I haven't posted in forever, but I am still reading! To remind myself what is reviewable, here is a list of what I can remember reading this year: The worst part about this list is I know that it's mostly things that I've read in the past month, or things that have stood out for some reason. I've read more than this!
1.Across the Universe by Beth Revis (TEEN FIC)
2.The Man Who Ate His Boots: The Tragic History of the Search for the Northwest Passage by Anthony Brandt (NONFIC)
3.The Terror by Dan Simmons (HIST HORROR FIC)
4.Subway Girl by Peter Jacob Converse (TEEN FIC)
5.Wither by Lauren DeStefano (TEEN SCIFI FIC)
6.The Tokaido Road by Lucia St. Clair Robson (HIST FIC)
7.The Perils of Pleasure by Julie Anne Long (ROMANCE FIC)
8.Like No Other Lover by Julie Anne Long (ROMANCE FIC)
9.What I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne Long (ROMANCE FIC)
10.Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 by Stephen Puleo (NONFIC)
11.Sucks to be Me: the all-true confessions of Mina Hamilton, teen vampire (maybe) by Kimberly Pauley (TEEN PARANORMAL FIC)
12.Still Sucks to be Me: more all-true confessions of Mina Hamilton Smith, teen vampire by Kimberly Pauley (TEEN PARANORMAL FIC)
13.Patient Zero by Jonathon Maberry (SCIFI THRILLER FIC)
14.Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray (HIST FIC)
15.Kuragehime Vol. 1 by Akiko Higashimura (MANGA)
16.Kuragehime Vol. 2 by Akiko Higashimura (MANGA)
17.Kuragehime Vol. 3 by Akiko Higashimura (MANGA)
18.Kuragehime Vol. 4 by Akiko Higashimura (MANGA)
19.Kuragehime Vol. 5 by Akiko Higashimura (MANGA)
20.Kuragehime Vol. 6 by Akiko Higashimura (MANGA)
21.The City in the Lake by Rachel Neumeier (TEEN FANTASY FIC)
22.American Vampire Vol. 1 by Scott Snyder and Stephen King (COMIC)
23.Solitary by Alexander Gordon Smith (TEEN SCIFI FIC)
24.Hope in Patience by Beth Fehlbaum (TEEN FIC)
25.Bitter Melon by Cara Chow (TEEN FIC)
26.The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen (TEEN FIC)
27.The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney (TEEN FIC)
28.Cate of the Lost Colony by Lisa Klein (TEEN HIST FIC)
29.The Unwritten Vol. 1 by Mike Carey (COMIC)
30.The Unwritten Vol. 2 by Makie Carey (COMIC)
31.The False Princess by Eilis O'Neil (TEEN FANTASY FIC)
32.Agatha H and the Airship City (Audiobook) by Phil and Kaja Fogio (FANTASY FIC AUDIOBOOK)
33.Among Others by Jo Walton (FANTASY FIC)
34.The Red Tree by Caitlin R. Kiernan (HORROR FIC)
35.The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card (TEEN PARANORMAL FIC)
36.Jane by April Lindner (TEEN ROMANCE)
37.Scandal of the Year by Laura Lee Guhrke (ROMANCE)
38.Dreams of a Dark Warrior by Kresley Cole (PARANORMAL ROMANCE)
39. The King's Daughter by Christie Dickason (HIST FIC)
40. Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach (TEEN ROMANCE PARANORMAL FIC)
41. Ookami Heika no Hanayome Vol. 1 by Mato Kauta (MANGA)
42. Ookami Heika no Hanayome Vol. 2 by Mato Kauta (MANGA)
43. Ookami Heika no Hanayome Vol. 3 by Mato Kauta (MANGA)
44. Ouji to Majyo to Himegimi to Vol 1. by Kou Matsuzuki (MANGA)
45. Ouji to Majyo to Himegimi to Vol 2. by Kou Matsuzuki (MANGA)
46. Daughters of Rome by Kate Quinn (HIST FIC)
47. Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler (TEEN PARANORMAL FIC)
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Baby, It's Cold Outside: Cold Magic
Cold Magic by Kate Elliott (NEW READ)
To start off, I wanted to address the fact that this book has been marketed as steampunk. After reading (and enjoying) it, I don't feel that's accurate. Maybe the marketing team jumped on "steampunk" since the genre is heating up, but other than a zeppelin that appears briefly there aren't any steampunk elements in the book- and that's just fine. In fact, I appreciated "Cold Magic" MORE for not being straight-up steampunk and instead introducing elements and cultures more original than goggles and gears.
