Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles 01) by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Review

I chose Beautiful Creatures as my easy holiday read for a recent trip to Hawaii. 'Yes', I thought at the airport, 'A Ya gothic paranormal-romance read, that does sound like perfect escapism for a twelve hour plane trip, no stops.'

Hmmmm.

Instead, I wanted to escape the book. I read it through to the end because I do not like letting books defeat me, and I didn't want to miss out on a big reveal or anything that would happen that was so amazing it would make reading this book worth it.

My main problem with Beautiful Creatures is that it kind of sits at one level for it's one trillion pages (exaggeration). Nothing really happens. At least, I can't remember anything happening. The idea is a good one but the execution was kind of boring. The characters didn't grab me, in fact the only one I think who makes any kind of bang is Ridley.

And our two love interests - well, they don't have the smultzy teeney love stuff that I find commonly infuriating in paranormal YA, but they don't really have any sparks either. I honestly just didn't care how their relationship would end up by the end of the book; the stakes weren't high enough, and trying to connect their love story with the historical love story as played out by the ghosts in the locket - well, sorry, but I don't think much depth was added there either.

The writing is decent, the ideas great, the gothic atmosphere has a definite allure - but the story is dull. I understand there is a lot to build on in the future books, but I found Beautiful Creatures to be written a little lazily, and I don't have much inclination to follow the series through.

Lost Voices by Sarah Porter

Review

Mermaid fiction is one of my guilty pleasures when it comes to reading, and Lost Voices has been high on my list of ‘to-reads’ for aggggeeeees. I finally found it available in Australia through one of our smaller publishers, when I was uploading the new release files at my bookstore. Yet another reason why working at a bookstore is totally amaze!

Lost Voices is a unique mermaid story, quite different to the usual fare you get with YA paranormal fiction. There is no big love story, or triangle (although I believe that will be developed in future books), the premise of ‘becoming’ a mermaid is unique, and the story is pretty much entirely set in the ocean – i.e., the mermaids are not half-human, and don’t get around on land, and can’t go to school and all that YA-ish stuff. I really, really, loved the choices Sarah Porter made when constructing her story. The mermaids also do mermaid-ish stuff – sink ships, covet and steal human treasures, drown seamen by singing to them, live in caves. I think Porter obviously really loves mer-mythology, and that was what primarily kept me reading.

I would like to see, in future books, the mer-world expanded on though – I would like to be taken deep within that oceanic world, as Porter’s descriptions of sea-life are interesting, but mostly pretty and harmless. I would like to meet some more mer ‘tribes’, and I am interested to see how pear-shaped things get when humans begin to learn of the mer existence.

My big gripe with Lost Voices is that I really disliked, or didn’t enjoy, most of the characters. They are all mostly vain and shallow and silly, as I guess teenage mermaids should be, but I think there is room to go deeper, as is hinted at with the mermaid Kat. I REALLY couldn’t stand the ‘so hip’ way a lot of the mermaids talked, and personally I was glad at the end of the book when Luce decides that maybe that tribe isn’t for her. The best parts of the book are when the mermaids are in action, doing their mer-thing, instead of talking like Mean Girls rejects and squabbling over designer clothes.

Lost Voices certainly piqued my interest to read the rest of the series – if only it would build on the darkness, the haunting loveliness that appears in flashes, then I would be completely sold.

First published in July 2011

In Australia, November 2012

The Forbidden Sea, by Sheila A Nielson

First published in 2010 by Scholastic

Lovely little story, with an old-fashioned feel to it that I rather enjoyed. I think for this reason many others may not enjoy it, but I found the time period it was set in really immersive, and the mer-mythology it was based around to have an appealing folklor-ish vibe.

The Forbidden Sea takes care to build up a complex history for lead character, Adrianne, and to give her cares and concerns outside being so utterly beguiled by her handsome love interest Denn, and falling in love with him. There is love, of course. But it feels less like the contemporary paranormal YA romance and more in the league of, say, Franny Billingsley. Because I love mythology and folklore, this appeals to me. If you like your teen para-love stories more contemporary, than perhaps you won't be as beguiled.

The Forbidden Sea has a little of the mystery I find so important for a story about mermaid/mermen. I just find these creatures so fascinating, most likely because the world they inhabit is so different and closed off to ours. This story goes a little of the way into giving merpeople a life away from, as I said, just being love interests. I also like how Nielson crafted Adrianne's interactions with the mermaid she thought was after her sister. It was a slow reveal. I love this. There was a palpable sense of being called to the sea -  yes, yes, that's what a mermaid story should be all about!

