What I Haven't Been Reading: New DNFs

I've had a good run lately, but there are always a few.

Luna: Wolf Moon by Ian McDonald

While I did actually finish this looong book, I have so little so say upon finishing that it doesn't even really deserve a two-minute review post of its own.

The Black Witch by Laurie Feather -- hard pass after all the details have come out and her unrepentant stance since then.

The Empire's Ghost by Isabelle Steiger -- so long, so boring, so unoriginal.

Calling My Name by Liara Tamani -- personally my issues here but I didn't like the writing or the treatment of religion.

Brooding YA Hero by Carrie Ann DiRisio -- there's a reason that this makes for a good twitter account and not a good long-exposure. It's best suited to short burst of amusement; wears thin easily and quickly.

Recent DNFs

Image by Dani!

So it's the very first month in 2017. I had a pretty good month when it came to reading, but there were a few that needed to be cut off before their ending. And keep scrollling to see which books did not make it to or far past the 100-page rule....


You Don't Know My Name by Kristen Orlando

Fighter, Faker, Student, Spy.
 
Seventeen-year-old Reagan Elizabeth Hillis is used to changing identities overnight, lying to every friend she’s ever had, and pushing away anyone who gets too close. Trained in mortal combat and weaponry her entire life, Reagan is expected to follow in her parents’ footsteps and join the ranks of the most powerful top-secret agency in the world, the Black Angels. Falling in love with the boy next door was never part of the plan.

Now Reagan has to decide: Will she use her incredible talents and lead the dangerous life she was born into, or throw it all away to follow her heart and embrace the normal life she's always wanted? And does she even have a choice at all?

Pages Read: 115/320 pages

Because: Holy wow was this cheesy. And predictable. And very young-skewing? I felt like I was reading a MG that was aged up to try and appeal to YA readers? It was a very superficial read; shallow characters, blah plot, predictable narrative. I checked out mentally about 75 pages in and then gave up completely.



Maresi by Maria

Maresi came to the Red Abbey when she was thirteen, in the Hunger Winter. Before then, she had only heard rumours of its existence in secret folk tales. In a world where girls aren't allowed to learn or do as they please, an island inhabited solely by women sounded like a fantasy. But now Maresi is here, and she knows it is real. She is safe.

Then one day Jai tangled fair hair, clothes stiff with dirt, scars on her back arrives on a ship. She has fled to the island to escape terrible danger and unimaginable cruelty. And the men who hurt her will stop at nothing to find her.

Now the women and girls of the Red Abbey must use all their powers and ancient knowledge to combat the forces that wish to destroy them. And Maresi, haunted by her own nightmares, must confront her very deepest, darkest fears.

A story of friendship and survival, magic and wonder, beauty and terror, Maresi will grip you and hold you spellbound.

Pages Read: 200/256

Because: I tried with this one --- it's so short that I raced past the 100-page line in an hour. I thought to give it an extension to do SOMETHING original or just LESS GENERIC and... nope. This is very "insert generic fantasy thing/name/idea"; and it was very been-there-read-that. Even with less than 60 pages to go, I did not care enough to keep reading.


Crossroads of Canopy by Thoraiya Dyer (Titan's Forest #1)

At the highest level of a giant forest, thirteen kingdoms fit seamlessly together to form the great city of Canopy. Thirteen goddesses and gods rule this realm and are continuously reincarnated into human bodies. Canopy’s position in the sun, however, is not without its dark side. The nation’s opulence comes from the labor of slaves, and below its fruitful boughs are two other realms: Understorey and Floor, whose deprived citizens yearn for Canopy’s splendor.

Unar, a determined but destitute young woman, escapes her parents’ plot to sell her into slavery by being selected to serve in the Garden under the goddess Audblayin, ruler of growth and fertility. As a Gardener, she yearns to become Audblayin’s next Bodyguard while also growing sympathetic towards Canopy's slaves.

When Audblayin dies, Unar sees her opportunity for glory – at the risk of descending into the unknown dangers of Understorey to look for a newborn god. In its depths, she discovers new forms of magic, lost family connections, and murmurs of a revolution that could cost Unar her chance…or grant it by destroying the home she loves. 

Pages Read: 95/336 and then 105/336

Because: I had no idea what was going on? I loved the premise for this... but the world is very sink or swim and I don't even seem to have arms? This is a very bad metaphor but I felt sunk when it came to understanding the world at play, the aims of the characters, or even how they all interacted. Just not a book or writing style that suits me as a reader. This is one I tred again but the eARC and I were not friends.

Miranda and Caliban by Jaqueline Carey

A lovely girl grows up in isolation where her father, a powerful magus, has spirited them to in order to keep them safe.

We all know the tale of Prospero's quest for revenge, but what of Miranda? Or Caliban, the so-called savage Prospero chained to his will?

In this incredible retelling of the fantastical tale, Jacqueline Carey shows readers the other side of the coin—the dutiful and tenderhearted Miranda, who loves her father but is terribly lonely. And Caliban, the strange and feral boy Prospero has bewitched to serve him. The two find solace and companionship in each other as Prospero weaves his magic and dreams of revenge.

Always under Prospero’s jealous eye, Miranda and Caliban battle the dark, unknowable forces that bind them to the island even as the pangs of adolescence create a new awareness of each other and their doomed relationship.

Miranda and Caliban is bestselling fantasy author Jacqueline Carey’s gorgeous retelling of The Tempest. With hypnotic prose and a wild imagination, Carey explores the themes of twisted love and unchecked power that lie at the heart of Shakespeare’s masterpiece, while serving up a fresh take on the play's iconic characters.

