The Dragonfly Pool - Eva Ibbotson

Review: The Dragonfly Pool
Series: N/A (Stand-Alone Novel)
Author: Eva Ibbotson
Rating: 4/5
Genre: historical-fiction

That was lovely. Ibbotson writes the prettiest stories, with flowers, and dancing and happiness everywhere. But sometimes it can get repetitive. I have read countless stories with a talented, kind, heroine who meets wonderful friends and brave new people and have wonderful adventures. It's like rainbows, ponies and sparkles everywhere. I think after a while, some of her books begin to blur together and the ones that stick out are the ones you read first.

That being said, if I had read this book before her other books, I would have fallen into complete and utter love. As it is, I enjoyed the light storyline, and the adventure. Tally, the daring, benevolent protagonist, goes to a boarding school names Delderton, where of course, she meets many interesting and wonderful people. (If you hadn't noticed, wonderful things often happen in Ibbotson's books.) She then manages to convince the school to go on a field trip to the beautiful country of Bergania. Again she meets the kind, caring Prince of Bergania, Karil. Finally, the real action begins, a series of events involving Hitler occurs, some events that are not so wonderful happen, and they are all forced to go on the run. It's exciting, and a whirlwind of fun and friendship.

Again, maybe it gets a little too sweet. The repetitiveness of noble royals, brave girls, kind friends, Europe's natural beauty, and especially the arts - it gets a little boring at times. Sometimes the story moved too slowly, and not enough happened. I suppose that sometimes, it worked out, and the book really felt like a calming escape. But sometimes, the overlong descriptions and the cloying "prettiness" was a little syrupy. Ibbotson will always be a great children's writer, but she didn't often write different books, they all follow a similar plot or have a similar happy feeling.

I think you can't read too many of her books in a row or you will get exhausted of the repetition. But that being said, I really enjoyed the story. I love historical writing, and the way Ibbotson writes transports me back into the past. The thing that sets her books out are always the messages and characters - love, friendship, caring, and bravery are abundant in her novels. The reader decides whether it is too much euphoria or just the right amount.

Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School #1) - Gail Carriger

Review: Etiquette & Espionage
Author: Gail Carriger
Rating: 4/5
Genre: Steampunk, historical-fiction
Recommend To: fans of Leviathan, Airborn

This is book was totally unexpected. Definitely in a good way. I was expecting more of a focus on the Victorian Era rules for girls and the schooling for assassins but instead I got a LOT more steampunk than I had bargained for. If you don't really like technology or industrial oddity, then this book isn't really for you. The romance was also very low-key to nonexistent. BUT it was adventurous and exciting. 

Sophronia is a precocious 14 year old girl with a penchant for trouble. To Sophronia's horror, her mother decides to ship her off to a fancy finishing school....where they learn a different sort of finishing altogether. Honestly, I thought it would be more of a boarding school type book, rather than...strange floating machinery in the air, with vampires and werewolves. I also thought there would be more of a focus on Sophronia getting her unusual education, but instead there was the strange mystery of an odd little secret package.

The focus wasn't on what I was expecting, and certain things got smudgy and confusing...but the points of the novel that were supposed to be good were REALLY good. For one, Sophronia was hilarious, outgoing, courageous, and fair. She was an enjoyable main character. The third person threw me off for a bit because I've gotten so used to first person but it flowed well and was descriptive. The way history and technology mesh in steampunk always fascinates me because authors always do it so differently! 

Overall, it lacked in some elements, but it was original and funny. It mixed a lot of genres and wasn't a long, tedious read. It isn't the regular espionage spy-book/romance genre but it sure was fun!

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

Review: The Book Thief
Author: Markus Zusak

Rating: 5/5

Genre: historical-fiction
Recommend To: fans of the Diary of Anne Frank

*Weird noises that go like this: blurghhagrggggghhhbeeeggg* Literally how I ended the book. I mean, it's obvious enough that a book set during WWII in Germany is going to be sad, but I was not expecting this. I WAS NOT READY FOR THIS. WHY DID NO ONE PREPARE ME?

I took a long time to read this book, more than a week. I read pieces at a time. This is a book that needs to be savored. Because if you go to fast, you will get to the end. You do not want to get to the end. No. Stay around the middle of the book and simply revel in soccer, stealing books, and snowmen in the basement. The end....is just too heartbreaking. 

