Divine Inspiration

This book was a random selection, however I can honestly say my estimation of it went up when I discovered that the nail polish on the toenails on the cover is actually available for purchase. Excellent marketing. I confess aesthetically the cover is great. The glut of supernatural novels that have the black background with a brightly colored significant object, all based off the original covers on Stephanie Meyer's novels gets monotonous after a while. I confess the tulle is an interesting touch, and a worthy variation of the now standard YA book cover. Looking at the cover of the second book in the series The Lost Soul however they seem to be following the color scheme of the Beautiful books, Beautiful Creatures was black and purple and Beautiful Darkness aqua like The Lost Soul. Just an interesting is entirely erroneous observation.

Okay enough blabbering, the book. Supernatural of course but with an interesting metaphysical twist (I was going to tag it as something but it really isn't religious or truly metaphysical). The main character, Grace Divine is a minister's daughter and part of a close knit, extremely conservative, almost sickeningly do-gooder family. THey love thy neighbor to the point that it actually hurts them. We get a good look at what it means to be part of a Minnesota religious community (you work your ass off all the time) for much of the book, with the action flowing in and out of trips to soup kitchens, goodwill clothing collections, Bible study, and endless potluck suppers. Daniel Kalbi is one of the unfortunates the Divine's have taken in, adopting him after he is abused by their neighbors. He has returned after many years, and there is still a dark secret surrounding his departure. Grace begins to fall for him, despite everyones warnings to the contrary and the bodies of humans and animals that keep turing up. 

The story is well constructed and the mystery of what really happened between daniel and her brother Jude keeps Grace interesting. The romance is slow to reach fruition and reminiscent of Twilight, with similar results, but Daniel is much more interesting because he is a bad boy. If you can weed your way through some of the squeaky clean hypocrisy and cliches its not a bad read. Bree Despain shows promise, hopefully in the future she'll turn her hand to something more unique, because I think then she'll really shine. 

Glass Half Empty

No 3-D book image this time, sorry to disappoint. I knew you'd get over it. So as predicted (Ash Hole) moving from NYC to Alicante, the title city of glass was not the best thing that could happen to CLary and her band of merry Shadowhunters. We're not in Brooklyn anymore Toto. Valentine is heading for the sacred homeland of the Nephilim to get the last of the Mortal Instruments, the mirror. THe powers that be don't believe he can breach the demon-repelling glass towers, The Lightwoods and Jace go to try and convince them otherwise. Clary of course tags along, despite just about everyone objecting.

The whole book reads like a dark fairy tale, what was once a fresh, modern take on a fantasy tale turns sickly sweet and looses its edge when put into a setting reminiscent of Sleeping Beauty or Little Red Ridinghood. Learning the mores and landscape of the new location takes up too much time, and it often turns into a reminiscence of the good old days before Valentine got all crazy.

The book does answer a lot of questions, not all but many and the major story line is resolved. I think I would have liked the book better if it was an actual conclusion to the story. It has all the elements, the bad guy vanquished, the imprisoned mother returned, brother and sister no longer brother and sister so they can get freaky without us getting sick... but there is still three books to go in the series. Clare has introduced the read Jonathan, Clary's evil brother who has taken over world domination as a career path following Valentine's death but you have to wonder if Clare is getting ready to jump the shark. 

We loose a few friends other than Valentine, and some of the deaths are devastating. We also get to find out some relevant history, particularly in terms of the Circle. It looks like Luke may stop being pathetic and actually get laid after 20+ years as an errand boy/werewolf (really his and Jocelyn's relations ship is Luke and Lorelai's friendship from Gilmore Girls with less coffee and more wolf, he even has the flannel shirt). I honestly can't say where this is going next, but the City of Fallen Angels is coming out in April, and I really do hope we go back to the real world, the books were just better there.