Pages Read: 80/352

Because: Oh boy so even the original story of Miranda and Caliban from The Tempest... is a problematic one. I was willing to see how Carey would adapt it and change it... but her execution of that is not for me. The writing here is admittedly lovely, but it's a distant loveliness. The story is set in the childhood of the famous characters, but I didn't engage with the story or the characters. Knowing what I know about their history, I didn't feel the need to read further.


The Cruelty by Scott Bergstrom (The Cruelty #1)

When her diplomat father is kidnapped and the U.S. Government is unable to help, 17 year-old Gwendolyn Bloom sets off across the sordid underbelly of Europe to rescue him. Following the only lead she has—the name of a Palestinian informer living in France—she plunges into a brutal world of arms smuggling and human trafficking. As she journeys from the slums of Paris, to the nightclubs of Berlin, to the heart of the most feared crime family in Prague, Gwendolyn discovers that to survive in this new world she must become every bit as cruel as the men she’s hunting.

Pages Read: 95/384

Because: I was never too interested or invested in this story. I would not have even tried it had it not been sent to me as an ARC. Still, I gave it the benefit of the doubt and soon found myself in a story that makes fun of YA cliches (that it also possesses.) It's a book that demeans and looks down at YA while still being a YA novel. And it is a bad one, at that. This does not read like a teen girl. It reads like a middle-aged white man THINKS a teen girl would. Inauthentic. Condescending. Cliched. Self-congratulatory and pretentious. Those 95 pages were a 1-star experience.

Two Minute DNF Reviews

So here we are, another month, another mix of old and new titles that did not work for me as a reader, for one reason or another. I am trying to clear my shelves -- both physical and electronic -- of old ARCs before 2017 is here.

Hysteria by Megan Miranda

  

Mallory killed her boyfriend, Brian. She can't remember the details of that night but everyone knows it was self-defense, so she isn't charged. But Mallory still feels Brian's presence in her life. Is it all in her head? Or is it something more? In desperate need of a fresh start, Mallory is sent to Monroe, a fancy prep school where no one knows her . . . or anything about her past.But the feeling follows her, as do her secrets. Then, one of her new classmates turns up dead. As suspicion falls on Mallory, she must find a way to remember the details of both deadly nights so she can prove her innocence-to herself and others.

In another riveting tale of life and death, Megan Miranda's masterful storytelling brings readers along for a ride to the edge of sanity and back again.

Hysteria is best summed up succinctly: a lot of premise backed up by very little actual substance. Miranda has written several effective, creepy YA thrillers before, which is why it's a shame that this one is so dull and so generic.  Nothing really happens until about 250 pages, and with an unreliable narrator so predictable, there was less reason to care or keep reading.

Read: 260/365 pages


Emilie and the Hollow World by Martha Wells (Emilie #1)

While running away from home for reasons that are eminently defensible, Emilie’s plans to stow away on the steamship Merry Bell and reach her cousin in the big city go awry, landing her on the wrong ship and at the beginning of a fantastic adventure.

Taken under the protection of Lady Marlende, Emilie learns that the crew hopes to use the aether currents and an experimental engine, and with the assistance of Lord Engal, journey to the interior of the planet in search of Marlende’s missing father.

With the ship damaged on arrival, they attempt to traverse the strange lands on their quest. But when evidence points to sabotage and they encounter the treacherous Lord Ivers, along with the strange race of the sea-lands, Emilie has to make some challenging decisions and take daring action if they are ever to reach the surface world again.

This story and its main character both just skewed too young for me. I am a picky reader when it comes to MG books in particular and this did nothing to inspire my engagement or my emotions. It's not a bad book - the premise is intriguing - but it's just not one for me. Especially because this is launching a series I wouldn't want to commit myself to reading.

Read: 105/287 pages


Dreamstrider by Lindsay Smith

A high-concept, fantastical espionage novel set in a world where dreams are the ultimate form of political intelligence.

Livia is a dreamstrider. She can inhabit a subject's body while they are sleeping and, for a short time, move around in their skin. She uses her talent to work as a spy for the Barstadt Empire. But her partner, Brandt, has lately become distant, and when Marez comes to join their team from a neighborhing kingdom, he offers Livia the option of a life she had never dared to imagine. Livia knows of no other dreamstriders who have survived the pull of Nightmare. So only she understands the stakes when a plot against the Empire emerges that threatens to consume both the dreaming world and the waking one with misery and rage.

A richly conceived world full of political intrigue and fantastical dream sequences, at its heart Dreamstrider is about a girl who is struggling to live up to the potential before her.

I have a common issue with nearly all of Smith's books -- I love the premise behind them but the find the execution of each to ....not completely work. Most of the time I can at least read to the finish and like the story (though none have exceeded 3.5/5 stars). Early on, however, this was gathering less positive reactions than her previous books. I just didn't have the energy to force myself to read a book I won't remember or just doesn't work for me.

Read: 85/394 pages


A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody

 When I made the wish, I just wanted a do-over. Another chance to make things right. I never, in a million years, thought it might actually come true... 

 
Sixteen-year-old Ellison Sparks is having a serious case of the Mondays. She gets a ticket for running a red light, she manages to take the world’s worst school picture, she bombs softball try-outs and her class election speech (note to self: never trust a cheerleader when she swears there are no nuts in her bake-sale banana bread), and to top it all off, Tristan, her gorgeous rocker boyfriend suddenly dumps her. For no good reason!

