Masque of the Red Death (Bethany Griffin)

Title: Masque of the Red Death

Author: Bethany Griffin

Publisher: Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins)

Length: 319 pages

Rating: 3/5

A plague has destroyed most of the world, including Araby’s twin brother. Resolved to never experience anything her brother can’t, Araby attends glittery parties with other wealthy survivors in the hopes of finding oblivion. She finds her vow hard to keep after friending Will, the handsome proprietor of the Debauchery Club, and Elliot, a wealthy aristocrat determined to start a revolution.

I really wanted to like this book and there were several moments that I loved it. But mostly, I loved the idea but didn’t love the follow-through. This book had so much potential because it contained most the things I look for in a good book: a strong female character who is willing to take risks, handsome men vying for the lead’s attention, beautiful costumes, mystery, revolution, and it’s based on Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “The Mask of the Red Death.”

But it was just so messy. Character’s personalities weren’t clear or changed through the book, the dialogue was unbelievable, and the amount of times the author conveniently brought characters together but didn’t make the most of it was terribly frustrating. There was not enough continuity and I couldn’t get into the story like I wanted to. And then the book ended without a conclusion, only more problems- a bit like the story as a whole.

Pandemonium (Lauren Oliver)

Title: Pandemonium

Author: Lauren Oliver

Publisher: HarperTeen

Length: 375 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

WARNING! Spoilers of the first book ahead.

In the sequel to Delirium, Lena’s world has changed completely. Now outside society, she is forced to figure out who she really is and what she must do to survive. What must she do to change society, and is it worth it?

I loved how this book was set up-alternating between the “now” and “then” timeframes. Since these books are all about self-discovery, this is a perfect way to show how a person can change, and how you must push away your past self to become a better future you. With the two parallel stories, one of which directly led to the next, it also provides twice the story and twice the depth. Plus it was twice as hard to put down, because I wanted to know what would happen in both timeframes, and how the first resulted in the second.

This wasn’t just part two of Delirium either. This book provided its own complete story, including romance and growth on Lena’s part. I might even like this one more than the first. Yes, the plot lines were still a bit predictable (foreshadowing was quite obvious) but overall, I loved it.

Curse the cliff-hanger ending, because I don’t want to wait for book three! Just read some great Goodreads comments, and it appears I’m not alone- GAH!

Abandon (Meg Cabot)

Title: Abandon

Author: Meg Cabot

Publisher: Point (Scholastic)

Length: 304 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

Pierce’s life changes drastically after a near-death experience. She’s kicked out of her elite boarding school in Connecticut and moves to Florida. Even though her therapists say she’s crazy, Pierce can’t forget her trip to the Underworld, and John Hayden, the boy who didn’t want her to leave his realm of death, keeps popping up and causing trouble. Is John real, and does getting close to him mean having to return to the Underworld?

“The myth of Persephone…darkly reimagined.”

I adore Meg Cabot and the idea behind this book of retelling the myth. But the follow-through? Sort of left me like “YEAH…eh…what?” I’m feeling a little snarky today, so let me try to explain:

Things I liked:

The mystery aspect of this book. We’re plopped down in the now, but Pierce is struggling with all the “before” which is slowly revealed to the reader. This is what drove the plot- what in the world happened to this girl to make her so skittish? This, and Pierce figuring out John, our bad boy on a whole new level. I mean, he rules the Underworld and is punished my Furies. This equals hot (double entendre- get it?), and tugging on heart-strings. Meg always gets my vote on her relationship writing (hence the YEAH). These two things kept me reading,

Even though:

What happened in this book? The main part of the Persephone myth has already happened before the book begins. Pierce is just trying to figure it all out, and we’re along for the ride. This meant things were kind of all over the place. Also, Pierce is so confused (and thinks she might be crazy) so I didn’t know if I liked her or not. (Hence the eh…what?).

This is the first in a trilogy, but I’m not dying to read the rest. Maybe someday though- I won’t rule it out entirely. 

The Scorpio Races (Maggie Stiefvater)

Title: The Scorpio Races

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Publisher: Scholastic

Length: 404 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

Every November, tourists pour into the small island of Thisby to watch the violent Scorpio Races, where it’s far more likely for a racing water horses to kill his rider than it is for him to win. Puck Connely has lived on Thisby her whole life, and it’s desperation that finally drives her to become the first girl to compete in the Scorpio races. Sean Kendrick is the four-time reigning champion of the Races, but this year, he’s also fueled by desperation. As they prepare for a race that could very well take their lives, Puck and Sean’s paths cross and change both their lives forever.

