Review: My Lady Jane

March 31, 2017March 29, 20173 Comments

Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows, My Lady Jane

This novel is a highly fictionalized version of the events surrounding Lady Jane Grey’s accession to the throne of England, where she ruled for only nine days. The story begins as teenage king Edward VI learns that he is dying. He names his best friend Jane as his successor, which immediately makes her a highly desirable bride to the ambitious men at court. Although Jane is not particularly interested in marriage or becoming queen, she is forced to marry Gifford, the son of Edward’s most trusted counselor. Of course, Jane and Gifford don’t get along at first, but soon they must work together when she finds out that Gifford is an Edian, a person with the magical ability to turn into an animal. In fact, he can’t control this power, so he spends all his daylight hours as a horse. Jane and Gifford must conceal this politically dangerous secret and figure out how to control his power — all while navigating the perils surrounding the English monarchy.

When this book first came out, I refused to read it despite its popularity because of the terrible cover. But then I started reading reviews comparing it to things like The Princess Bride and Monty Python. And then I read the dedication — “For everyone who knows there was enough room for Leonardo DiCaprio on that door” — and I was hooked. This book is a fun and funny romp through Tudor history, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Of course, those who are looking for realistic historical fiction from this era should definitely look elsewhere; the actual historical situation is just a springboard for the characters’ completely fantastical adventures. I really enjoyed the main characters, especially Edward, whose main complaint about dying is that he hasn’t ever kissed a girl. The plot does get a bit hectic toward the end, but by then I was happy to go along for the ride. Overall, I liked this book a lot, and now I’m interested in trying some of the authors’ solo works.

Review: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

March 30, 2017March 29, 20173 Comments

Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

In a universe where space travel is common and humans mingle with aliens of various species, Rosemary Harper is about to join the crew of the Wayfarer, a spaceship whose job is essentially to facilitate interplanetary travel by punching wormholes through space. When Rosemary boards the Wayfarer, she meets a wildly diverse crew that nevertheless manages to live in (mostly) harmony. There’s Sissix, the lizardlike alien pilot; Kizzy and Jenks, the chatty engineers; Ashby, the captain; and Lovelace, the ship’s artificial intelligence system. They all embrace Rosemary as one of their own, even when they discover that she’s hiding a big secret from her past. But when the Wayfarer is hired for a particularly dangerous job, peace is threatened both among the crew and within the whole galaxy.

I’d read a lot of great reviews of this book, and I saw some comparisons to Firefly, so I was really hoping to love it. Unfortunately, I guess I’m in the minority on this one, because it honestly did nothing for me. The worldbuilding is excellent; the various alien species are well drawn, and the author obviously had fun exploring the cultural differences between her main characters. But the plot is practically nonexistent until the very end of the novel, when it’s finally revealed why this job is so dangerous and what’s at stake for the main characters. I also didn’t particularly care about any of the characters, and again I think it’s because there are no stakes; I don’t know what these characters want or what obstacles stand in their way. Finally, there’s an interspecies sexual encounter that I found distasteful, but of course other people’s mileage may vary. Overall, the great worldbuilding wasn’t enough to save this novel for me, and I won’t be reading the rest of the trilogy.

Review: On Second Thought

March 26, 2017March 25, 20171 Comment

Kristan Higgins, On Second Thought

After years of being single, Kate has finally found happiness with her new husband, Nathan. Their only marital problem so far is that Kate hasn’t yet gotten pregnant. Meanwhile, Kate’s half-sister Ainsley has been with her boyfriend Eric ever since college, and he’s dragging his feet about proposing to her, but she remains convinced that he’s “the one.” But the lives of both women change forever when Nathan dies in a tragic accident. Now a devastated Kate must deal with her grief — a horrible situation made even harder by her discovery that Nathan may have been hiding something from her. Meanwhile, the shock of Nathan’s death leads Eric to break up with Ainsley, who is blindsided by the loss of the future she’d been imagining for years. As both Kate and Ainsley try to move forward, they turn to each other for support and begin to forge a closer relationship.