Ash Hole

I got so excited about the three dimensional photographs on Cassandra Clare's site that I went back for another one. So much depth. The book...well I'll let you determine that yourself. The pace is good and you certainly will have plenty of action to keep up with. Clary is still reeling after the revelation that her lust bunny Jace is also her brother. Pause for appropriate gagging noise here. Now obviously there is a certain ick factor involved, whether incest is best or not. However when C.S. Harris did the same thing with Sebastian St. Cyr and Kat Boleyn  in Why Mermaids Sing it wasn't quite so gross despite the fact that they'd been lovers for a decade. Jace and Clary share a few chaste kisses and it seems 100x worse. Two possible explanations, one they're kids really and it seems somehow more obscene, secondly Clare feels the need to sort of continuously rub our noses in it, the elephant is not just in the room, its stampeding nonstop.

If I had to give one reason, and one reason only why I came back to these books it would be Magnus Bane. read the books and you'll understand why. He's an 800 year-old warlock who dresses like Joseph in his amazing technicolor dreamcoat with spiked, glittery blue hair and a wicked sense of humor. He pops in and out playing the role of gay lover, helpful magical resource, frat boy, jailer, High Warlock of Brooklyn, and relief from teenage angst. Simon also actually gets interesting in this one, in a big way. He and Clary give love a chance, but you know that ain't going to end well. His story changes the whole dynamic of the story.

Clary is starting to learn more about her new life as a Shadowhunter and her abilities though the number of unanswered  questions still mounts. This story reads like a love story to the city, exploring the uniqueness of Manhattan and its environs. We also get a taste of the other Downworlder factions, werewolves, vampires, and faeries in this book which gives up more insight into some of the secondary characters like Luke. Valentine is as badass and crazy as ever, though her seems crueler and for less pragmatic than he was in the first book.

I think overall this one will be the pick of the litter, I see in the third book they'll be heading to the mythical city of Alicante, and I think the removal from New York will loose some of what gives these books heart, they're about the mean streets. Also the play of characters and unfolding of the story was well paced, lightening I'm not convinced will strike twice. Unsurpassed for drama, big explosions, shocking turns, and glittery makeup.

No Bones About It

Very dramatic picture, eh? Its three dimensional which you don't get a lot here at Headcase, Bookcase. Don't get used to it. So I bit and tried to go modern with Cassandra Clare. Predictably I didn't like it as well, and surprisingly I don't think it was because I went into it with a bad attitude. First I didn't think the characters were as finely drawn or nearly as interesting as Clockwork Angel, the roles are essentially the same with a few more stereotypes thrown in. Secondly the author attempts to weave several subplots, which we know will eventually make sense, but in reality just frustrate us. Third, I understand the idea of one big happy family tied by their love of demon fighting, but honestly she pushes the envelope a bit much.

Quick rundown of characters: Clary (Clarissa, I know all I can think of is that old show Clarissa Explains It All where the best friend climbs in the window) artistic, lonely teenager, different but she doesn't know why, raised by a single mom Jocelyn (who disappears) and her mother's lovelorn friend Luke (a werewolf unbeknownst to her). Jace, misunderstood hunk of a Nephilim she sees killing a demon at an underground club

and his merry band of Shadowhunter "family" including his fighting partner Alec (a closeted gay in love with Jace) and Alec's knockout younger sister Isabelle. This group of kids is essentially on their own wandering the streets of New York except for Hodge their cursed tutor who can't go outside.

The questions abound, where is Clary's mom? Is Clary really a Shadowhunter? Why did her mom leave the group? What's up with the gypsy lady downstairs? WHy can't she remmber anything about this weird group of people? There's also a mundane (regular peeps, like Muggles) best friend Simon who harbors a secret crush on Clary. Undoubtedly my favorite part of the book is where Simon drinks a blue drink at a warlock party to impress Isabelle and turns into a rat. Nonstop entertainment. The book has a few moments where it comes together, the city of bones that the story takes its name from and the mysterious city of the dead it represents is a gothic delight and the Silent Brothers, sightless, silent but brilliant, monks who are healers will give you chills. Unfortunately the plot doesn't always pull through, sometimes Clare is more caught up with taling about the cool stuff Clary is discovering to get to the point and get on with the story, a trap Libba Bray often fell into when her heroines went into their alternate world. As exciting as otherness can be, what makes stories interesting is reality, how the characters learn to deal with the other things in addition to the lives they already lead. WIth varying degrees of success of course

You will undoubtedly figure out the crux of the plot long before the author gets to the point, and it will leave you scratching your head and possibly grossed out for a while. The series is projected to have six books, which seems like a lot, and Clare will definitely have to pull some new tricks to get her readers through. We'll just have to wait and see.

