Even Stevens’s #CBR5 review #26: Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

Finished my half cannonball just under the wire! I really liked this book and was glad I could close out the year on a high note.

Dark Triumph is the second book in the His Fair Assassin series by LaFevers.  The second volume switches points of view – whereas the first book, Grave Mercy, focused on Ismae and gave us brief glimpses of Sybella, this time we learn Sybella’s story, and all the secrets in her past and her present. Dark Triumph picks up immediately following the events at the end of Grave Mercy, and Sybella is struggling to find a way to cope with her current assignment at the cruel Count D’Albret’s castle, when she is ordered to carry out another: smuggle out the most closely guarded prisoner at the castle and return him to the queen’s company.

On the whole, I really liked this book. There are some pros and cons here: I think LaFevers is a great storyteller and I like her voice, character styling, and the flow of the stories. I also think she side-stepped a big obstacle in writing trilogies, which is that most of the time, the second book feels like filler. This most definitely does not feel that way and the story is fast paced and gripping. However, I think (at least judging from Goodreads ratings) that I am in the minority of people who enjoyed the first installment more. Ismae, Duval, and Anne really grew on me and I wanted to keep up with their characters much more. Sybella turned out to be a pretty great protagonist but sometimes I felt that parts of her personality and her story were more the result of engineering and trying to fit her into the plot, rather than vice versa.

Both volumes are set in the late 1400s and many of the people in the books existed and many of the events happened. I love historical fiction the more I read it and both of these books have been a pretty fascinating look at some long past history (even if some of it is embellished).

I really enjoy LaFevers’s writing and I will definitely be checking out the final part of the trilogy when it comes out next year (which will feature the third girl of their group, Annith). This is a quick but engrossing read and I was entertained to the very last page.

Even Stevens’s #CBR5 review #25: The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

On her 16^th birthday, Elisa is wed to Alejandro – the king of a neighboring country whom she has never met. The marriage is a political one and Elisa, shy and nervous, would be content to be a lifelong wallflower and let her sister and father worry about politics. For Elisa, though, that will never happen because she also happens to be the bearer of the Godstone – a jewel placed in the belly of a chosen child on his or her naming day by God himself, marking the child for God’s chosen one. As Elisa leaves her home to go to a foreign country she is plunged into a world of political strategizing, greed, deception and sorcery. She must also contend with the fact that there are those who wish to eliminate the bearer of the Godstone and take its power for themselves.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns is 400 pages of high fantasy action and adventure, but it is also the tale of one spoiled young princess becoming a strong young woman. Elisa struggles with her weight and actually wishes for an ugly husband, so that she cannot disappoint him with her appearance. She’s loving toward her handmaids but also is self-absorbed and stubborn. Despite these last traits (or heck, maybe even because of them), Elisa is easy to relate to and I was rooting for her from the first page.

Carson does an excellent job of painting Elisa as a teenage girl on the cusp of becoming a woman.  She is smart and tough but hasn’t yet figured out how to apply those traits to the world around her.  As the events of the book unfold, she’s thrust into sink-or-swim situations and she becomes not only a survivor, but a fighter, proud and strong.  There is a hint of a love triangle that develops, and while I was initially annoyed by this overplayed trope, Carson turned the tired out scenario right on its head, leaving me pleasantly surprised.

Surprises are something this book is not short on. There were several situations in which I thought I knew exactly what would play out, but I was so wrong (and happy to be so wrong). Carson keeps up a fast pace and so many developments occur that I wonder what will happen in the next two books. Yes it is a trilogy, but for once I am beyond excited to dive in to the next installment.  In fact, I just got the next two as a Christmas gift, so I will be delving in shortly!

