fantasy

Book Review: Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

| Tasha

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Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

Sunny is a 12-year-old who lives in Nigeria.  She was born in the United States, but that isn’t what makes her so different from her classmates.  Her albino skin and hair does that.  Sunny is also a great athlete, but she can’t play because her sun reacts so strongly to the sun.  She only gets to play when her brothers agree to play with her in the evening.  Sunny isn’t sure she will ever fit in, but after meeting Orlu and ChiChi, the three of them figure out why Sunny is so special.  She’s a free agent, a member of the Leopard People, allowing her to do juju or magic.  Happily, Orlu and ChiChi are also Leopard People, though not free agents.  Suddenly Sunny is immersed in a new dual life.  Her old life of school and family and her new life learning about juju.  But there is also darkness in her life, as a serial killer preys upon children in Nigeria: a killer who has a special connection to Sunny.

This book is incredible.  Okorafor has created a completely unique and entirely formed world within a world.  She brings modern Nigeria to life and then within it creates an entire society that makes sense, wields magic, and continually surprises and delights.  The construct of the magical society doesn’t linger on the how, rather it is presented as a fully-formed world complete with its own laws, own priorities, and a matter-of-fact relationship to death.

The characters of the four young people in the book are well written and play nicely off of one another.  I particularly enjoyed when they would depart from roles that could have been stereotypical and instead revealed themselves to be very well-rounded characters.  Sunny serves as an ideal person for the readers to learn about the magical world alongside.  She is interested, questioning and frank.  She is a very strong female protagonist who can play soccer better than the boys. 

If you have teens or tweens looking for magical reads that break into a whole new territory, this book is for them.   It celebrates Nigeria, magic and learning.  Appropriate for ages 11-14.

Reviewed from copy received from Viking Publishing.

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Review–Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

| Tasha

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Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

Ari has always stood out with her silver hair and teal eyes.  Now after years in foster care, she is on a quest to discover what happened to her parents.  Her long-dead mother, who committed suicide, left her a message.  Run!  Ari heads to New 2, what has become of New Orleans after several devastating hurricanes and after some wealthy families purchased the land from the United States to make their own domain.  It is where Ari was born and where she must return to learn the answers about not only her parents but herself.  When she reaches New 2, Ari finds a place that accepts people who are very unique and different, like herself.  For the first time ever, she feels she might have found a place she can belong in and maybe even love in.

Keaton writes with a beautiful clarity, creating a setting and characters that are vivid and compelling.  Ari is a protagonist that teens will relate to easily.  She is deadly, fascinating and unique.  Her voice is strong, her actions make sense, and the truth about her is a delight to discover.

One of the strongest characters in the book is New 2, the destroyed city that serves as a haven for the paranormal.  Keaton renders New 2 in prose that is filled with imagery, lovingly detailed and places readers right inside the city alongside Ari.  Those who know New Orleans will recognize it under the ruins, others will be drawn to the city in new ways.

With so many paranormal romances available, one grows jaded reading them.  Don’t make that mistake with this title which keeps the genre fresh and enjoyable.  Fans of Twilight and Hunger Games will find a well-written story to long after here.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from copy received from Simon Pulse.

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Book Review – Lost & Found: A Graphic Novel Wonderland

| Tasha

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Lost & Found by Shaun Tan

This collection of three stories by Tan which were previously published in Australia as separate stories combine to create an incredible experience.  Tan wrote two of the stories himself and did the art for all three.  The three stories are unique and different, though they are all about loneliness, discovering what is right in front of us, and unexpected beauty. 

The Red Tree tells the story of a woman trapped in darkness, though if you look closely you will see a sign of hope that continues through the images.  The illustrations are filled with large urban buildings, strange mechanical beings, and empty curving landscapes.  Until finally, the red tree is found where you least expect it. 

The Lost Thing is the story of a man who discovers something strange on the beach.  It was something odd, unusual and completely out of place.  The man searches for where the lost thing belongs, eventually taking it home with him and figuring out what it eats.  But this is not a story of a lost and new pet.  It is a story of secret places, unusual beings, and discovering what you were once blind to.