Like Clockwork

This was another book I waited way too long for at the library. I think it came out last summer then I saw it a Boarders and requested it. Next week is March so you do the math. Unlike the debacle with Straight Up I think this one was actually worth the wait. If you're familiar with the steampunk genre this definantely qualifies, picture a whole bunch of Artemis Gordons running around with swords battling the forces of darkness and you have it about right. This is the first of a trilogyof books that proceeds Cassandra Clare's bestselling Mortal Instruments...wait what do you call a series of six books. A sexolgy? Now I've never read them, actually I've never even heard of them so I have no basis for comparison.

The concept is fun, a girl crosses the Atlantic to join her older brother in England. The representatives who meet her ship claiming to be from her brother kidnap her and hold her hostage, forcing her to discover that she has the ability to turn into other people. THey keep her subdued by threatening his life. She is told that because of her special talent she is promised in marriage to the Magister, a dark leader of Downworlders, the vampires, werewolves, warlocks, etc. You know the type.

Only when a Shadowhunter, one of the descendants of Angels sworn to protect humans against Downworlders stumbles across her by accident does she escape and begin to learn more about the strange realities of the world. 

I think if you're going to try and get published in the young adult genre today you have to have some kind of supernatural angle. I can think of very few examples, whether historical fiction or not that don't (think of Libba Bray and her Gemma Doyle trilogy starting with A Great and Terrible Beauty). Meg Cabot(though her Mediator series of YA and her new series for adults starting with Insatiable are supernatural), Ally Carter who deals with the more spy genre, Gossip Girl, Anna Godbersen, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, but face it you have to have at least one vampire wandering around to satisfy readers. Clockwork Angel doesn't disappoint on this count, giving a fascinating history to the race of Nephilim, or Shadowhunter, the descendents of angels. She tells a good yard, one that keeps you constantly straining to go deeper and learn more, revealed layer by layer it makes for excellent reading.

Her characters are also finely drawn and engaging. The trio at the center of the story, Tessa our heroine and the two Nephilim who save her, Will and Jem are all endearing characters. Tessa despite her magical ability to transform is still very much practically grounded in the real world, willing to sacrifice life and limb to save her douchebag of a brother. Will is the Byronic hero, constantly angry and wounded. He uses people and things like Kleenex as if trying to prove something existential about life. THough the majority of his life is a secret, Tessa of course seems determined to melt away his icy facade. Jem is the obligatory consumptive of the VIctorian era, an addict to demon poison (think opium addict) it is slowly killing him, and he tries to prove himself as much as he can before the inevitable. He's the Jacob Black of this story, falling hopelessly for Tessa, who though attracted to him is much more of a mother hen. THe secondary characters are no less interesting, CHarlotte and Henry the disfunctional leaders of the Nephilim who are young, inexperienced, and eccentric caretakers as well as Jessamine the airhead with a heart of gold and parasol of steel. 

Its a good lead in to a series, though surprisingly little has been revealed. Character development is certainly a premium for Clare, and it works because so much of the books reads as internal monologue. There is enough violence to keep our dark hearts satisfied and a minimum of romance to keep me from gagging. I'll confess I liked it a lot, perhaps enough to try for the sequels in the mortal Instruments series, even though I never find modern life as exciting as the past.

