Dreamdark: Blackbringer

"Dreamdark:  Blackbringer," Laini Taylor, is a tale of whimsy . . . and the end of the world.
       Magpie Windwitch, granddaughter of the West Wind and a fairy, travels the world, hunting down demons that humans have released from their bottles.  With her seven crows and their traveling caravan, their travels take them far and wide.  But when the mannies release the worst demon of all, the Blackbringer, the stuff of legends and nightmares, Magpie, affectionately 'Pie, must return to a home she hasn't been to in 80 years:  The forest of Dreamdark.  As the destruction of her people becomes immanent, she appeals to the oldest and strongest power for help.  If she can wake him from his sleep and gain his trust, those she loves might be saved.  Secrets are unraveled and truths are revealed, though, and 'Pie learns that the Djinns aren't the only ones who could save the forest. 
      
What book today isn't about the end of the world?  At least this one approaches it creatively, I suppose.  It doesn't come out right and say, "we have to save the world!"  because that would be lame.  And this book wasn't lame, thank the powers that be.  I enjoyed it a lot, actually. 

      The characters were real, and that was a big part of it.  A lot of books don't have well-formed characters.  Well, books that I've been reading of late.  Magpie, though, is three-dimensional, and I knew what she was going to do next.  Rephrasing that:  I never knew what she was going to do next, but the things she didn't made sense and fit in with her character.  The "co-stars," Talon, Poppy, Lady Vesper, Orchardspike, etc, are real as well, and no back story seems to be a stretch.  Everything, every character, fits, as perfect as a puzzle piece.
      There was a sense of unpredictability and haphazardness about the book that was also nice. Everything fit together, but it didn't come together neatly.  It sort of fell together, seemingly at random.  Things that didn't seem important were important.  There were twists and turns that weren't expected, but that had been there all along.  There were items that seemed to have no importance, but changed the course of the plot.  There were actions that were taken at page thirty and had great significances at page 200.  It was a chaotic mess, but it was also a woven pattern. 
      And, you can probably see that I enjoy the illustrations from the picture above.  There are a few good-full sized pictures of the three main characters, and they are very well done.  I took this picture from the website listed down below, and there are several pictures from the book on that site.  I didn't like the internal  picture of Magpie, of course (I'm so picky), but I did enjoy the cover.  The picture above is of Poppy, who is a 'flower fairy,' I suppose.
       Of course, there were a couple things that could be spotted from a mile off.  The slandered happy ending; the fact that the main character is going to be wonderfully and uncommonly gifted.  One can see these cliches from a mile off.  The things that aren't cliched pretty much balance those out, in my opinion.
       Also, this isn't a soppy Disney fairy tale love story.  I'm not saying those are bad or anything (I'm just implying it).  The characters are still teenagers, maybe, in "fairy-years," relatively young teenagers.  So, yeah.  I like things like that. I'm not saying that it doesn't hold elements of sterotypical fairies (see above picture), but there are also non-sterotypical-fairy things.  Like, demons.  And swords.
     I also like how the fairy tales seem to swirl around the characters:  The saga of the hero Bellatrix, the story of Magpie's parents, the myths of the Djinns, the legends of the dragons.  These add flavor to the world of Dreamdark, for what is a culture but their stories and beliefs?  Even Magpie's parents realize this, as shown by their journeys to fairy villages to collect the old stories.  Every little detail in this book comes alive, and either brings a new perspective or adds to a perspective that's already there.
     There's another book in the series, a sequel.  I think it's called "Silksinger."  For sure, I'm going to look into it.  Actually, Laini Taylor's written some other stuff that I like, and I didn't make the connect between her and the other stuff she's written before I looked at her site.  I enjoyed "The Daughter of Smoke and Bone," but I haven't read the sequel to that one yet.  So, that's two books I need to look out for.

You can find all the information here at www.lainitaylor.com  It's a "google blogspot," or whatever they're calling this, if you care to know.

