Long Live the King

YAY for YA!  Another sneaky admission - I love reading YA books.  Yes, I get tired of reading about vampires and werewolves and love triangles, so I try to avoid the titles with these tropes (sometimes it's cursed hard), but what I love about reading YA books is that there is no limit to what can happen in them.  As a general rule, YA authors aren't out to win awards or critical acclaim - they just want to tell a good story.  And I love that.

I have met my goal of three teen titles for my Reading Resolution, and herein is the review for the first title, The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater.  This is the final book in the Raven Cycle quartet, and I found it to be well worth the wait.  Maggie Stiefvater is, in my opinion, a brilliant author.  She had been well-received and reviewed, and people love her books.  Her first series, the Wolves of Mercy Falls quartet was a miss for me, because it highlighted - you got it - both werewolves and love triangles.  Just wasn't my thing.  But then I read The Scorpio Races, and thought it was brilliant.  So, when the first book of her newest series came out, I strapped in for a wild ride with the Raven Boys and their Blue.  I found the series completely unique, creepy, and mesmerizing.  From the character development to the world building to the gorgeous way Stiefvater writes, I was hooked.  This was a five-year investment, but never a waste of time.  This series is something akin to Edgar Allan Poe meets Dead Poets Society - mystery and darkness mixed with privilege and antique.  So, then, without further adieu, The Raven King.  

 First of all, look at that gorgeous cover.  If that doesn't make you want to pick up the book and at least give it a look, there's something wrong with you.  (Not really, but yeah.)

So, a little background- because there are three books that have come before this one.  There are five main characters - Blue, Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah, and each of them has something, well, odd about them.  It is their differences that set them apart from everyone around them, and bind them together.  The overarching mystery of the series is their search for the long-sleeping Glendower, a mythical Welch king with centuries-old magic.  As for each of them - Blue is a seer, Gansey is a scholar, Ronan is a dream thief, Adam is a magical conduit, and Noah... well, spoilers.

What I liked about The Raven King:
*The low-hanging sense of mystery that never really goes away.  Oft times with books (or a series) like this, at the end, the mystery is solved, and everyone goes about their merry ways.  Not so, here.  Our adventurers are left with a bit of disappointment, but also with hope in a bittersweet non-so-resolved resolution.  There are definite loose ends - but that's ok with me.  It makes me feel like Stiefvater trusts me enough as a reader to get it.
*The characters.  The characters.  The characters.  Oh, and the characters.  I cannot say enough about the individual personalities that Stiefvater created for this series.  They develop slowly, their unique traits and talents being revealed only when needed, and not before.  Just when I started to get frustrated because I was feeling like I didn't know what was going on, Stiefvater revealed the perfect amount of information to both alleviate my frustration, and bring me back into her confidence.
*The setting.  So well does Stiefvater integrate details, that I (feel like I) know exactly what this world looks like from Gansy's factory loft to Blue's rambling house, to the town, to the mystical Cabeswater.  And she does all this without "telling".  Rather, she allows her characters to do her talking for her, so we see these locations through their eyes, rather than through the author's.

What I didn't like about The Raven King:
*I'm hard-pressed to think of anything at all.  I had this finale so built up in my head that it would have been easy for it not to measure up to my expectations, but it certainly did.  If I have one complaint, it may be that the ending seemed a little rushed after such a long build-up.  But honestly, I don't know if there is any way this series could have ended differently.

So, that said, I would recommend this book for teens and adult alike who like moody mysteries tinged with a little bit of magic.  Don't be fooled - it's a four-book investment.  But definitely worth it if this type of read is your cup of tea.  Those who also like strong characters (particularly female ones) will not be disappointed.

If you liked the Raven Cycle books, you might try:
* Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor - These books are atmospheric and compelling and, though they are a bit more imaginative, they also feature strong characters (particularly female) with some unnatural abilities.
* Fallen series by Lauren Kate - These are definitely dark and moody books, but they feature an interesting cast of characters who are working together - though they may not really like it - to solve an ages-old mystery.
* Goddess War series by Kendare Blake - Though a little more action-forward than the Raven Cycle, these books also bring mythology into reality and integrate the historic with the contemporary, while also featuring a romantic element.