Heroic Efforts

So I had intended to leave off from delving back into the Greek myth that never ends for a while, I've got a backlog of grownup books waiting for me at home. As you remember if you've been listening to my grousing, I like Riordan's work, but I've got to be in the right frame of mind to trip the light fantastic. I was resolved until I happened to be left at work without a book to read and when I wandered to the Reading classroom next door there it was on the end of a shelf. And I thought, why the hell not, its a Friday, the kids are taking a quiz, lets do this.

In retrospect, a very good way to spend a Friday afternoon. When my Reading teacher friend and I had discussed the fact that I was stuck on The Red Pyramid and its dual narrators and more grown up humor she told me I'd like The Lost Hero. Which I did, Riordan entertains many favorite Greek myths that somehow eluded him in the Percy Jackson series, and brings in a few more unexpected ones.

The plot lines are more complex than some of the other stories, but in this case they weave together quite well and nothing seems random or misplaced. The hefty ~500 pages leave plenty of room to ensure everything gets its due. The continuation of the Percy Jackson series isn't overpowering, and we are treated to a whole other side of our old favorites, and Percy's absence does make my heart grow fonder of our old friend. The three way narrative is certainly a departure, and is different from the back and forth bickering tone of The Red Pyramid. The three narrators Jason, Piper, and Leo are very different from one another both in personal history and motivation. They often forge their on paths, making the book sometimes seem like a personal story for each of them. The fact that Jason is wracked with amnesia and both Piper and Leo have memories altered by the mist only adds to the confusion at points. Riordan is certainly more guarded, less inclined to give away major plot points, keeping his secrets until the bitter end.

The question of Greek versus Roman interpretations of polytheism has long been something readers demanded from Riordan, and he finally starts to satisfy in The Lost Hero, in fact the big revel at its end is that there is a Roman Camp Half-Blood out near San Francisco and Jason is its equivalent of Percy Jackson. Not a whole lot is actually said about differences between greek and Roman views of the gods, other than that the Romans saw their gods as more violent and warlike. Riordan does take the chance however to explore some of the less prominent gods and goddesses in this book making Piper a daughter of Aphrodite, who is something more than superficial and Leo a son of Hephestus with brains as well as brawn. All in all this book is just deeper, I think often in the Percy Jackson books he had to hold back on description for the sake of brevity to meet the appropriate length for adolescent readers. Considering the man is pretty much set for life he can write as much as he damn well pleases now, and his writing has improved as a result of it.

Battle Stations

The Greek myths are getting hardcore now. I admit, I've been severely sucked in, now I have to find out hat happens. Too much, it turns out, at least in terms of book 4 in the series. The pace is a little hectic, actually a lot like Forrest Gump, running one minute and well...slow the next. If you can make it through those slow patches however I think you'll find it satisfying overall.

 A good question to start off with is why no one noticed the entrance to the famed labyrinth before now (then again why did no once pick up on Luke's sociopathic tendencies before he stole Zeus's Master Bolt in the first book is another good question). The concept of the labyrinth is a good one, it seems to give the plot a crux which Riordan sometimes seems to loose as he attempts to touch on every Greek myth out there but it does fall apart at times. His red herrings are exceptional, which personally masks the meandering, I love me a good red herring.

A number of things we've been waiting for finally happen in this book, Grover's achievement of his lifelong dream, Nico's peace with his sister's death, Percy and Annabeth macking it, teenagers flying without the use of narcotics of excessive speed, a good old fashioned catfight, and someone tearing apart the ugly cabins at Camp half-Blood. the whole book is like a drawn bowstring, you keep waiting for the shot, for the other shoe to drop but you don't really get quite that far yet.

In Harry Potter (call me an ass but clearly in terms of plot it is no longer even worth ignoring the parallels) the sixth book was about the preparation for and eventual occurrence of Dumbledore's death. In Percy's case however his battle at camp doesn't have those kind of catastrophic consequences, instead we see him learning to lean more on others, versus good old Harry's solitude solution to problems. I'm still drawn in enough to want to finish the series, though I'm fairly certain that The Last Olympian will just be several hundred pages of battle sequences, but it is undeniable that to see how Riordan plays it will be intriguing.

