Book Highlight[s]: Modern Magic

I don't talk nearly enough about the books I read - and they are really fantastic and should be talked about often. I had a long streak where I was reading a lot of similar genre books that have been on my to-read list for ages which makes for a very tidy blog post.

THE RAVEN BOYS by Maggie Stiefvater [4.5/5]

I have always been drawn to magic, in stories and wherever I can find it in real life. That's why I read so many fantasy books. Some authors, though, create books that feel magical, whether or not there is something recognizable as magic in the story. Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER trilogy certainly felt this way - okay, yes, there is a strong paranormal element propelling the books, but I consider that very different from actual magic.

On the other hand, THE RAVEN BOYS, which I read a couple of weeks ago, has psychics and scrying and rituals and tarot cards. It's written in the same spell-binding way, but with the additional element of the otherworldly in it. So naturally, I loved the book. [The last chapter, not so much. I am not a fan of cliffhanger endings in trilogies and this one was a super rushed cliffhanger ending that didn't make the most sense. That's the reason I can't quite give the book 5 stars.]

All the characters are so compelling, although the villain turns out to be a little lame [see previous rant about the ending]. They have the most complicated of complicated relationships and everybody's hiding things from everybody else and did I mention that there are psychics? Because they are the best and I love them.

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl [4/5]

[Yes, this is the same story as the recently-in-theaters movie with Jeremy Irons in it which I decided I want to watch and thus is the only reason I finally read the book].

I think my only complaint for this book is the pacing is a little weird. There are long periods where nothing happens so you're skipping ahead a lot and I lost track of where in the year they were. But it wasn't too bad. What I really found impressive was that a lot of the "twists" at the end, despite being painstakingly obvious, were still compelling.

And while the magic is a little boring [the narrator is not fazed in the least by being thrown into a crazy, spell casting family], BEAUTIFUL CREATURES had a much better cliffhanger-ish ending. Even though it is long. And despite the almost love-at-first-sight romance. I was also surprised at how much I didn't mind that part of it.

Also there's the deep South and antebellum houses. I love those.

DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE by Laini Taylor [5/5]

Prague. Magic doors. Wishes. Languages. Art. Teeth. Angels and demons.

Even weeks after I finished the book, I still get hit sometimes with how beautiful and tragic it is. It's a story about family and identity and hope. It's full of irony and near-misses and if-only-this-had-happened-differently moments. There's a fabulous dynamic between the two opposing perspectives in war - which side is the crusader and which the invader?

My favorite thing about the book [besides the fact that Laini Taylor is herself a magical book-crafter and all the words are perfect] is that I did not see one of the twists coming. That happens so rarely in books and it is the most exciting thing and in this case also the most heartbreaking. So everyone should read this one. Everyone should read ALL of her books, actually.

My Fictional Idol

Oh dear goodness.

This is the reason I read. The reason crazy people work crazy hard on crazy books and then deal with all the hassle and waiting and rejection that is publishing.

My darling sister once (recently) made fun of me for reading "silly" books. There's nothing wrong with reading literature or the classics or whatever you want to categorize as "not silly" books. But I can assure you - really assure you - that commercial/entertaining/silly books are just as meaningful and deep as those serious, esoteric novels.

I've read quite a few of these very well-done, highly intelligent books recently. Anna and the French Kiss, The Dark and Hollow Places, and Supernaturally aren't simply about kissing or escaping zombies or paranormals [kissing]. They're about finding a home, for the most part. They're also about the mistakes we make and the beliefs we hold and the people we meet along the way. Basically, about humanity. That's why I liked them so much.

And then we come to today. And oh my goodness the magic is just seeping through me making it impossible not to tell you how amazing The Goblin War is. MAGICAL. AMAZING. OMG. [I should remember this I-have-to-write feeling the next time I'm sitting not knowing what to write in my own book experiment...]

I've already mentioned how much I love this series and author. I love it for the plot and the world and Hilari Bell's awesome writing and the characters. The characters. I realize I may sound completely insane, but these people and goblins (the goblins!) are some of my greatest heroes. I wish so desperately that they were real so that I could meet them.

Most especially Makenna. [Yes, the one I'm naming my first kid after.] I didn't realize until just now, finishing this book, that my obsession with her is due to the fact that I'm just like her - or at least hope to be. She's [a misanthrope who saves humankind], uncompromising in her loyalty to her goblin friends/army, brilliant in her strategy, and always fights for those who don't have anyone fighting for them.

And she wins.

