aussie

Mar

18

Review: The Wild Girl, Kate Forsyth

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 5 comments

Title: The Wild Girl (Goodreads)
Author: Kate Forsyth (website)

Rating:

Dortchen Wild fell in love with Wilhelm Grimm the first time she saw him.

Growing up in the small German kingdom of Hessen-Cassel in early Nineteenth century, Dortchen Wild is irresistibly drawn to the boy next door, the young and handsome fairy tale scholar Wilhelm Grimm.

It is a time of War, tyranny and terror. Napoleon Bonaparte wants to conquer all of Europe, and Hessen-Cassel is one of the first kingdoms to fall. Forced to live under oppressive French rule, the Grimm brothers decide to save old tales that had once been told by the firesides of houses grand and small all over the land.

Dortchen knows many beautiful old stories, such as ‘Hansel and Gretel’, ‘The Frog King’ and ‘Six Swans’. As she tells them to Wilhelm, their love blossoms. Yet the Grimm family is desperately poor, and Dortchen’s father has other plans for his daughter. Marriage is an impossible dream.

Dortchen can only hope that happy endings are not just the stuff of fairy tales.

Details

Series: Stand-alone
Genre: Historical romance, with fairy tales
Published: Vintage Australia (Random House), March 18, 2013
Pages: 530
My copy: From the author as part of a giveaway, thanks!

Paper copies: Book Depository (pre-order) • Booktopia • Bookworld
E-copies: Amazon.com • Bookworld (epub)

Review

The Wild Girl is a story of the Brothers Grimm and how their book of fairy tales came to be written. It is also a story of two families, growing up in Hessen-Cassel (now central Germany) in the early nineteenth century, just as Napoléon is starting his conquest to bring all of Europe into his empire. It is sometimes heartbreaking and even disturbing at times, but over all, it is one of the most beautiful, gentle love stories I’ve read in a long time.

Dortchen Wild lives with her five sisters and her parents above her father’s apothecary shop in Cassel. Dortchen’s best friend, Lotte Grimm, lives next door, but when Lotte’s brothers Wilhelm and Jakob return home from their studies in Marburg and Paris, the twelve year old Dortchen falls in love with Wilhelm. In November 1806, Napoléon’s armies marched through and occupied Cassel, freeing the serfs and bringing other freedoms, but putting terrible pressure on the economy of the city. Unable to find work under the new regime, Wilhelm begins to collect folk stories to preserve them. His brother Jakob supports his whole family on his meagre librarian’s wage.

Many people (myself included) think that the Grimm fairytales were told to the brothers by various people all over the country, or written by the brothers themselves. In fact, many of them were told to Wilhelm Grimm by the young Dortchen Wild, of whom very little is written. Others of the stories were told to Wilhelm and Jakob by other well-to-do young ladies of their acquaintance, and in the well-researched The Wild Girl we are introduced to those ladies and to the original, less child-friendly versions of some of the most popular fairy tales of the present day, including Cinderella (Aschenputtel), Hansel and Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, Rumpelstiltskin, and many more.

The Wild Girl not only tells the story of the creation of the fairytale collection of the Brothers Grimm, it is also a beautiful love story between Dortchen and Wilhelm, heartbreaking at times but very sweet at others. The tale of the people of Cassel and their suffering at the hands of the French armies is not an overwhelming part of the story but there is just enough historical context to frame the other events of the story. Kate’s telling of dark and dramatic events is interspersed with light-hearted moments which made reading this book an absolute delight.

It wasn’t only the research into historical events that interested me about this story, but also the extensive herb lore Dortchen and her father use as part of their apothecary work. The garden of medicinal plants just fascinated me, much like the herbology also discussed in Bitter Greens!

The real highlight of this story is the characters themselves. Kate Forsyth does such a wonderful job of bringing characters to life that I felt I was sharing their joy, terror or anger. Herr Wild, Dortchen’s father, is such a creepy and at times terrifying man in this story, but at the same time we see his despair at his country being trodden down by the French and his kindnesses to those less fortunate families in the town. Dortchen herself starts out as such a carefree and happy girl, but the hardships throughout her adolescence make her into a much more subdued young lady – something that I’m sure has happened to many women throughout history. That doesn’t stop her from being a selfless and kind person, always putting others well-being before her own, sometimes putting herself in harm’s way instead.

The Wild Girl is not just for historical and romantic fiction readers – those who love fairy tales will also find plenty to fascinate them here. It’s certainly one of my favourite reads so far this year!

Warnings: Violence including towards children, sexual situations (some abusive)

What did others think of The Wild Girl?

