Retro Friday: Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Angie over at Angieville and focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc.

I can’t believe I’ve never featured Kristin Cashore’s books here on the blog. She only has two books out, Graceling and Fire, but she’s already on my list of auto-buy authors because both books are awesome. I think I never reviewed her books because I felt that they got enough attention from the blogosphere. But I’m determined to write reviews for all the books included in my list of favorites so here we go.

Here’s the summary from Kristin Cashore’s website:

Graceling is the story of Katsa, who has been able to kill people with her bare hands since she was eight. Katsa lives in the seven kingdoms, where very occasionally, a person is born with an extreme skill called a Grace. Gracelings are feared and exploited in the seven kingdoms, and none moreso than Katsa, who’s expected to do the dirty work of torture and punishment for her uncle, King Randa. But then she meets a mysterious stranger named Po, who is also a Graced fighter and the first person ever to challenge her in a fight. The two form a bond, and each discovers truths they never imagined about themselves, each other, and a terrible danger that is spreading slowly through the seven kingdoms.

Graceling was published back in 2008, a few years before I started the blog and I remember I got the recommendation for it from Sounis. I was so excited to read it but it wasn’t initially available in local bookstores so I asked a friend to get a copy for me from the States and I’m glad she said yes. Graceling became one of my favorite discoveries that year. Gracelings are humans who have a highly specialized skilled called a Grace. Graces come in all forms – it can be as simple as being Graced as a cook to as unusual as Katsa’s Grace of fighting. All Gracelings have mismatched eyes – Katsa has one green eye and one blue. That’s the only way they know a child is a Graceling, through his or her eyes and they never know what the Grace is until it manifests itself in some way. Katsa discovers her Grace when she accidentally kills a man when she was just a young girl.

Katsa is the kind of YA fantasy heroine that I enjoy reading about. Strong female protagonists for the win! Katsa’s physically strong, she could probably kill using just her pinky, but she’s also an emotionally complex character. She reminds me of characters in books by Robin McKinley, Sherwood Smith and Tamora Pierce. If you’re a fan of those three authors and you’ve never read this book then I highly suggest that you get a copy as soon as you can. Katsa’s uncle, King Randa, takes advantage of her fighting skills by employing her as his own personal thug. At the start of the book, Katsa really believes that she’s nothing more than a thug even though she hates doing her uncle’s dirty work. She doesn’t believe she’s capable of building relationships so she keeps people at arm’s length. As she learns more about herself and her Grace, Katsa also starts to trust other people. I was totally on board the romance as well, I didn’t think it was instant love and I liked that they were friends first before they were romantically involved.

I remember that Graceling was pretty hyped the year that it came out. I had high expectations after all the trouble that I went through to get a copy and I wasn’t disappointed. Graceling has everything that I look for in my YA fantasy reads: a unique world that I can get lost in, a court setting with political intrigue, characters who change and develop throughout the course of the book and relationships that take time to form. Writing this review has reminded me that I should read more epic fantasy, I think I’ve been reading more contemporary novels this year. Fire is also an amazing book but in a different way and I’m planning to write a review for that as well. I seriously cannot wait for Bitterblue to be published, I’m going to pre-order that as soon as there’s a release date.

Other reviews:
See Michelle Read
Angieville
By Singing Light
One More Page
Good Books and Good Wine

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

I’ve had my copy of The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle since 2007 and when I noticed that the edges are starting to turn yellow, I decided that it’s high time I read it. This is a fantasy classic that’s a popular favorite. I can’t even remember where I got the original recommendation for it. And no, I haven’t watched the movie. I didn’t even know there was a movie until I started reading the book.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone. She was very old, though she did not know it, and she was no longer the careless color of sea-foam but rather the color of snow falling on a moonlit night. But her eyes were still clear and unwearied, and she still moved like a shadow on the sea.

