Quantcast

Clear the Queue

Okay, I'm hitting Cybils graphic novel nominations hard and fast. So I want to tell you about a few books I read before the nominations closed. All three I recommend, but I'll order them in strongest to weakest recommendation.

Forest Born by Shannon Hale. I simply savored this one. It might be my favorite of the Bayern books now. I don't know. . . it's been so long since I read The Goose Girl, which would be it's main contender. Anyway. I was able to relate to Rin in her quest. She goes out into the world not seeking something, but trying to figure herself out and trying to figure out how she should act. At various times I've had similar feelings of ultimate power and of utter disappointment in myself. And then it was so fun to go on a quest with the girls and not worry about boys for a book. :) Don't get me wrong, I love boys. But Hale does a great job of making things interesting, entertaining, suspenseful, and thought provoking without adding a romance into the mix. Highly recommended, especially to fans of Hale.

And Only to Decieve by Tasha Alexander. Okay, one of the blurbs on the back of this book said "If Jane Austen had written The DaVinci Code, it would be this book." That made me laugh. I have to say that after reading it, I wonder if the blurber wrote that at midnight when the brain becomes more squishy. But, it was a fun read. The plot is much more romantically driven than a reference to DaVinci Code would make you think. It's more like the Luxe books, actually, except with less drama and dirt (phew!). The mystery was mysterious, but the culprit was easy to spot. Still it was quite fun to read. It's very multidimensional on the romance level, and not at all a bodice ripper. Also all the references to Homer made me wish I'd paid better attention in High School. Here's the review (with excellent non-spoiler synopsis) that made me want to read it.

Wings by Aprilynne Pike. This one is pretty popular right now, from what I understand. I mean, I think it's been optioned for a movie starring Miley Cyrus. Whether or not you like Miley Cyrus, I think you know that's a big deal. And I have to say, if they make the movie, I want to see it. I want to see if they tighten things up a bit. It's a very plot-based (versus character-based) book. So my biggest problem with it was that the main character did something totally off-kilter. I understand that its important that the fairy secret not get out, but the reason she gives for keeping it in, I just can't buy. So, maybe that'll change with the movie and I'll be able to enjoy it more. I thought the premise was super cool, and the writing was very nice. That one bit of character motivation is my only hang up. Teen and pre-teen girls will enjoy this one, and I liked it too.

3 comments:

  1. Thank you for your reviews! I'm very excited to read Forest Born.

    And Only to Deceive sounds very interesting. I'll have to check it out.

    So, the Luxe books are dirty? Have you read The Other Boleyn Girl? Are they like that or more like an erotica novel? They were on my to read list, but I might have to take them off now.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Haven't read The Other Boleyn Girl. And really I didn't get super far into the Luxe books. You should try the first one to see how you feel about them. I know people who like them, they just weren't my thing. my review here: http://everead.blogspot.com/2009/05/luxe.html

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...