Nevermore

"Nevermore" is the eighth and final book in James Patterson's best selling series, "Maximum Ride."          It's all come down to this, hasn't it?  A final battle between good and evil.  A final chance for Maximum Ride to save the world.  A final decision that could raise or raze civilization.  But what is there to fight? With the whitecoats secretly perfecting their 99% plan in some hidden laboratory, though, the Flock busy trying to be "normal" mutants, and Fang's gang trying to do something, anything, to make the difference, the battlefield seems nearly empty. 
       But Jeb and "Dr. God" have other plans.  And bringing back the dead is only one of their strategies.  As everything goes haywire, the Voice issuing warnings and assignments, multiple betrayals, the start of the end of the world, Max has just two questions.  What's the catch?  And can Fang and Dylan ever stop tearing her heart apart, even as the foundation of all that's known crumbles at their feet?

This book wasn't as bad as "The Final Warning," another book in the series.  Actually, it was the best one in a while.  Which may not be saying much.  I stopped liking them around "Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports," but I was hooked:  I wanted to know what happened to Max and the rest of the Flock.  I mean, come on.  Who wouldn't?  But I'm sort of glad that it's over, so I can quite with my crazy obsession.
     Of course, James Patterson milked the Fang/Dylan dynamic for all it was worth.  Hey, I'm not blaming him.  It was the only thing that was keeping me on for quite a bit of "Fang."  But it was really just . . . dramatic.  More end-of-the-world, less candle-lit dinners.  Please?
      I'm not happy with the ending.  Am I ever?  But, really.  It could've used more action and movement and, I don't know, but it was missing something.  Oh, here it is:  Tension.  And, well, I've heard the saying "surprising, yet inevitable," relating to books, or really all literature.  So . . . It was surprising, yes, but not inevitable.  It came completely and totally out of the blue.  As most of the things come in this series. 
      I liked the characters in this book.  I mean, they were no different from the characters in the rest of the books, but there was something about them here that made them seem more likable.  Max isn't as cranky, and she seems like she's a nicer person to be around.  Less self-absorbed.  You know, things like that.  It wasn't a dramatic change, or anything, it was just in the way that they were written. 
      The whole problem is, I think, is that "The Angel Experiment" was an amazing book.  It was fast paced, it was catchy, and it was new.  But as the series went on, the story either went too slow or too fast, stopped being catchy and started being annoying, and got old.  James Patterson never manages to capture the energy as he did in that first book.  You keep expecting an "Angel Experiment," but you don't really get it.  Even "Nevermore" only captures a little bit of that energy. 
     The series started cornering itself during "Final Warning," when James Patterson made the end of the world be about global warming.  Yes, that is a big problem in today's society.  But one bird kid cannot change the problem.  One bird kid cannot save the world from global warming, no matter how determined she is.  He could've done so much more with the series, James Patterson could've, but he hemmed himself in.  And even within the parameters he set himself, he could've made "Nevermore" so much better. 
       The series, in order, are "The Angel Experiment," "School's Out--Forever," "Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports," "The Final Warning," "Max," "Fang," "Angel," and last, but certainly not least, "Nevermore." 
         It was quite a ride, Max.  It might not have been the maximum ride, but you can't argue with a good story, so I took what you gave me.  And I might just remember you and you're struggle after you've flown off into the sunset.   

And, as if you need it again  (it seems like I've written this out a dozen times on this site, though it's only been three), the URL.  www.max-dan-wiz.com You can read the first 16 chapters free.

Book News (THIS IS NOT A BOOK TITLE)

There is a new Artemis Fowl book out!  Augh!  And I have not read it yet!  This is a disaster!  It's called "The Last Gaurdian," and in it, Opal Koboi is back.  Yey!  It's the final book in this now eight-book series.  You can go to http://www.artemisfowl.com/  to check that out.  It sounds pretty good.

James Patterson's "Nevermore," the ninth and final book in the "Maximum Ride" series is out.  I'm really annoyed because they had a contest in the eight book, "Angel," and the winner of that was supposed to be announced in "Nevermore," but it isn't.  Just a heads up on that.
     The book is 12 dollars on Barnes and Noble.com, but 18 dollars at the store.  It's probably cheaper at Target, but I couldn't find it there.  Um . . . so,  www.max-dan-wiz.com for that.  You can read the first sixteen chapters there.   (And let me tell you--the six extra dollars I spent this afternoon have been worth it so far.)