As far as Mondays go, it doesn’t get much worse than this. And Ellie is positive that if she could just do it all over again, she would get it right. So when she wakes up the next morning to find she’s reliving the exact same day, she knows what she has to do: stop her boyfriend from breaking up with her. But it seems no matter how many do-overs she gets or how hard Ellie tries to repair her relationship, Tristan always seems bent set on ending it. Will Ellie ever figure out how to fix this broken day? Or will she be stuck in this nightmare of a Monday forever?

From the author of 52 Reasons to Hate My Father and The Unremembered trilogy comes a hilarious and heartwarming story about second (and third and fourth and fifth) chances. Because sometimes it takes a whole week of Mondays to figure out what you really want.

This is another author whose previous books did not work for me and who I now know to avoid in the future. I was not a fan of Unremembered and a lot of my issues with that book crop up again here. A Week of Mondays is waay too long, way too drawn out, and way too easily predicted.

Read: 150/464 pages


Roseblood by A.G. Howard

In this modern day spin on Leroux’s gothic tale of unrequited love turned to madness, seventeen-year-old Rune Germain has a mysterious affliction linked to her operatic talent, and a horrifying mistake she’s trying to hide. Hoping creative direction will help her, Rune’s mother sends her to a French arts conservatory for her senior year, located in an opera house rumored to have ties to The Phantom of the Opera.

At RoseBlood, Rune secretly befriends the masked Thorn—an elusive violinist who not only guides her musical transformation through dreams that seem more real than reality itself, but somehow knows who she is behind her own masks. As the two discover an otherworldly connection and a soul-deep romance blossoms, Thorn’s dark agenda comes to light and he’s forced to make a deadly choice: lead Rune to her destruction, or face the wrath of the phantom who has haunted the opera house for a century, and is the only father he’s ever known.

"Modern-day spin" apparently means "barebones retelling an full of tired YA cliches and stereotypes." My patience wore thin through the first few chapters. This is just such a tired retread of so many YA books before it; A.G. Howard has creative ideas but her books themselves are either problematic or boring. There's no spark, no individuality and I did not caaaaare.


 Read: 85/432

DNF Reviews October

I have had a really good reading month. So many good books crossed my path in October that I am sad to see it go. I did have a few duds that needed to be DNF'd, though:

Marked by Sarah Fine (Servants of Fate #1)

In a broken landscape carved by environmental collapse, Boston paramedic Cacia Ferry risks life and limb on the front lines of a fragile and dangerous city. What most don’t know—including her sexy new partner, Eli Margolis—is that while Cacy works to save lives, she has another job ferrying the dead to the Afterlife. Once humans are “Marked” by Fate, the powerful Ferrys are called to escort the vulnerable souls to either eternal bliss or unending fire and pain.

Unaware of Cacy’s other life, Eli finds himself as mesmerized by his fierce and beautiful partner as he is mistrustful of the influential Ferry clan led by the Charon—who happens to be Cacy’s father. Cacy, in turn, can no longer deny her intense attraction to the mysterious ex-Ranger with a haunted past. But just as their relationship heats up, an apparent hit takes the Charon before his time. Shaken to the core, Cacy pursues the rogue element who has seized the reins of Fate, only to discover that Eli has a devastating secret of his own. Not knowing whom to trust, what will Cacy have to sacrifice to protect Eli—and to make sure humanity’s future is secure?

I tried multiple times over several days to get into this book with little success for either attempt. Marked was a hard sell for me as a reader, though I have greatly enjoyed the other novels I have read from Sarah Fine. This just didn't grab me; the magical systems seemed too convoluted with too little explanation for me to understand. Read 95/332 pages.


Hellhole by Gina Damico

A devil is a bad influence . . .

There was a time when geeky, squeaky-clean Max Kilgore would never lie or steal or even think about murder. Then he accidentally unearths a devil, and Max’s choices are no longer his own. The big red guy has a penchant for couch surfing and junk food—and you should never underestimate evil on a sugar high.

With the help of Lore, a former goth girl who knows a thing or two about the dark side, Max is racing against the clock to get rid of the houseguest from hell before time, and all the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos this side of the fiery abyss, run out.

Hellhole is another YA supernatural that I wanted and expected to love, but was just uninvolved with. Damico is often clever and funny and the parts I read reflect some of that, but this was not a great example of her strengths as an author. Read 90/349 pages.


Fool's War by Sarah Zettel

Katmer Al Shei has done well with the starship Pasadena, cutting corners where necessary to keep her crew paid and her journeys profitable. But there are two things she will never skimp on: her crew—and her fool. For a long space journey, a certified Fool’s Guild clown is essential, to amuse, excite, and otherwise distract the crew from the drudgeries of interstellar flight. Her newest fool, Evelyn Dobbs, is a talented jester. But does she have enough wit to save mankind?

In the computers of the Pasadena, something is emerging. The highly sophisticated software that makes interstellar travel practical is playing host to a new form of artificial intelligence, one with its own mind, its own needs, and its own desperate fears. Combatting this terrifying new threat becomes the fool’s secret fight. Evelyn Dobbs’s personal war might just cost Katmer Al Shei everything, and everyone, she holds dear. But if they fail, humanity itself is lost for good.

This has so many good ideas in it but the execution is all over the place. There's just too much with too little time and depth spent with each in the first 150 pages. It makes for a promising but frustrating experience. Read 175/455 pages.
 

Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh (Ivory and Bone #1)

A prehistoric fantasy—with allusions to Pride and Prejudice.

