The Diviners, OR, why Libba Bray is awesome

Libba Bray is astonishing. With the exception of her Gemma Doyle trilogy, her other books have been standalones that span all genres. Going Bovine, the only book I know of that combines mad cow disease and Don Quixote, won the Printz Award several years ago. And now, she writes her latest novel The Diviners.


It's the era of Prohibition and flappers, Ziegfeld girls and speakeasys. After a faux pas at home in Ohio, bubbly, "everything's jake" Evie O'Neill has arrived in New York to stay with her uncle Will. Will curates the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult. When a peculiar murder with apparent occult ties occurs, the police call upon Will to help solve the crime. And that's where the easy explanation ends.

Evie helps her uncle untangle the complicated threads of a story tying together religion, the occult, and a sacred covenant made years before. At the same time, we learn about other characters on the fringes of Evie's story: Memphis, a numbers runner; Jericho, Will's assistant at the museum; Theta, a Ziegfeld girl; and Sam, a petty thief. As Evie's story continues, it is clear that all these characters have ties with something bigger than themselves. The something is a looming thing of nightmares and evil

I can't even elaborate on this story anymore without serious spoilers, and I can't fully explain the "something." The ARC that I got at BookExpo is 578 pages, and this is the first in a four-part series that I can only assume covers the stories of the other characters in Evie's story. The film rights have already been snapped up by Paramount (wise move!) via Fake Empire and this promises to be an epic, Roaring-Twenties adventure with layers of darkness and occultism.

I stayed up way too late as I got deeper and deeper into this story. The world building and historical imagery are impeccable. After watching Ken Burns' documentary Prohibition earlier this year, I was totally onboard with the time period. At first I didn't like Evie's "pos-i-tute-ly" flapper slang, but as the story built into this maelstrom of intrigue and horror, it became so secondary that I just sat up turning page after page. The story reads like a movie, and I can't wait to see how it translates into film. It's one book-to-film that I'm not dreading!

I do wonder how this book will be received by teens. There's plenty of plot and lots of characters to keep the story going (and Evie is seventeen in the story), but I wonder how the (grisly!) murders and the time period will resonate. The connection I draw is that each time period has an expected "apocalypse" and this story is what apocalypse looked like in the Twenties. The fact that it is a time before a lot of modern technology makes it all the more scary. Beyond the family, there isn't a global community with whom to share common experiences. Local papers are the time period's Facebook status, if you will, and not knowing is a fear in and of itself.

The Diviners will be published in September by Little, Brown and Company Books for Young Readers. Libba, thank you for being amazing and signing my ARC at BookExpo. Paramount and Fake Empire, thank you for seeing the amazing movie opportunity in this book.

Ex libris and everything's jake,

Marissa

Once I read a book and it was a gas...its title was Throne of Glass

I couldn't help referencing Blondie's "Heart of Glass" in the title of this post. Every time I've opened up the digital galley to read Throne of Glass, those catchy lines (the only ones I know) have skittered across my brain. "Da dada dada, and it was a gas...da dada dada, heart of glass."

Anyway, Throne of Glass was a gas-- an exciting fantasy with a beautiful and deadly heroine. Throw in a competition, a prince, and a unknown evil, and you've got a great escapist read.

Eighteen-year-old Celaena Sardothien was her country Adarlan's most notorious assassin, until she got caught. Forced into slavery in a salt mine, she refuses to be broken. She remains as cunning and deadly as ever. When the Crown Prince of Adarlan arrives at the mine, she is surprised, especially when he reveals his intention. Celaena is to compete against other villains and soldiers in a competition. If she wins, she will be named King's Champion and be freed after a period of servitude. If she loses, it is back to the mine and certain death.

Wanting her freedom, Celeana agrees-- grudgingly-- to the deal. She is transported to the Glass Castle where she will train and compete under an assumed name. Despite her unbreakable spirit and prickly demeanor, she has caught the Crown Prince's eye and the eye of her trainer, the Captain of the Royal Guard. As training begins, a series of murders alarms castle residents. It appears to be an otherworldly force, but that is impossible because magic has disappeared from the kingdom. Or has it? Can Celaena figure out the force behind the murders and win the competition?

I was skeptical about this story, to be honest. Pretty girl assassin? Handsome prince? I was concerned that Celaena was going to be too frothy and the prince was going to be a doofus. But aha! I was wrong! What I liked a lot about Celaena is that she has an edge to her. She may look awesome in a ballgown, but you best make sure she doesn't have a knife strapped to her thigh. And the prince, Dorian, is handsome but has character to back it up. Their dialogue is well-crafted and snarky. I loved it.

