Review: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Fey, Book 2 (The Iron King review)

Tags: YA, fantasy, faeries, war, love triangle

Summary

Half-faery, half-human Meghan Chase made a bargain with the Unseelie prince, Ash: he helps her rescue her brother from the clutches of the evil Iron Fey, and she would go willingly to the Unseelie court. Now, Meghan is trapped in a world of ice and cold; she cannot access her magic powers; Ash has seemingly deserted her; and no one believes her about the Iron Fey.

A fatal attack in the Winter Court has Meghan and Ash running, and Summer and Winter Courts preparing for war. Meghan thought that they had defeated the Iron King—but a new threat arises that may prove to be even more dangerous than she had ever thought.

Review

Personally, THE IRON DAUGHTER didn’t capture my heart the way the first book, The Iron King, did. However, I am fairly certain that those who loved the first book will find just as much magic, romance, and adventure in this second installment of this faerie series that deserves all its good hype.

Romance fans rejoice, as THE IRON DAUGHTER revolves much around Meghan’s romantic troubles. One minute, Ash is acting as cold as his courtly title; the next, he is doing something that makes Meghan—and us—swoon. In fact, romance takes center court in this sequel, so much so that it definitely had me rolling my eyes and smacking my palm against my forehead a few times. Meghan’s narration definitely takes a turn towards the “Bella Swan melodramatic” in this book—not a big deal if you’re caught up in Ash and the story as Meghan is, but definitely a bit irritating if you notice the Bella syndromes.

What makes this book worth reading despite any of your qualms about romantic melodrama, however, is the excellent writing and worldbuilding. Julie Kagawa writes with the heart of a cinematographer: sweeping faerie scenes are described down to the icicles sparkling at the ends of tree branches, so that you feel like you’re in Meghan’s faery world with all of your senses. Reading Julie’s books is an incredible sensory experience that adds an extra level to the popular appeal of the love triangle, faery setting, and rollicking adventure pacing.

THE IRON DAUGHTER will leave fans of the series happy, and even if I wasn’t completely enamored with the book, I am still looking forward to what adventures these beloved characters will have to face in the showdown that is to come in the next Iron Fey book.

Writing: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
Plot: 3/5

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5


Cover discussion: 3.5 out of 5 - I know there's little movement and it's all so very posed and heavily edited... but it's just so pretty... I can't stop staring at it... and petting it...

Harlequin TEEN / Aug. 1, 2010 / Paperback / 304pp. / $9.99

Copy... bought? Sent by a publicist? I forget. Gah. Sorry. Silly brain.

Review: The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Tags: YA, paranormal, suspense, serial killer

Summary

Her whole life, Violet has been able to see what she calls “echoes”: psychic residues imprinted on dead creatures and their killers. Normally she only stumbles across dead animals, but then she is drawn to the bodies of dead girls, and she realizes that there is a serial killer among their community. Teenage girls are disappearing and dying at a horrifying rate, and only Violet, also juggling strange new feelings for her best friend Jay, has the ability to find the killer…even if it means putting herself in great danger.

Review

THE BODY FINDER is a frightening and disturbing debut YA novel—and I use those adjectives in the best sense. The plot is fresh, the romance butterflies-inducing, and—despite its flaws—it’ll be hard to get this book out of your head.

THE BODY FINDER’s unique and suspenseful plot is the driving force behind this book. In between third-person narration that follows Violet around, we get flashes into the killer’s mind, which will make the hair on your arms stand on end—until you realize that the watcher (Violet) has also become the watched, and then you’ll be clutching your blanket in raw fright. The paranormal element is unobtrusive enough to still keep the setting firmly planted in our world, which only adds to the suspense.

Violet and Jay are a delightful pair of main characters. Individually they’re unfortunately not especially stellar: the narration felt curiously distant from Violet, despite her being the protagonist, and she seems like a real wallflower character (not just in her world, but also in the YA genre), not really doing much until external circumstances force her to change. Together, however, their connection is strong, well developed, and believable. It’s rather sad that a YA romance that does not involve insta-lust or a perfect boy chasing after the girl is rare enough to make me sit up and nod my head vigorously in approval, but that’s the truth of the matter. Violet and Jay have definite chemistry going on, and it was a delight to read about them discovering their growing feelings for one another.

So Violet is a little too passive, and secondary characters unfortunately too flat and unbelievable, for me to lose my heart to this book. But if, for whatever reason, you want a book that will raise goosebumps on your skin, check out THE BODY FINDER. It’s a taut thriller with a great romantic sideplot.

Similar Authors
Annette Curtis Klause
Anne Spollen
Vivian Vande Velde

Writing: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Plot: 3/5

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5


Cover discussion: 2 out of 5 - Ehh, I'm not that impressed, unfortunately. They aren't how I pictured the echoes, and if they aren't that, then they just look like moody imitations of the Twilight-esque dark paranormal cover to me.

HarperTeen / March 16, 2010 / Hardcover / 329pp. / $16.99

Out in paperback in February 2011!