That's what I'm most afraid of in the future: that all my dreams and work and everything will have been useless. That I'll fail in attempting to finish my Personal Legend. (Oh, The Alchemist. Another inspiring book.) Sure, the attempt is worth a lot, but succeeding is worth so much more.

For Makenna's successes, I'm willing to put up with all the stupid happy endings literature has to offer.

I think it's good to have role models wherever you can find them - in real life, in gossip magazines, in silly books, in scholarly papers. Makenna, and all her literary and real comrades, is someone I know I can turn to for a bit of humor, a bit of steel, and a whole lot of dedication to my cause.

So I will proudly keep reading and writing silly Young Adult novels that mean a whole lot more to me than a bunch of intellectual tomes.

[My word count, for those of you keeping track, is still the same BUT I have been working on the book. In a non-writing way. While I get back into the swing of getting things done. And quit making excuses. I am also trying to figure out a way to put it in a sidebar so I don't have to keep tacking it onto the ends of all my posts.]

More Magical Ladies (28, 65 & 98)

The problem with starting to review 2011's books before the year is completely over with is that you end up reading freaking fantastic books that will then need to be added to the absolute favorites list...so I've bumped another book to the Honorable Mentions list in favor of number 98.

The Goblin Gate

My absolute favorite book when I was younger was Hilari Bell's The Goblin Wood. I was so ridiculously excited when I found out that she was writing not one, but TWO sequels. And the first of those definitely does not disappoint. (Depending on the library/bookstore, they might be considered children's books and not YA.)

We thought everything was resolved in book number one, but surprise! Incorrect. I loved that the world gets explained more and the stakes are higher and my darling Makenna gets even more awesome (yes, I'm naming one of my future children after her). Plus, there's a character with the same name as me, just misspelled :)

The Folk Keeper

Speaking of names - this book is the reason I also answer to Corinna.  I first read it so long ago that I forgot about it, but one day I randomly read a Wikipedia article about selkies and it popped back into my brain. And I am oh so glad that it did. Franny Billingsley is an absolute genius. She writes beautifully and with such magic and emotion that it's impossible to put her books down.

Miss Corinna starts off disguised as a boy in an orphanage. She is the best Folk Keeper they've ever had, meaning she keeps the mysterious, powerful and rather ominous Folk from destroying the place. And then she moves to a manor. And then crazy stuff happens. Which I will let you read about.

(Also, I imagine this would also be considered a children's book, but I can still call it YA if I want to!)

Chime

And now...one of my new EVERYONE IN THE WORLD MUST READ books. Oh my goodness. I'm still feeling blown away. SO MUCH MAGIC. I'm jealous.

First, Chime is set in (next to) a swamp, which is bound to give it an eerie feel. But add witches, pretty boys, and Dark Muses, and you get a novel jam-packed with melancholy images and secrets and so much magic.

Second...nope, there is no second. Don't you want to read it already?! If for some bizarre reason you don't, you can fully expect me to buy it and shove it in your face. Or get it from the library and shove that copy in your face, because I'd never loan my own precious (future) copy to anyone.

I realize that all three of these (and the majority of the other books I read) are told from the girl's perspective. At least girls get one form of media to be the majority in :) But seriously, if guys want more male MCs, then they should read more.

More Blessed Word Count: 15,241 + brainstorming

Fangirls and Strong Women (13 & 14)

A bit later than promised, I present: my gushing love for Kristin Cashore and her two novels.

Graceling

I liked this book so much that I read it twice. And then bought it. And will soon be reading it again. I don't think I've mentioned before but I got the original idea for More Blessed after reading Graceling. I was thinking about how the "graces" were recognized by eye color and how you might identify them if you didn't have that to go off of. Thus, the supernaturals and the Registry were born :)

The idea and worldbuilding are obviously inspiring, but the protagonist is my favorite part. Katsa is fierce and strong and so beautifully flawed. She feels trapped by her uncle, who happens to be the King, but at the same time figures out how to help people. Sneakily. Relentlessly. Awesomely.

Fire

Book #2 is more of a companion than a sequel. It tells the story of some important stuff that happens before Graceling, in the country that lies past the mountains. There's still plenty of traveling around, but no one clear destination or journey.

I haven't decided, but I might like Fire a bit more than I do Katsa. (Maybe because she likes babies, which is the polar opposite of Katsa.) She's unabashedly feminine and yet so powerful. The politics aspect of the book is a little...not weak, but kind of unexplained. It's the relationships between all the major characters that are really compelling.

More Blessed Word Count: 14,569