Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken

Brightly Woven

By: Alexandra Bracken

This book was read and reviewed as a part of the 2010 Debut Author Challenge hosted by the Story Siren

Synopsis (From Goodreads): Sydelle Mirabil is living proof that, with a single drop of rain, a life can be changed forever. Tucked away in the farthest reaches of the kingdom, her dusty village has suffered under the weight of a strangely persistent drought. That is, of course, until a wizard wanders into town and brings the rain with him.

In return for this gift, Wayland North is offered any reward he desires—and no one is more surprised than Sydelle when, without any explanation, he chooses her. Taken from her home, Sydelle hardly needs encouragement to find reasons to dislike North. He drinks too much and bathes too little, and if that isn’t enough to drive her to madness, North rarely even uses the magic he takes such pride in possessing. Yet, it’s not long before she realizes there’s something strange about the wizard, who is as fiercely protective of her as he is secretive about a curse that turns his limbs a sinister shade of black and leaves him breathless with agony. Unfortunately, there is never a chance for her to seek answers.

Along with the strangely powerful quakes and storms that trace their path across the kingdom, other wizards begin to take an inexplicable interest in her as well, resulting in a series of deadly duels. Against a backdrop of war and uncertainty, Sydelle is faced with the growing awareness that these events aren’t as random as she had believed—that no curse, not even that of Wayland North, is quite as terrible as the one she herself may carry.

My Review: I was really intrigued by the synopsis of this book and I was so excited when I got a copy of this book in the mail from Egmont. First of all, the cover is gorgeous, don't you think?

But, beyond the beautiful cover, this was a fantastic book! My favorite books are the ones that have deep characters and complex relationships. This book had plenty of both. Sydelle was a wonderful heroine. She was compassionate, but always stood her ground with North when necessary. It was really refreshing to read the different ways that she was able to get herself and others out of trouble.

North was fascinating. In many fantasy books I've read, wizards are almost invincible and infinitely wise. That was not the case in this book. North's character flaws were glaring, but not so much that he was a despicable person. Despite his shortcomings, it's obvious that he's a caring person and really tries to do the right thing.

The one complaint I had about this book is that there wasn't enough of Henry or her family from back home. I would have liked to have seen a little more interaction and a pull from home keeping Sydelle conflicted.

Overall, this was a wonderful fantasy book by a very promising debut author. I am really excited to read more of her work in the future. This book was released today, March 23, and it's definitely worth buying/checking out.

Book-A-Likes: Howl's Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones (Wizard with a temper); Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George (Weaving and sewing talented heroine)

Rating:

I gave this book a hearty 5 stars!

Profanity: None

Drugs and Alcohol: Mild; North doesn't have a lot of control when it comes to alcohol

Sexuality: None

Violence: Moderate; Some of the fighting descriptions were a little graphic

Acknowledgement: I was sent a copy of Brightly Woven to review by Egmont USA. I was not compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own

Shiver

Okay, I'm just going to say it...I've been becoming a wee bit tired of "my boyfriend is SOOO dangerous he wants to kill me, but I love him anyway..." and tired of wimpy female protagonists. Which is why I was hesitant to pick up Shiver by Maggie Steifvater. Before I tell you what I thought of the book, I'll tell you more about it:

From Publisher's Weekly: For years, Grace has been fascinated by the yellow-eyed wolf that saved her from its pack when she was a child. Sam, bitten by a wolf as a boy, is that wolf. Long obsessed with each other at a distance, they finally meet after a wolf hunt (inspired by the apparent death of a local teen) sends a wounded and temporarily human Sam into Grace's arms. Their young love is facilitated by Grace's hands-off parents (“Once upon a time, I would've leaped at the rare opportunity of curling up with Mom on the couch. But now, it sort of felt like too little, too late,” Grace muses), but threatened by two linked crises: the fact that Sam will soon lose the ability to become human and the instability of a new lycanthrope.

My review: I loved this book. LOVED IT! I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful, fresh descriptions, and the honest-to-goodness good writing. I loved that Grace knew who she was and what she wanted, and wasn't afraid to be strong. I loved that even though Sam was a wolf, he had a very tender side. As for the "werewolf factor" I was so relieved that it wasn't werewolves-as-superheroes. It was a very realistic take on what turning into a wolf would mean to a human, and what sacrifices it would require. If I had to think of things to complain about, only one comes to mind. There were times when the plot lagged ever so slightly, and I wished it would move a bit faster. But overall, THIS ONE IS WORTH BUYING. (And I don't say that lightly!)

