Cinder by Marissa Meyer

This book barged its way onto my reading radar towards the end of last summer. It immediately caught my attention and soon had me tight in its grip. First of all, the cover is very simple but so captivating! The leg and the shoe?... oh man! And then the concept of a fairy tale retelling – something I’m always keen to read – of Cinderella as a cyborg in a dystopian future setting. Let me say that again: Cinderella as a cyborg. How cool is that?!

There was no way I wasn’t going to read this book. It’s got my name written all over it.

Information:

Title: Cinder

Series: Lunar Chronicles #1

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publisher: Puffin

Target Audience: YA

Pages: 389

Chapters: 38

PoV : 3rd person

Tense : Past tense

Story: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

(from Goodreads)

Thoughts and impressions: As of the very first page I knew that I was going to love this story. The first scene depicts Cinder removing her cyborg foot, a foot that is far too small for her, and it was everything I could have hoped for from an opening to such a story.

It didn’t let up after that, with threats from various sides, and I was lost in the action. In fact, I was so captivated by the story that I was most annoyed with my boyfriend when he tried to get me to pay some attention to him instead of the book in my hands. I mean, how dare he?! Couldn’t he see that I was so engrossed by the book that I was oblivious to the world at large?

Cinder made for a very interesting and unique heroine. She’s 16 but she only remembers the five years of her life since her stepfather adopted her and brought her to China. What’s more, she has potentially devastating secrets. To begin with, this is simply that she’s a cyborg in a society that looks down on humans who have robotic components. As the story advances and Cinder starts to learn more about who she is and her heritage, she just accumulates more and more secrets. It was quite the thrill to watch her struggle with all these new revelations each time as she had to keep reassessing her own identity. I found her reactions plausible, if a little strained on occasion.

This is part of what makes Cinder’s interactions with Prince Kai so suspenseful. It starts with her just hoping that he won’t notice that she has no foot attached to her robotic leg, hoping that he won’t be repulsed by her and who – what – she is. As things progress and she admits to herself that she’s attracted to the prince, she finds herself fending off his attentions in return. She accepts that with each new layer added to her identity, it becomes even less of a possibility that he would still be interested in her should he learn the truth of her situation.  The ending could be seen a mile off, but it adds a new dimension to this relationship and I’m interested in seeing where Marissa Meyer will take things from here.

The story is fairly faithful to the Cinderella tale excepting one of the stepsisters. Peony, the younger of the two, is actually nice to Cinder and the only person Cinder can stand. Unfortunately, it is of course her who ends up contracting the sickness that is ravaging mankind around the globe. I think that the interactions with Adri, the stepmother, were my favourites, though, as they were full of such lidded anger. I could feel Cinder seething with frustration but also how powerless she was to take matters into her own hands. In particular, the scenes after Peony is taken into isolation are fairly rife with raw emotions and I felt Cinder’s sorrow and indignant anger right along with her.

Queen Levana makes for a deliciously devious villain. She knows just what she wants and she isn’t afraid to trample over anyone who just so happens to be in the way to get it. Her kingdom is the Moon and the inhabitants of the Moon have changed in their genetic makeup so that they are no able to wield bioelectricity in order to control the senses of those around them. Levana holds many cards and she’s not afraid to play them when they’ll hurt her opponent the most. She is the epitome of an evil queen and, again, I’m very interested in seeing where her character and kingdom will be taken in future books.

And the best character? Iko the android with a glitch. I loved her!

The Lunar Chronicles is going to be a quartet with each book based on a different fairy tale and set in another area of this futuristic society.

Cinder – Cinderella - China

Scarlett – Little Red Riding Hood - France

Cress – Rapunzel –Sahara Desert

Winter – Snow White – Luna (the Moon)

Style: The author obviously did a lot of research into robotics – it made for quite the glimpse into such a world and added that extra bit of realism to everything. Very enjoyable style.

Final verdict: This book lived up to and exceeded all of my expectations. Definitely a favourite!

Extra notes: Didn’t pick up on any bad language. No sex.

Firelight by Kristen Callihan

I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher from NetGalley.

Every so often, I like to lose myself in a well-crafted paranormal romance that is apart from the norm. This is even better if it’s set in the Victorian era and does not involve vampires or werewolves (I did say apart from the norm and vamps and wolves are very much the norm). When I stumbled across Firelight, it seemed to tick every box that would mark it as the perfect read for me and so I knew that I would be reading it at some point or another. Plus, that cover? Another tick in another box – it certainly calls to me!