I do think Adrianne being 'so hard done by' was a little over the top, and yet the details of her family life were welcome and also done in a way that made me actually want to see her come out on top. It was a rags to riches story that I kind of knew would turn out alright in the end. But Nielson made it worthwhile getting there.

The writing was on the better side of some of the YA mermaid books I've read. I'm slowly making my way through all those mer books out there and The Forbidden Sea, so far, is one of my favs. I've heard it described as a fairytale Little Mermaid meets Cinderella. Pretty accurate. Like to see what Nielson writes next.

Of Poseidon, by Anna Banks

First published in Australia in 2012, by Hardie Grant

Of Poseidon is flirty and fun. There are some great lines and lots of cheeky humour to enjoy, which is always refreshing for YA paranormal romances. Sometimes the old teenage love story can take itself a little too seriously, so when one is written slightly tongue-in-cheek it’s very refreshing. Because we’re dealing with merpeople (or Syrena, as they’re referred to), the setting naturally revolves around Summer and the beach, which also helps to give the book a light-hearted, fresh feel (no gloomy boarding houses or icy, rainy forests here).

The stylistic choice of telling the story from two different perspectives (Galen & Emma) is enjoyable. It also helps to flesh out the male love interest – sometimes in paranormal romance they are reduced to looking gorgeous/brooding, and making heartfelt declarations of love. Not that this doesn’t happen in Of Poseidon, but reading about Galen’s home life, his people, and his world, certainly helps to give him some depth.

That being said, I don’t think it quite worked to have Galen in third person and Emma in first. This also does something weird to the tenses. The story feels interrupted, disconcerting, and a bit sloppy. Also I found that sometimes, especially in Galen’s parts, the narrative was a bit prone to info dumps. Yes, I certainly wanted to learn more about Galen’s world and the Syrena mythology, but it would be more seamless and ultimately involving if it was integrated into the story. Too much back story at once and I think readers are prone to just skimming over the info, and missing a lot of the interesting stuff.

I’ve learnt to take YA para-romances for what they are. Of Poseidon was a fun read. There were some problems. Once again, Galen is so beautiful it hurts. All the girls love him, but he is infatuated with Emma. Didn’t see that coming ;). There are some problems with their relationship – he controlling, she full of snarky attitude, but of course they can’t live without each other. The Emma-mother relationship was a bit off, but in the last chapter (nice twist, btw), it becomes clear why this might be so. Some plot points are slightly unrealistic and I got over hearing about how ‘special’ Emma is.

But there are positives too. The underwater scenes are really enjoyable. There is a strong lore that grounds the story – also clearly meant to build up events for future books. Secondary characters (especially Toraf and Rayna) actually have some personality – I found their relationship very sweet. Almost more interesting than Galen and Emma’s! Despite some problems, Of Poseidon has an entertaining flirty feel and worth a read if you love all things mer-ish.

Switched (Trylle 01) By Amanda Hocking

This edition published in 2012 by Tor, Pan Macmillan

To be honest, I think Amanda Hocking’s author story is great. Good on her. Although I’m not a fan of self-publishing, she obviously took the initiative and it worked for her. Now she’s reaping the benefits.

I can’t say that I have the same admiration for her book. I read it because of the hype – both the self-publishing hype and the hype it’s getting in our bookstore; we sell multiple copies just about every day. I wanted to see what made it rise above all those other books self-published. I’m still not really sure exactly what that quality was.

It’s a cute story. It has all the tropes of paranormal romance – romance and forbidden love and action and the heroine possessing a ‘special’ quality that puts her in danger from the enemy. Perhaps that’s just exactly why it is so successful. I think on the whole it is more light and fluffy than the usual paranormal YA romance, which often takes itself too seriously. Before I read all the same comparisons myself, I was thinking it came across a lot like The Princess Diaries. The writing is not so self-aware, and I think for Switched it works.

Switched has obviously been edited before being put into print, but I still found the language to have a very self-published feel – from the over-use of adjectives to characters never ‘saying’ but always ‘emphasizing’ or ‘ advising’ or ‘commenting’. Also Hocking has a way of phrasing or describing things that just doesn’t sound at times traditional. There are many passages of internal thought, which my editor always insists ‘put it into dialogue! Show it through action!’ But to be honest, I actually didn’t mind. I found it gave the writing quite a distinct personality, if writing can have a personality.

Wendy does at least have a personality, which is more than I can say for a lot of para-romance heroines. I’m not sure if it’s a good personality, or if I like it yet. Where the characters shine is with the periphery characters – Rhys and Tove, and to a lesser extent Willa and Garrett. I find these characters quite intriguing, and hope Hocking incorporates more of their story in her later Trylle books.

