Review: Such Wicked Intent by Kenneth Oppel

NOTE: This book is a sequel to This Dark Endeavor. Therefore, it will contain spoilers for the first book in the series. You’ve been warned!

Summary:  When does obsession become madness? Tragedy has forced sixteen-year-old Victor Frankenstein to swear off alchemy forever. He burns the Dark Library. He vows he will never dabble in the dark sciences again—just as he vows he will no longer covet Elizabeth, his brother’s betrothed.

If only these things were not so tempting.

When he and Elizabeth discover a portal into the spirit world, they cannot resist. Together with Victor’s twin, Konrad, and their friend Henry, the four venture into a place of infinite possibilities where power and passion reign. But as they search for the knowledge to raise the dead, they unknowingly unlock a darkness from which they may never return.

(Source: Goodreads)

Review: I don’t always read horror fiction, but when I do, it’s based on classic novels and written by Kenneth Oppel.

Will Victor Frankenstein ever learn? Well, we already know the answer to that question is “no,” so it’s a credit to Oppel’s storytelling skills that we still find his adventures as a young man so compelling. After Victor discovers that one of his ancestors found a way to visit “the other side,” Victor starts plotting a way to bring his dead twin back to life.

As usual…things don’t go according to plan. General weirdness ensures, like finding clues in a painting Arnolfini Wedding-style, strange undead butterflies, making mudpeople, and discovering an ancient tomb right under the Frankenstein Chateau. Sometimes I would wonder “Where is Oppel going with this?” but the last half of  the book comes together with the kind of horrifying twists that literally made me go, “Oh no!”

As in the previous books, Victor’s not an especially likeable main character, yet there is still some altruism in him. What “romance” there is still ties directly into the creepy, unsettling tone of the book. It did annoy me that all the young men pursued Elizabeth, but that’s just the way things go.

Victor’s jealousy and selfishness in particular were frustrating to read about, but they’re necessary. There is a line spoken by Elizabeth where she declares that she never quite knows which forces motivate Victor’s actions. This is an integral part of Victor’s character that is so important to who he will later become. Speaking of which, overall this novel seemed to have more in common with Shelley’s original novel. Victor’s frequent use of the phrase “the creature” certainly brings back memories of the way he will regard his eventual monstrous creation.

In short: Oppel doesn’t disappoint in his second super-creepy installment about the world of young Victor Frankenstein.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Cover & Title: The title works, but I kept waiting for a character to say it in the book. Not a fan of the “photo shoot” cover picture, but I will say Victor’s black armband to mourn his brother is a good touch.

Where I got the book: Shelves of the local library.

Review: Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Summary: Will Scarlet is on the run from her past. That’s why she disguises herself as a boy and wound up becoming a part of Robin of Locksley’s little band of outlaws. Scarlet’s guilt and inner sense of justice leads her to help keep the local villagers alive under the brutal rule of the sheriff of Nottingham, even if she does have to steal and fight to do it. As the stakes rise and the ruthless Guy of Gisbourne gets involved, blood will be spilled and loyalty will be tested.

Review: What can I say? I’m a sucker for all things Robin Hood. And Will Scarlet reimagined as a girl? Count me in.

This novel felt unique in a number of ways. It clipped along at a fast past that went hand-in-hand with Scarlet’s no-nonsense tone of voice, and though it does built to somewhat of a climax, the format felt more cyclical than linear. It’s like a chess game where the Nottingham authorities and the forest outlaws take turns trading blows and setting traps. The pace felt pretty breathless, with the heroes unable to go five minutes without getting into some sort of scrape.

As for the “heroes” themselves, I have mixed feelings about them. There’s a larger cast of villagers, but the novel focuses pretty narrowly on the small band of outlaws: Robin, Scarlet, John Little, and Much (although he sometimes feels a bit like the “Ringo” of the group and gets the short end of the stick in terms of characterization). All four have altruistic motives, but their past experiences have left them pretty damaged and tortured (this is medieval England so that means physically as well as emotionally). This means the relationships they form to each other aren’t always the healthiest, which is realistic but also becomes frustrating to the reader when they fight with and yell at each other frequently.

