Every Body Talks

Published: October 17th, 2012 (first published 1999)
Body Bags (Body of Evidence #1)
By: Christopher Golden
Daring Greatly Corporation
ASIN:  B009SLYJ4A

When Jenna Blake starts her freshman year at Somerset University, she's not only living on her own for the first time, she's moving closer to the father she never really knew.  It's an exciting time, filled with new faces and new challenges, not mention parties and boys and...corpses?

Jenna is torn about her future.  She'd like to be a doctor like her mother, but she can't stand the sight of blood.  Her father, a criminology professor, thinks he has the answer -- and sends her to interview for a job with the Medical Examiner -- an interview that takes place in the middle of an autopsy!

When a congressional aide goes violently insane, and then drops dead, the pathology team at Somerset Medical Center discover that his brain was ravaged with disease -- and loaded with insect larvae.  When Jenna takes on her new job, she is drawn into a web of terrifying disease, dangerous politics, and intriguing mystery.  And when one of her professors ends up dead, she starts making connections even the police haven't seen...which will bring her face to face with a pair of killers, one medical, and one all too human.

Review

       I didn't feel disappointed after reading this, like so many of the other reviewers here on Goodreads.  You want to know my secret?  Extremely low expectations, and the prior knowledge that Golden tends to be the master of the pulpy, Alloy-series type of book.  It was a story centered around Jenna Blake, an incumbent college freshman, who is unsure what she wants to do with the rest of her life.  All she knows is that her mother would love for her to be a doctor like her, but Jenna can't stand the sight of blood.  Her Dad gets her an interview with the local Medical Examiner, who hires Jenna as a pathology assistant.  The first big case is a man who was infected with a mysterious illness, of unknown origin and it becomes a priority to find out exactly what happened, when a teacher on campus dies of the same sickness.  Coincidence or murder?  That's what Jenna will have to find out, especially once her and her dad's lives are endangered.  Can she survive her first week at college?
       This book is extremely short and I didn't really expect too much, since it is the first in a ten-book series.  Also, it's original publication was sixteen years ago, in 1999.  Some of the language, situations, etc. are kind of culturally dated (not as bad as most though, surprisingly).  This type of book is the kind that people who are unfamiliar with YA, and it's ever-widening, reach like to cite when they malign it as all being unmitigated "trash."  It's pulp fiction, pure and simple.  I will say that it reminds me of Nancy Drew, in the sense that Jenna is pretty much just a cardboard cut-out, meant to move along the plot.  Hopefully she and her friends (roommate Yoshiko & southern-boy Hunter) will be better characeterized/fleshed-out in later books.  I do wish that the mystery had been more murder/crime and less of a politically driven, thriller type.  I liked it enough to continue and see if the next couple are any good, but overall I wouldn't recommend it unless you like the type of book that's pure, time-wasting cotton candy.  If you want a really great, plot and character-rich series by Golden, try his Hollow series, co-written with Ford Lytle Gilmore.  Now THAT is an awesome series! :D

VERDICT:  2.5/5  Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.*

Undercover Girl

 

Expected Publication:  November 5th, 2013

Palace of Spies (Palace of Spies #1)

By: Sarah Zettel

HMH Books for Young Readers

ISBN-13:  9780544074118

 

A warning to all young ladies of delicate breeding who wish to embark upon lives of adventure: Don't.

Sixteen-year-old Peggy is a well-bred orphan who is coerced into posing as a lady in waiting at the palace of King George I. Life is grand, until Peggy starts to suspect that the girl she's impersonating might have been murdered. Unless Peggy can discover the truth, she might be doomed to the same terrible fate. But in a court of shadows and intrigue, anyone could be a spy—perhaps even the handsome young artist with whom Peggy is falling in love . . . History and mystery spark in this effervescent series debut.

 

Review

 

      Peggy Fitzroy (nod to the royal bastard of the Tudor era here, maybe?) is an orphan living on the charity of her stern and dour Uncle.  But when he arranges for her to marry a notorious rake against her wishes, Peggy decides to meet up with a mysterious man, Mr. Tinderflint, who claimed to have known her Mother and take him up on a job offer.  It turns out he and a group of others have a scheme to get Peggy into the court of King George as a spy - by impersonating Lady Francesca who's a recently deceased, orphaned noblewoman who is a lady in waiting to the Princess Catherine.  Peggy decides to participate in the charade, but finds herself in over her head when confronted by a secret lover of Fran's, drawings depicting court happenings that could get her tried for treason and the very real possibility that Fran herself might have been murdered for her own not quite so Crown-loyal activities.  Can Peggy pull off becoming Fran without raising suspicions and being exposed?  And will she manage to outwit whoever murdered the real Fran, who may not have really been as innocent as she made herself seem to everyone around her?  While trying to deal with a mystery Peggy might just also find herself in love, which presents all sorts of problems all its own.....