If I had to pick the most encouraging things that book 4 threw at us readers it came down to Calypso and Luke being possessed. The story of Calypso is of course an oldie but a goodie from Greek mythology but the angst the Percy undergoes as a result of it, the temptation to just take the very easy road is an interesting one. Percy grows up immeasurably in this book, and he is progressively becoming an extremely interesting character with more layers than an onion. That and hen he kisses the ladies he can make volcanos explode, don't even try to deny that you were impressed by that. Then there's Luke, handsome, once lovable Luke that we can't seem to get rid of, regardless how hard we try. Oh wait, I almost forgot...we finally did he is now just a husk being inhabited by the evil Titan lord Kronos. Possession is always cool, an even though you may feel a twinge of regret that this jaded, angry boy has been taken advantage of, face it him being possessed is still extremely cool, I dare say way cooler than the sixteen-year-old-Voldemort-hiding-in-a-diary plot any day. 

Pure Titan-ium

I was a bit down on poor Rick Riordan and the dauntless Percy Jackson when I posted on The Sea of Monsters, and I'm fairly certain that its very poor etiquette to speak of a new book while bloging about another. The Titan's Curse pulled me back in somewhat, mainly because the characters were interesting and the pace made much more sense. I can't help but confirm that the Harry Potter conundrum has resurfaced however. Annabeth has disappeared in this tome, and you will recall that Grover was missing in the last one. Remind you at all of how Hermione and Ron both had their moments of solo glory in Harry Potter. I thought so. On the bright side it does bring the scintillating possibility of Percy and Annabeth engaging in some Olympian lovin' if she declines the invitation to the immortal lesbian hangout that is the Hunters of Artemis.

Riordan does a deft job of bringing in at least half a dozen story-lines in this book which while still unclear will certainly have a huge impact on what is to come in the future of Camp half-Blood. Straying from the familiar pattern to weave in new elements is always risky, however he has the talent as a writer to tackle it. The Titan's Curse is also much darker, forcing the issue of death, especially the death of the young into focus. Its well handled, and his deference to the importance of loyalty, even after death makes a nice moral grandstand.

The humor is always enjoyable in Riordan's writing, and he take multiple opportunities to bring new major gods and goddesses into the ray, always with a humorous flair. The approach of the final showdown between Percy and his comrades with Luke and Kronos weigh heavily at the book's conclusion, however the narrative arc give a satisfying conclusion for now. On the downside a few elements do leave the reader unsatisfied, even slightly confused. THe biggest disappointment character-wise was the introduction of Dr. Chase, Annabeth's father who is oft mentioned, but is seriously flat and goofy as a character when he actually shows up. Bianca has the makings of a good character, however her brief journey through may also leave you feeling short changed. Finally, the title. Now I know author's seldom have a say in what the title is, and more often are unsatisfied. However they usually make sense, even if they aren't very good. I actually had to sit and think about what the title really meant at one point. It is mentioned (I went back and looked) but its so brief, and so tangled up in the fray at the books epic conclusion, you'll probably miss it. Hint: What did Chicken Little say?

Tower of Power

I was excited to move on to the next book in this series, and I have to say I enjoyed it better than the first. The pacing was better, the mystery well developed and interesting, and the characters evolved in a way that made you really relate to them. The one element that was lost from the first book was that fascinating element of our heroine Mary Quinn's Cantonese ancestry. 

The premise of the story, that Mary is going undercover as a twelve year old boy, Mark, is as old as the hills. However it remain irresistible, at least to me. I love a good cross-dressing story, from Yentyl on up. THe reversal of gender roles between Mary and her on-and-off beau James Easton also definitely turned the tales. James just returned from India has contracted malaria and is now weak and has to rely on Mary, a weak defenseless female. THe love story is satisfying without taking over the crux of the story. In a way its almost disappointing that Y. S. Lee has only planned on writing a trilogy because I feel like The Agency could have a longevity that keeps it fresh and interesting .

