Review: The Queen of England: Coronation

The Queen of England: Coronation
Courtney Brandt
Steampunk 

Set in an alternate universe of London, after the untimely death of Queen Victoria in 1840, recently crowned Juliette faces a mysterious organization. The New World Order threatens her country and claims responsibility for the dirigible accident which killed off much of the aristocracy. Add in distracting romantic entanglements, a gifted unicorn, and tracking down the legendary Excalibur and this teenage Queen has an uphill battle leading to her coronation at Westminster. Will her reign be over before it has a chance to begin? 

I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

England! Victorian Era! Royalty! All of my favorite things. The premise for this story is brilliant and super imaginative. Naturally I was happy to dig in to QoE.

So -

The writing and dialogue need work- people often stated the obvious where they wouldn't in real life, words were repeated and used incorrectly, contradictions arose.

Plot: Overall good. It moved around, lots of players and events. I was constantly engaged and there wasn't a dull moment. However, there were too many convenient occurrences that I just couldn't overlook. People managed to avoid Juliette's guards all too easily, someone in the middle of nowhere traveling exactly where she needed to go exactly when she needed it, and the list goes on.

Characters and Relationships: Juliette is smart, curious, active and modern. Truly, a heroine written for the purpose of being a literary female role model. Unfortunately, she was also naive and quick to trust, something that in a more realistic novel would have gotten her killed.

Relationship-wise, in QoE there was an unusual element I liked a lot- multiple love interests! I found that to be realistic. The Queen of England, pretty and young, would naturally have many suitors and in real life wouldn't immediately fall desperately in love with one of them, contrary to what stories would have us believe. It also allows for many things to happen in further installments.

The other characters in the book were cool, but none fleshed out enough. I want complexity!

All in all, given the sequel I would probably read it. The flaws in the writing are workable and with a little more professional editing the story could go far.

Review: Cabinet of Wonders

Cabinet of Wonders (Kronos Chronicles #1)
Marie Rutkoski
middle grade historical fantasy

Petra Kronos has a simple, happy life. But it’s never been ordinary. She has a pet tin spider named Astrophil who likes to hide in her snarled hair and give her advice. Her best friend can trap lightning inside a glass sphere. Petra also has a father in faraway Prague who is able to move metal with his mind. He has been commissioned by the prince of Bohemia to build the world’s finest astronomical clock.
Petra’s life is forever changed when, one day, her father returns home—blind. The prince has stolen his eyes, enchanted them, and now wears them. But why? Petra doesn’t know, but she knows this: she will go to Prague, sneak into Salamander Castle, and steal her father’s eyes back.
Joining forces with Neel, whose fingers extend into invisible ghosts that pick locks and pockets, Petra finds that many people in the castle are not what they seem, and that her father’s clock has powers capable of destroying their world.

This book didn't look like much at first, but like all quality fantastic middle grade fiction, it quickly sucked me in. Set in 16th century Bohemia, the environment is already special and exciting. Also, the fantasy is unique. No vamps, wolves, angels and demons - introducing metal come to life. Artisans like glassblowers and metalworkers who have magic they add to their craft. It's different and artsy! I loved it. 

As for the characters- I liked Petra. For once, a MC who herself is not very magical (though around her everyone is) but relies on her bravery and wits to get the job done. About her decisions - they are very childish. I couldn't tell if this is a character flaw or something that exists in all children's fiction that I'm only aware of now (haven't read any new middle grade stuff in a long time). Let me know what you think. However, she does understand her mistake in the end after her father's anger... 

It's actually kind of nice to read about a 12-year-old acting like a 12-year-old and being reprimanded by her father. 

The supporting characters are also pretty cool. Includes some history on gypsies - or Romani, as they prefer to be called. Tomik/Neel could be a potential love triangle should the series progress until they're older. I'd like to meet more Tomik - a super talented boy, the-best-friend-all-Petra's-life character. I feel like there is so much more of him to enjoy that we didn't get. 

All in all, great book in and of itself, and also great introduction to a series (you can stop here, though. Pretty much ties itself up with the option to continue) if you can overlook Petra taking the adventure as a not-entirely-necessary risk.  

Have a wonderful beginning of summer!