     I really enjoyed this novel and Peggy was definitely an interesting character.  I did get the feeling like a lot of other readers, that things in regards to the language and narration were a little too modern to be a truly good historical fiction novel.  Peggy, as a girl with nothing, has nothing to lose in deciding to impersonate Lady Francesca in King George's court.  I did like the banter between her and her cousin in the beginning pages of the novel and the reintroduction of her cousin into her new, crazily mixed-up life later on in the narrative.  It was a fairly enjoyable, funny play at a historical spy novel.  The romantic aspect between Peggy and the artist's apprentice Matthew Reade, plus her confused feelings for Fran's secret love, a footman in the palace were very well-drawn.  At times the love triangle got slightly angsty, but I always kind of knew who Peggy was going to end up with even at the beginning - which was perfectly okay with me as someone not fond of love triangles being drawn out. 

     As someone who doesn't really know a lot about that period of time in the history of the English crown/royal genealogy, I didn't find myself picking at things the author might have changed.  I might have even learned something.  I found it interesting that there was a rebellion between George, who wasn't the closest descendant by blood to the throne but was King, and James who WAS closest to the throne but was exiled and called "The Pretender."  The spy plot in this book is all about proper claim to the throne, and possible plots to overthrow current rule by King George.  As much as I liked the rompy, slow-building action of the court intrigue in this book I did find myself a little disappointed in it's predictability.  The evil fellow lady-in-waiting Sophy Howe, and her true intentions, the realities of Francesca and her real parentage/status/personality and actions, & the dual resolution/open ended spying plot.  Overall, this book was really a fun read and it gave me a reprieve from all the heavy books I've read lately.  I enjoyed the humor of it and the enthusiasm of the main character and the author.  I'll definitely be reading the next one, even if it just turns out to be a fun and fluffy series instead of anything truly long-lasting in my reading life.  I'd recommend it to fans of lighter historical fare, who aren't nitpickers.

 

VERDICT:  3.75/5  Stars

 

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie.  No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  This book's expected publication is November 5th, 2013.*

Creepy Little Chalk Figures, All In A Row

 

Published:  May 14th, 2013

The Rithmatist (Rithmatist # 1)

By: Brandon Sanderson

Tor Teen

ISBN-13:  9780765320322

 

 

More than anything, Joel wants to be a Rithmatist. Chosen by the Master in a mysterious inception ceremony, Rithmatists have the power to infuse life into two-dimensional figures known as Chalklings. Rithmatists are humanity’s only defense against the Wild Chalklings — merciless creatures that leave mangled corpses in their wake. Having nearly overrun the territory of Nebrask, the Wild Chalklings now threaten all of the American Isles.

As the son of a lowly chalkmaker at Armedius Academy, Joel can only watch as Rithmatist students study the magical art that he would do anything to practice. Then students start disappearing — kidnapped from their rooms at night, leaving trails of blood. Assigned to help the professor who is investigating the crimes, Joel and his friend Melody find themselves on the trail of an unexpected discovery — one that will change Rithmatics — and their world — forever.

 

Review

 

     Having never read a Brandon Sanderson book before this, all I knew going in is that he is a purveyor of epic fantasy novels.  Definitely an accurate description, alongside the title A King of World-Building and Much Detail!  This was definitely a good thing the majority of the time, as it definitely immersed me into this alternate-history/fantasy novel about people called Rithmatists (who kind of reminded me of Yu-Gi-Oh! only with chalk figures instead of playing cards).  The main character, Joel, is a teenaged boy obsessed with the art of the Rithmatists and the magic behind their craft.  He has always wanted to be one, but missed his chance and is the poor chalkmaker's son on scholarship at a Rithmatist academy instead.  But when Joel becomes assistant to the newly challenged and defeated Rithmatic Strategy Professor, his obsession is put to good use helping to solve the recent, mysterious disappearances of academy students (all gifted Rithmatists).  With the help of Melody, a Rithmatist scholar who is reluctant at best and would much rather draw unicorns, the disgraced Professor and raw talent can Joel solve the mystery, while finding a way to be part of the Rithmatic world in his own right?  Also is the creepy new Professor really an evil mastermind?  And what is the mysterious Rithmatic line that no one knows the meaning of? 