“An engaging historical novel about fairytales, love, despair and hope that at times reminded me of Little Women- only a little darker.” – The Australian Bookshelf
“The Wild Girl is about yearning and love, poverty and sacrifice, but it’s also a very dark tale. Those expecting the same tone as Bitter Greens should prepare themselves for a darker journey, and a greater struggle that lasts almost a lifetime for Dortchen.” – Carpe Librum
“A stunning achievement, and a book that I would reccomend to anyone interested in romance, historical fiction or fairy story interpretations.” – InkAshlings

Feb

11

Review: Bitter Greens, Kate Forsyth

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 9 comments

Title: Bitter Greens (Goodreads)
Author: Kate Forsyth (website)

Rating:

Charlotte-Rose de la Force has been banished from court by the Sun King, Louis XIV, after a series of scandalous love affairs. She is comforted by an old nun, Sœur Seraphina, who tells her the tale of a young girl who, a hundred years earlier, is sold by her parents for a handful of Bitter Greens …

After Margherita’s father steals a handful of greens—parsley, wintercress and rapunzel—from the walled garden of the courtesan, Selena Leonelli, they give up their daughter to save him from having both hands cut off.

Selena is the famous red-haired muse of the artist Tiziano, first painted by him in 1513 and still inspiring him at the time of his death, sixty-one years later. Called La Strega Bella, Selena is at the centre of Renaissance life in Venice, a world of beauty and danger, seduction and betrayal, love and superstition.

Locked away in a tower, growing to womanhood, Margherita sings in the hope someone will hear her. One day, a young man does…

Three women, three lives, three stories, braided together to create a compelling story of desire, obsession, black magic, and the redemptive power of love.

Details

Series: Stand-alone
Genre: Fantasy/historical romantic fairy tale
Published: Vintage Australia, March 2012, tbp Allison & Busby in the UK, 25 February 2013.
Pages: 576

Paper copies: Amazon.co.uk (pre-order) • Book Depository (pre-order) • Booktopia (AU – available!)
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk (pre-order) • Barnes & Noble • Bookworld (epub)

Review

Bitter Greens is partly a heart-breaking retelling of the Rapunzel fairy tale, and partly historical drama set in 17th-century France. I enjoyed every moment!

Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de la Force, a writer and great lover of the salon scene in Paris, has been banished to a convent by the Sun King, Louis XIV of France. The past twenty years of her life at court in Versailles has been filled with scandal and rumours of black magic, and during the course of Bitter Greens we hear about these stories through a series of flashbacks.

While working in the garden at the convent, Charlotte-Rose is told a story by one of the nuns. In Venice during the late 16th Century, a young girl, Margherita, is stolen from her parents by Selena (known as La Strega), a beautiful but dangerous witch. Margherita is locked in a high tower on an island and La Strega only comes to visit once a month with supplies, calling for Margherita to let down her long hair so that she may climb up. Each month, La Strega takes nine drops of blood from Margherita’s wrist and bathes in it to keep herself looking young and beautiful. Margherita longs for someone to rescue her.

The lives, loves and losses of Charlotte-Rose, Margherita and Selena are woven together in Bitter Greens. Each character, setting and emotion are described in such gorgeous detail I almost felt like I was watching a drama on TV rather than reading! I found it very compelling and found myself snatching moments to read whenever I could.

The only thing that put me off slightly at times was the way the story jumps back and forth to the different story arcs after many chapters. One moment I was happily absorbed in the story of Margherita and then was jolted back into Charlotte-Rose’s France. By the end of the book I was used to it, but at first it was a little jarring.

There have been some horrible moments in the histories of France and Venice, and some of that horror has been captured in Bitter Greens - the plagues in Venice that decimated the population, the slaughter of the reformée Huguenots in France and other, earlier persecutions.

Reading about how women were treated in times gone by makes me really grateful to those women who fought for equality during the twentieth century. Women like Charlotte-Rose and Selena did their best to survive and then make a difference in a world dominated by men. Nowadays, we modern women should never take our ability to work, vote and speak our minds for granted.

Bitter Greens is a fairy tale wrapped within a historical drama. With the character of Charlotte-Rose based on a real woman and the settings and events taken straight from history, it is obvious that a great deal of research and effort (and fun!) went into the making of this book. Well done, Ms Forsyth, you have created a masterpiece!

Interested in reading more about the creation of this book? All the Books I Can Read hosted a guest post from Kate about Vampire legends of Venice, and the author Elizabeth Storrs posted an interview with Kate on redroom.com, talking about inspiration and the art of Bitter Greens.

Warnings: Violence including towards children, graphic sexual situations (some abusive)

What did others think of Bitter Greens?