Catherine Hassi Barahal lives in a Europe where Britain never detached from the continent, where the Roman Empire is still going strong in 1837 and where a ghoul plague in Northern Africa has led to mass migration and the intermingling of the cultures of Mali and the Celts. Powerful mage families vie with up-and-coming industrialists to rule the continent. Cat's middle-class life with her aunt, uncle and cousin/ best friend Beatrice abruptly alters when a powerful young cold mage turns up at the door demanding the fulfillment of a contract owed to his family. Before she knows what's happening Cat finds herself married to Andevai (the mage) and on a strange trip across Britain.
If you're just starting this book it can seem a bit overwhelming. Since it's alternate-history, the reader is bombarded with alternate and (to us) archaic names for places and peoples that will send you scampering off to Wikipedia to find out where the Phoenicians lived and who they are today. There is also a bit of set up which meanders through a school day for Cat and Beatrice- a trip to the principal's office and a stolen sketchbook aren't up to the level of adventure seemingly promised by the blurb. Once the mage appears things speed up, but since Cat doesn't really know what's going on as a reader you feel like you are traveling with her at a breakneck pace, not sure of where you are going. The part of the book that really engrossed me was after a big spoilery plot reveal. Cat's travel's and interactions with Andevai change dramatically, and a new character that injects a great deal of humor into the story appears. It becomes a different kind of travel and intrigue book, one where I enjoyed the characters more than in the first half.
One element of "Cold Magic" I found particularly excellent was the relationship between Cat and her cousin Beatrice. One bookish, tall cousin + one short pretty girl- you think you know where this is going, but you'd be wrong. Cat and Bee are utterly devoted to each other, and their relationship is one of close sisters. When there is trouble each inevitably thinks of the other and plans how to save her. Although they spend most of the book apart, you know they are never far from each others thoughts. This is particularly impressive in the case of Bee, who is not a POV character.
I found the connection between the cousins much stronger and sweeter than the relationship between Cat and Andevai. Of course they are not supposed to like each other, and are gradually working past respect to something more but I had some real problems with how Andevai behaved for most of the book. Now that I think of it, it wasn't so much his behavior as Cat's reactions- even though she is mad at him most of the time she is constantly thinking of how good he looks, how hot his jawline is, stuff like that. Sure we are all human, but if someone had just tried to stab me in the throat I might not have a problem keeping myself from checking him out.
I haven't even gotten into the trolls, Roman politics and minute world-building going on in this book. My last experience with Kate Elliott was pretty dark. (Lots sexual abuse, torture, war, not necessarily a bad thing. What killed me was a character thinking how hot the man who had sexually abused her friend was, even though she knew he was a bad guy. DNF ) I wasn't sure how I felt about reading her new series, but "Cold Magic" is definitely more my speed, and I can't wait for the next one! Even Andevai won me over with his very LAST line. Smoooooooth.
If you are looking for first-rate world-building and appealing characters, give "Cold Magic" a try!
To start off, I wanted to address the fact that this book has been marketed as steampunk. After reading (and enjoying) it, I don't feel that's accurate. Maybe the marketing team jumped on "steampunk" since the genre is heating up, but other than a zeppelin that appears briefly there aren't any steampunk elements in the book- and that's just fine. In fact, I appreciated "Cold Magic" MORE for not being straight-up steampunk and instead introducing elements and cultures more original than goggles and gears.
 |
| Photo by smile4camera: http://www.flickr.com/photos/captured-spirit_/125496510/ |
If you're just starting this book it can seem a bit overwhelming. Since it's alternate-history, the reader is bombarded with alternate and (to us) archaic names for places and peoples that will send you scampering off to Wikipedia to find out where the Phoenicians lived and who they are today. There is also a bit of set up which meanders through a school day for Cat and Beatrice- a trip to the principal's office and a stolen sketchbook aren't up to the level of adventure seemingly promised by the blurb. Once the mage appears things speed up, but since Cat doesn't really know what's going on as a reader you feel like you are traveling with her at a breakneck pace, not sure of where you are going. The part of the book that really engrossed me was after a big spoilery plot reveal. Cat's travel's and interactions with Andevai change dramatically, and a new character that injects a great deal of humor into the story appears. It becomes a different kind of travel and intrigue book, one where I enjoyed the characters more than in the first half.