Information:

Title: Firelight

Series: Darkest London #1

Author: Kriten Callihan

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Target Audience: Adult

Pages: 372

Chapters: Prologue+ 34 +epilogue

PoV: 3^rd person

Tense: Past tense

Story : London, 1881
Once the flames are ignited . . . 
Miranda Ellis is a woman tormented. Plagued since birth by a strange and powerful gift, she has spent her entire life struggling to control her exceptional abilities. Yet one innocent but irreversible mistake has left her family's fortune decimated and forced her to wed London's most nefarious nobleman.

They will burn for eternity . . . 
Lord Benjamin Archer is no ordinary man. Doomed to hide his disfigured face behind masks, Archer knows it's selfish to take Miranda as his bride. Yet he can't help being drawn to the flame-haired beauty whose touch sparks a passion he hasn't felt in a lifetime. When Archer is accused of a series of gruesome murders, he gives in to the beastly nature he has fought so hard to hide from the world. But the curse that haunts him cannot be denied. Now, to save his soul, Miranda will enter a world of dark magic and darker intrigue. For only she can see the man hiding behind the mask.

Thoughts and impressions: This book is so good in almost every way that I’m not entirely sure where to start with my review! I’m going to start with how very out of the norm this is. Or, at least, it’s out of my norm. I’ve never read anything  with lore quite like this! Right up until the revelation, I had no idea what Archer was hiding behind his mask and what it turned out to be was simply fascinating. Miranda’s powers and role in it all ties in superbly well as well in a way that I’d never have anticipated. It all plays on ancient myths that I’ve never heard of so I couldn’t say whether the author invented them (in which case, she has an amazing imagination) or whether she did a huge amount of research into something rather obscure (in which case, kudos to her! She did an amazing job at bringing it all to life for me!)

The way that Archer finds himself drawn to Miranda as of their very first meeting, so much so that he’s willing to go out of his way to ensure that one day he will be able to present her father with a marriage proposal that he won’t be able to refuse, was really rather sweet if a little weird based on a short confrontation in a dark alley. Miranda’s growing faith in him despite his secrets and hers was wonderful to read about. She was the sort of heroine who refuses to be cowed by others around her and I really respected her throughout the book.

Her ability with fire is often referred to but not actually shown until about half way through. It was really quite something! She has the ultimate protection against the ragtag sleaze in the darkened streets of London.  I got the impression that she still had more to discover about her powers as well but maybe that will play some role or another in a future book.

When I first saw that this book was the first in a series, I had assumed that the series would follow Miranda and her power over fire. Upon finishing the book, I realised that this would not be the case: Miranda and Archer’s story has been concluded and the next one will be one of the side character’s stories. The series is most definitely off to a good start though and promises to be interesting! I will be following it.

I’d pegged the baddy as of fairly early on and I’m rather surprised it took Miranda as long as it did to have that light bulb moment, especially as secrets start to be revealed. Still, I liked the way that all of the intrigue eventually wove together leaving very few of the characters as just accessory.

The story was also somewhat evocative of Beauty and the Beast – my favourite! How could I not love this book?

The story did, however, stumble onto one of my pet peeves. There’s a fairly transparent hint early on that Miranda is no longer a “maiden”, read: she’s not a virgin. This is cool, I like when the hero is not the only one with a scandalous sexual past. But then, when things finally get around to the bedroom stage, she’s worried about how “big” Archer is. This is my pet peeve. If you’re going to make your heroine experienced, then make her experienced and don’t have her baulk at the size of “sein Teil”. It’s too much a way of stroking the hero’s ego.

The other thing I’m not sold on is the scene in the alley around the 30% mark (when they get out of the British museum). Things were bordering a bit too close on abuse for my tastes.

This said, despite those two minor things, I really enjoyed the book. It was just what the doctor ordered!

Style: The author had a tendency to switch between PoVs in the middle of a scene and sometimes I was unsure who I was following or when the shift from X’s PoV to Y’s even took place. In my copy there were also no breaks in the text between separate scenes such as a scene that follows the killer for a few paragraphs and then going back to follow Archer. This could be different in the printed copy, though.

Final verdict: This book came very close to a 5 star read for me, but it was just missing that little je ne sais quoi that would have pushed it over the edge. I consider it a high end 4 star read and recommend it to anyone who likes paranormal romance. 4 stars

Extra notes: The narrative is peppered with the odd swear word. Sex is present.

The Cover Wars: Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging

Tara of Basically Books and I decided to get together to do a weekly meme where we would compare covers of the UK editions of books with those of the US editions.

The aim of this is to just have a bit of fun. We put ourselves in the position where we see both of these books side by side in the bookstore. Which would we choose? Why that one and not the other?