The unicorn discovers that she is the last unicorn in the world, and sets off to find the others. She meets Schmendrick the Magician – whose magic seldom works, and never as he intended – when he rescues her from Mommy Fortuna’s Midnight Carnival, where only some of the mythical beasts displayed are illusions. They are joined by Molly Grue, who believes in legends despite her experiences with a Robin Hood wannabe and his unmerry men. Ahead wait King Haggard and his Red Bull, who banished unicorns from the land.

The unicorn doesn’t usually care for humans but one day, she overhears two men talking and realizes that she might be the last unicorn in the world. She decides to leave her lilac wood to find out what happened with the rest of her kind. She’s aided in her quest by friends she meets along the way – Schmendrick the Magician and Molly Grue. This book made me realize that I should read more novels with unicorns in them. I don’t think I’ve read any other novel that has a unicorn as a main character? I’m kind of sad that I didn’t read this book sooner because I feel like this is the kind of book that I would have fallen in love with when I was in my early teens. The story started out a bit slow for me but quickly picked up once the unicorn faced the Red Bull, sorry for being vague, I don’t want to give away spoilers. I was also able to appreciate Peter S. Beagle’s writing, it’s lyrical without being too heavy. Does that makes sense? I feel like his writing is perfect for this kind of story – one that has elements of magic and a fairy tale-feel to it. And it’s not the usual kind of fairy tale either. Here’s a sample of the writing:

“The true secret in being a hero lies in knowing the order of things. The swineherd cannot already be wed to the princess when he embarks on his adventures, nor can the boy knock on the witch’s door when she is already away on vacation. The wicked uncle cannot be found out and foiled before he does something wicked. Things must happen when it is time for them to happen. Quests may not simply be abandoned; prophecies may not be left to rot like unpicked fruit; unicorns may go unrescued for a very long time, but not forever. The happy ending cannot come in the middle of the story.”

Doesn’t that make you curious about this book? I can see why The Last Unicorn is a favorite of so many readers. I’m surprised by how much I liked it considering that I normally go for epic fantasy with strong female protagonists although the unicorn IS female and she can be considered a strong character in her own quiet way. I also liked the secondary characters in this book – Schmendrick, Molly and Prince Lir. Each had his or her own quest and I was rooting for them to find the things that they’re searching for. If you haven’t heard of this book and you enjoy reading fantasy, you should definitely grab a copy as soon as you can. It’s a story filled with magic, warmth and truths about what it means to be an immortal magical being as opposed to being human. For a book that’s been out for a while, it doesn’t have that many reviews in the blogosphere. I should read Peter S. Beagle’s other books. I’ve noticed that I mostly read novels by female authors and while I don’t think that’s a bad thing, it would be a good idea to add more males into the mix. So let me know what are your favorites out of Peter S. Beagle’s backlist and I’ll try to check them out.

Other reviews:
Good Books and Good Wine
Belle’s Bookshelf

The Mark of Solomon by Elizabeth E. Wein

I think we’ve safely established that I’m a book pusher and there’s nothing I enjoy promoting more than under-the-radar books. I am constantly amazed that so many excellent books don’t get the attention that they deserve. I reviewed The Sunbird by Elizabeth E. Wein last year, hoping that more people would read her books but I haven’t been that successful because I haven’t seen reviews of that book in the past year. Also, it makes me sad that The Sunbird is now out of print. So now I feel like I need to talk about The Mark of Solomon, the duology that comes after The Sunbird, because the blogosphere seriously needs to show more Elizabeth E. Wein love.

Here’s the summary for The Lion Hunter, the first book in The Mark of Solomon duology, from the author’s website:

It is the sixth century in Aksum, Africa. Twelve-year-old Telemakos — the half Ethiopian grandson of Artos, King of Britain — is still recovering from his ordeal as a government spy in the far desert. But not all those traitors have been accounted for. Before Telemakos is fully himself again, tragedy and menace strike; for his own safety he finds himself sent, with his young sister, Athena, to live with Abreha, the ruler of Himyar — a longtime enemy of the Aksumites, now perhaps a friend. Telemakos’s aunt Goewin, Artos’s daughter, warns him that Abreha is dangerous, a man to watch carefully. Telemakos promises he will be mindful — but he does not realize that Goewin’s warnings will place him in more danger than he ever imagined.