Scarlet’s a really fascinating narrator. In many ways, she reminded me of Eponine from Les Miserables in that she’s very tough and stubbornly self-reliant to a fault, yet incredibly vulnerable as well. (In fact, her voice sounded exactly like Frances Ruffelle‘s in my head. Or it would if Scarlet didn’t have to pass as a convincing boy for the bulk of the novel). She was definitely a heroine I could root for, but her low self -worth, tendency to run off and sulk, and inability to go five minutes without fighting with one of the boys were starting to drive me nuts by the end of the book. I appreciated her ferocity in combat, but I thought her ability to endure pain bordered on superhuman.

As for the boys: Robin is likeable enough and a good leader, though haunted by his time fighting in King Richard’s Crusade. He seems to understand Scarlet better than anyone, but she thinks she doesn’t deserve him. John is quite a womanizer, yet has started to pursue Scarlet. Unfortunately, this is the making for a love triangle that inspired a bit of hair-pulling on my part. I didn’t doubt for an instant that I knew how it would all turn out; however, the interactions of the three got repetitious without really going anywhere. It’s enough to make the reader almost want Scarlet to end up with sweet little Much.  In addition, though the novel makes a point about how badly women were treated in this time and place, it bothered me to see these attitudes surface to a small extent in the behavior of both John and Robin towards Scarlet, which was a turn-off.

In spite of all this, I really did enjoy Scarlet. It was hard to put down, and the characters and scenarios felt familiar yet original at the same time. Showing just a “slice of life” in the outlaws’ experiences, the book doesn’t so much end as just stop, so I would definitely be up for a sequel.

In short: Though the character relationships are slightly problematic at times, Scarlet is still an exciting read that anyone who is a fan of Robin Hood will want to try.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Something similar: My all-time favorite Robin Hood book is still Robin McKinley’s Outlaws of Sherwood. It has a much slower, more leisurely pace than Scarlet, with a slightly neurotic Robin who isn’t even all that great of an archer. It still has a lot of tension and it’s loaded with subtly, dry humor that I appreciate anew everytime I re-read it. For another book about a clever thief who is also an unreliable narrator, try Megan Whalen Turner’s The Thief, which is set in a sort of fantasy version of Greece.

Cover & Title: I can’t think of a better title, and the cover is gorgeous. The artist captured Scarlet’s “moonstone” eyes and the scar on her cheek, even if she looks far too pretty to pass for a boy.

Where I got the book: Shelves of the local library.

Review: Destined (Wings, Book Four) by Aprilynne Pike

Summary: The final battle begins as Klea prepares to strike with trolls, Yuki the Winter faerie, and her  own twisted brand of dark magic. Laurel, Tamani, David, and Chelsea must keep their wits about them if they even have a chance of defending the faerie world.

Review: You’ll notice the summary is pretty short. This is because the epic battle takes up the bulk of the last book, just like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two. I’ve always thought of the Wings  books as a sort of “Twilight with faeries,” except much more intelligent and with better world building. Concluding books in young adults series generally do follow a certain formula, but I appreciated that this series has a fairly thoughtful resolution. It’s dark, but doesn’t contain an excess of despair; nor does it go for the typical “fairy tale” ending (haha). Pike actually offers a sort of “optional” epilogue – before you flip the page, she leaves an author’s note describing whose fate it details (though it involves several characters) and leaving it up to you whether or not you choose to read it. I wish she’d had just included it at the end without explanation – I think it’s bittersweet and realistic.

In short: It fits well with the rest of the series and provides a satisfying ending that isn’t likely to disappoint fans of the first three books.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Something similar: Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception by Maggie Stiefvater is an edgier take on human-faerie relations in the modern world.

Cover & Title: What’s up with one word young adult titles these days? Anyway, the white flower makes sense with the story, and it’s very pretty.

Where I got the book: Shelves of the local library.

 

Review: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

“North and South has both met and made kind o’ friends in this big smoky place.”