In a YA market crowded with supernatural and fantasy books, Carson’s excellent writing and character development make her stand out amongst the crowd. If you’re a fan of high fantasy with a kick-ass female protagonist (think Graceling) then I would recommend giving this book a go, I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Even Stevens’s #CBR5 review #24: Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, & the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright

Going Clear is a comprehensive and objective look at Scientology, its beliefs and its leaders over the years.  The scope of information in this book is actually pretty mind-boggling. Wright first looks L. Ron Hubbard’s early life to his creation of Dianetics, which would evolve into Scientology. This takes up a large chunk of the book and it’s fascinating and a bit unbelievable – the man literally created his own religion.  Though never stated, Hubbard’s history paints the picture of a man who is not well and most likely has some sort of psychological issues that are untreated. This shows the most in his hatred of psychiatry and his constant assertions that psychiatrists are the root of evil in this world. Reading about his life and later adventures, especially at sea, reads like an adventure novel of a crazy old coot meandering the world and getting into shenanigans and hijinx.

Scientology has fascinated me for years; the stories of all the horrors that ex-members suffered, the stifling Hotel California-esque method of entry (you can check in any time you like, but you can never leave) and the dogged pursuit of those that try to leave or escape. I wondered how this could be allowed to call itself a religion when it is clearly a cult (an opinion that was only solidified by this book). Well apparently, it’s hard to distinguish the line between religion and cult when the members don’t actually feel they’re being abused. People are systematically manipulated and broken down so that they become dependent on the church (both psychologically and monetarily), making it hard for anyone to leave even if they want to. Wright covers all of this and more, and it is just truly fascinating and horrifying.

Wright takes an objective stance to all of this (and given what happens to people who speak negatively against the church, it’s not hard to see why) and it’s really impressive because I hit several points in the book where I was I thought “these people are crazy! N-U-T-S!”  His research and documentation is meticulous though, and it shows in the writing. There is also some unintentional humor peppered throughout – Wright will describe some awful event or practice that occurred within the church and then there is a footnote (and then another and another) reading: *The church categorically denies all claims that this happened. The cult church says it doesn’t abuse people?! Crazy talk. Anyway, it gets pretty amusing at the sheer number of denials the church issues.

A lot of attention is devoted to David Miscavige (total sociopath. Dude is scary.) and Tom Cruise and the Hollywood factor of Scientology. Scientology goes out of its way to recruit and cater to celebrities, which is really an ingenious way to keep your church front and center and always in the news.

There is so much more in this book, some scary stuff too. The most disturbing to me is Operation Snow White in which Scientologists basically infiltrated several foreign and domestic government agencies and gathered intel for blackmail and extortion. Seriously. This happened.

I want to just keep writing because this stuff is fascinating, but instead I will encourage you to read the book because it’s an engrossing read, and one that feels almost too crazy to be true.

Even Stevens’s #CBR5 review #23: The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes

The Shining Girls is a time-traveling serial killer cat-and-mouse thriller.  Got all that? Obviously, you have to check your disbelief at the door here.

Harper has had that killer urge since he was a boy, and as he grows older, it gets even stronger and he begins to kill when he can get away with it. After a fortuitous (and cleverly circular) string of events, Harper discovers a time traveling portal in a house in Chicago, and that’s when Harper begins his life as a serial killer. Harper will step out into different times and hunt girls, his girls – he knows them by their shine. He always goes back to make sure the job is complete and he’s always been successful – until Kirby. Kirby is the only girl to ever survive his attack (though just barely) and she spends her life after the attack searching for the man who nearly killed her. Kirby gains an internship at a paper and teams up with Dan, a sports writer (and former crime reporter), to hunt down a killer.

This book has so many outrageous elements that it just shouldn’t work. Unexplained magical time portal? Check. Vicious serial killer? Check.  Tough yet vulnerable survivor protagonist? Check, check and check. In the hands of someone with mediocre skills this would have been as schlocky as it sounds, but in Beukes hands, it just shines (I’m sorry. I had to.) Each of Harper’s victims is introduced to us and I found myself rooting for them, even though you knew what the outcome would have to be. Beukes creates more 3-D characters in a few pages than some writers can in entire books.