Esty

Review: The Red Tent

The Red Tent
Anita Diamant 
Adult historical fiction 

Her name is Dinah. In the Bible, her life is only hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the more familiar chapters of the Book of Genesis that tell of her father, Jacob, and his twelve sons.
Told in Dinah's voice, Anita Diamant imagines the traditions and turmoils of ancient womanhood--the world of the red tent. It begins with the story of the mothers--Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah--the four wives of Jacob. They love Dinah and give her gifts that sustain her through childhood, a calling to midwifery, and a new home in a foreign land. Dinah's story reaches out from a remarkable period of early history and creates an intimate connection with the past.

The concept of this book fascinated me. I am familiar with the stories of Genesis like the story of my life, and have been educated thoroughly in the traditional commentary. Therefore, this book was scary to me - I didn't want it to besmirch the names that are holy to me. However, more than anything I found The Red Tent a beautiful story, and maybe a thought experiment on the people I'm descended from. 

The setting was one of the most incredible I've read - Dinah speaks to all the women of the generations, and tells us her story. She starts with that of her mothers' - with all the facts and all the feelings, and no anachronistic judgements to marr the picture. She describes the house of Jacob in such detail that you feel Cnaan in the late Bronze Age -  feel the heat, see the views, smell the food cooking and the animals. Hear the children, play in the red tent with the women, feel the pain and joy of motherhood along with them. Truly, it was an experience to read.

The climax in this story, the turning point, is also the only incident from which we hear of Dinah in the bible. This is also the place in which our story parts ways with the traditional narrative. It was beautiful, and happy and sad all at once. The dramatic bit itself was rushed - I found it hard to follow what was happening until later. 

The third part of the novel takes place in Egypt. This part was the saddest, but also the slowest and a little... boring. However, I found the existence of this storyline in which Dinah finds herself in Egypt very interesting, because there is a legend saying she did but no explanation was given.

The full circle in which we come to in the end basically made me cry. Like the rest of the book, it was beautiful and tragic. 

Review: Bloody Jack

Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy

L.A. Meyer

YA historical fiction

Life as a ship's boy aboard HMS Dolphin is a dream come true for Jacky Faber. Gone are the days of scavenging for food and fighting for survival on the streets of eighteenth-century London. Instead, Jacky is becoming a skilled and respected sailor as the crew pursues pirates on the high seas.There's only one problem: Jacky is a girl. And she will have to use every bit of her spirit, wit, and courage to keep the crew from discovering her secret. This could be the adventure of her life--if only she doesn't get caught. . . .

I had this book on my shelf for the loooongest time. My friend had shoved it into my hands forever ago. At first it looked to me like a cute middle grade adventure, the kind I would've liked when I was younger, and therefore didn't strike my fancy during the period in which I was reading Fifty Shades of Grey, for example. However, a few weekends ago (yes I'm so behind in my reviews) I opened the first page to see what it would be like and I was hooked.

Let's start with the setting. EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY LONDON. DOES IT GET MORE PERFECT THAN THAT?? Notice my blog design and you get all you need to know about my favorite time and place to read about. Except this time it's not a grand Institute, no balls or seasons or corsets and carriages. No, in Bloody Jack we visited London as the regular people experienced it - dirty, people dying of diseases left and right and not even getting a proper burial as their bodies are getting picked up by experimenters. Starving orphans on the streets scavenging to survive- that is where we meet or protagonist, Mary.

We learn that Mary actually come from a semi-ok financial situation, and that she was even taught to read. But no money or education can stop the death of your parents by plague and being cast out onto the streets. There Mary is picked up by a gang of smart and tough kids led by the lovable Charlie.

I loved this first part of the book. The way it's written, in Mary's garbled street-speech, the fast pace, the childish way in which Mary understands things - it all sucked you right in to the tragedy that was those kids' lives, but also their fun and adventure and family that they built together.

Throughout the novel, we grow up with Mary. How she gets herself on that boat, cleverly hides her identity as a girl, and takes on the name and role of Jacky. It was incredible how a story about a child became a tale of a ship's boy, but then slowly to that of a woman. Despite the book's blurb, I didn't expect the book to dive that deeply into femininity and what it means to be a woman. The whole theme of it made the story so much more realistic - if you were a growing girl among boys who hasn't seen any grown women in years, it would also be a subject that kept you up at night. In this respect, Bloody Jack was very different from other stories where girls pass as boys, like Leviathan or Alanna.

