Tag Archives: Headstrong Girl

Taliesin by Stephen R. Lawhead (The Pendragon Cycle, Book 1)

Posted on by
1

Synopsis:
A princess of Atlantis flees to ancient England where her paths cross with a mage-in-training whose parentage is unknown.

Review:
I was drawn to Taliesin (which I desperately want to be an anagram of Atlantis, but it’s not) because it’s a retelling of the King Arthur legend with historically accurate place names and details, and with the Christianity an important, unoppressive element. Several major characters are converted to Christianity in episodes that are emotionally and spiritually powerful, but Lawhead doesn’t make that the happy ending. He understands that the Christian life is filled with drama and conflict, both inner and outer, and Lawhead doesn’t let his Christian characters have all the answers.

Where I disengaged from the book was with the character of Charis. Charis was proud, fierce, headstrong–all character qualities I normally love–but I think Lawhead romanticized her too much and made her inaccessible. All the men worshipped her but he didn’t give her any qualities that let me identify with her as a woman.

I really liked the character of Lile, the pagan wife to the king of Atlantis. She was a very nuanced character, set up to be the “evil stepmother” but proving to be both friend and enemy to Charis. I really appreciated that aspect. I’m hoping that her daughter Morgiane doesn’t end up being one-dimensional.

As for Taliesin, the bard/mage discovered in a river as a baby, I’m not sure how I feel about him. He’s certainly heroic, but like with Charis I experienced some distance from him. I think he was put on a pedestal by Lawhead and I couldn’t totally connect with his struggles.

I will definitely give the next book a try because these criticisms could just be first book issues. I’ve never read a memorable King Arthur telling so I’m keen to see this one through.

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn, Book 3)

Posted on by
Reply

Synopsis:
With the power of Ruin unleashed and the power of Preservation nowhere in sight, fearless allomancer Vin and the remains of her thieving crew are the ones who must save the world.

Review:
While I have been continually disappointed by the cardboard characters and flat dialogue in the Mistborn trilogy, I was thoroughly satisfied by the mindblowing revelations in the final book, The Hero of Ages. The action is incredible, the world-building up to the highest standards, and there’s even some fascinating theological angles. The introduction of a new kind of magic adds a horror element that I really dug. I’m really glad I stuck with this series!

Posted in American Literature | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a reply

Arena by Karen Hancock

Posted on by
Reply

Synopsis:
After signing up for a psychology experiment, a young woman finds herself in a dangerous “arena” where she may lose her life trying to find her way out.

Review:
Arena is an allegory for the Christian walk of faith, something I knew when I bought the book but then forgot until about halfway through. I think that’s a pretty good sign that the book mostly escapes being on-the-nose and heavy handed in its plot execution and character development.

Callie is an ordinary girl who wants more from life but doesn’t know how to get it. Her best friend signs them both up for a psychology experiment where they’re told they will have their decision making abilities tested. Callie is then dropped unceremoniously into a harsh, dangerous, deserted landscape with nothing but a backpack filled with strange objects and an instruction manual she can’t comprehend. Told to stay on the white path, Callie falls off and finds herself menaced by a frightening monster. She’s rescued by Pierce, a handsomely grizzled man who says he’s been in the Arena for five years and doesn’t think there’s any way out. He warns her of the many dangers in the Arena and takes her to meet his band of allies. As Callie and her new friends/enemies make their way through the Arena, they are tested, threatened, and challenged beyond all imagining.

What surprised me about Arena was that it was not afraid to get dark, much darker than Christian fiction usually does. I really appreciated that. The risks all felt real and dangerous and I did question whether the characters would make it out of the Arena. The second half got a little didactic but I still felt that the author pushed the envelope in a surprising way.

Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She’s Dead by Christiana Miller

Posted on by
Reply

Synopsis:
A down-on-her-luck Los Angeles witch comes into an unexpected inheritance, a house with a previous tenant who just won’t leave… even after death.

Review:
Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She’s Dead was a tremendous amount of fun to read. Christiana Miller‘s background in the TV industry shows in her confident, imaginative plotting and idiosyncratic characters that leap off the page with the power of their intention within the story.

The book is steeped in real witchcraft, of the Los Angeles Wiccan variety, and while the spells are beautiful to read, I did get weirded out by all the anti-Christian stuff in there. If the book weren’t so well written I probably would have stopped reading after the beginning, but I just had to find out what happened to Mara. Miller takes the story to crazytown–and I mean that as a good thing! She’s completely unafraid of embracing all the possibilities of her premise, and I was truly impressed by the end result.

Posted in American Literature | Tagged , , , , | Leave a reply

Cold Light by Jenn Ashworth

Posted on by
Reply

Synopsis:
When a body is uncovered near a memorial site for a dead teen, her former best friend reflects on the events of a decade ago that culminated in tragedy.

Review:
Cold Light was tremendously depressing. Lola, the narrator was mopey, passive, and largely unappealing. Her best friend Chloe is described as having a charisma that draws people to her, but she just seemed angry and petulant to me. I think that was the point, though, and that I’m just in a place where these kinds of stories no longer appeal to me. I used to love films and books like Morvern Callar and the like, but I just need more of a range of emotions in the stories I love now. I found no joy in this book and that kept me from appreciating the story.