I always enjoy Kristan Higgins’ contemporary romance novels, and even though this one isn’t quite as focused on romance, I still really liked it! I saw a few reviews that complained it’s depressing because it focuses so much on grief, and I can certainly understand that point of view. But to me, the story felt very hopeful and uplifting, because it’s about how both sisters are able to cope with the great pain and loss in their lives. I loved the relationship between Kate and Ainsley, who aren’t particularly close in the beginning of the book but eventually come to understand and appreciate one another. They both become more confident in their own lives, too, both professionally and in other family relationships. Of course, there is some romance in the novel as well, which I thoroughly (and predictably) enjoyed. I’d recommend this book to fans of romance or women’s fiction who don’t mind a slightly weightier premise.

Review: The Glimpses of the Moon

March 25, 2017Leave a comment

Edith Wharton, The Glimpses of the Moon

In the glittering whirl of 1920s New York society, Nick Lansing and Susy Branch are intelligent but impoverished: they survive by living off the generosity of their richer friends. They fall in love with each other and decide to marry, but they agree that if either of them gets a chance to make a better financial match, they’ll divorce amicably. At first the marriage is very successful, and Nick and Susy are able to live off their friends’ extravagant wedding gifts. But when one of their friends lets them stay at her Italian villa during the honeymoon, they soon discover that she requires an ethically dubious favor in return. This favor drives a wedge between Nick and Susy — a wedge that widens even further when a titled Englishman and a rich heiress present themselves as alternative romantic options. In the end, will love or money prevail?

I don’t have much to say about this book except that I really loved it! Wharton’s prose is flawlessly precise, and she has an immense talent for evoking a character’s complete emotional state with a few subtle, well-chosen words. I actually found this book a bit stressful to read at times, because I cared about Nick and Susy so much, and I really wanted their marriage to work out despite the obstacles in their way. I liked the fact that no one is really a villain in the book, not even the wealthier romantic possibilities who are hoping that the marriage will break up. That said, Wharton does include some wonderfully biting satire about the upper classes and the frivolity and emptiness of their lifestyle. I’d recommend this book to anyone, especially those who love comedies of manners and the classics.

Review: Can I See You Again?

March 23, 2017Leave a comment

Allison Morgan, Can I See You Again?

Bree Caxton owns a successful matchmaking business in California, and her first book is about to be published. So when her boyfriend of four years breaks up with her out of the blue, she panics: not only is she heartbroken on a personal level, but who wants to buy a book about love from someone whose own love life is a mess? Bree needs her book to sell big, both for her own career and for her grandmother, who is about to be evicted from her longtime home. Desperate, Bree asks one of her clients, Nixon Voss, to pose as her boyfriend in public interviews. Surprisingly, Nixon agrees, and the more time they spend together, the more Bree wonders whether they have a real connection. But will Bree’s determination to launch a bestseller — and the sudden reappearance of her ex — end their relationship before it begins?

As I frequently mention on this blog, “fake relationship becomes real” is one of my favorite romance tropes, so I was intrigued by the premise of this book. Sadly, I wasn’t particularly wowed by the execution. The central conflict — Bree needs her book to make the NYT bestseller list so that her grandma won’t lose her house — just seemed too farfetched. In what universe would that plan actually work? I also wasn’t particularly invested in Bree’s relationship with Nixon, for some reason. Maybe they don’t spend enough time together in the book? Or maybe neither character is developed well enough for me to see why they’re so right for each other. I did like that Nixon has some semblance of a personality, but as I said, he’s really not in the book that much; the primary focus is on Bree’s professional life and her relationship wth her grandma. Overall, while this book isn’t terrible, I don’t think it’s particularly interesting or memorable.