I’ve already dubbed Telemakos as Gen-in-Africa so that should serve as enough encouragement for all Megan Whalen Turner fans out there. I originally found out about these books from Sounis, back when I didn’t have a blog and I got most of my recommendations from that community. If you have no idea what I’m talking about (shame on you!), Gen is the main character in the Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner and he’s all kinds of awesome. Telemakos is young but he’s wise beyond his years. His upbringing as a half-British, half-Aksumite noble and his innate curiosity has landed him right smack in the middle of political intrigue involving several countries. I find it ironic that he has such a striking physical appearance – cinnamon-colored skin, bright blue eyes and pale hair – and yet he excels in subtlety. A line from page 11 reads: “Oh, the wealth of intrigue you heard when no one imagined you were listening.”

Elizabeth E. Wein is not afraid of letting her characters suffer and even though I’ve known from the start that Telemakos is as brave as they come, my heart goes out to him whenever something terrible happens. *huggles Telemakos* He also kept surprising me with how intelligent his strategies were. Sorry for being vague but he kept being thrown into situations where he had to make the most out of his wits if he wanted to keep himself and everyone he cares for out of harm. Also, the secondary characters in these books? They’re all so smart and complex and they keep readers guessing. You never know who’s really trustworthy. Which also paves the way for complicated relationships between the characters. I love that you can feel the love and respect that the characters have for each other but their interactions are never simple.

The Lion Hunter and The Empty Kingdom should be read together because the first book ends on a major cliffhanger. I heard that they’re actually just one book that was split by the publisher, I have no idea why. The Sunbird is the first book about Telemakos and The Mark of Solomon duology continues with his journey. They’re historical fiction books set in Aksum (ancient Ethiopia), Africa but there’s a hint of Arthurian legend in them as well. Telemakos is actually the son of Medraut (Mordred) and the grandson of Artos (Arthur). So if you’re a fan of historical fiction or Arthurian tales or you just want to read books with excellent worldbuilding, multi-faceted characters and plots riddled with conspiracies then you should pick these up as soon as you can. And spread the word about them when you’re done reading.

Other reviews:
Blogging for a Good Book
By Singing Light
Sherwood Smith

Pink by Lili Wilkinson

I’ve been neglecting the Aussie YA Challenge the past few months because I still have the rest of the year to finish it and I only need two more books. But when my good friend Celina offered to let me borrow her copy of Pink by Lili Wilkinson, I decided to go ahead and read it. I’ve been hearing good things about this book. Also, that’s one less book for me to buy. Thanks again, Celina, for lending your copy.

Here’s the summary from Lili Wilkinson’s website:

Ava Simpson is trying on a whole new image. Stripping the black dye from her hair, she heads off to the Billy Hughes School for Academic Excellence, leaving her uber-cool girlfriend, Chloe, behind.

Ava is quickly taken under the wing of perky, popular Alexis who insists that: a) she’s a perfect match for handsome Ethan; and b) she absolutely must audition for the school musical.

But while she’s busy trying to fit in — with Chloe, with Alexis and her Pastel friends, even with the misfits in the stage crew — Ava fails to notice that her shiny reinvented life is far more fragile than she imagined.

Pink is a delightful, contemporary Aussie read. It’s all about how the main character, Ava, is confused about a lot of things in her life. She thinks her girlfriend Chloe is awesome and she feels lucky to be in a relationship but she also wants to explore and discover other things about herself. She’s tired of always wearing black and trying not to care about school because that’s what Chloe wants. So she transfers to Billy Hughes so she can wear pink, act all girly and maybe even date a guy. Ava just didn’t realize that things aren’t so simple. It’s hard to form friendships when she’s hiding so much about herself. She doesn’t even know when she’s just pretending and when she’s being real. I think Pink’s storyline is something that most teenagers will be able to relate to. I can remember being confused about so many things in my life back when I was that age so I could definitely understand where Ava is coming from. As Ava finds out for herself, it takes time for things to fall into place. You can’t just magically be somebody else even when you transfer schools.

