Review - Cress by Marissa Meyer

by Marissa Meyer
publisher: Feiwel & Friends
date of publication: February 4, 2014
format: ARC
pages: 550
source: publisher
series: The Lunar Chronicles (#3)
buy it: Cress (Lunar Chronicles)

From Goodreads:

In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.

Things in the Lunar Chronicles universe are really starting to get exciting.  After Scarlet and Wolf's narrow escape, Cinder and company were left to orbit earth in order to avoid the authorities.  Enter Cress, computer hacker extraordinaire and prisoner of the Lunar crown.  Her biggest wish is to be released from her exile in space and to experience the planet she sees from her satellite's port window everyday: Earth.  Little does she know, her chance is about to arrive.

Cress was a very surprising character.  Usually when a girl in a story is daydreaming of being rescued, I'm silently yelling, "Save yourself, girl!"  This time, however, I was surprisingly patient about it.  That's probably due to the location of her prison (space) and the fact that she wasn't exclusively waiting on a prince-like figure to come save her.  While she was attracted to Captain Thorne, she was also aware that Cinder and her cohorts would play a large part in her release from the satellite.  When you take her naivete into account, it makes even more sense.  Here is a girl who has been isolated from interactions with all but one living being.  Her only company is a computer generated voice that she programmed to be her friend, after a fashion.  Seeing her learn her way through life outside the satellite is all the more fascinating because of all the aforementioned reasons.

The plot in Cress is really cooking now.  Here is where all planning ceases to be plans and becomes action.  Here is where Cinder and crew prepare to make their move.  Everything is on the line and the tension is just what it should be.  The world at large is nothing short of spectacular.  It takes on a special emphasis when you observe the characters moving about in it.  All in all, Cress absolutely comes alive.  You can't help but jump right in and get lost for a while.

This series continues to amaze me.  Each book is better than the last.  Cress is no exception.  I can only imagine what book 4, Winter, has in store.  If these past 3 books are indication, it's going to be phenomenal.  If you have yet to pick up book 1, Cinder, trust me.  You must read these books, especially if you enjoy science fiction and/or fairy tales.  The nuances the adaptation of each fairy tale lends to the story overall makes it something you won't want to miss.

Review - Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

by Marissa Meyer
publisher: Feiwel & Friends
date of publication: February 5, 2013
format: ARC
source: from the publisher for review
pages: 464

From Goodreads:

Cinder returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.

As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Picking up right where Cinder leaves off, Scarlet takes an already fantastic story and runs with it, all the while introducing more characters and creating even more nuances for what is already an intriguing and fully engaging story.  This isn't the Little Red Riding Hood you may remember from your childhood.  Instead, you get to experience a futuristic, suspenseful adventure that will render you speechless.

Not only do we get to continue with Cinder (who we already know is an awesome character), we also meet a new character, Scarlet, who has her own challenges and her own objective.  In some ways, Scarlet has a lot in common with Cinder.  She was brought up by someone other than her parents and has a fiery demeanor that keeps those around her on their toes.  Unlike Cinder, however, Scarlet is much more stubborn, leaving her with little patience and a great deal of trouble.  Add a mysterious stranger in the form of Wolf and an egotistical, self-styled space captain and you have the makings for a rousing adventure with many twists and turns.

Plot-wise, Scarlet is every bit as riveting and surprising as Cinder.  The addition of new settings and storyline shifts keeps the story from becoming stale.  Instead, Scarlet picks up the pace and carries you away with its ever-increasing intensity.  If you thought Cinder introduced everything there was to know about the world of the Lunar Chronicles, think again.  You haven't seen anything yet.

With Scarlet, The Lunar Chronicles just got even better.  If Cinder and Scarlet are this good, I can only imagine how Cress and Winter will turn out.  Whether or not you have already read and enjoyed Cinder, trust me when I say that Scarlet is well worth the read.  If you haven't read Cinder, do so.  You need to read Scarlet as soon as humanly possible.  Know that Scarlet is no wolf in grandma's clothing.  This series is well worth your time and attention. 

Buy Scarlet at the Following Locations:

Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository

Obligatory legal statement: This advance review copy was provided to me free of charge by the publisher for review purposes. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.