One element of "Cold Magic" I found particularly excellent was the relationship between Cat and her cousin Beatrice. One bookish, tall cousin + one short pretty girl- you think you know where this is going, but you'd be wrong. Cat and Bee are utterly devoted to each other, and their relationship is one of close sisters. When there is trouble each inevitably thinks of the other and plans how to save her. Although they spend most of the book apart, you know they are never far from each others thoughts. This is particularly impressive in the case of Bee, who is not a POV character.
I found the connection between the cousins much stronger and sweeter than the relationship between Cat and Andevai. Of course they are not supposed to like each other, and are gradually working past respect to something more but I had some real problems with how Andevai behaved for most of the book. Now that I think of it, it wasn't so much his behavior as Cat's reactions- even though she is mad at him most of the time she is constantly thinking of how good he looks, how hot his jawline is, stuff like that. Sure we are all human, but if someone had just tried to stab me in the throat I might not have a problem keeping myself from checking him out.
I haven't even gotten into the trolls, Roman politics and minute world-building going on in this book. My last experience with Kate Elliott was pretty dark. (Lots sexual abuse, torture, war, not necessarily a bad thing. What killed me was a character thinking how hot the man who had sexually abused her friend was, even though she knew he was a bad guy. DNF ) I wasn't sure how I felt about reading her new series, but "Cold Magic" is definitely more my speed, and I can't wait for the next one! Even Andevai won me over with his very LAST line. Smoooooooth.
If you are looking for first-rate world-building and appealing characters, give "Cold Magic" a try!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Pegasus
Pegasus by Robin McKinley (NEW READ)
I've been a Robin McKinley fan since high school, but I feel like I haven't loved her newer work as much as "Hero and the Crown", "Deerskin" or even "Beauty". This book looked like a return to her old form, so I was looking forward to it. Plus the cover is gorgeous- it really looks like the girl and pegasus are in different worlds (earth and sky), but their placement makes them look like they are trying to reach each other.
Sat down and started reading and got a big old history lesson on the how the kingdom was founded. Great, not only was I in infodump city, but it made the pace of the first 100 pages slooooooooooow. I'd rather have started with the main characters (Sylvi, the princess and Ebon, the pegasus) meeting and learned more through their character development, but I felt like I was getting the worldbuilding in huge boring chunks.
Since the start was so slow, I had to hang in there until things got better. And... they did get better. The descriptions of pegasi culture were fascinating, and I wish we had spent more time there early, or maybe had a pegasus narrator for alternating chapters. McKinley actually comes up with a decent reason that beautiful flying magic horses might feel jealous of humans (they long to create, but only have a few fingers which are super delicate and weak). Human hands actually feature in the pegasi fairytales, which is a nice way to round out their culture (not perfect, wants things they don't have).
Unfortunately, I did not know that this book was half of what originally was one story. The end comes at what would be a climax in the story complete, which makes for a horrible cliffhanger and gives the book almost no story arc of its own. I haven't said "Fuck!" this much about a book in a long time. I felt strongly about it- too bad I felt anger and disappointment. I'd like to know what happens, but I feel so cheated I will have to make myself pick up the next one.
Ideally, I wish this book had been more heavily edited to remove the boring bits (court politics, suspicious wizards that are OBVIOUSLY evil but spend pages wasting our time) and then released as a complete story, instead of only half a book.
Sat down and started reading and got a big old history lesson on the how the kingdom was founded. Great, not only was I in infodump city, but it made the pace of the first 100 pages slooooooooooow. I'd rather have started with the main characters (Sylvi, the princess and Ebon, the pegasus) meeting and learned more through their character development, but I felt like I was getting the worldbuilding in huge boring chunks.
