I Read YA

Divergent 
Veronica Roth

The first book in another planned YA trilogy (second book out already, final in 2013). Interesting premise about choosing your family group based on your dominant traits. Throw in some creepy mind reading/control, and you've got something pretty fun - even if it does get kinda campy towards the end.

The Scorpio Races
Maggie Stiefvater

Mystical, bloodthirsty horses rising from the sea? Poor orphan girl struggling to help her remaining family survive? Harsh, windswept setting? Yes, please!

This was a fun, quick read. Yes, there were parts that made me roll my eyes pretty hard. There's no excuse to forget the characters' names, as they are mentioned on nearly every frickin' page. The ending was a bit...conventional? Pat? Whatever. All the horses means overall I was happy. (I like horses.)

Matched
Ally Condie

Another YA trilogy, centered around a love triangle. Why is it that teenage girls can only see a problem with society when it's through the lens of a romantic dilemma? Oh, wait - that's just how it is in some books. Sorry, I'm having trouble containing the snarkiness about this book. I just wonder if the author recognizes the irony in writing about matches and planning and the pitfalls involved when her professed religion... ok, I'll stop before I get into trouble.

But seriously, I do wonder how LGBT teens and people of color would relate to this book. Heterosexual seems to be the only recognized sexuality. Condie describes her characters pretty well, and they seemed to all be white - or at least, arguabley white. I can't think of a single one that was definitely a person of color. (Of course, I could be mistaken. I know white readers often read characters as white even when they are intended to be otherwise.) Maybe these are more diverse characters in the second and third books. Maybe Condie puposedly left them out so we can see their exclusion is a problem that needs to be addressed. Maybe. Hopefully.

Have you read any of these? Share your thoughts!

Two More from Tamora Pierce

Emperor Mage
The Immortals, Book 3

Spoilers for the first books lurk within

From the first pages of Emperor Mage, it's clear that Daine's powers have grown even stronger. The animals of Carthaki gather on the wharf, waiting for her arrival, where she is to play a part in peace talks between the nations. Her role is to make the Emperor Mage, Ozorne, happy by curing his sick birds. Perhaps then he'll be in a better mood and more amenable to a treaty.

Carthaki was once a thriving center of cultural learning, where the best mages in the world were trained to fully develop their magical skills. Now, there's chaos brewing because the Emperor has neglected worshiping the gods. The Graveyard Hag, the main god of Carthaki, is not going to let the city get away with this dereliction any more.

The Graveyard Hag gives Daine a special gift that ends up being very useful in the final showdown. I have to admit, the six year old in me squeed with delight when Daine called on some very old creatures to help her!

While, of course, Daine and her friends prevail in the end, it's not a clear cut victory. Ozorne is off licking his wounds, but regardless of his form, he's sure to regroup and come back to threaten Tortall.

The Realms of the Gods
The Immortals, Book 4

In the final book of the Immortals quartet, Daine and Numair find themselves in the Divine Realms after they're rescued from a near certain death at the hands of Orzone and his minions. There, Daine finally meets her father, and the readers meet her mother.

This is a more mature book - less action packed adventure, more theory and trying to understand the way the world works. Oh, and kissing. I guess Daine is growing up.

While the battle rages on without them, Daine and Numair have to figure a way out of the Diving Realms and back home. Fortunately, there are some dragons that feel indebted to Daine for caring for little Skysong. The prominence of the dragons is reminiscent of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern, of which Pierce is a fan.

Overall, this series was fun. Daine is a great character - a little too perfect towards the end, perhaps, but really, what do you expect? I've read that she makes an appearance in some of Pierce's other books in the Tortall universe. It's fun to see familiar characters popping up every now and then, even when the focus is elsewhere. Again, I express my dismay that I never read Pierce's books when I was younger. I would definitely recommend them to the middle or high school kids in your life. They're the perfect age to fall in love with them, and there are plenty of books to keep them busy!

Mastiff

Mastiff, Tamora Pierce

Mastiff
Beka Cooper, Book Three
Tamora Pierce

Mastiff forms the conclusion of the Beka Cooper series, set in Tamora Pierce's Tortall universe.

