Tag: Fiction

Book Reviews: Wolfskin and Foxmask

On By cherylmahoneyIn Fantasy, Reviews1 Comment

I first read Wolfskin by Juliet Marillier in 2009–and even though it was excellent, it took me five years to finally get to the sequel.  Partially that’s because, in the intervening time, I also read Marillier’s six-book Sevenwaters series, and her Bridei Chronicles trilogy.  It wasn’t until I reread Wolfskin that I also realized another possible reason.  Marillier writes amazing, powerful, emotionally-intense books…and they’re kind of exhausting!  I highly recommend everything she writes, but I also highly recommend blocking off substantial time for reading–and you probably want to bring tissues.

On the other hand, after reading 13 of Marillier’s books, I can promise you that (so far) she always delivers a happy ending!  Even though, very often, it seems impossible…

Since I often review YA, I think I better note that, despite having young characters, these books are definitely for older readers, due to both specific content and “adult themes,” as they say.

Wolfskin begins in Norway around 1000 AD, or maybe earlier (I can’t find the time nailed down anywhere!)  Eyvind dreams of growing up to be a Wolfskin, powerful Viking warriors who care for nothing but the call of Thor leading them into battle.  Eyvind befriends Somerled, a solemn, scholarly boy who dreams of becoming king, and they make a vow of loyalty as blood brothers.  As adults, Eyvind becomes the warrior he wished to be–and his vow draws him with Somerled on an expedition to the Light Isles.  Here Eyvind (and the reader) meet Nessa, princess of the Folk and priestess of ancient mysteries.  Her people are threatened by these new arrivals, and Eyvind finds himself torn between loyalty and conscience.

Marillier brings us into a fascinating and very grim world of the Vikings, where honor and loyalty are powerful forces, and vowing allegiance to the death is not in the slightest bit metaphorical.  Continue reading “Book Reviews: Wolfskin and Foxmask” →

Book Review: The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare

On By cherylmahoneyIn Reviews, Science Fiction, Young Adult1 Comment

After falling madly in love with the reincarnation premise of My Name Is Memory, I of course had to try The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare by M.G. Buehrlen.  And now that I have, I feel…deeply mixed.  I enjoyed the read!  But not without reservations.

Seventeen-year-old Alex Wayfare is living her 57th life.  She doesn’t know that–all she knew is that she sometimes has disturbing, vivid visions of past times–until she meets Porter, a friend from her previous lifetime who can explain the truth.  Alex is a Transcender, with the ability to Descend into her own past lifetimes by passing through Limbo.  Porter serves as Alex’s mentor and her guardian, protecting her from an enemy made in her previous lifetime.  But Porter won’t tell Alex everything and mysteries abound…and there’s this boy.  Alex meets Blue (not his real name) first in Chicago in 1927–but then she bumps into him again in 1961–and in 1876…

So to begin with: very cool concept here!  For science fiction, this was light on explanations, but I was willing to take it largely as though it was fantasy and not ask too many questions, and that seemed fine.  The idea of all these lifetimes in different centuries is so intriguing, and the shadowy forces stalking Alex are suitably sinister.  Continue reading “Book Review: The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare” →

Book Review: Wild Rover No More

On By cherylmahoneyIn Historical Fiction, Reviews1 Comment

I have been reading the Bloody Jack series for at least ten years, and with its release last month, I have finally read the last book in the adventure: Wild Rover No More by L. A. Meyer, “the last recorded account of the life and times of Jacky Faber.” And we can be sure it really is the end–sadly, L. A. Meyer died this past summer, though I’m glad for him (and us!) that he was able to finish his series.

This final book was, as the series has always been, a lot of fun to read, with humor and hijinks galore.  It was also plagued by some of the same issues that I’ve seen in the last few books of the series.  So–I think I’ll talk a bit about the book, a bit about how it stands as the final conclusion, and then some thoughts on the series on a whole.

This book opens a few months after the conclusion of Boston Jacky, and the lingering crises of that book are tidied neatly away within just a few chapters.  New crises arise when Jacky is framed for espionage and must once again go on the run, fleeing Boston first for a job as a governess, and then to join the circus.  But the law is catching up to her, and soon her belief that she was always meant for hanging will be sorely tested. Continue reading “Book Review: Wild Rover No More” →

Book Review: Curse of the Thirteenth Fey by Jane Yolen

On By cherylmahoneyIn Fantasy, Reviews, Young Adult2 Comments

I grabbed two fairy tale retellings close together recently, and read two very different versions of Sleeping Beauty. I reviewed Sleeping Beauty’s Daughters last week, and today I’m looking at Curse of the Thirteenth Fey by Jane Yolen.

