The Red Pyramid: Book 1 The Kane Chronicles

August 31, 2010 Children,Fantasy,Fiction,Recommend

I know I said I was kind of off fantasy but when I got the email telling me that Rick Riordan’s The Red Pyramid was waiting for me at the library I totally squeed with happiness. I love Rick Riordan. His books are just so much fun. A total bonus, as far was I was concerned, was that The Kane Chronicles deal with Egyptian mythology. I was lucky enough in university to take some Egyptian history and archaeology courses from someone well regarded in the field. We didn’t deal so much with mythology exactly but it’s hard to study the history without knowing something of the mythology so it all tied together. Basically, I got my geek on.

When I wasn’t geeking I was having fun reading The Red Pyramid, something that filled me with relied. I had read a few non-spoilery reviews earlier this summer and people didn’t seem to be loving it quite as much as the Percy Jackson books. Some people didn’t like that there were two narrators (I loved it) and others found the Egyptian mythology too confusing (that’s what Wikipedia is for).

But most of all, I like the characters. I liked Carter, with his properness and his concerns. I like Sadie, which is hardly surprising as I have a fondness for out-spoken girls. I really like how they played off each other. They were believable as siblings despite the fact that they were raised separately.  Since their mother’s death they only see each other two days a year due to a messy custody battle between the maternal grandparents and their father. (Mr. Riordan, I really hope that someday we get to hear that spatula story…)

I felt for Carter. It’s hard to accept that your grandparents have basically disowned you because you look like your father rather than your mother. (Unless there’s more to that….we’ll see.) He travels the world with his father but they never really have a home. I also felt for Sadie, being cut off from her immediate family and not allowed to really get to know her father or her brother. Each felt that the other got the best part of the deal. When circumstances force them to work together they realize that they compliment each other — that you can be family even when you’ve spent your life apart.

Like with the Olympians series, who is good and who is bad may be always in flux. It’s really rather perfect as we are talking about a mythology that is based on the balance of order and chaos. I can already tell that the question of who to trust is going to play a big role in this series (as it does in life). Among the gods I loved Bast ( the line about being a cat and therefore every she sees is hers? I laughed out loud for real.) but the rest of them? I don’t trust them. I would advise Carter and Sadie to do the same.

Note: I might want a white crocodile. Or a basketball-playing baboon. (But still not nearly as much as I ever wanted a hippogryff.)

It’s Not You, It’s Me

July 9, 2010 Fantasy,sometimes I ramble

Dear Fantasy,

I want you to know that I still like you. You have lovely worlds. You’ve taken me places I’ve never even dreamed of. And your looks? Trust me, your covers are so pretty.

You are full of adventures. You really are made of magic.

So I’m really sorry but right now…I’m just not that into you.

I try. I really do. I give you a shot a few chapters at a time but if I’m honest it’s a struggle to get through those and I’m happy to set you aside and leave you until it’s time to return you to the library.

And it’s not just you. Me and YA? We’re struggling too and you know how much I love me my YA.

Fantasy, I’m taking a little break from you. Don’t worry, I’ll call you the next time I’m in town. We’ll hook up, have a few drinks…maybe even get back together and have a fling or two.

Until then, please don’t call. Please don’t write. Let’s just quietly go our separate ways for a bit.

It’s not you, it’s me.

~ Sassymonkey

Graceling

November 11, 2009 Fantasy,Fiction,Young Adult

Yes, I finally finished Kristin Cashore’s Graceling. I only had to check it out of the library three times. Wait…that makes it sound like I didn’t want to read it or that I had trouble reading it. That wasn’t the case at all.

You see, I often get more books out of the library than I can reasonably read. Because I knew that I’d like Graceling it tended to get bunted down the list because I knew that once I started to read it I’d finish it quickly. The problem is I’d either forget that I had it checked out or that I started it and then things came up and I didn’t have time to finish it and I couldn’t renew it. Frustrating. But I sat down this weekend and was able to finish it.

I don’t think I fell completely in love with it the way that many people did but I certainly liked it a lot. At one point I looked up from it and told Lee, who was sitting at the other end of the couch, that it seemed like something could happen that I did not want to happen and I did not approve of that at all. I told him that this book was being put on notice and if it did happen I was likely to take book abuse action and throw it across the room. Thankfully it did not happen.

Graceling had some great characters. I think I actually liked them all, which is rare. The bad guys were good baddies (not too bad, just bad enough). I liked the idea of the Council a lot, though I found that it got a little bit lost as the book went on. I found that the book didn’t flow quite as well as it could have between segments (I’m thinking Randa, with Po, after Bitterblue, the ending).  I did find many of the character’s names hard to remember. I struggled to remember Raffin’s name. Speaking of Raffin, am I the only one who thought that the relationship between him and his assistant was more than a professional relationship?

