Review: Wildthorn

Wildthorn
Jane Eagland
Pages: 350

Louisa Cosgrove is Louisa Cosgrove- not Lucy Childs. Or, is she?

A horse-drawn carriage takes her to the wrong place: Wildthorn Hall, an asylum for the insane. This must be a great misunderstanding. They strip her naked, of everything- undo her whalebone corset hook by hook. They take her identity. But she is still seventeen- still Louisa Cosgrove- isn't she?

To untangle the mysterious, wretched present, she remembers the past.

I wished I were a boy.

Locked away in the dingy bowels of the hall, she feels a fire burn inside her. She remembers her cousin. She remembers Papa.

I want to be a doctor.

She is determined to escape- and only love will set her free.

~description taken from book jacket

I got this book out from the library on the whim, vaguely remembering a review of it I'd read somewhere. I only decided to actually read it because I just signed up for a reading challenge that this book fits. I AM SO GLAD I DID.

Wildthorn steps right into the drama- Louisa is admitted into an asylum under the name Lucy Childs. For the first part of the novel, the author switches between Louisa's time at the institution and her childhood, where you learn about her studious nature and desire to become a doctor. Normally, when an author skips around with points of view or timelines like this this I find myself aligning more with one storyline than the other. Here I was equally interested in both of them, which is due to the intense emotional attachment I felt with the Louisa. In most of the books I read, I read about the protagonist, but here I became her. Reading Wildthorn was simply an amazing experience, one you shouldn't miss out on.

Another aspect of the novel that made me really happy was the discussion of sexuality. It's rare to encounter LGBT characters in historical YA fiction, so that alone was interesting. However, the main thing I liked was how well it was handled. I've noticed that when some authors write gay or lesbian characters that tends to be their defining characteristic, which annoys me. In Wildthorn it was definitely treated as an important detail, but not so much that it took over the story.

5/5 Stars

Review: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

Title: Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side
Author: Beth Fantaskey
Pages: 384

“Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica’s Senior Year “get-a-life-plan".

Enter a bizarre new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu who claims that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth and he’s her long-lost fiancé. He’s arrogant, officious, embarrassingly overprotective, and well, incredibly hot.

Armed with a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health and Emotions, Jessica tries to imagine the transition from an average American teenager to a glam European vampire princess. But just when things tart to heat up with Lucius, a devious cheerleader sets her sights on him.

Soon Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war- and save Lucius’s soul from eternal damnation. All of which leaves her to wonder: Wouldn’t life be easier if she could just fall for a nice mortal boy?”

~description taken from jacket cover

For those of you skimming, I'll say it now: Go out and buy this book. I made the mistake of getting it from the library, and now I have to wait a few weeks to have my own copy. Do yourself a favor and get your own.

Jessica, also called Antanasia, is one of the most appealing narrators I’ve ever encountered. She’s smart, honest, and most importantly, you really feel for her. When something goes right for Jessica, you cheer, and when something goes wrong you cry with her. I was entirely enthralled with the storyline, only putting it down when outside circumstances necessitated it. Even the ‘normal’ moments that weren’t especially climactic seemed it, simply because I was so interested in what happened to Jessica. This raw, emotional tie is incredibly difficult to pull off, and is what, in my opinion, truly makes a book great.

However, Jessica isn’t the only reason I love this book. I also attribute it to Lucius (or Luscious, as I like to call him... terrible pun). Lucius is nowhere near a perfect hero, but he is perfect for Jessica. He makes plenty of rude remarks about the American farmland Jessica’s grown up in, but she refuses to take any smack and hands it right back to him. Even from their first encounter in Jessica’s barn, you can literally feel the chemistry popping in the air when she stabs him in the foot with a pitchfork.

Seems a bit extreme? Just wait until you experience Lucius- you’ll understand then (and yes, he isn’t just a character, but an experience). Some of his lines are hilarious but others make you want to punch him in the face. But after you do that you want to snuggle with him all night long. Basically, he’s irresistible. One of the few heroes who you know you’ll still be fantasizing about months after you flip the last page.

The bad with this book? I couldn’t find any hints towards a sequel. There’s a brief epilogue story on the author’s website that I’m saving for when I’ve had a terrible day. Other than that, I’m not sure if there’s any planned continuation. The only consolation is that the author has published another novel, Jekel Loves Hyde, that I'll be picking up as soon as possible.

Grade: 5/5

Review: The Iron King

Title: The Iron King
Author: Julie Kagawa
Pages: 363

“Meghan Chase has a secret destiny- one she could never have imagined...

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan’s life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school... or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan sense that everything she’s known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth- that she is the daughter of the mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she’ll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face... and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.”

~description taken from the back of the book

I’m glad I waited for The Iron Daughter to come out before I picked up The Iron King. Not to be overdramatic, but I think I’d die of anticipation otherwise.

The Iron King is Julie Kagawa’s first novel, but it doesn’t read like it. The plot is seamless and runs at an incredibly smooth pace. It doesn’t rush at the climax like other books do (especially debuts), and there are no dragging points, even at the beginning. It’s just written really, really well. My only peeve was that Kagawa isn’t subtle with her foreshadowing. By the tenth time she’s mentioned Meghan’s iPod you already know that it’s going to be important somehow. However, this is really minor and didn’t affect my enjoyment of the novel at all.

But onto more important things like –cue drumroll- THE ROMANCE. Since The Iron King is published under Harlequin Teen, you know that there’s going to be some steamy action, even if it’s not as scandalous as what’s present in the adult imprint. Now, normally I’m a bit of a hard-ass when it comes to judging romantic interests in YA series. I’m enough of a feminist that I get infuriated when the female characters suddenly lose all semblance of a personality when they enter a relationship but I do enjoy a well thought out ‘bad boy’. The Iron King strikes a perfect balance between the two.

Ash, the winter prince described on the book jacket, is overbearing and pompous. There are certain times when I want to step in and smack him hard, or at least have Meghan do so. Yet, despite these obvious deficiencies he’s still really appealing! The problem is, so is Puck, Meghan’s friend from childhood. Although Meghan seems to have made her choice between the two bachelors, there are two books left so the decision is far from set in stone. Personally, I’m Team Puck. ;D

Overall: Make sure you have a copy of The Iron Daughter ready for when you finish this.Whether you’re reading for the faery war plot, the romance, or the desire to see Meghan develop more of her powers and kick some butt, you’ll want to have the next volume on hand.

Grade: 5/5