YA Weekend: Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Series: Book 1 of The Goddess War

Publisher: Tor Teen (September 10, 2013)

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Mogsy's Rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

Antigoddess is the second book I have read by Kendare Blake, after the fun times I had with Anna Dressed in Blood earlier this year. And as much as I appreciate a good ghost story, I have to say Antigoddess was more up my alley.

Funny story, though: When I first added this book to my reading list, I only saw the cover and thought it was going to be a story about angels. Damn feather threw me off. It wasn’t until I read the description that I realized I was wrong, but that it was actually about something even better! Not angels, but gods. Greek gods. The mythology buff in me was tickled pink. And that feather on the cover which originally misled me turned out to be a symbol for something much more sinister…

At the heart of this novel and series is an ancient conflict stemming from the events of the Trojan War. So before reading this, it might be a good idea to brush up on your Greek Mythology 101. Or rent Troy. It’s all good! In any case, you don’t have to be an expert on all the details to enjoy this, as Blake uses her prerogative to do some very cool and unique things to the legend and the characters involved. For one, the gods themselves are dying – and in the most bizarre ways. We learn of their plight through mainly Athena and Hermes’ perspectives, the former experiencing impending death by way of random feathers sprouting in her body like a cancer. This is making all the gods a little desperate, and some are driven to insanity.

Even from the very start, we’re presented a mystery. What do the gods have to do with a teenage girl named Cassandra from Kincade, New York? Granted, she appears to have some freaky psychic powers, but the character perspectives going back and forth between Athena and Cassandra cannot be any more different. The latter’s chapters show life in your typical small town high school, while Athena and Hermes’ chapters (at least in the beginning) have an almost abstract, dream-like quality to them which I really enjoyed. While the characters’ connections are revealed early on, the plot doesn’t explode until gods and mortals meet. And then the revelations are even more mind-blowing and unexpected.

The book’s greatest strength is its characters. I suppose if you’re a god you can choose to be whoever you want to be. I liked how Blake gave her gods all different and interesting identities – from Athena’s stern demeanor to Apollo’s loyalty or Hermes’ fun-loving personality and fondness for pop culture.

Most obvious weakness? This had the feel of “first book of a series” all over it. In other words, it read like one big long introduction. Voracious readers of YA fiction will probably know exactly what I’m talking about, and probably won’t find this all that surprising. It’s not hard to guess whether a book will have a satisfying ending or leave things wide open for the sequel; once it became clear that there was no way any of the conflicts would be settled by the end the novel, I admit my interest waned a little as that “let’s just bring on book two” attitude settled in.

That said, I am on board for book two. It’ll probably be one of my higher-priority sequels too, because let’s face it – how often does a book with a good Greek mythology angle come along?

Book Review: Warrior of the West by M.K. Hume

Warrior of the West by M.K. Hume

Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy

Series: Book 2 of King Arthur

Publisher: Atria

Date of Publication: January 7, 2014

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Mogsy's Rating: 4 of 5 stars - "Hume takes her expertise on the legend and history of King Arthur and weaves in her own personal imaginings, portraying many prominent figures of the mythos in unique, intriguing ways"

Of the many re-tellings and interpretations I've read based on the King Arthur mythos, I think M.K. Hume's is probably the most "scholarly" version I've ever come across. As an expert on Arthurian literature writing the series as more of a historical fiction than a fantasy, the author clearly went to great lengths to find the most accurate accounts of Arthur's reign. Still, she ultimately chose to tell the legends her way, and there are certainly no shortage of surprises here.

This is the second book of Hume's King Arthur trilogy. The first book Dragon's Child was about how Artor (Arthur) won his crown to become High King of the Britons, while Warrior of the West takes place approximately twelve years after that. The story almost feels like it is split into two parts, with the first half of the novel focusing on the war against Glamdring Ironfist and his army of Saxon invaders. 

But while it was undoubtedly the right call for Hume to open the book with the excitement and conflict of a war campaign, I personally found the events of the second half of the novel more engaging. Having driven back his enemies, the rest of the book centers around Artor's efforts to establish his throne and his need for a legitimate heir. This, of course, is where Wenhaver (Guenevere) comes in, and the interesting part begins.