In Mastiff, Beka, along with her human partner, Mattes Tunstall, her scent hound Achoo, and her feline/constellation companion Pounce, are sent on a top secret mission on which the fate of the kingdom hangs. They team up with some new characters as well as old friends, including lady knight Sabine of Macayhill. The possibility that anyone is a traitor looms heavily over the group. This is the mission that proves Beka is a full-blown Dog, far from her young Puppy days, and able to take on whatever challenge awaits her.

The social justice themes in Mastiff are more prominent than they were in the first two Beka Cooper books. Beka tackles slavery and classism head on. She also struggles with the reality that her job means turning people over to the government to face capital punishment, making her feel like the murderers she's trained to take down. Sexism and gender essentialism continue to flourish through the Goddess Mother cult. Lady Sabine reveals that she's faced violent opposition along her journey to become a well-respected female knight.

Mastiff  is the perfect conclusion to a great trilogy, and an end to this era in Tortall.

Wolf-Speaker

Wolf-Speaker
The Immortals, Book 2
Tamora Pierce

Yay - I finished a book! On Sunday I posted about my current slump. I'm cautiously hopeful that it will soon be behind me after tearing through this quick novel on Wednesday afternoon.

Wolf-Speaker is the second book in Tamora Pierce's Immortals series. I read the first one, Wild Magic, back in January (back when I was actually reading books). I really enjoyed Wild Magic, and was taken with Daine's journey of self discovery.

In the second book, Daine is on her own, without a human mentor, for most of the book. Of course, she's not totally alone. She's helping her old wolf pack with a new problem - humans invading and destroying their territory. But it's not just the animals that these invaders are threatening. The kingdom of Tortall and King Jonathan are also at risk.

For whatever reason, I didn't like this book as much as I did Book 1. There seemed to be a big jump in Daine's maturity between the two books. In the first, she needs a lot of hand holding by her older mentors. Yes, she is a strong, independent character, but she's still a pretty young girl. In Wolf-Speaker, her teacher leaves her behind in dangerous territory with nary a word. I  understand it was a decision that had to be made quickly, and Daine insisted on staying with her wolf pack. Still, it felt a bit forced.

I do like how the animals refer to them selves as the People. Humans are, well, humans. Not People. The People have a respect for the ecosystem and inter-species relationships that humans lack.

Despite my lack of overwhelming enthusiasm, I still checked Book 3, Emperor Mage, out from the library in preparation for this weekend's read-a-thon. Maybe I should go get the last one, too, just in case...

Wild Magic

Wild Magic

Wild Magic
The Immortals, Book 1
Tamora Pierce

I really like Tamora Pierce. I wish I'd read her books as I was growing up, because I know I would have lovedlovedloved them at a younger age - especially this book. A magical teenage girl with a gift with horses? Yes, please!

Wild Magic is in Pierce's Tortall universe, where several of her other books are set, including the Song of the Lioness  and Beka Cooper series. I recently read the first two books in the Beka Cooper series, and thought they were very good. It's fun to be in the same universe, although much later in time, to see how things have progressed.

In Wild Magic, a teenage orphan named Daine gets a job working with the horses of Tortall's Queen's Riders. She discovers that her talent for working with animals is actually a kind of magic. With the help of a mage named Numir, Daine learns how to control her magic without letting it overpower her.

Along the way, she makes many human and animal friends. She helps save her new home from invaders, who take advantage of Alanna's absence to attack Pirate's Swoop. Her ability to harness her magic and communicate with the animals is pivotal to the successful defense.

I'm interested to read the rest of Daine's story and discover where her adventures take her.

Two by Tamora Pierce

Terrier and Bloodhound
Tamora Pierce

These two books are the first and second in Pierce's Beka Cooper trilogy. The trilogy is set in Tortall, but 200 years before Pierce's other Tortall universe books.

Terrier

In Terrier, the first book, we are introduced to Tortall through the diary of Elani Cooper, frazzled mother to unruly six year old George. She tries to get her son to behave and stop stealing by telling him about a famous ancestor and legendary Guardswoman, Rebekah Cooper.