So, behold:

Review: The Night Circus

The Night Circus
Erin Morgenstern
Fantasy? Historical Fiction? A work of art. 

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. 

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.

Ahhhhhh. I just. WOW.

I actually am in a sort of minor reading slump, and The Night Circus was exactly what I needed. If you're the type reader who connects to places - their secrets, treasures, people, histories and so on, (think Hogwarts, Gallagher Academy) then this is your book. 

Right from the beginning, the story had me hooked. You're presented with different pieces, and as you keep reading it begins to become clearer how everything fits together. The mystique, the magic of the place has you completely and utterly enchanted- this of course thanks to Erin Morgenstern's flawless and unique writing. I THOUGHT the present tense would bother me, and boy was I wrong. The scenes, the sights and the smells- it all felt like it was happening right in front of me.

There isn't too much background information on the challenge - this was another element I thought I wouldn't like, and again I was wrong. Understanding only part of the story kept me going, and I was provided with enough to feel satisfied. Very realistically, you feel like some things you'll never know, and maybe it's best that way.

The characters were complex. The idea of the reveurs is so funny and so heartwarming and relatable and utterly RIGHT and perfect for the story that I just smiled at the very mention of them. As a reader, I had no doubt that I'd be one of them- traveling the world chasing magical nights, making friends with other enthusiasts like me, dressing to match the circus with a splash of red. 

This is the kind of book you'll want to pick apart and discuss, have a beautiful copy on your shelf, and revisit in the future. If you love magic, at its most pure and abstract, get your hands on The Night Circus. Rating:

Happy weekend!!
Love,
Esty

Review: The Chosen

The Chosen
Chaim Potok
Historical fiction? Hardly.  I'll go with 'Hard to Classify'

"Anyone who finds it is finding a jewel. Its themes are profound and universal."
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
It is the now-classic story of two fathers and two sons and the pressures on all of them to pursue the religion they share in the way that is best suited to each. And as the boys grow into young men, they discover in the other a lost spiritual brother, and a link to an unexplored world that neither had ever considered before. In effect, they exchange places, and find the peace that neither will ever retreat from again....

I'm a little bit speechless, to say the least.

This book was thrust in my hands A MILLION TIMES by one of my best friends and I kept saying I'd get to I'd get to it. We sell hundreds of copies of it at the bookstore I work at because everyone studies it in school. I myself almost studied it last year but it was changed last minute to A Separate Peace. My grandparents are friendly with the author.

And yet, my friend's copy sat on my bookshelf for about a year now. 

When someone says, 'it's a book about friendship between a Hasidic boy and a Modern Orthodox one' you're like, Oh, that's nice. I didn't imagine for a second that it would move me the way it did. 

The Chosen was written with EXPERT skill. Whole periods of time were described in two sentences and yet you FEEL the time passing. All the stress and worry that any of the characters go through comes straight to me as if it was I who was living it. 

And the build up. Dear Lord. All throughout the novel, you can FEEL the climax coming. I had no idea what it would be- the conflicts are subtle and at times aren't noticed. The tension grows and grows until you're ten pages away from the end and you know SOMETHING is going to happen but you don't know what or how and then it's upon you and you're shocked and you cry and OH MY GOD. 

I'll tell you right now- there's no dramatic secret or plot twist. But it was the most AMAZING climax I've ever read. 

And the friendship. All I wanted was MORE. Truly one of the most beautiful relationships ever written. Can I get a sequel?? Pretty please?? 

There were so many crazy and genius themes and ideas that I almost wished I HAD learned it in class. The backdrop of the Holocaust made the story even more real to me, watching how the different groups dealt with the trauma of 6 million of their people dead while you were oblivious and the world was silent.

Need I say more? Do yourself and the world a favor and savor this story.

Review: Memoirs of a Geisha

Memoirs of a Geisha 
Arthur Golden
Historical fiction

A literary sensation and runaway bestseller, this brilliant debut novel presents with seamless authenticity and exquisite lyricism the true confessions of one of Japan's most celebrated geisha.

In Memoirs of a Geisha, we enter a world where appearances are paramount; where a girl's virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder; where women are trained to beguile the most powerful men; and where love is scorned as illusion. It is a unique and triumphant work of fiction - at once romantic, erotic, suspenseful - and completely unforgettable.

