I'll admit, the reason that I am rewriting a post for The False Prince, by Jennifer A. Nielson, is because the first one made me die slowly and painfully inside as I reread it these many months later. It became one of those things that was always lurking on the edge of my subconscious, taunting me, reminding me of my first, fruitless attempt at writing a blog post. I think that it's safe to say that I am miles away from where I started. (At least, I hope I am.) And so, I came to the conclusion that, since I have made such progress, it was high time that I wrote a post that would do that book justice.
This book captivated me from the moment I read the first three lines:
"If I had to do it all over again, I would not have chosen this life. Then again, I'm not sure I ever had a choice.
These were my thoughts as I raced away from the market, with a stolen roast tucked under my arm."
Now, you can't tell me that this doesn't in the least bit intrigue you. I had been trying to get my twelve-year old sister to read this book for months without success (mainly because she is stubborn as a mule and doesn't like to be proved wrong). Finally, I persuaded her to read the first few lines. She then proceeded to read the entire trilogy. Funny how that works.
Told from the perspective of orphan and trouble-maker, Sage, Nielson takes us on a journey of murder, betrayal, and hidden agendas. Sage is swept up into this world, and whereas before his only concern was whether he was going to live to see the next day, he now has to decipher Nobleman Conner's treacherous plan, which at best is lunacy, and at the least, treason. I could go on and on about the summary of the plot, but I think that GoodReads says it best:
"The False Prince is the thrilling first book in a brand-new trilogy filled with danger and deceit and hidden identities that will have readers rushing breathlessly to the end... An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and actions, lies and deadly truths will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats."
I couldn't have said it better myself. Although, it may just be that my favorite aspect of this book is it's characters. The main character Sage is never afraid to speak his mind, and hearing the story told from his perspective is refreshing and humorous.
With summer creeping up on us, I hope that you will go to the library to stock up on books, and that you check out The False Prince. I believe that my goal to write a better blog post has been achieved (it would be kind of hard to get worse than that first one) and I think that this book has now been sufficiently justified.
Have a great summer, and happy reading!
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Fairest
Fairest, by Gail Carson Levine, takes place in a fairy-tale land with insensible fairies, self-centered queens, and blood-thirsty ogres. The main character and protagonist, Aza, has only one wish: To be beautiful. She has grown up working at her family's inn, dealing with rude guests and bearing their hateful words. But when the duchess pays a visit to their inn and invites Aza to accompany her to the castle, Aza fantasizes that this could be a new start for her. In the castle, where vanity is ubiquitous and the kingdom is falling into disarray, Aza may be the only one that can stop the tyrannical queen from destroying all that is dear to her. In this tale of lust, grief, mischief, courage, and yes, love, the only forgone conclusion is that nothing will ever be the same.
Whoa. Hold on a second. What did I just write? When was the last time you heard anyone say the "forgone conclusion"? You know, instead of deleting that, as I normally would, I'm just going to go with it.
Okay, where was I? Right-- evil queen, big words, etc., etc. We've heard it all before... Right?
Wrong.
How many fairy-tales have you read where the main character isn't a fair damsel, but an ugly maid? That's what I love about this book. It tells you that you don't need to be the spitting image of Aphrodite to have a happily ever after. And sometimes, I think that we need a reminder of that.
The kingdom of Ayortha, where Fairest takes place, is a kingdom of song. People are frequently moved to song, and Aza is no exception. One of the ditties she sang repeats the phrase, "Who judges the judge who judges wrong?" Although not the main focus of this story, this phrase was one of the most thought-provoking in the book. For truly, who judges the judge who judges wrong?
Whoa. Hold on a second. What did I just write? When was the last time you heard anyone say the "forgone conclusion"? You know, instead of deleting that, as I normally would, I'm just going to go with it.
Okay, where was I? Right-- evil queen, big words, etc., etc. We've heard it all before... Right?
Wrong.
How many fairy-tales have you read where the main character isn't a fair damsel, but an ugly maid? That's what I love about this book. It tells you that you don't need to be the spitting image of Aphrodite to have a happily ever after. And sometimes, I think that we need a reminder of that.