Bloody Short

Novellas are an anomily in the world of literature, they just don't seem to fit anywhere. To be honest I think it might be generous to call the laterst Blue Bloods "book" (as the author terms it) from Melissa de la Cruz even a novella. I've read longer short stories. The Blue Bloods series is strange (and not just because of the vampires) because I always really enjoy reading the stories while I'm reading them and then once I finish I can't really remember what they're about. They're fluff, but usually fluff doesn't slide away so quickly. Regardless this particular novella was straightforward enough that anyone with even a passing knowledge of the series and its characters.

The first vignette featuring the long suffering Oliver, best friend and long unrequited lover of the series heroine Schuyler is a little random. I felt a bit cheated because it was clearly a thinly veiled promotion for her new series coming out next summer The Witches of East End. Secondly after suffering through Oliver's angst for half  a dozen books now it was more than a tad unbelievable that he would be cured of his tortured affliction with magic scrambled eggs and sex with a witch. Just Saying.

The second story deals with the mysterious Allegra, Schuyler's archangel mother recently risen from her self imposed coma. There are a lot of unanswered questions in the series about her and her relationship with Schuyler's father. THis story actually raises more questions than it answers, sure we see a young, stereotypical love story emerge. We see that Allegra's twin/soulmate Charles is a creepy weirdo, and a premonition is thrown in for good measure but overall I'm not really sure what the point of this one was.

THe third of the stories was clearly the one fans were waiting for, the illicit bonding of our Blue Bloods Romeo and Juliet. It was sappy, far fetched, and over the top, precisely what you would expect. It certainly cemented that this was much more about the love than the fangs. The results of this no-no bonding (see: eternal wedding) will be much more interesting. I guess I'll have to wait for the next books and hope at least a few heads roll.

A Ring-A Ding-Ding, London Calling

I read Tangerine, Edward Bloor's breakout, award-winning novel when I was in middle school, right after it came out in 1999. It was the librarian's selection for our middle school book club ( we had also read the young Harry Potter in book club, just before it became huge). It wasn't a book I would have picked up on my own and after twelve years I still remember it as being surreal, like a story set in a Salvador Dali painting. It was a good book but in my memory I can't keep the weirdness straight.

I haven't checked in with Bloor since, though a quick database search  on my local library website shows he has published four or five books since Tangerine. I was browsing the YA section of the Pawtucket library, and grabbed this book both based on the clever cover and the author's name before being pulled into an excruciating conversation about graphic novels with the YA librarian. I'm sorry, I appreciate the effort and time people put into them, but as far as I'm concerned, they're still comic books, which I have zero interest in reading.

That being said it was a phenomenal choice, by far the best book I've read this year. Unfortunately I somehow forgot to post on it when I read it, so it's posted slightly out of reading order if you look at the list. Its a time travel story, however time travel is rare in the narrative. The focus is on  the journey that the main character Martin takes. His discovery of what really matters to him in life, his journey towards fulfilling his own spirituality, and his acceptance of the order of things, including the reality of his own family. His story is one of the most real views of family I've ever seen, in YA or adult fiction. Some might argue that it is too adult a portrayal for a YA novel, and the whole story is very adult in both its plot an themes.

Death is a prominent feature, some of it very violent. The repercussions of this, both in this world and the next are also called into question. I like the message of the story, that there is moral gray areas in life, however at the end all humans have to answer one question, what did you do to help? In its ideology it reminded me a lot of Agnes of God, where a lot of questions are asked, but many left unanswered. This is a criticism of a lot of reviewers, but unfortunately I can't count that among the faults. Spirituality is a messy business, which Martin admits, however he like all of us does his best. Its basic Catholicness appeals to me, the idea of doing your first nine Fridays, not because you necessarily believe it will help, but because it comforts you. Saying a prayer for someone's immortal soul, because after death its the only way to continue to show your love. London Calling isn't a happy story, then again any story can be happy. Its a real story about ordinary people living their lives, whether now or in the past. The time travel is just a vehicle to show us that. 