I'd like to focus on one word in the above synopsis- unforgettable. In my memory, I don't think I used that to describe any book I reviewed here (granted, Harry Potter and Percy Jackson I read before), so I hope it has the desired effect when I say Memoirs of a Geisha was UNFORGETTABLE. 

Recommended to me by a really good friend who just said he knows I'll love it, I came at it with no expectations, good or a bad. I was sucked in before I even figured out if it was an actual memoir or not. The author managed to get into the head of a young Japanese girl and follow her story over the years in a way I didn't realize was possible- as if Sayuri was sitting across from me and telling me the story herself. Her personality shone through in every word I read- and boy is she classy. 

The story was the most compelling I've read in a long time. The whole week I was reading it I was just waiting for free time to see what happened next. The setting and the plot are fascinating- Japan before and after WWII, and more specifically, a Geisha district. I know little about Japanese culture, and had never before known about the Geisha system. In the beginning I thought I understood, that they were basically entertaining prostitutes. As you read you understand that that is completely untrue, and their importance and self-respect is evident on the pages. 

I quickly fell in love with Sayuri, with Gion and with all it's inhabitants. I was amazed at how she viewed the world, and by her resilience in the face of troubles. It was refreshing how the book was told in hindsight, with our narrator adding in details she found out later and some interesting tidbits from her older life in New York. Sayuri's story wasn't scary or heartbreaking, but somehow stayed with me like no other book has before.

I recommend this book to everyone from teens up. It was absolutely UNFORGETTABLE.
Rating: 5 stars. I apologize, they're being wonky today.

 

Review: Sarah's Key

Sarah's Key
Tatiana De Rosnay
Historical Fiction, Contemporary


Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is taken with her parents by the French police as they go door-to-door arresting French families in the middle of the night. Desperate to protect her younger brother, Sarah locks him in a bedroom cupboard-their secret hiding place-and promises to come back for him as soon as they are released.

Sixty Years Later: Sarah's story intertwines with that of Julia Jarmond, an American journalist investigating the roundup. In her research, Julia stumbles onto a trail of secrets that link her to Sarah, and to questions about her own romantic future.

I know what you're thinking- but Esty, how can it be historical AND a contemporary? So Sarah's Key alternates between the story of Sarah Starzinsky in July '42 and the journalist Julia Jarmond (say that five times fast with a French accent) in modern day Pareee. 

It's a very famous book with a very famous plotline- it's right in the synopsis, so it's not even a spoiler. Little do they know, that incident is just the beginning of both Sarah's and Julia's journey. At first I thought putting in the modern day person who all of a sudden developes a close interest to an event and telling the story through her is a bit cliche. I was pleasently surprised to discover that it's more like Julia's story with her deriving inspiration from Sarah.

Throughout the time I read this wonderful novel, I felt myself drawn to these characters- I wanted so bad for them to catch a break and for everything to be okay. I knew nearly nothing about the Vil de Hiv roundup of the French Jews, and found the whole book a very educating experience. It wasn't written heavily, I'd like to add. However, if you're fully able to comprehend the horrors of the event, it will weigh on your heart, as it should. I firmly believe the tragic holocausts of the past musn't be shrugged off because they're emotionally  hard for us- it could just as easily been any one of us, and we owe it to them.

Pacing was a little slow for my taste. Other than that, beautiful writing. 
Rating:

I'm currently in the States for the summer and been to Barnes and Noble. Talk about tears of emotion. Visiting family and friends all over, and unfortunately that means hours and hours of planes, buses, and trains. On the bright side, lots of reading time!
Love, 
Esty

Review: Breaking Stalin's Nose

Breaking Stalin's Nose
Eugene Yelchin
middle grade, historical fiction

Sasha Zaichik has known the laws of the Soviet Young Pioneers since the age of six:

The Young Pioneer is devoted to Comrade Stalin, the Communist Party, and Communism.A Young Pioneer is a reliable comrade and always acts according to conscience.
A Young Pioneer has a right to criticize shortcomings.

But now that it is finally time to join the Young Pioneers, the day Sasha has awaited for so long, everything seems to go awry. He breaks a classmate's glasses with a snowball. He accidentally damages a bust of Stalin in the school hallway.  And worst of all, his father, the best Communist he knows, was arrested just last night.