As with most novels set in high school, the characters are divided into the popular and unpopular groups – in this case, the actors vs. the stage crew. I’ve always liked theater settings in novels because there’s so much that happens in preparation for a play or a musical (and also because I like watching theater productions in real life). The characters get to bond over rehearsals or while building sets. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, Aussie YA rocks. Why can’t Filipino YA be the same? Pink is funny and very easy to read. Ava is one smart girl but some of the things that she gets herself into are hilarious. I felt embarrassed for her several times. But I was always rooting for her, I wanted her to make sense of everything that was confusing in her life. Ava makes mistakes along the way but that’s part of growing up. I think she did the best that she could and that’s all that we can ever ask of anyone. I recommend this for fans of contemporary fiction and international readers should take advantage of the fact that this has been printed in the US so it’s more accessible than other Aussie titles. I’m already looking forward to reading Lili Wilkinson’s A Pocketful of Things.

Other reviews:
Steph Su Reads
My Girl Friday
The Readventurer

Saving June by Hannah Harrington

For some reason, Saving June by Hannah Harrington was released early in Australia. I’ve seen raving reviews from those who have been lucky enough to get copies of the book and that persuaded me to read it as soon as I can. The ebook can be purchased from Angus & Robertson and Borders Australia. If you want a physical copy, you can order it from Fishpond. Also, Harlequin Teen said on Twitter that Saving June will be available on NetGalley in August.

Harper Scott knows she can never measure up to her perfect, older sister June, so she’s never tried. In fact, she’s done her best to be the opposite – lukewarm grades, detention as often as she can manage it, basically be the rebel daughter. She’s as surprised as everyone when June commits suicide a week before graduation, leaving behind a mess that no one can figure out. When her divorced parents decide to split June’s ashes, Harper takes matters into her own hands and embarks on a road trip to California with her best friend Laney and Jake Tolan, a guy who claims to be June’s friend. June always yearned to go to California and Harper thinks it’s the perfect place to scatter the ashes.

Ah this book, this beautiful book. It deserves all the hype that it’s been getting, I can’t even stop thinking about it. Right off the bat, I empathized with Harper, with all her pain and confusion and anger – not knowing how to handle living in a world without her big sister to take care of things. The road trip that she plans with her best friend is the perfect way for her to cope and ease that feeling of being suffocated. She doesn’t understand why Jake wants to go with them though. Mysterious, classic rock-loving Jake with the piercing green eyes – one moment a douchebag and a knight in shining armor the next. He has his own reasons for being that way and it didn’t diminish his appeal in my eyes. I’d love to meet someone like him in person – someone passionate about music who provides anecdotes each time an unfamiliar song plays, who believes that a proper mix CD should have a story to tell just like a book. Harper, armed with her Polaroid, Laney, with her enthusiasm and friendliness and Jake, with his music are the perfect combination for a memorable road trip.

Saving June has everything that I look for in my contemporary reads: believable characters with realistic problems, amazing friends, romance that takes time to form (as opposed to instant love). Some scenes had me smiling and chuckling at the situations Harper, Laney and Jake get into while other scenes had me tearing up and aching for all of them. I love how these three characters are fully fleshed out with their distinct personalities. This is the kind of book that stays with you even after you finish reading it, the kind that makes you want listen to all of the songs mentioned in it. Saving June is about grief and loss but also about life, hope and love. It has earned a spot in my favorites and will definitely be included in my best of 2011. The premise reminded me of The Sky is Everywhere and Sharing Sam while the slow build up of the romance felt similar to Going Too Far. So if you’re a fan of those three books, make sure to read this one. I will be on the lookout for Hannah Harrington’s other novels.