Also, good on Hocking for using trolls for her main paranormal creatures, but they could just as well have been faeries or just really beautiful humans. I didn’t really find them to have any distinguishable characteristics, apart from the whole ‘changeling’ thing. The mythical creature hierarchy is quite interesting but perhaps not developed as much as it could be.

And what was with the ending? It really did feel like Hocking just gave up and stopped writing, and deus-ex-machina was practically jumping off the page. It was the only part of Switched that I really didn’t like. The rest was rather harmless and cute.

Fury by Elizabeth Miles

First published in 2012 by Simon & Schuster

The trick with paranormal YA is to kind of know what to expect – certainly not true of all titles, but when I pick up something like Fury I’m pretty certain of what I’m going to get and so just have fun with it. That’s why I like reading paranormal YA – it is easy, escapist and fun. It’s what I read when it feels like I have a thousand deadlines and other things to do and I want to spend an enjoyable fifteen minutes break with a cup of tea.

So no, Fury won’t rock the literary world. The characters won’t go down as classic heroes. But it was quick and easy, immersive and written well enough to keep my attention on the story.

You may have heard elsewhere that the characters don’t exactly set the world alight. This is true. I found most of them shallow and annoying. And a little stupid. No, I don’t understand why the Furies chose to target these kids (their crimes aren’t right by any means, but there are certainly worse). But then you have to remember this is a book for teens – glossy and sexy and embedded in high school dramas. The ‘sins’ these teens do have to be relevant to their intended audience. Anyway, no I didn’t care for the characters. A lot of them are just stock-standard. And the Furies are beautiful and mysterious and alluring, but we never really get much about them. But I kind of liked this.

It is quite creepy when they randomly show up, or just flit around at the edges of the character’s eyes. Fury is a little more dangerous and scary than your usual paranormal YA. Miles manages to wring a bit of atmosphere out of the dark nights and snowy, barren town. There is a bit more ‘adult’ content rather than just moony stares and heartfelt declarations of love. Sometimes I found the language, stylistically, a little too dramatic; and there is, especially at the start, a bit of cringey telling and not showing. When this happens it feels awkward and a little juvenile. But apart from this, the writing has a quick, fast pace and is easy to get stuck into.

Fury at least tries something different. It doesn’t have any life-affirming messages but it is a little bit sexy, a little bit trashy, and a little bit fun.

Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner

First published in 2009 by Random House

I liked Bones of Faerie well enough, but I don’t have anything particularly interesting to say about. It didn’t leave that much of an impression on me, but it’s a good quick read and one of the better YA faerie books I’ve read, if only in that it takes a slightly different path to the usual paranormal-romance path. It’s much more Franny Billingsley’s The Folk Keeper, say, than Aprilynne Pike’s Wings.

Interesting mesh of paranormal romance and post-apocalyptic fiction. For the most part I think it works. The details of the actual war that caused all the resulting chaos and divide between human and faerie are a bit lost on me, but Simner deals with the fall-out well and makes it a set-piece for Liza’s journey with her companions. I would have liked to see her take it further, but I don’t really think this book was meant to be bogged down in the expository and complicated plot.

I’m actually really glad the romantic side of things wasn’t taken further between Liza and Matthew. It’s enough to imply, and put the story’s focus elsewhere. I wasn’t really feeling them as a couple, anyway, and the book wasn’t long enough to make a developing relationship plausible, so props to Simner for not taking the easy path.

Was not a fan of all the italic bits, the memory/vision parts. By which I mean what Liza actually saw was interesting enough, but stylistically I really disliked the way it was told and we were dropped into it, and especially because it happened so often. Just a pet-hate of mine, that style of writing, and I didn’t care much after that.

That’s about it for this one. Nice story, good concept, but personally I just found there was not much in it. Good opening chapter though.

Siren's Storm, by Lisa Papademetriou

First published by Random House in 2011

A new summer is starting and both Will and his best friend Gretchen are troubled, recovering from a tragedy that took Will’s brother’s life the summer before. Gretchen’s sleepwalking is taking her closer and closer to the water, and Will is intrigued and a little bit beguiled by mysterious newcomer Asia, who has an unnatural effect on people. What is her story, and what do Will and Gretchen have to do with the sinister goings on in their sparkling summer town?