Celaena is not transformed overnight. I tip my hat to Sarah Maas, the author, for developing all of the characters in this book in measured steps. All the parts of this book unfold in a wonderful way, and it is clearly first in a series that shows promise.

The blurb on Netgalley calls Throne of Glass "the teen girl version of Game of Thrones." I have only read the first in that series, but I like to think that Arya Stark would grow up to be like Celaena Sardothien-- crafty and quick with a sword.

This is a debut novel by Sarah Maas, but she's been writing this epic online for years. Congratulations on getting this book in print, Sarah, and I look forward to the next in the series! Throne of Glass will be published on August 7, 2012 by Bloomsbury Children's Books, a division of Bloomsbury Publishing. The digital galley was provided through Netgalley.

Ex libris,

Marissa

Books into television programs.

So I am having the laziest weekend ever (not counting shoveling snow while my dad is away in Vermont). I am committing the sin of SLOTH. I love it.
On the advice of Michelle and Eileen, my library girlz, I checked out season 1 of "Dexter." Oh my gracious, it is amazing. I am so into it. I think my mom is concerned that I'm salivating over a serial killer, but I have been known to have questionable taste in the past. But did you know that the show is based on Jeff Lindsay's Darkly Dreaming Dexter? I have the book checked out but I haven't read it yet (too busy watching the show). I wonder if it's going to be a let down or even better than the show. I am a believer that the book is always better than the movie, and I am interested to see if the same goes for TV shows. However, is it worth it to read now that I know what will happen (mostly)? Should I treat it as a readalong and read, then watch? I'm halfway through the season. I have so many books that I want to read, and I don't have Jeff Lindsay's book high on the list, but should this book trump the others since I am watching the show?

Maybe I am overthinking this...

Showtime's website for "Dexter"


Ok, I'm going to read the book. From the synopsis on the website for the book it seems that it is going to be good! Thanks, blog, for letting me work it out in your virtual pages.

Ex libris,

Marissa

Breaking Dawn

I finished Stephenie Meyer's Breaking Dawn yesterday. There are all sorts of reviews clogging up the Internet, but I couldn't avoid adding my thoughts here because I couldn't find a review that described how I felt now that the Twilight Saga is over (from Bella's point of view, anyway).

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!