Graceling reminded me of Goose Girl a bit.  Not so much while I was reading it, but after I was finished. There are certain similarities to the stories I think. And YA authors – no more Kat—- names. I can keep Katsa and Katniss separate enough but if you throw more Kat’s into the bag I just might get all muddled up.

Oh. My. Gods.

July 15, 2009 Fantasy,Fiction,Young Adult

I was looking for something fun to read (I’m always looking for something fun to read) and someone mentions Tera Lynn Child’s Oh. My. Gods. The descendants of Greek gods on a Greek island. Sounds fun and summery.

When Phoebe’s mother returns from Greece she’s happy. Really happy. When she tells Phoebe that she got married on vacation and that they are moving to Greece Phoebe is less than happy. She’s just about to start her senior year. She has some major runs coming up and she wants to qualify for an athletic scholarship. It’s really unfair that she needs to start over at a new school, half way around the world on a Greek island. Isn’t it?

That’s only the beginning. As she arrives on the island her mother and new step-father inform her that her new school, Plato’s Academy, isn’t a normal school. All of her fellow students are the descendants of Greek gods and have magical powers. Great. Not only is she a new student, but by their standards she really is a freak.

Oh. My. Gods. was a fun, albeit a wee bit predictable, read. Great for reading on a sunny day. You know, if you actually manage to find some sun. (What is up with all the clouds and rain this summer?) Good enough for me to have requested the sequel.

Once Upon A Time III Update

June 6, 2009 Fantasy,Reading Challenges

I has come to my attention that is is JUNE (how the heck did that happen) and that means that we are less than three weeks away from the end of the Once Upon A Time III Challenge.

Now I wouldn’t say I’ve been slacking exactly. I’m going to go more with “not so much with the paying attention thing.”  But I know I’ve read things. And I know I’ve read things that were on my original list. I figured it was time to figure out just exactly how I was doing. I signed up for Quest the Third.

From the original list I’ve read:

• Why I Let My Hair Grow Out by Maryrose Wood
• Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
• Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

Not on my list I’ve also read (and not yet blogged about):

• Castle Waiting by Linda Medley

So if I decide to stick to the original list I have two books to read or if I don’t I have one, plus  plus A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

I haven’t decided which way I’m going to go yet. But I think this is the closest I’ve ever come to sticking to a challenge list!

Once Upon A Time III Challenge

March 20, 2009 Fantasy,Reading Challenges

What’s that you say? I said I wasn’t going to do anymore challenges. Hush. This one doesn’t count. Why? Because I said so that’s why.

I’m doing Quest the Third which is read 5 books that fit the challenge criteria and finish by reading A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

I don’t have a full list. These are just some possibilities, a list of maybe’s but not the be-all and end-all list. If I happen upon something else that fits the bill I’ll happily read it. These are a mix of books I own, books Kit-Cat loaned to me back in October (I’m a bad book borrower), books I have out from the library, books on my library request books and books that I might just have to add to my request list.

The Summoning by Kelly Armstrong
Why I Let My Hair Grow Out by Maryrose Wood
Ain’t Myth Behaving: Two Novellas by Katie MacAlister
Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier
Blue Girl by Charles De Lint
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Brisingr by Christopher Paolini
Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
Beauty Sleep by Cameron Dokey
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

I think that’s a good list to start with…

Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star

March 7, 2009 Children,Fantasy,Fiction

I really didn’t mean to sit down and finish reading Brandon Mull’s second book the the Fablehaven series, Rise of the Evening Star. Really. I didn’t. I only meant to read a chapter or two while I was eating lunch. I probably should have know something was up when I started reading the second chapter on the bus and discovered that I had totally zoned out right before my stop (much better than right after my stop).

First let me say that I’m very happy to report that I did not want to kill Seth or remove my ovaries while reading this book. That’s progress! That’s not to say that Seth still wasn’t annoying. He was, but he also realized he was and bemoaned that he was always making the wrong decisions. Good job.I guess he really did grow up in that year.

It turns out that Kendra got more than just kisses from the fairies. She’s now so some special magical powers of her own. Unfortunately it seems that we barely scratched the surface of her powers. It wouldn’t be such a bad thing but due to the book description I was kind of expecting more.

I cannot decide if I’m really unhappy that my library doesn’t have any of these books or not. I do want to read the third one but I’m also concerned. I don’t know if I like where I suspect the series is going thanks to the last chapter in this one. If it’s going where I think it’s going it’s rather cliched and *yawn*. But with any luck I’m wrong. I hope I am. I hate it when the story gets too obvious.

Fablehaven Book 1

March 3, 2009 Children,Fantasy,Fiction

When she came to visit me months ago Kit-Cat brought me a pile of books that I’ve been very, very negligent about reading. I just finished Brandon Mull’s Fablehaven and I’m trying to piece together what I thought of it, you know without giving anything away. And that, my friends, is hard.

