Caraval: Book Review

Caraval by Stephanie Garber is a young adult fantasy novel concerning two sisters, Scarlett and Tella Dragna, and the magical annual performance, Caraval, where the audience get to participate in the show - or, more accurately, the game. Scarlett and Tella have been enchanted by the idea of Caraval and its mysterious ringleader, Master Legend, ever since their grandmother told them stories of it as children. But when they finally receive invitations to Caraval, just days before the event, Scarlett is just days away from marrying a man who promises both herself and her sister a secure future away from their abusive father. Going to Caraval would mean putting their future and their safety in jeopardy.

Tella, meanwhile, has other ideas. Despite the risk of missing the wedding, she tricks Scarlett into going with her to Caraval with the help of sailor Julian, before promptly disappearing upon arrival. Scarlett quickly realises Tella has been kidnapped by Legend himself: Tella's whereabouts is the mystery that this year's participants must solve to win the game. She vows to find her sister in time to return for her wedding, but soon discovers that Caraval is less harmless than she imagined. While it might just be a game, Scarlett cannot risk that it isn't, and that something sinister really is going to happen - or has already happened - to her sister. Not only must she figure out the clues that Legend has left for them, but also who to trust - including whether she can trust herself.

Why Romantic Subplots Annoy Me

Since it's Valentine's Day, I thought I'd write something romantic... But, since Valentine's Day also really annoys me (it's cheesy, it's commercialized, and why do we have to be romantic on this particular day when there are another 364 days in a year we could be romantic on?), I thought I'd write about something that annoys me too!

So, why do romantic subplots, specifically in young adult books, annoy me? Well, not all of them do. When done well, I do like romance in books. Unfortunately, a few too many for my liking seem to fall into the same pitfalls. Or maybe my standards are just too high :P

Anyway, here are the things that annoy me most about romantic subplots!

Heartless: Book Review

Heartless by Marissa Meyer is a standalone which tells the origin story of the Queen of Hearts. But before she was royalty, she was Cath, the daughter of a marquis who dreamed of opening a bakery with her maid. She would much prefer that to marrying the jovial but spineless king, who desires her hand, despite what her mother says about baking being below her. And when Jest, the new court joker, arrives in the kingdom of Hearts, Cath finds another reason to try to refuse the king.

But Cath's problems aren't the only things keeping her and Jest apart. Jest has come to Hearts for more important things than to be the court joker, and falling for Cath poses quite an obstacle...

Oh, and by the way, there's also a Jabberwock on the loose.

The Next Together: Book Review

The Next Together by Lauren James might look like any other romance story, but there is far more than mere attraction bringing Matthew Galloway and Katherine Finchley together. After all, they do keep on finding each other and falling in love - only to be tragically torn apart - lifetime after lifetime after lifetime. In Carlisle in 1745, Lady Katherine and footman Matthew prepare for an attack by rebel Scotsmen. During the Crimean War in the 1800s, Katy disguises herself as a boy to find work, which currently involves being war journalist Matthew's assistant. In 2019, the married couple and biological researchers face accusations of terrorism. And in 2039, university students Matt and Kate struggle to uncover the truth about their dead relatives - and the memories of past lives that surely can't be real memories...?

EVE The Awakening: Book Review

Eve: The Awakening by Jenna Moreci is a sci-fi book set in the near future - 2087 - where a sub-species of human, known as a humanovus or, more colloquially, a chimera, has evolved. Chimeras are basically smarter, stronger, and faster humans - who also happen to have telekinesis, referred to as "the gift". But as well as all the stigma chimeras face from the humans around them for being "better", they also have the Interlopers to deal with: a race of aliens dedicated to hunting chimeras down.

Nineteen-year-old chimera Eve, who is notorious for her telekinesis powers in her native San Fransisco, sets off to university in the hopes of starting a new life where no-one knows who, or what, she is. However, Interlopers have been infiltrating her university and abducting chimeras - and dissecting them, alive. Which means that, as well as navigating the complex social circles of the smartest (and richest) young minds in the country, Eve has to try her best to avoid the Interlopers - or choose to fight them. All while trying to keep a low profile and pass as a human...

Radio Silence: Book Review

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman tells the story of Frances Janvier, a 17-year-old A-Level student aiming to get into Cambridge University. Everything she does is in aid of this goal, but her constant studying prevents her from having hobbies, bonding with her school friends, and being her true self. This begins to change when she makes friends with Aled Last, another top-of-the-class student with high aspirations, and discovers that he is the anonymous Creator of her favourite podcast. Frances' friendship with Aled helps Frances gain confidence and have a life outside of academia, but they run into problems when Aled leaves for university.