I’m seeing a trend. Vampire paranormal YA seemed to take well to the high school setting. Fallen angel books were all about boarding schools. Mermaids have got summer vacations covered all across the genre – nice for me, I guess – mermaids, the beach and young love – some of my very favourite things.

Siren’s Storm was another book that grew on me. When I first started reading I just thought: bleh. I couldn’t really find anything to like, and it all felt a bit juvenile. But it’s an easy enough read, and after a while I warmed to it.

I didn’t think the introduction of The Odyssey mythology blended into the story, or really suited it. For it to work, I think it needed to infuse all the pages, needed to be engrained more. Getting it in a chunk at the end kind of felt just like a way to give weight to a pretty lightweight story. A shame, because oh my goodness, I would love to read a book where bringing that kind of history and mythology into a modern story was done really well.

Also, the revealing of Gretchen’s true nature – I didn’t really get it, or what she was supposed to be. Once again, I would have liked to see that build up through the story, rather than just getting it in a scene at the end.

I liked Asia and Gretchen as characters. Will was okay. I actually really enjoyed reading from the male perspective, and I also liked all the details about his family business and his stall and the farm and the fact that Papademetriou actually gave him a life and hobbies away from the romance/mermaid plot. Some good supporting characters too, although the dialogue was perhaps just a little cringey.

Look, it’s an easy read, the writing is okay, and it will be interesting if you’re into the whole mermaid/siren thing. Plot wise and structurally I could pick a few holes. If I had really high expectations I would be disappointed. But I kind of just took Siren’s Storm for what it was, and in that way it’s pretty harmless.

Siren, by Tricia Rayburn

First published by Penguin in 2010

I’m not one to normally jump on book fads or ‘next big things’, but I will jump on the mermaid bandwagon. Except perhaps it isn’t really jumping, because I have always read mermaid books ... there’s just a whole more lot of them at the moment, and many, I’m sure, to come. You can see more of my thoughts on mermaids by clicking on the ‘mermaid’ tag at the bottom of this post. But if you didn’t – and I know you probably didn’t: who cares, right? ;-) – then I guess I should say again: I love mermaids. They have always been my favourite fantasy/mythological creature, even perhaps one of favourite things. Who doesn’t love an outrageously irresistible beauty in a sea-shell bra?

Siren turned out to be better than I was expecting. Quiet, afraid Vanessa loses her sister Justine in a freak cliff-jumping accident while on holiday at their vacation home in Winter Harbour. Everyone assumes Justine’s death was accidental. But then other bodies, all men, start washing up around Winter Harbour. They are all grinning from ear to ear. Vanessa, with the help of would-be lover Simon and Justine’s grieving boyfriend Caleb, does some investigating. What is the conclusion she comes to? You guessed it – mermaids. And as the body count rises, Vanessa comes closer and closer to the truth about herself.

I liked the setting. It held the story together, it was an effective set-piece, it was slightly ominous and claustrophobic and Rayburn got the holiday vibe just about perfect.

There was a good ration of mermaid to human action. There was even some scenes below the waves, which is, I imagine, hard to do. Often I feel mermaid books don’t use the ocean enough, use the power of creatures lurking beneath, of a whole other world existing. It is all speculative in the mind of the heroine. But I felt I got my money’s worth in Siren. Even though I knew exactly where the story was going, there was a nice atmosphere of mystery about ‘what lies beneath’.

I quite liked the writing. The prose is nothing special but it does what it should and I kept my cringing to a minimum. Of course there are typical para-romance tropes but that’s to be expected. I didn’t quite believe the plot point about ‘freezing Winter Harbour’. And I didn’t like when Vanessa’s Mum told her she was always the beautiful one, she has always had it all but just couldn’t see it; guys have always loved her etc etc. That felt a little bit indulgent. Some reviews I’ve read had expressed discontent with the way Rayburn doesn’t always tell us everything and how Siren jumps from scene to scene, often with no explanation. I didn’t mind. It’s good for the reader to have to work a little sometimes.

No real strong feelings about Vanessa. She was a bit nothing to me. So was Simon. I did like that the real relationship focus was on Vanessa and her sister, and even to some extent with her parents, rather than just being all about Simon. That’s refreshing.

All in all, not too bad. Pretty harmless and a satisfying read for a lover of mermaids. I might even read the next in the series.

Sea Change by Aimee Friedman

First published in 2009 by Point, an imprint of Scholastic Inc

Many are drawn to Selkie Island. Few know why. When Miranda Merchant goes there with her mother for the summer, she is sixteen, level-headed and interested in science and everything that can be logically explained. Stepping off the ferry, she is greeted with secrets, legend and lore. What is it about her history that makes her feel such a connection to the island, and, more importantly, to mysterious local boy Leo?

