Last night, I read my second YA mermaid book in less than a month. Apparently, this is the hot new trend in YA paranormal fiction. The good news is that most authors seem to be using different mermaid myths to create their worlds. The bad news is that they just haven't been all that compelling.
Last night, it was 'Siren's Storm' by Lisa Papademetriou. There was a lot I liked about this book. I liked the hero and heroine and really admired the way their relationship was portrayed. They were friends, but the heroine wanted more, which the reader didn't really find out until the very end. There was a lot of use of the story of Odysseus and sailors' lore that really helped to explain how different mermaid tales could have all stemmed from a misunderstanding of the truth. But, the problem was that there was too much going on for a book that was less than 300 pages long. There were strained parent-child relationships, mysterious deaths, a seemingly crazy teenager, a mysterious newcomer, past tragedies, a sea captain's journal...and, well, the whole was not greater than the sum of its parts. Nothing ever really got resolved and the reader was left with a lot of questions at the end. If you want to throw every idea you have into one book, that's fine, but you need to make sure you have the page count to make sure every element is given its due. There was a lot of promise here and a lot of admirable bits, but the whole just didn't quite come together as well as it might.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Kids Book Authors Writing for Adults
It seems to happen a lot the other way around: successful adult authors decide to break in to the kids market. For some, it's successful (Rick Riordan, James Patterson, Carl Hiaasen), for others, less so. But, an author moving from a successful career as a writer for younger readers to writing books for an adult audience seems to happen less frequently. And, okay, one of the two authors in this post was writing for adults and kids pretty much simultaneously, but is far better known for her YA series than for her (underappreciated, IMHO) adult novels.
Eoin Colfer sorta kinda broke into the adult market when he penned 'And Another Thing' the final(?) volume in Douglas Adams's "Hitchhiker's" trilogy. For his first completely original foray into books for grown people, he's gone off in a completely different direction and penned a comic crime novel set in New Jersey. He's titled it 'Plugged', which is one of those titles with multiple meanings that somehow avoids being overly clever and crossing the line into groan-inducing. This is definitely not kid-appropriate fare, being filled with the sex, violence, and salty language that is necessary to make a book like this work. It's less than three hundred pages long and I praise both Mr. Colfer and his editor for not feeling the need to pad it out a bit and make it longer. The plot was ridiculous, as these things usually are, but this is the kind of entertaining read that is at its best when the reader doesn't think too much about it, but just goes along for the ride.
I first discovered Richelle Mead through her Georgina Kincaid novels, but she is best known for her "Vampire Academy" series for young adults. I think the first Georgina novel was published before the first VA novel, but not by very much. VA ended with its sixth book earlier this year, but a spin-off series featuring some of the same characters will be debuting this fall. The sixth and final Georgina novel comes out in September, and, even though I'm only in the middle of reading for August, when the galley arrived in the mail yesterday, I knew I had to read it immediately. My plan was to read half and then go to bed. Instead, I stayed up until after midnight because I just had to know how things worked out. It's always sad when a favorite series comes to a close, but I feel quite pleased with where Ms. Mead left Georgina and Seth and their friends and family. That said, I would love to see more books set among these characters, especially the angel Carter, who had me getting all misty-eyed several times while I was reading. I do wish this book had been longer, though, as there were certain plot points that I thought were a little rushed or not resolved as fully as I would have liked. They were secondary plot points, though, and more detail wasn't necessary to the resolution of the central story.
Now, time to get back on track with finishing up my August galleys. And maybe time for another YA.
Eoin Colfer sorta kinda broke into the adult market when he penned 'And Another Thing' the final(?) volume in Douglas Adams's "Hitchhiker's" trilogy. For his first completely original foray into books for grown people, he's gone off in a completely different direction and penned a comic crime novel set in New Jersey. He's titled it 'Plugged', which is one of those titles with multiple meanings that somehow avoids being overly clever and crossing the line into groan-inducing. This is definitely not kid-appropriate fare, being filled with the sex, violence, and salty language that is necessary to make a book like this work. It's less than three hundred pages long and I praise both Mr. Colfer and his editor for not feeling the need to pad it out a bit and make it longer. The plot was ridiculous, as these things usually are, but this is the kind of entertaining read that is at its best when the reader doesn't think too much about it, but just goes along for the ride.