Summary: After spending several years with her aunt and cousin, nineteen-year-old Margaret Hale has just returned to her beloved Helstone, a village in rural Southern England. Her life seemingly falls to pieces when her father, the village vicar, announces that he is breaking from the Church. He relocates the family North to the smoky, dirty industrial town of Milton. While Margaret tries to adjust to her new way of life, she becomes acquainted with John Thornton, a cotton mill owner. Misunderstandings and opposing opinions mean that the two start butting heads right away. Even as Margaret grows closer to an impoverished family of mill workers, she finds there’s more to John Thornton than meets the eye.

Review:  A few months ago, I found myself watching a trailer for a 2004 BBC miniseries called North and South. It looked intriguing and had stellar reviews, but being the typical English major, I had to read the book first!

With a vision of Richard Armitage in my head as Thornton, I began to read. (For some reason, I pictured Michelle Dockery as Margaret). I’m not sure if it was just the way the book pulled me in, or the dangling carrot of getting to eventually watch the miniseries, but I could barely put the book down once I got started. My Kindle edition didn’t have page numbers, so I was rather shocked when I looked up how long the book was in print after I had finished it. Apparently I have a lot more free time than I thought if I was able to get through a 500 page novel in just over a week.

Think of this book as a much more serious version of Pride and Prejudice. (EDIT: For a more detailed comparison, check out Beverly Farr’s post). There’s not as much witty banter, but there’s deep probing of  social and economic issues, religion, and familial love, among other themes. At the heart of the novel is the conflict between the relentless march of industrialization and the idyllic lifestyle of traditional England.

As an outsider to Milton, Margaret is in a position to hear both sides of the debate about the mills. Members of a workers’ union think arranging a strike is the only way to get their arbitrary bosses to raise their wages. In contrast, Thornton argues that he’s bound by economic trends that the rabble-rousers just wouldn’t understand. A clash between the two groups is eminent.

Can such different mindsets be reconciled? In the end, Gaskell’s answer is “yes.” What saves us is our mutual humanity, and the ability to see someone as a fellow, equal human being, no matter how our lives differ.

Gaskell’s characterizations are excellent. From the two leads to the cast of supporting characters, all have multiple facets which are revealed as the novel progresses. I found Thornton’s mother, and her relationship to her son, to be especially fascinating.

Fans of Austen’s more upbeat works be warned: the novel does have a rather gloomy tone at times. There’s always hope, but I began to share in some of Margaret’s weariness by the end of the book. Without giving away too much, you definitely get a sense of the less-than-stellar life expectancy during the Victorian era. There’s really not much humor.

In short: A strong-willed heroine and a brooding male lead in a combative relationship is good formula for a gripping read. Add in an insightful view of issues in mid-19th century England, and you’ll come away from North and South feeling like you’ve gained something by reading it. Looking forward to watching the miniseries!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Something similar: For the romance aspect, Jane Austen, especially Pride and Prejudice. For the social commentary, Charles Dickens, or possibly Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, an abridged version of which is currently sitting in my TBR pile.

Where I got the book: Free on Kindle. The formatting was rather atrocious at times, though. Some footnotes may have been nice, especially when there was dialogue by a member of the working class. His speech is written phonetically and with slang, which of course adds realism but was pretty hard to understand at some points.

Review: The Jumbee by Pamela Keyes

Summary: The life of Esti Legard changes drastically when her father, a world-renowned stage actor, dies of cancer. Looking for a new life, she and her hippie mother move to Cariba for her senior year of high school. Facing a prima donna vying for the attention of talent scouts, Esti gets involved in a stage production of Romeo and Juliet. A phantom voice from the darkened stage begins coaching Esti, and as a murder and other disturbing events begin to occur, Esti wonders if she can trust this “jumbee” (West Indian word for ghost). Things get even more complicated when her childhood-friend-turned-bad-boy Rafe comes into the picture, and it’s unclear whether this drama will end in tragedy…

Review:  Considering what I’ve been involved in recently, this book was quite a serendipitous find for me. Over the summer I saw The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway for the first time, went to see my university’s…experimental production of Romeo and Juliet, and heard a director/actor who worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company speak in my theatre analysis class. After that, it was difficult not to imagine him as Esti’s charismatic British father!