This week we've taken one of my favourite teen series. I pretty much grew up reading the Georgian Nicholson diaries and they certainly left their mark on me. I think every teen girl should read them! They are very much British humour, though, so maybe not everyone will appreciate them. 

Note: These books have been published multiple times. We have picked the current UK edition and what we believe to be the current US edition.

    

US edition                                                                    UK edition

Rea says: For me, there is absolutely no contest. The UK cover wins hands down. It's in-your-face, it's bright, it's fun, it's girly. Plus, that caption? "You'll laugh your knickers off"? That really draws me in. It tells me that I'm going to be reading a book that'll have me laughing so much I'm crying. The US cover doesn't inspire much emotion in me at all. UK all the way!

Tara says: I hadn't even seen the US version before, so when I saw it I was immediately hit by how different it is. The cover of the US version seems more grown up and I don't like that shade of green with the cat and girl. The UK version looks more simple and, to my mind, it shows more of what the book is about. I love the colours they use on the cover. This is the cover I see in the shops everytime I go into a bookstore. I will be going with the UK version.

Score:

Week 3:    US: 1     UK: 1    Draw: 1

The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

If you know me, then you’ll know that I have a soft spot for fairy tale retellings and if that fairy tale just so happens to be Beauty and the Beast that’s even better! Beauty and the Beast has long been my favourite fairy tale – maybe it has something to do with the idea of falling in love with the beauty on the inside, despite outward appearances. Or it could be because watching the Disney film is the first film memory that I have. Whatever the actual reason, anything Beauty and the Beast pretty much automatically gets a spot on my TBR.

I’d been vaguely aware of The Merchant’s Daughter for some time before someone pointed out to me that it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling. As soon as I heard that, I knew that I was going to read it. So when I found in on NetGalley it was an automatic request and happily I got approved.

Information:

Title: The Merchant’s Daughter

Series: Stand-alone

Author: Melanie Dickerson

Publisher: Zondervan

Target Audience: (older) YA

Pages: 304

Chapters: 20 + epilogue

PoV: 3^rd person

Tense: past tense

Story: An unthinkable danger. An unexpected choice. Annabel, once the daughter of a wealthy merchant, is trapped in indentured servitude to Lord Ranulf, a recluse who is rumored to be both terrifying and beastly. Her circumstances are made even worse by the proximity of Lord Ranulf's bailiff---a revolting man who has made unwelcome advances on Annabel in the past. Believing that life in a nunnery is the best way to escape the escalation of the bailiff's vile behavior and to preserve the faith that sustains her, Annabel is surprised to discover a sense of security and joy in her encounters with Lord Ranulf. As Annabel struggles to confront her feelings, she is involved in a situation that could place Ranulf in grave danger. Ranulf's future, and possibly his heart, may rest in her hands, and Annabel must decide whether to follow the plans she has cherished or the calling God has placed on her heart.

(from Goodreads)

Thoughts and impressions: The opening paragraph or two of this week are really on the rocky side. Don’t worry, though, it picks up. As I read them, I was worried that the whole book would follow in that same vein but luckily the author soon found her feet.

The original premise is that Annabel’s family have been shirking their duty in the fields for three years now, since their merchant father’s death, and with the new lord coming to the village they’re going to have to pay up. Annabel is determined that she’ll show the villagers that she’s willing to pull her weight and that they shouldn’t hold her in contempt. If this was so important to her, I couldn’t help but wonder why she had never bothered to go against her family’s wishes in those three years if the villagers’ opinion of her mattered that much. I suppose that really that was just there to show that Annabel is not haughty like the other members of her family and to get her into Lord Ranulf’s service.

When Ranulf is introduced, he is described as being a muscular man with one brown eye (he lost the other one and wears a patch over it), brown hair and a big, bushy beard. Also, all he ever does is bellow. For a while, his speech tag is almost exclusively “he bellowed”. All I could think of was Brian Blessed playing King Richard IV in the first series of Blackadder.

Not at all flattering, but there’s the brown hair and eyes, the big, bushy beard and the inability to talk at anything less than an ear-splitting bellow. There’s a difference of about 20 years in age, but that’s only a small matter! The man depicted on the book cover is very different to this, of course, but nothing could shift this image for me throughout the whole book.

The story is set in the mediaeval period, in the 1300s. The author’s attention to detail is admirable and it lent a realistic air to everything that you don’t always find in stories set in the Middle Ages. This meant that I was able to slip into the story very easily and quickly got caught up in events. It also made this religious side of the story easier to accept. I hadn’t realised that this was Christian fiction when I started the book but it soon became obvious. However, I have read books written in the 1100s and there is often a fixation on religion. Here it stems from Annabel’s desire to read the Bible. She wants to read it so much that she also wants to enter a convent to study it. Thankfully, the religious message was not so strong as to segregate me as a secular reader, though I would have liked to have seen more of them bonding over other things (in the same vein as Ranulf’s burns) rather than the bonding mostly happening over shared religious beliefs.