Gorse is the thirteenth fey of the title, the youngest in her large family of Shouting Feys. She grows up in a clannish circle, in an idyllic valley—and even if the folly and belvedere and other buildings the family lives in are a little run-down, Gorse loves her home. But she also loves reading about other places in her father’s library, and is horrified to learn her family is under a Vow to never leave their home. When the king Bids the Shouting Feys to come to his daughter’s christening, thirteen-year-old Gorse sets off late—and meets an accident along the way that traps her with two fairy princes who need her help to escape.

I think Jane Yolen is one of those authors people know, right? Wizard’s Hall is what comes to mind for me, but I suspect she’s known for lots of other books too. And that’s one reason I really wish I had liked this more than I did—and I really think I should have liked it more than I did! The problem was the subtitle, describing this as “The True Tale of Sleeping Beauty.” Any story claiming to be the “true” version of any fairy tale can smack a bit of arrogance…but the real trouble here is that most of the story wasn’t about Sleeping Beauty.

I liked the first hundred pages or so quite a lot. Yolen set up an interesting world, I enjoyed Gorse and her family, and there was enough mix of world-building and obstacles to keep me engaged. And then we got to the part about the christening, with the delightful additional note that this particular baby princess is known for her unceasing crying. But Gorse gets interrupted en route to the christening, and while her resulting adventure is interesting too…it took far too long for me to realize that this wasn’t a delay or distraction from the main plot, but actually was the main plot.

Most of the novel is spent with the two princes belowground, as Gorse figures out their history, and realizes that neither prince was what he seemed to be on first impressions. I liked the character development here, of the princes and of Gorse, as she learns about the limits (and opportunities) of her abilities, and the importance of her own confidence.

I think if I had come into this looking for simply a fantasy story, I would have liked all of it just fine. Except…it was supposed to be Sleeping Beauty! And we didn’t even get to the christening until nearly the end of the book. Which left me spending too much time wondering when we were going to get on to what was (theoretically) the main event.

I have to cautiously recommend this one. It’s a genuinely good fantasy! It’s just not a very good version of Sleeping Beauty, considering that story became little more than an epilogue. So don’t go in expecting more than that on the fairy tale, and you will probably like this just fine—maybe more than I did!

Author’s Site: http://janeyolen.com/

Other reviews:
Charlotte’s Library
Quixotic Magpie
The Book Brownie
Anyone else?

Buy it here: Curse of the Thirteenth Fey

Book Review: Sleeping Beauty’s Daughters

On By cherylmahoneyIn Fantasy, Juvenile, Reviews2 Comments

I’ve been meaning to read more fairy tale retellings, so of course I snatched Sleeping Beauty’s Daughters by Diane Zahler off the shelf at the library. I’ve already read two previous retellings by Zahler (Princess of the Wild Swans and The Thirteenth Princess), and was curious to see where she would go in this one.

The story focuses on Aurora and Luna, two princesses who have lived in seclusion all their lives. Near the beginning of the book, they learn that this is because their parents are trying to protect them. Their mother is Sleeping Beauty, who fell under her curse, to be awakened after a hundred years by their father. The evil fairy who cursed their mother has renewed the curse on Aurora too, dooming her to sleep for a hundred years and awake alone. When Aurora pricks her finger and begins the curse, she must struggle against Sleep to go on a desperate quest with Luna, in search of the fairy godmother who may be able to help her.

Similar to Princess of the Wild Swans, I thought this was an excellent book for middle grade readers…but a little lacking in tension for me as an adult reader. The characters’ struggles didn’t feel quite hard enough. Aurora discovers a tea that will help her remain wakeful, mostly solving that problem for most of the book, and the girls meet allies almost everywhere they go to help on their quest.  On the other hand, I do love that they go on a quest.  Much better than just sleeping and waiting for a prince to solve everything! Continue reading “Book Review: Sleeping Beauty’s Daughters” →