I wanted to read this book because of the mermaid factor. Was not really into reading another YA paranormal romance, but this did have a nice freshness to it, and I’ve certainly read worse. Sea Change was exactly what I expected: a cute, easy read with a love story imbued with an evocative summery charm.

Certain things bugged me: for instance, Miranda isn’t even on Selkie Island for two weeks (as far as I can tell), and yet she is so completely sure Leo is ‘the one’ after, um, four days, and prepared to give up her internship and education to stay with him. I don’t care how consuming the love is, that isn’t a good message to be sending to bright, capable teenage girls. Also, the conflict between Miranda and her Mum felt forced and put upon, with much over-reacting by both of them. I could see where it had its place in the story but I remained unconvinced. I also disliked Miranda’s make-over scene – after reading so many in other books I just can’t stomach them and I also don’t like the idea that teenage girls need to be physically made over by someone else to remind them that they are beautiful. All this makes me sound like a total hater, but for the most part I did enjoy this book and found it inoffensive.

The setting of Selkie Island is rather gorgeous and wonderful, and suits the tone of the love story between Miranda and Leo. I actually enjoyed all the periphery characters as well (Cee Cee, T.J, Mr Illingworth etc). I think Friedman uses them well – they do just enough to remain interesting and not become caricatures or flat. Leo was cute, but I wasn’t really into his relationship with Miranda, but I guess it hit all the marks for YA paranormal romance.

And lastly: there isn’t actually that much mermaid action in this book. It is more hints and mystery and speculation. But I think Sea Change is about a lot of things and Friedman mostly employs them well, so it was an enjoyable read nevertheless.

Winter's Shadow, by M.J. Hearle

First published by Pan Macmillan in June 2011

"Blake Duchamp

He's all that Winter Adams can think of. Ever since their fateful meeting at Pilgrim's Lament. Ever since he looked at her with those emerald eyes. Ever since he saved her life."

Sounds familiar, right? The usual paranormal romance set-up? Well, it is. I've read and reviewed so many in the past couple of years, they all kind of blur into the other. But great advance reviews and the Aussie/male author aspect made me pick this one up, and to Hearle's credit, I read it in a couple of days, which is indeed becoming a very rare thing for me to do!

So, Winter's Shadow. Chapter lengths are great - really incite you to read on, end on a high, aren't cluttered with too many things happening at once. I know this might be a weird thing to pick out, but it really enhances the reading experience. Hearle does some great scene setting, with some genuinely spooky moments (like Winter alone in Blake's house) and an undertone of creepiness that pervades the page. I know the word 'atmospheric' gets thrown around a lot, but it applies genuinely to Winter's Shadow.

I also enjoyed the mythological/historical take - there are some great ideas happening with the Skivers and Winter's ability to predict/see a person's life span through their eyes. I read Hearle is planning a sequel, so I hope he expands on this a little more, as it has fascinating potential.

Blake was the more interesting of the two main characters, and I actually really would have loved to read the book entirely from his perspective, or otherwise just cut his parts out. As it is, the story would still be fine and coherent without them.

Winter is okay, but I feel she is just a teeny bit like other paranormal romance heroines to really leave a mark. Sometimes I really just want these chicks to be stronger; in themselves and in the role they play in the relationship. I don't want them to surrender all of who they are to their love interest. And I also would have liked for Blake and Winter's relationship to develop further through actual interaction. There is of course a whole dimension added when there is a mythical or outside influence drawing two characters together, but to cement it, to enhance it, their still needs to be some face-to-face get-to-know-you time.

I also think a few show-don't-tell edits would have enhanced the compelling, creepy feel of the book.

But in general, Winter's Shadow is a strong addition to the para-YA fold, and a welcome effort from an Aussie. Hearle can more than hold his own against the Lauren Kate and Claudia Grays of this world (thank GOD!). A fun and fast read, and I hope it does well.

Beastly, by Alex Flinn

First published in 2007 by Harper Collins

A retelling of classic tale Beauty and the Beast, Alex Flinn’s Beastly places the characters in modern-day high school and lets the scenario play out among teen hierarchies, the internet and neglected-child syndrome. It is one of the better fairytale retellings I’ve read for teens, and I have read some pretty woeful ones that make me so cross over the fact someone could create such a hackneyed and uninspired story from the classics I love so much.