The Rabbits is a story written by John Marsden, who is also from Australia.  The story takes a look at the colonization of Australia through the story of the rabbits entering and taking over the continent.  Marsden and Tan create a story that tells the tale of take over, theft and oppression through animals, at once making it a story that can be told clearly and coolly but also one that echoes with tragedy on a larger scale.  For me, this was the story in the book that resonated and continues to linger.

Tan pays close attention to details throughout the book.  The transitional pages between the stories create a unified feel to the book, tying the stories together as if they are hand-in-hand.  The effect of the three stories is one of uniqueness and universal themes. 

Beautifully created, these stories are a treasure for graphic novel fans who will find out that graphic novels can be artistic, deep, compassionate and amazing.  Appropriate for ages 12-15.

Reviewed from copy received from Scholastic.

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Small Persons with Wings: Fantastic Fairy Fiction

| Tasha

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Small Persons with Wings by Ellen Booream

Mellie grew up with a fairy living in her bedroom.  He was her best friend for years.  But when she told her kindergarten class about him, he disappeared before she could prove he existed.  Now at age 13, she is still called “Fairy Fat” by her classmates.  Even her parents who had agreed that the fairy existed and treated him as real, declare in front of the school counselor that it is all Mellie’s imagination.  So Mellie decides to turn off her imagination and become practical.  When her parents inherit a decrepit inn in another town, it is Mellie’s chance to leave her nickname and the fairy behind for good.  But that’s before Mellie discovers that the inn is inhabited by lots and lots of fairies. 

Booream’s writing is so very readable, inviting readers into a world where fairies are real and plenty of trouble.  The dialogue in the book works well, reading very naturally.  The setting of the old inn is nicely rendered, giving readers just enough detail to visualize the inn clearly, but not too much to get bogged down.

Booream excels at creating interesting characters.  Mellie is a wonderful young protagonist who displays an intriguing combination of prickliness, self-doubt and courage.  She is a girl who has been bullied for years, but has not been broken by it.  I also appreciate that Mellie is a heavier young lady who has heavier parents who love her and don’t mind her weight.  It is the other children who have issues with it. 

The cover with its zinging blue, sparkly letters is very appealing.  I do wish that there was some even small hint off Mellie being a larger teen.  Plus I am getting very tired of the feet on covers as a way to not show problematic protagonists in great detail. 

A very friendly and fun fairy fantasy, this book will be popular with fans of the Rainbow Fairy books who are aging out of that series.  Appropriate for ages 10-14.

Reviewed from copy received from Dial Books.

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Chime: Breathtakingly Beautiful

| Tasha

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Chime by Franny Billingsley

Released on March 17, 2011.

Briony believes that she is the source of her family’s troubles.  She blames herself for her stepmother’s death and for her twin sister’s brain damage.  Her only solace is the swamp, where she can see and speak with the Old Ones.  But she can tell no one about her gift because it means that she is a witch, and witches in her village are hanged.  Everything changes when funny, gallant Eldric comes to live with them.  He is golden, lion-like and best of all, he appreciates Briony for just being herself.  However, Briony is filled with guilt and secrets that may be the death of her.  Unknown to her though, there are further secrets that need to be revealed, to everyone.

The writing here is so lush, so inventive, so layered that its language creates a unique world all on its own.  Billingsley uses unique metaphors that are arrestingly descriptive.  In fact, the writing is so lovely that my book is marked with many small bookmarks for amazing passages.  Wonderfully, the character of Briony also plays with language and words, using them as a game, a tool and a weapon.  It is this layering of imagery and wordplay that makes the reading of the book such a special one.

Right from the beginning, readers will know that something is amiss with Briony’s version of the events.  One wonders if the Old Ones are actually real, emerges confused by the relationship of the stepmother with her stepdaughters, examines the events of the library fire, and tries to follow the breadcrumb trail of details to figure out this puzzle of a book.  Briony is a great example of an unreliable narrator, leading readers through past events and present events with her own personal lens.  Delightfully, readers will struggle to remove the vividness of Briony’s perspective and view the world without it. 

Highly recommended, this is a book that mature teen readers will enjoy thanks to its blend of fantasy, romance and mystery.  My hope is that we see it winning some awards when award season rolls around.  It is definitely a winner of a read for me.  Appropriate for ages 15-18.

Reviewed from copy received from Dial Books.