“Bitter Greens is a stunning novel. I was spell bound from beginning to end by the lush prose, magnificent characters and intriguing story.” – Book’d Out
“Forsyth demonstrates her skill as a Fantasy writer, with the storytelling every bit as enchanting as fairytales of old.” – Devoted Eclectic
“It’s the sort of novel that has so many elements that it will appeal across the board, to historical fiction fans, fantasy fans, even fans who enjoy a bit of the romance. But ultimately if you like a good story no matter what the particular genre, then this book is definitely for you!” – All The Books I Can Read

Feb

02

Review: Besieged, Rowena Cory Daniells

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 2 comments

Title: Besieged (Goodreads)
Author: Rowena Cory Daniells (website) (twitter)

Rating:

Sorne, the estranged son of a King on the verge of madness, is being raised as a weapon to wield against the mystical Wyrds. Half a continent away, his father is planning to lay siege to the Celestial City, the home of the T En, whose wyrd blood the mundane population have come to despise.

Within the City, Imoshen, the only mystic to be raised by men, is desperately trying to hold her people together. A generations long feud between the men of the Brotherhoods and the women of the sacred Sisterhoods is about to come to a head. With war without and war within, can an entire race survive the hatred of a nation?

Details

Series: The Outcast Chronicles #1 of 3
Genre: High fantasy
Published: Solaris, June 2012
Pages: 670
My copy: For review from the Author, thanks!

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble

Review

It’s been a while since I read any high fantasy, since a lot of it these days tends to be quite dark and depressing. While still containing some violence and oppression, Besieged isn’t nearly as dark as other books in the genre and I found that made it all the more enjoyable a read. That, and the fact that the author lives in the same city as me. Hooray for local awesome talent!

How to describe this world? Chalcedonia and the nearby kingdoms are peopled by two races, who have lived in peace for the last several hundred years. There are the True-men, who are also called Mieren by the T’En. The other race is the T’En, also called Wyrds by the True-men. Tall and silver-haired, the T’En have violet eyes and six fingers on each hand. They also have strange abilities – while the men are physically stronger and are often gifted warriors, the women are very powerful and are able to segue to the spirit world. Some can see the future, while others are able to heal or read others emotions. All of the women can kill by separating a soul from its body, and for that they are feared.

T’En society is split into sisterhoods and brotherhoods, each with their ambitious leaders and hierarchy below. Men and women live separately, only coming together at festival times to select trysting partners. At other times, each group may take lovers from within their own sisterhood or brotherhood, or among the Malaunje – half-bloods who have the T’En characteristics but none of their power. Usually in servitude with the brotherhoods or sisterhoods, the Malaunje are despised and persecuted by the True-men. Malaunje can be born to True-men or T’En parents and no-one is quite sure why. True T’En babies are prized and carefully cared for, but all T’En babies, true blooded or not, are given up to the sisterhoods in their first year and cared for and trained until they are eighteen. The boys are then returned to their brotherhoods, while the true-blooded girls remain with the sisterhoods for further training and development of their gifts.

There are some, however, who are not happy with the control the sisterhoods and brotherhoods hold over society. All-father Rohaayel, the leader of a brotherhood, smuggles away a child to a secluded island, intent on bringing her up ignorant of the way T’En society works. Imoshen’s powerful true-blooded child would be able to challenge the leaders and bring about change.

Meanwhile, the Queen of Chalcedonia has just given birth to a half-blood Malaunje and the King is furious. Rather than destroy the child, high priest Oskane sneaks Sorne away to raise him and study the half-blood ways, to try to find a weapon that can be used against the T’En and their magic.

Those are just two of the storylines threaded together in this story – spanning a period of about thirty years, the story often jumps forward by several years between chapters. Each story arc follows the events from within the brotherhoods, the sisterhoods and from within Chalcedonia, as well as from Imoshen and Sorne’s points of view. The end result is a rich presentation of life from almost every angle – the mothers giving up their children, the wars ravaging the land, the manoeuvres for power within the T’En society and the loves, prejudices, affairs and betrayals of everyday life.

This is the first book by Rowena Cory Daniells that I’ve read, but I understand that her Last T’en series is set in the same world. I managed to catch up with the magic systems and societies without being completely in the dark, but I wonder whether the information overload at the start of the book might have been a little less overwhelming if I had read the previous series first! A glossary at the end may have helped understanding all the new terms as well.

I found the T’en societies fascinating – the way the Brotherhoods and Sisterhoods are kept separate and in fear and contempt of one another. I found it almost as fascinating that Imoshen, who was kept away all her life from the strict societal laws and expectations of the Celestial City, is able to see all of it and realise that it is wrong – that her people suffer and that there should be a better way to live. Despite all the horrors that are going on around this world, this is still a story of hope – of how just a few people can effect great change in society.