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Profanity: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol: None
Sexuality: Mature but tastefully alluded to
Violence: Some, but surprisingly tame for the subject matter
Book-a-likes: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (both are beautifully written) and The Dark Divine, which is also has a main character named Grace who falls for a werewolf.

~Suzette~

House of the Scorpion

Synopsis: Matteo Alacrán was not born; he was harvested. His DNA came from El Patrón, lord of a country called Opium — a strip of poppy fields lying between the United States and what was once called Mexico. Matt's first cell split and divided inside a petri dish. Then he was placed in the womb of a cow, where he continued the miraculous journey from embryo to fetus to baby. He is a boy now, but most consider him a monster — except for El Patrón. El Patrón loves Matt as he loves himself, because Matt is himself.

As Matt struggles to understand his existence, he is threatened by a sinister cast of characters, including El Patrón's power-hungry family, and he is surrounded by a dangerous army of bodyguards. Escape is the only chance Matt has to survive. But escape from the Alacran Estate is no guarantee of freedom, because Matt is marked by his difference in ways he doesn't even suspect.

Review: I really liked the book, it was the type that you just can't put down till you get to the end. I really liked the story because it does not follow any of the classic forms of stories, it is not predictable in any way. I found it at the library and decided to read it because of all the medals on the cover; anything with that many awards has to be good to read.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

Profanity: Yes, in Spanish

Drugs and Alcohol: LOTS! the story takes place on an Opium farm.

Sexual content: Mild

Violence: Plenty

In Our Mailbox

In My Mailbox Monday was started by Kristi at The Story Siren.

This week we were so excited to get some swag from Kimberly Derting promoting her upcoming book The Body Finder. Kimberly was kind enough to send enough stuff for all the Literati, plus a little extra that we are currently figuring out the best/most fun way to distribute.

Our awesome swag from Kimberly Derting

Kimberly sent us posters, bags, stickers and bookmarks. The bookmarks and posters were signed, which was AWESOME! We are still awaiting word from HarperCollins to see if we get an ARC to review. We've got our fingers crossed that we'll get the book. If not, we'll definitely be picking it up as soon as it's available on March 16. How awesome is the synopsis of this book?

A serial killer on the loose. A girl with a morbid ability. And the boy who would never let anything happen to her.

Violet Ambrose can find the dead. Or at least, those who have been murdered. She can sense the echoes they leave behind... and the imprints they leave on their killers. As if that weren't enough to deal with during junior year, she also has a sudden, inexplicable, and consuming crush on her best friend since childhood, Jay Heaton.

Now a serial killer has begun terrorizing Violet's small town... and she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Chilling, right? Thanks again to Kimberly for the awesome stuff. We're so excited to help her promote her debut novel. Be looking for a review from us soon!

If you are an author or publisher looking for a group of awesome teens to help promote your book, get in touch with us at literati.read@gmail.com

M or F?
By Lisa Papademetriou and Chris Tebbets

Description (from back of book):

When Frannie is desperate to get the attention of her crush, her fabulous (and gay) best friend Marcus suggests that Frannie chat with him online. Too bad Frannie's terrified. She won't type a word without Marcus's help.

In the chat room, Marcus and Jeffrey hit it off. But the more Marcus writes, the more he's convinced that Jeffrey is falling for him not Frannie.

Whose romance is this anyway?

Review:

When I found this book at the bookstore, I read about two pages before I knew I needed to buy it. It's a cute story about both characters finding love, and it's a light read if you need something to cheer you up. I laughed often enough my mom kept ducking into my room to see what I was doing.

Its highschool setting is easy to relate to; typical, with it's ups and downs all over the place. Any girls out there can relate to Frannie as she tries to impress Jeffrey, and instead just makes herself feel dorky and a bit embarrassed.

I was not able to predict the end of this book- I honestly did not see it coming, and it made a wonderful and sweet twist.

