STACKED

books

The Iron King GIVEAWAY

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Summer’s here, and now that you’ll have some more time to read, why not check out a title that has gotten some crazy good press in the blogosphere?

Here’s your chance to win ONE SIGNED COPY of Julie Kagawa’s The Iron King.

If you haven’t seen the reviews around, check out the book’s website to read a few sample chapters. Kagawa’s second book in the series, The Iron Daughter, will be released August 1, and there is access to an exclusive ebook companion on that site, as well.

All you need to do to enter is fill out the form below. Everyone will get one entry, and it is open to US RESIDENTS ONLY. Winner will be selected JUNE 18.

Keep your eyes right here on STACKED for a review before the end of this contest. In the mean time, you should sneak a peak at the trailer:

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce redeux!

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You read Kim’s review yesterday of Pearce’s forthcoming Sisters Red and I wanted to offer my take on this one.

The premise is enticing — a retelling of the classic “Little Red Riding Hood” set in modern times, where the main characters are fighters of the Fenris, or the wolves who haunt and torment (primarily) younger, innocent, and naive girls. Scarlett and Rosie’s grandmother had been killed by one, and they made it their mission to kill them and save the lives of countless others. It also helps they have a suave guy in Silas, a neighbor whose family was also haunted by the Fenris, to help them take with the takedowns. And what would a good story like this be without a little romance (Silas and Rosie) and a little twist in the plot where one of the characters you think is good is actually bad? It’s no surprising plot twist if you’ve read even one paranormal/fairy tale retelling in your life.

Sisters Red stood out to me for its strong writing and well developed back story. However, for all of the world building in the first half of the book, I felt the story began to fall apart right around when we find out one of the people we liked is actually, maybe evil. It felt like a convenient way to segway into an ending for the story, when the author could have taken this as an opportunity to go in an entirely new direction. I felt what made sense in the first half of the book for this world fell into sinews in the second half — the story of why the Fenris exist never made sense to me in a logical way. That is, it was never once apparant how the heck Scarlett could have figured out the puzzle. She spent a lot of time researching but never once giving readers any insight into what she was learning, and the final conclusion came out of left field. I wasn’t with the story from here on out since this piece was not as logically developed as it should have been. Perhaps this has to do with my lack of being family with the original fairy tale (see below!).

Character development was strong, though I found Scarlett to be overbearing and Rosie herself to be far too weak. Time and time again she let Scarlett walk all over her, and Scarlett simply used the excuse that she saved Rosie’s life. I wanted Rosie to come more into herself and stand up to her sister. Silas was well done, though at times he felt more like a convenience to the plot, rather than a central character.

Sisters Red will have wide appeal, and I think that this will be the story that propels Pearce into the spotlight as a YA author. It’s delightfully urban, but it’s relatable, too. There’s love and romance, strong family relationships, and the fairy tale elements. As a reader, I didn’t pick up enough of the “Little Red Riding Hood” back story, but that made me realize that perhaps I do not know the real Grimm’s tale. So, guess what this book is making me want to do? It’s always a plus when a book urges you to read more. And I think anyone who pursues the original tale might come back to this story and see a lot more here.

Although Pearce’s story falls into a lot of the tropes other paranormal stories do, the fairy tale elements make it stand apart. There’s a little more working here. Serious fantasy fans may not be impressed, but this isn’t written for that audience. It, to me, felt like a bridge book for those interested in trying something new and different without losing some element of books they typically enjoy.

Sisters Red will be out in June. I’m a little bummed to report this will be a series (seriously?) BUT this one definitely would stand alone without any issues.

* Copy provided so kindly by the publisher.

Sisters Red, by Jackson Pearce

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I loved the concept for this book: Rosie and Scarlet March are sisters who use their “Little Red Riding Hood” appearance to lure werewolves to their deaths. The sisters are hardcore werewolf hunters, initiated into the hunt by their memory of a terrible werewolf attack on their grandmother (of course) from when they were little girls – an attack which left Scarlet horribly scarred.

I love a good fairy tale re-telling, especially when it features a pair of ass-kicking females who turn the traditional fairy tale on its head. Sisters Red, published June 7 by Little, Brown, has a lot to like: an excellent cover (very different from your normal teen fare nowadays!), plenty of action, romance, good versus evil, and a compelling sister relationship (the strongest aspect of the book). Still, it left me underwhelmed. Nothing about the book really surprised me – the romance progressed as I expected it to, the tension between the sisters developed as I knew it would, and the “twist” at the end was so predictable I knew it almost from page one. Because of the predictability, I had a hard time staying engrossed.

Additionally, I expected something heavier from Sisters Red. After all, it’s a book about two teenage girls, one disfigured, both jaded, who kill werewolves every single night. So much of the book felt fluffier than the content promised. I felt like Pearce was aiming for a moody, dark, intense thriller but didn’t quite succeed.

The book’s Amazon page has rave reviews from names like Melissa Marr and Carrie Ryan, and it’s garnered a starred review from at least one major review source. I just wasn’t wowed. There are so many better books in this genre (Donna Jo Napoli and Shannon Hale really set the bar high). Sisters Red does fill a small niche within this subgenre: it’s a modern, urban re-telling, and would speak strongly to today’s teens.