I first discovered Richelle Mead through her Georgina Kincaid novels, but she is best known for her "Vampire Academy" series for young adults. I think the first Georgina novel was published before the first VA novel, but not by very much. VA ended with its sixth book earlier this year, but a spin-off series featuring some of the same characters will be debuting this fall. The sixth and final Georgina novel comes out in September, and, even though I'm only in the middle of reading for August, when the galley arrived in the mail yesterday, I knew I had to read it immediately. My plan was to read half and then go to bed. Instead, I stayed up until after midnight because I just had to know how things worked out. It's always sad when a favorite series comes to a close, but I feel quite pleased with where Ms. Mead left Georgina and Seth and their friends and family. That said, I would love to see more books set among these characters, especially the angel Carter, who had me getting all misty-eyed several times while I was reading. I do wish this book had been longer, though, as there were certain plot points that I thought were a little rushed or not resolved as fully as I would have liked. They were secondary plot points, though, and more detail wasn't necessary to the resolution of the central story.
Now, time to get back on track with finishing up my August galleys. And maybe time for another YA.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Carrie Vaughn & N.D. Wilson
Title subject to change if I come up with something a bit more clever.
I only recently read my first Kitty Norville book and it was, like, number eight in the series or something. I decided I'd give it a go because I thought Carrie Vaughn's 'Discord's Apple' was one of the best books I read last year and I also really enjoyed 'After the Golden Age'. Plus, the upcoming Kitty book is titled 'Kitty's Big Trouble' and I gotta respect anyone who references John Carpenter when coming up with a title. So, when I found myself in the mood for something entertaining and a bit lighter than my last two reads, I decided to dig in to 'Kitty's Greatest Hits', which is a collection of Vaughn's short fiction that will be published in August. Some of the stories I'd already read in various anthologies, but, unlike some short pieces, I found they held up to a second reading pretty well. Although the title would lead you to believe that these are all Kitty Norville stories, they aren't. They are, however, all set in what appears to be Kitty's world, though some are set in the historical past of that world. The last story in the collection is actually a novella that talks about Cormac's time in prison, which will be more meaningful for followers of the series than for casual readers, but the story itself stands fairly well on its own. This collection is probably a must-read for fans of the series, but would also serve quite nicely as an introduction to the world Vaughn has created for her heroine.
As soon as I'd finished the Vaughn stories, I picked up N.D. Wilson's 'Dragon's Tooth', which is the start of a new series for the author. I had loved Wilson's "100 Cupboards" trilogy and felt a little wary of this new venture. I had hopes that it would be good, but it's hard to know if a new premise and set of characters will be as interesting. Well, any fears I had were quickly laid to rest. I had only planned to read half of this book before I went to bed, but stayed up later than I planned so that I could finish the whole thing. And, at nearly 500 pages, that was no mean feat. Okay, yeah, they're 500 Middle Reader pages, but still... This book has it all: magic, supernatural creatures, a hidden world, sharks, dirigibles, a supremely creepy villain, spiders, and oh-so-much more. Though the protagonist of this volume is ostensibly Cyrus Smith, he's surrounded by a couple of awesome female characters, so this series should appeal to both boys and girls. I have to say this series is starting out even stronger than "100 Cupboards" did. I only hope it can maintain the momentum.
