Book Review: Dance of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Disappointment is a bitter, bitter feeling. It's kind of like a sinking ship, where your hopes are all buoyant and untouched, and it slowly but surely begins to slip under the surface of the sea. I remember reading Bethany Griffin's "Masque of the Red Death" a while back, and, while I didn't love it, it was still a decent enough read. So when I found out that its sequel "Dance of the Red Death" was finally being released last week, I eagerly picked up a copy...and ended up feeling like maybe a plague couldn't be that bad after all.

The life of comfort and wealth that seventeen-year-old Araby Worth has disappeared, replaced by a world of betrayal, death and disease. Now onboard a flying ship, Araby, along with the headstrong Elliot, her best friend April, and Will--the boy she loved but was betrayed by--seek to take revenge on Prospero, the cruel and twisted king who allowed the Red Death to spread amongst his people. Araby is determined to save the people she love, even if it means fighting until the very end and partaking in a dance of games in which no one can be trusted.

"How could this be so dang boring?" was pretty much the only thought that crossed through my mind while I was reading "Dance of the Red Death". I think I ended up skimming the first twenty chapters, which sums up to about a good four-fifths of the entire book. What the heck happened? I remember finding the dark and grotesque atmosphere in "Masque of the Red Death" almost captivating, but none of that was really present in the sequel. Literally nothing happens in those twenty chapters. All I remember is some ship-sailing and occasional gun-shooting. The bulk of the book probably serves as some space-filler between the first book and the last four chapters, which was pretty much where the whole point of the book was. Those last few chapters were definitely exciting and twisted, and I feel like if Ms. Griffin had written the entire book based on those last few chapters, it would be way more exciting than it is now. This was just quite a snoozer.

One of the other reasons I probably found "Dance of the Red Death" disappointing was the heroine. Araby is about as interesting as a piece of chalk. Sure, she's definitely a little more...alive in the sequel and has a little more backbone, but she's still such a passive, dull character. I couldn't really get into her mind and empathize with her, despite the fact that I could follow along with her thoughts and emotions, since, you know, you're forced to read about them in the first three-quarters of the entire novel. She's way too caught up in the same emotions of guilt and betrayal that she never really develops smoothly and realistically. And don't get me started on her little love triangle. She's kissing Elliot and Will like there's no tomorrow, without any sort of reflection in it. The fact that made it even worse was the fact that she knew she didn't even like Elliot, since he's twisted and just not the guy for her. My goodness.

I think the saving grace of the novel was, as mentioned before, the last set of chapters, where Araby finally enters the palace and is forced to play Prospero's twisted game. There, the tantalizing darkness we saw in the first book really came to life, with corpses swinging from the ceiling and partygoers glazed in the oblivion of drugs and lust. That was when I really began to pay attention to what was happening and stopped skimming over everything. The tensions were undoubtedly high, and you really became invested in what was happening. It's just too bad that it only happened in the last four chapters of the entire novel.

Overall, "Dance of the Red Death" really fell flat, with a dull heroine and an even duller storyline. Skimming over a chapter is bad enough; skimming over the first twenty chapters is just a definite no-no. Just thank goodness this series ends here--I probably wouldn't pick up the next book if there was one.

Rating: 1.5/5

Book Review: Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger

I'm beginning to get a little wary of steampunk novels. While they definitely add a bit of spice and pizazz to the generic fantasy genre, I feel like they're always either a big hit or a big miss. Maybe it boils down to a working balance between effective world-building and over-the-top descriptions, or maybe it doesn't have anything to do with steampunk at all! Whatever the case, I found myself a little disappointed while I was reading Gail Carriger's "Etiquette & Espionage", which bums me out since I'd read a lot of great reviews on it.

When fourteen-year-old Sophronia Temminick is enrolled in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality, all she knows is that she'll be forced to endure endless critique on her lacking curtsies and how to sip tea properly. What she doesn't expect is that she, along with other young girls, will be learning how to finish...everything. Certainly, they will learn the fine arts of dance, dress and etiquette, but they'll also learn to deal out death, diversion and espionage. And this, Sophronia suspects, is precisely what she needed in her life all along.

One of the main reasons I couldn't get into "Etiquette & Espionage" was the extremely superfluous writing in the book. I understand that there's meant to be a certain humour and pizazz in the writing style, one that screams 'fun and bubbly in a British accent', but I felt like it was way, way overdone. There's a thin line between a quirky narrative voice and an overly purple narration, and Ms. Carriger's writing in this novel definitely leaned towards the latter. I don't think it would hurt to use simpler sentences and vocabulary sometimes, since it just felt like everything was just too forced and over-the-top. I found myself skimming over the bulk of the book simply because of the wordiness of the narrative. Things that could've been expressed in one word were often strung out into a whole sentence at times, and it's a shame because there's definitely a more fun element to the narration. Sometimes, less is more indeed!