Once I got through the rather lengthy set-up early on in the book, I found all of the different story arcs to be very engaging and by the second half I found it very difficult to put down. Of course, this is only the first part in a massive trilogy so I am looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of the second book, Exile, very soon!

Warnings: Violence including towards children, sexual situations (some abusive)

The Outcast Chronicles

What did others think of Besieged?

“Besieged is a book that I think will appeal to all those fans of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series.” – Ticket to Anywhere
“Fantasy adorers will consume this book. Besieged was intriguing in all aspects; it has fantastic characters and a fascinating plot.” – Book Probe Reviews
“If you enjoy stories laced with political scheming, you’ll love Besieged… In Besieged Daniells has created a rich and complex world and used it as the stage for an engrossing story.” – A Fantastical Librarian

Jan

25

Australia Day Giveaway Hop

Blogstuff Posted by Angelya / 25 comments

Welcome to The Oaken Bookcase’s stop on the Australia Day Giveaway Hop! This hop is hosted by Book’d Out and Confessions from Romaholics!

It’s Australia Day on January 26th each year – a day to sit in the sun, enjoy a swim at the beach or have a barbie with family or friends. This year we get Monday off in lieu of the 26th falling on Saturday, so hooray long weekend! Unfortunately here in Queensland there’s an ex-cyclone hanging around so there’s going to be plenty of rain and wind all weekend, so I’ll mostly likely be curling up inside with a book instead!

To share the Aussie spirit of the weekend, I’m joining in with the Australia Day Giveaway hop and giving away a book by an Aussie author.

Extra entries are available for those who share word of the giveaway on twitter. You don’t have to also follow me, but if you are able to it would be really appreciated

You can see all the other sites participating in the hop by visiting the main hop page at Book’d Out. If you can’t see the Rafflecopter widget, you’ll need to click the “More” link or the post title to open up the post itself.

The Prize

You can choose any one of the great books by Aussie authors pictured below, to be ordered from The Book Depository.

This giveaway is open Internationally, as long as the Book Depository ships to your country. If you’re not sure, check here.

Please note, I will only accept entries via the rafflecopter form! Please don’t put your email into a comment, it won’t be included as an entry!

The Rafflecopter form will be open until ~~the middle of~~ midnight, January 28 AEST, then the winner will be notified by email and have 48 hours to respond with their address. Good luck, and happy Australia Day!

Edit Jan 28: Sorry everyone, I realise I’ve mucked up my rafflecopter and finished the giveaway a day early *blush* Thanks so much for visiting, anyway! Hop on to the next blog instead

Oct

25

Review: This Green Hell, Greig Beck

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 2 comments

Title: This Green Hell (Goodreads)
Author: Greig Beck (@GreigBeck)

Rating:

In the jungles of Paraguay, Dr Aimee Weir and her team are in trouble.

While drilling deep into the Earth a contagion strikes, their camp is quarantined, but workers start to vanish in the night.

Is it fear of contamination – or has something far more lethal surfaced?

Alex Hunter – code name Arcadian – and his Hotzone All-Forces Warfare Commandos are dropped in to the disaster area to do whatever it takes to stem the outbreak. But for the mission to be a success, the Arcadian must learn to master his violent inner demons long enough to confront the danger that not only threatens his own immediate survival, but that of mankind.

Details

Series: Alex Hunter #3 of 4
Genre: Science fiction thriller
Published: Pan Macmillan Australia (print) April 2011, Momentum Books (electronic) August 2012.
Pages: 326
My copy: Momentum Books for review

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository • Booktopia.com.au
E-copies: Amazon.com • Bookworld.com.au (epub)

Review

Dr Aimee Weir, deep in the Paraguayan jungle, is on the verge of making a discovery that could change the world – a source of renewable energy from bacteria deep within the earth that produce natural gas from carbonates. When the samples are brought up though, the bacteria begins to feed on any carbon available – including human flesh. On top of that, an ancient evil has been disturbed and is gradually picking off the workers at the drilling site. Can the Arcadian and his team get in there in time to get the survivors out?

This Green Hell is actually the third Alex Hunter book. I wasn’t aware of that before I started reading it, but the fact that I haven’t read the first two didn’t affect my enjoyment of this book. There is a potted explanation of the Arcadian project and references to previous stories in the first few chapters, so I had some idea of what was going on as This Green Hell got under way. Basically, Alex Hunter was a soldier, brought back from the brink of death by a procedure to his brain that has given him enhanced senses, strength and speed (a bit like Captain America, I suppose). Unfortunately it has also made him slightly unstable, and his commanding officer is protecting him from the military scientists who’d like to dissect and study him. He’s an operative in the HAWCs, a marine-style division in the US military.