The Lunar Chronicles: Book Review

So far I've only reviewed individual books but The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer is a completed series, including four novels, a prequel novella, and a collection of short stories, though I'll only be reviewing the novels. I suppose you'd class the series as science fiction, as it's set in the future and none of the plot would be possible without advanced technology, and it was because of this science fiction element that I was reluctant to read The Lunar Chronicles for quite a while. Eventually, though, I was swayed by the hype (and after all, I just can't resist fairy tale retellings).

The series focusses on Cinder, a cyborg mechanic who lives in New Beijing in the Eastern Commonwealth. Cinder's world is threatened by a deadly, incurable disease called letumosis - nicknamed 'the plague' - and by Queen Levana, the ruler of the Lunars, a moon colony of people with the ability to alter perceptions, who wishes to extend her control to Earth. Closer to home, Cinder dreams of escaping from her hateful stepmother to create her own life where she wouldn't be discriminated against for being a cyborg. But a strange twist of events leads Cinder to make some startling discoveries that (as cliched as it may sound) dramatically change Cinder's life forever.

As I mentioned previously. these are retellings of classic fairy tales, with each book focusing on a different one: Cinder is Cinderella, Scarlet is Little Red Riding Hood, Cress is Rapunzel, and Winter is Snow White. While this may make the plotlines of the individual books a little predictable, the story that Meyer creates in order to weave these stories together is rather original and wonderfully exciting. Each book also introduces a new protagonist, whom each book is named for, and who are incredibly unique and vivid. I think the characters are my favourite part of this series: they are extremely well developed, and Meyer's wonderful writing really makes them come alive. They're also all involved in some very cute romances - and not a single dreaded love triangle in sight!

Personally, I would say that Cress is my favourite of the four books - probably because she, a naive Lunar programmer with a huge imagination, may well be my favourite character;  - but I do love all of them. Scarlet is probably my least favourite; it's a little slow and takes a while to get into, and it took me a little longer to bond with the main character - a tough and fiesty farmer/pilot from France. Compare that to Cinder, which had me hooked literally from the first line (a very good thing to do, in the first book in a series). What I really loved about Cinder - both the book, and the chapters written from her perspective throughout the series - was the unique point of view she has as a cyborg with interfaces in her brain. I can't help but think that her sections must have been really interesting (and fun!) to write.

Another thing I love about this series is the example it sets to the teenage girls who it is primarily aimed at (though that doesn't mean it can't be enjoyed by anyone of any age or gender). All our main characters are incredibly talented and are not restricted to stereotypically 'female' roles: Cinder, for example, is the best mechanic in New Beijing, and I've already mentioned the career choices of Scarlet and Cress. Meanwhile, Winter remains strong, brave, and incredibly cheerful while battling with mental illness (though admittedly Lunar Sickness isn't a mental illness that exists in the real world), but this aspect of her defines neither her personality nor her storyline. Also it's nice to see that the 'fairest in all the land' is a Black girl rather than one of the white models we're so used to seeing on magazine covers. So although some of these characters might be princesses, none of them are damsels in distress, and all of them are not only believable and lovable but also great role models.

In conclusion, I HIGHLY recommend the Lunar Chronicles to:

• anyone who loves fairy tale retellings
• anyone who likes science fiction
• anyone who loves books with characters that stay with you for years after you read them
• anyone who loves a nice, cute romantic subplot
• anyone who is looking for an exciting, enjoyable read.

Red Queen: Book Review

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard is a book I've had on my to-read list for quite some time. Set in a kingdom called Norta, where people with silver blood and supernatural powers rule over people with red blood, Red Queen is the first in a series of four books. The story centres on sixteen-year-old Mare, a seventeen-year-old Red from a poverty-stricken village who is doomed for conscription into a war she is sure to die in until she makes a very public discovery that she has a power much like those the Silvers possess. Unable to ignore the scandal Mare has caused, the Silver royalty decide to take her in and claim she is a long-lost Silver to cover up what they can't explain. From within the Silver court, Mare has the perfect opportunity to take down the Silvers from the inside and get the Reds the equality they deserve.

When I picked up Red Queen, I was very much expecting a high fantasy - perhaps something similar to A Game Of Thrones, though with less characters. So what I found surprised me. Despite being part of a fantasy universe, Norta has all the technologies of the modern day, including guns, television, electric lights, and security cameras. This gave the book more of a dystopian feel, which is certainly not what I was expecting, and it wasn't really what I'd been wanting either. Nonetheless, I tried not to let my personal tastes get in the way of my judgement of the book. After all, I would say it makes Red Queen a little more unique, with a world similar to that of The Hunger Games, but with the Silvers' abilities bringing more of a fantasy element to it. So if that's the sort of thing you're looking for, definitely give Red Queen a go.