I have to say this book's characterization of Wenhaver is one of my favorite portrayals of King Arthur's queen that I've ever encountered. Simply put, she's a terrible, vicious person, little more than a spoiled child accustomed to using her beauty to get what she wants. In her afterword, Hume confesses that she has never much liked Guenevere or her character's relevance as someone who could bring ruin to an entire kingdom for the love of another man, and yet could still retain her likeability as a person. I've never thought about it that way, but the fact that Guenevere and her part in the legend has always been heavily romanticized is true enough. 

However, in this story Wenhaver is a vile, jealous and sadistic character who cheats on her husband out of spite. Hume also leaves the character of Lancelot out entirely, which makes sense because she is staying faithful to the older versions of the legend (Lancelot is thought to have been absorbed into the Arthurian tradition after he was introduced by the French romances). But while there's no love lost between king and queen, Hume cultivates her character relationships in other places. 

As a counterpoint to Wenhaver, we have Nimue, known commonly as the Lady of the Lake who enchants the heart of Merlin. Nimue is the polar opposite of Wenhaver, being a sweet, kindly and down-to-earth young woman -- which again is an intriguing portrayal of a key figure that is very different and unique. I love the background Hume has written for Nimue, while still managing to tie in a lot of the elements from the more popular versions of the legend, including her relationship with Myrddion Merlinus. 

In spite of this, the story also feels grounded in historical reality, which I'm sure is due largely to Hume's research and academic expertise. The nature of the writing style also puts you right there, and is quite effective at emphasizing the brutality of the times. In some ways, the starkness of the prose makes the violence seem so much worse, making me feel a lot more squeamish. Indeed, the author does not spare us from the darker, bloodier side of forging a kingdom. 

As you can see, the book veers off a great deal from the more "accepted" versions of the King Arthur legend, but that is also what I love best about it. The way Hume weaves her own personal imaginings into a framework which brings together myth and legend with historical accounts is what's making this series stand out for me. It's true that these novels lean further into historical fiction territory than fantasy, making them quite different than the type of books I'm currently reading now, but I'm definitely looking forward to checking out the conclusion of this trilogy.

 4 of 5 stars

A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Kinslayer by Jay Kristoff

Kinslayer by Jay Kristoff

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy, Steampunk

Series: Book 2 of The Lotus War

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books

Date of Publication: September 17, 2013

Author Information:  Website | Twitter


It's going to be extremely difficult to talk about the sheer awesomeness of this book without giving spoilers, but darn it, I'm going to try! In general I tend not to do spoilers in reviews, but more important is the fact that I simply don't think anything will compare to the emotional roller coaster of experiencing all the ups-and-downs of this book yourself.

Like the first book, though, it took me a while to get into the story. However, it's significant to note that some of the best books I've ever read start off slow in the first 100 pages, and this has been the case with both books in this series so far. Part of this also has to do with the writing style, which I still find over-encumbered and hard to get used to.

But none of that mattered in the end; as soon as this book got its arashitora claws and talons in me, I was pretty much putty in its clutches! After the events of Stormdancer, I was on pins and needles wondering what Yukiko, Buruu, and the Kagen rebels would do now with the entire Shima Imperium in turmoil. My first shock was discovering the Lotus Guild's choice for the new Shogun. That just can't end well.

Now the Kagen are in a frenzy of planning, hoping to sabotage the Shogun-to-be's wedding and foil the Guild's aim to put him at the head of this new tyrannical dynasty. The enemy, however, are also plotting something of their own, something that would have the power to end the Kagen and destroy their forest home. Meanwhile, Yukiko flies off across the oceans on Buruu to learn more about the Kenning, her mysterious power that has been unstable as of late.

There's definitely an epic feel to this series now, especially with the addition of more characters, their points-of-view, and multiple plot threads occurring in different places all at once. For the first time, we also get a brief glimpse of the world happening outside Shima, finally giving some context to this "gaijin war" we've been hearing about for the whole of the first book and a part of this one, but so far have seen none of the fighting or battles.

And if I thought the first 100 pages were slow, the last 100 pages certainly made up for them and more besides. I know "unputdownable" sounds cliched, but it was almost literally the truth when the book was practically glued to my fingers with the nervous sweat coming off of my hands, I kid you not. I don't often like making comparisons to A Song of Ice and Fire when I talk about books (because truly, I have never come across anything quite like George R.R. Martin's series) but there were definitely times where I felt this one was "Game of Thrones-ing" me. It was just shock after shock in the last quarter of the book, some which were expected, some not.