Review - Fathomless

by Jackson Pearce
publisher: Little, Brown & Co. BFYR
date of publication: September 4, 2012
format: hardcover
pages: 304
source: from the publisher for review

From Goodreads:

Celia Reynolds is the youngest in a set of triplets and the one with the least valuable power. Anne can see the future, and Jane can see the present, but all Celia can see is the past. And the past seems so insignificant -- until Celia meets Lo.

Lo doesn't know who she is. Or who she was. Once a human, she is now almost entirely a creature of the sea -- a nymph, an ocean girl, a mermaid -- all terms too pretty for the soulless monster she knows she's becoming. Lo clings to shreds of her former self, fighting to remember her past, even as she's tempted to embrace her dark immortality.

When a handsome boy named Jude falls off a pier and into the ocean, Celia and Lo work together to rescue him from the waves. The two form a friendship, but soon they find themselves competing for Jude's affection. Lo wants more than that, though. According to the ocean girls, there's only one way for Lo to earn back her humanity. She must persuade a mortal to love her . . . and steal his soul.

Ever since I read the very first of Jackson Pearce's fairy tale re-tellings, Sisters Red, I have been a big fan of her characters, settings, and her approach to the werewolf concept.  At the end of Sweetly, I was dying to find out what would happen next.  The ending of Sweetly hinted at so many great story elements that I was eager to continue on into the next part of the story.  When Fathomless arrived at my door, I was happy about the prospect of finally continuing that journey.  What I expected and what I found, however, did not exactly mesh this time around, and I found myself left with feelings equaling much less than enthusiasm.

At first the Reynolds twins prove to be an intriguing set of characters due to their abilities and their dynamic as triplets.  When the full extend of Celia's differences come to light, there is more interest and the potential for an engrossing narrative.  However, I found myself struggling to fully connect with Celia.  I wouldn't necessarily say that she strikes me as a push-over, but neither does she exhibit much by way of personal strengths.  Even her struggles with her untruths didn't provide as much development as I would have hoped.  I found Lo, the other MC, to be far more intriguing as she struggled to maintain her grasp on humanity and to uncover the truth behind her past.  With Lo, you know you are faced with a wonderfully dynamic character, thus leaving her chapters amongst my favorites throughout the entirety of the book.

As was hinted in Sweetly, the concept behind Fathomless was everything I hoped it would be.  The mermaids Lo lives amongst are such an alien group even given their human shape.  They may not have fish tails, but they are still very obviously not human.  Everything from their behavior to bluish skin hints at their lack of any shreds of humanity.  With the exception of Lo and a few others, none know who they once were, nor do they care.  It all made for an exceptional approach to the concept of mermaids and one I was very glad to see.

Though Fathomless didn't ring my bell as much as Sisters Red and Sweetly, there was still much to enjoy about the book.  When it comes to Lo and the nature of mermaids, there is so much to discover and ponder.  If you enjoy fairy tale adaptations and re-tellings, Fathomless is very much worth your time.  Even though I didn't enjoy this particular set of Reynolds siblings as much as those that appeared in the previous books, they did lend a continuity that made for a nice touch to the series overall.  If you are looking for a mermaid story with a darker slant, Fathomless just may be the book you are looking for.

Buy Fathomless at the Following Locations:

Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository

Obligatory legal statement: This digital review copy was provided to me free of charge by the publisher. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.

Review: Two and Twenty Dark Tales

edited by Georgia McBride & Michelle Zink
written by various authors
publisher: Month9Books
date of publication: October 16, 2012
format: digital review copy
pages: 340
source: Netgalley

From Goodreads:

In this anthology, 20 authors explore the dark and hidden meanings behind some of the most beloved Mother Goose nursery rhymes through short story retellings. The dark twists on classic tales range from exploring whether Jack truly fell or if Jill pushed him instead to why Humpty Dumpty, fragile and alone, sat atop so high of a wall. The authors include Nina Berry, Sarwat Chadda, Leigh Fallon, Gretchen McNeil, and Suzanne Young.

You may recall hearing all about Old Mother Hubbard and Humpty Dumpty as a child.  What if that wasn't the entire story?  Two and Twenty Dark Tales is here to give you a glimpse of the possibilities behind these classic rhymes with new interpretations and fresh story-telling from a variety of authors.  Ranging from eerie to moving, there is something for everyone in this fantastic collection of short stories.

