I'm not a Sherlock Holmes geek! Honest!-Okay, yes, I am

A Study in Scarlet

By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

And now for a book that I loved!

 As a big fan of the movies and the BBC TV series (huge in this case) I was really psyched to read the Sherlock Holmes books. I started off with the first in the series although it isn’t that huge of an issue, I’m just super OCD when it comes to my books.

In A Study In Scarlet, Dr. John Watson moves in with Sherlock Holmes and they solve their first case together (although really, Holmes solves the case and Watson is just along for the ride),  a man found dead, murdered,  in an abandoned house, with no signs of injury whatsoever on his body and the word RACHE printed on the wall in blood.

Sherlock Holmes really surprised with how accessible and easy to read it was, given that it was written in 1887. There were words that have different uses now, as is to be expected, but it was really easy to follow. It’s also really cool to see Holmes' thought pattern, even if it is through a different person’s eyes.  In the TV series A Study In Scarlet is adapted to a modern setting and renamed A Study In Pink, and it’s really interesting reading the book having already seen the television show, and comparing the two. What’s also really neat is seeing how Holmes deals with being so incredibly smart. (Smart people books! Yay smart people books!)

A Study In Scarlet is in three parts and I originally thought Part 2 was a separate mystery, but it’s actually back story to the murder, which is actually a bit sad and then the third part goes back to Watson and Holmes.

I really enjoyed A Study in Scarlet, and am definitely going to read every Sherlock Holmes book. Yep, that’s right, every single one. Even if it takes me a year.

Feisty chick-o-meter: 2/10 hardly any female characters unfortunately
Age rating: 13 and up
Rating: 10/10
Stand alone or series: Series
Book or audiobook: Book

YPLA- Week Three or "I give up"

Bomb: The Race to Build-And Steal- The World's Most Dangerous Weapon

By Steve Sheinkin

So, the Young Peoples' Literature Award winner was announced: Goblin Secrets. Meh.

I had decided to give up on those books anyway, I didn’t like Goblin Secrets, Never Fall down was depressing, and Bomb didn't keep me hooked. Plus, of the two that I haven’t read, Endangered is about endangered bonobos in the Congo, and Out of Reach is about a girl whose brother has a drug addiction.

I always say there is a time and place for every book I read, and now is just not the time for these books. Anyway, here’s the review for Bomb, the last YPLA book that I’ll review:

Bomb:  The Race to Build-and Steal-the World's Most Dangerous Weapon makes you think this is going to be a sort of spy thriller, however it’s actually a biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, often called the father of the atomic bomb.

Bomb is well written and very interesting, but it just didn’t grab me. There wasn’t technically anything wrong with it, but it didn’t latch onto me and make me want to superglue it to my face. I would like to come back to it eventually, but I think it would take me a (long) while to read it. This conflicts with every single review on amazon that I’ve read, all the reviews are 5 stars, but for now, this is my verdict on it.

I think I just need to accept that the person that chose the YPLA finalists has very different taste in books to me.

Feisty chick-o-meter: No female characters as far as I have read, but I can't really rate it seeing as it's a biography.
Age rating: 10 and up
Rating: 5/10
Stand alone or series: Stand alone
Book or audiobook: Book

YPLA- Week Two (if you squint a bit)

Never Fall Down

By Patricia McCormick

Okay, book number two: Never Fall Down, a story about a young boy, Arn, roughly 11 years old at the beginning of the book, living in Cambodia in 1975. This was the year when the soldiers of the violent and brutally repressive Khmer Rouge took over the government, and forced the whole population into the countryside, to work on rice plantations. Arn is separated from his family, and sent to a special plantation specifically for kids his age. He lives on barely enough rice to survive, and each day he sees kids die of starvation, exhaustion, and disease, and he sees people taken out to the mango grove and never return. And each day, he lives by the motto Never Fall Down. Then one day the Khmer Rouge needs children for the band, and Arn volunteers, in the hope it will keep him alive just a little bit longer. He becomes valuable to the Khmer Rouge, and learns how to manipulate the system. Arn is forced to watch the hideous acts of the Khmer Rouge, and forced to remain indifferent, at least on the outside, because if you show emotion, you die.