All this being said, I think this book is a lot more enjoyable for people who love and are familiar with The Phantom of the Opera (and can at least tolerate Romeo and Juliet). The plot and characters loosely follow the plot of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, but I became so engrossed in the story that pages would fly by before I realized “Oh! This character is Madame Giry” or “This is the Masquerade scene!” Finding the parallels between the musical and this book were a large part of the fun. Some of the connections were subtle (Esti’s real name) and some were a bit…much. For instance: “She saw endless volumes of Shakespeare, and classic literature as timeless as Straparalo and Leroux.” Gaston Leroux is of course the author of the original novel The Phantom of the Opera. But is this world like BBC’s modern-day series Sherlock, where the Arthur Conan Doyle stories never existed?  Does Leroux’s Phantom actually exist in the world but the characters don’t notice all the parallels? The author is clearly winking at the reader, but it’s more confusing than clever.

The West Indian setting and culture make for a very unique retelling of the story, and though the backstory of the “ghost” is slightly hard to follow on the first read, it’s definitely original. The problem with a modern version of Phantom is that the reason for the “haunting” requires a certain suspension of disbelief, but I felt largely willing to cooperate with this. Those who find Christine’s actions frustrating at points of the musical will likely get frustrated at Esti as well, but overall she is a likeable heroine, and her complex relationship with her famous father rings true. Her “phantom” is appropriately mysterious, pitiable and charming by turns, and the transformation of occasionally-foppish Raoul into an edgier, bad-boy character is a great spin on the original.

As always, I do have a few nits to pick. I wasn’t overly fond of the way that Ms. Keyes wrote dialogue. The high school students’ “teen-speak” felt forced. Although the “jumbee” and Esti are “theatre people” and like to quote Shakespeare, their conversations usually seemed strangely stilted, dramatic and formal.

Another thing – though I’m a sworn hater of love triangles, the romantic dynamics of Phantom have always been one of the most interesting aspects of the story to me. Keyes handles this pretty well, but through much of the book Esti seems obsessed with getting a kiss from one guy or the other. She switches back and forth so much, it seems as though either one would do for her – she just needs to be kissed. Even for a hormonal teenage girl, it was too much at times.

This is completely random, but the novel opens with the line “Paul is dead!” I immediately assumed that this was meant to be a humorous reference to the Beatles urban legend, but no, a character named Paul has actually just died tragically. I don’t know if the author meant to connect to the Beatles intentionally or not. Perhaps my love of that band is distorting my perceptions…

In short: Perfect for fans (phans?) of The Phantom of the Opera or just theatre in general, The Jumbee is an enjoyable, romantic read that had me turning pages at a rapid pace.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Something similar: Of course, the original novel The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux is a must read. It’s a strange and haunting book, but it’s a classic. My Phantom: The Memoir of Christine Daae by Anstance Tamplin is a retelling of the novel that changes a whole lot but is a great take on the story. For Shakespeare fans, check out the trilogy beginning with Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston.

Cover & Title: The title makes sense with the context of the novel, but I’m guessing that most Americans (myself included) would have no idea what a “jumbee” is. The mask, piercing blue eyes, and flowers are all tied into the story, but the cover feels a bit jumbled to me (no pun intended). Something simpler without so many visual elements would have been more aesthetically pleasing.

Where I got the book: Shelves of the local library.

Review: Fateful by Claudia Gray

Summary: Eighteen-year-old Tess Davies has had enough. After many years being a maid to the spoiled, wealthy Lisle family, she cannot take the mistreatment any longer. When she accompanies her employers on a voyage to the United States in 1912, she decides she’ll quit her job and start a new life in a new country.

What Tess doesn’t know is that there are two problems:

1) She is traveling aboard the ill-fated RMS Titanic.

2) There are werewolves aboard.

Yes, that’s right. Werewolves. On the Titanic. One of them wants to kill her. One of them is a handsome young man traveling in first class. He might also want to kill her. Poor Tess just can’t get a break…

 

What I liked: Let’s face it. When we think of Titanic, we all think of:

But don’t worry, this is not the same story. Oh sure, there are a few similarities: snobby rich people, an inter-class romance, that whole thing about the ship sinking… Again, though, this is not James Cameron’s Titanic. In fact, the ship’s sinking seems to go much faster in this novel – it is a plot point, but not more than that, whereas in the film it seems that it takes half the movie for the ship to go down.