As for the rest of the book, I found myself a little bored at times, and had to force myself to continue reading it. I didn't find Mare to be particularly likable and if you asked me to describe her personality, I'm not sure I could, at least not without thinking about it quite hard first. But maybe that's just because I wasn't paying close enough attention. Unfortunately, my disconnect with the narrator and protagonist wasn't an isolated issue; it meant that, in places where Aveyard built up suspense, I just didn't feel it because I didn't care about Mare and her situation enough. I didn't feel immersed in her world. Also, I found it a little too political for my personal tastes: there's terrorism, war, manipulative royals, detailed plots... It's quite a serious book (and slow in parts), but at least that means that nothing is romanticised. And speaking of romance, I at first found this subplot to be quite annoying because it seemed so predictable...

Except it didn't turn out to be predictable at all. In fact, by the end of the book I really liked how the romantic subplot seemed to be turning out (obviously, this arc is not finished; I imagine it will take many more twists and turns throughout the rest of the series).

And I'm very pleased to say that the other plotlines improved towards the end of the book too. By the last hundred or so pages, I was finally hooked; I finally cared about the characters and what happened to them. The suspense also increased hugely and, though I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, get ready for some major plot twists. Do not expect to see any of them coming.

In the end, I'd say that most of my problems with Red Queen are down only to personal preference: it's a good book, and I feel bad publicly discussing the bits I didn't like about it. But those last hundred or so pages made the last few weeks I've spent reading this book truly worth it, and I'll definitely be picking up both the sequel and the prequel (which actually sounds more to my taste than the original). I would highly recommend Red Queen to anyone looking for something similar to The Hunger Games, but if a high fantasy is what comes to mind when you read the blurb, I'd suggest trying a different book instead.

The Redwood Rebel: Book Review

The Redwood Rebel by Lorna George, published in 2015, is the first in the Redwood War trilogy. It follows the story of Naomi, a young soldier from the land of Ffion who, after being imprisoned for four years, makes a deal for her freedom in the hopes of eventually freeing her country from the tyrannical princess leading it to its own destruction. However, it's not long before her plan goes terribly awry and she ends up not only fighting for her life but doing so in a difficult and unexpected situation (no spoilers!).

I first came across Lorna George on tumblr, where she was promoting her book before it was even published. I heard it was a book with dragons and strong female characters, so needless to say, I was very excited to read it when I finally got my hands on a copy at Christmas.

I'd like to say that I wasn't disappointed, but I'd also like to be honest. I really wanted to fall head over heels in love with this book. I wanted it to be my new favourite - after all, it has dragons and strong female characters; what more could one possibly want from a book? Especially when the protagonist is possibly one of the strongest female characters I've come across? Naomi is not only an ex-soldier but also extremely well educated and written very realistically. She's stubborn and knows her own mind and isn't afraid to voice her opinion. And she's not the only well-developed character, thank goodness. Our other protagonist is just as stubborn and flawed as she is (no Mary Sues here, thank you very much!).

The thing I think I loved best about this book was its worldbuilding. Naomi spends a lot of time with a group from another of the two continents in Ilios, the world where The Redwood Rebel is set (I won't say which so I don't spoil it for anyone), and there are a lot of cultural differences. There is a huge divide between the views and mindsets of one nation and those of the other, and that's something I'm not I've seen before. It made for a very developed world, not to mention plenty of conflict as characters from different backgrounds argue over the right way to do things. It also led to numerous discussions on consent which of course was fabulous.

So, then, you may ask: how can you possibly be disappointed with this book in the slightest?
Sure, the characters were great, but that doesn't mean I connected with them that well. There were a lot of long internal monologues which described what our characters were feeling and thinking and pretty much every reason behind those thoughts and feelings. Counter-intuitively, I felt that this not only slowed down the plot but also distanced me from the characters. I felt I never got chance to get to know them, because I was just told about them instead. I'd heard Naomi mentioned so many times, I was really looking forward to meeting her, so I was disappointed that it didn't really feel like I'd met her - rather, it felt more like I was hearing about her from a friend.

But having said that, I have no doubt that The Redwood War series will only get better from here. I still definitely recommend reading The Redwood Rebel especially if you're looking to read something with dragons in, or a progressive fantasy. I can't wait to read the next installment!

NaNoWriMo 2014: From Heaven To Hell/Hydrena

Time for another story about a story idea!