I enjoyed Never Fall Down, although I don’t recommend reading it when you already feel crappy. The story is rather bleak, but it’s one of the few YA books at least, that portray war and battle like it really is – brutal. I found the way in which it was written a little difficult to understand at first, because it’s written in the first person, but in the manner of a boy who’s had no formal education, however, after a couple of chapters, I got used to it, and the dialogue flowed more naturally. I think my main issue with the story is that the end peters out. The narration is so passionate and deep and there is one strand of hope running throughout. When you get to the end you expect it to have at least some form of positive closure, however, it lacks the depth and intensity that came through in the first two-thirds of the book. It almost seemed as if the author was drained from writing such a forceful, yet depressing book.

That said, this was a page turner, and it kept me hooked.

Oh and did I mention? This is a true story.

Feisty chick-o-meter: 4/10 There really aren't that many female characters
Age rating: 14 or 15 + I know because Arn is 11 you would think 11 would be okay, but by the end Arn is  15, and  this book is pretty hardcore
Rating: 8/10
Stand alone or series: Stand alone
Book or audiobook: Book

Arn Chorn-Pond is now a human rights activist, and speaks out against genocide

YPLA- Week One(ish)

Goblin Secrets

By William Alexander

The five finalists for the Young People’s Literature Award have been announced, and the winner will be revealed on the 14th of November, so what am I going to do? Review them all, of course!

Yes, yes, I know, I’m behind. I promise I’ll catch up! Honest! Anyway, here are the finalists:

Goblin Secrets By William Alexander
Out of Reach By Carrie Arcos
Never Fall Down By Patricia McCormick
 Endangered By Eliot Schrefer
Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon By Steve Sheinkin

The book for this week is Goblin Secrets. Set in a land called Zombay, this book is about Rownie, who lives with the Baba Yaga-esque, Graba, who takes in stray children. Rownie has an older brother, Rowan, an actor, but acting is illegal in Zombay, and Rowan is nowhere to be found. Trying to find him, Rownie joins a band of goblin outlaws, who travel the land, putting on plays, however Rownie isn’t the only one looking for his brother. The goblins need to find him too, as Rowan might be the only person who can save the town.

I wanted to love this book, I really did, but it just didn’t grab me. It didn’t pass the three chapter test, and the reason I am a week behind is because I haven’t gotten into it. I think this is partially because Rownie is ten years old, and I don’t tend to like books where the main characters are under 12 or 13, but still... Technically there was nothing wrong with this book; it just didn’t pull me under. Normally when I am really enjoying a book, I’ll walk around the house, reading, and won’t stop, unless it’s for something really important (unfortunately they haven’t invented the water-proof book yet), I just didn’t have that with Goblin Secrets. I think I’ll come back to it someday, but for now I’ll have to shelve it. (Metaphorically speaking, seeing as I read it on my kindle)


Feisty chick-o-meter: 4/10 at least as far as I've read
Age rating: 10+ seeing as the main character is 10
Rating:  5/10
Stand alone or series: Stand alone
Book or audiobook: Book

Oh Look, One of the Best Books of All Time Just Came Out.

The Mark of Athena

By Rick Riordan

Of all the books to review, I chose this one; the third book of a second series.
Last week Rick Riordan's new book came out. Honestly, I don’t know how I survived the wait. His latest book, The Mark of Athena, is the third book of the Heroes of Olympus series, which in turn is a follow-on from the Percy Jackson Series.

It’s hard enough to write really good sequels - there are a lot of crappy sequels out there - so maintaining a five-book series is hard enough. Adding a second series? Normally I hate second series. Normally I despise them with a passion. I find them uninteresting, just trying to cash in on the success of the previous series. But who am I kidding? Rick Riordan wrote this series; of course it’s going to be awesome!

