Review Take Two: Grim edited by Christine Johnson

Title: Grim
Author: Christine Johnson, Ellen Hopkins, Amanda Hocking, Julie Kagawa, Claudia Gray, Rachel Hawkins, Jeri Smith-Ready, Saundra Mitchell, Kimberly Derting, Myra McEntire, Malinda Lo, Sarah Rees Brennan, Jackson Pearce, Sonia Gensler, Tessa Gratton, Jon Skrovon, Shaun David Hutchinson
Series: N/A
Pages: 476
Published: February 2014
Source: publishers via NetGalley

Inspired by classic fairy tales, but with a dark and sinister twist, Grim contains short stories from some of the best voices in young adult literature today.

The Key (Bluebeard) by Rachel Hawkins - 3/5

I really liked this despite some qualms; it was clever and a nice modern twist on Bluebeard. I do wish it had been a bit longer because you don't really have a feel for the characters. (If you want a longer retelling, look at Sarah Cross's Killing Me Softly.)

Figment (Puss in Boots) by Jeri Smith-Ready -3.75/5

I'd never before read a Puss in Boots retelling, but this was good. Loved the fresh applications of the story and how Smith-Ready still carried the same vibe. Possibly one of the most well-written contributions to the entire anthology.

The Twelfth Girl (12 Dancing Princesses) by Malinda Lo - 3.5/5

This was good, bordering on great. Certain aspects worked well (location, diversity) but it was kinda.. flat at times? Very recognizable as a 12 Dancing Princesses but with an added air of creepitude I really enjoyed. Again, a story that would have benefited from a longer length.

The Raven Princess by Jon Skrovon - 2.75/5

A little bit grim at first, but also can feel a bit... treacly? A little... saccharine? The ending was neat, but a bit too pat and easy for an anthology named Grim.

Thinner Than Water (Cat-Skin) by Saundra Mitchell - 5/5

I freaking loved this. It brought all the grit and grimness I had been waiting for. I was unsettled by it (as I am by the Cat/Donkey Skin fairy tale in general) but thought it was GREAT how Mitchell ended it. Melura is a badass character and one I'd like to see in a full-length novel. Just maybe focused on a different fairy tale. It definitely made me curious to seek out Mitchell's novels.

Before the Rose Bloomed (The Snow Queen) by Ellen Hopkins - n/a

Skipped because verse does not work for me outside of poetry.

Beast/Beast (Beauty and the Beast) by Tessa Gratton -3/5

A decent retelling, but again, one sorely lacking the grimness promised. I appreciated Gratton's version of the characters, but didn't overly care about or invest in them.

The Brothers Piggett (The Three Little Pigs) by Julie Kagawa - 4/5

Fun, clever, almost as dark and twisty as I wanted it to be. Kagawa does a The Three Little Pigs a new kind of justice and it is so fun and awesome and GRIM.

Also now I want pie.

Untethered (The Shroud) by Sonia Gensler -2.5/5

This is one I didn't know the original story so it's hard for me to compare and judge in that regard. However, has some good prose and I liked it? I don't have much else to say.

Better (The Pied Piper) by Shaun David Hutchinson - 3/5

uhh.. sure, this is a Pied Piper retelling. If I squint and don't focus too hard. It definitely seems moreso towards the end, but most of this story does not gel with the whole "fairy tale" theme. It was grim yes, but also felt so misplaced here. Also would have been stronger without a romance.

Light It Up (Hansel & Gretel) by Kimberly Derting - 3/5

Decent, but I never really manage connect to Derting's writing or her storytelling methods just don't work for me. Add a shorter length and I was never really gonna go for for this one.

Sharper Than a Serpent's Tongue (Diamonds and Toads) by Christine Johnson - 2/5

I hard a hard time with this? It just didn't connect with me and failed to do anything really new or interesting with the established fairy tale besides using it in a modern setting. (Also Jewels in Killing Me Softly and Tear You Apart is a far more exciting example of a modern version for a Diamonds and Toads retelling.)

A Real Boy (Pinocchio) by Claudia Gray -3.5/5

Surprisingly, I really liked this because of the romance. Buuuut I am running out things to say about it. Well-written, engaging and a pretty good length.

Skin Trade (The Robber Bridegroom) by Moira McEntire - 1/5

No.

Beauty and the Chad (Beauty and the Beast) by Sarah Rees Brennan - 3.5/5

This worked better than it should have? Some parts didn't gel as well as they could, but it was pretty amusing (after all, it is Sarah Rees Brennan). Though, again, not very grim.