Of course, I had some issues, especially with some parts of the plot (like, what a nice convenient way to get Yukiko out of the picture for a while), and the prose with its excessive use of metaphors often made me want to tear my hair out, but overall these were overshadowed by the climax and finale, as well as an insane revelation about Yukiko. I cannot believe I didn't see that one coming!

In the end, I think I liked this book even more than the first one because it was darker, more visceral, violent. I love books which are unpredictable and that keep me guessing, whose direction can change like the wind without warning. I liked how this was not a happy story. It has evolved a lot in this book, and its characters as well. Considering how Jay Kristoff left things off here in total chaos, I'm already looking forward to the next book which I have no doubt will be explosive.

Note: My copy was an advance reader edition from the publisher provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 of 5 stars

"Epic feel and insane revelations!"

For BiblioSanctum reviews of previous book(s) in the series:

Book 1 of The Lotus War - Stormdancer

Book Review: Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy, Steampunk

Series: Book 1 of The Lotus War

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books

Date of Publication: September 18, 2012

Author Information: Website | Twitter


This was a refreshing read that stood out from all the steampunk I've been chomping through lately. I used to think this sub-genre and setting wasn't for me, but that was probably before I realized how few steampunk books I've read actually incorporate that "steampunkness" so fully and completely as this book does. And it's not just about the cool airships and armor and the wicked chainsaw katanas either (though all those things are indeed cool and wicked). The steampunk aspect is ubiquitous and feels like a living, breathing part of the story, going beyond descriptions of the mechanisms to actually touch upon the relationship it has with the whole society and industry.

But enough about the steampunk, because as brilliant as that is, it's only one of the many reasons why I loved this book. I think the kicker is the feudal Japanese-inspired world as well as the author's version on its myths and legends. In the center stage of Stormdancer is the arashitora, a "storm tiger" or griffin, which the characters Yukiko and the members of her father's hunting team are tasked to capture for Shima's megalomaniacal Shogun. However, the expedition is disrupted by a great tempest before they could bring one home, leaving Yukiko stranded and alone with one of the mythological creatures, and a furious one at that.

At is heart, the story is mainly about the friendship that develops between Yukiko and the arashitora Buruu, an unlikely pair who learns to trust and love one another after facing challenges together. While that's not exactly breaking new ground, I still have to say there were a few surprises in the plot that kept things interesting. Once again, it's the world that really pulled me in, and along with that the anticipation of seeing how the characters will prevail against the Shogun and his Lotus Guild. For a novel targeted at young adults, I am more than impressed with the whole package.

I suppose the only thing that gave me pause was the prose. I am torn when it comes to this, because so much of the writing was given to the world building, and surely no one can accuse the author of skimping on the descriptive details. In general, however, I found the prose needed getting used to, and also could have done with less embellishment.

Still, the book's penchant to expound on everything was also both its strongest and weakest point. It may be the reason for its slow-ish start, but also gave life to in my opinion the best and most amazing scene in the whole book, which was the initial hunt in the storm at about a quarter of the way in. There's pretty much no way you can read those vivid chapters and not be hooked afterward! All in all, a great book, and nothing's going to keep me away from the next one.

4 of 5 stars

"More than impressed!"

Book Review: Dragon's Child by M.K. Hume

The King Arthur Trilogy Book One: Dragon's Child by M.K. Hume

Genre: Historical Fiction, Arthurian Fantasy 

Series: Book 1 of King Arthur

Publisher: Atria Books

Date of Publication: November 12, 2013

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Thank you to Atria Books for sending me an advanced copy of Dragon's Child in exchange for an honest review! Originally published in 2009, a new edition of the paperback and ebook will be available later this fall, thus it was provided to me via Atria's latest Galley Alley program. This book first caught my eye when I found out it was an Arthurian fantasy novel written by an expert on the subject. Like many, I've been exposed to my share of retellings and interpretations of the King Arthur mythos in fiction (there are a ton out there!), but I am most definitely not well-versed in the historical details. This made me curious as to how an academic authority on Arthurian literature would tackle the legend.

Not surprisingly, the novel turned out to be a story of Arthur (known here as Artorex) and his journey from a humble childhood to become the High King of the Britons. Artorex is presented to us as the reluctant hero, whose personal choice would have been to raise a family on his foster family's farm and live out the rest of his days as a simple steward. Fate, however, has set him on another path.