That being said, Beastly never really kicked into gear for me until Part 5, which comes about two thirds of the way into the book. It was pretty generic up until then. The main character was a bit of a tosspot. I wasn’t feeling the fairytale magic. But when Lindy came into Kyle/Adrian’s house and the relationship began to develop, I was turning the pages pretty fast, till the point even where I read it as I walked home from the bus. I haven’t done THAT in ages.

I think part of the appeal is that I knew how the story would play out, but rather than reducing my enjoyment of the book it made me more interested to see how the author would go about it – how would she twist it, make it her own, how high would she make the stakes. You know it is going to end but you want to see the Beast get his happily ever after. So that actually worked in Beastly’s favour.

Some parts I didn’t like – number one, the ‘IM chats’ between the parts. I don’t know if this was an attempt to make it more relevent to a modern teen audience, or just to play around with the novelty of other well-known fairytale characters using the internet. I didn’t find it clever, and it didn’t add anything to the plot/story. Pointless, really.

Adrian/Kyle/the Beast is attracted to Lindy – I get this. Flinn did the whole ‘coming round to trusting him after initially hating his guts’ pretty decently. But I still didn’t really get what attracted him so much to her – apart from the fact that she was really the only girl he had been in contact with for a long time. The whole ‘love story’ felt more just like what would inevitably happen when two people get pushed together; it didn’t go really that deeply into the psychology of it, more just touched the surface. Something didn’t quite click. Although there were a few cute moments between them.

The dialogue was also a bit eugh. Didn’t ring true. Flinn relied quite a lot on cliché, and then kind of tried to worm her way out of it by having Adrian/Kyle think something like ‘Ugh, I can’t believe I just did/said that, what am I thinking?’ Sorry, but you can’t get out of it that easily. It just made me completely detached from the text.

Still, I enjoyed Beastly well enough. And I’m quite keen to see the movie.

Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater

First published in 2009 by Scholastic

The past few years it seems to be a trend for me to choose one wildly popular paranormal romance and take it with me to read on summer holidays. Perfect for lazy days at the beach, a bit of escapism, and a chance for me to, at my leisure, see what all the fuss is about. This year it was Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater, and it’s probably been the best of the lot. Shiver managed to be enjoyably predictable but page-turning, to keep my frustrated sighs and frequent eyerolls to a minium, and to put the story before lame set-ups that just give the main character an excuse to stare lovingly at her destined and know it was meant to be because the way he flicks his hair is just so damn sexy.

Grace has alway felt a connection to the wolves in the woods behind her house. In particular, she has an afinity with one yellow-eyed male who seems to be as much besotted with her as she is with it. Naturally, (I mean, this is paranormal romance) he turns into a boy for a short time each year, but only for so long – soon he will be a wolf for good. Sam must now fight to stay human so he can be with Grace, but, as they say, true love never did run smooth. There are a few things that stand in the way (jealous she-wolves, rabid wolves, wolf-hunts, uh, the weather) before the two can claim their happily-ever-after.

Look, there’s nothing really that new here, but Shiver is nicely written and the story is involving; Sam’s whole man-versus-beast-within struggle provides a nice diversion from the central love story that it serves. The writing mostly avoids cliche, Grace is a bit more likeable than the usual para-romance heroine, and there is some good stuff about family and pack relationships. I also liked the love story because the two characters serve a greater purpose for each other than just being attractive and predestined – in other words, you can see why they like each other, and they help each other with new ways of experiencing and observing the world. This helps them to be better people as a whole – something important that I feel is missing from paranormal romance, as the whole experience usually seems to bring out only the worst and most annoying habits of the so-called ‘soul-mates’.

Something I really enjoyed was how the character of Isabel was done. It is a good example of not only making the ‘bitchy’ or ‘enemy’ character two-dimensional, but also giving her character space to become genuinely funny and endearing and making her one of the more enjoyable parts of the book. The scene where she is searching for Sam in all the sheds on her property is quite hilarious. It is these kind of touches that lifted the book above the norm for me.

This one is a worthwhile read. It is also perhaps the only trilogy/series type of paranormal romance that makes me actually want to read the next books. So well done Stiefvater.

Wolfborn, by Sue Bursztynski

Published by Woolshed Press, 2010

Etienne is the son of a lord in the kingdom of Armorique. He goes to train with Geraint of Lucanne, as his page, in the hope of becoming a knight. But Geraint has a secret - he is bisclavret, a born werewolf. Etienne - experiencing certain supernatural tendencies and visions of his own - must deal with both his Lord’s and his own secrets. What follows is a romp through medieval landscapes, encounters with ancient Celtic mythology, a touch of romance, and just a good old-fashioned story of betrayal and discovery.