Alex himself is pretty bad-ass, but also seems quite tortured and prone to losing control in violent ways. His romance with Aimee may rekindle in this book, but I thought she should just stay the hell away, personally!

This book is certainly not for the faint-hearted. There’s plenty of grisly descriptions of the melting-death disease unearthed at the drill site and also the general ripping apart of people that the undead priest is fond of. I’m not usually a huge fan of blood and guts and it was perhaps slightly overdone in this book, but not enough to put me off completely. The detailed descriptions aren’t all grisly though, and the descriptions of the surroundings really put you right into the action. I mean, this is the tropical jungle, here. It’s steamy, sweaty and full of bugs, and you certainly get that feeling while Aimee and the drill site team are at work.

The action is a little slow in the first half of the book but the suspense builds up so well that by the time it all starts happening, it was very, very difficult to put the book down. There’s a bit of a cliffhanger ending which is slightly disappointing after all they had just been through, but the next book is due out very soon so there’s not long to wait to find out what happens next!

I’d recommend This Green Hell to those who enjoy military thrillers with a sci-fi twist, and who don’t mind a bit of blood and guts in their violence.

Warnings: Extreme violence and horror themes. Sexual situations. Language.

The Alex Hunter series

Beneath the Dark Ice (2009)
Dark Rising (2010)
This Green Hell (2011)
Black Mountain (TBP December 2012)

What did others think of This Green Hell?

”This Green Hell is a smart, delightful read with a big heart.” – 4 stars – Coeur De Lion Publishing
“I love a great action/adventure thriller and Greig Beck is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with in this genre. This was an edge of your seat nail biter for me the whole way through.” – The Speed of Write

Oct

15

Review: Quintana of Charyn, Melina Marchetta

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 0 comments

Title: Quintana of Charyn (Goodreads)
Author: Melina Marchetta (@MMarchetta1)

Rating:

Separated from the girl he loves and has sworn to protect, Froi must travel through Charyn to search for Quintana, the mother of Charyn’s unborn king, and protect her against those who will do anything to gain power. But what happens when loyalty to family and country conflict?

When the forces marshalled in Charyn’s war gather and threaten to involve the whole of the land, including Lumatere, only Froi can set things right, with the help of those he loves.

Details

Series: Lumatere Chronicles #3 of 3
Genre: YA Fantasy
Published: Viking Australia, 26 September 2012 (will be published overseas by Candlewick on March 12, 2013)
Pages: 516

Paper copies: Amazon.com (pre-order) • Amazon.co.uk (pre-order) • Book Depository (pre-order) • Booktopia.com.au (available!)
E-copies: Amazon.com (now available!) • Bookworld.com.au (epub)

Review

Please note: This is my review for the third and final book in this series, and contains spoilers for the first book, Finnikin of the Rock, and second book, Froi of the Exiles. You may prefer to go and read those reviews instead to avoid spoiling things!

The fate of the kingdom of Charyn hangs in the balance. Froi finds himself with the priests of Trist, recovering from the attack outside Paladozza. Quintana is missing, and the entire kingdom begins the search for her and the curse-breaker she carries. Meanwhile, in the valley between Lumatere and Charyn, strange events are unfolding.

I had spied a copy of this book at my local library a couple of weeks back and thought I’d better snap it up seeing as how it wasn’t due to be released for another two weeks! Quintana of Charyn launched straight into the events of the cliffhanger ending of Froi of the Exiles so I was happy that I had it ready to read right away.

With the way that everything was so dispersed at the end of Froi, it almost feels like it and Quintana are one long book that has been split into two parts. The action begins right away with each party travelling around trying to find the others, but contains all the suspense, heartbreak and laughter we loved in the previous books. This is a story of sacrifice, determination and loyalty in the face of terror and despair. Despite all the adversity and horror experienced by the people of Charyn, I was left with an overall feeling of hope and a sense that everything turned out alright in the end.

My favourite thing about this series was the gradual revelation of events to each group of people and the piecing together of the mysteries. Everything fit together so nicely at the end, and I couldn’t help but admire Melina Marchetta for planning it all out so well from the start (at least, I assume that’s how it happened!).

Another aspect that I really enjoyed was the adorable family parts with Jasmina. She’s not in the story a whole lot but when she is, parents will glimpse their own toddler there. It’s not a huge part of the story, but these small touches really bring this world and these characters leaping out of the page.