I'll admit that I found it difficult to get into the story at first. The introduction to the hero's journey is a familiar one: the boy who everyone had initially dismissed suddenly discovers that he has a greater destiny. In the next few chapters, his skills are honed and he becomes stronger. He learns to fight, he learns to ride, and he gains all the experiences he will someday need to become a great leader. It was pretty standard, even as Arthurian legends go, and I had to suppress the temptation to skim this section, especially knowing that the real meat of the story had to be just beyond this point.

Thankfully, I was right and the book did get better. Much better, in fact, with the introduction of Gallia, Artorex's first wife. That's right, I did a double-take too when I saw that. M.K. Hume herself wrote in her Author's Note explaining that she once came upon an evocative reference in an obscure text named Guinevere as Arthur's second wife, but even though she could find no other material in her research that even hints at a first wife, the idea stuck. And I have to say, the fact whole epic trilogies can develop and evolve from tiny little tidbits like that is what fascinates me about historical fiction, and why I love the genre.

In this case, I really enjoyed the author's take on Artorex's childhood and teenage years, as well as her reasoning behind why she chose to tell his story the way she did. A lot of attention is given to these formative years, and I was surprised at how engaging the story became after getting past his boyhood training. Even though Hume used a third person omniscient point of view to narrate the story (which I normally dislike, because it tends to distract me from the main character), the focus always remained on Artorex, making his transformation from the boy known simply as Lump to King Artor of the Britons a very drawn-out but believable one.

In the end, I went from feeling luke-warm towards this novel to liking it quite a lot. The writing style can come off as a bit cumbersome at first if you're not used to it, but I later felt it suited the book very well, giving a cold edge to some of the darker and more violent parts of the story. This first book ends with Artorex being crowned the High King, and the best part is knowing there is so much more to his legend, which I'm looking forward to continuing in the rest of this trilogy.

 4 of 5 stars

Book Review: The Golem and The Jinni by Helene Wecker

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

I absolutely adored this. Magical realism at its finest! And even though it wasn't exactly what I had expected, I can't really say that I minded. Otherwise, as a character so deftly put it in this book, I would be like "a man who complains that someone stole the eggs from his henhouse and replaced them with rubies."

This fantasy novel is also a touching and meaningful immigrant tale at its heart, combining religion and mythology to tell a story of two supernatural creatures who find themselves in New York City in 1899. Chava is a magically-crafted clay golem, brought to life to serve a husband who dies at sea while on the voyage from Poland. When the ship reaches NYC, she is left directionless and without a master. Ahmad is a jinni, released accidentally after being trapped in a copper flask for hundreds of years. Though freed from the vessel, he finds himself still bound to the physical world by a band of iron around his wrist, placed there by the wizard who imprisoned him so long ago.

The story plays out like a fairy tale for adults, complete with elements like love and villains. It is filled with wonderful, fully-realized characters which hooked me from the start. The multiple narratives paint an enchanting picture of the bustling and culturally rich setting of turn-of-the-century New York, where immigrants from so many places around the world settled in the hopes of finding a better life. In this milieu, the golem and the jinni become two more faces in the crowd trying to seek a new beginning in America. Despite being creatures of lore, their struggles and aspirations make them feel entirely too human.

Both the golem and the jinni face questions and obstacles that deal with the notion of freedom versus subjugation; how the two characters approach these issues and choose to deal with them is what forms the basis for this story and makes it so interesting. In this novel, everyone you meet will guard their secrets and hold mysteries in their past. As you read on, the fun is in watching all these histories unfold and the connections start to form. 

Just simply a beautiful book, and a great choice if you're in the mood for some literary fantasy.

4.5 of 5 stars

Audiobook Review: American Gods by Neil Gaiman

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

It has long been a shameful secret of mine that I've never read a Neil Gaiman novel. Sure, I've read his Sandman comics and a few of his short stories, but somehow, the opportunity to read a full-length novel of his has never come up, despite the fact that books like American Gods and Neverwhere have been sitting in my Kindle gathering metaphorical dust for like, oh, I don't know...the past two or three years.

That's why this summer I made it a point to lose my Neil Gaiman virginity, and decided to give the honor to American Gods first of all because it is considered one of his "classics", and second of all because the Tenth Anniversary Edition of the book I owned also had the added benefit of an audiobook Whispersync bundle deal, which I'd picked up as well. As it turned out, this worked out for the best.