Kirby is a great character, she’s smart and ambitious and she’s driven to find her attacker, and she is hell bent on revenge. I loved that she wasn’t 100% healed, and likely never would be, and sometimes she was bitter as hell. I liked her friendship with Dan and there was a lot of humorous moments peppered in to make the story not so heavy. Beukes really has a wonderful way with creating characters and that’s where the strength of this novel lies. There are some clichés to be found (sociopath with no empathy, bohemian free-spirited mother, disillusioned reporter) but she takes them just a step above so that even when I knew something was coming, I enjoyed the journey she took me on to get there.

If you’re a mystery/thriller fan and are looking for something outside of the box, this is definitely the book for you. It’s smart and funny and really just fun as hell.

Even Stevens’s Book Exchange post – Like Christmas on Thanksgiving!

Thank you to the wonderful Mrs. Julien! I came home from a very long day at work to find these waiting for me and it instantly made the entire day better!

Even Stevens’s #CBR5 Review #22: Night Film by Marisha Pessl

I have been working like a crazy person and squeezing in reading whenever I have time, but I’ve fallen a bit behind on my reviews as a result. So let me start this with the short version, just in case I start to ramble: I absolutely loved this book. Loved.

Now, the rest.

Ashley Cordova, the daughter of a reclusive and mysterious horror film director, is found dead from an apparent suicide at the young age of 24. She is remembered fondly and her death is seen as tragic, but no one questions the circumstances. Well almost no one: Scott McGrath, a disgraced writer thanks to a run in with Cordova (the elder) years earlier, has a mysterious encounter with a woman in a red coat the night before Ashley is found. Scott is shaken, convinced Ashley was trying to tell him something, and begins to dig into the weeks leading up to her death, as well as the bizarre world her father created and lived in, investigating whether there was more to the story than meets the eye.

The novel starts off in a manner that reminded me a bit of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (only better because I actually *like* McGrath, unlike stupid Mikael. But I digress):  A disgraced writer, a mysterious death, a world of intrigue. But Pessl creates her own world of characters and brilliantly weaves in several different types of media: newspaper, websites, photographs, testimonials, etc. to help tell the story. I loved this approach because it pulls the reader right in and there were times I forgot that I was reading about fictional characters.

Pessl also works in several storylines, yet it never felt cluttered to me. We learn about Stanislas Cordova’s rise to fame and ventures into the dark and disturbing films he became famous for (the titular night films).  We learn bits and pieces about Ashley’s early life and rumors of cults and satanic practices at the Cordova estate. There’s Scott’s story, two more main characters, Nora and Hopper, and some witchcraft, a rehabilitation center “jailbreak” and many other small bizarre events that add up to a strange and disjointed bigger picture.  The devil is in the details (here, it can be taken literally) and Pessl has a vivid imagination that translates beautifully onto the page. There is one scene involving a secret nightclub that was surreal and sinister and I imagine would look absolutely amazing on the big screen.

In the hands of someone else, this could have been sloppy or overly dramatic, but she weaves in just the right amount of skepticism and doubt, keeping her characters grounded, and leaving the element of mystery about so much of the book’s events. Was Ashley’s death natural or was there something more sinister involved? Is McGrath imagining things? What really happened on the Cordova estate? It’s a wonderful read and the ending satisfies as well – I think the reader can draw his or her own conclusions or choose to leave it a mystery; she gives us the story and leaves the verdict up to us.

If you are a fan of mystery, I highly recommend this book, I think there is something in there for everyone and I will definitely be looking for more of Ms. Pessl’s work.

Even Stevens’s #CBR5 review #21: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

“Words save our lives, sometimes.” – Neil Gaiman (in the acknowledgements)

“Grown-ups don’t look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they’re big and thoughtless and they always know what they’re doing. Inside, they look just like they always have. Like they did when they were your age. Truth is, there aren’t any grown-ups. Not one, in the whole wide world.” – Lettie Hempstock

These two excerpts from The Ocean at the End of the Lane perfectly encapsulate what I love about this book, and Neil Gaiman in general.  Simple, evocative, sincere, and just a little bit poignant, Neil Gaiman knows how to paint such a vivid story with his words.