Review: Belgravia

March 19, 2017Leave a comment

Julian Fellowes, Belgravia

This novel by the creator of Downton Abbey tells the story of two families, the aristocratic Bellasises and the social-climbing Trenchards, as their paths collide on the eve of Waterloo and again 25 years later. James Trenchard begins the novel as Wellington’s chief supplier, and thus he has some contact with high society despite being a mere tradesman. When his beautiful daughter Sophia catches the eye of Lord Edmund Bellasis, James is certain that a marriage will soon take place, despite the skepticism of Anne, his pragmatic wife. But Edmund tragically dies at Waterloo, and Sophia follows shortly thereafter – but not before giving birth to his child. The Trenchards place the baby with a foster family in an attempt to hush up the scandal, but the secret threatens to emerge when Anne decides to search for Sophia’s child, Charles Pope, now an intelligent young man of 25. When Charles is introduced into society despite his (supposedly) working-class origins, rumors start flying, and several people begin to ask questions about his true identity. What they uncover is a secret that could be dangerous not only to the Trenchards’ social standing, but to the young man’s very life.

I watched Downton Abbey from start to finish, so I was intrigued that its writer, Julian Fellowes, had written a book set during my favorite historical period. However, I was left feeling pretty underwhelmed by this novel. Much as I enjoyed Downton, it often had problems with pacing and with juggling its large ensemble cast, and those same problems are apparent in Belgravia. The “suspense,” such as it is, comes from the question of whether (or when) the scandal of Charles’s birth will be revealed, but since the reader knows the secret from almost the beginning of the novel, it’s not a very compelling question. I also didn’t care at all about most of the secondary characters. The villain of the piece has moments of being interesting, but he’s largely a flat character who only cares about money and social status. And the downstairs characters get very short shrift, in my opinion; while a couple of the servants do play a role in the plot, their characterization is negligible. Overall, I found this book to be very “meh,” although avid Downton Abbey fans may find it worth reading.

Review: Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew’d

January 11, 20173 Comments

Alan Bradley, Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew’d

Flavia is thrilled to be back in England after her Canadian adventure at Miss Bodycote’s Female Academy, but she soon discovers that all is not well at Buckshaw. Her oldest sister Feely is in a fight with her fiancé Dieter, and her annoying cousin Undine won’t leave her alone. Most upsetting of all, her father is sick with pneumonia, and she’s not even allowed to visit him in the hospital. Desperate for a distraction, Flavia agrees to run an errand for the vicar’s wife, delivering a message to the woodcarver who is refurbishing the church. But when Flavia arrives at the woodcarver’s residence, she discovers the man hanging upside-down from his bedroom door, quite dead. Of course, she jumps at the chance to solve another murder, which leads her to uncover a decades-old conspiracy involving a famous author. But as always, Flavia’s investigative skills are so sharp that she finds herself in danger.

I’m a longtime fan of the Flavia de Luce series, so I enjoyed this latest installment. However, I’m starting to feel so sad for Flavia that the books are becoming less fun to read. In the first few books, Flavia and her sisters are constantly fighting, but you get the sense that, deep down, they do care for each other. In this book, the arguments are so mean-spirited and brutal that it’s really no fun to read. Flavia also seems particularly isolated in this book; her father is almost entirely off page, her sisters ignore her when they’re not actively being cruel, and she doesn’t seem to have any friends at all (except the vicar’s wife). The ending of this book seems to indicate an even bleaker future for Flavia, and if that’s the case, the series might actually be too depressing for me to continue. I also didn’t love the mystery in this one, although I was happy to see some interaction between Flavia and her former teacher Mrs. Bannerman. Overall, I found this book somewhat disappointing, and I’m not sure I’ll be continuing with the series (although I may try one more book just to see if things improve).

Top Ten Tuesday: Better late than never

January 10, 2017January 9, 20176 Comments

Top 10 Tuesday This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is 2016 releases you haven’t read yet, but you totally plan to! At first I thought I’d have trouble coming up with my list, but actually it was embarrassingly easy to list ten 2016 releases I *intend* to read but haven’t gotten to yet! Here they are, in publication order:

1. Alison Goodman, The Dark Days Club (1/26/16) — I believe it was Emma at The Terror of Knowing who described this book as “Jane Austen meets Buffy.” Even though the undead aren’t normally my speed, I’m intrigued!

2. Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas, These Vicious Masks (2/9/16) — “Jane Austen meets X-Men,” according to Amazon! I’m sensing a theme here.

3. V.E. Schwab, A Gathering of Shadows (2/23/16) — I’ve got to read this one in February, before A Conjuring of Light comes out!

4. Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows, My Lady Jane (6/7/16) — Santa, in the form of a good friend, came through and gave me this book for Christmas! It sounds like a blast, and I can’t wait to read it!

5. William Ritter, Ghostly Echoes (8/23/16) — I really enjoyed Jackaby and have been wanting to read the sequels ever since. Unfortunately, I still need to read Beastly Bones first, but I’ll get to this one eventually!

6. Genevieve Cogman, The Masked City (9/6/16) — The Invisible Library was one of my favorite books of 2016, so I’m definitely looking forward to the sequels.

7. Seanan McGuire, Once Broken Faith (9/6/16) — I’ve been a fan of the Toby Daye series since the beginning, but I’m a couple books behind at this point. Still need to read the previous book, A Red-Rose Chain, before I get to this one!

8. Jessica Cluess, A Shadow Bright and Burning (9/20/16) — The premise of this one — magic school + 19th century + romance/banter — is so intriguing to me! Definitely hoping to get to it this year.

9. Stephanie Burgis, Congress of Secrets (11/1/16) — A novel set during the Congress of Vienna, where the protagonists have secret identities, and one of them is a con man…with magic? I want to go to there.

10. Stephanie Scott, Alterations (12/6/16) — I’ve mentioned this one before, so I won’t bother to summarize again. It looks cute, and I’ve already bought it for my Nook, so it is on for 2017!

Bout of Books 18 Wrap-up

January 9, 2017Leave a comment

Bout of Books 18 concluded yesterday, and I’m counting my readathon a success! I was hoping to read two books from start to finish, and I did: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne and Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew’d by Alan Bradley. (I also finished Crosstalk by Connie Willis.) I really enjoyed all three books I read this past week! Additionally, I wanted to participate in at least one Twitter chat, and I ended up doing both. So I’m very happy with my progress and will almost definitely be back for Bout of Books 19 in May. If you participated this time around, what did you read?

Review: The Hating Game

January 5, 2017January 5, 20174 Comments

Sally Thorne, The Hating Game

If Lucy Hutton is certain about anything in her life, it’s that she and Joshua Templeman hate each other. As executive assistants to the co-CEOs of their company, they’ve been professional rivals for years, and each of them knows exactly how to get under the other one’s skin. Now they’re both up for the same promotion, and Lucy is determined to beat out Joshua for the job. If that means spending all her energy in coming up with passive-aggressive ways to annoy him, so be it. But when a particularly vicious argument somehow turns into an explosive kiss, everything changes. As Lucy reevaluates her history with Joshua, she realizes that maybe her intense feelings for him can’t entirely be explained by hatred. And maybe, contrary to her longstanding belief, Joshua doesn’t actually hate her at all. But will Lucy have the courage to change the game?

This book may be a giant predictable cliché, but it’s so well written that I don’t even care! I was so invested in Lucy and Joshua’s relationship, and I loved the pace at which it unfolded. The sexual tension between them is immediately obvious, so the author wisely doesn’t string it out too long; the kiss occurs quite early in the novel. But the heart of the story is the slow, tentative transformation from hate-fueled lust to genuine love and affection. I especially liked seeing Joshua gradually open up to Lucy, revealing the reasons for his former rude behavior. Ultimately, this book exceeded my expectations, which were already pretty high since I’d heard a lot of good things about it. I’d wholeheartedly recommend it to fans of romance, especially those who enjoy the hate-to-love trope. It looks like the author has another book coming out this summer, and I’ll definitely be purchasing it!