No Passengers Beyond This Point: A Wild Ride

| Tasha

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No Passengers Beyond This Point by Gennifer Choldenko

When three siblings discover that their mother has lost their house to foreclosure, they have only a few days to pack up and get ready to move to live with an Uncle they barely know.  To get to his home, they have to take a plane to Colorado.  But that is where everything starts to get odd.  India, Finn and Mouse find themselves getting off the plane and entering a world that makes little sense.  No one has heard of Uncle Red, they are met by a pink taxi with feathers, and each of them seems to have their very own house to live in that was designed just for them.  As they struggle to figure out where they are, the clock starts ticking and the book becomes a race against time in a world that none of them understands.

Choldenko has switched genres here, away from the historical world of Al Capone Does My Shirts and into a magical alternate reality.  However, she continues to write compelling characters living ordinary yet extraordinary lives.  Though the book often has readers trying to figure out the rules of the alternate world, Choldenko’s characters never leave one in doubt.  They are well drawn, their reactions make sense, and their motivations are consistent.

The crispness of her writing continues as well.  I found myself immediately drawn into the relationship of these three siblings, which is beautifully complex.  Each of them has their own point of view and the chapters rotate between them.  The deeper disputes and issues between them are explained throughout the book, often becoming pivotal in the book’s resolution.

Choldenko’s pacing is also well done.  She gives readers a chance to get to know the three main characters at their home first, before they are drawn into the alternate world.  There the pace slows and then races, driven deftly by the writing.  At moments where the children are lingering, the book slows too.  Then when the story begins to fly, the pace matches that as well.

I can see this book being one that readers will either love or hate.  One has to be willing to follow a beloved author down a new path and take a wild ride of a journey with her.   I was happy to take this trip.  Get this in the hands of fans of The Kneebone Boy.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from ARC received from Dial Books.

Also reviewed by

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Rise of the Darklings: Victorian Faerie Delight

| Tasha

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Rise of the Darklings (The Invisible Order Book #1) by Paul Crilley

At twelve years old, Emily Snow has been looking after her younger brother since her parents disappeared.  She tries to earn enough money to feed them both by selling watercress on the streets of Victorian London.  One cold morning on her way to the watercress vendor, Emily encounters several strange small people having a battle.  After the battle, two men approach her to ask her what she witnessed.  Emily refuses to tell them, but that is not the last she will hear from them or from the piskies she saw battling.  In fact, Emily has just entered the confusing and amazing world of the sidhe where both sides want her to help them and no one is telling the truth.  Joined by Jack, a thief from the streets, Emily tries to figure out who she can trust and what her role is in the future of both humans and fey.

This book is a pleasure to read.  Crilley has nicely balanced the world of the fey with the real world of London.  Filled with details about the city, this book’s setting is well drawn and delightfully mixed with the magic and wonder of the sidhe world.  Crilley also offers a feisty heroine who will delight young readers not only with her intelligence but her own guile as she deals with the faeries and The Invisible Order of humans too.  The book reads effortlessly, beginning quickly with the pages whipping by as the adventure heats up.   Children looking for a good read should look no further.  Teachers as well should look to this as a great classroom read with enough action to keep even the most doubtful listener rapt. 

A delight of a novel, this is one of the top faery books I have read for younger readers.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from copy received from Egmont.

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Sapphique: A Stunning Sequel

| Tasha

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Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

Published December 28, 2010.

This stunning sequel to the amazing Incarceron continues the story set in motion in the first volume.  Finn has escaped the prison of Incarceron and has discovered that the Outside is not what he expected at all.   His identity as the lost prince is called into question when another young man appears claiming that he is the prince.  The other person certainly seems more princely than Finn, who struggles with his continuing blackouts and still has no memory of his time before waking up in Incarceron.  Claudia, the warden’s daughter, also questions her own beliefs about Finn.  Could it be that he is not the prince after all?  And meanwhile in the prison, Keiro and Attia are trying to find their own way to escape.  And they just may have found it in the Glove.  That is if the glove they have is the real magical glove that Sapphique once wore.  But Incarceron itself wants the glove too, so they must battle with weapons and wits to find their way out, if there even is a way to escape the prison of Incarceron.