If you like the genre, you may want to check out this one, and if you’re a fan of the book, you have two companion novels by Pearce to look forward to in the near future: Sweetly, a modernization of Hansel and Gretel, and Fathomless, a modernization of The Little Mermaid.

Bonus: There’s a trailer for Sisters Red on Pearce’s blog/website.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly

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I’ve read a number of books that deal with mental disabilities, and while I can’t say any have felt inauthentic per se, I haven’t read one that has made the character a completely normal person. But I am excited to say I found that experience no longer true after reading Tara Kelly’s debut Harmonic Feedback.

Drea and her mother move from California to the Seattle suburbs after her mother can no longer afford to support them both. They’re moving in with her mother’s mom, who has agreed to take them in — for a while, at least. Drea’s mom is not the most stable as we discover, but she’s not central to the plot. Drea is.

Drea is ADHD and has Asperger’s disease, but those challenges aren’t what will hold her back from trying to make friends at her new school. As soon as she steps foot at her grandmother’s, she is greated by Naomi, the neighbor who happens to her age, and she is immediately making a friendship. This helps get her settled into school just a little easier, even though Naomi has a list of issues herself. She’s a little too into drugs for Drea’s liking.

Music and sound design are Drea’s passions, and those two things are what lead her to meeting — and falling for — Justin. Well, really, they meet the first day of school since they are both the new kids. They don’t hit it off immediately, but when they start talking music, the sparks fly. Without much time, Justin, Naomi, and Drea are mixing their own jams. But then things go south for Naomi when she spends a little too much time with the wrong guy…and the wrong drugs.

Harmonic Feedback was a fast-moving and well-written book that portrayed Drea is a completely normal light. Although she mentions a few times that she has a couple of mental challenges, the book is not dominated by THE ISSUE. Drea wants to keep it under wraps from her new friends and the potential boyfriend, and when eventually the diagnoses come out, it’s refreshing to see that no one makes it a big deal. They make Drea different, but that is neither a good thing or a bad thing. It just is.

Drugs, sex, and rough language abound in the book, but I didn’t think they were too distracting. In fact, I thought that Tara Kelly provided one of the most convincing portrayals of real teenagers I’ve read in a long time. I didn’t feel they were forced or set up to provide essential issues. The obsession with music in the teens’ lives were well developed and weaved into the fibers of the characters, and I think readers will connect with someone here quite easily. Likewise, it was a relief that Drea’s mother wasn’t as deadbeat as she could have been, and it was sort of interesting to see grandmother as the powerhouse in the family. I definitely saw Drea in her grandmother.

Harmonic Feedback will appeal to teens who love music, stories about those with mental challenges, or stories about fitting in and forging new relationships. It sort of reminded me of Robin Benway’s Audrey, Wait, despite all of the major differences. Perhaps it’s the music element and the enjoyable writing style. Those who like realistic fiction will eat this one up. Because of how well written Drea is, I think her story will appeal to both males and females pretty easily — music is clearly a uniter.

Kelly’s debut will hit shelves in June. This was one of the top 5 of the debuts I read for the challenge . . . and the one that wrapped up my goal to read 20!

* Review copy provided by the publisher, who was so kind as to send it to me after chatting with me at PLA. Thanks!

Audiosynced: Bog Child, by Siobhan Dowd

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I loved this book. Loved loved loved it. Part of the reason I’m so very pleased by how much I loved it is because I did not expect to. I’ve been in the mood lately for fast-paced, action-filled books, and all reviews of Bog Child indicated that it would not fit the bill. But I was about to go on a road trip, and I needed something to help pass the time. My library has a rather small collection of YA audiobooks, so I didn’t have a whole lot of options. I’m so very glad I picked this one up.


Bog Child is essentially a coming of age story (I know many teens cringe at that phrase, but I still love those type of books). Fergus McCann is 18 and living on the south border of Northern Ireland during “The Troubles” in 1981. His older brother, Joe, is in prison due to his involvement with the Provisional IRA, and Joe and his fellow inmates have begun a hunger strike. While out cutting peat, Fergus and his uncle stumble upon the body of a child, preserved by the bog for almost 2000 years. The archaeologist who comes from Dublin to study the body also brings along her daughter, Cora, who provides romantic interest for Fergus. There are a number of threads in this novel weaved together with incredible skill by Dowd, the most remarkable of which is the dual stories of Fergus in 1981 and the bog child, “Mel,” in AD 80.
After reading so many technically flawed books recently, it was so wonderful to read this one. Bog Child is that rare thing: a perfectly-written book. Siobhan Dowd does not write like a rookie. Her writing is polished, beautiful, and communicates the story without a hitch. She demonstrates why writing is called both an art and a craft. The narrator was also spot-on, pronouncing each word slowly and deliberately in her wonderful Irish accent (which added greatly to my enjoyment of the story).
The book IS slow, but it needs to be. It chronicles Fergus’ maturation, and that’s not something that can be rushed. By the end of the story, Fergus has grown in believable ways. And there’s plenty of action near the end of the book to make the first parts worthwhile. Bog Child would be best for older teens who like more contemplative books, and it’s also a book I’d readily hand to an early twenty-something. Even if you don’t think you’d enjoy the book, I encourage you to give it a shot (on audio, if you can).