Most of the characters are well-drawn. Tess probably has to be the toughest ladies’ maid ever. She’s so easy to sympathize with – I got angry when unfair things happened to her and cheered at her successes. The supporting cast is interesting too, from the imperious Lady Regina to Tess’s sensible Lebanese cabin mate Myriam.

The werewolf plot isn’t as shoe-horned in as you may think. Separately, the werewolf premise and the Titanic premise are not very original, but combining them together certainly produces a unique blend.

Though there’s room for sequels, the book has a solid ending, which is a rarity in the era of series

What I was not so crazy about: A romance story that takes place on a voyage lasting less than a week is going to include “insta!love” by default (just add (icy) water!), but see image above – that’s nothing new. What bothered me was that Tess  resolves that she wasn’t going to make the same mistakes as others and get taken advantage of by a rich man after just one thing…and then you can guess what she turns around and does. There are other ways for an author to show the characters love each other than have them spontaneously sleep together, especially given that this is YA. I realize that others may not be bothered by this, but personally I thought it was unnecessary.

I said most of the characters were well-drawn, but the villain is clear from the start, and is rather two-dimensional. There are too many scenes where he’s threatening Tess or slinging her around.

Tess is also rather unfazed to find out a certain character is a werewolf…she takes it in stride and is very quickly sympathetic. Almost too quickly sympathetic.

In short: This book was quite a page-turner, with an interesting combination of themes. Tess is a strong and likeable heroine accompanied by other interesting characters. Although there was some content that didn’t need to be there IMHO, it was still a gripping read, and I’ll probably pick up future sequels.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Something similar: Everlasting by Angie Frazier

Cover: The title is really generic, and the cover is too…I do like the cover, but something more related to the Titanic would have been more fitting.

Review: Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore

Summary: Seventeen-year-old Nimira left her home country three years ago to seek her fortune across the sea in Lorinar as a singer and performer. She doesn’t expect to wind up working in seedy music hall and be labeled a “trouser girl” after the native dress of her country. Then along comes Hollin Parry, a young sorcerer who offers her a position performing with a piano-playing automaton. When Nimira accepts, she soon finds herself entangled in a whirlwind of murders, fairies, and dark magic.

What I liked: I think I savored nearly every page of this book, in part due to the fascinating setting.  The worldbuilding was really interesting. It could have been fleshed out more, but given the younger audience the story is intended for and what the story demands, it was definitely satisfactory. Plus, I get the sense that Ms. Dolamore will fill in more edges of the map in future books. Basically, Lorinar  (where the story is set) is a lot like 19th century England with the mentions of corsets, elevators, and electric lights. Don’t be fooled by the automaton, though – this is definitely more fantasy than steampunk. There’s much more sorcery here than mechanical tinkering.

I also liked Nimira, who narrates the story. She hails from Tiansher, equivalent to a country in Asia in our world, and as a result, she encounters a lot of sexism and racism. However, she’s strong enough to stand up for herself, brave enough to emigrate to a strange land to look for a better life, and smart enough to see some of Hollin’s hidden characteristics.

What I was not so crazy about: The book started off very strong and was quite gripping, but the plot seemed to slightly derail after the middle. Yes, some of the characters’ goals were indeed accomplished, but then things floundered up to the last chapter. Suddenly, there’s a huge sequel hook, and then the book ends. It just felt anticlimactic, like only half a book.

I think part of the problem stems from the time when magic becomes a prominent part of the story. Something about the way it worked  didn’t click for me. The author skirts a potential magical deuxs ex machina, which was appreciated….but she does borrow very heavily from Jane Eyre. It was almost a surprise when that part of the plot unfolded as it did, just because I had been waiting for Ms. Dolamore to veer away from Ms. Brontë. She doesn’t. Or at least, not enough for me!

In short: I was a bit disappointed in where the book ended up going. Nevertheless, I’ll withhold some judgment until the sequel, Magic Under Stone, is released in April.  I enjoyed this book tremendously, which is why it received:

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Something similar: Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken

Cover: I’m not at all sure what the title had to do with the story…there’s magic, yes. Under glass? No. However, the cover is pretty – I like the key and the subtle clockwork designs.