As I’ve said in my other reviews for this series, the characters are brilliantly written and really come alive from the page. There are so many interwoven stories all the way through – Finnikin, Isaboe and Jasmina and the Lumateran people, Froi and Quintana and the little King, Trevanion, Beatriss and Vestie, Lucian and Phaedra, Gargarin, Lirah, Ajuro and De Lancey, Tesadora and Perri and and and… I felt I knew them all so well by the end and will miss them all.

I really hope Melina Marchetta writes more about this amazing world – it feels like there is more story to be told here. I find myself wanting to know about Celie’s adventures in Belegonia and what life is like in the other regions of the world. What happened to the young prince of Yutlind Sud? I’d also love to hear more about the future of both Charyn and Lumatere. No pressure, Melina!

Don’t be put off by the “Young adult” classification of this series – it will be enjoyed by adults just as much as by younger readers. I even feel the relationships in this book will make it appeal to those who don’t usually enjoy fantasy.

I really loved reading this series – I’d encourage everyone to get your hands on them!

Warnings: Some violence and sexual situations (thankfully all loving in this one).

The Lumatere Chronicles

What did others think of Quintana of Charyn?

”Quintana of Charyn was perfect, unforgettable… beautiful.” – 5 stars – Book Probe Reviews
“If you have read and love Finnikin of the Rock and Froi of the Exiles then you will love Quintana of Charyn just as much.” – 5 bookstacks – Claire Reads
“Fall in love again, and again. Grow up and learn, live, cry, make a bunch of life-long friends, and then do it all again with the next book.” – 5 stars – Kat of Cuddlebuggery

Oct

05

Review: Froi of the Exiles, Melina Marchetta

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 4 comments

Title: Froi of the Exiles (Goodreads)
Author: Melina Marchetta (@MMarchetta1)

Rating:

Three years after the curse on Lumatere was lifted, Froi has found his home… Or so he believes.

Fiercely loyal to the Queen and Finnikin, Froi has been trained roughly and lovingly by the Guard sworn to protect the royal family, and has learned to control his quick temper. But when he is sent on a secretive mission to the kingdom of Charyn, nothing could have prepared him for what he finds. Here he encounters a damaged people who are not who they seem, and must unravel both the dark bonds of kinship and the mysteries of a half-mad Princess.

And in this barren and mysterious place, he will discover that there is a song sleeping in his blood, and though Froi would rather not, the time has come to listen.

Details

Series: Lumatere Chronicles #2 of 3
Genre: YA Fantasy
Published: Viking Australia, October 2011
Pages: 593

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository • Booktopia.com.au
E-copies: Amazon.com • Barnes & Noble • Bookworld.com.au (epub)

Review

Please note: This is my review for the second book in this series, and although I have tried to avoid spoilers for the first, Finnikin of the Rock, you may prefer to go and read my review of that book instead!

Three years have passed since the curse of Lumatere was lifted, but all is not well in the Kingdom. Crops are not growing, and Charynite refugees have been settling in a valley just outside of the Mont borders. Queen Isaboe and her consort Finnikin receive intelligence that this possible threat from Charyn can be eradicated by removing the instigator of the trouble there – the King of Charyn.

Froi has begun to settle into and enjoy his life in Lumatere but soon he is sent into Charyn on a most important mission. What he finds in the Citavita, the capital of Charyn, is not at all what was expected.

I knew I was going to enjoy this book very soon after I started reading it – it felt like catching up with old friends. The characters in this series are the real stars of the show, even though the kingdoms of this world are amazingly described and built. I laughed, cried and winced along with each of the main players in this story, and was completely delighted with the descriptions of family life in Lumatere, while at the same time completely horrified by Quintana’s situation in the Citavita. I thought that the brothers Gargarin and Arjuro were very tragic, but completely hilarious, even if their story got pretty confusing at times!

Although I felt Finnikin of the Rock was very serious and quite dark, Froi of the Exiles has a much lighter tone despite its often dark subject matter. After each major dark plot development there is usually a funny episode to lighten things again and this made reading this book utterly riveting. Despite its almost 600 pages I raced through it as often as I could get to it.

If you loved Finnikin of the Rock, then you’re really going to enjoy reading Froi of the Exiles. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this series to those who enjoy fantasy of any type. Haven’t got yourself a copy yet? What are you waiting for?!

Warnings: Plenty of violence and sexual situations (some abusive).

The Lumatere Chronicles

Sep

27

Review: A Corner of White, Jaclyn Moriarty

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 2 comments

Title: A Corner of White (Goodreads)
Author: Jaclyn Moriarty

Rating:

Madeleine Tully lives in Cambridge, England, the World – a city of spires, Isaac Newton and Auntie’s Tea Shop.

