A Corner of White

Finished A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty.  I received a copy from the publisher.

Summary (from Goodreads):

“Madeleine Tully lives in Cambridge, England, the World – a city of spires, Isaac Newton and Auntie’s Tea Shop.

Elliot Baranski lives in Bonfire, the Farms, the Kingdom of Cello – where seasons roam, the Butterfly Child sleeps in a glass jar, and bells warn of attacks from dangerous Colours.

They are worlds apart – until a crack opens up between them; a corner of white – the slim seam of a letter.

A mesmerizing story of two worlds; the cracks between them, the science that binds them and the colours that infuse them.”

I adored this book.  Even though it’s definitely a fantasy novel, Cello seemed absolutely real.  (And while I initially preferred Madeleine’s chapters in our world, I quickly came to prefer reading about Elliot in his world.)

Which isn’t to say that the Madeleine chapters weren’t great.  Every aspect of this book is great. :)

The fact that Madeleine and Elliot are writing to each other initially made me nervous.  I was afraid that this book would basically become The Lake House.  And there is sort of that aspect (the two become friends) but (a) it’s not romantic and (b) it never overshadows the rest of the book.  Which is good, because WOW THIS BOOK.

This is the first in a trilogy, and I have so many questions that I hope the next two books answer.  What is the deal with the Colours? is chief among them.

This is an incredibly fun book but it’s also so well-written.  These characters wormed their way into my heart and I’m glad that there are two more books.  I would’ve been so sad if I had had to say goodbye to them with this book.  (I won’t think about the fact that I’ll have to do it in just two more.)

Recommended.

Wasteland

Finished Wasteland by Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan.  I received a copy from the publisher on Edelweiss.

Summary (from Goodreads):

“Welcome to the Wasteland. Where all the adults are long gone, and now no one lives past the age of nineteen. Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan’s post-apocalyptic debut is the first of a trilogy in which everyone is forced to live under the looming threat of rampant disease and brutal attacks by the Variants —- hermaphroditic outcasts that live on the outskirts of Prin. Esther thinks there’s more to life than toiling at harvesting, gleaning, and excavating, day after day under the relentless sun, just hoping to make it to the next day. But then Caleb, a mysterious stranger, arrives in town, and Esther begins to question who she can trust. As shady pasts unravel into the present and new romances develop, Caleb and Esther realize that they must team together to fight for their lives and for the freedom of Prin.”

This took me a bit to get into, but once I did, WOW.  This is a book that made me happy that I’m a very patient reader, because otherwise, I think I may have given up.  (I say that to tell you this: stay with this book.  You’ll be happy you did!)

I loved Esther, but the book has multiple narrators (primarily Esther and Caleb, but not exclusively) and I didn’t click with any of the others at first.

This is an interesting world and you should know that there are very creepy parts.  (It’s a plus for me, but it may not be for you.)

This is apparently the first book in a trilogy.  I’m not sure where the other books will go; I thought this worked very well as a standalone.  But I am also not unhappy with this news because by the end, I was fully invested in the world and the characters.

BEA Survival Tips

This will be my fourth year attending BEA and so I thought it might be fun to talk about what to do in case you’re attending for the first time.  (And if not, try to go next year; it’s so fun!)

1)  COMFORTABLE SHOES.  Javits is huge and you will be on your feet for most of the day.  There are places to sit, but you’ll probably still be upright and moving for multiple hours and toting several books, as well.  Do all you can to help yourself out.

2)  Business cards!  Mine have my name (obviously), blog name and URL, address and Twitter and Facebook URLs, too.  Some people go back and forth over whether to include their address, but I feel like the less work publicists have to do, the more likely they are to help you. 

3)  Plan.  My BEA BFF Kathy and I have been planning for months now and since they’ve finally started releasing signing information, we have kicked that into overdrive.  Obviously not everybody is going to plan as thoroughly as we do, but it’s a good idea to have at least a basic idea of what you want to do each day (galleys you want; signings you must attend, etc.) so that you’re not running around completely overwhelmed.

4)  Accept the hard truth of BEA: you will not get everything you want.  This is where prioritizing comes into play.  This year, for example, Kendare Blake, Diana Peterfreund and Gretchen McNeil are all signing at more or less the same time.  And all are pretty likely to have ridiculous lines.  I will probably not be able to get all three, but I’m probably going to be able to get two. 

Mila 2.0

Finished Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza.  I received a copy from the publisher on Edelweiss.

Summary (from Goodreads):

“Mila 2.0 is the first book in an electrifying sci-fi thriller series about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence.

Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past—that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.

Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.

Mila 2.0 is Debra Driza’s bold debut and the first book in a Bourne Identity-style trilogy that combines heart-pounding action with a riveting exploration of what it really means to be human. Fans of I Am Number Four will love Mila for who she is and what she longs to be—and a cliffhanger ending will leave them breathlessly awaiting the sequel.”

This is such a fun book and I can’t wait to see where the next book goes.

I loved Mila and enjoyed the revelations of her…I’m not sure how to phrase it.  “History”?  “Genetic legacy”?