I only recently read my first Kitty Norville book and it was, like, number eight in the series or something. I decided I'd give it a go because I thought Carrie Vaughn's 'Discord's Apple' was one of the best books I read last year and I also really enjoyed 'After the Golden Age'. Plus, the upcoming Kitty book is titled 'Kitty's Big Trouble' and I gotta respect anyone who references John Carpenter when coming up with a title. So, when I found myself in the mood for something entertaining and a bit lighter than my last two reads, I decided to dig in to 'Kitty's Greatest Hits', which is a collection of Vaughn's short fiction that will be published in August. Some of the stories I'd already read in various anthologies, but, unlike some short pieces, I found they held up to a second reading pretty well. Although the title would lead you to believe that these are all Kitty Norville stories, they aren't. They are, however, all set in what appears to be Kitty's world, though some are set in the historical past of that world. The last story in the collection is actually a novella that talks about Cormac's time in prison, which will be more meaningful for followers of the series than for casual readers, but the story itself stands fairly well on its own. This collection is probably a must-read for fans of the series, but would also serve quite nicely as an introduction to the world Vaughn has created for her heroine.
As soon as I'd finished the Vaughn stories, I picked up N.D. Wilson's 'Dragon's Tooth', which is the start of a new series for the author. I had loved Wilson's "100 Cupboards" trilogy and felt a little wary of this new venture. I had hopes that it would be good, but it's hard to know if a new premise and set of characters will be as interesting. Well, any fears I had were quickly laid to rest. I had only planned to read half of this book before I went to bed, but stayed up later than I planned so that I could finish the whole thing. And, at nearly 500 pages, that was no mean feat. Okay, yeah, they're 500 Middle Reader pages, but still... This book has it all: magic, supernatural creatures, a hidden world, sharks, dirigibles, a supremely creepy villain, spiders, and oh-so-much more. Though the protagonist of this volume is ostensibly Cyrus Smith, he's surrounded by a couple of awesome female characters, so this series should appeal to both boys and girls. I have to say this series is starting out even stronger than "100 Cupboards" did. I only hope it can maintain the momentum.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Spies and Nazis!
Dammit! Blogger ate my post! Now I have to start all over again.
Sadly, the above-mentioned spies and Nazis are not in the same book.
I finished up Matthew Dunn's 'Spycatcher' last night and it remained a page-turner right up to the end. There was a "twist" that, for anyone who reads many thrillers, wasn't much of a "twist" at all. But, I have to give Mr. Dunn credit for being able to hold my interest for more than 400 pages. Quite an accomplishment for a debut author, especially one who used to work for MI6. I was afraid the narrative would get bogged down in tradecraft or paperwork in an attempt at keeping the novel as realistic as possible. Thankfully, that never happened. (Though there were a couple of spots where the narrative got interrupted by our protagonist's need to describe in loving detail his complete designer wardrobe. Seriously, unless the type of shoes he has on his feet are vital to the plot, I do not need to know.) This is one of the only recent thrillers I've read that, while being perfectly complete unto itself, I am hoping spawns a series, or at least a sequel.
'Death Sentence' is the third book in Alexander Gordon Smith's "Escape from Furnace" series. This is one of those series that seems to get more outrageous with each book, and I mean that in a good way. In the first volume, our hero, Alex, is sent to Furnace Penitentary, which is a privately-run, underground (literally) prison for teen boys. He and a couple of his mates stage a daring escape, only to be recaptured in the second book. The prison is guarded by huge musclemen in black suits and creepy guys in gas masks. In book two, you get some of the story of the Black Suits and the Wheezers (the gas mask dudes), but this third volume gives a lot more background (which, yes, involves Nazis) and everything just gets creepier. This is the kind of series, like James Dashner's "Maze Runner" books, that makes me wish I had a nephew who was around eleven or twelve so I could share it with him. Alas and alack, my nephew is just a baby and my niece is too much of a girl.
Sadly, the above-mentioned spies and Nazis are not in the same book.