Elliot Baranski lives in Bonfire, the Farms, the Kingdom of Cello – where seasons roam, the Butterfly Child sleeps in a glass jar, and bells warn of attacks from dangerous Colours.

They are worlds apart – until a crack opens up between them; a corner of white – the slim seam of a letter.

Details

Series: The Colours of Madeleine #1
Genre: YA Fantasy/Sci-fi
Published: Pan Macmillan, October 1, 2012
Pages: 412
My copy: The publisher in exchange for a review, thanks!

Paper copies: Amazon.com (pre-order for 2013) • Amazon.co.uk (pre-order for 2013) • Book Depository • Booktopia.com.au
E-copies: Amazon.com • Bookworld

Review

Madeleine and her mother live in Cambridge, England, after running away from her father and a life of luxury. She has started home schooling with other teenagers Jack and Belle but is worried about her mother, who is starting to forget things and has strange headaches, and the world of Cambridge seems terribly colourless after her previous life. That is, until she sees a corner of a strange note sticking out of a parking meter.

In the Kingdom of Cello, on the other side of the crack in the parking meter, Elliot has just got back after searching for his missing father. His father went missing a year ago after a mysterious attack from a Purple, along with the village physics teacher. He’s all set to head off searching again when a new family moves to the town of Bonfire to take over his father’s empty electronics repair shop.

A Corner of White is the story of the parallels between events in our World and the Kingdom of Cello, about relationships, responsibility and growing up. The story is rather gentle at first and chapters pass between the two worlds, telling each story separately. The pace picks up considerably though and by the end of the book I found myself unable to put it down.

The Kingdom of Cello is an interesting world, very similar to our own but with Colours that manifest as substances that wash across the world, affecting the population in different ways. A wave of Reds, for example, makes people behave strangely, while a Purple or Yellow attack can be deadly. The Colours weren’t explained all that well, they just arrived and departed again with little fanfare, but they were a rather interesting danger to take into account.

Apart from the events of the story, there’s also a thread running throughout about the famous scientists who attended Cambridge University and their contemparies, including Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace, Lord Byron and most importantly for the story, Isaac Newton. If you’re interested in these figures and their interesting ways and discoveries then you’ll find this book very informative.

Jaclyn Moriarty writes in a foreword that she originally started writing a children’s book about Cello, and later changed it to involve teenagers. It certainly reads like a children’s book to start with – the characters are quirky and larger than life, but as the story develops more adult themes are introduced. The eccentricity of the characters never quite disappears – those in the World or in Cello. At first this was a little strange and even though I loved the characters, especially those in Cello, I wasn’t sure if they were meant to be taken seriously or if it was all just a bit of a parody. Either way, I was often delighted with the way they all interact and the often whimsical nature of the story.

A Corner of White was a very different but excellent addition to YA Fantasy. I can’t wait to read more about Madeleine and Elliot and their worlds!

Warnings: None, it’s squeaky clean

What did others think of A Corner of White?

“Imaginative, original and Colourful, A Corner of White is a magical story that leaves “a trail of light” for the reader to follow..” - 4/5 – Shelleyrae of Book’d Out (there’s a giveaway there as well, ending Sept 30!)
“I loved the imaginative way that Moriarty was able to develop the connection between the two worlds and between the two main characters.” – Marg of The Adventures of a Intrepid Reader
“A promising start to an exceptional fantasy series with fascinating, multi-layered characters and solid world-building by our very own Jaclyn Moriarty.” – 4/5 – The Australian Bookshelf

Aug

27

Review and Giveaway: Stormdancer, Jay Kristoff

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 13 comments

Title: Stormdancer (Goodreads)

Author: Jay Kristoff (@misterkristoff)

Rating:

Griffins are supposed to be extinct. So when Yukiko and her warrior father Masaru are sent to capture one for the Shogun, they fear that their lives are over. Everyone knows what happens to those who fail him, no matter how hopeless the task.

But the mission proves far less impossible, and far more deadly, than anyone expects – and soon Yukiko finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in her country’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled griffin for company. But trapped together in the forest, Yukiko and Buruu soon discover a friendship that neither of them expected.

Meanwhile, the country around them verges on the brink of collapse. A toxic fuel is slowly choking the land; the omnipotent, machine-powered Lotus Guild is publicly burning those they deem Impure; and the Shogun cares about nothing but his own dominion. Yukiko has always been uneasy in the shadow of power, when she learns the awful truth of what the Shogun has done, both to her country and to her own family she’s determined to do something about it.

Returning to the city, Yukiko and Buruu plan to make the Shogun pay for his crimes – but what can one girl and a flightless griffin do against the might of an empire?