But the thing with this book is that I think a lot of us can relate to it.  We’re more than what our parents are, and we’re more than what other people think we are or could be.

I can’t wait to see where this series goes and what happens with Mila.

I don’t like the romantic aspect (does every YA novel have to have a love story?  WHY?!) but everything else about this book is perfect.

Legacy of the Clockwork Key

Finished Legacy of the Clockwork Key by Kristin Bailey.  I received a copy from the publisher on Edelweiss.

Summary (from Goodreads):

“A teen girl unravels the mysteries of a secret society and their most dangerous invention in this adventure-swept romance set in Victorian London.When a fire consumes Meg’s home, killing her parents and destroying both her fortune and her future, all she has left is the tarnished pocket watch she rescued from the ashes. But this is no ordinary timepiece. The clock turns out to be a mechanical key—a key that only Meg can use—that unlocks a series of deadly secrets and intricate clues that Meg is compelled to follow.

Meg has uncovered evidence of an elite secret society and a dangerous invention that some will stop at nothing to protect—and that Meg alone can destroy. Together with the handsome stable hand she barely knows but hopes she can trust, Meg is swept into a hidden world of deception, betrayal, and revenge. The clockwork key has unlocked her destiny in this captivating start to a trilogy.”

This is a promising beginning for a new trilogy.  I will also admit that I am predisposed to like this as it deals with a dead parent and is extremely gothic in tone.

Meg is a fantastic heroine, one who is unapologetically smart but is also very relatable.  While this book is very much steeped in class distinctions (Meg, especially, is very aware of how far she’s fallen in London society), Meg isn’t as concerned with her reputation as one might expect.  Instead, her attention is focused on figuring out what the key does and what that means for her family’s history.

This is such an interesting book and I can’t wait to see where it goes next.

Recommended.

When We Wake

Finished When We Wake by Karen Healey.  I received a copy from the publisher on Netgalley.

Summary (from Goodreads):

“My name is Tegan Oglietti, and on the last day of my first lifetime, I was so, so happy.

Sixteen-year-old Tegan is just like every other girl living in 2027–she’s happiest when playing the guitar, she’s falling in love for the first time, and she’s joining her friends to protest the wrongs of the world: environmental collapse, social discrimination, and political injustice.

But on what should have been the best day of Tegan’s life, she dies–and wakes up a hundred years in the future, locked in a government facility with no idea what happened.

Tegan is the first government guinea pig to be cryonically frozen and successfully revived, which makes her an instant celebrity–even though all she wants to do is try to rebuild some semblance of a normal life. But the future isn’t all she hoped it would be, and when appalling secrets come to light, Tegan must make a choice: Does she keep her head down and survive, or fight for a better future?

Award-winning author Karen Healey has created a haunting, cautionary tale of an inspiring protagonist living in a not-so-distant future that could easily be our own.”

There are so many aspects of this book to discuss—it’s very political and very religious and it could also lead to a great deal of discussions about the nature of fame and balancing that with the right to privacy.  And there are discussions about the prevalence of social media, which is even more ubiquitous in this future world.

But even if you don’t want to have a deep discussion about any of those things, this is a great book to read.  It’s exciting and horrifying and fun.  And I cannot wait to read the sequel.

This book reminded me a little bit of The Giver, in terms of how the world initially seems like a utopia but turns out to be the creepiest kind of dystopia.  In this particular case, there is all manner of personal freedom.  You can be literally any religion you want and love whomever you want, and other people literally couldn’t care less.  But—without giving any spoilers—there are bad things in the dark corners of the world.  Oh, and that whole “global warming” thing?  Totally true.

Highly recommended.

The Runaway King

Finished The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen.  I received a copy from the publisher on Netgalley.

Summary (from Goodreads):

“A kingdom teetering on the brink of destruction. A king gone missing. Who will survive? Find out in the highly anticipated sequel to Jennifer A. Nielsen’s blockbuster THE FALSE PRINCE!

Just weeks after Jaron has taken the throne, an assassination attempt forces him into a deadly situation. Rumors of a coming war are winding their way between the castle walls, and Jaron feels the pressure quietly mounting within Carthya. Soon, it becomes clear that deserting the kingdom may be his only hope of saving it. But the further Jaron is forced to run from his identity, the more he wonders if it is possible to go too far. Will he ever be able to return home again? Or will he have to sacrifice his own life in order to save his kingdom?

The stunning second installment of The Ascendance Trilogy takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of treason and murder, thrills and peril, as they journey with the Runaway King!”

I absolutely loved the first book in this series and I was very excited to read this one.  It took me a little bit to get into, but once Jaron decides on his course of action, I was quickly hooked again.

I imagine that Jaron is an incredibly frustrating person to know.  He’s determined to do things his way, and it doesn’t matter how right you are (or how wrong he is), he will never admit to it.  And that’s so evident in this book.  Everyone tells him that there’s a better plan but he refuses to listen.

The thing I hate about trilogies is that it means that there are only three books.  And yes, that’s so obvious but there’s only one more book and I hate that.  I hate that I only get a few more hundred pages with Jaron.