The kingdom of Ayortha, where Fairest takes place, is a kingdom of song. People are frequently moved to song, and Aza is no exception. One of the ditties she sang repeats the phrase, "Who judges the judge who judges wrong?" Although not the main focus of this story, this phrase was one of the most thought-provoking in the book. For truly, who judges the judge who judges wrong?
The Dante Club
Have you ever started a book, read a few chapters, decided that you didn't like it, and moved on? I have never done that before-- and I am ashamed to say that I almost broke this streak. Almost. You see, the second book that I got from the library (and yes, this was a few weeks ago for those who read my last blog post) started off painfully slowly. So slowly, in fact, that I seriously considered abandoning it. The plot took forever to develop, even though someone was murdered within the first five pages of the book, characters kept getting muddled together, and I frequently had to reread pages to figure out what in the world was going on.
The title of this book is The Dante Club, written by debut author Matthew Pearl. A historical fantasy set in mid 19nth century Boston, this book revolves around the Italian poet Dante and his work, The Divine Comedy. After several prominent members of society are inhumanely murdered, the members of this club must work together to find and stop the killer. The four members-- two poets, a publisher, and a doctor-- try and stay one step ahead of the police as they use their knowledge of Dante to find a connection between the murders.
You wouldn't think that a book filled to the brim with murder, lies, and betrayals would be so boring-- but it was. At least, the beginning was.
I decided to stick with the book. There was something about it that kept me hooked, some part of my subconscious dying to know the end. I was caught. So I didn't abandon it, as most people probably would have.
My reaction? Wow. What else can I say? There is a depth to this book that you don't find in many books nowadays. Although there is a great host of characters, which in the beginning, can be quite overwhelming for a reader, they each had their own thoughts, actions, and motives. There were no "cookie-cutter" characters. The integration of Dante's Comedy was well-executed, as well as historical accuracy of the events. There was in fact a Dante Club, dedicated to translating the Comedy from Italian to English.
In The Dante Club, the characters use a lot of florid language and metaphors to express ideas. They are, after all, poets themselves. One such quote that struck me was, " 'Till America has learned to love literature not as an amusement, not as a mere doggerel to memorize in a college room, but for its humanizing and ennobling energy, my dear reverend president, she will not have succeeded in that high sense which alone makes a nation out of a people. That which raises it from a dead name to a living power.'" Whether you agree with that statement or not, you cannot deny the eloquent way in which Matthew Pearl phrases his thoughts.
It is with regret that I end today's post. This book and I have a love-hate relationship-- I couldn't stand to beginning of the book, but I stuck with it, and slowly able to uncover the hidden jewel that this book turned out to be. I encourage you to take to the library and pick up The Dante Club.
Have a great week, and happy reading!
The title of this book is The Dante Club, written by debut author Matthew Pearl. A historical fantasy set in mid 19nth century Boston, this book revolves around the Italian poet Dante and his work, The Divine Comedy. After several prominent members of society are inhumanely murdered, the members of this club must work together to find and stop the killer. The four members-- two poets, a publisher, and a doctor-- try and stay one step ahead of the police as they use their knowledge of Dante to find a connection between the murders.
You wouldn't think that a book filled to the brim with murder, lies, and betrayals would be so boring-- but it was. At least, the beginning was.
I decided to stick with the book. There was something about it that kept me hooked, some part of my subconscious dying to know the end. I was caught. So I didn't abandon it, as most people probably would have.
My reaction? Wow. What else can I say? There is a depth to this book that you don't find in many books nowadays. Although there is a great host of characters, which in the beginning, can be quite overwhelming for a reader, they each had their own thoughts, actions, and motives. There were no "cookie-cutter" characters. The integration of Dante's Comedy was well-executed, as well as historical accuracy of the events. There was in fact a Dante Club, dedicated to translating the Comedy from Italian to English.
In The Dante Club, the characters use a lot of florid language and metaphors to express ideas. They are, after all, poets themselves. One such quote that struck me was, " 'Till America has learned to love literature not as an amusement, not as a mere doggerel to memorize in a college room, but for its humanizing and ennobling energy, my dear reverend president, she will not have succeeded in that high sense which alone makes a nation out of a people. That which raises it from a dead name to a living power.'" Whether you agree with that statement or not, you cannot deny the eloquent way in which Matthew Pearl phrases his thoughts.