Hunting, gathering, and keeping his family safe—that’s the life seventeen-year-old Kol knows. Then bold, enigmatic Mya arrives from the south with her family, and Kol is captivated. He wants her to like and trust him, but any hopes of impressing her are ruined when he makes a careless—and nearly grave—mistake. However, there’s something more to Mya’s cool disdain…a history wrought with loss that comes to light when another clan arrives. With them is Lo, an enemy from Mya’s past who Mya swears has ulterior motives.

As Kol gets to know Lo, tensions between Mya and Lo escalate until violence erupts. Faced with shattering losses, Kol is forced to question every person he’s trusted. One thing is for sure: this was a war that Mya or Lo—Kol doesn’t know which—had been planning all along. 

So, yeah. This book.... is just a big mess. It's detailed and has a great idea -- but the execution of that idea results in a pretty damn boring storyline. The blurb promises a lot but there's not much engaging about the characters or the plot of the book. Read 110/371 pages.


In the Shadow of the Gods by Rachel Dunne (Bound Gods #1)

A breathtaking talent makes her debut with this first book in a dark epic fantasy trilogy, in which a mismatched band of mortals, led by violent, secretive man, must stand against a pair of resentful gods to save their world.

Eons ago, a pair of gods known as the “Twins” grew powerful in the world of Fiatera, until the Divine Mother and Almighty Father exiled them, binding them deep in the earth. But the price of keeping the fire-lands safe is steep. To prevent these young gods from rising again, all twins in the land must be killed at birth, a safeguard that has worked, until now.

Trapped for centuries, the Twins are gathering their latent powers to break free and destroy the Parents for their tyranny—a fight between two generations of gods for control of the world and the mortals who dwell in it.

When the gods make war, only one side can be victorious. Joros, a mysterious and cunning priest, has devised a dangerous plan to win. Over eight years, he gathers a team of disparate fighters—Scal, a lost and damaged swordsman from the North; Vatri, a scarred priestess who claims to see the future in her fires; Anddyr, a drug-addled mage wandering between sanity and madness; and Rora and Aro, a pair of twins who have secretly survived beyond the reach of the law.

These warriors must learn to stand together against the unfathomable power of vengeful gods, to stop them from tearing down the sun . . . and plunging their world into darkness.

Grimdark, with strong religious strife was a theme... I just wasn't that into the storylines being set up here. I do like fantasies that are dark and gritty, but I need them to be original with the premise and how it factors into the overall plot. I set this down about 200 pages in, not intending to DNF but then never really felt like picking it back up.  Read 200/387 pages.


Goddess by Kelly Gardiner

Versailles, 1686: Julie d'Aubigny, a striking young girl taught to fence and fight in the court of the Sun King, is taken as mistress by the King's Master of Horse. 

Tempestuous, swashbuckling and volatile, within two years she has run away with her fencing master, fallen in love with a nun and is hiding from the authorities, sentenced to be burnt at the stake. Within another year, she has become Mademoiselle de Maupin, a beloved star at the famed Paris Opéra. Her lovers include some of Europe's most powerful men and France's most beautiful women. Yet Julie is destined to die alone in a convent at the age of 33. 

Based on an extraordinary true story, this is an original, dazzling and witty novel - a compelling portrait of an unforgettable woman. 

For all those readers who love Sarah Dunant, Sarah Waters and Hilary Mantel.

For me, I found the comparison to Hilary Mantel more accurate than Sarah Dunant. By which I mean this was a very detailed, slow, almost coldly told story. The characters weren't very lively and failed to make me sympathize or empathize. I was bored early (in a book about La Maupin! What???) and that did not change. Read 145/385 pages.

DNF Review: Nameless by Lili St. Crow

Title: Nameless
Author: Lili St. Crow
Genre: Fantasy, Retelling, Paranormal
Series: Tales of Beauty & Madness #1
Pages: 304
Published: April 4th, 2013
Source: Borrowed Library
Rating: DNF 27%

When Camille was six years old, she was discovered alone in the snow by Enrico Vultusino, godfather of the Seven—the powerful Families that rule magic-ridden New Haven. Papa Vultusino adopted the mute, scarred child, naming her after his dead wife and raising her in luxury on Haven Hill alongside his own son, Nico.

Now Cami is turning sixteen. She’s no longer mute, though she keeps her faded scars hidden under her school uniform, and though she opens up only to her two best friends, Ruby and Ellie, and to Nico, who has become more than a brother to her. But even though Cami is a pampered Vultusino heiress, she knows that she is not really Family. Unlike them, she is a mortal with a past that lies buried in trauma. And it’s not until she meets the mysterious Tor, who reveals scars of his own, that Cami begins to uncover the secrets of her birth... to find out where she comes from and why her past is threatening her now.

Coverlust betrays me again. You know how in reviews, we recommend authors "show, don't tell"? St. Crow has forgotten to do either in Nameless.

Ostensibly a Snow White retelling, Nameless takes place in an exceptionally complicated world that I can't begin to parse, much less correlate to the original story. Taking place in a post-apocolyptic future where a few cities remain, surrounded by Wastes, (which are bad for reasons,), Cami embarks on such interesting future activities as, "attending prep-school in traditional prep-school uniform", and "watching her brother hustle in a billiard hall". Occasionally there is "taking daddy's limo to the mall". Thrilling. Except daddy is a vampire, I'm sorry, member of the Family, who is dying his mortal death to arise as an immortal representative of the Seven Families. Still drinks blood though, although it took me entirely too long to realize that "whiskey and calf" meant calf blood. In addition to the sci-fi and vampire mythoses, every person in the city has Potential, an undefined magical power. But people with Potential and a lot of anger can Twist into...something. And then occasionally Twist even further into minotaurs? Then there are Jacks, who I thought were Twisted, but apparently they're an entirely separate entity that doesn't have enough Potential to Twist, though they all appear to have some sort of physical marking like gray skin? I never did figure out what the kin were. It's a lot you guys.