The Pink (The Carnation) by Amanda Hocking - 2/5

I've been complaining about length the whole time but The Pink had the opposite issue of most here -- it felt too long. It doesn't help that I've never truly enjoyed a Hocking novel; her style just does not work for me.

Sell Out (Snow White) by Jackson Pearce - 3/5

Decent, but not engrossing the way the better stories have been. It fits in the anthology and Pearce is a good storyteller, but, once again, majorly hampered by the lack of length.

Final thoughts: Grim is a mixed bag and while the theme is only carried by some of the stories, it can be a fun read. It also made me curious to seek out longer stories from Saundra Mitchell because she basically won the anthology. This also just reaffirmed my love for Sarah Rees Brennan. Julie Kagawa also reminded me why sometimes her books and characters can be so much unexpected fun.

A few authors were new to me -- Jon Skrovon, Shaun Hutchinson, and Jeri Smith-Ready. I am definitely interested in reading more from JSR, as well.


Also this is a long anthology made up very short stories. I would definitely sacrifice the large number stories (17!) for more time with the good ones/ones that are on theme. 

5-stars: 1
4-stars: 1
3.75-stars: 1
3.5-stars: 3
3-stars: 5
2.75-stars: 1
2.5-stars: 1
2-stars: 2
1-star: 1
No rating: 1

 

Review: The Ghosts of Heaven by Marcus Sedgwick

Title: The Ghosts of Heaven
Author: Marcus Sedgwick
Genre: defying
Series: none
Pages: 336
Published: January 6, 2015
Source: Publisher via Netgalley
Rating: 4 out of 5

Timeless, beautiful, and haunting, spirals connect the four episodes of The Ghosts of Heaven, the mesmerizing new novel from Printz Award winner Marcus Sedgwick. They are there in prehistory, when a girl picks up a charred stick and makes the first written signs; there tens of centuries later, hiding in the treacherous waters of Golden Beck that take Anna, who people call a witch; there in the halls of a Long Island hospital at the beginning of the 20th century, where a mad poet watches the oceans and knows the horrors it hides; and there in the far future, as an astronaut faces his destiny on the first spaceship sent from earth to colonize another world. Each of the characters in these mysterious linked stories embarks on a journey of discovery and survival; carried forward through the spiral of time, none will return to the same place.

The Ghosts of Heaven is a challenging experience. It’s extremely difficult to explain, much less review coherently. I highly recommend, not just reading it, but purchasing it, because this book is not the kind of thing you can fully appreciate in one go. However, it’s also certainly not for everyone.

Sedgwick has crafted a novel around the concept of spirals and infinity. The book consists of four short stories that can be read in any of 24 combinations, though I think most will read them in the order they’re initially presented in. Each story is a separate genre, part of what makes the book so hard to pin down as a whole. The stories are tied together through a supernatural element and a recurring fascination with natural spirals. Snail shells, fern fronds, twists of rope. The spirals are the key, though in some of the stories, I’m not sure I understand the question. It’s a cerebral book.

Of the four stories, two have female protagonists with a strong feminist bent, while the other two have male protagonists. I found that I prefered the first two stories, with the feminist slant, as I thought they showed an interesting continuity in the struggles women face. I wish that thread had continued to the other two stories, as I felt both the asylum and the spaceship lacked an emotional connection.

The prose is beautiful, particularly in the first story, set in a prehistoric village. To illustrate the pre-literary nature of the narrator, the story is told in an almost poem like way. There’s no character development; the narrator isn’t even named, and yet I felt closer to her than any of the other characters.

The second and third stories are historical fiction, though the first is a relatively straightforward historical, focusing on a witch trial, while the second is a gothic thriller set in an asylum. They’re also the most connected of the stories, as the narrator of the asylum directly mentions the witch trials and the fates of the other characters in the witch’s village. The spiral theme works less well in these two, and I was left with a lot of unanswered questions.

Finally, the last story is an amazing descent into madness in outer space. This narrator is one of the guardians of a ship of people in cryogenic sleep. He awakens every decade to monitor the sleepers, run system maintenance, and then he too returns to his hibernation. Unfortunately, this is also the most challenging story. The science is murky and the twist is just strange.

Like the spiral, though, the end pulled the book around again, and I was left loving the story, the book, and the author’s balls.The Ghosts of Heaven is a hard sell. From the dense, scientific prologue all the way to an end that requires you to know the Fibonacci sequence, this book is not light reading. Of the four stories, I only love one. It’s uncomfortable and there are a lot of unanswered questions. But it’s undeniably unique. I’ve had more fun reading books, but I’ve rarely been so challenged.