Ok, so. Before I get into the nitty-gritty, let me just say that I liked Breaking Dawn. A lot. I had mixed feelings while reading, but at the conclusion, I was satisfied.
Now the nitty-gritty. In skimming online reviews, I have found that there is a lot of uproar about Bella and Edward finally having sex and, subsequently, a half human/half vampire child. I find that Stephenie Meyer is being accused of condoning teenage sex and pregnancy. I say this is bullshit. The bargain was made in Eclipse that Edward wanted to marry Bella and then they would do the deed + love each other forever. Well, hello, they got married. And then they had (tastefully written and, in my opinion, hott) sex. They were both true to their word. To say that Meyer is suggesting that teenagers go get it on is absurd. Sure, Bella is a little young (ok, a lot young) to be getting married, but she is sure that Edward is right for her, and vice versa. She makes a commitment. In these times where twelve-year-olds are giving blowjobs on the school bus, Bella is honorable. Plus, I think that kids who are readers are probably better informed and more conscientious than kids who avoid reading like the plague, and therefore don't read Bella's actions as a blueprint for their own lives.
As a result of their actions, Bella gets unexpectedly pregnant. (Male vampires are able to father children, who knew?) While I was originally a bit surprised by this development, I looked at how many pages were left in the book and thought, ok, well SOMETHING has to happen, so this is it. Bella's decision to keep the baby despite Edward's protestations show her making the right choices for her. AGAIN. So tell me how that is a bad example? Personally, I think the right to choose is important. While I don't know what I would do given the same circumstances, I think that having the option is a good one. Meyer doesn't make Bella's decision into some big pro-life rally. She simply shows Bella taking responsibility and choosing what she thinks is best.
I was a bit disturbed by the parasitic, accelerated pregnancy that Bella endured. It was definitely macabre. I thought Meyer should've told that particular part of the story from Bella or Edward's point of view, not Jacob's. Also, I thought it a little silly that Bella didn't really flinch at the idea of drinking blood. In Twilight, she passes out in biology from a finger prick. She needed to show some aversion. Again, better achieved from her point of view. The delivery of the baby seemed like a scene out of Carrie or Alien to me. I suppose it couldn't be more tender since the child was draining Bella's life. However, I wanted Edward's changing her into a vampire to be more passionate and less frantic. Looking back, it falls in line with the rest of the story, but at the time I was disappointed.
Now, about Meyer condoning teen pregnancy. Again, I find that a silly accusation. Bella is married. She is not sleeping around with the football team or whatever, and oops, baby. It was unexpected, but again, there was a commitment between Bella and Edward and they were going to be together forever. And you know what? It's fiction. These are circumstances that will never happen in real life.
I am amused that there is a backlash against the name of the baby, Renesmee Carlie. In some reviews, it is being compared to the name of Harry Potter's child, Albus Severus, in atrocity. I don't love the name Renesmee but I like the sentiment behind it. I'm not wild about Albus Severus either, but it fits the story. It's better than all they Madisynne Meckenzee Cierra SueVanna kids that are walking around and will never learn to spell properly because their names are intentionally mispelled. Renesmee grew on me. Not loving the Carlie part, but again, it fits the story. Go here if you want to read a ton of hilarious, terrible baby names.
Next bit: Bella as a vampire. As soon as she became a vampire, she was much less real to me. Clearly, that was going to be the case. I like that she discovers her abilities and we discover them with her, but a teeny part of me wanted her to still be a little clumsy. Just at first. Her lack of bloodlust I found a little frustrating, though. Newborns are supposed to be vicious, and I had hoped she'd almost attack someone, namely, Jessica the fickle friend. I found it a little too convenient that she had so much self-control. There needed to be a little more action there for my taste. Maybe just the desire for blood explored a little more. However, the vampire sex drive I thoroughly enjoyed. It's true, I live vicariously through fictional characters, which is a little depressing. And I was feeling down on myself for still being a virgin while all the vampire love was happening. But I snapped out of it. Again, it is just a book. I like how Meyer makes me care so much. I forget that it is fantasy sometimes.
I do wish that there was a bit more mothering between Bella and Renesmee. It seemed a little forced. I do think it rocks that Jacob imprinted on Renesmee, though. I called that one, and I think it tied up Jacob's story well. Phew. And Renesmee sounds like the cutest child ever. But I wanted more mommy time between her and Bella. It was like, "Hey, I just had a baby and turned into a vampire. Let me go take down some elk!" Wouldn't you insist on seeing the baby, especially since you almost died carrying her?
The gigantic vampire gathering was interesting. I was expecting the Volturi to fight and not just off Irina. But maybe in the future?
The reunion with Charlie seemed a little forced as well, as did the obtaining of the forged documents. Hmm. I don't think they were out of place, but I do think they could've been blended in more smoothly.
So what's next? I have to lend out my copy of Twilight to my friend Eileen, so I can't reread the whole series right away. I am taking a break from the supernatural for now, but I do intend to read the saga all the way through. I am also looking forward to the movie version of Twilight in December. My final thoughts on Breaking Dawn: a bit contrived in a few spots, but in hindsight blends in very well with the series as a whole. Meyer has created some amazing characters and has left the door open just a tiny bit to continue if she chooses. I think continuing from Bella's perspective would be forced, but I look forward to Edward's story in Midnight Sun. I'd also like to see an Edward-centric version of Breaking Dawn. Meyer also does a good job indicating the commitment Bella and Edward have for each other. Again, not suggesting that everyone finds their soulmate at 17, but to wait until you are ready.
P.S. The release party I helped organize went really well! Yay, success.

The Twilight Saga

I never thought I could get sucked into a series the way I did with J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter, but it has happened with Stephenie Meyer's Twilight saga.

I was skeptical when Jenn, a friend of mine/teen librarian extraordinaire, suggested the first in the series, Twilight.  I then read New Moon and Eclipse and I am officially hooked.  Meyer's characterizations are so real and she makes the idea of vampires among us plausible.  She also has this amazing way of creating such heat and sexual tension between Bella and Edward, the two main characters.  However, she doesn't make the book a teen sex fest.  Indeed, there is no more than some intense kissing in the first three books.  Whether this is a reflection of Meyer's Mormon faith or just the storyline, I don't know.  But I find it a refreshing change from all the other media that is geared toward teens. 

Breaking Dawn, the fourth and last in the series, is being released on August 2.  I pretty much volunteered to co-run a release party for the new book at the library I work at, and I am so excited about it.  I was so gung ho that I got some other library employees reading the books, and methinks they are going to help out, too.  We're going to have a trivia contest, a scavenger hunt, some crafty goodness, a lot of red food, and we're giving the book out at the stroke of midnight.  It is going to ROCK.

I don't think Meyer's series will take away from the success of Rowling's Harry Potter because it is a different audience.  I do think Stephenie Meyer is going to go far in her literary career.  In my impatience for Breaking Dawn, I picked up her first adult novel The Host and I'm enjoying it.  It is much more sci-fi than fantasy (think "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" circa 1956), but not unpleasantly so as I find most sci-fi to be.

I highly recommend the Twilight saga for some fun, intense fantasy reading!

Stephenie Meyer's website

Ex libris,

Marissa