This series picks up where the final Percy Jackson book left off, but with new characters and locations. The first book in this series - The Lost Hero - is narrated from the perspective of three demigods, one Roman, two Greeks. The second book - The Son of Neptune - is the other way round, one Greek, two Romans. The third, Mark of Athena, is narrated from the perspectives of four demigods, including Annabeth and Percy from the previous series. But this isn’t Percy Jackson mark 2; this is an entirely new series, with amnesia, heroes with baseball bats and ballerina giants. (Seriously, how cool does that sound?)

The Mark of Athena lived up to my expectations in every aspect. So far I think it's the funniest of the series. In the first book I think Riordan was experimenting with the series, and in the second book he's settling in, but by Mark of Athena, he's well and truly settled. The group dynamics work  especially well in this book, and I'm not really sure if I can hold out until fall next year for the next installment...

One of Riordan’s gifts is to write believable dialogue, a lot of books are ruined by the fact that the teenagers just don’t sound like teenagers, and I think part of what makes his books work so well is that you believe the dialogue.

His other gift is his humour. Rick Riordan’s books are hilarious, but the humour really ramps up in this series, and not just more jokes, each character has his or her own personal brand of humour. Also the fight scenes are getting - for want of a better and more grammatically correct phrase - even awesomer. I have to say that this is probably Riordan’s best series yet. The only criticism I have is that the romance could do with a bit more depth; however, I get that that would completely change the audience of the series.

So, general conclusion? Awesome!

Feisty chick-o-meter: 10/10
Age rating: 12+
Rating: 10/10
Stand alone or series: Honestly, this is the mother of all series

The House of Hades is coming out in a year...Not that anyone's counting...

Dystopian Round up

There's nothing I like better than a good dystopian novel. Except for chocolate. Chocolate is awesome, but I digress. There's something enticing about novels set in an imaginary yet familiar land with issues we are dealing with today, such as desensitization in the media, or a fear of technology. A dystopian setting also is an environment that readers can relate to, but can be more technologically advanced. And hey, who doesn't want to read about a land with high tech gadgets?

So if you're looking for a new book to read, or if you've run out of chocolate, here’s a round up of some ones I’ve read recently:

The Hunger Games series

By Suzanne Collins

This is the obvious choice to start off with; The Hunger Games are possibly one of the most well-known recent dystopian novels. The story is about a 16 year old, Katniss Everdeen, living in post-apocalyptic America, struggling to support to her family, when she is sent away as one of 24 tributes to compete in a televised fight to the death.

The Hunger Games are extremely well written and Katniss is very feisty, and although I would not necessarily agree with her choice in men, I devoured this book and finished in about two days. The next two books are when I start to get annoyed. You want to keep reading to find out what happens, and, sure, she’s been dealing with all this post-traumatic stress but she gets flaky and vague and stops sticking up for herself and becomes a bit of a pain, which is sad because the rest of the characters are so cool and the story itself is really good. But read the series and make up your own mind. Some people hate the first two books and love the last one.

Feisty chick-o-meter: 7/10

Age rating: 12 or 13 and up

Rating: 8/10

Stand alone or series: Series

Legend

By Marie Lu

This is currently one of my favourite books of all time.  It’s narrated from two different points of view. The first is June, a 15 year old military prodigy from a wealthy family recruited into the military after her brother’s death, who is hunting down her brother's killer. The second is Day, a 15 year old criminal, born in one of the poorest slums, who just happens to be the Republic’s most wanted. These two characters meet under the most unconventional circumstances and form a shaky alliance, until one the darkest secrets of the Republic is uncovered.

This is one of the few books that balances the female lead extremely well, and Day is also well balanced in the sense that he is a strong character, but not afraid to feel, show, and express weakness. The book runs at a consistent pace and the behaviour of all the characters goes according to their personalities, and you can understand why they react in a certain way. I listened to Legend as an audiobook, and the fact that it’s narrated by two different people adds to the effect. I would recommend listening to the audiobook, because the narrators read the book very well, but the book is still really good either way.