Highly recommended.

Gods & Beasts

Finished Gods & Beasts by Denise Mina.  I received a copy from the publisher on Netgalley.

Summary (from Goodreads):

“It’s the week before Christmas when a lone robber bursts into a busy Glasgow post office carrying an AK-47. An elderly man suddenly hands his young grandson to a stranger and wordlessly helps the gunman fill bags with cash, then carries them to the door. He opens the door and bows his head; the robber fires off the AK-47, tearing the grandfather in two.

DS Alex Morrow arrives on the scene and finds that the alarm system had been disabled before the robbery. Yet upon investigation, none of the employees can be linked to the gunman. And the grandfather-a life-long campaigner for social justice-is above reproach. As Morrow searches for the killer, she discovers a hidden, sinister political network. Soon it is chillingly clear: no corner of the city is safe, and her involvement will go deeper than she could ever have imagined.”

This was my first Denise Mina book and it probably wasn’t the best one to start with.  It’s definitely an enjoyable read but it’s also very obviously part of a series.  There are plenty of series that you can join in progress; I’m not sure this is one of them.

It didn’t keep me from enjoying the book but I think I would’ve gotten a lot more out of it if it weren’t my first time meeting these characters.

Even so, the central plot of this was more than enough to keep me interested.  (As a caveat, there are several subplots and they don’t come together for a long time so readers need to be patient.  But I think anyone who sticks with this book will be very happy they did.)

Recommended.  And I would like to read more of her books.

Children of Liberty

Finished Children of Liberty by Paullina Simons.  I received a copy from the publisher.

Summary (from Goodreads):

“At the turn of the century and the dawning of the modern world, Gina from Belpasso comes to Boston’s Freedom Docks to find a new and better life, and meets Harry Barrington, who is searching for his.

The fates of the Barringtons and Attavianos become entwined, on a collision course between the old and new, between what is expected and what is desired, what is chosen and what is bestowed, what is given and what is taken away.

As America races headlong into the future, much will be lost and much will be gained for Gina and Harry, whose ill-fated love story will break your heart.”

This is a prequel to her Bronze Horseman trilogy, but you don’t need to have read those books to appreciate this one.

This is definitely an interesting book and I enjoy anything having to do with immigration.  This isn’t a political book by any means, but it’s a neat correlation how every group of immigrants have been viewed with suspicion at best and hostility at worst.  In this particular case, the immigrants are Italians.

Almost immediately, Gina is drawn to Harry, but Harry spends a great deal of the narrative pretending that he doesn’t feel anything for her.  A lot of that has to do with the fact that his family is wealthy and that his life is largely mapped out for him.  He’s expected to join the family business and marry his father’s business partner’s daughter.  He and Alice get along well but there’s no real spark between them.  At least, not on his part—Alice seems to like him.  But I’m guessing a lot of that is because Alice seems to be the kind of girl who does exactly what’s expected of her.

I haven’t read the trilogy but I would like to now.  I like Harry and Gina and am interested in knowing what happens to them—especially given the ending of the book.

Dance of Shadows

Finished Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black.  I received a copy from the publisher on Netgalley.

Summary (from Goodreads):

“Dancing with someone is an act of trust. Elegant and intimate; you’re close enough to kiss, close enough to feel your partner’s heartbeat. But for Vanessa, dance is deadly – and she must be very careful who she trusts . . .

Vanessa Adler attends an elite ballet school – the same one her older sister, Margaret, attended before she disappeared. Vanessa feels she can never live up to her sister’s shining reputation. But Vanessa, with her glorious red hair and fair skin, has a kind of power when she dances – she loses herself in the music, breathes different air, and the world around her turns to flames . . .

Soon she attracts the attention of three men: gorgeous Zep, mysterious Justin, and the great, enigmatic choreographer Josef Zhalkovsky. When Josef asks Vanessa to dance the lead in the Firebird, she has little idea of the danger that lies ahead – and the burning forces about to be unleashed.”

This is an incredibly fun novel.  It’s probably not one that you’ll remember that well a month or two after you’ve read it, but while you’re in the world, I think it’s one that you’ll enjoy.

Ballet definitely takes a backseat to the rest of what’s going on (the romance! the intrigue! the Rosemary’s Baby-ish sense that there is something Very, Very Wrong Here) and one of the most interesting things to me is the fact that Vanessa is supposed to be this amazing dancer even though she seriously could not care less about ballet.  I mean, seriously, literally could not care less.  But that does make sense—I’m good at spelling and grammar; that doesn’t mean that I want to be a human dictionary and spellcheck for the rest of my life, you know?  Talent in something doesn’t necessarily mean passion for that thing.

I did like Vanessa and I felt for her (can you imagine not knowing whether your sister was dead or alive? Or even really what had happened to her?) but she was also a little bit dim and very, very trusting.  And fairly early on in the book, it was obvious that we were dealing with a conspiracy-type situation and she was trusting every single person!  And oh, sweetie, you don’t do that in conspiracy-type situations.

But if you can overlook all that and just go along for the ride, this is a very enjoyable book.  I’m excited to read the sequel.