Ocean tells the story of an unnamed seven-year-old boy who is shy and bookish, and lives a normal life until the day he stumbles upon Lettie Hempstock and the Hempstock farm, where he finds a world beyond anything he’s ever known or imagined.  This is one of Gaiman’s adult fairytales (my favorite kind of his style) and involves, as they usually do, an innocent child going up against evil forces that seem to be so much more powerful than the child himself.

This book is a short one (clocking in at 181 pages), but it packs so very much into those pages. This book really contains two stories: the fantastical one of the boy and Lettie fighting against a ghoulish presence, and our narrator stepping out into the world. The fairytale portion both encompasses and transcends the good vs. evil template; if they do not destroy the ghoul it will destroy them, but as Lettie points out, the ghoul isn’t really good or bad, it is just acting according to its nature.

The story of our narrator is so easy to relate to (especially for those of that were bookish and shy children) because it contains familiar themes that everyone goes through at some point: Tension with one’s parents and siblings, the realization that grown-ups don’t know everything (and along with that, the realization that your parents aren’t infallible), finding your way, standing your ground and fighting for what you believe in.  The world is a messy place and we all have our own paths to finding ourselves, our own traumatic experiences that stay with us well into adulthood. This is where Gaiman is at his best, and I soaked up every word of it.

Ocean has a little bit of everything and comes together to create a touching and exhilarating tale of magic and finding your way in the world. Gaiman’s writing is captivating, and this book was a joy to read, I reveled in every page and at the end I only wished there were more.

Even Stevens’s #CBR5 review #20: Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

On February 11, 1910 a blizzard snows in the house at Fox Corner, where Sylvie is giving birth to a baby girl, Ursula, who dies before she can take her first breath.

On February 11, 1910, a blizzard snows in the house at Fox Corner, and Dr. Fellowes makes it in the nick of time to deliver Sylvie’s healthy baby girl, Ursula.

This is how Ursula Todd’s life begins, a duality from the start. For Ursula, life and death, or death and life, are intertwined. Ursula suffers several deaths, and each time she dies she is reborn and able to change the course of events in her life. Some are happy, some are heartbreaking, some are lonely, but each one is richly detailed and riveting.

Let’s get this out of the way right now: anyone looking for a time traveling thriller should look elsewhere; this is Ursula’s story, where her ability to resurrect (one of which she is unaware of, she merely feels a commanding presence of déjà vu when she comes back) is part of the strange and complicated background of the Todd family. The family themselves are an odd and compelling bunch; Sylvie is prim and sometimes snobbish, Hugh is a loving, doting father. Ursula’s siblings Pammy, Maurice, Teddy, and Jimmy are as opposite as can be but each has their own place in family and Ursula’s life.

I purposely avoided reading any advanced reviews about this book because the premise was so unique, I thought it best to go in blind, and I’m glad I did. I think having no pre-conceived notions of what this book would be really helped the experience and I was sucked into Ursula’s surreal and ever-changing world. I was captivated by how different a person’s path can be (or how remarkably similar) by changing just a few details in life. I was rooting for Ursula and wanted only the best for her; sometimes she gets it, sometimes she doesn’t.

This book reminded me of a Choose Your Own Adventure type of book (maybe with a little Sliding Doors thrown in), but with more substance and depth.  I read (after I finished) reviews that complained that her rebirth bled out any narrative tension, but I disagree. In fact, I think it adds tension because the rules are never explained to us; it’s as much a mystery to us as it is to Ursula, and you never know if the next death Ursula experiences will be the final one.  I loved Atkinson’s writing; through Ursula she showed her love of literature and words, and that’s something I can get behind no matter what the subject matter.

There is one aspect of the book I didn’t really like, I do have to say. This isn’t really a spoiler, as the book opens with a chapter that strongly insinuates what adult Ursula is up to. But if, like me, you don’t want to be spoiled at all, go ahead and skip this paragraph.  So, moving forward with the part I really didn’t like: Ursula’s story is set against WWII, which is fine and great and I think it gave each member of the family an even greater depth. However, we learn in the first chapter that Ursula grows up and shoots Hitler. Yup, that Hitler. Atkinson does a fairly good job of paving a believable path to get to that point, but it just seems unnecessary. There are so many interesting characters and situations and backdrops that it kind of seems thrown in as a sensational afterthought. It plays a minor part, so it certainly doesn’t ruin the book, but I think leaving it out would have strengthened the book.