The sequel, Prodigy, is coming out January next year, not that I’m counting down or anything…

Feisty chick-o-meter: 10/10

Age rating: 13 and up

Rating: 10/10

Stand alone or series: Series

Scorpio Races

By Maggie Stiefvater

This is another book narrated from two perspectives, Sean Kendrick a 19 year old boy of few words, who has entered and won the Scorpio Races four years in a row, and Puck Connoly, a 17 year old girl living with her two brothers on their own in a house they might lose. The story takes place on the island of Thisby, where, each November the Scorpio Races take place, a race in which men from all over the island come to race on the capaill uisce (pronounced capple ishka), the carnivorous water horses. Sean races to keep the horse that isn’t really his. Puck joins the races for the first time this year for the money. As Puck and Sean’s unlikely friendship grows, both are faced with a dilemma; both want the other to win, and neither can afford to lose.

 The Scorpio Races is very well written. The dialogue is believable and the characters evolve very well, as do their relationships. Puck sticks up for herself with cutting and most of the time amusing retorts, without relying on someone else to defend her, and Sean is a very complex character, with more to him than just sullenness.

Okay, I admit, I’m a sucker for multiple cast audiobooks, but sometimes the voices will be wrong and it will ruin the story. That didn’t happen for this audiobook. The two narrators have voices perfect for the characters. This is another book that I would recommend first as an audiobook because of the dual narration, but the story still has the same qualities either way.

Feisty chick-o-meter: 8/10 

Age rating: 13 or 14 and up

Rating: 8/10

Stand alone or series: Stand alone

Maze Runner

By James Dashner

When Thomas wakes up he remembers nothing but his name. He is trapped inside a metal box and when the flaps open, he sees the Glade. It has been the same for two years. Each month a new boy is sent up through the box along with supplies. No one knows where the box comes from or where they are. All the Gladers know is that the Glade is in the middle of a maze with hideous monsters outside the wall. Thomas accepts his role as the newbie, at least for a month, until the box comes up, one month early, with a girl inside, with an alarming message. Suddenly the search for an exit turns frantic and it becomes clear that Thomas and this new girl are the key to getting out of the maze.

Maze Runner is narrated from the perspective of Thomas, and may I just say that the Gladers have the best expressions, such as “You are the shuckiest shuck faced shuck in the world!”  Maze Runner is very well written and the characters are well rounded, however Thomas doesn’t really evolve during the course of the book. It’s a very boy’s club book - there are only two female characters- however I don’t think that makes the book inaccessible.

Maze runner has two sequels, The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure, plus a prequel.

Feisty chick-o-meter: 5/10 Seriously?! Only two female characters?!

Age rating: 13 and up

Rating: 7/10

Stand alone or series: Series

****

Some other dystopian novels that I’ve read are:

The City of Embers and its sequel The People of Sparks byJeanne DuPrau

Matched and its sequel Crossed by Ally Condie

The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer

Divergent and the sequel Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Also, if you're in the mood for a movie, check out The Matrix. 

The Lawrence Public Library also has a really good flowchart on what to read if you enjoyed The Hunger Games, and it has a really good collection of dystopian novels, along with other genres. And if you're really crazy about dystopian books and don't really have anything to do for the next 10 years, Wikipedia has a list of practically every dystopian novel ever written since 1900.

Read First or Watch First?

I am Number Four
By Pittacus Lore

This week I did something I normally never do. I watched the movie of I Am Number Four before reading the book. Although I enjoyed both, I would have to say, I preferred the book.

I Am Number Four Is about one of nine aliens with extraordinary gifts, from a planet called Lorien, sent to earth to fully develop their powers, so that they may one day return to Lorien and save their planet. However, not everyone thinks this is such a great idea. Mogadorians, the bad aliens, are hunting down each gifted child, in number order.

This story follows, as the title suggests, the fourth of these aliens, and the Mogadorians’ next target, as he moves to Paradise, Ohio, and tries, again, to have a “normal” life.