     I love it when a book does the thinking for me and describes everything down to the last molecule of the dirt on the ground.  I alternately love it when I am left to imagine much of the detail and am only given characters, base settings and feelings.  This book DEFINITELY falls into the first category of writing style.  The wild chalklings out west in Nebrask, that attack & kill & are only contained by the Rithmatist's military outpost/tower, are technically the evil 'villains' in this book.  And the descriptions of acts carried out by the wild, 2-dimensional beasts were quite chillingly written.  Joel is obsessed with all things Rithmatic and as such, we the readers are bombarded with seemingly overzealous details about the lifestyle.  It did begin to get annoying after awhile and the drawings didn't do much for me, as someone who is the exact opposite of mathematically brained.  I just couldn't picture any of this in mind, even with the exacting descriptions.  All I could see in my head was the characters drawing lines.  Okay, sure I can go with that.   \

     The friendship between Joel and Melody was awesome, in that it wasn't instantaneous and they more or less despised each other for a good part of the book.  It took each of them quite some time to realize the true heart of the other and think beyond their own problems.  Their interactions are pretty hilarious as well.  The conclusion of the mystery wasn't all that shocking, nor was the good-evil status of the new Professor everyone was on the fence about.  I do like Sanderson's twist of how Joel could be included in Rithmatist battles.  It was well thought out and made the ending that much greater.  All in all, this was a really intriguing book with a lot of world building and set up for further books.  If you don't mind that you will definitely like this book!

 

VERDICT:  3.75/5  Stars

 

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

Fan Girl With Fangs

Published:  September 11th, 2012

Fang Girl

By: Helen Keeble

HarperTeen

ISBN-13:  9780062082251

Things That Are Destroying Jane Greene’s Undead Social Life Before It Can Even Begin:

1) A twelve-year-old brother who’s convinced she’s a zombie.
2) Parents who are begging her to turn them into vampires.
3) The pet goldfish she accidentally turns instead.
4) Weird superpowers that let her rip the heads off of every other vampire she meets.(Sounds cool, but it doesn’t win you many friends.)
5) A pyschotic vampire creator who’s using her to carry out a plan for world domination.

And finally:
6) A seriously ripped vampire hunter who either wants to stake her or make out with her. Not sure which.

Being an undead, eternally pasty fifteen-year-old isn’t quite the sexy, brooding, angst-fest Jane always imagined....

Review

     Fifteen year old Xanthe Jane Greene may have been obsessed with all things vampire - that didn't mean she wanted to be one!  So imagine her surprise when she wakes up inside her coffin, with her very own set of fangs.  Of course it's nothing like the movies or books she's read.  Now Jane is dealing with her kind of creepy sire, Lily, some vampire hunters that are on her trail, and the fact that she's stronger than the average vampire.  Oh yeah, her parents and her steampunk obsessed little brother Zack are also begging her to change them over to be with her!   Unsure who to trust, Jane is only sure of one thing - being a fifteen year old vampire SUCKS.  Jane is just an average girl, and I liked that about her.  I was glad that she was intelligent and realized very quickly that the cons of being a vampire outweighed whatever pros there were.  Her parents and little brother Zack were absolutely hilarious!  I liked the confusion over who was the true villain, her sire Lily or super-ancient, child vampire Haakon and his minion, Ebon.  The twist on the vampire mythology we know and love was also humorous.  Vampires that are basically obsessive compulsive and can't leave things out of order?  Hilarious!  I especially loved when Jane goes after the hunters and they drop paperclips behind them so she'll have to stop and pick them up!  Other favorites was the vampire goldfish named Brains and the whole situation with Sarah, the transplant patient who had Jane's heart.  Overall, a fun book to read even for those completely sick of anything to do with vampires.  It was such a well-thought out parody that I couldn't help but like it, even with my propensity to avoid books with main characters from the U.K.  I usually can't handle Britishisms, which read like another language, but here the novel surpassed that personal quirk! :)

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

Graced By You

Published:  October 1st, 2008

Graceling (Graceling Realm # 1)

By: Kristin Cashore

Harcourt

ISBN-13:  9780152063962

In a world where people born with an extreme skill - called a Grace - are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of the skill even shedespises: the Grace of killing. She lives under the command of her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and is expected to execute his dirty work, punishing and torturing anyone who displeases him.