And because I love so many lines from the book, I can’t help but quote Jake:

It’s just nice, I guess. Knowing that someone else can put into words what I feel. That there are people who have been through things worse than I have, and they come out on the other side okay. Not only that, but they made some kind of twisted, fucked-up sense of the completely senseless. They made it mean something. These songs tell me I’m not alone. If you look at it at that way, music… music can see you through anything.

I’m not as passionate about music as Jake is but I agree with what he said, more so if you replace “music” with “books”. Yeah, books can see you through anything.

Other reviews:
Book Harbinger
Inkcrush
Irresistible Reads

Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor

I’m usually not a fan of short stories. I don’t know why but I never get to finish the anthologies that I buy. Since I wanted to give Laini Taylor’s writing a try, I decided to pick up Lips Touch: Three Times. I was also curious because I’ve heard such good things about this book from both Holly of Book Harbinger and Kristen of Fantasy Cafe and I know they have excellent taste when it comes to fantasy books.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

A girl who’s always been in the shadows finds herself pursued by the unbelievably attractive new boy at school, who may or may not be the death of her. Another girl grows up mute because of a curse placed on her by a vindictive spirit, and later must decide whether to utter her first words to the boy she loves and risk killing everyone who hears her if the curse is real. And a third girl discovers that the real reason for her transient life with her mother has to do with belonging — literally belonging — to another world entirely, full of dreaded creatures who can transform into animals, and whose queen keeps little girls as personal pets until they grow to childbearing age.

Lips Touch contains three short stories – Goblin Fruit, Spicy Little Curses Such as These and Hatchling – set in different worlds. The common theme in these stories is that they’re all about kisses. Each story has its own set of lovely artwork done by Jim di Bartolo. I’ve been wanting to read this for a while now so I sneaked in some reading time in the bookstore and by the time I finished reading the first two stories, I decided that I’d love to own a copy. I was planning to wait for the paperback to be released because it would be cheaper but was worried that it wouldn’t include the artwork so I went ahead and got the hardcover instead. I’m not regretting the decision because I ended up loving it. Laini Taylor’s writing is lush and lyrical, exactly what I look for in my fantasy reads and her husband’s illustrations are the perfect enhancement to these stories.

To keep this review concise, I’m not going to comment on each story but instead share what I think about the book as a whole. I’m a bit surprised at how much I enjoyed reading these stories because the writing is a bit darker and grittier than my usual favorites. The more disturbing aspects of the stories were balanced out by the positive things like love and hope so I never had a problem with them. Also, I’m usually not a fan of YA urban fantasy but these stories had a fairy tale feel to them than I don’t even know if I can classify them as such. It was easy to fall into the atmospheric writing. I’m amazed at how much the author was able to accomplish in terms of worldbuilding considering that these are short stories with limited word count and not full-length novels. I felt like they were just the right length and didn’t feel that they were rushed. My favorite out of the three is Hatchling and I certainly wouldn’t mind reading more about that world. I hear that she’s planning to come out with a book with the same setting, can’t wait to read that. In the meantime, I’m going to do my best to track down the rest of Laini Taylor’s books because Lips Touch left me hungry for more of her writing. Lips Touch is a lovely book that I highly recommend to all fantasy fans out there. It certainly deserves to get more attention.

Since I included a sample of the illustrations found inside the book, I thought it would be fitting to quote the author as well. This is a non-spoilery tidbit from Goblin Fruit:

Kizzy wanted to be a woman who would dive off the prow of a sailboat into the sea, who would fall back in a tangle of sheets, laughing, and who could dance a tango, lazily stroke a leopard with her bare foot, freeze an enemy’s blood with her eyes, make promises she couldn’t possibly keep, and then shift the world to keep them. She wanted to write memoirs and autograph them at a tiny bookshop in Rome, with a line of admirers snaking down a pink-lit alley. She wanted to make love on a balcony, ruin someone, trade in esoteric knowledge, watch strangers as coolly as a cat. She wanted to be inscrutable, have a drink named after her, a love song written for her, and a handsome adventurer’s small airplane, champagne-christened Kizzy, which would vanish one day in a windstorm in Arabia so that she would have to mount a rescue operation involving camels, and wear an indigo veil against the stinging sand, just like the nomads.