Her family, of course, aren’t quite keen on this idea and they’d much rather sell her off to the Bailiff in exchange for their debt being paid off for them. I have two things that it’s worth mentioning here and I’m going to start with the family. Really, I didn’t feel that they were used enough. They were there in the beginning to set the scene but then after that, other than one short confrontation and then later a minor appearance by one of the brothers, they don’t reappear. I would have liked to have seen how their circumstances changed, or even how they tried to weigh in on Annabel’s budding friendship with the new lord, but they’re just ignored. As for the Bailiff, he’s only ever depicted in a bad light – as a pervert and a sleaze and unkempt bully – and yet all of the other villagers are willing to follow him. None of his good points are ever shown and so when I’m expected to just accept that the other villagers like the guy, I can’t suspend my disbelief that far because I’ve not been given anything to go on for it. At least in the Disney movie, Gaston was shown as being charismatic and very handsome to explain why he’s able to wrap all the villagers around his little finger.

Annabel goes into service for Lord Ranulf as a way of wriggling out of the marriage that her family is trying to force on her. Ranulf, of course, saves her from it, but Bailiff Tom isn’t going to take this refusal lying down and he gets up to all sorts of evil schemes to try to get the wife he desires. Ranulf has been hurt by a woman before and he’s promised himself that he’ll never fall in love again, but it would seem that he has his work cut out for him to keep that promise when he meets Annabel. They bond over reading the Bible and the slow burning romance between them was a real joy. Both parties are aware of their feelings for the other but neither is willing to act on them.

Annabel herself is a bit on the perfect side with the author focusing on her good side so much as to totally eclipse the tiny hints of flaws that we occasionally see. I also didn’t like how she thought about the other men – Gilbert was too much, especially when she felt revulsion at the mere prospect of him touching her. It should have been left at just Bailiff Tom. Ranulf is much more rounded. Once he’d got past all his bellowing he quickly became the sort of character that pulls at your heart strings as you root for them in every aspect.

If you’re in the mood for some clean historical romance and a bit of fairy tale magic, this book is the perfect choice.

Style: It’s obvious that the author put a lot of time and effort into making her style fit the era as much as possible (given the huge evolution of the language since then) and it really pays off. 

Final verdict: A Christian read that will also appeal to secular readers. An Enchanting retelling of the tale of Beauty and the Beast. 4 stars


Extra notes: No bad language. No sex.

Follow Friday - 03/02/12

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison can read. Each week participants are given a prompt. This week's is:

Q: Define what characteristics your favorite books share. Do they all have a kick ass heroine or is the hot love interest the Alpha Male?

I haven't done a FF in a while but thought I'd do one today for who knows what reason!

After having looked at my favourites shelf, I'm not sure I could say that there's one thing that I go for. I have a mix of things - some (most) of my faves have strong heroines, others have weaker ones. Some have a yummy romantic interest, others have a romantic interest that had me pulling my hair out at how bad he is for the heroine and the last couple don't have a romance subplot at all. I don't even have a consistant favourite genre! My faves shelf is a hodge-podge of books that just happened to really work for me for whatever reason. I'm tempted to say that it's the style in the books that appeals to me more than the characters themselves, but even then I have a mix of styles. Maybe it's just happy coincidence that makes a particular captivate me. Who knows!

Happy hopping and have a great weekend!

Get A Taste: Marian's Christmas Wish

Tara of Basically Books and I often read very different books but sometimes find interesting new books to potentially add to the ever-growing monsters that our TBR piles have morphed into. However, we know that we do not have 100% the same taste and we wanted another way of getting a look at these books...

Do you ever feel like getting a bit of a taster for a book you’ve been thinking of reading but aren’t fully sold on yet? Do you feel like sharing a taster for your current read with the world? Well, here’s your chance.

Each week the random number generator will pick a number between 1 and 100 for books with pages or 1 and 25% for ebooks. We figured that these numbers would keep us out of spoiler territory. Open your book to the specified place and pick a paragraph. Share it with the world!

This week the numbers are: 
page 13 for books
22% for ebooks

My book is:

click image to go to Goodreads page

Marian sat down next to Alistair again and wrapped her apron around the cat. The babies in its belly squirmed and tumbled into each other as she rubbed the cat dry. The animal began to purr, and the sound was a balm to her jangled nerves. She smiled and scratched the cat under the chin.