The book then switches to Beka's diary, which she has begun to when she started her training to be a member of the Provost's Guard (an early police force). Beka is a hard worker, and is determined to rise from her "Puppy" status to a "Dog" faster than any other trainee. She doesn't want any favors from her patron, Lord Gershom, but wants to make her own way.She uses her magical abilities to  supplement all of her non-magical efforts. She's able to listen to the spirits of the dead, carried on the backs of pigeons, to gather clues about who is being murdered in her city. Beka's trainers, Goodwin and Tunstall, learn to appreciate Beka for all of her help. They still recognize that she has a lot to learn, though, and they do their best to protect her and keep her safe.

The book is slow going at first, and there is some annoying slang that gets distracting, but overall it was a pleasure to read about a strong, independent, but imperfect female character. The supporting characters are great, too. I especially liked Beka's friends of the criminal persuasion. They kept her seeing the gray in every situation, which is useful in a world where the police force supplements member's pay by collecting bribes.

Bloodhound

In Bloodhound Beka gets her wish and is a full member of the Provost's Guard - a true Dog. However, now that's she's broken with her trainers, she's having trouble keeping a partner. It seems Beka takes her duties more seriously than many of the other lazy Dogs.

Through a series of mishaps, Beka acquires a scenthound and is put back together with Goodwin on an out of town mission to Port Cayann to crack down on a counterfeiting ring that threatens to destabilize the entire economy.

She works closely with Lord Gershom's cousin Nestor, another Dog, who she used to have a crush on before finding out he was gay. Nestor is now living with his partner, Okha. Okha performs in gambling halls as the beautiful Amber Rose, explaining to Beka that he believes the Trickster god made him a woman in a man's body. I thought Pierce handled this topic pretty well, and I liked who she introduced gay and transgender characters without it being the focus of the plot. Nestor and Okha are just another loving couple who both play their own role in the story.

We get to see Beka let down her hair a bit, and have fun out on the town, even if it is just undercover work. Who would have thought she loved to dance? She becomes a more fully developed character now that we can see she care about things other than work. One of those "things" is a young man named Dale (kissy face here).

This is definitely a fun series, even if it drags a bit at times. The final installment, Mastiff, was just published a few months ago. I'm sure I'll get to it at some point, when I need a break from heavier reading.

Mockingjay: The Hunger Games Concludes

Mockingjay

Mockingjay
Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games trilogy conclude with Mockingjay, and I have to say I was impressed by this book's strength. Katniss is no linger a tough young girl trying to protect her little sister. She's a solider, fighting a war that has serious, continent-wide repercussions.

Mockingjay picks up right where Catching Fire left off. Katniss is plucked from the arena and deposited in District 13, where the rebels expect her to willingly embrace her role as the symbol of the revolution. Katniss isn't going to go along with the plan unless she secures the safety of her loved ones, including Peeta - who is trapped in the Capitol.

I won't write anymore about the plot. I will say that it was a satisfying conclusion to a gripping trilogy. Collins isn't afraid to upend the reader's expectations - and not just about the love triangle storyline. With Mockingjay, Collins asks probing questions about society, power, and control. This is much more than child's play.

Discussion of part 1 and part 2

Book Beginnings: Terrier

Thanks to Katy over at A Few More Pages for hosting Book Beginnings.

How to participate: Share the first line (or two) of the book you are currently reading on your blog or in the comments. Include the title and the author so we know what you're reading. Then, if you would like, let us know what your first impressions were based on that first line, and let us know if you liked or did not like the sentence. The link-up will be at A Few More Pages every Friday and will be open for the entire week.

This week I'm reading Terrier, the first book in Tamora Pierce's Beka Cooper trilogy. Here are the first few lines:

From the journal of Eleni Cooper, Resident, with her six-year-old son, George Cooper, of Spindle Lane, the Lower City, Corus, the Realm of Tortall.

March 18, 406 [H.E.: the Human Era]

In all those lessons for which I was made to memorize chants and prayers I never used, couldn't our temple priestesses have taught one-just one!-lesson on what to do with a boy who is too smart for his own good?

The first few lines are pretty good. They let you know who the characters are, where they live, give you a sense of time, introduce you to the book's structure (it's written entirely as journal excerpts) and let you know that there may be a bit of magic afoot. At the same time, there's the universal lament of an unruly child.