Kizzy wanted.

Other reviews:
Book Harbinger
Fantasy Cafe
Steph Su Reads
Presenting Lenore

Retro Friday: Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes

Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Angie over at Angieville and focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc.

It’s no longer Friday here in Manila but what the heck, it’s still Friday in other parts of the world. I thought it would be fitting to feature Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes for Retro Friday since it’s a contemporary YA book that comes highly recommended by Angie of Angieville, who hosts this weekly meme. Aside from Angie’s review, the title and the premise made me curious and I didn’t hesitate in buying a copy when I discovered that it’s available in local bookstores.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

When Sarah Byrnes was three years old, her condition became synonymous with her surname. Her face and hands were badly burned in a mysterious accident, and her father refused to allow reconstructive surgery. She developed a suit of cold, stainless steel armor to defend herself against the taunts of a world insensitive to her pain. You enter into Sarah Byrnes’s world on her terms, or you don’t enter.

Enter Eric Calhoune – Moby to his friends. Eric passed through his early years on a steady diet of Oreos and Twinkies and root beer floats, and he sports the girth to prove it. Because of their “terminal uglies,” he and Sarah Byrnes have become true masters in the art of underhanded revenge directed at anyone who dares to offend their sensibilities.

When Eric turns out for the high school swimming team, he begins to shed layers of extra poundage. Fearing the loss of the one friendship he treasures, he gorges to “stay fat for Sarah Byrnes,” who discovers his motive and threatens to beat him more senseless than she thinks he already is. Then the truth of Sarah Byrnes’s horrific past finally catches up with her.

Oh boy, was this book full of issues or what. I think all of the usual teenage problems today were featured in Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. It’s the kind of book that you can give to any teenager and say, “Here, read this. Learn from it.” Don’t let that dubious cover fool you, the inside is so much better than the outside. This book has been out for a while and I don’t know why they haven’t come out with a better cover for it. Eric and his friend Sarah Byrnes (she insists on people using her full name) are very smart and intriguing characters.

I thought it was great that Eric’s swim coach, Mrs. Lemry, has a class called Contemporary American Thought and that it encourages students to dig deep inside and discuss the things that really matter in life. Their discussions revolved around religion, the value of life and anything else that seemed relevant to member of the class. Not the usual thing when it comes to contemporary YA books, right? What’s amazing about this class is that it doesn’t matter what the students believe in, there’s no right or wrong opinion, just as long as they share their thoughts. Teenagers can rarely have conversations like those with friends or family, which is a shame since I think that kind of thing is important. It would have been amazing if I had a class like that back in high school, I can say with all honesty that I would’ve loved discussing topics like those. I’m sure that this book would have made an impression on my teenage self if I read it back then.

I love romantic contemporary YA with swoon-worthy characters as much as the next girl. But when it feels like so many of the books that I read follow that formula, it’s refreshing to pick up a book with a different point of view: that of an intelligent teenage boy who has lived his life mostly on the sidelines. There is a bit of romance in the book but it really wasn’t the focus of the story. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is a book that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to male friends and it definitely deserves to get more attention. I haven’t seen reviews of this in the blogosphere so please pick it up if you get the chance, more so if you’re a fan of contemporary YA novels. I was actually surprised when I found a copy locally because I thought it wasn’t readily available because of the lack of reviews.

The Family Fortune by Laurie Horowitz

I can’t remember where I first heard about The Family Fortune by Laurie Horowitz but I do know that I became interested because it’s a retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. I was glad to find a bargain copy in a Book Sale branch and when I went to the beach for a vacation, I decided to bring this with me because it seemed like the perfect light read. Also, look at that cover, doesn’t that make you want to read this book in a beach setting?