I have to say, and I hate to say it, but I may not have been able to make it through had I not been able to email Kit-Cat part way through and express my enormous dislike for Seth. Seth is one of those children that you really hope only exists in novels because if they exist in real life you might just try to remove your own ovaries. With a rusty spoon. Without any anesthesia. I get that Seth needed to cause trouble in order to move the story forward (well, I suppose I get it anyway) but man was that kid ever obnoxious. (Cat has assured me he improves in the second one…a bit.)

I also found that while Kendra is the main character she was frequently overshadowed by Seth early on in the book. Well, the first half at least. And again while I get it (mostly) as a part of the need to move the story forward it was irritating.

As for Kendra, I spent most of the book wanting to like more her more than I actually did like her. She seemed rather too cautious and careful. In many ways she’s the exact opposite of Seth. She had her moments, like with the keys. She’s a smart cookie. I felt that her smarts were often in the shadow of fear. She lacked determination. Of course she makes up for in the end with one huge helping of determination and spunk and you can’t help but like her.

In short – liked the story, liked Kendra, Seth…Seth is an absolute nightmare.

The Explosionist

February 11, 2009 Fantasy,Fiction,Women,Young Adult

Jenny Davidson’s The Explosionist was not what I was expecting. At the beginning it confused, later it intrigued me and at the end it frustrated me because I had thought that this was meant to be a stand alone but no, it’s definitely going to have at least one sequel.

This is what you have to know about the The Explosionist before you start it – you need to take what you know about the world and chuck it aside. When you start reading this book you are entering another universe that takes place in our own world. It’s a sort of “what if” book. What if Napoleon hadn’t lost at Waterloo? What if England had fallen during WWI? What if things were very, very different? If you can accept that you’ll do fine with this book. I didn’t know that going in and I spent the first 50 to 100 pages trying to figure out what the heck was going on. Just accept and embrace everything that seems a bit “off”. It’s not 1938 the way you’ve ever thought about it. It’s not Scotland the way you’ve ever thought abotu it either. And that’s not even getting into the whole supernatural divation/spiritualism aspect of it.

I liked Sophie a lot. I thought she had a good head on her shoulders. Great Aunt Tabitha I had a hard time understanding – she expressed love but it didn’t seem like she showed it so much or that Sophie felt it so much. I have some problems with Mikael…problems along the line of I think he needs a good swift kick. The way that he thinks that Sophie needs his protection makes me want to pinch him. Hard. And I do believe it’s going to bite him in the ass in the next book (or at least I’m hoping it is).

The Explosionist is a really interesting book. I do think that some people will be thrown off it by the alternate history aspect of it but once I let myself I enjoyed it. Jenny Davidson is working on (perhaps finished?) the sequel and it’s called The Snow Queen. (I’m not sure I get her titles but anyway…) It probably won’t be out unil 2010 and I suspect that I’ll be wishing that I had waited and read them closer together.

Charlotte has a much better review than mine. I’ll just say that I did like it and that I wish the sequel wasn’t so far off.

How To Ditch Your Fairy

January 26, 2009 Fantasy,Fiction,Young Adult

Do you ever notice that you’ll pick up a book (ok, a pile of books) from the library and it seems like you’ll have them for a really long time and then you swear you blinked and they are due back? Happens to me all the time and is part of the reason why I never get any of my own books read. But that’s ok (mostly) because (most of the time) it’s worth it. Like for Justine Larbalestier’s How to Ditch Your Fairy.

Charlie is 14 and like most people she knows had a fairy. Unfortunately it’s not a good fairy. Ok, it’s not a horrible fairy but it’s certainly not a cool fairy like her friend Rochelle. Rochelle has a shopping fairy that finds her great (and cheap) clothes. Charlie has a parking fairy. Never mind that she’s not old enough to drive. It doens’t matter. Everyone else really likes her fairy, especially when they have doctor’s appointments which they drag her along to. In fact, she’s gotten pulled around so much by people who want to use her fairy that she’s stopped getting into cars. Meanwhile Fiorenze has a fairy that makes boys like her. Charlie doesn’t think that sounds so bad…especially if it would mean that Steffi liked her. So she’s trying to ditch her fairy, and it’s not easy.

It’s an interesting book. Magical…and there’s a a comparison to another made up world that is on the tip of brain but is refusing to come out. (So. Annoying.) Everyone has a bit of magic, possibly even those that don’t believe in fairies.

I can see some people possibly being turned off by the slang in the book. It’s not offensive or anything like that…it’s just different. Almost to the point of feeling forced, but narrowly avoids it.

Now, what are the odds of me getting the other books that need to be read done so before they are due back tomorrow? I’m thinking slim to none…