Overall, this was a fascinating book, one that kept me engrossed and wanting to know what happened next to the Todd family. I loved Atkinson’s writing and the characters she created and if you’re open to strange but interesting storylines, I would definitely recommend giving this one a go.

Even Stevens’s #CBR5 review #19 – Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Now this, folks, THIS is how you do a book right. Code Name Verity is set during World War II and tells the story of two friends, Queenie and Maddie. Queenie, a Scottish girl serving in the British army, is captured in Germany and in her captivity, she is allowed paper to write down her story, telling both how she came to be in the position she was and how she and Maddie became friends.

I don’t want to reveal much more of the story for fear of spoiling it, and plus, Queenie tells it a heck of a lot better anyways. Queenie is a fierce little thing whose Scottish accent (and temper) comes out when she gets angry. Even though the novel is written in epistolary form, which I find sometimes to be static and one-sided, you get a great sense of who Queenie is and there is a great deal of humor, suspense, heart and drama.

I loved every page of this book and I knew going into it that there would be a twist or two, but this book had more loops than a roller coaster. I’m one of those people who likes to try to figure out what the plot twists are going to be, and while I got some, Wein certainly threw a few curveballs at me that I did not see coming and she hit it out of the park (hey look, a baseball analogy!).

POSSIBLE OBLIQUE SPOILER AHEAD

REALLY, NOT THAT BAD, BUT DON’T READ ON IF YOU WANT TO BE TOTALLY UNAWARE

What I really and truly loved about Wein’s writing style is that she just kept the twists coming and when the big scene comes, the one where you wait for the miraculous twist, you just know it’s coming… it doesn’t come. That scene sucker punched me right in the gut. I’m actually tearing up just writing about it, so kudos for that, Ms. Wein

END SPOILER

 

This is a book that I need to read over again so I can piece in the information that is revealed later on. And when the time comes for that re-read, I will do so with pleasure. Basically, this book is wonderful. The characters are wonderful, the story is wonderful, the mystery and intrigue are wonderful, so go read it and see for yourself.

Even Stevens’s #CBR5 review #18 – A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

My feelings about A Great and Terrible Beauty can be summed up by the following fact: When I double checked my Goodreads list to see what I had read after The Eternity Cure, I completely forgot that I had even read this book.  It was a total fluff book that had potential to be very interesting and just fell flat with an unremarkable protagonist and a forgettable story.

Gemma Doyle finally gets her wish to leave India and move to her native land, England, and attend boarding school. But this opportunity came at a great cost – Gemma witnessed her mother’s death and was subsequently shipped off to live with her grandmother. Gemma goes to boarding school and is immediately confronted by the requisite group of mean girls, with its tall, blonde, and beautiful leader (totally not making that up), Felicity. After the mean girls are thwarted in an attempt to prank Gemma (the only truly enjoyable scene in the book), she becomes friends with two of the girls, Felicity and Pippa. Gemma also brings her roommate, Ann, into the group for God only knows what reason. If you looked up wet blanket in the dictionary, I’m fairly certain Ann’s picture would be there. I haven’t read a more lifeless yet completely annoying and tiresome character in quite some time and there were several times I was rooting for someone to slap her just to liven things up.

Anyways, the girls start dabbling in magic, some bad shit goes down, blah blah blah far-fetched contrivances and predictable plot twists. I just couldn’t with this book.  Like I said: plenty of promise in the premise and setup, total letdown in the execution. It’s not even a bad book per say, just… blah. I mentioned in passing in my last review that some series feel like rehashed material and this is one of them.  I also read Beauty Queens by Libba Bray, and that fell short for me as well, although I enjoyed it much more than this one. I’m not even curious enough about the girls’ fates to pick up the next installment and I think perhaps this author is just not for me.