Book Review: "Shadow and Bone" and "Siege and Storm"

For those of you who have been living under a rock, sheltered from the YA book world, you might not have heard of Leigh Bardugo's Grisha trilogy.  If you're reading this, though, odds are that you are well aware and nothing here is going to be revolutionary.  I finished the first book weeks ago and it took me so long to figure out what I wanted to say that I had read the second book before I posted anything. 
I am heartily ashamed. 

If you like short versions of reviews, here's my summary:
These books are terrific.  Great characters, interesting setting, compelling relationships and genuine drama.  4.5+ stars.

 

Let's start with book one:  Shadow and Bone.
Our heroine, Alina, has a thankless job in an underappreciated and overworked army as a mapmaker, where she can be largely overlooked but at least she is close to her childhood friend and (secret) love of her life, Mal.  Problem is, she's not very good at her assigned career and the love of her life probably doesn't know how she feels.  But then, in a moment of danger, a rare and important power manifests itself and she is swept into the world of the Grisha and into the the path of the Darkling, the most important Grisha in the country. 

Okay.  So there's your synopsis, complete with setup for the requisite YA love triangle.  Here's the thing:  I actually loved this triangle.  Mal, so easy with the ladies, hardly notices Alina (not that she starts out as a catch or anything).  The Darkling, while giving off some serious creepster vibes, is also the perfect misunderstood tortured soul.  He takes Alina under his wing and gives her something she's never had:  a place to belong. 
To sum up in a gif:

That's before the sh*t hits the fan, of course, and as soon as you read the synopsis of the second book, you'll know what happens.
G'ah.  So many feelings.  I tore through this book in an afternoon.
4.5 stars.  I might rate it higher on a second read-through.


Now.  Siege and Storm.
Adding to the awesomeness that was Shadow and Bone, Bardugo now introduced the infamous Sturmhond, a pirate with an attitude and some serious get-it-done skills.  (See gif above for reaction.)  Mal is still around and despite his frustration and the book two angsting, has started to grow on me.  The Darkling has become a bit of a jerk, but there's still something alluring about him, even if he is the devil incarnate. 
Not only do we have pirates in this book, but we also have sea monsters and secret magics and rebellions and Alina putting a Snooty McBetterThanThou in her place.  All in all, incredibly satisfying. 
Book ends on a did-not-see-that-coming cliffhanger and I want the next book right now.
4.5 stars.  At least.

Overall thoughts:
It's really hard to write "OMG LOVE IT" reviews, because what can you say that isn't rabid fangirling? 

Read these books.  Read them now.  Support bookstores and libraries and authors that do clever things and write interesting characters that have more personality than a damp tissue! 
YAY.

Book Review: Throne of Glass

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Book 1 of "Throne of Glass"

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another.

Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another.

Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Review:
Yes, I'm a little late to the party on this one.  When the publishing world freaks out over a book, I tend to be a little skeptical.  The benefit of living as a book pessimist is that you're always either pleasantly surprised or constantly being proved right.  In this case, I'm happy to be pleasantly surprised: the blogosphere hype seems dead-on.

There are readers who can cry "Mary Sue" about Celaena, our kickass heroine.  I can understand where the criticisms come from, especially if opinions are based almost solely on the first few chapters of the book, but all in all I found Celaena to be an engaging and root-worthy protagonist.  Is she the best assassin, like EVER, and is she gorgeous and does she make all the Boys Important To The Plot love her and does she have the prettiest eyes and is she physically tough as shoe leather?

Yes.

But she also is somewhat self-destructive.  She mistrusts just about everyone, for very good reason.  She withholds information that might be valuable to someone else - or potentially damaging to herself if revealed.  She falls for possibly inappropriate men.  Even though she's a reputedly legendary fighter, she nearly gets murdered or maimed a couple times.  A couple challenges prove too much for even her much-vaunted talents and she only gets by with help from other contestants.

There are levels of politics and magic here that make the world interesting and give the story some resonance and depth.  Through the cast of characters and their political goals, the world is revealed, layer by tantalizing layer.  Humor permeates the dialogue without ever cheapening the story.  While Celaena definitely seems to get some of the best lines, she isn't the only witty character in the kingdom, for which I'm grateful. 

The ending is very satisfactory, and while the larger outcome isn't exactly a surprise, there are enough moving parts in the the rest of the narrative to push the reader right into the sequel.

4.5 stars!  A terrific debut and a great book to read and reread!

Book Review: The Serpent and the Pearl

Title: The Serpent and the Pearl
Author:  Kate Quinn
Published:  August 6, 2013

Rome, 1492. The Holy City is drenched with blood and teeming with secrets. A pope lies dying and the throne of God is left vacant, a prize awarded only to the most virtuous--or the most ruthless. The Borgia family begins its legendary rise, chronicled by an innocent girl who finds herself drawn into their dangerous web...
Vivacious Giulia Farnese has floor-length golden hair and the world at her feet: beauty, wealth, and a handsome young husband. But she is stunned to discover that her glittering marriage is a sham, and she is to be given as a concubine to the ruthless, charismatic Cardinal Borgia: Spaniard, sensualist, candidate for Pope--and passionately in love with her.
Two trusted companions will follow her into the Pope's shadowy harem: Leonello, a cynical bodyguard bent on bloody revenge against a mysterious killer, and Carmelina, a fiery cook with a past full of secrets. But as corruption thickens in the Vatican and the enemies begin to circle, Giulia and her friends will need all their wits to survive in the world of the Borgias.

Review:
 For reasons I can't entirely explain, I am a bit of a Kate Quinn fangirl.  There's something about her particular writing style that has rekindled my flagging interesting in reading not once or twice, but FOUR times.  The women is batting a thousand, people.  That's worth a gold star right there.  This might cloud my judgement on her books. 

This is Quinn's first stab at a time period outside the Roman Empire.  That didn't stop her from choosing interesting protagonists, just like she always does.  Giulia Farnese is an idealistic young woman who finds her beliefs and character challenged when she finds out that her marriage was arranged for the benefit of another man.  Carmelina is on the run from Venice, hiding a bundle of recipes, a stolen relic and pile of secrets.  Using her skills as a cook and more than a little bravado, she works her way into the households of the powerful in Rome.  Last, Leonello is a sharp-tongued dwarf who would rather stab you than juggle for your amusement and is out to avenge his murdered friend.  

There's something about her character choices that make the story interesting right away.  Choosing two female protagonists in a time when they didn't possess any real power, and a dwarf when they were considered amusement for the wealthy, means that the narrative shows these three very different people trying to work alongside one another while finding their place in an uncertain world.   

As the story progresses, each of the characters find their own strengths, learning to see (and use) the world as it is, rather than how it might be.  Pragmatism rules the day as Giulia trades her respectability for a reputation that opens some doors while slamming others - and she finds how that can be a freedom and power on its own.  Carmelina begins to take ownership of her fate while Leonello starts to smooth his edges and starts making inroads into the murderer's identity.  

And something really dramatic happens - and the book is over.  And I'm left saying "No no no!  There has to be more!"  And there is.  It's the second book of the series, due to be released in January of 2014.

So, I'm going to deduct part of a star for that dirty, dirty trick, and still say I really love Kate Quinn.  I will absolutely be purchasing The Lion and the Rose when it hits shelves.  

4.5 out of 5 stars!