There are only a few major differences between the book and the movie, for example, the death of a certain character happens later on in the book than in the movie, and the first time you see the Mogadorians (or Mogs) in the book is the final battle, whereas in the movie, they appear throughout. Then in the category of minor differences, there are details like who goes where when, that are to be expected.

I liked the book over the movie for a number of reasons. One is that Sarah, the love interest, is more feisty in the book. Not that she isn't a strong character in the movie, but does she stab a Mog in the film? No. I also don't think Alex Pettyfer fully carried off the grittiness of his character.(Might I just say, however, the token Aussie in the film is pretty awesome.)

I would recommend reading the book first, but have a look at the movie too, it's worth watching.

Feisty chick-o-meter: 7/10

Age rating: 13

Rating: 7/10

Stand alone or series: Series

Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier

This week I’m reading the latest book by one of my favourite authors, Juliet Marillier.

Shadowfell  is a story about Neryn, a 15 year old girl who has special gifts that the evil king wants to harness for his own benefits.  Neryn is trying to reach Shadowfell, a sanctuary for rebels and people with canny gifts. However, to get there, she must travel far across the land with the help of Flint, a mysterious stranger

This book, like Juliet’s other books does not disappoint. Her characters are beautifully rounded and easily likeable, in particular Neryn. It’s hard finding heroines who are strong but haven’t completely lost their femininity in YA books, but Neryn is a perfect combination of both.

Juliet has kindly agreed to answer a few questions about her book.


I know your first YA book, Wildwood Dancing was inspired by the 12 dancing princesses. What was the inspiration for this novel?

Not a fairy tale this time! The concept of rebels fighting a very uneven battle against a tyrannical ruler probably came from the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ that was happening in various countries around the time I started writing Shadowfell, so it very definitely comes from real life events, though the setting is imaginary history. The Scottish aspect of the setting comes from my upbringing in Dunedin, the ‘Edinburgh of the South’, which means I love all things Scots, and can write the dialect without even thinking about it. Who would have thought that would come in useful?

When you’re writing a series, how much of the storyline do you know in advance?

All of the first book (but with lots of flexibility because the story changes quite a bit while I’m writing) and the general outline of each other book in the series, so I know in advance both the ‘one book story’ and the overarching ‘three book story.’ Mind you, the longest series I’ve written is three books.

How hard is it to find the balance between strong and feminine when you’re writing heroines? And in your opinion, what makes a good female lead?

Every writer does this differently. I’m aware of what is plausible for whatever period and culture my story is set in – or in the case of Shadowfell, the implied period – and I try to make the heroine’s attitudes and choices reasonably true to that, though my young women do have a tendency to be more proactive and outspoken than the average female of their time! I think we’ve had a backlash against the sweet and passive heroines of some early fantasy, and there’s been a flood of kick-ass, physically fearless female protagonists in recent years. Shadowfell is the first series in which I’ve introduced one of those action woman characters, though she is not the heroine. I found Tali interesting to create and she gets a much bigger role in the sequel, Raven Flight. I do like also to show how a woman can be strong and feminine at the same time. As a reader, I like a female lead I can identify with or at least empathise with. I like a character who isn’t too perfect, so she has room to grow within the story. One of my all-time favourites is Jo March from Little Women.

What tricks do you use to visualize where and what you’re writing about? For example, do you listen to a particular type of music when you’re writing?

Music is a big inspiration though I don’t listen while I’m actually writing – I find it distracting especially if it’s something with lyrics. When I listen to certain favourite groups, eg Scottish folk/rock band Runrig, I can instantly see the landscapes I need for the Shadowfell series. I’ve travelled quite extensively in the Scottish highlands and I have lots of photos, so looking at those is another useful reminder.

***

A big thanks to Juliet for taking the time to do this interview. Shadowfell is available at amazon.

Feisty chick-o-meter: 9/10

Age rating: 13 or 14+

Rating: 10/10

Stand alone or series: Series (Yay!)