While we're on the topic of new books, here's one that's coming out, Rick Riordan's next installment of his "Hero's of Olympus" series, "The Mark of Athena" is coming out in October.
 http://disney.go.com/official-sites/heroes-of-olympus/index is the place to go for more information on that.  There is also an preview chapter to read on that . . . That does not make me want to read the book anymore than I already do, but I guess I'll read the book anyways.  I'm not finding Rick Riordan's stuff as good as it used to be.  But, whatever.  I'm hooked on Percy Jackson, sadly, and no matter how bad the writing is I'll keep reading the books.  I only wish the writing was better. 


Uh, yeah. I guess I'll update this as more things come out, then.

Dark Goddess

"Dark Goddess," by Sarwatt Chadda, is the fanstastic sequel to "Devil's Kiss."
     Bilquis SanGreal is back, and she's angry.  After her best friend, and boyfriend?, died at her own hands, a sacrifice against Saint Micheal, the Knights Templar have been in turmoil.  When they get wind of a vampire pack that sacrifices young oracles every year to their goddess, they set out to Russia to rescue the next sacrifice, and they can only pray that they'll find her in time.  With the help of the roguish Ivan, Billi must figure out who she's fighting, where she's fighting, and how she's going to win this thing.  When your enemies are the Russian equivalents of the Knights Templar, the werewolves, a maybe-mobster with a Mafia connections and a finger in every pie, and yourself, you're fighting somewhere in the snow-covered forests of Siberia, and your only weapons are arrows tipped with asteroids, you think you'd give up.  But Billi won't.  Not when her life and the rest of the world is at stake. Not when she could do something, instead of just standing by and watching.  Not again.

Yeah.  So, I forgot the name of Russian equivalent of the Knights Templar.  You can't blame me.  I read the book three weeks ago.  I started at five'o'clock in the afternoon, and finished it at ten'o'clock at night.  The power was out, so I really didn't have anything to do but read.  So then I picked up another book.  ("Rot and Ruin", Johnathon Maberry, but I'll get to that later.) And half the names in this book went flying out of my head.  But it was so, so good.  I would've let it sit a while in my brain, but it was so hot I couldn't do anything but read.
       The plot line differs from the original, which was good.  You know how in some authors become formulaic and all that.  But this book shook it up. Also, a lot of the characters vary.  That makes sense, because a bunch of the characters in the first book died, and then they visited Russia.  The more minor characters are a bit hard to keep track of, in my opinion, but the main characters have distinctive names, so it doesn't really matter. 
        And, this is related, I promise, in some books, you know how there is a first book that has one premise?  Like, one backbone.  One specific task in mind.  And then, in the sequel, it's all like "oh, you were acting under a prophecy, and now you need to do this and this and that?" just to make the series longer?  Really, that bugs the heck out of me.  It's like to two books are completely unconnected, but in characters and setting?  (Mr. Percy Jackson, I'm looking at you.)  But these two books are firmly connected, not just tethered together by a string. 
       In "Devil's Kiss" they mention that some people were out werewolf hunting.  So it wasn't completely strange that the Knights Templar were out werewolf hunting in the beginning of the book.  And they'd mentioned that there were some other organizations that fought the Unholy in the other book, so it wasn't completely random that there was an organization in Russia.  So the books were connected.  That makes me happy.
       Of course, Billi was an amazingly flavored character.  Ivan was too, as was Ivan's nemesis, what's-his-name.  I could've used more characterization on that werewolf woman, and why she wound up helping the Knights, instead of her goddess.  Um . . . and that werewolf who was the werewolf woman's daughter.  What was her problem?  Also, the book relies heavily on characterization from the other book.  We don't see much of Arthur SanGreal, and we're already expected to know what he's like . . . But he changed suddenly at the end of "Devil's Kiss," so that doesn't work out too well.  Also, the new apprentice, Mordred, and the new Father aren't explained that well.  I might've been reading too quickly, but they didn't seem to be expressed to well.  There were almost no personal details about either of them.
       And one can surmise that Ellen (Is that her name?  I know it begins with and 'e.') now likes Billi more because she didn't have to kill Arthur, like that completely random prophecy suggested she might have to.  But she still killed . . . I won't say it, just so those who haven't read "Devil's Kiss" won't spoil the ending for themselves, but her behavior doesn't match up with what we know of her personality.
      Anything else that I want to add?  Um, that I liked the ending.  Yey!  A happy ending this time!   It was really quite relieving.  I also liked that added element of Billi having to fight her 'inner nature,' etc., because it added another dimension.  Um . . . and I'm really glad that the werewolves were in there because I really like werewolves.  Just sayin'.  Nice to read about something other than ghuls or demented archangels, because that's all you seem to read about these days, no?  (It was a joke.) 
      So even though we all know that there's nothing to fear but fear itself, and Billi SanGreal, I've been keeping one eye over my shoulder, holding my breath in fear of the Unholy and the all-to-realistic creatures that lurk in Sarwatt Chadda's novels. 