It is with regret that I end today's post. This book and I have a love-hate relationship-- I couldn't stand to beginning of the book, but I stuck with it, and slowly able to uncover the hidden jewel that this book turned out to be. I encourage you to take to the library and pick up The Dante Club.
Have a great week, and happy reading!
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
The Enchanter Heir (and an apology)
Looking back through my blog posts the other day, I couldn't help but cringe as I read through some of my earlier attempts. I never claimed to be an outstanding blogger-- my sister can provide testimony to that statement-- but I hoped to at least write something that wouldn't cause my reader's to tragically die from horrible craftsmanship. (I am pleased to inform you that there have been no fatalities-- yet.) This week, I have come to the pain-staking conclusion that I am going to have to actually try. (Don't ask me how long it took to get to this moment. All I will say is that it took several late nights, more than a few Mountain Dews, and countless hours staring at a blank computor screen.) So for all of you out there who have not yet read any of my other posts, and am still reading this because I have not made any mention of the fact that this is a book blog up til this point, I will thank you if you do not read my other blog posts. (Of course, now that I said that, you will of course have to go and read my other posts. I apologize in advance.)
However, even if I may not be able to write a great post, I love to read the books that I blog about. I have a problem, though, finding these books, mainly because I have not been to the Mason Public Library in ages. (The reason I specifically name this library, and not one of the libraries inside of the Mason schools, is because I haven't checked out a book from a school library since 3rd grade, a fact that I am actually quite proud of.) Now, this may not be a large problem on it's own, but the real problem is that I tear through books. I've read every book on my bookshelf at least three times, and I have most of them practically memorized cover to cover. This, combined with the fact that I need to go to the library, results in me rereading books and being bored out of my mind, all so I can have something to blog about. So, over the long weekend, I was inspired by the warm weather to get out my bike and take a short trip to the Mason Public Library. (Oh, yes, I also live within 5 minutes of the library... Don't ask why I don't go there more often. I don't have a good answer to that.) Approximately half an hour later, I walked out of the library with a bag full of new books to read.
Actually, I only had two books and it took me a lot longer than half an hour. Let me tell you another problem I have: I'm a picky reader. I'm sure that you've heard of picky eaters, right? Well, this is the same concept, only with books. If I read the back of the book and the inside flap and I don't like it, I don't read it. This drives my mom up the wall, but I can't help it.
Miraculously, I found the two books in record time. The rest of my library trip was spent staring at the wall of books, aimlessly taking books off the shelf and putting them back. One of the books that I did get, and the one that I am going to blog about, was titled The Enchanter Heir. This is actually the fourth book in a series that I really enjoy called The Heir Chronicles that begins with The Warrior Heir, and if you don't want to be hopelessly confused, I would highly recommend reading the three previous books before reading The Enchanter Heir. However, if you are bound determined to start with the fourth book, go ahead. Just don't say I didn't warn you.
Anyways, I will provide a brief background to minimize the confusion of trying to explain what this book is about. To start, the story takes place in the modern day world, only it is a fantasy, so there is magic. (Yay!) The world is divided into the weir (magical people) and anaweir (nonmagical people who don't know that magic exists). The weir are further divided into five different guilds: Wizard, sorcerer, warrior, enchanter, and seer. (I'm sorry if this feels like I'm spewing a lot of random words at you, but it's difficult for me to get other people to understand what a book is about, and if anyone has any suggestions or feedback, I would love to hear it.) Wizards are the most powerful, because they use spoken charms, and they control the "underguilds" (anyone who is not a wizard). The first three books are mostly about the underguilds rebelling against the tyrannical rule of the wizards. They succeed (no surprises there) and form a new interguild council. Surprisingly, the main setting of this series is in Ohio, which I think is kind of cool.
Now that I have given you the bare basics of this series, I can finally start to talk about my new book, The Enchanter Heir. (If you haven't figured out by now, the titles are based off of the different guilds-- Warrior Heir, Wizard Heir, Enchanter Heir... you get the idea. This isn't really terribly important to the story, I just thought I'd point that out.) The main characters are an enchanter (I guess the title is kind of important) named Jonah Kinlock and a girl of unknown powers, Emma Claire Greenwood, whose only passion is making music. The two are brought together when Emma finds her grandfather dead in their Memphis home, clutching a note that she may be in danger. Emma travels to Ohio where she is thrown into a world of magic, murder, and mysteries. The tenuous peace between the wizards and the underguilds is in danger of being shattered, and Emma and Jonah are fighting to keep the peace and return order before more people are killed.