Under The Sea of Monsters

All right I admit it, I've bought in, at least partially, to the Percy Jackson cult. I still am looking forward to The Throne of Fire, the second book in the Kane Chronicles trilogy, more, but I've at least partially bought in. 

The son of the sea god literally goes to sea in this book, and the adventures are far more in the fantasy realm than the fringes of reality we saw in The Lightening Thief, but the fast pace and verbal zingers continue. As in the first book there is a double edged quest, save Grover the lost satyr/bestie of Percy and retrieve the Golden Fleece to save the dying tree which controls the fate of beloved Camp Half-Blood, his only true home. Oh did I mention Percy also gets a Maury Povich-like reunion with his half brother Tyson, who happens to be a Cyclops? And why not, single eyes have been chic since pirates started wearing eye patches. 

This book definitely delves in to the psyche more with out wounded demigods with lingering parent issues, understandable with Percy now saddled with a slow monster that loves ponies for a brother (face it, throw in a desire to buy underwear at K-mart and an awkward kiss with Annabeth in an elevator and you have a teenage remake of Rainman). Annabeth herself has a disquieting brush with bondage tied to the mast of a ship and the island of the Sirens, where she pathologically is fantasizing about lunch with her parents and the favorite hunky villain Luke. The best part of The Sea of Monsters comes from the big reveal at the end of the rebirth of Thalia, daughter of Zeus. Not only is she the possible other option to fulfill the prophcy Percy is dreading, but Annabeth's hints about how close Thalia and Percy are in personality, and how their could be real friends. The Harry Potter parallels continue to avalanche in, but unlike some others on the criticism circuit I can't fault Riordan for that. There are a few classic forms for stories, don't fix what ain't broke.

A Visit To The Agency

The Agency: A Spy In The House is an interesting book for a couple of reasons. First I think it explores a cultural niche not often referenced in Victorian, or most literature, the Asian subculture. Mary Lang Quinn, the heroine of the novel is the daughter of an Irish woman and a Cantonese sailor. Her appearance and the roots of the culture are often the topic of speculation, however Quinn is interesting because she assimilates so well into the Caucasian culture around her. The Sarah Woolson mysteries by Shirley Tallman go deep into Chinatown in 1880s San Francisco, however it is mainly used to hi-light the dichotomy between the haves and the have nots. The sub-story in The Agency goes beyond that to weave together the plot-lines.

The second intriguing thing about the story is that the author is open about the fact that this all female spy agency, which takes in the untouchables of the London streets, free of charge, educates them, and sends them out to investigate the rich and powerful, is completely fanciful. Too often, period pieces write revisionist history, where everything is picturesque and the plot lines totally out of joint with the happenings and mores of the time. Lee takes as much of actual history as possible, and when she integrates the more fanciful and incongruous elements, makes it plausible.

Overall it was a fast-paced, well-developed, mystery that kept me guessing. The romantic entanglements didn't interfere too badly with the central plot, and the segue into the next two books of the trilogy was smoothly done. No complaints from me.

Retributive Bolts of Lightning

The Red Pyramid, the first book in Rick Riordan's new series the Kane Chronicles was one of my favorite picks for 2010, and having enjoyed it so much I figured I should go back to where it all began for Riordan, with The Lightening Thief. This was a book that had been sort of taunting me for months. I received a bundle of all five books in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series for my classroom, and they have proved very popular. I had one student who was pushing them blatantly (I'm fairly certain he felt he belonged at Camp Half-Blood) to the point that he started leaving copies on my desk. Still I didn't read them, because frankly it just didn't catch my fancy.