(You think of something more clever and tell me about it, 'k?)

Again, you can visit Sarwatt Chadda and read his blog at www.sarwattchadda.com
  

Genius Squad

"Genius Squad" by Catherine Jinks is the sequel to "Evil Genius."  Also by Catherine Jinks.
      Cadel Piggot--or Darkkon, or English--is fifteen years old and living in a foster home.  His involvement with the Axis Institute and his maybe father are not yet in the past, because Prosper English, alias Thaddus Roth, is not willing to say anything that would incriminate himself.  And, because no one can figure out if Cadel is a citizen of the United States or of Australia, Cadel's been stuck in a foster home with a malicious boy and limited computer access.  It's like death after all the privacy he wanted at the Piggots, and all the computer time he wanted at the Insitute.  So no wonder he jumps at the chance to join the Genius Squad in hopes of shutting down Phineas Darkkon's scam business, GenoME, with his best and only friend, Sonja.  But how far will Prosper English go to make sure that his heir is under his sole control?  And has Cadel finally found a good home--or is the Genius Squad just a more attractive and innocent-looking Institute?

HA!  Take that, public library system!  I finally found it!  I am convinced that the library had been keeping this book from me, even as I'd been searching for it.  They just didn't want me to read it.  But now I am reading it.  So, there. 
    It was well worth the wait, and the two months of nearly fruitless searching (Yes, I have heard of requesting a book, but I'm just to lazy, okay?).  Catherine Jinks provides a compelling squeal to her first story of a genius boy warped from age two.  This story, though, has a slightly different taste to it. 
    In "Evil Genius" we all know that Cadel was just that:  an evil genius.  Duh.  It's in the title of the book.  He wrecked all sorts of havoc on Sydney, and went to a school for villains.  He was not a good person.  Plain and simple.  But this story explores him trying to break away from his villainous urges.  Of course he still has them, and it would be completely unbelievable if he didn't. This older Cadel has gained a consciousness and a strong sense of dislike for his previous life.
    But he still does preform acts of revenge, and when he does they seem pettier.  He does know that, but still.  Dumping soiled bedsheets on someone's shoes?  What does that accomplish?  Maybe it symbolizes that he's leaving behind his past as a sophisticated villain, and becoming more of a kid . . . and maybe I'm just grasping at straws.   
     The computer lingo is just as intriguing.  I was reading the part in the book where a virus gets disguised as a software protection pop-up last night, and then I clicked on a McAfee "scan your computer" dialogue box a minute or so ago.  I clicked on it out of habit, and then I completely freaked out because someone might've been trying to get into my computer files to see if I had been communicating with any fraudulent companies.  Yeah.  It does make me think twice about putting anything out there on the Internet.
     It's also quite interesting how the information the author gives you is just barely understandable.  Like, what's a "honeytoken" in relation to computers?  She doesn't give you enough information so you know what it is, exactly, but she gives you enough to make sure that you aren't drowning.  As she gives it to you, too, it seems natural, not like you're stupid and she's lecturing you.  It's more like you're privy to Cadel's thoughts and he just barely thinks around the actual definition.  So you aren't crushed and dying underneath all the foreign terms in this book:  You're on top of the moon because you feel like a genius yourself for understanding it all.
      One half-complaint, though.  There are so many characters.  Sure, all their names are distinct and their personalities individual, but at first they leave my head spinning.  There are at least ten new character additions in this book, additions to an already numerous cast.  You get used to them all after a while, because they are constantly reused and brought back, but still.  It's mind-boggling, but it also makes it feel a bit more real, because don't we all know a gazillion people?  And, bonus, you feel proud of yourself just for remembering them all. 
     Oh, yeah, and this is the second book of a triology, I think.  The third one is called "The Genius Wars."  Sounds promising, no? 
     I would strongly recommend reading this story of a villain turned semi-do-gooder.  Science fiction has never been so down-to-Earth (sorry, I had to), and the genre of fantastical crime has never seemed so feasible.  Start putting up firewalls, CEOs of fraud companies, because the Genius Squad is coming for you. 