 

Werewolves are all the rave now in YA literature - those fangs and clipped wings have fallen to the power of the claw (thanks, Jacob Black). I love werewolves, and the mythology that surrounds them - all full moons and animal instincts and the man giving way to the beast (on a side note, one of the movies I can watch over and over again and love it just a little more every time is Dog Soldiers - check it out, it's a great werewolf movie and great human characters). So it's great to see an Australian author having a decent go at the genre and even shaking it up - drawing on her own myths and folktales to create a werewolf lore that isn't just a rehash of what we've read and seen before.

When I first started reading I thought the writing was perhaps a tiny bit clumsy - I can't help analysing everything from my own perspective on writing (for eg: that isn't how I'd write that etc). I also got a bit lost over who was who and what they did. But I quickly got sucked into the intrigue and the mystery and just the great sense of discovery and adventure Wolfborn has. There is some great scene-setting of the forest and castle life, and Etienne's encounters with all the fay beasts have a good sense of awe and otherworldliness. The myth and the reality (Etienne's quest to help Lord Geraint) blend well, and the pacing is good. Bursztynski has created a likeable and charismatic character in Geraint, and so it is easy to invest in the race to save him.

There is some nice romance with the secondary characters - Geraint, Eglantine, Sylvie etc. These romantic elements feel essential to the story and move it along. I was not such a fan of Etienne's romantic plot with Jeanne - I just didn't feel it was necessary. It felt to me just a little surplus to the main plot - like something that might be tacked on to keep Wolfborn relevant to the usual paranormal romance fans. It takes focus away from the excitement of the main plot involving Geraint, and when that is resolved the book then has to trundle along just to make sure everyone gets a happy ending. I also felt Jeanne was one of the weaker characters, so I didn't care for her much.

That is my main (and perhaps only) gripe with Wolfborn. Otherwise I found it quite an exciting little world to spend a few days in. Rich detail and a creative interpretation of well-known lore. Good effort.

Impossible, by Nancy Werlin

Published in Australia by Penguin, 2010



Another book for teens dealing with true love and the supernatural. This one is refreshing in that it is not about vampires or fallen angels or faeries – it has more of a folksy feel, the ‘love’ has been developing since the two protagonists were both kids, and it just feels softer somehow, not so in your face. It is refreshingly different but not entirely successful.

Nancy Werlin’s Impossible concerns seventeen year old Lucy Scarborough and her quest to break a curse that has been in her family for generations. Pregnant by supernatural forces, she must complete three seemingly impossible tasks or fall into insanity. Having seen what the ‘curse’ has done to her mother, Lucy is desperate to prevent it from affecting her and, in turn, her unborn child. It is only the love of her family and childhood friend Zach that give her the strength to fight back and ‘take her destiny into her own hands.’

For a book that revolves around the breaking of a supernatural curse, it is a bit disconcerting that the quest to break this curse only begins well after the halfway mark. For this reason the blending of the real and the supernatural isn’t quite seamless, with a tendency to feel tacked on in parts for the advancement of the story. To me, there is too great a divide between reality and fantasy, and I cannot combine the two without some suspension of belief. Whilst I have problems with some other YA paranormal romance, I think that for the most part you are immersed in the supernatural side straight away, which helps you better step into the shoes of the characters.

In regards to the ‘reality’ parts, characters also spend far too much time thinking through problems and having internal monologues, often to the detriment of the plot, as these thoughts end up being irrelevant. Maybe it does help character development but I just wanted to tell them to hurry up and get on with it.

Werlin’s writing is quite evocative and dreamy, which suits the folksy romantic elements of the book. I love folk songs so it was nice to see Scarborough Fair make an appearance, but I don’t think Werlin tapped into the true potential of it. (Jon Mayhew, in Mortlock, http://bookgrotto.blogspot.com/search/label/Mortlock uses folk songs much better, even if only in quotation/epitaph style).

There are some nice, recognisable teenage love/lust moments between Lucy and Zach and in the last quarter of the book the pacing picks up considerably as Lucy struggles to complete the three tasks. A familiarity between Lucy and her audience, however, is never quite established, and for this reason her story lacks true folksy magic.

Fallen, by Lauren Kate

Published by Delacorte Press, 2009

I was working as a bookseller when I first heard of Fallen, months before its official release. It was sold to me as the book that heralded fallen angels’ triumphant overthrowing of vampires in YA paranormal romance. Well, Fallen is a solid effort by Lauren Kate, but I didn’t exactly feel like throwing away my fangs for [clipped] wings upon first read. Its main competition was Hush Hush when first released, and I think that book was the better of the two. I haven’t picked up any of the numerous fallen angels stories that quickly followed after these two, and I don’t know if they piqued my interest enough to read on (even if I am being whammed in the face with them every vaguely bookish place I go).