Another obstacle I encountered while reading "Etiquette & Espionage" was the storyline, which unfortunately fell a little flat. There is, without a doubt, great potential with the whole concept of a school for future assassin ladies, especially when coupled with the mysterious steampunk world. However, there was little in the plot that actually grabbed my attention and hooked me in. Instead, it all seemed pretty trivial, like nothing of importance was happening. Sure, there are flywaymen attacking the school on their search for an enigmatic prototype, but I got the impression that the stakes weren't very high to begin with. Everything was resolved so quickly and cleanly and easily, and, to me, it just wasn't very interesting.

Having said this, I do think that Sophronia is a quirky, fun heroine who's a bundle of mischief and excitement. Her quirks and her disobedience in a society where pinkies must be lifted and noses lifted higher really set her apart, and her unquenchable thirst for adventure certainly made her exciting. There's a sort of naivete about her that lends itself well to the story as a whole, which is clearly seen in her interactions with other characters and in the very way she speaks. The down side to Sophronia as a protagonist is that I never really related to her--you don't really get much of her thoughts and inner emotions. Instead, it's more of a slapdash, shallow look at her actions and speech.

Overall, "Etiquette & Espionage" does have some great potential to be a fun, quirky book, but it ultimately failed to be truly engaging and exciting. In fact, I just felt that the book was a little juvenile, without any depth to the characters or to the storyline.

Rating: 1/5

Book Review: The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

One of the things I love about reading books is their ability to completely capture your imagination and whisk you away to another world without having to leave the comfort of your own bed. Seriously, it's like a movie, plane ride and simulator all in your hands! And when you have a particularly amazing book, it's like all of that amped up by a thousand times. I fell in love with Brandon Sanderson's writing after reading "The Final Empire", the first book of the "Mistborn Trilogy", and was thrilled when I found out that his first YA fantasy novel was being released last week! Being the desperate book gobbler I am, I decided that I just had to get my grubby hands on a copy of "The Rithmatist", and so I have!

Joel has pored over every book on Rithmatics, memorized every defense tactic possible, and can name the top Rithmatists from the top of his head. The only problem is, Joel isn't a Rithmatist. Chosen by the Master in a mysterious inception ceremony, Rithmatists have the power to infuse life into drawings called Chalkings, and have been the main defense against the Wild Chalkings that leave destruction and death in their wake. As the son of a lowly chalkmaker at the prestigious Armedius Academy, Joel can only slip into Rithmatic lectures and dream of chalk. But when students begin to disappear, kidnapped and leaving only blood splatters behind, Joel and his friend Melody find themselves swept up in an adventure of discovery, one that can change the world of Rithmatics forever.

You can always count on a fantasy writer to conjure up an entrancing and exciting world, and Mr. Sanderson is most certainly not an exception. He takes us back in time to the American Isles in the mid-nineteenth century, speckled with 'gearpunk' technology with cogs galore. But what really takes center stage in the novel is the world of Rithmatics. The way Mr. Sanderson reveals to the reader what Rithmatics is and how each of the chalk lines that the Rithmatists draw behave is done in a way that is easy to understand and, at the same time, engages the reader into such a unique and enigmatic world, even if they're non-Rithmatists themselves! I especially loved the illustrations of the various defenses and binding points and so on that interspersed each of the chapters--it really brought the concept of Rithmatics to life and enhanced the already amazing world-building going on in the novel. It almost kind of makes me wish that I had Rithmatic powers... even if it means facing down some nasty, flesh-chewing Chalkings.

I'll admit that I was just a little bit unsure about having a relatively younger protagonist than I'm used to in most YA novels, but worry not! Simply put, Joel is a great hero who is clever, brave and likable. The way he deals with issues ranging from his lack of Rithmatic powers to the kidnapping case showcases his quick wit and his obvious devotion to Rithmatics, while at the same time showing a more compassionate side to him. I liked the relationship between him and his mother, who works at the academy as a cleaning lady--it's undeniably warm and leaves you with gushy feelings inside. The other characters were just as equally amazingly developed. Take, for example, Melody. At first, I found her a little annoying, with her constant overreactions and frizzy red hair (just kidding about the last part! I don't have anything against redheads). But as Joel began to see her as a friend, the more I saw her as a more complex character who deals with family pressures and problems with Rithmatics. Another character to note is Professor Fitch, a rather bumbling fellow who knows his stuff but is often diminished by his meek attitude.