I enjoyed Maggie Stiefvater’s writing in Shiver, and had heard great things about this book. And while the book started off slowly, it definitely lived up to the hype. The writing was gorgeous and descriptive, giving life to the courageous Puck and the unmoving Sean, as well as to the island itself. almost as a third main character in the book. The water horses were a little harder to picture- half regular horse, half part of the ocean, but I liked that the murky way they were portrayed mirrored the way their spirits refused to be tampered down by humans on the island.

I’m beginning to wax a little too poetic in this review, but only because Stiefvater somehow manages to make a story about dangerous killing beasts so beautiful. I grew to love both Puck and Sean as characters and was incredibly sad to let them go at the end of the novel. I can’t give much higher praise than that! A definite must-read. 

Cinder (Marissa Meyer)

Title: Cinder

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends (MacMillan)

Length: 387 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

A plague threatens to destroy Earth while the Lunars threaten to destroy it through invasion. Cinder is only a cyborg mechanic, but when Prince Kai calls on her to fix his android, she gets sucked into the political mayhem. In this futuristic Cinderella story, Cinder becomes a reluctantly key player in saving the world.

Gorgeous cover.

I love modern fairy tales, and this one is done particularly well. Marissa Meyer creates a completely modern future society and brilliantly ties it into the classic Cinderella story for the perfect mix of reality and fantasy. And Prince Kai is one worthy of the storybooks.

Cinder is also a wonderful character. She’s an awesome mechanic, and not just because parts of her body have been replaced by metal due to a hover accident when she was a kid. Unfortunately, because of her cyborg status and uncaring step-mother, Cinder doesn’t have a lot of self-esteem. If only Prince Kai could sing this One Direction song to her! Or if someone could just tell her that in Young Adult fiction (and in life), what makes you different makes you special, and maybe Cinder will be able to save the world!

This book is definitely worth a read. And I’m thoroughly excited that the next book in the Lunar Chronicles will not only feature Cinder, but will introduce a new character, Little Red Riding Hood. I love this idea! 2013 is so far away though…

The Luxe (Anna Godbersen)

Title: The Luxe

Author: Anna Godbersen

Publisher: HarperTeen

Length: 433 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

There’s the perfect society girl, Elizabeth Holland, and her less compliant sister, Diana, who longs for adventure. Then there’s Penelope Hayes, Elizabeth’s best friend and best rival, and Lina Broud, Elizabeth’s maid who wishes to rise above her social class. Throw in the dashing Henry Schoonmaker who becomes entangled with nearly all the girls, and 1899 Manhattan just got even more scandalous. Everyone’s harboring secrets, secrets that will send Elizabeth into the East River by the end of the novel.

It’s Gossip Girl of the 19^th century. You’ll enjoy this book if you love the scheming, sex, and society dealings that occur on Gossip Girl. If you don’t know what Gossip Girl is, but enjoy a good historical romance, chances are you will also find this book enjoyable.

However, while I enjoyed the book, I never felt connected enough to the characters or their relationships to care very much what happened to them. The book starts with the funeral of Elizabeth Holland and then backs up several months so that we discover how it came to be. However, this book is no tricky mystery novel, and while you may second-guess yourself a few times, the ending is no real shocker.

Despite my qualms, I did enjoy the history of the book. I particularly liked that each chapter started with a letter or note (a historical text message if you will). As someone who once wrote a 14 page paper about how letters function within Jane Austen novels, I thought this was both historically timely and a great way to move the plot.

In conclusion, an enjoyable, but light, read. There are more in the series (from the other girl's viewpoints), but I'm in no hurry to read them. Maybe for lounging by the pool later this summer?

Grave Mercy (Robin LaFevers)

Title: Grave Mercy

Author: Robin LaFevers

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Length: 549 pages

Rating: 4/5

Narrowly saved from an awful arranged marriage and shuffled off to a mysterious convent in the night, seventeen year old Ismae finds her destiny lies with the god of death. At the convent, she is taught to be an assassin for Death and is trained in all matters of weaponry, poisons, and even the wily womanly arts. She will need all of her training and more to survive her most important mission: posing as the mistress to the handsome Gavrial Duval, she infiltrates the high court of Brittany to ferret out a traitor and save the duchess and the country from harm.

This book has everything that I love. It’s historical fiction, but written like the fantasy books I inhaled as a kid. It’s also got romance, intrigue, and great well-rounded characters. Plus a strong  main female character who kills…literally. I became quite fond of Ismae, who is just the right amount of confidence (when it comes to killing) and bumbling (when it comes to womanly charm).

Because it’s historically based on fifteen century Brittany, there are a lot of characters with remarkably similar names to keep track of, but the mystery and romance will keep you reading through the longest historical lessons. Plus, you can always count on Ismae to shoot someone with a crossbow to liven things up.

Overall, enjoyable read, and I’m very much looking forward to the other books in the series, which I’m excited to report, look like they’ll be about Ismae’s equally awesome killing friends.