In my next review, I will be featuring the second book in a series I've become completely obsessed with, so standby for The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith. 

All Aboard for... Muuuuurder.

I have a confession to make.  For all my years of reading, and the vast collection of books I have in my private collection, Murder on the Orient Express is the very first book I've read penned by the Queen of Crime.  But, since I finished it (hmm, a month ago, maybe?) I've read four others.  Agatha. Christie. Is. Brilliant.  She has such a way with words, with making the solution to the mystery so simple one wonders how on earth one could have missed deducing who the killer was.

I like mysteries.  Not particularly bloody, gory, gross mysteries, but ones especially that are period-set and feature a colorful cast of characters are on top of my "to be enjoyed" list.  And MotOE fit in with my interests perfectly.  It is set in the 1930s, takes place in an interesting, foreign location, and contains many interesting characters, including Christie's famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot.

For the sake of time and space, and to curb my clumsy attempts at characterizing such an intricate plot, here is the blurb from Goodreads:

  Just after midnight, a snowdrift stopped the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train         was surprisingly full for the time of the year. But by the morning there was one passenger fewer.  

A passenger lay dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside.

Sounds great, right?  IT IS!  Locked door mysteries are always interesting, and the dickens to solve, if the author does it right.  Which, of course, Christie does.  

One interesting thing about this book is that it takes place (mostly) in a static setting.  It is tricky business to pull off a book that takes place all in one location, but here, it works.  There are enough characters, and the writing is snappy enough that the location doesn't really matter.  Additionally, there is a lot of mental motion in this book, and Christie assumes her readers are intelligent enough to follow the movement. 

I do not particularly care for Poirot as a character.  He's stuffy and patronizing, and I find him too hoity-toity for my taste.  (Incidentally, it's rumored that Christie herself felt the same way.)  However, I can't argue with his brilliant powers of reason.  (I can't say his powers of deduction, because, well, you know...)  The mystery in this book is one that could only be solved by someone with an excellent memory and ability to connect faded dots - which Poirot has.  One must appreciate a little man who can "No, no, cherie" his way through an interview while actually listing all the reasons the dear lady could be the murderer.  

Overall, this way a very satisfying book.  The mystery itself was compelling, the suspect list varied and colorful, and the resolution surprising.  This read was enough to, as I said, make me want to delve deeply into the pool of other Christie offerings.  Mystery fans won't be disappointed. 

 

Immortal Warriors and Magicians and Mermaids, Oh, My!

    It may come as a shock to some of you (though maybe not) that I am a Nora Roberts fan.  I mean, after all, she is like the Godfather of romance.  She can write a fantastic thriller threaded through with a complex love story (none of that fluffy crap).  Some of the things that really draw me to Robert's work are her ability to write strong characters, and the way she can build a multi-layered narrative.  These two things are very hard to do, and she excels at them.  Roberts' characters are always individual, different, and have unique personalities.  Additionally, she writes men very well, which is something, I have found, a lot of women authors struggle with.  Roberts also has the ability to seamlessly carry out multiple story lines, which keeps the reader engaged, and wanting to know more.

    I recently finished Stars of Fortune, the first book in Robert's new "Guardians" trilogy.  I quite like it when Roberts writes trilogies, because it allows me to hang out with her characters for longer than just one book.  Some of her trilogies I like better than others (love: The Gallaghers of Ardmore, The Key Trilogy, The Circle Trilogy; not crazy about: The Sign of Seven Trilogy, Cousins O'Dwyre Trilogy, Three Sisters Island Trilogy), whether it be because I liked the premise of the books better, the setting, or the characters, but none of them have ever been a waste of time.  Based on my reading of Stars, I believe the Guardians are going to be on my "love" list.

    First of all, look at this cover.  So. Much. Sparkly.  How could anyone not want to read a book with such a great cover?  (What's that, you say?  Don't judge a book by its cover?  Nonsense.  Publishers know that covers sell books.  They don't give crappy covers to books they hope become best sellers.)  Second, six characters, each with a secret and a dodgy past, working together to solve an ages-old mystery?  Love it!
 