Since the start was so slow, I had to hang in there until things got better. And... they did get better. The descriptions of pegasi culture were fascinating, and I wish we had spent more time there early, or maybe had a pegasus narrator for alternating chapters. McKinley actually comes up with a decent reason that beautiful flying magic horses might feel jealous of humans (they long to create, but only have a few fingers which are super delicate and weak). Human hands actually feature in the pegasi fairytales, which is a nice way to round out their culture (not perfect, wants things they don't have).
Unfortunately, I did not know that this book was half of what originally was one story. The end comes at what would be a climax in the story complete, which makes for a horrible cliffhanger and gives the book almost no story arc of its own. I haven't said "Fuck!" this much about a book in a long time. I felt strongly about it- too bad I felt anger and disappointment. I'd like to know what happens, but I feel so cheated I will have to make myself pick up the next one.
Ideally, I wish this book had been more heavily edited to remove the boring bits (court politics, suspicious wizards that are OBVIOUSLY evil but spend pages wasting our time) and then released as a complete story, instead of only half a book.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Behemoth
Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld (NEW READ)
I am a huge sucker for this series to begin with, since it is A) good steampunk B) cross-dressing adventure C) fabulously illustrated, but this book really upped my interest in where the plot is going. It felt like a lot of "Leviathan", the first book was spent in set-up, whereas in Behemoth we jump right into the action. And the action just keeps on going.
The Leviathan is headed for Istanbul (not Constantinople) so the "lady boffin" Dr. Barlow can present the Sultan with a mysterious present that might help halt the war. Of course things go wrong- the almost-electrocution of the giant flying whale, a hijacking of a huge mechanical war elephant. Meanwhile Alek and his crew are desperately trying to escape their English captivity. A botched attempt leads Alek right into the middle of a revolution...
My favorite character in the book is Deryn Sharp, my new girl-dressing-as-a-boy role model. Incredibly capable, fairly fearless and sometimes baffled by how weird boys are, Deryn is always in the middle of something crazy. Behemoth delves more deeply into Deryn's feelings about both her father's death and her feelings for Alex (OMG does she LIKE like him?!) but mostly it just features Deryn kicking ass and taking names. It seems like her secret identity as the best (not)boy in the British Air Corps is a little closer to being exposed but so far is in safe hands. Also, an almost love triangle that doesn't turn out quite the way Deryn expects. Ha ha, "MR. Sharp"
The secret of the mysterious eggs from the first book is revealed and it is ADORABLE. Imagine one of these but it speaks better Turkish than you, is named after a British meat extract and keeps making sarcastic references to your secret identity. Pretty much the perfect pet.
The next book in the series looks like it will deal with the Orient Express. I love trains so I am EXCITE. Can't wait to read the further adventures of Deryn and Alek!
I am a huge sucker for this series to begin with, since it is A) good steampunk B) cross-dressing adventure C) fabulously illustrated, but this book really upped my interest in where the plot is going. It felt like a lot of "Leviathan", the first book was spent in set-up, whereas in Behemoth we jump right into the action. And the action just keeps on going.
The Leviathan is headed for Istanbul (not Constantinople) so the "lady boffin" Dr. Barlow can present the Sultan with a mysterious present that might help halt the war. Of course things go wrong- the almost-electrocution of the giant flying whale, a hijacking of a huge mechanical war elephant. Meanwhile Alek and his crew are desperately trying to escape their English captivity. A botched attempt leads Alek right into the middle of a revolution...
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| (Picture from Keith Thompson's Gallery just to give you a taste of how great the art is. Don't you want to go buy a print now? I know I do!) |
My favorite character in the book is Deryn Sharp, my new girl-dressing-as-a-boy role model. Incredibly capable, fairly fearless and sometimes baffled by how weird boys are, Deryn is always in the middle of something crazy. Behemoth delves more deeply into Deryn's feelings about both her father's death and her feelings for Alex (OMG does she LIKE like him?!) but mostly it just features Deryn kicking ass and taking names. It seems like her secret identity as the best (not)boy in the British Air Corps is a little closer to being exposed but so far is in safe hands. Also, an almost love triangle that doesn't turn out quite the way Deryn expects. Ha ha, "MR. Sharp"
The secret of the mysterious eggs from the first book is revealed and it is ADORABLE. Imagine one of these but it speaks better Turkish than you, is named after a British meat extract and keeps making sarcastic references to your secret identity. Pretty much the perfect pet.