Oh, and Cinderella and Red Riding Hood are here too.

But I can handle weird world building and shoehorned references to the source material. (Cami is confronted by a strange jack who appears to be made of wood just so later in the story she can be told, "Don't be afraid of the woodman" and readers can go, "OH! Like woodsman from the original!") What I can't handle is the romance. Cami is adopted, yes. But she has no recollection of her life before he adoption. That means, for all intents and purposes, she and Nico have been siblings for her entire life. They talk about playing together, snuggling in a chair during storms, Nico creeping into Cami's bed when she has nightmares. To emphasize their sibling nature and then turn it around, "oh since he went to boarding school, Cami thinks he's hot as fuck and doesn't want to be his little sister anymore, so it's ok." Nope. It's not ok. Not at all. The relationship is creepy and imbalanced even before we consider Cami's human nature and Nico's immortal one.

What's more, the story gives no reason why the characters should have romantic feelings. Cami has zero character traits outside of her stutter. She's not brave or kind or independent. She's not passionate or political or charitable or anything that might make an infinitely older vampire interested in her. She has no hobbies or interests. I can't picture any scene that isn't implicitly on page, because the character doesn't actually exist. Nico is the same. He's rebelling against his place in the family, but there's no suggestion of what he'd rather do or what he studies. He's protective of Cami, but shockingly blasé about the lives of other humans. But this appears to be one of those YAs where people fall in deep, ever-lasting love, because they're both attractive and in the same location. (Caveat of course, I only read 82 pages and I suppose previously unexplored depths could be revealed in the later sections. I mean I doubt it, but it could have happened.)

It's a shame, Nameless has a completely different feel than other Snow White retellings and I wish its gothic promise had been revealed. Instead I felt I'd been dropped in the middle of a series and missed several hundred pages of background and nothing ever got out of first gear.

DNF Round Up

It's been a few months since I've posted these up, so this one is a little longer than usual. There is a pretty good variety on the genres here, but as always, YMMV.

Jess, Chunk, and the Roadtrip to Infinity by Kristin Elizabeth Clark

The last time Jess saw her father, she was a boy. Now she's a high school graduate, soon to be on her way to art school. But first she has some unfinished business with her dad. So she's driving halfway across the country to his wedding. He happens to be marrying her mom's ex-best friend. It's not like Jess wasn't invited; she was. She just never told anyone she was coming. Surprise!

Luckily, Jess isn't making this trip alone. Her best friend, Christophe-nicknamed Chunk-is joining her.

Along the way, Jess and Chunk learn a few things about themselves-and each other-which call their feelings about their relationship into question.

This is a short book, but I didn't even make it 100 pages into this 272 total length. I had a few issues with how it chose to portray sensitive issues though obviously well intentioned. There are more nuanced reviews than mine that go into depth about it. Just not a book that was for me.

Not Just Jane by Shelley DeWees

Jane Austen and the Brontës endure as British literature’s leading ladies (and for good reason)—but were these reclusive parsons’ daughters really the only writing women of their day? A feminist history of literary Britain, this witty, fascinating nonfiction debut explores the extraordinary lives and work of seven long-forgotten authoresses, and asks: Why did their considerable fame and influence, and a vibrant culture of female creativity, fade away? And what are we missing because of it?

You’ve likely read at least one Jane Austen novel (or at least seen a film one). Chances are you’ve also read Jane Eyre; if you were an exceptionally moody teenager, you might have even read Wuthering Heights. English majors might add George Eliot or Virginia Woolf to this list…but then the trail ends. Were there truly so few women writing anything of note during late 18th and 19th century Britain?

In Not Just Jane, Shelley DeWees weaves history, biography, and critical analysis into a rip-roaring narrative of the nation’s fabulous, yet mostly forgotten, female literary heritage. As the country, and women’s roles within it, evolved, so did the publishing industry, driving legions of ladies to pick up their pens and hit the parchment. Focusing on the creative contributions and personal stories of seven astonishing women, among them pioneers of detective fiction and the modern fantasy novel, DeWees assembles a riveting, intimate, and ruthlessly unromanticized portrait of female life—and the literary landscape—during this era. In doing so, she comes closer to understanding how a society could forget so many of these women, who all enjoyed success, critical acclaim, and a fair amount of notoriety during their time, and realizes why, now more than ever, it’s vital that we remember.

Rediscover Charlotte Turner Smith, Helen Maria Williams, Mary Robinson, Catherine Crowe, Sara Coleridge, Dinah Mulock Craik, and Mary Elizabeth Braddon.

I tried with this one but I just couldn't get into it in my multiple attempts. It has a brilliant idea and I love it in theory but this nonfiction was just a taaaad too dry for me. 

Red Velvet Crush by Christina Meredith

Rock music, a broken family, challenging sisters, and the crush of first love—Red Velvet Crush has everything you need in a summer read. For fans of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Eleanor & Park, and This Song Will Save Your Life.