    So, the plot...  (Blurb taken from GoodReads)
To celebrate the rise of their new queen, three goddesses of the moon created three stars, one of fire, one of ice, one of water. But then they fell from the sky, putting the fate of all worlds in danger. And now three women and three men join forces to pick up the pieces…

Sasha Riggs is a reclusive artist, haunted by dreams and nightmares that she turns into extraordinary paintings. Her visions lead her to the Greek island of Corfu, where five others have been lured to seek the fire star. Sasha recognizes them, because she has drawn them: a magician, an archaeologist, a wanderer, a fighter, a loner. All on a quest. All with secrets.

Sasha is the one who holds them together—the seer. And in the magician, Bran Killian, she sees a man of immense power and compassion. As Sasha struggles with her rare ability, Bran is there to support her, challenge her, and believe in her.

But Sasha and Bran are just two of the six. And they all must all work together as a team to find the fire star in a cradle of land beneath the sea. Over their every attempt at trust, unity, and love, a dark threat looms. And it seeks to corrupt everything that stands in its way of possessing the stars…

    For someone like me, who, at heart, is an adventurer who loves fantasy and the impossible, this book was like candy.  It has everything that I look for in a book: a gorgeous setting, a quest, irresistible characters, and a dash (perhaps even a shake?) of magic.  

    What I liked:  
     The Characters:  Roberts does an admirable job of fleshing out the characters.  Each is so unique with his/her own back story and talents, that it would have been an injustice to dive into telling about them willy-nilly.  She does not succumb to this temptation.  She takes her time, revealing truths about the characters bit by bit.  In fact, it isn't until the last 1/127th of the book that readers actually learn the truth about the last character and where he comes from.  There are six main characters in all (and each couple will be the "star" of their respective book.  This book was Bran, the magician, and Sasha, the seer's book), and Roberts balances the story nicely, giving each character its due time and introduction.  
    The Dialogue: Is great - witty and sharp for the appropriate characters, sweet and patient for the others - and is markedly different for each character based on personality.  It's also individual to each character, so even without dialogue tags, it's easy to tell which of them is speaking.
    The Mystery: Not only are readers along for the ride in the quest to find the fire star, but they are also trying to figure out the truths about all of the characters.  And some of the reveals are doozies!
    The Bond:  One of the things I always love about Roberts' trilogies especially, is the relationship that develops between her cast of characters.  They become each others' family, and have to rely on each other for their very survival.  But they know how to kick back and have fun with one another, too.  And they scrap, which I love.  Because it wouldn't be authentic if everyone got along all of the time.  I love the fights, when the women get all feisty, and the men curse and call each other names.  And then, when they've all made up, their relationship is even stronger for it. 

   What I didn't like:
    The Villain:  I'm not convinced, yet.  Right now, she's just a shadowy, vague presence who has the power to command the darkness and evil vampire bat-type creatures.  Scary, yes, but not to the point where I'm really fearing for my heroes' lives.  I want to see a legitimate threat, a corporeal one with a body and Force-lightning shooting from her fingers.  ;)

    Overall, I very much enjoyed this book, and am looking forward to the next one.  After all, Annika and Sawyer's story is up next, and how could I possibly NOT want to read a story about a mermaid who falls in love with a time-traveler while on a quest with their bestest mates to a mythical island to find the water star???

    Next post:  my Mystery selection for my Reading Resolution, none other than the classic Agatha Christie novel Murder on the Orient Express.  All Aboard!
  

She's Baaaack...

Whew!  It's been a busy couple of months.  All settled in to the new job now, though, and ready to get back on track.  There's a lot to catch up on.  Forthcoming will be five reviews in rapid succession - one from the thriller category, one mystery, one romance, and two teen titles - all going toward my Reading Resolution challenge.  And don't think I haven't realized that I'm putting off all of my less-favored categories until the end...  But oh, well.  I've read a few books (that I may review, as well) that aren't part of the reading challenge, and I'm still on pace to finish easily within the year, so I should be able to buffer the awful books with ones I like.  ;)  So, until Monday when I shall make my next post, adieu.