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

Jane Fortune’s fortunes have taken a downturn. Thanks to the profligate habits of her father and older sister, the family’s money has evaporated and Jane has to move out of the only home she’s ever known: a stately brick town house on Boston’s prestigious Beacon Hill. Thirty-eight and terminally single, Jane has never pursued idle pleasures like her sibling and father. Instead, she has devoted her time to running the Fortune Family Foundation, a revered philanthropic institution that has helped spark the careers of many a budding writer, including Max Wellman, Jane’s first — and only — love.

Now Jane has lost her luster. Max, meanwhile, has become a bestselling novelist and a renowned literary Lothario. But change is afoot. And in the process of saving her family and reigniting the flames of true love, Jane might just find herself becoming the woman she was always meant to be.

The last time I read Persuasion was in college so the details are a bit fuzzy. So because I can’t remember much of the original, I’m going to review The Family Fortune on its own and won’t be able to compare it to the classic. It was easy to relate to thirty-eight year old Jane Fortune, who is the quiet one in her family. The Fortunes are members of the Boston elite and while her father and sister make the most out of their social circles, Jane is content to curl up at home with a good book. She also manages a literary paper called the Euphemia Review, which is funded by the family’s foundation. Here’s a nice quote from the book that I’m sure all book lovers will appreciate:

“Usually when I enter a bookstore, I feel immediately calm. Bookstores are, for me, what churches are for other people. My breath gets slower and deeper as I peruse the shelves. I believe that books contain messages I am meant to receive. I’m not normally superstitious, but I’ve even had books fall from shelves and land at my feet. Books are my missives from the universe.”

While I did enjoy reading The Family Fortune, there were several things that kept me from loving it. I liked the flashback scenes where Jane shares how she and Max fell in love with each other years ago but I didn’t think there was enough reason for them to break up. Also, I could understand that Jane never really got over Max but it seemed like there wasn’t enough of the present Max to fall in love with in the story. Jane and Max didn’t have enough scenes together for them to reconnect and realize that there’s still something between them. I can’t even remember most of their conversations. The other secondary characters, like Jane’s colleagues in the Euphemia Review felt more fully fleshed out than Max. The romance wasn’t swoon-worthy and that’s an important aspect of the novel. I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second half because it had such a promising start. It’s still a good read if you’re in the mood for something light or if you’re a fan of Austen retellings. Let me know in the comments if there are other Austen retellings that I should check out.

Other reviews:
Steph Su Reads
Book Harbinger
Janicu’s Book Blog
Emily and Her Little Pink Notes

Love Story by Jennifer Echols

I was so excited to read Jennifer Echols’ latest romantic drama, Love Story, because I fell in love with Going Too Far last year. I had high hopes as well for Forget You although that didn’t quite work out as I expected. Thanks to the Simon and Schuster Galley Grab, I was able to read Love Story‘s galley before its release date.

Here’s the summary from Jennifer Echols’ website:

For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfill her ambitions – it’s her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family’s racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin’s college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter… so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment?

Then, on the day she’s sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He’s joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin’s heart with longing. Now she’s not just imagining what might have been. She’s writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter… except this story could come true.

I really liked that the characters in Love Story were older than usual when it comes to YA. The setting is a college in New York. It has a different feel from high school: the characters are more independent even though they are still going through the process of understanding themselves and discovering what they want to do in life. At first, I was engaged by the plot – how Erin and Hunter grew up on the opposite ends of a horse farm in Kentucky: she as the wealthy heiress and he as a stable boy. Seems like an old school romance plot, right? Rich girl falls for poor guy and all that. Several years’ worth of pent-up emotion has built up between these two and they both attack each other through the stories they produce for their creative writing class, which are read and critiqued by the rest of their classmates. It’s an intriguing concept: stories written by the protagonists within one big story (the title makes total sense now). In the end though, the whole thing fell flat for me.