Honestly, I wasn't sure what the big deal about the book was until the end. The writing was beautiful, the narrator was interesting, the tale of the Jews was horrifying, but I'd been confronted with it many times in school. What was it about this book that made it so special? And I realized, it's the way you become entangled in the lives of the characters. You literally walk around with Liesel and her Papa, drinking champagne in the summer, listening to an accordion. You jump into the river with Rudy Steiner and you beg, BEG for Liesel to just give him a kiss already. You live with them, hope with them, read with them, snore with them, give bread with them, play soccer with them, steal with them, and most of all...you die with them.

It's just too much at times. I was fine for most of the book. Mostly. Death....was an interesting narrator. He didn't hide things, or gloss over them, I mean he's Death. The Death. He spoiled things all the time though. There was no spoiler alert either. He'd just come out with something that would break and cripple your poor heart and soul. Yeah, Death did not have compassion for the reader. He was a brutally, honest narrator.

I don't know what else to say. I could go on all day I guess, but I don't want to. I just want to curl up somewhere and sleep for a while. This book takes a lot out of you. I love Hans Hubermann. I love Rosa Hubermann. I love Rudy Steiner. I love Ilsa Hermann. I love Max Vandenburg. I love Jesse Owens. I love Liesel Meminger. I love this book. 

Occasionally I will probably think about this book and cry a little. But I'm so glad I read it.

Secret Letters - Leah Scheier

Review: Secret Letters

Author: Leah Scheier

Rating: 4/5

Genre: historical-fiction, mystery

Recommend To: fans of the Mary Quinn mystery series

(First off, I must apologize for abandoning this blog for a week. I guess I'm sporadic but oh well. I do this because I love reading. Anyway, so here's what I read.)

The Plot: Girl, Dora, wants to be a detective, and she wants to learn about her biological father, and she wants to help her cousin, and she wants to save Lady Rose, and she wants to be free of society, and she wants to know what Peter thinks about her, and finally most of all she just really wants to take part in solving a real, actual mystery. She wants to do a lot. So she fakes being a maid and finds secret coded letters, and tries to find footprints and put clues together. It isn't really a page turner of a mystery, and it does't really have you scratching your head. But mostly, it's just a lot of good clean fun. It's endearing. Lot's of little secrets in an awesome Victorian setting. 

The Characters: They were flat, but still likable. Dora, was supposed to be very clever, and she was. Feisty, pretty, very smart, insecure (she spends a while debating on her looks vs. her brains), and modest. She was good at noticing all these little absurd things that solved the case. But then again, she could also be very dense at times. There were plot points I figured out about a mile ahead. It was verging on Mary Sueish. Peter was almost too good to be true. Guilty, angry, intelligent, wounded, protective, and handsome.....that's a lot of good rolled into one. Maybe too much. I didn't connect with either of them too well. But they were fun to read about.

The Romance: There really wasn't much to tell here. No kisses or anything, it was very proper. A lot of arguing, which is always fun, and then wondering "does he like me?". Regular girly stuff. I almost wish it had been further elaborated on, but because it wasn't supposed to be the focus of the plot anyway, I liked it better that way. Plus it made Dora seem smarter, not being overly boy-crazed. I did admire that about her.

The Style: It wasn't too mysterious for a mystery. No suspense or anything. Even when guns were being waved around I never really felt anything, mostly because I knew nothing would really happen. The story was too predictable for that. The mystery itself didn't draw me in either, it just wasn't that interesting. I did like the setting though, but that may be because I am a huge fan of London and that particular time period.

Overall: Not a novel that is written in depth, but it explores things like guilt, family and gender roles. Also not too focused on the romance and the characters could use some widening, but for a fun little mystery it is a quick read. Finally, the ending leaves a lot to be desired, although it was very unusual.

Chime - Franny Billingsey

Review: Chime

Author: Franny Billingsey

Rating: 5/5

Genre: Fantasy, historical-fiction

Recommend To: Fans of A Great and Terrible Beauty

Wow, what a magical, mysterious setting. I’m blown away. By everything. The plot, the characters, the mystery, the wording. It was all surreal as I was reading it, and yet it was all very tangible. I’ll explain.

The Plot: Confusing at first, but the plot is centered on Briony and her struggle to save her twin Rose from the dangerous swamp cough. They are returning to Swampsea, a 20^th century town complete with motorcars, but still with a tinge of the Victorian era and of course haunted by ancient things that roam in the wild swamp. It’s hard to find the actual villain at first because Briony is so hell-bent on the fact that the villain is herself, but that just serves to add more twists and turns. The entire book has a really dark sort of feel to it, mysterious and on the verge on confusing.  Toss in there a bit of sunshine and humor (there were parts I laughed out loud actually) known as Eldric and we really have ourselves a brilliant novel.