Rating: I gave this book 3 1/2 stars out of 5 (but I was very, very close to giving it 4)

Profanity: miniscule, if any.

Drugs and Alcohol: None

Sexual content: None

Violence: None

Leviathan by Scott Westerfield

Leviathan

By: Scott Westerfeld

Description (From Goodreads):Prince Aleksander, would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battletorn war machine and a loyal crew of men.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With World War I brewing, Alek and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way…taking them on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure that will change both their lives forever.

Review: I didn't even know that the genre of steampunk existed until about a month ago. I must have been living under a rock or something. But, I've noticed it has become an increasingly popular genre, and this book is a good indication of why.

The illustrations in this book were really neat and one of my favorite parts. There was a new illustration every 5 pages or so, and they really added a depth to the story without being overly "cartoonish." (A reason why I could never really get into Manga). Here is an example of this awesome art:
I really liked the character and story of Deryn. I'm also up for a good story about a girl pretending to be a boy and kicking some trash. Deryn certainly did so. She had a lot of spunk and spirit, but also a good dose of compassion, especially at the end of the book.

Aleksander's story went in a little different direction than I had originally thought. While Deryn's story was pretty predictable, I was never quite sure where Aleksander was going to end up.

Sometimes telling a book from two perspectives really doesn't work for me. However, in this case, Westerfeld handled it beautifully. I wasn't as impressed with "The Uglies" series as I wanted to be, so it was nice to have a book by Westerfeld that I really enjoyed. I think this series is going to do really well. This book got a lot of buzz at the end of last year, and I can definitely see why.

Book-A-Likes:
Alanna by Tamora Pierce (For the "girl pretending to be a boy" story)
City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau (For the machinery aspect, and the boy working with girl story)
If you like other books in the Steam Punk genre, you'll like this one.

Rating:
I gave this book 4 stars.


Profanity: Like all steampunk, the slang evolves into something different from our culture. So, nothing you'd recognize
Drugs and Alcohol: None
Sexuality: None
Violence: Moderate. This is WWI (or an alternate version), so there is a battle that is described.

The Princess and the Hound

by Mette Ivie Harrison

Story:

(from back cover:) "He is a prince and heir to a kingdom threatened on all sides, possessor of the forbidden animal magic.

She is a princess from a rival kingdom, the daughter her father never wanted, isolated from all except her hound.

In this lush and beautifully written fairy-tale romance, a prince, a princess, and two kingdoms are joined in the aftermath of a war. Proud, stubborn, and bound to marry for duty, George and Beatrice will steal your heart—but will they fall in love?"

Prince George possesses the gift of speaking to animals, a gift which is forbidden and feared in the kingdom of Kendel. After his mother's tragic death, he has spent his life hiding this ability and forcing himself to follow wherever duty leads him.

Princess Beatrice spent her childhood ignored and neglected by her father and looked down upon, yet her fierce nature keeps her trying to win his approval. But she also has a hidden secret.

When the two royals meet for the official betrothal intended to bind the two countries, something about Beatrice and her only close relationship with her hound, Marit, draws George to her and to the part of himself that he has denied his whole life. The pair face many obstacles, such as George's dying father and the suspicious circumstances surrounding his illness, the sense of being duty bound to marry one another, and Beatrice's own untrusting nature. They struggle to trust each other and mostly themselves.

Review:

This is a beautifully written story. The characters are complex and wounded people who strive to form complete relationships and conquer their personal battles. The hound, Marit, is delicately written and the relationship between the Princess and the Hound will capture the curiosity of readers.

While the characters do go through great emotional growth and face what is within themselves, for some reason I didn't find that my emotions were as captured as that of other friends' who have read the book. Something about it didn't quite make the emotional connection for me, but I know that most readers out there will feel an intense connection to the characters and their trials.

A smoothly written book with strong 'old-world fairytale' overtones, this is a book I definitely recommend for anyone who enjoys this genre. The characters were particularly well-developed, more so than in some other fairytale books that I've read.

Book-a-likes: any Robin McKinley, Jessica Day George, Donna Jo Napoli book.

My rating: **** 4 stars, 4.5 if this is your favorite genre

Violence: mild

Profanity: none

Sexuality: none

Drugs/Alcohol: none

~Julie~