This was a really good book, even though I talked about it in brief here, and I do hope that this post is the first of many on my path to redemption. Below this paragraph I will put the cover of The Enchanted Heir, as well as the covers of the previous books (just because they look so cool).
However, even if I may not be able to write a great post, I love to read the books that I blog about. I have a problem, though, finding these books, mainly because I have not been to the Mason Public Library in ages. (The reason I specifically name this library, and not one of the libraries inside of the Mason schools, is because I haven't checked out a book from a school library since 3rd grade, a fact that I am actually quite proud of.) Now, this may not be a large problem on it's own, but the real problem is that I tear through books. I've read every book on my bookshelf at least three times, and I have most of them practically memorized cover to cover. This, combined with the fact that I need to go to the library, results in me rereading books and being bored out of my mind, all so I can have something to blog about. So, over the long weekend, I was inspired by the warm weather to get out my bike and take a short trip to the Mason Public Library. (Oh, yes, I also live within 5 minutes of the library... Don't ask why I don't go there more often. I don't have a good answer to that.) Approximately half an hour later, I walked out of the library with a bag full of new books to read.
Actually, I only had two books and it took me a lot longer than half an hour. Let me tell you another problem I have: I'm a picky reader. I'm sure that you've heard of picky eaters, right? Well, this is the same concept, only with books. If I read the back of the book and the inside flap and I don't like it, I don't read it. This drives my mom up the wall, but I can't help it.
Miraculously, I found the two books in record time. The rest of my library trip was spent staring at the wall of books, aimlessly taking books off the shelf and putting them back. One of the books that I did get, and the one that I am going to blog about, was titled The Enchanter Heir. This is actually the fourth book in a series that I really enjoy called The Heir Chronicles that begins with The Warrior Heir, and if you don't want to be hopelessly confused, I would highly recommend reading the three previous books before reading The Enchanter Heir. However, if you are bound determined to start with the fourth book, go ahead. Just don't say I didn't warn you.
Anyways, I will provide a brief background to minimize the confusion of trying to explain what this book is about. To start, the story takes place in the modern day world, only it is a fantasy, so there is magic. (Yay!) The world is divided into the weir (magical people) and anaweir (nonmagical people who don't know that magic exists). The weir are further divided into five different guilds: Wizard, sorcerer, warrior, enchanter, and seer. (I'm sorry if this feels like I'm spewing a lot of random words at you, but it's difficult for me to get other people to understand what a book is about, and if anyone has any suggestions or feedback, I would love to hear it.) Wizards are the most powerful, because they use spoken charms, and they control the "underguilds" (anyone who is not a wizard). The first three books are mostly about the underguilds rebelling against the tyrannical rule of the wizards. They succeed (no surprises there) and form a new interguild council. Surprisingly, the main setting of this series is in Ohio, which I think is kind of cool.
Now that I have given you the bare basics of this series, I can finally start to talk about my new book, The Enchanter Heir. (If you haven't figured out by now, the titles are based off of the different guilds-- Warrior Heir, Wizard Heir, Enchanter Heir... you get the idea. This isn't really terribly important to the story, I just thought I'd point that out.) The main characters are an enchanter (I guess the title is kind of important) named Jonah Kinlock and a girl of unknown powers, Emma Claire Greenwood, whose only passion is making music. The two are brought together when Emma finds her grandfather dead in their Memphis home, clutching a note that she may be in danger. Emma travels to Ohio where she is thrown into a world of magic, murder, and mysteries. The tenuous peace between the wizards and the underguilds is in danger of being shattered, and Emma and Jonah are fighting to keep the peace and return order before more people are killed.
This was a really good book, even though I talked about it in brief here, and I do hope that this post is the first of many on my path to redemption. Below this paragraph I will put the cover of The Enchanted Heir, as well as the covers of the previous books (just because they look so cool).
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