The Characters: This is what I wanted to talk about the entire time. It’s not really the plot that keeps the book moving, it’s the characters. Or Briony herself I guess. It’s strange to find a female protagonist not whining about how ugly and unlovable she is, but about how she is pretty on the outside, and wicked and evil on the inside. She doesn’t spend time mooning over some arrogant jerk, complaining how he’ll never love her back, but instead she focuses on how she deserves to hang and to never be loved. It’s quite a flip. But you find yourself still liking her. Even though she can ramble about her wickedness, and you want to shake her, she is still pretty powerful, which made me like her even more. Eldric was the complete opposite, which made him perfect for Briony. They completed each other. He was the light in the story. I laughed over their “bad-boy” Latin and their boxing lessons. It was perfect. And then there is Rose, who is absolutely adorable, and Tiddy Rex who reminds me of a puppy. And Leanne and Cecil (both of whom I would’ve loved to punch in the face). But it’s lovely to have characters that inspire such feeling in the reader.

The Romance: Slower than other books. No insta-love. No love-triangles, (no real ones at least.) Like I said, Eldric and Briony are perfect for each other. They belong together and neither of them cares about the others flaws. They learn about each other before professing undying love for each other. They become real friends, learning about love, loyalty, and trust, before lust (even though they learn about that too). It was sweet and touching.

The Style: Gorgeous. Lush. Deep. Sumptuous. Mysterious. Verdant. Cryptic. Arcane. Opulent. All great words. The poetry, the descriptions, the Latin (you’ll understand when you read it), the emotions. You could sink into them and never return. It was astonishingly rich and worth reading it for the setting alone.

Overall: See above. Or just go read the book. Take your pick. If the choice is the former, you still go read it. 

Defiance (Defiance #1) - C.J. Redwine

Review: Defiance

Author: C.J. Redwine

Rating: 3/5

Genre: Fantasy, Historical-Fiction

Recommend To: Adventure and romance fans

Initially I was super excited about this book. Like crazy. OMG fantasy mixed in with romance type of crazy. And it was good. Just not as good as I was expecting. But it made me happy and the ending was huge so here we go. 

The Plot: Hmm yeah cool stuff happening. Rachel, our main character, has just lost her courier father, he is presumed dead after not returning from a mission. Her guardianship (women have like no rights, they need an escort to even go for a walk, seriously) then transfers to her father’s apprentice, Logan, a man she once loved, now hates (not really). She decides to go find her father and the mysterious package he was carrying with or without Logan, and with the threat of the Commander (super evil) looming over her. Pretty straightforward premise I think. Just one thing. When and where the heck is this happening? There was noworldbuilding at all. None whatsoever. I didn’t know if this was after our modern civilization post-apocalypse, or a completely different world, or a kind of steampunky (they had tech) historical dystopian earth. It was bizarre. And it took away from the book. 

The Characters: 

Rachel Adams: Headstrong, feisty, red-haired Rachel was initially fun to read. She made a lot of stupid decisions along the way though. And then she just became plain scary. I guess in a slightly good way because I couldn’t stop reading about this crazy, revengeful girl-thing she becomes, but she really changes and not really in a good way. More like an ohmygod that’s chilling kind of way. 
Logan McEntire: A nerd who can fight. He’s intelligent, especially with technology; he has a dark past so he can kick-butt. However, he is really overbearing. Blah at first, then kind of protective and endearing. I’m glad he is reminded women are his equals because at first he doesn’t tell Rachel anything as if she’s too stupid. Blah once more. But he’s cute I guess.

The Commander: Whoa, evil alert. Especially with the suppress all women agenda and kill them if they walk in the street alone. Seriously, Logan’s mother….so sad. That doesn’t count as a spoiler does it? Anyway, yeah. He was awesome to hate. I hated him a lot. 

The Romance: Hmm now this was…what’s the word….hurried? It was also a little peculiar. A few years ago, Rachel swears her love to Logan….he rejects her. Okay, so now she hates him right? She is forced to live with him after her father dies, and all Logan does is nothing right? But no, now they must fall in love, this time with Logan falling back and being all “I will let nothing hurt you Rachel!” But seriously, it just happened too fast! I wanted more hate, more denial, more angst! It wasn’t satisfying…

Overall: There were goods and bads I guess. The creatures were interesting, the Commander and his regime were also fascinating. The premise drew me in easily and I enjoyed reading it because of the dual POV’s even without any background. It was fun seeing what was happening in both of their heads. But it wasn’t as awesome as I had hoped it would be and that’s my final judgment.