Cover Reveal: Black Iris by Leah Raeder

I really loved the cover for Raeder's Unteachable so it is a genuine pleasure to help reveal the cover for her newest novel!

So... without further ado, feastyour eyes on the pretty:

It only took one moment of weakness for Laney Keating’s world to fall apart. One stupid gesture for a hopeless crush. Then the rumors began. Slut, they called her. Queer. Psycho. Mentally ill, messed up, so messed up even her own mother decided she wasn't worth sticking around for.


If Laney could erase that whole year, she would. College is her chance to start with a clean slate.


She's not looking for new friends, but they find her: charming, handsome Armin, the only guy patient enough to work through her thorny defenses—and fiery, filterless Blythe, the bad girl and partner in crime who has thorns of her own.


But Laney knows nothing good ever lasts. When a ghost from her past resurfaces—the bully who broke her down completely—she decides it's time to live up to her own legend. And Armin and Blythe are going to help.

Which was the plan all along.

Because the rumors are true. Every single one. And Laney is going to show them just how true.
 

She's going to show them all.

 

 

FIRST CHAPTER EXCERPT:

April is the cruelest month, T.S. Eliot said, and that’s because it kills. It’s the month with the highest suicide rate. You’d think December, or even January—the holidays and all that forced cheer and agonized smiling pushing fragile people to the edge—but actually it’s spring, when the world wakes from frostbound sleep and something cruel and final stirs inside those of us who are broken. Like Eliot said: mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain. In the deepest throes of depression, when sunlight is anguish and the sky throbs like one big raw migraine and you just want to sleep until you or everything else dies, you’re less likely to commit suicide than someone coming out of a depressive episode. Drug companies know this. That’s why antidepressants have to be marked with the warning MAY CAUSE SUICIDAL THOUGHTS.

Because what brings you back to life also gives you the means to destroy yourself.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Leah Raeder is a writer and unabashed nerd. Aside from reading her brains out, she enjoys graphic design, video games, fine whiskey, and the art of self-deprecation. She lives with her very own manic pixie dream boy in Chicago. Visit her at LeahRaeder.com.

 

BOOK DETAILS:

Atria Books | 384 pages | ISBN: 9781476786421 | On sale: April 28, 2015 | List price: $15.00 | eBook ISBN: 9781476786438 | eBook list price: $5.99

 

More information here

 

 

Find Leah online:

http://www.leahraeder.com/

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Review: Hellhole by Gina Damico

Title: Hellhole
Author: Gina Damico
Genre: paranormal, fantasy
Series: none
Pages: 352
Published: January 7, 2015
Source: Publisher via Netgalley
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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.

Update: We are so happy to be able to provide a special treat for our readers, the first 30 minutes of the audiobook version, thanks to Esther at Audible. We hope hearing Macleod Andrews doing the voice of a contraband, bobblehead cat will convince you that you need Gina Damico in your life.




Hellhole is not Croak.

I know, I’m disappointed too. Gina Damico’s last series was a comedic supernatural masterpiece, so it’s only natural for people to compare her newest book to it. And while there are similarities in writing, Max isn’t Lex. E-town isn’t Croak. And Burg isn’t like anyone you’ve ever read.

"Oh. I'm Satan. ... Well I'm a Satan. There are six hundred and sixty-six of us, not that anyone's counting. ... The name is Burgundy Cluttermuck, devil-at-large. I do bachelorette parties and retirement galas, but NO MORE children's birthdays."

Burg, Associate Imp of Salty Snacks and sort of like a cruder Betelgeuse, is able to cross over from hell when Max Kilgore, a teen boy who is the antithesis of his name, steals a bobblehead cat for his bed-ridden, dying mother, whose only joys in life come from cheap tchotchkes and reality tv. Do you need happy books? You might want to turn back now, because Hellhole, like Damico’s other books, is a very dark story.

It's also a pretty funny one. Max is a total social moron, frequently engaging strange women in discourse about veal, when he can muster a verbal response to the opposite sex at all. He lives for crossword puzzles, archeology, and Madden and has a giant metal whale that lives in his backyard. Even as a dork myself, I found I had a deep-seated desire to give the kid a wedgie.

Max is offset by Lore, a devil worshiper in bedazzled sweaters, who can’t hide her disdain for the entirety of the human race. Lore’s actually an ex-devil worshiper, having had her own run-in with one of Burg’s compatriots last year. Still, in a small town, she’s the best advice Max is going to find, and she allows herself to be roped into trying to banish the imp.