The author has her website at www.catherinejinks.com.  New books, old books, kid's books, and author's bio.  You know.  The usual.

Booklist (THIS IS NOT A BOOK TITLE)

Okay, so, I'm going to be gone for three weeks.  These are some books that I've read that I really want to post on, but I don't have the time.  I read about a book a day, in some cases, and I never get to post on them all.  So, if you want some ideas without a page full of my annoying critique, well, I have it all right here.  Enjoy? 
     
       The Auslander--Paul Dowswell.  Peter is a boy living in Poland when the Nazis invade.  Declared a perfect Aryan specimen, he is taken back to Germany to live with a rich professor, his wife, and their three daughters.  But Peter is shocked by the way the Germans are treating his old kinsfolk, the Poles, and he decideds to help his girlfriend, Anna, make a difference.  Because no matter how hard he tries, Peter still feels like he's an outsider in the country that says it's his . . . An Auslander in Nazi Germany. 

Paul Dowswell's website:  www.pauldowswell.co.uk

     Ruby Red--Kerstin Gier (translated from German by Anthea Bell).  Gwen has grown up in a household of secrets.  The Montrose house is full of them.  But one secret she knows is that select women in her family can time travel.  Everyone says that her cousin is going to be the prodidgal time-traveler.  That's what's expected, isn't it?  But as secrets and lies tend to do, the mystery shrouding the whole thing fall apart, and Gwen is left holding the secret of the centuries in her hands.  Some things, though, are a secret even to her and the rest of the Montrose family, and Gwen is only looking at the tip of the ice-burg.

(This book was an international best-seller in Germany.  It is the first of a triology, but I haven't been able to find the other two books.  I know the second is called Saphire Blue, I think, but I don't know what the third one is.) 

        Ashes--Ilsa J. Bick.  When an electromagnetic wave sweeps the nation, knocking out all the electrionics and turning most of the population into savage 'zombies', a girl who's battling cancer, a solider on leave, and a nine-year-old girl must band together to find safety and food.  What safety they find, though, may be as sick and twisted as the rest of the world.

(I'm sorry, I don't really remember anything about this book other than the basic plot line and that the solider's name was 'Tom'.  It was really good, though, and I recomend it if you're into the whole 'doomsday, 2012, nuclear winter' sort of deal.)

        Define "Normal" --June Ann Peters.   Antonia Dillion sgined up to be a peer counsler, sure, but she didn't sgin up to counsel the baddest girl in school--Jazz Luther, a leather-rocking, piercing-adorned, tattooed bad girl.  Antonia is known as a 'ya-ya', a prissy girl, one who thinks she's better than everyone elses. She's not about to contradict anyone, lest they learn the truth.  And when Jazz does, Anotina thinks that nothing will be normal ever again, even as Jazz introduces her to a very different type of normal.

(A definate read, even though it's sappy and made me cry.  Hey, don't judge, you haven't read it yet.)

       Ash--Malinda Lo.  Ash's father and mother have both passed away, leaving her to work off her step-mother's debts as she watches her step-sisters dress up to go meet and (hopefully) marry rich boys.  The faerie in the wood is the only thing that keep Ash sane, and her visits to him help her remember that she isn't just a servent.  When Ash meets the king's huntress, though, she beings to long for more . . . maybe even something like love?

(This was called a "modern Cinderella" or something on the back of the book.  It is, in a way, but it is sent in a mythical land in the era of fancy dresses, dukes, dutchesses, and formal courting.  It also has blood and creepy fairytales, so that makes it okay.  ;)  ) 

Okay, so, I guess you did get a page full of my comentary.  Sorry 'bout that.  and sorry that there aren't as many books on here as I would like--I guess these were the only ones that were good enough to remember.  So, have fun reading, I suppose, and I'll write again in three weeks!