The next book in the series looks like it will deal with the Orient Express. I love trains so I am EXCITE. Can't wait to read the further adventures of Deryn and Alek!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
A Primate's Memoir
A Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons by Robert M Sapolsky (NEW READ)
I love me some nonfiction on occasion, and this book came recommended on the Tor.com blog so I elected to give it a shot. As a graduate student, Robert Sapolsky traveled to Kenya to observe a troop of baboons and observe how social interactions affect health. (This leads to a great chapter on just how difficult it is to drug a baboon using darts and a blowgun.) Living in a tent eating canned spaghetti and fish, dealing with corrupt government officials and local tribes, Sapolsky's book is fascinating as a portrait or early-80s Africa in addition to his wildlife observation.
The first thing that happens when R.S. gets off the plane is that he is scammed by no less than 3 people. He's not angry about this- in fact, he recounts that he still sees the same scammers working over newbies on his later trips. Bribes are a way of life, but he never seems frustrated with this custom. R.S. names all the apes in the troop after Biblical figures and accounts their unique personalities and his personal favorites (Benjamin). It sounds like the baboons are all acclimated to having people around, as R.S. hangs out with them on rocks and some even climb into his Jeep!
Another interesting point in the narration is the dealings with the local Masai village. In the US we seem to have a romanticized view of the Masai as a herder/warrior culture, but while he cares for them personally R.S. definitely sees the downsides to their culture. Other local tribes are raided, education is not initially regarded as important and warriors kidnap schoolboys to raise them in the bush away from their families. Despite this the Masai are close to local researchers and they help each other in times of need (especially when it comes to transportation). There's a hilarious anecdote where R.S. tries to convince to warriors that a baboon is his cousin, with angry angry results.
Sapolsky also traveled to several other African countries outside of Kenya and the conditions he describes are pretty horrific. On a raft for a week with everyone (people and goats crapping on the deck), crammed into a truck with dozens of other people driving through the desert and several politically-fraught situations, you can see why maybe people in Kenya like to stay close to home. Meanwhile, tourists are staying in expensive resorts that encroach upon the national parks.
It is one of these resorts that brings disaster to Sapolsky's baboons. A local butcher cutting corners leads to an outbreak of tuberculosis among the baboons near the resort. Despite all his efforts, many of the baboons succumb (though a few recover). The end of the book leaves the reader wondering about the effect US tourists have on the local environment, and makes you think about whether the trip of a lifetime is worth the life of hundreds of animals.
I love me some nonfiction on occasion, and this book came recommended on the Tor.com blog so I elected to give it a shot. As a graduate student, Robert Sapolsky traveled to Kenya to observe a troop of baboons and observe how social interactions affect health. (This leads to a great chapter on just how difficult it is to drug a baboon using darts and a blowgun.) Living in a tent eating canned spaghetti and fish, dealing with corrupt government officials and local tribes, Sapolsky's book is fascinating as a portrait or early-80s Africa in addition to his wildlife observation.
The first thing that happens when R.S. gets off the plane is that he is scammed by no less than 3 people. He's not angry about this- in fact, he recounts that he still sees the same scammers working over newbies on his later trips. Bribes are a way of life, but he never seems frustrated with this custom. R.S. names all the apes in the troop after Biblical figures and accounts their unique personalities and his personal favorites (Benjamin). It sounds like the baboons are all acclimated to having people around, as R.S. hangs out with them on rocks and some even climb into his Jeep!
Another interesting point in the narration is the dealings with the local Masai village. In the US we seem to have a romanticized view of the Masai as a herder/warrior culture, but while he cares for them personally R.S. definitely sees the downsides to their culture. Other local tribes are raided, education is not initially regarded as important and warriors kidnap schoolboys to raise them in the bush away from their families. Despite this the Masai are close to local researchers and they help each other in times of need (especially when it comes to transportation). There's a hilarious anecdote where R.S. tries to convince to warriors that a baboon is his cousin, with angry angry results.
Sapolsky also traveled to several other African countries outside of Kenya and the conditions he describes are pretty horrific. On a raft for a week with everyone (people and goats crapping on the deck), crammed into a truck with dozens of other people driving through the desert and several politically-fraught situations, you can see why maybe people in Kenya like to stay close to home. Meanwhile, tourists are staying in expensive resorts that encroach upon the national parks.