When I was maybe 13, 14, 15 years old, I spent a lot of my time on a website called FictionPress.Net, posting stories and talking to people in the forums. The site users used to start informal writing competitions among themselves, and I took part in two. The second is irrelevant (at least for now), but the first involved starting your story with a short passage which ran thusly:

"Stop, you thief!" Panting frantically, I ran down the escalator from the heavily puffing security guard. I clutched the pack of cigarettes tightly in my hand as I made my jump to freedom – crashing into someone. I looked up to find myself staring into a Goth boy's green eyes.

I'm not sure if this was from something, or if the girl who started the contest just made it up; if I've just infringed some sort of copyright thing, I didn't mean to and I'm sorry.

From this passage, I developed a modern fantasy story about a girl who discovered a new world and a new race (by means of the green-eyed Goth boy, who was a part of this race), and ended up having to confront Death himself, and I called this story From Heaven To Hell. I made it up as I wrote it, so the plotline was a bit dubious, and what kind of character gets transported to another realm by some guy she literally just ran into and doesn't ask where she is or what the hell just happened, I don't know. But it was one of the few stories that I actually finished at that age, and despite the fact that my two main characters didn't have much personality-wise (much like the rest of my characters - guess who couldn't be bothered with character development when they were 14), they stayed with me.

I mentioned in my post about The Dragon Story that I have a habit of merging story ideas together, and so when I realised during the early stages of planning Barnabus' Balloons that I would want some sort of magical race in my story, instead of creating a new magical race, I decided to steal the one from From Heaven To Hell, thus linking the story ideas. I also mentioned that I had created a network of sequels, prequels and companion books. Barnabus' Balloons is to be the first in the main series, which will consist of four books, and From Heaven To Hell, which I am renaming Hydrena while I rewrite it during this month's NaNoWriMo with a better plotline and more developed characters, is to be the last, while The Dragon Story is to be the third. I am also planning a prequel and have numerous over ideas which I may or may not ever write.

So Hydrena - the rewrite of From Heaven To Hell - is what I am writing at the moment. We are ten days into NaNoWriMo now and unsurprisingly I am very behind (both with writing and with my uni work, but that is neither related nor the point). You want proof? Fine.

However, I am not the only one doing NaNoWriMo at my university, and we have got permission to have an overnight write-in at our library soon, so as long as I don't continuously forget to write until then, I should be able to catch up. :)

Barnabus' Balloons

There are two people who have contributed to the code-name I have given my novel-in-progress, and one of them will know exactly who he is, while the other may have forgotten her contribution. But still.

I started this project in summer 2012, for Camp NaNoWriMo, having thought of my first ideas possibly a few months or possibly a few weeks before starting writing on the first of August. There were two novels that inspired me, and they were Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore - my idea of how the city this book is set in would look was different to the way it was actually portrayed in the book - and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - I fell so in love with the setting Morgenstern created that I felt compelled to at least attempt to create a setting so wonderful myself. I was also slightly inspired by the song Must Get Out by Maroon 5 (ah, how music tastes can change in as little as two years).

The idea behind (Camp) NaNoWriMo is to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. In August 2012, I managed 41,000 words, and I was not even halfway through my plot - I plan for the book to span an entire fictional year, and I believe I managed to get to June. I think.

Since then, I have not really left Barnabus' Balloons; I have temporarily left it in for other projects, but I have never fully abandoned it. And yet I have never reached an end either. I am currently writing what I am calling a third draft, despite having never finished either the first or second drafts. So technically, if I finish this third draft - which I am planning on doing, eventually - it will then become the first complete draft.

I have much hope for this draft.

Barnabus' Balloons is to be a fantasy novel, set in a world of my own imagining (hence the maps). I don't want to give too much away but it concerns family mysteries, searching for a new life and for what is lost, and secret organisations plotting revolutions - and, naturally, a bit of magic. The story focuses on Saffie, who is seventeen and lives with her older cousin in a remote mountain village, and who moves to The City (which I finally named today while messing with Storybook - how exciting!) for various reasons, and there discovers a great many things.

My reasoning behind discussing this is that I have a number of ongoing writing projects, and I'd quite like to mention them from time to time, seeing that this is a blog I am to dedicate to my attempts at writing, therefore I thought a little overview of each of my projects would be in order.

So, readers, I introduce you to code-name: Barnabus' Balloons.

I'd also like to point out that I sort of stole the idea of code-names from Kristin Cashore's blog and the wonderful code-name she has given to her sister, Apocalyptica The Flimflammer. I have no idea if there is any sanity to that name at all, but it is brilliant.