Copy borrowed from library.

Waiting on Wednesday (97): The Sequel Edition

There are so many sequels I'm anticipating that I think it's better off if I just put them all here, in one WoW post!

All summaries from Goodreads. And, uh, I suppose you might not want to read them if you haven't read the first books yet:

We'll Always Have Summer (Summer, Book 3) by Jenny Han

It's been two years since Conrad told Belly to go with Jeremiah. She and Jeremiah have been inseparable ever since, even attending the same college-- only, their relationship hasn't exactly been the happily ever after Belly had hoped it would be. And when Jeremiah makes the worst mistake a boy can make, Belly is forced to question what she thought was true love. Does she really have a future with Jeremiah? Has she ever gotten over Conrad? It's time for Belly to decide, once and for all, who has her heart forever.

The love triangle between Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah is to die for. Seriously. It is incredibly well written and I have no idea how it'll all turn out, since I love both boys. Can a happy ending exist for all three beloved characters? We'll find out soon enough!

We'll Always Have Summer will be published in hardcover by Simon & Schuster on April 26, 2011.

Eona: The Last Dragoneye by Alison Goodman

Eon has been revealed as Eona, the first female Dragoneye in hundreds of years. Along with fellow rebels Ryko and Lady Dela, she is on the run from High Lord Sethon's army. The renegades are on a quest for the black folio, stolen by the drug-riddled Dillon; they must also find Kygo, the young Pearl Emperor, who needs Eona's power and the black folio if he is to wrest back his throne from the selfstyled "Emperor" Sethon. Through it all, Eona must come to terms with her new Dragoneye identity and power--and learn to bear the anguish of the ten dragons whose Dragoneyes were murdered. As they focus their power through her, she becomes a dangerous conduit for their plans. . . .

Eona, with its pulse-pounding drama and romance, its unforgettable fight scenes, and its surprises, is the conclusion to an epic only Alison Goodman could create.

The first book, Eon, bowled me over, first with how incredible a world Alison Goodman had built, and then by how much it reminds me of timeless fantasy classics written by greats such as Robin McKinley, Gail Carson Levine, Tamora Pierce, and Sherwood Smith. If any of those authors appealed to you, then get thee a copy of the first book immediately!

Eona will be published in hardcover from Viking Juvenile on April 19, 2011.

Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready

Aura’s life is anything but easy. Her boyfriend, Logan, died, and his slides between ghost and shade have left her reeling. Aura knows he needs her now more than ever. She loves Logan, but she can’t deny her connection with the totally supportive, totally gorgeous Zachary. And she’s not sure that she wants to.

Logan and Zachary will fight to be the one by her side, but Aura needs them both to uncover the mystery of her past—the mystery of the Shift.

As Aura’s search uncovers new truths, she must decide whom to trust with her secrets…and her heart.

Well, that synopsis made the series sound like another ditzy little ditty in the paranormal romance department... but Shift is so much more than that. Beautifully strong characterization and world-building--how does Jeri do it?--will lead you an ardent fan of her writing. Maybe the publishing gods will be kind and gift me with an ARC somehow, somewhere...?

Shift will be published in hardcover from Simon Pulse on May 3, 2011.

Review: Castration Celebration by Jake Wizner

Tags: YA, summer camp, musicals, humor, sex

Summary

After catching her father cheating on her mother, Olivia has sworn off the male population. She intends to write a musical at Yale’s summer arts camp titled Castration Celebration. Too bad Max comes along, and he’s a ladies’ man who knows exactly what to say, which buttons to press…and he wants Olivia. Can this unlikely twosome, with the help of their mutual friends, make it?

Review

I am still giggling and shaking my head weeks after reading this book. CASTRATION CELEBRATION is bawdy and offensive if it’s not your kind of book. Luckily, I enjoyed every minute of it.

In CASTRATION CELEBRATION, witty sexual innuendo is the name of the game. The characters’ repartee is so fast that if you don’t watch out, it might give you whiplash. Flirtatious teasing and suggestive comments fly back and forth, almost without stop. Even when Olivia and Max weren’t flirting, the characters’ dialogue was just so entertaining. They speak the way I always wanted to but was never brave or clever enough to do back in high school.

Some of the supporting characters are admittedly stereotypical “supportive friend” types, and sometimes I can even see that Olivia and Max are not all that well-rounded. However, they were just so successful at being entertaining that I didn’t even mind. I think that their role isn’t necessarily to be understood, but rather to entertain without resorting to tasteless, over-the-top antics, and they succeed.

CASTRATION CELEBRATION is not for everyone, but if you enjoy the occasional dollop of teenage boy humor, then this will make for an uproarious read.

Writing: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Plot: 4/5

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5


Cover discussion: 4 out of 5 - This cover is ridiculous. It very obviously plays on the over-the-top peppy nature of successes such as High School Musical... and then there's CASTRATION written in huge letters. lol.

Random House / May 25, 2010 / Paperback (reprint) / 304pp. / $8.99

Personal copy.