It is one of these resorts that brings disaster to Sapolsky's baboons. A local butcher cutting corners leads to an outbreak of tuberculosis among the baboons near the resort. Despite all his efforts, many of the baboons succumb (though a few recover). The end of the book leaves the reader wondering about the effect US tourists have on the local environment, and makes you think about whether the trip of a lifetime is worth the life of hundreds of animals.
Monday, October 04, 2010
Quick Haiku Reviews
This Gorgeous Game by Donna Freitas (NEW READ)
Won writing contest
College, boys, but something is wrong
Stalked by a priest, yuck
Avalon High by Meg Cabot (REREAD)
Camelot reborn
Elle is NOT the Lily Maid
Though she loves the pool
Won writing contest
College, boys, but something is wrong
Stalked by a priest, yuck
Avalon High by Meg Cabot (REREAD)
Camelot reborn
Elle is NOT the Lily Maid
Though she loves the pool
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
"Magic Strikes" audio, "Bleeding Violet", "Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case"
Nicolas Sayre and the Creature in the Case by Garth Nix (REREAD)
Like I mentioned in my Lirael review, Nicholas seemed kind of bad-ass in his first appearance before he got all possessed and needed to be saved. Since he seems to be set up as a possible romantic interest for Lirael, obviously he should be tough as nails or at least not afraid of zombies. In this novella he not only gets to be the resident freakish incident expert, he gets his own James Bondian chase sequence involving motorcycles, cars and trains. Dark as most of this series, with lots of deaths, this story was also a lot of fun and I wish there would be more stories written in this world.
Magic Strikes (audiobook) by Ilona Andrews, read by Renee Raudman (NEW LISTEN, REREAD)
This series is one of my favorite reads I've come across in the past few years. I love to reread them, but that doesn't mean they'll make a good audiobook. A lot depends on the reader, and in this case it's a perfect fit. RR is just right for the protagonist Kate Daniels, but she also does a mean Southern accent (and not True Blood Southern, Beeeeeeel!). The snarkiness of the narration shines through in audio form, with all its asides and in-jokes ("Dingoes ate my baby!" makes an appearance). There are books I love that I won't touch in audio, but this series is getting added to my Audible list ASAP.
Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves (NEW READ)
I just finished this book 15 minutes ago, and I'm still a little shellshocked. It turned into something totally different than I was expecting, much darker than most paranormal YA coming out today. By the end of the day so much crazy violence and magic has happened that the protagonist's manic depression has become a minor problem, even one that is beneficial to her. Not even sure how to write a summary for this unless I think about it more, but people looking for some YA fantasy with a dark, dark twist might want to give this book a shot.
Like I mentioned in my Lirael review, Nicholas seemed kind of bad-ass in his first appearance before he got all possessed and needed to be saved. Since he seems to be set up as a possible romantic interest for Lirael, obviously he should be tough as nails or at least not afraid of zombies. In this novella he not only gets to be the resident freakish incident expert, he gets his own James Bondian chase sequence involving motorcycles, cars and trains. Dark as most of this series, with lots of deaths, this story was also a lot of fun and I wish there would be more stories written in this world.
Magic Strikes (audiobook) by Ilona Andrews, read by Renee Raudman (NEW LISTEN, REREAD)
This series is one of my favorite reads I've come across in the past few years. I love to reread them, but that doesn't mean they'll make a good audiobook. A lot depends on the reader, and in this case it's a perfect fit. RR is just right for the protagonist Kate Daniels, but she also does a mean Southern accent (and not True Blood Southern, Beeeeeeel!). The snarkiness of the narration shines through in audio form, with all its asides and in-jokes ("Dingoes ate my baby!" makes an appearance). There are books I love that I won't touch in audio, but this series is getting added to my Audible list ASAP.
Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves (NEW READ)
I just finished this book 15 minutes ago, and I'm still a little shellshocked. It turned into something totally different than I was expecting, much darker than most paranormal YA coming out today. By the end of the day so much crazy violence and magic has happened that the protagonist's manic depression has become a minor problem, even one that is beneficial to her. Not even sure how to write a summary for this unless I think about it more, but people looking for some YA fantasy with a dark, dark twist might want to give this book a shot.
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