And now I have the hefty task of actually trying to describe what American Gods is about. The book begins with the introduction of Shadow, a man coming up on the end of his three-year prison sentence and looking forward to get back to his life. Days before his release, however, he gets news that his beloved wife was killed in a car accident, along with his best friend. Freed from prison now but with his life in tatters, Shadow agrees to work for a mysterious stranger he meets on the way home, a man who calls himself "Mr. Wednesday".

Shadow travels across America with Wednesday, meeting his new boss' unusual friends and colleagues, and here's where things start to get cryptic and mystical. Wednesday and his peers turn out to be incarnations of the Old Gods of ancient mythology, whose powers are waned since the rise of modern life and the technological era, these aspects themselves manifesting as the American "New Gods". Everything Shadow thought he knew has been turned upside down. Nothing is as it seems; legends and myths are real, secrets are everywhere, everything is connected...and war is coming.

You ever read a book where you know very early on that it's not the kind for you, but you end up enjoying it a lot anyway, because it's just so beautifully written and profound? This was definitely one of those for me. I'd known what I was in for, of course; like I said, I've had some experience with Neil Gaiman's style of writing and know that his stuff is often allusive and metaphysical, surreal and abstract in nature.

In other words, totally not my thing at all. And thematically, the book turned out to be exactly as I'd expected. By all rights, I shouldn't have liked it, but I did. Wow. And now I finally understand the reason it's considered a contemporary masterpiece, and why Mr. Gaiman has so many fans.

Recall how I said I also had an Audible copy of American Gods, and that's actually how I read this novel, going back and forth between the ebook and the audiobook. I wanted to bring this up because I feel the excellent production quality of the latter definitely bears mentioning. Sometimes, great voice actors can bring the words to life, and that can also certainly make me enjoy a book much more than I normally would. The Tenth Anniversary version I had included a full cast featuring excellent narrators, which made it all the more engrossing, not to mention Neil Gaiman himself narrated some sections of the novel as well as the foreword, afterword, and other extras.

This edition is also the newly updated and expanded version with the author’s preferred text, so I definitely appreciated the chance to read this book in a state that's closer to what it's meant to be. One thing I think everyone agrees about Neil Gaiman is that you can count on him to be original and innovative, and the uniqueness of the themes and ideas in American Gods unquestionably reflects that. The extras included in this version really tied everything together and provided a lot of insight into this intellectual work of art -- because yes, after having experienced this book, I definitely consider it art.

Final verdict:

 4.5 of 5 stars

Book Review: Firebrand by Gillian Philip

Firebrand by Gillian Philip

It's been a while since I've come across such a difficult book to write about. Part of the issue involves the subject matter, themes, and ideas in Firebrand which all seem at variance with each other. This in turn gives me mixed feelings about the novel, because I struggle to even pin it down.

For example, at once it has the features of a historical fiction and yet also major elements of fantasy, specifically those pertaining to Celtic mythology. A big chunk of the book takes place in the Middle Ages, at the height of moral panic and mass hysteria over the devil and fear of witches. Unbeknownst to the humans, however, another world exists beyond the Veil, home to a race of beautiful immortals called the Sithe.

One of these beings is sixteen-year-old Seth, sent away from home by his insane mother Lilith who is adviser to the even more insane Sithe queen Kate. Seth grew up under the care of his father as a result, and became close to his older half-brother Conal. So when Conal is exiled to the other side of the Veil after a tiff with Kate, Seth follows voluntarily. The siblings are then forced to live amongst the mortals, attempting to hide their differences and Sithe powers in an atmosphere of danger, paranoia and superstition.

The book opens with a scene that tells the reader right away that the two of them have already failed. Caught up in a witch-hunt, Conal has been captured and is headed for the stake to be burned. I have to say it felt strange to have the climax of the novel presented to you in its first several pages, but it's also quite effective. Seth is left with not many choices, and you are left wondering what he might do and how the brothers got into this mess in the first place. The rest of the book tells that story.

It's entirely possible this is what made Firebrand feel so disjointed for me. At the same time, I also feel like there's not enough context given throughout the novel, certain sections giving me that strange sense I'm missing out on huge chunks of the story even though I know I'm not. It feels like there's an expectation for me to know everything that's happening around these characters, and even though Seth is the narrator, I often have trouble following his train of thought as he moves from action to action. It's like we're not always there with him in his head, perceiving or understanding things the same way he does.