There are a lot of funny moments, but I’m not in love with the story’s end. I found it rushed and I hadn’t emotionally connected enough with Max to agree that the costs were justified. The story seemed to be heading for redemption for Burg, before swinging back to, “oh wait, demon. Definitely evil.” It’s difficult because all of my favorite scenes, (drunk Project Runway, dinner with mom,) are of Burg being a lovable scamp, so for him to massacre a lot of people? It wasn’t satisfying.

The romance did work for me. Max and Lore play off each other extremely well. I adored the epilogue, especially the final line, which brought me back around on the book as a whole. In the end, Hellhole is dark, funny, and unique. It’s not destined to be an all time favorite, but you want to read it anyway.

Backlist Review: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Title: Under the Never Sky
Author: Veronica Rossi
Genre: post apocalyptic, dystopia
Series: Under the Never Sky #1
Pages: 374
Published: 2012
Source: won
Rating: 3/5

Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered.

This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland--known as The Death Shop--are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild--a savage--and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile--everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

There are a few issues here but primarily, the beginning is too weak, too easy, and too full of holes for me to rate this better. I did enjoy it more as I read and the characters had a chance to develop and grow on me more. I did find things to enjoy while reading this, to my surprise, and am very curious to see where Rossi goes with her story in the next novels. It's not the most plausible or the best-explained world, but it is intriguing and different.

The Aether is both a great addition and a weakness to Under the Never Sky - it's not expanded upon enough for me to fully endorse, but the world is intriguing and somewhat unique. I like the ideas and concepts, I just think her execution needs a bit of work to truly excel. If I finish your book feeling more confused about the basic principles than when I started? Then the worldbuilding needs clarification and more explantion.

 That said, Roar is awesome and I want a full-length novel devoted solely to him.  Aria's platonic relationship with him is utterly fantastic and gives the two a good chance to banter without losing the plot or creating a love triangle. There are kernels of hope that the next book could be an improvement; this is a series, starter, afterall. In conclusion: excellent premise, average execution with hope for better.

Christmas Bookhaul Part the First

I didn't receive many books for Christmas from my family (LE GASP), but I did receive a lot of B&N and Visa gift cards (which were, of course, used for books). And then there was the Boxing Day BookOutlet sale which I will have to get to in another post because: carpal tunnel and uh.. the books aren't here yet. >____>

First up, things/books I was sent by lovely people:

From Ellis at Paper Riot(!)

Black Heart by Holly Black - Curseworkers #3. 

I have wanted this forever because CASSEL and that COVER and series ending and omg bring me the emotiooooons. Merci, Miss E. Je t'adore.


















Not a book but a lovely present and from one of the best people -- Lyn at Great Imaginations

It's no secret, especially if you follow me on twitter, how much I love HTTYD and HTTYD2. It might even be considered unhealthy. I get intense feelings about dragons and dragonlords, mmmk. But Lyn got me this gorgeous print to frame for my library and it is so happy-making I can't even. 

From Dani my lovely coblogger, I got an entire box of AWESOME. Not only Poisoned Apples (by Christine Heppermann -- which I have lusted after forever but couldn't commit to buying) and The Lover's Dictionary.. but HOMEMADE, DELICIOUS COOKIES (in an adorable mailbox container), cocoa, and a Ravenclaw scarf and PUPCAKES (aka she made treats for my dogs) and SHAKESPEAREAN INSULT MUG. Is this not a thing of beauty?

I've used it both for beverages and demoralizing my enemies.

From Lili:

An ARC for Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay, a very nice and lovely notebook (with a great quote from Jane Austen I'd never heard before) and..... CHOCOLATE. <3 <3

From Bekka at Great Imaginations:

The coolest reading journal! Another thing I have wanted for forever but wouldn't buy myself because I'm weird. It's so much fun to go through and explore this and also catalog your own reads and ratings.... yeah yeah nerdery. Basically, it is the coolest.

From my roommate:

Croak, Scorch, and Rogue by Gina Damico (Croak #1-3) and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz.

I'd already read Croak as an ARC a few years back so I thought I knew what I was in for with Damico's series. I WAS WRONG. So wrong. So painfully wrong and my headcanon CANNOT with the end of Rogue. 


Thank you, thank you ladies and gent. I <3 you all.


And now the books I bought with all my gift card monies:

Maid of Secrets by Jennifer McGowan - Maids of Honor #1.

I love a good historical fiction -- YA or adult -- and this has gotten some pretty rave reviews.

The Martian by Andy Weir.

I picked this up on Lyn's rec and I AM SO GLAD. This is such good scifi. It's also a great mix of Castaway and MacGyver with a likeable, funny, cheeky main character. Bit technical but HEARTILY RECOMMEND.

