In My Mailbox (59)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme inspired by Alea and hosted by Kristi. Check out Kristi's post to see what others got this week!

For review:
The Charlatan's Boy by Jonathan Rogers
Kindred by Tammar Stein
The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge
The Hunt of the Unicorn by C. C. Humphreys
Tortall and Other Lands by Tamora Pierce
My Life, the Theater, and Other Tragedies by Allen Zadoff
Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Thank you, Random House and EgmontUSA!

From Doylestown Bookshop's Advanced Readers Program:
My Not-So-Still Life by Liz Gallagher
Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton

Gifted:
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan

It was my birthday this weekend and my brother bought me these as a surprise gift! And then my other brother got me an Amazon gift card! Yayyyy.

Bought:
The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

Swapped:
Sugar and Ice by Kate Messner
The Kommandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff
The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf
Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
The Trouble With Kings by Sherwood Smith
Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann
Kiss of Life by Daniel Waters
Passing Strange by Daniel Waters
Demon Angel by Meljean Brook
The Snow Queen by Mercedes Lackey
Visions of Heat by Nalini Singh
Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch

Review: The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

Tags: steampunk, Victorian era, romance

Summary

In alternate-world Europe, the mysterious Iron Duke, Rhys Trahaearn, freed England from the Horde’s centuries-long control. In the nine years since the monumental event, times have changed, but very much for Inspector Mina Wentworth, whose Horde blood makes her life difficult.

When Mina’s latest case throws her and the Iron Duke together, they discover a plan that will be deadly to most of the British population, and are forced to cooperate with each other as they journey through Europe to stop the conspirators before it’s too late. Further complications ensue, however, when they cannot fight their attraction to one another…

Review

Oh my gosh. I am head over heels for this book. Besides for being a hot and lingering read, THE IRON DUKE is also a stellar example of steampunk worldbuilding, and is a book that I know I will be returning to for years to come.

THE IRON DUKE is without a doubt the most well written steampunk novel that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. This is steampunk at its finest: an alternate-history England where man and machine cannot live without the other, where Meljean Brook unfolds scene after scene, detail after detail so elegantly one begins to wonder how this world could NOT exist.

Rhys and Mina are a pretty standard romance coupling, particularly Rhys as the dark, damaged, and very male love interest, but it is Mina who steals the show. Mina’s physical differences from most other Londoners ensured that she grew up quickly and does not easily trust people. Her outsider status, even among the people she’s lived with her whole life, captured my sympathies, and I was rooting hard for her the entire time to finally find acceptance and happiness.

THE IRON DUKE does not belong in the genre of books that I usually review, and as a result it’s hard for me to talk about why it’s so good. But mark my very inadequate words: if you like romance, and if you like steampunk, then you can’t get much better than this first book in Meljean Brook’s fascinating new series. I am so buying the next book as soon as it comes out.

Similar Authors
Nalini Singh

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

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5


Cover discussion: I like the color scheme and the steampunk details. But the guy is a guy, and honestly, he reminds me slightly of a vampire rather than what I imagined Rhys looked like.

Berkley Trade / Oct. 5, 2010 / Paperback / 384pp. / $15.00

Personal copy, yeeeeeehawwwww!

Review: The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal

Tags: middle grade, YA, fantasy, magic, political conspiracy

Summary

Princess Nalia gets the worst sixteenth-birthday surprise ever when it is revealed that she is not the real princess, but a commoner decoy for the real princess, placed in the castle because of a prophecy that foretold of the danger befalling the princess before her sixteenth birthday. Stripped of everything she has ever known, including her name and her best friend Kiernan, the girl now called Sinda tries to adjust to her new commoner life with her aunt, who is not at all happy about her new relative.

When the emergence of a long repressed magic within her forces Sinda to return to the royal city, she stumbles upon a dark conspiracy behind the throne that only she can stop. With Kiernan’s help, Sinda undergoes dangerous journeys and evades the hands of powerful enemies in order to save her country’s future.

Review

Reading the jacket synopsis, I thought this book was going to be yet another “princess finds out she’s not the real princess and attempts to make a new life for herself” tale. Happily, however, THE FALSE PRINCESS is all that, and more. It is an engaging light fantasy that will charm you no matter how well read you think you are in this genre.

Past the first chapter, the plot of THE FALSE PRINCESS moves at an entertainingly brisk pace, as it follows Sinda into the country, back into the city, and in and out of nervewracking situations. The time that Sinda spends with her aunt feels a little forced, her attempt to fit into her new life glossed over, but this makes sense when you consider that the most exciting part of the book occurs when Sinda returns to the city and discovers the conspiracy.

THE FALSE PRINCESS is at its core a fairly standard “quest” tale, but contains so much spunk and personality from its characters that it transcends the trope and makes it appealing to even readers who don’t usually read fantasy, readers who prefer character-driven novels. Sinda changes from a timid royal into an initiative-taking heroine, a brave girl who takes on tasks even knowing that the odds are stacked against her. Kiernan is a wonderful supporting character, utterly dedicated to Sinda, with a playfulness that offsets the darker tones of Sinda’s quest.

THE FALSE PRINCESS is a friendly fantasy read that would be a perfect gift for younger readers who’ve enjoyed the works of Gail Carson Levine, Diana Wynne Jones, and Margaret Peterson Haddix’s fantasy novels. It’s definitely a cut above other light fantasies I’ve read recently, and I would definitely recommend it to a readers looking for exactly that!

Similar Authors
Gail Carson Levine
Margaret Peterson Haddix (Palace of Mirrors)
Mercedes Lackey

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

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5


Cover discussion: 2.5 out of 5 - It totally doesn't capture Sinda's spark of life, but I do like it slightly better than the original image. This cover will possibly appeal more to older teens.

EgmontUSA / Jan. 25, 2011 / Hardcover / 336pp. / $16.99

Sent by publisher after accepting review pitch. Thank you, Jenny and Regina!

Waiting on Wednesday (101)

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.

Elisa is the chosen one.

But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can’t see how she ever will.

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he’s not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Most of the chosen do. [summary from Goodreads]

I'll let you in on a secret: I've been eagerly looking forward to this book ever since I read the synopsis. Fortunately, its cover was recently released, and now I can officially WoW it! Or more like... wowwww it.  Politics and danger and romance and rebellion and courtly life. It sounds epic. I can't wait.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns will be published in hardcover by HarperCollins on Sept. 20, 2011.