Teddy Lee’s mother ran off when she was in second grade. And ever since, Teddy Lee, the often-overshadowed middle kid, has tried to keep her family together. But her older brother Winston usually keeps himself busy with smoking, drinking, and girls, and who knows what else. Her younger sister Billie is occupied with her shoplifting habit and boys . . . and who knows what else. So when Teddy Lee finally takes the songs she’s always written and forms a band, maybe it’ll bring everyone closer together, maybe it’ll be her time to shine. Unless Billie steals the spotlight—and the boy—just like she always does. 

Christina Meredith explores the complicated relationship of sisters—both the unconditional love and the unavoidable resentments—in a novel full of music, urgency, the first blushes of love, and the undeniable excitement of hitting the road.

This just bored me. I did not caaaare and  found there little to be excited about either plotwise or characterwise. The premise itself wasn't strong enough, the book went for poignancy and nuance and found neither. It felt more like a gimmick and even the sister relationship wasn't enough to keep me reading.

This is My Brain on Boys by Sarah Strohmeyer

Addie Emerson doesn’t believe in love. Not for herself, anyway. With one year left of high school, she’s more interested in snagging a full scholarship to Harvard than a full-time boyfriend.

That doesn’t mean she’s oblivious to the ways of the heart. Or, rather, the head. Because after months of research, Addie has discovered how to make anyone fall in love. All you need is the secret formula.

But will her discovery be enough to win the coveted Athenian Award and all its perks? (See above, full scholarship to Harvard.) Or will she be undone by Dexter, her backstabbing lab partner, who is determined to deep-six her experiments at their exclusive private school?

Those are the least of her problems now that she’s survived a death-defying flight with a mysterious, dark-haired boy, who has delicious chocolate-brown eyes and a few secrets of his own.

With an experiment to mastermind, an infatuated exchange student on her hands, and at least one great white shark (more on that later), can Addie’s prefrontal cortex outwit her heart? Or will she have to give in to her amygdala and find out, once and for all, if this thing called love is more than just her brain on drugs? 

This could technically get its own post and a short review because I did finish this novel --- but damn I wish I hadn't. What a disappointment from an author that has produced some genunely fun YA contemporaries. 


Autofocus by Lauren Gibaldi

Family.

It’s always been a loaded word for Maude. And when she is given a senior photography assignment—to create a portfolio that shows the meaning of family—she doesn’t quite know where to begin. But she knows one thing: without the story of her birth mother, who died when Maude was born, her project will be incomplete.

So Maude decides to visit her best friend, Treena, at college in Tallahassee, Florida, where Maude’s birth mother once lived. But when Maude arrives, she quickly discovers that Treena has changed. With a new boyfriend and a packed social calendar, Treena doesn’t seem to have time for Maude—or helping Maude in her search.

Enter Bennett, a cute guy who lives in Treena’s dorm. He understands Maude’s need to find her mother. And as Bennett helps Maude in her search, she starts to find that her mother’s past doesn’t have to define her own future.

Lauren Gibaldi has crafted a beautiful and timely coming-of-age story that poses the question: Is who we are determined at birth, or can we change as we grow? 

Oh wow, so this is a story that just put me straight to sleep?  And then I skimmed after about 115 pages and the ending was not satisfying at all. Now that I think about it, 0/2  is enough for me to move on from this particular author and just know her contemporary isn't for me.

Spark by Holly Schindler

The local Avery Theater was just a run-down building to Quin—until her mother told her the tragic love story of Nick and Emma that played out on the theater’s stage all those years ago. Quin is convinced it’s the perfect story to rewrite for her drama class, but when she goes searching for more information, she makes a startling discovery—the Avery is rapidly regaining its former splendor and setting the stage for her classmates Dylan and Cass to relive Nick and Emma’s romance. Quin can see the spark between them, but it’s up to her to make sure her friends—and the Avery—can both be saved this time around.

A bit of magical realism can go a long way but it wasn't enough to save Spark.  The beginning is rough and has clarity issues and it never really coalesces into a sensible plot with dimensional characters.

The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard (Dominion of the Fallen #1)

A superb murder mystery, on an epic scale, set against the fall out – literally – of a war in Heaven.

Paris has survived the Great Houses War – just. Its streets are lined with haunted ruins, Notre-Dame is a burnt-out shell, and the Seine runs black with ashes and rubble. Yet life continues among the wreckage. The citizens continue to live, love, fight and survive in their war-torn city, and The Great Houses still vie for dominion over the once grand capital.

House Silverspires, previously the leader of those power games, lies in disarray. Its magic is ailing; its founder, Morningstar, has been missing for decades; and now something from the shadows stalks its people inside their very own walls.

Within the House, three very different people must come together: a naive but powerful Fallen, a alchemist with a self-destructive addiction, and a resentful young man wielding spells from the Far East. They may be Silverspires’ salvation. They may be the architects of its last, irreversible fall…

I wanted to love this so much I tried it twice. Both attempts got me to about the30% - 35% but I just... fell off reading. I won't say this is a forever DNF because I am curious to see more of Aliette de Bodard's world, I just need to buy a paper copy. 


5 to 1 by Holly Bodher

In the year 2054, after decades of gender selection, India now has a ratio of five boys for every girl, making women an incredibly valuable commodity. Tired of marrying off their daughters to the highest bidder and determined to finally make marriage fair, the women who form the country of Koyanagar have instituted a series of tests so that every boy has the chance to win a wife.