I finished up Matthew Dunn's 'Spycatcher' last night and it remained a page-turner right up to the end. There was a "twist" that, for anyone who reads many thrillers, wasn't much of a "twist" at all. But, I have to give Mr. Dunn credit for being able to hold my interest for more than 400 pages. Quite an accomplishment for a debut author, especially one who used to work for MI6. I was afraid the narrative would get bogged down in tradecraft or paperwork in an attempt at keeping the novel as realistic as possible. Thankfully, that never happened. (Though there were a couple of spots where the narrative got interrupted by our protagonist's need to describe in loving detail his complete designer wardrobe. Seriously, unless the type of shoes he has on his feet are vital to the plot, I do not need to know.) This is one of the only recent thrillers I've read that, while being perfectly complete unto itself, I am hoping spawns a series, or at least a sequel.
'Death Sentence' is the third book in Alexander Gordon Smith's "Escape from Furnace" series. This is one of those series that seems to get more outrageous with each book, and I mean that in a good way. In the first volume, our hero, Alex, is sent to Furnace Penitentary, which is a privately-run, underground (literally) prison for teen boys. He and a couple of his mates stage a daring escape, only to be recaptured in the second book. The prison is guarded by huge musclemen in black suits and creepy guys in gas masks. In book two, you get some of the story of the Black Suits and the Wheezers (the gas mask dudes), but this third volume gives a lot more background (which, yes, involves Nazis) and everything just gets creepier. This is the kind of series, like James Dashner's "Maze Runner" books, that makes me wish I had a nephew who was around eleven or twelve so I could share it with him. Alas and alack, my nephew is just a baby and my niece is too much of a girl.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
An Average of "Average"
Two days, three books, and none of them invoking a strong response either positive or negative.
'A Catered Affair' by Sue Margolis was the bit of British chick lit I mentioned at the end of my last post. Not a bad way to spend a few hours, but not the best example of the genre, either. It was charming enough, but lacking in some things that I've come to look for in this type of book: an extended stay in the country, an eccentric animal (or herd of animals), and the heroine running about in public naked (or nearly so). Although this novel did feature possibly the best chick lit family member ever--the lesbian, stand-up comedian sister in a committed inter-racial relationship. I was super grateful that the seemingly obligatory gay sidekick was the heroine's sister and wasn't played for laughs. So, bonus points to Ms. Margolis for that.
'Wicked in Your Arms' by Sophie Jordan was a fairly standard historical romance. And, I was with it right up until near the end when, out of the blue, there was a kidnapping and a threat against the heroine's life. I would very much like to take this moment to assure every writer of historical romance that it is not necessary for there to always be some dark intrigue to keep the book interesting. It is perfectly acceptable for your hero and heroine to admit their feelings for one another without someone's life being in danger. Really. I promise. There are usually plenty of obstacles in the way of their happiness without throwing in the spurned ex-lover or the crazy cousin who's next in line to inherit or the shady character who's keeping a secret to someone's past or what have you. Unless you establish the intrigue as the reason the hero and heroine were thrown together in the first place, adding that extra bit of plot just makes it feel like you didn't know how to move the relationship forward and maybe the hero and heroine weren't meant to be together at all.
And, finally, 'Rip Tide' by Kat Falls, which is a sequel to 'Dark Life', which was one of my favorite YA debuts of last year. Unfortunately, I wasn't as jazzed about this second book. It was entertaining enough and, were I its target audience, I probably would have liked it better than the first book. However, as an adult, I was much more interested in the new political structure that was just beginning to take form at the end of 'Dark Life'. This second book, while touching on that and having a plot that was heavily influenced by the politics of Ms. Falls's created world, was almost completely action-driven. And that's perfect for the adolescent boys who are Ms. Falls's target demographic. This is clearly a case of there being nothing wrong with the book, but with my being the wrong reader, or at least approaching the book with the wrong attitude.
I'm currently in the middle of a debut spy thriller that I had a very hard time putting down so that I could go to bed. I hope it finishes as strong as it's started.