Also, despite the ages of the main characters and the particular themes in this novel, I would hesitate to really categorize this book as Young Adult. This is just another one of those aforementioned contradictions I spoke of, because despite the nature of the marketing material and blurbs I see covering the dust jacket of my hardcover, it just doesn't read like YA. I can't really put my finger on why, as I wouldn't say it's inappropriate for the young adult audience either. I suspect the immortality of the Sithe characters may have something to do with it, as I see a stark difference between them and typical YA protagonists when it comes to their attitudes, way of life, and beliefs.

Whatever it is, somehow I just don't feel Firebrand fits the mold. For better or worse, I also think that about many other aspects of this novel. It was certainly a bit different, and the positive thing is I didn't dislike it -- in fact, I enjoyed reading this, but I don't think I can say I really loved it either. I think if its story and themes were more cogent, my thoughts and opinions on this book might have ended up less ambiguous.

Final Verdict:

3 of 5 stars

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

I remember when I was a kid, I was obsessed with the classic book Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry. I mean, what little girl doesn't love stories about horses and ponies, right? Well, The Scorpio Races is like the perfect book for that inner little girl in us all grown up.

Every November, people from all over the world swarm to the small island of Thisby for the famous Scorpio Races, where tourists and the local population alike place huge bets on the riders and their horses. Thing is, the mounts involved aren't your regular Thoroughbreds or Appaloosas. Instead, the jockeys ride capaill uisce, water horses native to Thisby. They're also carnivorous predators, known to prey on livestock and other animals on the island. Their fierce aggression and unpredictable temperaments also means they have no qualms about attacking humans, and it is common for riders to die in training or during the races every year.

Even though Kate "Puck" Connolly has had no experience with the races, she decides to sign up, even though she would be the first female ever to do so, and on her own regular dun mare to boot. At first, she does this in the hopes of delaying her older brother from from leaving Thisby permanently for the mainland, but when an eviction notice arrives, it becomes clear that she would have to win in order to save their house. Sean Kendrick, on the other hand, is a four-time champion and hence no stranger to the Scorpio Races. However, with his freedom and a beloved capaill uisce on the line, this year he has good reason to need to win too, for more than just the glory of being number one once more.

The lore behind the story was what initially drew me to this book. I was intrigued after hearing that Maggie Stiefvater drew inspiration from old Celtic legends about water horses, but the fact she was the author also made me hesitate for a long time before finally deciding to pick this up. Now I think she's a great writer, as I discovered for myself after reading her Wolves of Mercy Falls books. The thing is, that young adult trilogy turned out to be not quite what I was looking for with its tale of puppy love and teenage melodrama. It made me wonder if The Scorpio Races would also prove "too YA" for my tastes.

I needn't have been concerned. While it's true that the book's target may be the YA market, the story and the characters in it feel much more mature and serious to me, a lot more so than in Shiver, Linger and Forever. The relationship that inevitably blossoms between Sean and Puck comes off more natural and realistic, with minimal angst and cloying sentimentality involved. Theirs is a deeper romance compared to a lot what I've read in YA fiction, and I think perhaps I feel this way because the story deals with heavier and more intense themes. Ultimately, the book is as much about the people as it is about the horses, and for the most part I really enjoyed it.

Still, there were certain things that prevented me from getting fully immersed. While I applaud Maggie Stiefvater's creativity and imagination when she took a myth and came up with this world with an island and its annual water horse races, there's still a lot about this concept that doesn't sit right with me. I suppose the idea of killer horses is kind of neat, but I have to say the cool detachment with which many of the characters react towards the many deaths is a little baffling. Quite a few people fall prey to the capaill uisce throughout the course of this novel, but there is never much follow-up beyond the initial shock, with the exception of the one funeral we get to see. I get that the festival and the race is big for the islanders, but hasn't anyone wondered if all the maiming and dying is really worth it? And why is Puck's older brother so blasé about her decision to race? Why don't we see more concern from loved ones?

The plot is also quite thin in a few places. For example, I never truly understood Puck's motivations for joining the race. In fact, it was a question she posed herself many times in the book, but none of the explanations offered really worked to convince me. After all, when I think about what people usually do when they are strapped for cash and about to lose their house, signing up for a dangerous and potentially lethal activity you're grossly unqualified for probably isn't the first thing most would do. It's like waking up one morning and endeavoring to be a NASCAR champion and thinking you can handle it even though you know you are only a fair to semi-decent driver. You'd think the logical thing to do would be to exhaust all other options first, and the fact Puck never even attempts to do so still bothers me.