There wasn’t enough actual interaction between the two main characters and I feel like the reader gets to know them only through their creative writing compositions. They tend to write about real life experiences and what they write let us give glimpses into what the characters went through in the past. Which is a good thing if that’s backed up by dialogue in the present. I didn’t feel like Erin and Hunter spent enough time together to actually get to know the other person and fall in love. Also, the book ended just when I was starting to get into the story. When I reached the end, I thought to myself, “That’s really it? Where’s the rest of the story?” Erin and Hunter constantly push each other apart and it came to a point when I didn’t understand them anymore. It was like they were just looking for reasons to fight with each other instead of working on having a relationship. I really wanted to fall in love with this book and I’m kind of sad that I didn’t. I can see other people liking this much more than I did so if you’re a fan of Jennifer Echols or romantic contemporary YA reads then go ahead and read this. I’m still hoping that the author would come out with a book that’s just as lovely as Going Too Far. Love Story will be released on July 19, 2011.

Other reviews:
The Allure of Books
The Reading Date
Readergirl Reviews a Teen Book

You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me by Sarra Manning

I ordered You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me by Sarra Manning from the Book Depository even before I read her debut novel Unsticky because I had a feeling I’d want to read the former as soon as I finished the latter. I was right! Good thing I didn’t have to wait too long for the book to arrive.

Here’s the summary from Sarra Manning’s website:

Sweet, bookish Neve Slater always plays by the rules. And the number one rule is that good-natured fat girls like her don’t get guys like gorgeous, handsome William, heir to Neve’s heart since university. But William’s been in LA for three years, and Neve’s been slimming down and re-inventing herself so that when he returns, he’ll fall head over heels in love with the new, improved her.

So she’s not that interested in other men. Until her sister Celia points out that if Neve wants William to think she’s an experienced love-goddess and not the fumbling, awkward girl he left behind, then she’d better get some, well, experience.

What Neve needs is someone to show her the ropes, someone like Celia’s colleague Max. Wicked, shallow, sexy Max. And since he’s such a man-slut, and so not Neve’s type, she certainly won’t fall for him. Because William is the man for her… right? Somewhere between losing weight and losing her inhibitions, Neve’s lost her heart – but to who?

Neve is a relatable character, with her love for the written word and her determination to trim down her weight. I always enjoy reading about bookworms in fiction and Neve’s literary passion is pretty obvious in the way she narrates and how she uses big words that people around her don’t understand. She also rereads old favorites when she wants to be comforted and I’m sure that’s something many of us do. So many girls will also be able to relate with her struggle to shed off pounds. I sure did! I’m too lazy to exercise properly and I love to eat and I know it doesn’t work but I keep hoping that wishful thinking will enable me to lose weight. I should be inspired by Neve and her constant vigilance when it comes to staying fit. She’s just like Vaughn in Unsticky – in fact, they share the same trainer, Gustav. And Neve’s sister Celia works in the same magazine as Grace. So there are glimpses of the two main characters from Unsticky in this one. Max, the male lead in this novel, also works in the same magazine as an editor. Neve and Max are total opposites and at first glance, they don’t have anything in common. But they find out that they get along well so they agree to try having a practice relationship. Practice for Neve for when her true love, William, comes back and practice for Max because he’s never been in a committed relationship.

I’m becoming fond of lengthy women’s fiction novels because there’s more room for character growth and development. Readers find out more details about the characters and see them slowly get to know each other instead of being instantly attracted. Months occur in these novels and there’s enough time for the characters to pick apart each other and discover what makes the other person tick. Sarra Manning does these things and more in her two adult novels. I love that her characters, like Neve and Max in You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me aren’t perfect and they have to work around those imperfections to build a solid relationship. Just like Neve, Max has his own issues and I found it hilarious that even his dog, Keith, had problems. I didn’t even notice the length of the novel and consumed it as fast as I could. You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me is different from Unsticky because it’s not as dark and edgy but I enjoyed reading this just as much. When it comes to her adult books, Sarra Manning has now made it to my auto-buy list and I can’t wait for her next novel. In the meantime, I’ll check out her YA books to see if they are as good as their adult counterparts.

Other reviews:
Janicu’s Book Blog
About Happy Books
Judging Covers
Fluttering Butterflies