"And I suppose you have a sad story to tell too, if only you could talk," she said, addressing the animal. "Something about a misspent kittenhood and the perfidy of toms."

Yes, I know, I know. It's a bit late for Christmas now! But I started the book just before Christmas after having read another Christmas-themed historical romance and I never finished it. I figured that if I didn't get it read now, I'd end up putting it off for a full year! Plus, now that it's actually cold and managed to snow a bit, it feels more like Christmas than it did a month ago.

I just finished the book this evening so the review will be coming shortly! I can tell you now that if you like sweet (and clean) historical romances, this one will appeal to you.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games. Who hasn’t heard of these books? Well, Arie hasn’t but he doesn’t count. I got this book quite a while ago when one of my best friends insisted that I should read it and Vampire Academy. Ironically enough, she told me I’d prefer The Hunger Games but I decided to read the VA series first (last May). For whatever reason, I put off delving into this book.

It was chosen as a group read back in July and I was supposed to read it then but I forgot to take it to France with me. Consequently, it ended up just sitting in the book box by my side of the bed. Until now.

At the New Year’s Eve party I attended, we saw the trailer for the upcoming movie and everyone there just assumed that I would have read the book. This made me laugh at how predictable everyone expects me to be but nothing more. It wasn’t until a couple of weeks later when I saw the trailer again that I found myself wondering about the book.

Eventually, curiosity got the better of me and I fished it out.

Information:

Title: The Hunger Games

Series: The Hunger Games #1

Author: Suzanne Collins

Publisher: Scholtastic Inc.

Target Audience: young adult

Pages: 374

Chapters: 27

PoV: 1^st person

Tense: present tense

Story: In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. 

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister Primrose, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before — and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

(from Goodreads)

Thoughts and impressions: My very first impression was that the present tense was the wrong choice for this novel. The way it reads, it’s often like Katniss, the narrator, is addressing the reader, the naratee, by regaling them with stories of the past. For me, the present tense is much too restrictive for this. In the first part especially, Katniss often launches into side-stories to help explain her country as well as the origins and rules of the hunger games and other more personal stories about her own past. These forays into the past were all interesting and necessary for the world building, but jarring. All in all, I think the past tense would have given the novel a much deeper meaning than the present tense permitted it.

There are three parts in the book, but the story is essentially split into two parts: preparation and the games themselves. The preparation part didn’t really appeal to me much and it felt like it was drawn out too long. As soon as the games started, though, I was hooked. It was one of those books where I kept telling myself “just one more chapter” and the “just one” is never reached.

The games are where the author shone. She sends the reader through so many different experiences, caught up in Katniss’s head as she desperately attempts to survive. This is where emotional connections come into it all, too. Katniss’s connection with Rue was the very first time she had allowed her emotions to weigh in on any decisions since the very start of the story.

Katniss goes into the games in the place of her little sister, who was the one picked to be tribute. Prim is twelve years old and Katniss is very protective of her after having pretty much brought her up since their father’s death some years previously. Katniss would often insist that she was doing things for Prim, or ruminate about her, but as the reader I never felt emotionally invested in the little sister. She was just there.

Rue is another of the tributes, the 24 people who will enter the games arena. She’s the same age as Prim and the youngest person in the arena that year. At the risk of a small spoiler, Rue’s destiny becomes intertwined with Katniss’s. Even though I’d figured out her role as catalyst as of fairy early on, I still became very involved in little Rue’s destiny. I couldn’t have cared less about Prim, but I was desperately hoping that somehow they’d divise a way to see Rue survive the games as well. She filled the role of the little sister in need of protection a lot better than Prim did. I’m not entirely sure whether the author meant for this to happen. Really I think that I was supposed to care about both of them but I just didn’t.

Katniss herself was… I’m not sure. Too hard maybe. I could easily root for her but there were only certain times when I really connected with her. Maybe it was that she’d emotionally disconnected herself from everything that was happening so I couldn’t emotionally connect with it all. She was certainly an interesting YA heroine.

As a side note, this book is very reminiscent of Battle Royale. I wonder whether the author was inspired by events in BR or whether this sort of thing is easily to see in a dictatorial regime. It was certainly a very bleak view of the future.

Style: As I said, the present tense narration didn’t work for me. I think I would have much preferred it in the past tense.

Final verdict: The games themselves were great! Heart-in-mouth action, so very absorbing. Everything that led up to them, less so. 4 stars

Extra notes: I think there was some minor language but it could be that I’m getting it mixed up with my current read. No sex.