Sudasa doesn’t want to be a wife, and Contestant Five, a boy forced to compete in the test to become her husband, has other plans as well. Sudasa’s family wants nothing more than for their daughter to do the right thing and pick a husband who will keep her comfortable—and caged. Five’s family wants him to escape by failing the tests. As the tests advance, Sudasa and Five thwart each other at every turn until they slowly realize that they just might want the same thing.

Told from alternating points of view—Sudasa’s in verse and Contestant Five’s in prose—allowing readers to experience both characters’ pain and their brave struggle for hope.

So this is definitely a "me" issue when it comes to 5 to 1. I can see why this is so loved and why it could be good -- but I cannot get into verse novels.  I tried with this and it is even relatively short but I never feel connected to a story being told in verse; it's too remote and often abstract. 

Jessie's May & June DNFs

Once again, it's a mix of old and new reads, ARCs and loans or personal purchases. Some of these I have had for years, and others are new disappointments. This is a bit longer than the usual round up, but it is also two months worth of unfinished reads!

Burn by Julianna Baggott (Pure #3)

The stunning conclusion to the trilogy that began with Pure, recommended by People for those who loved The Hunger Games

With his father now dead, Partridge has assumed leadership of the Dome, one of the last few refuges from the ravaged wastelands of the outside world. At first, Partridge is intent on exposing his father's lies, taking down the rigid order of the Dome, and uniting its citizens with the disfigured Wretches on the outside. But from his new position of power, things are far more complex and potentially dangerous than he could have ever imagined.

On the outside, a band of survivors faces a treacherous journey to Dome. Pressia carries with her the key to salvation. If she can get it to the Dome, the Wretches could one day be healed and everyone might be able to put the horrors of the past behind them. Bradwell, the revolutionary, cannot forgive so easily. Despite Pressia's pleas, he is determined to bring down the Dome and hold its citizens accountable for leaving the rest of the world to burn. El Capitan, the former rebel leader, wants to help Pressia save as many lives as possible--but he's struggling to reconcile his newfound compassion with his vicious past.

As former allies become potential enemies, the fate of the world is more uncertain than ever. Will humanity fall to destruction? Or will a new world rise from the ashes? 

This is the last in a series I liked, but one that I had not read for years. I remember Baggott's worldbuilding and atmosphere, but the characters are lost to me. I can't connect with them at all here in book three and found little and less reason to keep trying. This is not a bad book and the author has talent, but the overdone nature of the story's plot do it no favors, either.

Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie N. Holmberg

Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from.

When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.
During her captivity, Maire is visited by Fyel, a ghostly being who is reluctant to reveal his connection to her.

The more often they meet, the more her memories return, and she begins to piece together who and what she really is—as well as past mistakes that yield cosmic consequences.

From the author of The Paper Magician series comes a haunting and otherworldly tale of folly and consequence, forgiveness and redemption.

This is the third book from this author that I have read in the last two years, and I think it may well be the last. I want to like the author's novels because there's a lot of creativity to be found in them and a lot of originality. But the writing style just does not work for me, nor does the story's reliance on tropes and generalities. I like specifics and details when it comes to fantasy, and Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet lacked a solid foundation.

Menagerie by Rachel Vincent

When Delilah Marlow visits a famous traveling carnival, Metzger's Menagerie, she is an ordinary woman in a not-quite-ordinary world. But under the macabre circus black-top, she discovers a fierce, sharp-clawed creature lurking just beneath her human veneer. Captured and put on exhibition, Delilah in her black swan burlesque costume is stripped of her worldly possessions, including her own name, as she's forced to "perform" in town after town.

But there is breathtaking beauty behind the seamy and grotesque reality of the carnival. Gallagher, her handler, is as kind as he is cryptic and strong. The other "attractions"—mermaids, minotaurs, gryphons and kelpies—are strange, yes, but they share a bond forged by the brutal realities of captivity. And as Delilah struggles for her freedom, and for her fellow menagerie, she'll discover a strength and a purpose she never knew existed.

Renowned author Rachel Vincent weaves an intoxicating blend of carnival magic and startling humanity in this intricately woven and powerful tale.

I've wanted to read a Rachel Vincent novel for years, which is why I am so sad my first attempt to do so ended in a DNF. There were several things I liked -- the darkness of the story, the introspective angles -- but I twice put this down for weeks at a time. It moves too slowly, and too little happens over the first 150 pages. I can be a patient reader when I have something -- character, plot, writing -- to hold onto, but Menagerie just didn't keep my attention.

The Leaving by Tara Altebrando 

Six were taken. Eleven years later, five come back--with no idea of where they've been.

Eleven years ago, six kindergarteners went missing without a trace. After all that time, the people left behind moved on, or tried to.

Until today. Today five of those kids return. They're sixteen, and they are . . . fine. Scarlett comes home and finds a mom she barely recognizes, and doesn't really recognize the person she's supposed to be, either. But she thinks she remembers Lucas. Lucas remembers Scarlett, too, except they're entirely unable to recall where they've been or what happened to them. Neither of them remember the sixth victim, Max. He doesn't come back. Everyone wants answers. Most of all Max's sister Avery, who needs to find her brother--dead or alive--and isn't buying this whole memory-loss story.

This is purely down to preference and not any error on part of the novel. Altebrando can write and has interesting, mysterious characters. There's a creepy feel and unsettling vibe to the story which is probably what will draw a lot of readers to The Leaving. However, I am not one of them. I set this down about 200 pages in and just did not invest enough to continue from there. 
 