Dawn's Early Light by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris - Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences #3.

This is such a madcap, fun steampunk/mystery series. I've thoroughly enjoyed every jaunt with Books and Braun and can't wait to do it again.

The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson.

This is a short story I already owned on Kindle but it's Sanderson AND Cosmere so yeah, needed a physical copy.

Jewels of the Sun and Tears of the Moon by Nora Roberts - Gallaghers of Ardmore #1 and #2. I loved this series as a preteen and am rereading them for Bookish Bingo. So exciiiiiiited.

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows - Newsoul #1. I had kinda written this series off but then Renae of Respiring Reads read it and loooooved it. Renae is pretty discerning so a high rating from her speaks volumes.

Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes - Falling Kingdoms #3. I wasn't a huge fan of the fantasy-lite that was the series opener, but it was cheap and I am interested in seeing how it all plays out.

Firebird by Mercedes Lackey - Fairy Tales #1.

I'd read and loved this books sequel -- The Back Swan - years ago. I finally tracked this down and liked it (if not at the level of The Black Swan.) But yay for completing a series!












and laaast, the book I ordered-myself-while-on-so-much-cough-medicine-I-didn't-remember-doing-so- until-it-shipped:

Treasury of Fairy Tales. My sister and I had a copy as children that we mercilessly fought over until it lost both covers, the first few pages.... but I really loved this illustrated anthology. I'm pretty much okay with my cough-syrup-happy self for ordering it.

I still have cough20cough books coming from BookOutlet, but that's it for me this time. What did you pick up over Christmas?

Review: The Secrets We Keep by Trisha Leaver

Title: The Secrets We Keep
Author: Trisha Leaver
Genre: young adult contemporary, thriller
Series: N/A
Pages: 304
Source: publishers via edelweiss
Rating: 2/5

A girl takes over her twin sister's identity in this emotionally charged page-turner about the complicated bond between sisters.

Ella and Maddy Lawton are identical twins. Ella has spent her high school years living in popular Maddy's shadows, but she has never been envious of Maddy. In fact, she's chosen the quiet, safe confines of her sketchbook over the constant battle for attention that has defined Maddy's world.

When—after a heated argument—Maddy and Ella get into a tragic accident that leaves her sister dead, Ella wakes up in the hospital surrounded by loved ones who believe she is Maddy. Feeling responsible for Maddy's death and everyone's grief, Ella makes a split-second decision to pretend to be Maddy. Soon, Ella realizes that Maddy's life was full of secrets. Caught in a web of lies, Ella is faced with two options—confess her deception or live her sister's life. 

I definitely didn't want my first review of 2015 to be a negative one, but I also wanted a story full of rich characters, horrifying teenage secrets, and a mystery. What I got was about half that -- sometimes interesting characters, a half-baked romance, and a very lame and overblown "secret" for the "mystery." If you're like me, you were attracted to The Secrets We Keep for sordid reasons -- finding out what Maddy did that was so horrible it drove her apart from her sister and made a misery of her own life right before it ended.

Main character and survivor Ella doesn't have much of a personality besides the two facts just listed. So much of what we know about her is relayed just as a contrast to how her sister would have acted or thought instead. There is so much Maddy in this narrative that it overwhelms any other voice; Ella is practically a mouthpiece for her dead sister even to the readers. It doesn't help Ella's case that she is so self-effacing and resistant to being included that it's hard to see her side of the story.. or t oeven see her. She feels like her family prefers Maddy but that's because she willingly removes herself from the equation... and them complains about the result. It's frustrating to read. She feels invisible because she makes herself invisible -- even before taking Maddy's place.

Aside from Ella/Maddy, almost everything here felt so rote, so expected, and so so boring. The romances were half-baked, predictable, and (somehow) with two love interests that were even less interesting when coupled up with their respective twin than as individuals. Also -- what was the point of Kim's inclusion in this story? To be disliked purely because she dared date or even like Josh when Ella hadn't even said she was interested in him that way? Girl hate for no reason other than "she might like/does like/is dating the [love interest] I want" is a poor trope and The Secrets We Keep is weaker for including it.

And then.... the horrible secret that Maddy was keeping and Ella found out? Talk about overblown. What happened was not okay and should have been dealt with but I could not help thinking that everyone had it blown way way out of proportion. The characters, the synopsis.. this is not what a thriller/mystery should be built around. I was hoping or an explosion with all that lead up and I got the spark from a lighter. It was a weak ending to a disappointing middle and a promising beginning.