The storyline of "The Rithmatist" was compelling throughout, even the parts where there wasn't much action. The main plot of the bloody kidnappings strung tensions high, and my heart literally leapt at places, especially towards the end when all was revealed! The minor subplots of Joel's lack of Rithmatic ability and the growth of his friendship with Melody just tied in so nicely together in a way that didn't overshadow the main plot, but at the same time didn't let the main plot overshadow them. There's just such an understated nuance in the storyline as a whole that few writers can pull off truly successfully, and all I can say without rambling on and on incoherently about it is that it's simply worth it!

All in all, "The Rithmatist" is a fun, thrilling and truly spectacular fantasy novel that is a must-read for all ages. Mr. Sanderson has definitely proved himself a versatile writer, and trust me when I say that I will gladly read anything that he writes. I highly recommend this to all fantasy lovers, or anyone looking for a great book to fully immerse themselves in!

Rating: 5/5

Book Review: Haven by A.R. Ivanovich

"Haven" has been on my to-read list for a long while now, and I'm so glad to have finally gotten around to reading it! Admittedly, I'd expected the book to be a full-blown fantasy novel, the type where they have names that are hard to pronounce and horses and magic and so on, so when I read that there were sandwiches and ferris wheels, I was a little caught off guard. Nonetheless, Ms. Ivanovich takes her readers on a wild, crazy journey in a steampunk world.

From missing socks to missing people, nothing could remain hidden from seventeen year-old Katelyn Kestrel for long, but after locating a forbidden passage out of her isolated country, Haven, she discovers for the first time that there are some things that should never be found. When she helps Rune, a fatally wounded soldier, reach the safety of his home, Katelyn finds herself captured as a spy and placed under the custody of the handsome Lord Dylan Axton. Soon enough, she learns that the outside world is rife with war and controlled by people with extraordinary powers, people who are willing to exploit and kill others--including Katelyn herself--to rise to power. Her only hope is to return to Haven, but can she survive long enough to find her home?

One of the key elements in "Haven" is its setting of a rural steampunk world. Having never been previously exposed to steampunk in books, it took me quite a while to really understand what the world was like. They had mechanized carriages drawn by horses and night vision goggles and swords, and I was just trying to imagine what the heck this world was like... But now it makes sense now that I know that this eclectic, bizarre amalgamation of the old and the new is something called 'steampunk'. All of that being said, I was thoroughly impressed by the world building in the novel. Despite the seeming anachronisms that confused me at first, Ms. Ivanovich has skillfully and subtly woven together a unique world that sucks you in and engages your imagination.

Katelyn was a strong heroine who was enjoyable to follow throughout the book. She definitely wasn't one of those snivelly, "oh no what do I do" characters, and when she did reach an emotional breaking point, she still managed to struggle through and face her problems. I also think that there's great potential for the development of her character, as well as for some wit and humour! Katelyn to me seems like a smart alecky girl, but I felt like she wasn't as bright and engaging as she could've been, especially in the first few chapters when she was dealing with her crummy jerk of an ex-boyfriend.

Which now brings me to the little love triangle going on between Katelyn, Rune and Dylan. I am extremely happy to say that Ms. Ivanovich did a wonderful job of avoiding a cliched, sappy love story between the three characters. Instead, the subtle tensions between the two were hardly noticeable, leaving the main focus on what was actually going on in the story. I quite like the relationship between Katelyn and Rune, though the whole kissing thing was a bit too sudden for my tastes, especially after they hadn't exactly spent that much time together. As for Dylan, he was a pretty complex, interesting character to get to know, especially in relation to Katelyn. He was insidiously smooth and charming in the beginning, and even towards the end I don't know whether I can put my finger on his true feelings. It'll be interesting to see how things turn out in the next book.

The plot itself was extremely engaging, and I liked how it's already building itself up for the events in the sequel. It never got boring throughout the novel, and the pace was fairly quick as well. One thing that could've helped even more would be to cut down a little on descriptions or thought processes. While it was great to be in Katelyn's head so thoroughly, I found myself skimming over a lot of the wordy descriptions to get to the next event.

Overall, "Haven" is a wonderful book with a certainly unique steampunk setting. The characters are fairly engaging and likable, while the plot is fast-paced and thrilling. I'd definitely recommend it to any fantasy-lovers out there, and I look forward to the sequel!

Rating: 4/5