Despite all that, this was still quite good. It's probably my favorite book by this author so far, and I don't regret for a second giving it a chance. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Maggie is a master storyteller and has a beautiful and talented way with words. When it comes to YA fiction, to me she's one of the best.

Final Verdict:

3.5 out of 5 stars

Siren by John Everson

Siren by John Everson

First off, I'd like to say that I am likely not this novel's intended audience. That will have a lot to do with my rating.

In this book, the main character Evan walks the beach every night grieving for his son who drowned in an accident more than a year ago, until one night he is drawn to the voice of a beautiful naked woman singing on the rocks by the ocean. I'm well-versed enough in my mythology to know that Sirens are mysterious and seductive creatures who lured sailors and ships to their doom with their enchanting songs, but even I was unprepared for the amount of gratuitous and senseless sex in this novel.

At times, it felt like Evan only had two modes: horny or depressed. For the first three-quarters of the book, it seemed like all he was doing was either a) having sex, thinking about sex, or talking about sex, or b) remembering and crying for his lost son. We seem to go around in circles with these two conditions.

The story is also punctuated periodically by chapters flashing back to the 1800s, focusing on a crew aboard a smuggling ship and their encounters with the novel's eponymous creature. These scenes serve to add a little more background and history to the setting, but you also end up getting a healthy dose of gory violence, and of course, even more sex.

Now I'm no prude, and I'll even admit I've been known to enjoy books that are even more extreme in their dealings with the subject both in their quantity and carnality. I would even have found all of the sex in this book to be entertaining and good for the kicks, but for the fact the main character is apparently an utter ninny.

Not only was he repeatedly cheating on his bereaved wife, in the book Evan is also told flat-out by his friend Bill that he may have been spellbound by a Siren. And yet, Evan remains unconvinced. Granted, being lured into the ocean by a beautiful naked woman and her song could possibly be explained away by an over-amorous skinny dipper with a talented voice, but when dozens of seagulls suddenly start dive-bombing you and killing themselves against the windows of your house, shouldn't it make you think that maybe, just maybe, something strange or supernatural might be up?

And considering how many of Evan's problems in the book were defined by his son's drowning, there was surprisingly very little detail about his death and that tragic day. Meanwhile, of course, there were pages upon pages devoted to descriptions of Ligeia the Siren's naughty bits. Indeed, the characters could have been better developed, and in my opinion a couple of them were either underutilized (like Evan's psychiatrist) or written strangely (like his friend Bill, who would say the most ridiculous things at inappropriate moments). Much of the time, they don't act like real people.

Basically, reading this book reminded me a lot of watching a low-budget B-list creature feature on the SyFy channel (though, I suppose the SyFy channel would not abide so much nudity and sex). Don't get me wrong, though; those kinds of movies have a place in my life, especially snuggled on the couch on a Saturday night with a big bowl of popcorn. They're definitely good for some expedient thrills and entertainment, and bottom line, I would probably say much the same for this book. Purchased for $0.99 from Amazon's Kindle promotional list, I certainly don't regret it.

Final Verdict:

 2 of 5 stars

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

As a sequel of sorts to American Gods and based on word of mouth that told me that this was very much unlike the much darker predecessor, I wasn't sure what to expect, although, anything centred around Anansi promised to be charming.

The book started rather slowly with an intentionally boring character, Fat Charlie Nancy, who's greatest stress was an embarrassing father, something many a teenager can sympathize with. Knowing what we know of his father, the trickster god Anansi - which Fat Charlie did not learn until his father's death - made the dull circumstances of Charlie's life oddly compelling as, at some point it was certain that things would change. Change came in the form of his brother, Spider, who was very much Charlie's opposite and proceeded to take over Charlie's life, literally, with everyone falling in love with Spider, including Charlie's fiance.

From there, the story continued on a reasonably expected path, with Charlie growing increasingly upset with his brother's infiltration, until suddenly, the mythology of the Anansi stories and the reality truly came crashing together in odd and unpredictable ways that resulted in a book that I'm adding to my favourites list, if only for the strange smile it left me with.

I've known Anansi stories, but some how, I won't look at spiders the same way again. Charlie and Spider are fascinating characters and their twisted relationship with each other and with their father is frustrating and endearing at the same time.

I understand now why Neil Gaiman is a favourite among fans. His imagination is immense and enjoyable. His reimagining of mythologies is impressive. Special consideration for the accurate portrayal of delightful old Jamaican ladies!

4 of 5 stars