Shadow and Bone
The Grisha Trilogy, Book 1

Author: Leigh Bardugo
Pages: 356
eGalley Acquired from: Holt Books for Young Readers via NetGalley

Description from Goodreads:
Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.

First Sentence: "The servants called them malenchki, little ghosts, because they were the smallest and the youngest, and because they haunted the Duke's house like giggling phantoms, darting in and out of rooms, hiding in cupboards to eavesdrop, sneaking into the kitchen to steal the last of the summer peaches."

Review:
Guys, this book was hyped up like WHOA. Whenever that happens, I make sure to put on my skeptical hat, because usually the book ends up being all kinds of disappointing. Not so Shadow and Bone. Leigh Bardugo, you are officially a badass. This book was completely amazing. I would have read it in a matter of hours, had I not been at BEA. Oh, and, I spent some time with the folks at Macmillan, and both of the people I talked to said that this was by far their favorite book of the season, so yeah.

I love epic fantasy and I also love Russian things. While not set in the real Russia, Shadow and Bone's setting is very Russia-like. The country is Ravka. The fantasy elements are incredibly cool, with the Grisha powers ranking almost Cashore level of original (which is as high as it gets). The Shadow Fold and the volcra, too, are so creepy and fascinating.

Speaking of creepy and fascinating, I have to talk about the Darkling. From the first scene where he appeared, he totally captured me, even though I was pretty sure he was a terrible guy. Seriously, he is like majorly alluring. I don't know whether I should root for him or not, because he's got this whole evil dictator vibe, but also seems like he might be better deep down. I don't usually go for bad boys (although that seems a bit mild for the Darkling), but wow.

Of course, he's not the only man candy in this book. Yes, there is a love triangle, but I declare myself okay with this one, so no worries. The other guy is Mal, Alina's childhood friend, who she's been hopelessly in love with for ages. I have to say that I was pretty much immediately into him as well, mostly because his name is Mal. In my head, I see Malcolm Reynolds, so he has to be awesome.

Alina starts out pretty weak, although still with some serious gumption. It was an utter pleasure watching her grow and discover herself. I also really liked the way she changed as she came into her powers. Bardugo has written such a wonderful metaphor for what subverting your real self does to you. By the end of the book, Alina is a definite heroine.

What I hate about this book is knowing how long I probably have to wait for more! The ending of Shadow and Bone isn't a cliffhanger, but there's still tons that needs to be resolved and waiting is going to be painful. I need to procure a copy of this for myself, and so do you!

Rating: 4.5/5

Favorite Quote: 

I threw up my hands in exasperation. "Stop him from doing what?"
"Using the Fold as a weapon."
"I see," I said. "Does he also plan to build a summer home there?"

Labels: 4.5 star, Apocalypsies, Book Reviews, fantasy, friendship, love triangles, magic, orphans, romance, young adult

The Humming Room

Author: Ellen Potter
Pages: 182
ARC Acquired from: Feiwel & Friends via NetGalley

Brief Summary:
After the death of Roo's father, she is sent to live with her eccentric uncle, the existence of whom she never previously knew. Roo loves small spaces and being left alone; she doesn't trust anyone. At her new home on Cough Rock, in a house that used to serve as a hospital for children, Roo begins to open up, especially after finding a secret garden in the house.

Review:
I absolutely adore retellings of classic tales, and Potter's reimagining of Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden is no exception. Although she didn't make too many changes to the basic plot, she did manage to make the story her own.

Much of that comes from the changes in Roo's character and background. She has the stubbornness and touchiness of Mary, but, in her case, this is not born of indolence or having been spoiled. Instead, it seems that she was largely neglected and not given enough care. As a result, she trusts only herself and tries to avoid others.

I also loved Roo's connection to nature. She is much like Jack, in the fact that she understands nature better than people. She connects to the earth and to wild creatures, since they're so much like she is. The little black squirrel sounds like the cutest. Why don't I have wild animal friends?

Anyway, if you love The Secret Garden, prepare to take another trip into a magic garden that will restore those who enter it. If anything, The Humming Room is shorter than the original, so it's a very quick, satisfying read.

Rating: 3.5/5

Labels: 3.5 star, Book Reviews, books inspired by other books, friendship, grief, middle grade fiction, mystery, orphans

Academy 7

Author: Anne Osterlund
Pages: 259
Publisher: Speak

Brief Summary:
Aerin Renning and her father, a trader, crash-landed on the planet Vizhan. Her father died instantly in the crash and she became a slave on this harsh world without technology. Eventually, she managed to escape in the damaged ship and is picked up by another ship before her air runs out. The captain of that vessel manages to sign her up for the tests to place into a school, even though she's not a citizen of the Alliance. Dane Madousin, on the other hand, is the son of the General, the leader of the Alliance's military. He is born of privilege, but that isn't always as nice as it may seem, so he is also rebellious and constantly in trouble. Both Dane and Aerin are accepted to the Alliance's most elite school, Academy 7, where both hope they can blend in and hide their secrets.

Review:
Dane and Aerin are both very screwed up people, broken and closed off. Academy 7 is science fictions, deals with wars, ethics and family, but, ultimately, I think the most important aspect of the story is the way that Dane and Aerin are slowly managing to recover from the wounds of their childhoods together. There relationship evolves slowly and believably.

Although I never got very close to any of the characters, I did like Dane and Aerin, drawn naturally to their intelligence. The first sections at the school reminded me heavily of the manga Special A, as the boy and girl have a serious rivalry for the first slot in the school, although here the girl is winning everything but debate.

The other story elements, some of which I listed in the first section of this review are well done too, although I think the story could have been better had it been longer. A number of points could have been more fully fleshed out, as could the characters. At the conclusion of the novel, I still have a lot of questions, such as what happened to the General. Perhaps a sequel will come someday when Osterlund has finished up her work on Aurelia's series.

Overall, this was a sweet, touching story of two scarred people coming together to mend against an awesome sci-fi backdrop.

Labels: abuse, betrayal, Book Reviews, ethics, family, friendship, orphans, romance, science fiction, war, young adult

Maybe This Time

Author: Jennifer Crusie
Genre: romance
Pages: 342

Brief Summary:
North and Andie got married the day after they met. The marriage lasted just a year, because North got caught up in his work at the family law practice. Sick of it, Andie left. For ten years, she did her best to avoid him and get over him. On the eve of her engagement to a writer, she feels compelled to return the alimony checks he sent her, their last connection. He agrees to take them back and stop sending more on one condition: that she go to a creepy haunted house and teach his messed up wards, hopefully convincing them to leave the house and move to Columbus in the process. Unfortunately, the house's ghosts won't let them go...

Review:
I do not read many straight up romance novels; they're just not my style. I make an exception for Jennifer Crusie, who Katelyn introduced me to my freshman year of college (Welcome to Temptation). Her novels are light, funny and generally have a bunch of awesome pop culture references.

Maybe This Time is a bit different than her other books because of the fantasy element (or is it?). The ghost plot line left me a little cold (pun, haha, get it?). That was the overarching plot of the book, so you couldn't take it out, but it just didn't work for me somehow. I also had some trouble accepting North as a name. I mean, come on!

Jennifer Crusie fans will still want to read this one, but it isn't her best. If you haven't read any Crusie yet, I recommend Welcome to Temptation or Fast Women.

Labels: adult, baking, Book Reviews, divorce, ghosts, orphans, romance