I could quote passages forever, but I wanted to give you an idea of the tone of the book and why I enjoyed it so much. This is easily one of my favorite reads of the year. The thing I’d like to stress most is that it is really, really funny. My review can’t do it justice, and neither can little snippets from the novel. You don’t have to be a science fiction fan or even someone who reads a lot of YA or middle grade to like it. You’ve just got to enjoy a good story and not mind getting weird looks from strangers since you’ll be chuckling to yourself every few seconds. I loved this book and it’s one of the few I can see myself re-reading later on.
Archives for October 2010
Double Take, Dead Flower Style
With thanks to one of our loyal readers, Terry, comes this double take. They aren’t exactly the same, but the are of the same theme.
You Are Not Here by Samantha Schutz
Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess
But wait! In addition to the dead flowers, we have a nice collection of pretty sad looking flowers, too:
I think I like the single dead flower the most. Maybe it works with the title a little bit more for me. I also feel like I’ve seen this theme worked through a few other covers. In a world of a million black covers, I’m not sure how much it stands out.
Can you think of any others?
Secondhand Charm by Julie Berry
I’m not usually a reader of much fantasy, and in my reading years, I’ve definitely neglected the fairy tale sorts of fantasy. They don’t really appeal to me. However, I know that there are a number of writers that teens love in this genre: Mette Ivie Harrison, Shannon Hale, Jessica Day George, and more recently, thanks to The Amaranth Enchantment, Julie Berry. Because I know this is a popular genre, I wanted to give Berry’s newest, Secondhand Charm, a shot. I’m glad I did.
Evie lives in a small, secluded village with her grandfather. She’s been blessed with the power of healing, too. She herself is rarely, if ever, sick and when a poor villager or visitor falls ill, she is able to nurse them quite quickly back to health. Oh, and the stonemason’s son has taken quite a shine to her, even if she hasn’t noticed. Evie wants to do a little more in her life, especially since she has a bit of a natural talent, but living in such a remote village won’t permit her to do so easily.
That is, until the big announcement that the King is coming to their village’s festival. When the townspeople scramble to put together the festival and the king arrives, Evie’s intellect and skills catch his attention when one of his footmen becomes ill. Her offers her the chance of a lifetime by extending her the money and admission to the University. The only catch, of course, is she must get there.
While at the festival herself, Evie purchases three charms from a gypsy, and those charms might be just the things that help or hinder her trip to the University. Is Evie the possessor of serpentine powers that she’s never known about? Could this unravel truths about why her mother is gone or help her see what the stonemason’s son could offer her life?
Secondhand Charm, despite not necessarily being the genre I’m comfortable with, was an enjoyable read. I felt the world was pretty easy to fall into because it was more fairy tale than fantasy. Evie was a great character, and I rooted for her throughout the entire book. She gets into a couple of tough positions on her way to the University, but I was always on her side. It’d be tough not to like a girl who has drive and desire to be a healer and get to school. Catching the attention of the king for her intellect, rather than simply beauty, just made me like her that much more.
The mythos of the serpentine powers worked quite well, too. I did find some of these passages in the story a little clunky, which may be the result of my inexperience as a reader, rather than the author’s writing. As far as plotting, this story does it well, moving at a solid pace as Evie travels, then encounters a bit of a challenge in actually getting to the end point. Even the road blocks that come up — a ship fight, a marriage between two people who shouldn’t be wed, the discovery of a horrible scene to steal land from the king, and the whole keeping a serpent hidden under one’s clothing for protection — don’t come off too quickly or drag too long. The only challenge I did have was a bit too much “tell” when Evie learns of potential serpentine powers from Annalise. The use of the charms Evie picks up on a whim works conveniently, as readers will discover at the end of the book. I quite liked this element of the story, as I wondered to myself more than once when certain charms would show up.
Because this is a clean story, with no language issues, and because it falls into the fantasy/fairy tale genre, this is a perfectly good story to hand off to your younger readers. The book suggests the audience as 10-14 year olds, and I think that’s spot on. Older teens will appreciate it, but I think this might be a true “tween” book. There seem to be few stories of this ilk aimed at that audience (much more traditional fantasy tends to be published here). Plus, isn’t this the age that dreams like Evie and hopes to change their lot through fantasy? Fortunately, they’ll discover that it’s truly Evie who held the reins entirely, changing the course of her life with her own intelligence and strong will.
In My Mailbox (9)
Welcome again to In My Mailbox, hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. I’m also going to leave you with a list of books still needing to be nominated for this year’s Cybils award consideration (in the YA Fiction category) in hopes you get a vote in before the October 15 deadline.
For Review:
Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins (Hyperion Disney, March 2011): There’s no cover yet, so I didn’t want to show you a blank gray one. This is the sequel to Hex Hall and will be my huge treat after Cybils.
From the Library:
Take a deep breath — this is a long list, thanks to the Cybils!
When I was Joe by Karen David: Looks like an edgy title about lies and deceit. I hadn’t heard of it before I saw it come into work a few weeks ago.
A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley: An Australian title that involves music, I believe. I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while.
The Freak Observer by Blythe Woolston: I read this one this week, and there will be a review up soon!
Losing Faith by Denise Jaden: A 2010 debut title about secrets and the death of a sister. It sounds a little bit like a few other books I’ve read (the dead sibling part) and the mystery part reminds me of a Ellen Hopkins’s Identical.
Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots by Abby McDonald: I liked McDonald’s first title, Sophomore Switch, and I am looking forward to the environmentally-vested title.
Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick: Jackie tells me this one is a treat, so I’m excited!
The Kid Table by Andrea Seigel: This is another 2010 debut, and its focus is on family. It’s humorous and not at the same time. I read it this past week.
Nothing by Janne Teller: This European translation is an existential title with a lot of Lord of the Flies elements. It depressed the heck out of me.
So Over My Head by Jenny B. Jones: Jones’s series was super popular at my former library. I’m diving into this one without having read the first two, in fairness to the idea that books need to be judged in their individual merit, but I’m excited. It looks fun and squeaky clean.
Change of Heart by Shari Maurer: This sounds a lot like Loretta Ellsworth’s In a Heartbeat.
A Blue So Dark by Holly Schindler: Of madness and mental illness, along with an artist to spice it up.
Beautiful by Cindy Martinuson-Coloma: Another author who was wildly popular at my former library. She writes Christian fiction, but it’s less over-the-head than some of Melody Carlson.
Purchased:
Alea wanted someone to do some of the crafts in this book with her, and I jumped at the chance! Lots of cute and fun Halloween crafts here.
And as promised, here’s an updated “to be nominated for Cybils consideration in the YA Fiction category” list. You only have till the 15th to go here and do it! All you need is the 13-digit ISBN, which I’ve conveniently linked to for you.
$65 Giveaway from CSN Stores!
As some of you may know, we’ve done a couple of giveaways from CSN stores here before. This time, they’ve offered us $65 to give away – that $65 can be used at any one of their 200+ stores. They sell pretty much everything – bed sets, holiday decorations, some very nifty-looking wine racks, and of course a huge selection of bookshelves.
To view the full list of stores, visit www.csnstores.com.
To enter to win this giveaway, simply fill out the form below. We’ll randomly select a winner on October 23.
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