Stayed up WAY too late reading this one. It reminded me not so much of Cinderella as it did Pump Up the Volume. The charming story of a young teen whoStayed up WAY too late reading this one. It reminded me not so much of Cinderella as it did Pump Up the Volume. The charming story of a young teen who goes to a party dressed as a girl and the boy who falls in love with him. It's touching and sweet, high angst, kick butt, and utterly charming. Deals gently with themes of honesty and identity in terms of both gender fluidity and bisexuality as well as standing up to bullies and fighting for queer rights. ...more
Having Her Back by Ann Gallagher is a sweet first love YA about a boy whose best friend cuts him off unexpectedly for years, and when they meet again Having Her Back by Ann Gallagher is a sweet first love YA about a boy whose best friend cuts him off unexpectedly for years, and when they meet again that friend is now a girl. They fall in love. It's adorable and complex and gentle but also quintessentially YA in that it is the adults who often make mistakes, and the kids must learn to see their parents as fallible. No major triggers and yet it deals deftly with some very complex issues....more
I took Ash by Malinda Lo with me on a trip to Germany in October. Turned out to be a good choice. The atmosphere, setting, and style of this book all I took Ash by Malinda Lo with me on a trip to Germany in October. Turned out to be a good choice. The atmosphere, setting, and style of this book all felt very German to me.
It's a retelling of the Cinderella story except that Ash's love interests are a male fairy of the dark and tortured variety (you know a real underhill fairy) and a female huntress of pagan rights old world inclination ~ the prince is mere side character.
I enjoyed Ash very much and it suited not only travel through Germany but travel in general, as it was a comfortable read ~ easy to pick up and put down again yet absorbing enough to entertain and distract from uncomfortable things like airplane take off and landing.
To me this book felt like a mix of Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr, Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day-George, and The Black Swan by Mercedes Lackey.
I thought Ash might have benefited from a little humor to break up the overwhelming monotony of Ash's depression, but I suspect this very depression is what would make this book so appealing to teen girl readers. And, of course, I always want more humor in my books.
Sometimes I did feel distanced from Ash and had a hard time relating to her. I think I identified far more with the huntress, who was (intentionally, I believe) the most vibrant character in the story. I found myself wondering, in the end, why the huntress fell in love with Ash ~ was it Ash's looks? Her personality seemed a little, well, absent. Yet I didn't want the huntress to be that shallow.
This can be attributed to the book's style of fairy tale retelling, which I refer to as distanced or atmospheric writing, practiced by such greats as Patricia McKillip. In the end, I was left with an overwhelming urge to reread The Black Swan and the certain knowledge that while I enjoyed Ash very much, and I adore seeing LGBTQ themes in YA fantasy, Ella Enchanted still holds as the first lady of Cinderella retellings in this jaded old heart. ...more
Right, so Passion Blue by Victoria Strauss really reminded me of some of the more historically dense YAs that were optional additional reads in grade Right, so Passion Blue by Victoria Strauss really reminded me of some of the more historically dense YAs that were optional additional reads in grade school. You know, like The Tamarack Tree.
Since I was a total nerd, I always enjoyed these books (and read ALL of them, blowing the curve), but there is an element of old fashioned-ness to them. And by that I mean not just in the content but in the style of writing. In this, Strauss reminds me of Lois Lowry and other Newberry-winning types. There's a literary component to her work that I struggled with a little. Perhaps I carry baggage after suffering the slings and arrows of writing genre in an anti-genre world (particularly that with a romance or commercial bent). But this kind of book feels like, well, work to me.
I'm not slagging it off, I swear. I still carry great affection for something like Gathering Blue. But that doesn't mean it's a particularly fun read. Rewarding yes. Educational, certainly. But sometimes a bit exhausting. This was not a book I picked up and gobbled. It's a book I had to nibble at, a little each night.
I learned a whole lot about this place and time. I'm not particularly familiar with 15th-century Italian Renaissance, apart from some affection for movies like Dangerous Beauty. I found the details on painting and pigments interesting from a materials archaeology perspective, and convent stuff utterly fascinating.
"Nor had she known that nuns were allowed to drink wine. But then, she thought, almost everything in this house is something I thought nuns weren’t allowed. From the talk she had heard in the novice dormitory, she knew that choir nuns lived more comfortably than conversae—much more comfortably, in many cases—but she had never imagined such opulence."
I was particularly taken with the idea of the power of autonomy that becoming a nun granted aristocratic women of this time period.
"I am Christ’s bride, and no human man may command me!” For an instant, her bright face was fierce. “Nor do I need to fear dying in childbed, as my mother did. I am not one of those who sees Santa Marta as a prison.” She bit into one of the little cakes. “For me, it is the greatest freedom a woman can possess.”
This reminded me of Arcangela Tarabotti, the nun upon whom I drew much inspiration for Alexia's heritage, and from whom her last name is taken....more
Fattypuffs and Thinfers by André Maurois was one my my father's favorite childhood books. He passed that love on to me. It's a middle-grade chapter boFattypuffs and Thinfers by André Maurois was one my my father's favorite childhood books. He passed that love on to me. It's a middle-grade chapter book from the early 1940s and always reminded me a little of the Phantom Tollbooth, no idea why....more
I went to see the movie first, which was frankly a bit of a disappointment and I had some real issues with parts of it (see this blog post https://gaiI went to see the movie first, which was frankly a bit of a disappointment and I had some real issues with parts of it (see this blog post https://gailcarriger.com/2018/04/30/t... ).
So it took me a while but I finally picked up and read Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. Which I very much enjoyed. All of my concerns and reservations and issues with the movie do not exist in the book, so HOORAY!
I will still die on the alter of Geography Club or Boy Meets Boy, as I like both of those slightly better, if gay high school fist love coming out stories are what you are after. But this is still a good book. Very enjoyable.
If you like the movie I think you will probably LIKE THE BOOK MORE. So go read it, m'kay? ...more
There is something about this book that I really love and it's incredibly hard to articulate. It has an innocence about it, not only in the story but There is something about this book that I really love and it's incredibly hard to articulate. It has an innocence about it, not only in the story but in the prose style. Perhaps nostalgia is a better word? It pulls at exactly the same strings in my psyche as Pierce's Alanna books. It has similar flaws, too. (At this point in my writing career, I can recognize that a series I'm incredibly passionate about - like Song of the Lioness - has flaws from an author perspective.) For example, Lane uses a lot of modifiers, both in language tags and in description. (Honestly, I'm not sure if I find modifier use annoying because I have been taught to do so, or if they are actually annoying.) I know, I use them myself, but never doubt me, I always know that I'm doing it. And wonder at myself. And now here I am, entirely hypocritically, wondering at someone else.
This is why I believe most authors make pretty abysmal book critics.
Anyway...
I had a harder time reading this book a second time and forgiving it for small sins. However, I still really enjoyed the story. I like all of the tropes that are being used, from a tomboy trying to become a lady, to a young girl disguising herself as a boy, to high court and magic, to themes of young love, friendship, and isolation that always go hand-in-hand with boarding schools (whether that be a castle in Tortall, or a Herald Collegium, or a school for bards in Pern...).
I like Lane's magical system, although when I first read the book I thought it was going to be more on the warrior end of the Sword and Sorceress spectrum. I do wish the main character were a little less sparkly special. That said, I believe that she is prevented from becoming a Mary Sue, because she is intrinsically quite flawed. She can't keep her mouth shut, plus she is too bold and too aggressive for the nobility and for politics. This makes the romantic connections she forms with the princes in the book ultimately untenable by nature of her own personality. I do wonder where the writer is going with her romantic arcs as a result....more
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