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

We are in the center of Paris, in an elegant apartment building inhabited by bourgeois families. Renée, the concierge, is witness to the lavish but vacuous lives of her numerous employers. Outwardly she conforms to every stereotype of the concierge: fat, cantankerous, addicted to television. Yet, unbeknownst to her employers, Renée is a cultured autodidact who adores art, philosophy, music, and Japanese culture. With humor and intelligence she scrutinizes the lives of the building's tenants, who for their part are barely aware of her existence.

Then there's Paloma, a twelve-year-old genius. She is the daughter of a tedious parliamentarian, a talented and startlingly lucid child who has decided to end her life on the sixteenth of June, her thirteenth birthday. Until then she will continue behaving as everyone expects her to behave: a mediocre pre-teen high on adolescent subculture, a good but not an outstanding student, an obedient if obstinate daughter.

Paloma and Renée hide both their true talents and their finest qualities from a world they suspect cannot or will not appreciate them. They discover their kindred souls when a wealthy Japanese man named Ozu arrives in the building. Only he is able to gain Paloma's trust and to see through Renée's timeworn disguise to the secret that haunts her. This is a moving, funny, triumphant novel that exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us.

I have heard a lot of good things about this book for the last ten years. I wanted to love it, to enjoy that experience so many had... but I was bored. And annoyed. The first several chapters did not leave a good impression -- voice, style, plot -- and I admittedly gave in the towel early on this. I read perhaps 60 pages before DNFing.

The Dragon Round by Stephen S. Power

A swashbuckling adventure with a dark side for fans of George R.R. Martin and Naomi Novik—when a ship captain is stranded on a deserted island by his mutinous crew, he finds a baby dragon that just might be the key to his salvation…and his revenge.

He only wanted justice. Instead he got revenge.

Jeryon has been the captain of the Comber for over a decade. He knows the rules. He likes the rules. But not everyone on his ship agrees. After a monstrous dragon attacks the galley, the surviving crewmembers decide to take the ship for themselves and give Jeryon and his self-righteous apothecary “the captain’s chance”: a small boat with no rudder, no sails, and nothing but the clothes on his back to survive on the open sea.

Fighting for their lives against the elements, Jeryon and his companion land on an island that isn’t as deserted as they originally thought. They find a baby dragon that, if trained, could be their way home. But as Jeryon and the dragon grow closer, the captain begins to realize that even if he makes it off the island, his old life won't be waiting for him and in order get justice, he’ll have to take it for himself.

From a Pushcart Prize–nominated poet and speculative short story writer, The Dragon Round combines a rich world, desperate characters, and gorgeous, literary fiction into a timeless tale of revenge.

I WANTED TO LOVE THIS. I gave this book far far longer than I usually do for books I struggle with (the 100-page rule) and I still just had to give up. This is not even a long novel, but the plot took so long to engage it ground the pacing down to "snails are whizzing by." I love the premise -- dragons and revenge and ships -- but it just didn't involve me. Jeryon is a decent MC, but he's rather generic for fantasy.

Sister Light, Sister Dark by Jane Yolen (Great Alta #1)

The first book of a thought-provoking fantasy trilogy about a warrior woman who, together with her dark twin, is destined to remake the world

Legend foretold the child named Jenna, who was three-times orphaned before she could crawl, a fate that would leave her in the hands of women who worshipped the benevolent goddess Great Alta. In this world without men, Jenna comes of age, learning quickly the skills of close combat. But her most powerful gift lies elsewhere: a mirror sister who emerges only in the darkness—a twin named Skada—and shares the soul of the young, white-haired warrior who might well be the goddess reborn. But if Jenna is, in truth, the one whose coming is awaited, there is cause for great alarm among those who rule the Dales, for the prophecy speaks of upheaval and change, and a devastating end of all things.

An incomparable world-builder and one of America’s premier fantasists, the remarkable Jane Yolen begins a three-part saga as inventive, intelligent, and exciting as anything that has ever been produced in the literature of the fantastic. Brilliantly contrasting the “true” story of Jenna with the later myths, poetry, and so-called scholarship that her coming engendered, Yolen creates a culture as richly imagined as those found in the acclaimed novels of Ursula K. Le Guin. A truly magnificent work, Sister Light, Sister Dark takes fantasy fiction to wondrous places it has never gone before.

This was first written in 1988... and it's pretty obvious. This series is being repackaged and published for a newer audience, but to anyone halfway familiar with the genre.. it feels dated from the start.  The story has some potential for ingenuity, but the abundance of cliches, the nondescript writing, the stiff dialogue -- it made for a tough sell. 

The Iron Ship by K.M. McKinley (The Gates of the World #1)

An incredible epic fantasy begins!

The order of the world is in turmoil. An age of industry is beginning, an age of machines fuelled by magic. Sprawling cities rise, strange devices stalk the land. New money brings new power. The balance between the Hundred Kingdoms is upset. For the first time in generations the threat of war looms.

In these turbulent days, fortunes can be won. Magic runs strong in the Kressind family. Six siblings strive – one to triumph in a world of men, one to survive murderous intrigue, one to master forbidden sorcery, one to wash away his sins, one to contain the terrible energies of his soul.

And one will do the impossible, by marrying the might of magic and iron in the heart of a great ship, to cross an ocean that cannot be crossed.

This book starts out really! well and sounds so promising with its fantasy and magic and steampunk.... and then... it just grinds into an absolutely halt. There's no real momentum for so long; nothing major happens and the plot kinda limps along. And this is a very looong book -- over 550 pages! Despite how much I liked the Kressid siblings (Katriona was almost enough to keep me reading... almost..) this just is not the kind of fantasy I want to read; too little actually happening on the page.