An exciting mix of fantasy and science fiction, this book really built on the first in the series.  Fisher has built a world that is clever and amazing.  Her living prison is frighteningly real, and the violence and danger are heart-poundingly close at times.  Fisher continues to expand on the world that she brought to life in the first book.  The pleasure here is seeing even more of her world.  Nicely, she does not deviate from what was put forth in the first book.  This is an expansion of her original vision not a rewriting of the world, which is done in far too many fantasy sequels. 

Fisher’s characters are also well drawn.  She has created heroes that are human, contrasted starkly with those in power who don’t understand that things are changing both in the prison and Outside.  Finn is a magnificent hero, crowned with royalty and yet questioning his role, his sudden turn of fortunes, and his allegiances.  Keiro continues to be as arrogant and unlikeable as ever, yet he does grow on the reader.  Attia and Claudia are heroines with backbone and plenty of great ideas.  They are more alike than the male characters are, since Claudia has become less haughty and Attia has grown in confidence. 

There are some pacing issues in the first half of the book.  The final half sails and flies past, with the final hundred pages racing by at breakneck pace.  I could not turn the pages fast enough.  The first half was slower and less gripping.  The story is wonderfully deep and that layered complex storytelling does lead to slower pacing.  I just wish it had been more consistent throughout.

I must also mention the attention to detail throughout the book.  The legends of Sapphique are well built and fascinating, including the paragraphs that start each chapter.  Drawn from documents, they purport to be snippets of conversations about Sapphique and Incarceron.  The synopses of the cobbled together books that the inmates of Incarceron refer to are also a delightful glimpse at what our fairy tales and legends could become if mashed up.  These and other small moments round out the building of the world.

Highly recommended, this is a wonderful and very worthy sequel to the first.  I keep waiting for this series to launch the way that Hunger Games did, perhaps the time will be right with this second book.  In any case, it will delight fans of The Hunger Games, so get it into their hands.  Appropriate for ages 13-16.

Reviewed from ARC received from Penguin.

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Zombies vs. Unicorns: How Short Stories for Teens Should Be Done!

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Zombies vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier

Before opening the book, I was firmly a Team Zombie type of gal.  Rotting flesh captures my attention a lot more than lovely white horses.  Sick, I know.   But by the end of this anthology of short stories, I’m leaning more towards those lovely and vicious white horses.

Created from a conversation on Holly Black’s and Justine Larbalestier’s blogs, these stories answer the age-old question of whether zombies or unicorns are better.  A group of bestselling authors of teen fiction joined the battle with their short stories.  The book reads in alternating stories.  One zombie, the next unicorn.  I was impressed by the level of the stories in the collection, offering such a range of takes on zombies and unicorns.  This book is sure to fly off of the shelves thanks to the zombies, the unicorns, and the tantalizing authors involved.  Those authors include, Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan, Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, and Meg Cabot.

Just as with any short story collection, there are some stories that stick with the reader longer.  Carrie Ryan’s Bougainvillea is a zombie story set in a world where the zombies have taken over almost completely.  Iza’s father took her and her mother to the safety of an island where he became dictator and kept the population alive.  The story is about control, heritage, and of course, life and death.   There is a wonderful tone to this story, an anchored feeling that remains even as the zombies emerge.  Another of my favorites is The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn by Diana Peterfreund.    Wen saw her cousins slaughtered by a unicorn, now when she sees a captured unicorn at a side show, she is shocked to find herself connecting with it.  She returns the next day, drawn by something and ends up saving a new born unicorn from being killed.  Now she has to figure out what to do with the adorable but deadly creature.   Peterfreund builds a great story effortlessly here, offering a wry tone and another look at her take on killer unicorns.  Scott Westerfeld’s Inoculata offers a zombie tale with a twist.  Here the humans are barricaded against the zombie onslaught again, but something happens that changes everything.  Westerfeld is master of horror mixed with science and that is evident in this story as well.   The Third Virgin by Kathleen Duey tells the story of a unicorn who heals but also steals years of life away.  He is an addict, unable to stop killing or shortening lives.  He meets two virgins who bring him deeper into connection with emotions and happiness, but loses both of them.  Now he is seeking a third virgin.  He hopes that this one can either stop his pain altogether or kill him.  It is an achingly beautiful story with a cunning twist. 

A delight of a short story collection.  It turns out it doesn’t matter if Team Zombie or Team Unicorn wins the battle.  The people who really have won are the readers of the stories.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from copy received from McElderry Books.

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