Last year a co-worker of mine, Katie, had mentioned the books to me, after I saw her reading one at lunch. She encouraged me to read them because after all "don't you just love Greek mythology!" Okay, I know I have a cultural anthropology degree, I know I've done some archeological work, yes I've been to Greece. That does not add up to a love of Greek mythology, and if a love of mythology was what would attract me to these books, it just wasn't going to happen. THis past fall another co-worker, Stephanie, about twenty years older than Katie happened to pick up the none-too-subtly deposited book off my desk and mentioned she had read the series, and found them enjoyable. Her fourteen year-old son struggled with reading, but found these books to not be so much of a challenge (I refrained from asking if her son's difficulty reading had anything to do with a dalliance some fifteen or so years ago with the mailman, who was really the god Hermes in disguise). We then went on to have an intelligent discussion about what she liked about the books, and subsequently what she hadn't like about the movie version.

Stephanie, my elder co-worker said that Percy's age (12) and the insecurities and responses that h has because of that stage of development were the best part for her, lost when the movie-makers bumped his age up a few years. Personally I found it a little irritating, there was too much of a gap for me to relate to him as a character and at times it felt a little too silly. In The Red Pyramid because one protagonist is twelve and the other fourteen and the narrative switches off between them that goofy childishness is more tempered. Back to The Lightening Thief. Was it a bad book? Certainly not, it is fairly well paced, had some nice twists and turns, which if they weren't totally unexpected at least well plotted. The modernization of the gods was a nice touch that gave it a fresh feel and was good for a laugh, the next time you see Jimmy Buffett on T.V. singing Margaritaville just remember, Poseidon looks exactly like him, except with black hair.

At 375 pages it was a lot shorter than Red Pyramid (a hefty 528) however to tell the truth I'm not sure if I can slog through another four books worth of Olympian fun. At present I have an enormous bcaklog of books waiting so it won't be soon. However, Riordan is one of the freshest authors I've read in a long time. I think his storytelling is top notch, so even if I'm not terribly interested in the subject matter I might give it the old college try again. After all how can that many million fans be wrong?

Don't Be Afraid of the Beautiful Darkness

In the fall I read Beautiful Creatures, Book One of the Caster Chronicles in an epic marathon read. I perhaps should have taken more time because as I started to read Beautiful Darkness barely two months later I was like, huh? I don't remember that happening. The finale of the first (and second) books is very fast paced and things can easily slip through the cracks (especially with a headcase like me).

One of many series built on the very loose idea of the Twilight saga (very loose meaning it has something to do with the supernatural, a love story, and it has a black cover to let you know it). Thankfully, this series in general, has a couple of things  going for it. First the male protagonist and narrator gives the book a certain edge, even if readers may have doubts what two middle aged women know about the mind of a seventeen-year-old boy. Far less whiny than the myriad of angsty teenage girls its a welcome relief even if he is lost in love. THe tension feels less drama-queen and more realistic (in spite of the demons, casters, incubi, and magical animals that can guide you into visions) perhaps because of all that. Knowing what has happened in the first book, which you will not understand Beautiful Darkness without, makes the loe connection make sense even in the moments that have you smacking your forehead.

If I had to pick my favorite thing about the Caster Chronicles, which despite appearances I do really enjoy, it that they are a true modern Southern Gothic. I've had a weak spot for Southern Gothic since I first John Berent's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in nonfiction and Faulkner's A Rose for Emily in fiction, and have read it ever since. It is a genre that is difficult to define, because the supernatural element (Stohl's area of expertise according to the author page) is not necessary to create it, however a certain amount of darkness is. The Deep South seems to have a mystique of its own, created by magnolias and moonlight, creole and cotillions, voodoo, religious fervor and sin all intermingle in a intangible and complex backstory. Certainly there are a number of Southern Gothic out there, however this one is fascinating because it is completely modern and still it works and is equally eerie and fascinating. 

Overall this book is a good mix, strongly young adult, but not out of the question for adults (hey the Twilight Moms read it). THe new characters, Liv and John Breed lend a edge to the story that distinguishes it from Book One, and those enraptured by the supernaturals will be drawn further into the Caster world. I can't help but admire the dedication and skill of the team of writers, as a solo activity writing is a challenge, it must take some serious dedication to write with a good friend and have that writing meld so well. Don't be afraid, there's some beautiful things out there in the dark.