Considering this book is both middle grade and historical fiction, I thought I'd love it. I was mostly disappointed. The story encompasses two days, and with such a short time there was no character development or fun anecdotes. Also, I felt Sasha had little depth- I didn't feel his heartbreak or confusion or any other feeling really. 

The plot was good- few twists I didn't see coming, and the novel apptly showed how Stalin and Communism was viewed by the people. I especially like the part where the teacher talked about how because Russia was the only real democracy, the students will now take a vote. Five minutes later, a student is punished for voting against the majority- this taken as being against the people. There were many examples of the brainwash that were presented well.

Setting obviously was beautiful- Russia <3 span="">
Writing- not to my taste. I wasn't pulled in at all. 

All in all? Not a satisfying read for me, might work for a younger kid though.
Rating:

Review: A Separate Peace

A Separate Peace
John Knowles
Classic

Set at a boys boarding school in New England during the early years of World War II, A Separate Peace is a harrowing and luminous parable of the dark side of adolescence. Gene is a lonely, introverted intellectual. Phineas is a handsome, taunting, daredevil athlete. What happens between the two friends one summer, like the war itself, banishes the innocence of these boys and their world.

What can I say? I was blown away by this novel. Considering it is a classic, I probably would not have picked it up on my own and for that, dear English Teacher, I thank you. 

The writing is extraordinary- throughout the story there is an eerie sense of darkness; you can just feel something bad waiting to happen. The descriptions really helped you BE there, get the feel of the scene. There were also some amazing quotes and nuggets of wisdom like these:

“What I mean is, I love winter, and when you really love something, then it loves you back, in whatever way it has to love.” 

“Sarcasm... the protest of those who are weak.” 

“Never say you are five feet nine when
you are five feet eight and a half" was the first one I encountered.
Another was, "Always say some prayers at night because it might turn
out that there is a God.” 

And many more that Goodreads didn't list and I don't have my copy on me to find... this book was pure beauty. The whole story was like a metaphor, and a heartbreaking one at that. There are so many questions to ask and things to discuss- but I guess I'll just have to wait till my class finishes the novel because I read ahead, I was so enamored by the novel.

Recommended to everyone. Rating:

Review: Goliath (Spoiler free!)

Goliath 
Scott Westerfeld
alternate universe/ historical fiction

Alek and Deryn are abroad the Leviathan when the ship is ordered to pick up an unusual passenger. This brilliant/maniacal inventor claims to have a weapon called Goliath that can end the war. But whose side is he really on?

While on their top-secret mission, Alek finally discovers Deryn's deeply kept secret. Two, actually. Not only is Deryn a girl disguised as a guy...she has feelings for Alek.

The crown, true love with a commoner, and the destruction of a great city all hang on Alek's next--and final--move.

I'll start with an explanation on why I haven't blogged since Thursday- the internet at home is down and we won't have someone come until two weeks from now (!!!). I'll still be available on Twitter because of internet on my phone but will be blogging sporadically. Currently I'm at my dad's office. 

Anyhoooo, to business. 
Goliath is the third and final book in the Leviathan trilogy by Scott Westerfeld. You can read my reviews of Leviathan and Behemoth by clicking. 
Now that you've read them, you know I lurrrrrrvvveee this series. And Goliath did not disappoint!

This time the Leviathan's off to Siberia, and then to America! All the travel in these books makes for more adventures and exposure to really cool cultures. Also, no more secrets between Alek and Deryn. You know what that means..... *cue the applause and whoop whoops* 

The series always switches between Alek's and Deryn's POVS, and I absolutely love that. Through Alek's eyes, you fall in love with the Leviathan. Through Deryn's eyes, you fall in love with Alek. Brilliance. 

And speaking of the giant airship, it has officially been added to my top ten favorite settings. Almost like Hogwarts, I love the place, the people and creatures in it, the way it works. For that alone I hated to finish the trilogy. 

And the girls! While most of the characters are guys (we're talking war here, in the 1910's) the few girls in this book REPRESENT. Deryn kicks ass and Alek always admits that, not to mention Dr. Barlow who rocks the world. 

What else? Just pick up the nearest copy of Goliath (or whichever book you're on). It'll quickly become a fave. Rating: 

Esty