expect. When she arrives at the half-ruined manor house on the moor, however, both Dorie and her father are much more enigmatic than Jane could ever have expected. Her life there will prove challenging, but ultimately, it might just set her free.

For someone who is not really much of a Jane Eyre fan, I sure do seem to read a lot of retellings of that story lately -- this makes the third in the past few years. (The other two, if you're curious, are Jane by April Lindner and The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett, which is not a straight-up retelling, but certainly incorporates large chunks of the plot. And I also read Jenna Starborn by Sharon Shinn some years ago, so that would make four.) I like the original well enough, but I never loved it the way some people do. On the other hand, that might enable me to appreciate retellings without constantly comparing them to the original. Then again, that's exactly what I'm about to do, at least a little bit.

First of all, this isn't a straight-up retelling, so don't expect it to match up on every point. In some ways, this is a good thing. For instance, this is the first Jane Eyre retelling that I've read that actually makes the child into a fully-fledged character, rather than a vehicle to get Jane and Rochester in the same general area. I thought Dorie was interesting and realistic, and I was truly interested to see if Jane would be able to help Dorie control her unique abilities. In other cases, however, it is not such a good thing. For instance, in this story Jane has a flighty sister named Helen, who bears absolutely no resemblance to Helen in the original. This took me out of the story more than once as I tried to find some connection between the two Helens.

As for the story itself, I thought it started out with a nice blend of action and exposition, though it dragged a bit in the last half of the book. And I had a little trouble buying the romance -- it suffered at the expense of Jane's character development, which is not necessarily something to complain about. It appears that there will be a sequel to this story, and while I'm not sure if I will pursue it or not, I thought the author did a good job of tying up enough loose ends to make a satisfying conclusion, while still leaving open possibilities for future plot developments.

(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library system.)

What Came from the Stars by Gary D. Schmidt

For fans of Gary Schmidt's writing, What Came from the Stars seems like a bit of a departure from form. For one thing, it's science fiction.

On a faraway planet, the last brave heroes of a doomed race are besieged. While the Valorim warriors hold the door against the O'Mondim invaders, Young Waeglim forges the Art of the Valorim into a chain and, with the last of his strength, sends it out among the stars, far away from the scene of the battle, to a little blue planet in a distant galaxy. The chain falls from the stars into the atmosphere, and from there into the Ace Robotroid lunchbox of twelve-year-old Tommy Pepper. When Tommy Pepper picks the chain up and puts it on, he develops certain unexpected artistic skills. Also, it transforms the supremely embarrassing Ace Robotroid lunchbox into something cool and spacey-looking. Tommy has worse problems than an embarrassing lunchbox, though: his mother has recently died, his younger sister is not talking to anyone any more, and his father is locked in a battle with developers who want the seaside land where the Pepper family's house sits. Their troubles increase when strange, unseasonable storms start ravaging the area, and houses in the town are vandalized in strange and disturbing ways. Tommy alone seems to realize that the storms and vandalism are because of the O'Mondim, who have come to Earth to reclaim the Art of the Valorim. Can Tommy stand firm against the invaders and do what is best for both his planet, and the other planet so far away whose fate is now inextricably linked with his own?

The main problem with this book is the first six pages. Schmidt opens the story with a detailed description of that last desperate siege. In a visual medium, it would be gripping. Unfortunately, in text, it is pretty much incomprehensible. Appropriately, Schmidt has created an entirely new language for the alien race -- but when you are reading a block of text that is rendered in an epic style, with every third or fourth word a made-up one, it is pretty tough going. Once the story shifts to Earth, it's a lot more engaging. I'm just concerned that the average kid, upon picking up this book and looking at that impenetrable block of text, will put the book down and move on to something more accessible. I know I nearly did!

Once you get past that first chapter, the going gets easier. Tommy and his father are engaging characters, and though Tommy's school friends are sometimes difficult to distinguish from one another, his teacher is brilliant and fun. Making Tommy's sister silent due to grief is an interesting decision, but one that I know I've seen in other books, which lessens the impact. The story moves along, trying to tie in the Cardiff Giant hoax with the alien races, which didn't quite work for me. So, while I liked the book, I wouldn't say that it's one of Schmidt's stronger works.

(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library system.)