Unfortunately, the next bits are rather slow going. I'm about halfway through now, and the pace is finally starting to pick up. We're following along with Beka Cooper, a new trainee in Tortall's police force, or Guard. She's ready to protect the Cesspool in which she grew up from master criminals, serial killers, and whatever other Rats (baddies) lurk around the corner.

Beka, ready to kick some Rat butt.

Some of the terminology is a bit heavy handed. The trainees are constantly referred to as Puppies to the senior Guard Dogs. It's irritating. But it is very cool that Tamora Pierce has once again created a rich world full of diverse characters with a female lead. Gotta love that.

Catching Fire

Catching Fire

Catching Fire
Suzanne Collins

Okay, so I sat down on my couch to start reading this and didn't merge until a few hours later when I turned the last page. This series really sucks you in in a way I haven't experience in quite awhile.

Book two manages to catch you up and remind you of book one's highlights (not that you need the reminders, if like me you read them nearly one after the other). Our heroine, Katniss starts to gain a greater awareness of her world. As part of that, she begins to realize just how much danger she and her family have been. She may have won The Hunger Games, but that didn't win her many friends in the government.

That's not to say it isn't without its flaws. Katniss is smart in book one. Here, sometimes you want to hit her over the head because she's being so dense, which is out of character. Also, I don't like how she seems to be much more of a pawn in a bigger game in this book. Yes, she's still a strong character, but she gets swept up (literally) in the events surrounding her in a way that isn't completely believable.

Overall, I still enjoyed it, and can't wait to read Mockingjay. It's tempting me from my end table, but I think I'll wait a couple days before I start it. I'm almost done with Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber, and I want to finish that. I started a couple other books before my slump of September/October and never finished them. I might go back and try to finish up at least one of them.

Discussion of part 1 and part 3

Thoughts on The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins

A friend at work was raving about this trilogy, and I finally decided to give in to the hype. I have to say, I'm happy that I did. In The Hunger Games Collins does a great job painting a scary dystopian portrait of North America after a major disaster. The main characters, especially Katniss, are entirely believable. Since this is part of a trilogy, Collins doesn't tell you everything - but it leaves you wanting more. It's like you are in Katniss' shoes as she starts to focus on more than just the survival of her family and learns more about the Capitol and the rest of Panem.

Okay, so as you probably know, Katniss volunteers to take her young sister's place in a government sponsored fight to the death. There are two "tributes" from each of Panem's 12 districts. The other tribute from District 12, Katniss's district, is Peeta, a boy the same age as Katniss. The two of them are at times thrown together and torn apart as they try to formulate a strategy to win the game. Of course, there can only be one winner, or can there? dun dun dun.

You might have heard about the controversy about the movie's casting choices. First, there was the issue of specifically looking for a white actress to play Katniss, when her description seemed to contain the possibility that she was Mediterranean or something other than Caucasian. Then, when the casting for other characters, like Rue and Cinna were announced, people were exclaiming that neither of them should be black. In the book, Rue is specifically described as black - with "satiny brown skin." Cinna isn't described much beyond having short dark hair (green?) eyes, and a penchant for gold eyeliner.

As I read the book, I knew about these issues, so I was already keeping an eye out for the descriptions. I normally don't really pay attention to what characters look like. I don't form a picture of them in my head - I've just never been that type of reader. This time, though, knowing who was cast definitely influenced how I saw the book in my mind.

Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone

Jennifer Lawrence, from Winter's Bone, is playing the Katniss. I know the book described her with dark hair, but I just kept seeing her as Ree Dolly. As for Cinna, I think Lenny Kravitz is a brilliant choice. I can totally see him as a stylist with a mysterious past. I didn't know that Woody Harrelson had been cast to play Haymitch, Katniss's mentor. I had just finished reading Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad before picking up The Hunger Games, and for some reason her description of Odysseus totally clicked for me as Haymitch.  Not that great looking, with short stubby legs, not all that strong or fast, but smart and wily. I do think Harrelson will do a good job playing Haymitch, but he wasn't what I pictured.

Have you read The Hunger Games? What do you think about the movie casting choices?

Here are my posts on part 2 and part 3