Skulddugery Pleasent

Skulddugery Pleasent, by Derek Landy, is, quite frankly, the funniest book I have read since, well, forever. 
    Stephanie Edgely's uncle has just died.  People speculate that he dropped dead of a heart attack, though why he did so is beyond them because he seemed to be a perfectly heathly middle-aged novelist.  But died he has, and he has left behind quite a legacy for his favorite niece:  Not only has Stephanie inherited his fortune and his grand old manor, but she has also inherited his lifestyle -- a life of danger and magic and a war that has spanned ages.  Along with Skluddery Pleasent, a back-talking, flame-throwing, wise-cracking, Bently-driving, walking, talking, skeleton/dective with a grudge, she races against the evilest of villians to figure out why her uncle was murdered and to find an artifact that could mean the destruction of the world as we know it. 
     But nothing is ever that simple, as Ms. Edgely is soon to figure out, and things get complicated as magic and trechery permiate everything.  Stephanie must find out who she really is, what life she really wants, and who her friends really are before Serpine burns down the world, taking Skulduggery with him. 

I love this book.  I have read it three times in the past two years.  All the way through, all three times.  And I don't even own it.  Really, the sarcasm and wit is something else, and I must confess that I have gotten most of my good come-backs from that volume. 
     One of the other things that I like about the book, other than the refreshingly cynical sarcasm, is the plot.  It basically boils down to a good guy vs. evil villian plot.  Oh, sure, Stephanie has her doubts about people's motives, and some people's motives really need to be questioned, but at it's heart it's the good guy battling it out against the good guy.  You just don't get plots that simple any more in young adult liturature, and it's sort of refreshing.  You don't have to stress your brain out thinking 'oh, wait, he's the bad guy, right?' or 'wait, he was in love with her but now he's dating her but he's secretly working for the bad guy and he's trying to gleam information from her, and he's trying to spare the girl he loves.  Is that it?' 
     Another thing:  This book glides along smoothly without any romance.  In most books there's a boy/girl tension to the plot, to help create tension.  In a lot of books that is very nesscessary because there would be next to none dramatic tension otherwise (It's why I don't read much of Jenna Black's stuff.  Or Stephanie Meyer's.).  But this one is exciting enough without a guy element.  It's very nice.  All fighting and action, and very little romantic talk.  Just the way I like it.
      And, of course, there are the characters. More motley of a crew never have I met.  A skeleton who walks and talks and posses 'razor sharp wit', a girl who knows that she's something more than suburbia, a tailor who's so ugly he decided that he shouldn't join boxing and ruin his face more, a warrior-lady who has layers like an onion (on the top, she's tough, but peel her and she's just as girly as the next lady who's wearing pink high-heels), a china (ha ha, punny) doll of a woman who's spell is just as alluring as her lies, and a villian who has no motive whatsoever, as far as I can tell.  But you just love them all to bits.  Except for China and Serpine, but that could've done without saying.  The characters are real life people who spring to life off the page.  You can see them marching through wax-musames, hear them as they laugh over their jokes, run with them as they avoid vampires.  And, amazingly, you remember their names after you're done reading and you don't have to go back and reference the book just to make sure. 
       It doesn't seem like it should go together, a fantasy mystery about death and destruction and the satirical conversations about silly things like packages and cars, but it does.  It fits together like a jigsaw puzzel, and one is hard-pressed to find a piece that is missing. 
     Yet another book trying to re-define the definition of magic, this one suceeds in a way that's more than half-decent.  But even if the plot line were awful, the reasoning holey, and it required you to stretch your imagination a bit more than nesscesary you would forget to notice, so caught up would you be in the clever-word play and the lightness of the text.
     I'm afraid that this piece of barely-coherent writing doesn't do the book one bit of justice, but it's late and I'm really rather tired.  Let me just say that Stephanie and Skulddugery's adventures will be read many more times by me, and that I might have to go bean Derek Landy over the head with his own novel because I don't think he's put out a sequal.