When she first meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.

She never expects to become Po's friend.

She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace - or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away...a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

Review

     Katsa is the niece of King Randa of the Middluns, but she is also his most valuable asset.  In a world where certain people are born with gifts, she is blessed with the grace (ability) to kill things.  Katsa is expected to be her Uncle's hired assassin and just gather him money and get rid of his 'enemies' without question.  Then she decides to let a man go and with the help of her cousin Raffin,  Katsa and some others put together a council and to help undermine the tyranny of the King.  Meeting up  with Prince Po in another city's dungeon, he and Katsa grow closer together, while looking for his kidnapped Grandfather and fighting their way to Monsea to save his cousin and her daughter from what appears to be an extremely deadly fate.  Can Po and Katsa work together and save his family from a fate worse than death?  I was expecting to fall in love with this the same way I did the Tamora Pierce books when I was lots younger.  I love me some high fantasy after all!  However, it took me four or five chapters to even get into the story and even after then, I never fell in love with it or the characters.  I was impressed with all of the world-building though.  It was an extremely complex and interwoven world of people and places.  It almost reminded me of the complexity of Game of Thrones, only on a YA scale.  I will echo some of the same complaints as other readers though - Katsa is TOO hard to empathize with!  She is threatened by any sense of femininity at all and loves to stress that point any way she can at all times.  Throughout the entire book, she acts very cocky and self-indulgent.  Making it a point not to listen to anyone Katsa annoyed the heck out of me most of the time.  Her and Po's romance was extremely cliched and I was smiling (albeit halfheartedly) when the end rolled around.  Looking forward to reading the next one when it gets released, but this is not one I will revisit a lot, if ever. 

VERDICT:  3.5/5  Stars

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.*

Kiss Me In the Milky Twilight

Expected Publication: September 25th, 2012
The Mephisto Kiss (The Mephisto Covenant # 2)
By: Trinity Faegen
Egmont USA
ISBN-13: 9781606841716

The eyes never lie. No one’s eyes are darker than Eryx. Not even the Devil’s.

When Jax and Sasha first see Jordan Ellis, they know she is no ordinary teenager. She’s the daughter of the President after all, but she’s also Anabo – a descendant of Eve.

What they don’t know is that Eryx plans to kidnap Jordan and force President Ellis to pledge his soul. If Eryx’s plot succeeds, the consequences would be catastrophic.

But the Mephisto brothers do know about Jordan’s secret identity. And for one of them, she could be the match that leads to their soul’s salvation.

Now it’s a desperate race against time to save Jordan and prevent Eryx’s haunting eyes from discovering her true identity.

Review

 

   Jordan Ellis is the President's daughter and for quite a few years now has had very little say in her life.  She's used to people making decisions for her and is with her boyfriend Matthew because he doesn't use her for her status.  But in one horrific moment Matthew's life hangs in the balance and Jordan is being taken away by some very bad men to be used as leverage against her Dad.  One of these bad men is Eryx, the ultimate evil who is trying to dethrone the devil and take over control of Hell.  In order to further his goal he needs the President's soul.  But he didn't count on Jordan being Anabo, a descendant of Eve before the introduction of sin.  She is the redemption of one of his Mephisto brothers, if she can be rescued from him in time.  Can Jordan be the one thing that will save Key from himself and the hold Eryx still has over him?  I actually liked this book even more than the first book with Sasha and Jax.  To me Jordan and Key were more normal in an abnormal situation.  I adored the fact that they didn't suffer from a case of insta-love like most YA romances do nowadays.  In other words, Ms. Faegen didn't take the lazy way out.  I thought that Jordan being the President's daughter was a nice touch and added an urgency to the action the was slightly missing from Sasha's background.  I was happy that it seemed like Phoenix will be getting a second chance at romance and redemption, but was slightly dismayed at the cliched way in which it was approached.  I will say no more than that to avoid spoilers.  I also liked getting a look at the relationship between Key and Eryx before the latter turned evil and was cast out by the other brothers.  It gave some insight were there previously wasn't any.  The one thing that truly annoyed me in this book was how whiny and cry-babyish that Sasha seems now that she's part of the Mephisto.  I just wanted to smack her upside the head for most of the book.  Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it didn't seem to suffer sophmore syndrome the way most second books in series do in YA.  I would highly recommend it to fans of the first book.

 

VERDICT:  3.75/5  Stars

 

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is September 25th, 2012.*