Posted in British Literature | Tagged , , , , | Leave a reply

Mad Ship by Robin Hobb (The Liveship Traders, Book 2)

Posted on by
Reply

Synopsis:
With the Vestrit family’s Liveship captured by the pirate Kennit and the family falling into poverty, headstrong Althea Vestrit plans a daring plot to regain her ship, even as her niece Malta becomes the family’s ransom to the shadowy, deformed Rain Wild Traders.

Review:
I know, I know, the plots of second books always sound so silly. You need to know who everybody is in order to appreciate Mad Ship, and if you’ve read the first book I’m sure i don’t need to convince you to read this one.

I enjoyed revisiting Bingtown and the Rain Wilds, not just because this is the second book but because it’s also my second read. Robin Hobb really created something special in this series and I’m glad she’s chosen to continue it with books beyond this trilogy.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

Posted on by
2

Synopsis:
A bereft Australian woman travels to Cornwall to uncover the mystery behind her grandmother’s mysterious appearance on a dock in Maryborough at the age of 4, her identity completely unknown.

Review:
While I had some minor quibbles with some of the stock characterizations in The Forgotten Garden, on the whole I was absolutely riveted by the storytelling. Morton expertly weaves together the stories of three women: Cassandra, a contemporary Australian woman who has received an unusual bequest from her grandmother Nell; that of Nell, who learns at age 21 that in 1913 she was discovered a pier, having arrived on a ship from England with no identity to speak of; and Eliza Makepeace, a writer who crafted a book of fairy tales while living in a cottage in Cornwall at the beginning of the 20th century. She also includes three of Eliza’s stories, which are hypnotic and absolutely convincing. And in Eliza’s story, we also get the points of view of several other characters.

It’s quite a masterpiece of jigsaw puzzle storytelling, because while the reader is privy to information that Nell and Cassandra are not, the conclusions that Cassandra and Nell draw from the information on hand are plausible and convincing. The mystery is truly engaging–even though figured it out about halfway through, I was sufficiently enthralled to want to carry on.

And, oh–how badly do I want to live in a windswept cottage on the Cornish coast–complete with maze and hidden garden! All I would need is a big storm and I’d be as happy as I can be.

Posted in Australian Literature | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Replies

Another Pan by Daniel and Dina Nayeri

Posted on by
Reply

Synopsis:
When Peter Pan and his Lost Boys descend on a chic Manhattan boarding school, a brother and sister become embroiled in his plan to reclaim 5 ancient mummies who hold the secret to eternal life.

Review:
In the interest of full disclosure, I sometimes work with Daniel Nayeri, and have even had him and his lovely wife over to my house for dinner. So please don’t expect anything resembling objectivity. I’m a big fan of Daniel and his sister Dina’s unique brand of classic retellings, and I’d love for everyone to buy Another Pan.

Another Pan is an intriguing mash up of Peter Pan and ancient Egyptian mythology, all set in a deliciously snooty boarding school. It’s not as tidy as some other YA retellings I’ve read, and I like that about it. The Nayeri siblings are ambitious storytellers with a high regard for the intelligence of their readers. They’re also damn good writers. (Yes, I’m a bit jealous.)

Many thanks to Candlewick for the review copy.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Posted on by
2

Synopsis:
Now in the hands of rebel forces, Katniss Everdeen becomes the symbol for the battle against the Capitol, even as the human toll of her actions in the arena and out begins to break her sanity.

Review:
First reads of final books are always tough to evaluate, because desperation to have story questions answered (Team Gale/Team Peeta) make it hard to slow down and enjoy the ride. Mockingjay is much more action-y than the previous two books, and the pacing is fast fast fast.

Suzanne Collins’s storytelling is ambitious, both in the plotting and in her characterizations. She goes deep and wide in just about everything, and that’s what saves Katniss from becoming an insufferable figurehead. Though Katniss has achieved fame and adulation in the districts, her internal struggles (which are about much, much more than her love life) dominate the narrative and make her a highly sympathetic character. Collins makes her self-awareness utterly believable, and takes her through a startlingly complex emotional journey.

Like the rest of the world, I love these books and will enjoy sharing them with the girls when they are older. The series is all over Amazon’s bestseller lists. I checked out the list for Bestsellers in YA Science Fiction and the books in the series occupy slots 1-6, 9, and 10. One of those vampire books is in slot number 8, but slot number 7 is taken by a book called Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, who wrote City of Bones, a book I liked but not well enough to keep going in the series. I think I’ll put this one on my library request list.

Posted in American Literature | Tagged , , , , | 2 Replies

City of Veils by Zoë Ferraris

Posted on by
Reply

Synopsis:
A murder mystery set in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, featuring a veiled police officer, an American woman whose husband has gone missing, and the secret history of the Koran.

Review:
Not impressed by City of Veils, which aims to be a Da Vinci Code for Islam. Conspiracies, coincidences, and religious stereotyping combined with a lackluster plot just didn’t work for me at all.

Many thanks to Little, Brown for the review copy.

Posted in American Literature | Tagged , , , | Leave a reply