Fallen starts off pretty well, with an unusual, appealing setting, a couple of interesting characters and a swampy, quasi-gothic atmosphere that slowly builds over the course of the book. I could not help but feel, however, that some set-pieces, like the lake and the pool-within-a-church, were tacked on just because the author thought they would be cool. Which is fine, but they need to be intertwined more seamlessly in the story and have more function, rather than just being a pretty place for characters to carry on a conversation.

The development of Luce’s big romance with Daniel was intriguing enough, but once it got into all the lovey-dovey stuff at the end I found myself totally unsatisfied. I really don’t feel we got enough of a connection between Luce and Daniel to justify all those grandiose statements of love. Their star-crossed lover deal has appeal, but we need to have more of why they are drawn to each other time and time again rather than just being told they love each other so much because it is meant to be. LOVE IS NOT BUILT ON HOTNESS AND A SIZZLING LOOK. I wish YA paranormal romance would get this.

Luce has her moments, but a lot of the time I found her to be a wet blanket. This is a problem in a lot of teenage supernatural fiction I’ve read – the female protagonist never really shows enough personality to justify all these ancient, powerful, beautiful creatures falling in love with her. Also a lot of her ‘flirting’ with Daniel and Cam came off as stilted when it really should have been cute and clever.

This book certainly kept me turning the pages, and the idea behind it is a good one. But ultimately Luce and Daniel’s love left me a little cold.



Paranormalcy, by Kiersten White

Published by Harper Collins, 2010

Evelyn wants to be a normal teen with a normal life (whatever normal passes for in the literary world). Instead she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency and uses her ability to see through supernatural’s glamours to help monitor and control all those bad-ass vamps trying to get their sexy on. When she finds herself linked to a faerie prophecy that promises death and destruction to the paranormal world, everything she knows is called into question and she must find a way to make sense of her world. So much for normal.

Despite Paranormalcy’s slight deviation from the usual set up, this is very much a paranormal romance. The guts of it involves Evie’s longing for Lend’s ‘normal’ life and her worry that their conflicting worlds will stop them from being happy together. I am so pleased that Evie isn’t a total wet blanket when it comes to love and lust – that she has a bit of spark and can give as good as she gets. She is a cute character, easy to go along with. I love that White lets us see her and Lend’s relationship actually develop. They go through the whole awkward flirty, cutesy stuff instead of just falling all over each other with unparalleled declarations of love. That being said, I didn’t really care all that much about them ending up together. We get the attraction but something is missing from the dynamics of their relationship – maybe it’s the angst, maybe it’s the tension, but something just wasn’t there.

Apart from Lend’s water spririt Mum, I also wasn’t feeling the love for any of the supporting characters. I think maybe because they don’t get a chance to develop, or they just aren’t around enough to make me care what happens to them. Reth was the best developed out of all, and we’re kind of made to not like him. I didn’t even care all that much for Lish, and she’s a mermaid, my absolute favourite.

I also found it hard to immerse myself in the plot. The book itself is an easy and fun read, and original in its premise. But as to actually what goes on, and how it unfolds, I just didn’t get sucked in, I didn’t feel anything. I think maybe this is because of Evie’s character, the way she is written, and the overall tone of the book. As I said, it is light-hearted and fun, and a welcome relief from the often bland and depressing protagonist voice of other YA paranormal romance - but it also makes it hard to really take anything seriously, maybe because Evie doesn’t.

I enjoyed Paranormalcy (even if the title is a bit awkward). It’s definitely worth having  a read. But it didn’t seduce me, like the back cover promised it would.

This is Shyness, by Leanne Hall

I sometimes post reviews over at this blog, CAE Book Groups, and my most recent post was for This is Shyness, by Leanne Hall.

I absolutely just adored this book, and encourage everyone to go out and pick up a copy. It is so quirky, original and fun, with the kind of beauty reserved for those nights just like the book describes - the nights that you don't want to end, that are so perfect for the feelings and emotions they capture, that almost feel like another time and place. That was my experience reading This is Shyness, and I love Leanne Hall for writing something so unique.

The full review is here: This is Shyness. Like I said, I didn't read the gazillion other entries for the Text Prize (which, by the way, is a fabulous prize that all emerging writers should look into entering), but I can't help thinking they definately picked the right winner for this one.