Each story on offer in this anthology takes on a particular Mother Goose rhyme and spins it in an entirely new way.  My personal favorite was "Sing a Song of Six-Pence" by Sarwat Chadda, a dark and foreboding take on the rhyme of the same title.  With an unusual yet intriguing narrator and a forlorn setting, the tale Chadda tells is barely recognizable yet amazingly inventive.  That's only the beginning.  From front to back, this book is chock full of some truly wonderful stories.  

If you're a particular fan of short story anthologies, Two and Twenty Dark Tales is a must.  With such a fantastic selection of stories, you just can't go wrong.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading each and every adaptation the book has to offer.  It made me think about all of the possibilities in interpretations of such time-honored, traditional rhymes.  I can promise you one thing in particular, as well: You'll never look at Mother Goose the same way.

Buy Two and Twenty Dark Tales at the Following Locations:

Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository

Obligatory legal statement: This digital review copy was provided to me free of charge by the publisher via Netgalley. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.

Review - Kill Me Softly

by Sarah Cross
publisher: Egmont USA
date of publication: April 10, 2012
format: digital review copy
pages: 331
source: Netgalley
read it in: 3 days

From Goodreads:

Mirabelle's past is shrouded in secrecy, from her parents' tragic deaths to her guardians' half-truths about why she can't return to her birthplace, Beau Rivage. Desperate to see the town, Mira runs away a week before her sixteenth birthday—and discovers a world she never could have imagined.

In Beau Rivage, nothing is what it seems—the strangely pale girl with a morbid interest in apples, the obnoxious playboy who's a beast to everyone he meets, and the chivalrous guy who has a thing for damsels in distress. Here, fairy tales come to life, curses are awakened, and ancient stories are played out again and again.

But fairy tales aren't pretty things, and they don't always end in happily ever after. Mira has a role to play, a fairy tale destiny to embrace or resist. As she struggles to take control of her fate, Mira is drawn into the lives of two brothers with fairy tale curses of their own... brothers who share a dark secret. And she'll find that love, just like fairy tales, can have sharp edges and hidden thorns.

I am a huge fan of fairytales and fairytale re-tellings, so when I heard about Kill Me Softly, I knew I had to read it as soon as I possibly could.  The depiction of the darker side of fairytales is something that I greatly appreciate, so I was all the more enthusiastic about this book due to the darkness alluded to in the description.  While there was a sinister undertone that would have made the Brother's Grimm proud, Kill Me Softly definitely brought more to the table, some great, some not so good.  While the plot was a great aspect of the book, some of the characters provided me with some difficulty while reading.  As a result, the story ran both hot and cold at various points throughout the book.

Mira was, quite possibly, one of the most difficult parts of the story for me.  While I understand that no one is perfect and, thus, Mira is not perfect, her sheer stubbornness and ridiculously bad case of naivete drove me absolutely bonkers.  Her reaction to her surroundings and situation did not always strike me as viable, which made my reading experience very frustrating.  Even though Blue is supposed to be the more obnoxious character, I much preferred him and wish more of the story had been from his point-of-view.  Though it comes down to personal preferences in the end, my reaction to the main character in this story is one of frustration and disappointment.

The plot is where my true appreciation lies.  I love the idea of a world hidden in plain view where fairytale figures walk the streets and destiny is appointed by fairies.  The concept of fairytale curses that each have a distinct characteristic is even more fascinating and I was left with even more appreciation for the ways in which the plot was developed.  The pacing was somewhat choppy, but the progression of the plot was a good one.  Overall, plot is definitely the strongest suit for Kill Me Softly.

In spite of my ambivalence, Kill Me Softly was an intriguing read that does a great job at providing a new way to view traditional fairytales.  A fairytale re-telling that brings something new to the table is something to be sought and given its fair share of attention.  Even though I didn't enjoy the main character as much as I had hoped, the story that makes up the book is an imaginative and entertaining one.  If you appreciate traditional fairytales, you will want to take a look at Kill Me Softly.  Thanks to its incorporation of these tales in such a new and unique way, Kill Me Softly is an entertaining read that will leave you pondering new ways in which you can view fairytales.

Buy Kill Me Softly at the Following Locations:

Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository

Obligatory legal statement: This eGalley was provided to me free of charge by the publisher via Netgalley. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.