'A Catered Affair' by Sue Margolis was the bit of British chick lit I mentioned at the end of my last post. Not a bad way to spend a few hours, but not the best example of the genre, either. It was charming enough, but lacking in some things that I've come to look for in this type of book: an extended stay in the country, an eccentric animal (or herd of animals), and the heroine running about in public naked (or nearly so). Although this novel did feature possibly the best chick lit family member ever--the lesbian, stand-up comedian sister in a committed inter-racial relationship. I was super grateful that the seemingly obligatory gay sidekick was the heroine's sister and wasn't played for laughs. So, bonus points to Ms. Margolis for that.
'Wicked in Your Arms' by Sophie Jordan was a fairly standard historical romance. And, I was with it right up until near the end when, out of the blue, there was a kidnapping and a threat against the heroine's life. I would very much like to take this moment to assure every writer of historical romance that it is not necessary for there to always be some dark intrigue to keep the book interesting. It is perfectly acceptable for your hero and heroine to admit their feelings for one another without someone's life being in danger. Really. I promise. There are usually plenty of obstacles in the way of their happiness without throwing in the spurned ex-lover or the crazy cousin who's next in line to inherit or the shady character who's keeping a secret to someone's past or what have you. Unless you establish the intrigue as the reason the hero and heroine were thrown together in the first place, adding that extra bit of plot just makes it feel like you didn't know how to move the relationship forward and maybe the hero and heroine weren't meant to be together at all.
And, finally, 'Rip Tide' by Kat Falls, which is a sequel to 'Dark Life', which was one of my favorite YA debuts of last year. Unfortunately, I wasn't as jazzed about this second book. It was entertaining enough and, were I its target audience, I probably would have liked it better than the first book. However, as an adult, I was much more interested in the new political structure that was just beginning to take form at the end of 'Dark Life'. This second book, while touching on that and having a plot that was heavily influenced by the politics of Ms. Falls's created world, was almost completely action-driven. And that's perfect for the adolescent boys who are Ms. Falls's target demographic. This is clearly a case of there being nothing wrong with the book, but with my being the wrong reader, or at least approaching the book with the wrong attitude.
I'm currently in the middle of a debut spy thriller that I had a very hard time putting down so that I could go to bed. I hope it finishes as strong as it's started.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
You Know, For Kids
I said yesterday that I was on a bit of a Kids book kick. It wasn't a very long kick, but both books I finished last night were written for younger readers.
'Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes' by Jonathan Auxier is a middle grade fantasy novel that draws from classic fairy tales and Dickens alike. There's a blind orphan boy whose eyes were plucked out by ravens. He's taken in by a rather unsavory character and becomes a master thief. He meets a magician and travels to unknown lands to save a kingdom. There's a knight who was cursed by a hag and now inhabits a body that is part man, part horse, and part kitten. (Unfortunately, the kitten's greatest contribution to this melange was its diminutive size.) There aren't any great plot surprises here for anyone who is familiar with fairy tales, but the writing is full of humor and the author has provided his own illustrations to the chapter heads. Plus, it's one of those increasingly rare novels for young people that isn't blatant sequel bait. The story is complete in and of itself, though Mr. Auxier left the door open to return to Peter's world for more adventures.
'The Implosion of Aggie Winchester' by Lara Zielin was pretty much the complete opposite of 'Peter Nimble'. Written for older readers and completely lacking in anything magical, it's the story of a high school junior whose life, as the title implies, implodes. Aggie's ex-boyfriend claims he wants to get back together, but his actions seem to send a different message. Her best friend has serious troubles that she won't admit are troubles at all and may be replacing Aggie with a new best friend. Aggie's mom has major health issues. And things just get worse from there. Of course, this being teen fiction, everything pretty much works out okay in the end, but getting there is far from easy, and Aggie, in trying to "help", only succeeds in making everything worse. Though the characters and situations sometimes strained credibility, the feelings of being a high school outcast were spot-on.
Tonight, I'm curling up with a nice bit of British chick lit. I think I need something a bit less angsty than reliving high school.
'Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes' by Jonathan Auxier is a middle grade fantasy novel that draws from classic fairy tales and Dickens alike. There's a blind orphan boy whose eyes were plucked out by ravens. He's taken in by a rather unsavory character and becomes a master thief. He meets a magician and travels to unknown lands to save a kingdom. There's a knight who was cursed by a hag and now inhabits a body that is part man, part horse, and part kitten. (Unfortunately, the kitten's greatest contribution to this melange was its diminutive size.) There aren't any great plot surprises here for anyone who is familiar with fairy tales, but the writing is full of humor and the author has provided his own illustrations to the chapter heads. Plus, it's one of those increasingly rare novels for young people that isn't blatant sequel bait. The story is complete in and of itself, though Mr. Auxier left the door open to return to Peter's world for more adventures.
'The Implosion of Aggie Winchester' by Lara Zielin was pretty much the complete opposite of 'Peter Nimble'. Written for older readers and completely lacking in anything magical, it's the story of a high school junior whose life, as the title implies, implodes. Aggie's ex-boyfriend claims he wants to get back together, but his actions seem to send a different message. Her best friend has serious troubles that she won't admit are troubles at all and may be replacing Aggie with a new best friend. Aggie's mom has major health issues. And things just get worse from there. Of course, this being teen fiction, everything pretty much works out okay in the end, but getting there is far from easy, and Aggie, in trying to "help", only succeeds in making everything worse. Though the characters and situations sometimes strained credibility, the feelings of being a high school outcast were spot-on.
Tonight, I'm curling up with a nice bit of British chick lit. I think I need something a bit less angsty than reliving high school.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
D.B. Cooper Lives!
Or, okay, probably not. But, his legend sure does. 40 years after his successful (?) jump from a plane with $200,000 in cash, he still hasn't been found and none of the multitudinous possibilities have been defnitively named as the culprit. Geoffrey Grey, like so many who have gone before him, got sucked into the hunt for the elusive skyjacker. Thankfully, he was kind enough to record his descent into obsession in his forthcoming book, 'Skyjacker: The Hunt for D.B. Cooper'. It's a relatively short book, coming in at just under 300 pages, not including the author's notes, and it reads quickly. Though Grey never manages to determine once and for all who D.B. Cooper really was, his research provides more than enough entertainment. In fact, I think a final, conclusive revealing of the man behind the D.B. Cooper alias would have been a bit of a let-down. It's more fun to imagine Grey still out there unearthing clues and pestering witnesses and jumping to conclusions.
And, for something completely different, I also just finished Mary Pearson's 'The Fox Inheritance'. It's a sequel of sorts to 'The Adoration of Jenna Fox', which was published back in 2008. I'm not going to say much about 'The Fox Inheritance' because it's wise to read 'Adoration' first, and anything I say about 'Inheritance' is bound to contain spoilers for that first book. I'll just say that I loved 'Adoration' when I originally read it, and this sequel--while very, very different--is a worthy companion to that most excellent novel. Pearson has taken the world she created and built upon it in such a way that it seems plausible and identifiable. The ending of 'Inheritance' makes it fairly obvious that Pearson plans to tell more stories set in this world. I just hope she doesn't take another three years.
I'm on a bit of a Kids book kick right now. You've been warned.
And, for something completely different, I also just finished Mary Pearson's 'The Fox Inheritance'. It's a sequel of sorts to 'The Adoration of Jenna Fox', which was published back in 2008. I'm not going to say much about 'The Fox Inheritance' because it's wise to read 'Adoration' first, and anything I say about 'Inheritance' is bound to contain spoilers for that first book. I'll just say that I loved 'Adoration' when I originally read it, and this sequel--while very, very different--is a worthy companion to that most excellent novel. Pearson has taken the world she created and built upon it in such a way that it seems plausible and identifiable. The ending of 'Inheritance' makes it fairly obvious that Pearson plans to tell more stories set in this world. I just hope she doesn't take another three years.
I'm on a bit of a Kids book kick right now. You've been warned.
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