Details

Series: The Lotus War #1
Genre: YA Fantasy, “Japanese Steampunk”
Published: Pan Macmillan Australia, September 1, 2012; TOR UK September 13 and St. Martin’s Press (US) on September 18.
Pages: 450
My copy: ARC from Pan Macmillan Aus and an e-ARC from St Martin’s Press via Netgalley, thanks!

Pre-order Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
Pre-order E-book copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble

Review

I’d been looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of Stormdancer for a while now, and the growing buzz around the blogs and social sites has only been adding to the hype. You know all those bloggers gushing over how much they love this book? I am totally about to join their ranks.

US cover

The land of Shima is choking under the Imperial need for the Blood Lotus plant, both as a fuel and an intoxicant that most of the population are addicted to. The Shogun sends out his most famous hunter, Masaru, along with his party and young daughter Yukiko on a perilous mission – to capture a thunder tiger, an arashitora. When their airship crashes during a storm over the mountains, Yukiko forms a strange bond with their captured thunder tiger. Together they learn the meaning of sacrifice for a greater good, as they do what they can to try to bring the Shogun’s destructive rule to an end.

The world that Jay Kristoff has created in Stormdancer is so richly detailed that it felt like the descriptions were projecting right out of the pages in all their beauty or horror. The story is a delight to read, painting vivid pictures of Shima, the Iishi Mountains and the city with its opulent palace.

It’s not just the settings that are amazing though – I was a little overwhelmed by all the descriptions of types of weapons and arrangements of clothing that are included in the story. I’m really not familiar with many aspects of feudal Japanese society or Samurai weaponry, but there’s a helpful glossary at the back to help you tell your Nagamaki from your Tanto. The chi-powered suits worn by the councilmen and all the other steampunk-ish touches were quite fascinating as well.

The relationship between Yukiko and Buruu is just gorgeous – I loved how it developed from deep fury and distrust into true friendship and more. Those two are really the highlight of this story to me – I can’t wait until the next book so we get to hear more of their banter and Buruu’s shrewd insights.

The supporting characters are also fantastic! I loved the banter between Masaru, Kasumi and Akihito. I was a little wary of the Kagé sympathisers in the palace though – I kept expecting them to turn out to be working for the Shogun all along.

As it’s known that Jay is not a fan of happy endings, he does like to heart out your heart and break it into many pieces – be careful where you read this, the lunch room at work is no place for sobbing!

Thankfully there’s no huge cliffhanger in this book – I just need to read what’s going to happen next in the story! Fans of Fantasy, Steampunk and/or Anime, get your hands on Stormdancer as soon as you can!

Warnings: A couple of sexual references. Plenty of violence. Some swearing.

Need more Jay Kristoff?

Jay answered a few questions for me as part of the Discover Australian Fantasy month in July.
Check out Jay’s own review of Stormdancer, but make sure you don’t read it while drinking coffee unless you like it to be all over your keyboard.

Giveaway

I enjoyed this book so much that I want to share the awesomeness by giving away a copy. Even though Stormdancer will be available in Australia on September 1, Book Depository is releasing on the UK date of September 13th so the prize will be a pre-ordered paperback copy of Stormdancer, to be shipped from The Book Depository on September 13. I’m not a huge fan of jumping through giveaway hoops but there will be a couple of extra entries for helping to spread the word. Good luck!

Details:

The giveaway is open internationally, as long as the Book Depository ships to your country (go here to check).
The giveaway will run until midnight on September 3.
The winner will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Aug

08

Review: Legends of Australian Fantasy

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 2 comments

Title: Legends of Australian Fantasy (Goodreads)

Editors: Jack Dann and Jonathan Strahan

Rating:

Celebrate the legends of Australian fantasy. Extraordinary voices … extraordinary worlds.

Come to Erith, to a faerie tale with a sting, or to Obernewtyn, long before the Seeker was born. Revisit a dark pocket of history for the Magician′s Guild or get caught up in the confusion of an endlessly repeating day in the Citadel. Cross the wall, where Charter magic is all that lies between you and death. A trip with a graverobber can be gruesome, and it′s hard to share the fear of a woman who must kill her husband if her child is to rule …

Details

Series: Stand alone anthology of short stories
Genre: Fantasy
Published: Harper Voyager, 2010
Pages (paperback): 560

Paper copies: Booktopia • The Nile
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble

Review

I borrowed Legends of Australian Fantasy from the library expecting it to be a quick read of a few short stories to go towards the Aussie Fantasy month – how wrong I was! At 560 pages, this tome would be a decently-sized full novel. Add the time it takes to actually get into each story and it took me a lot longer to read than I had anticipated.

That aside, I loved the stories from the authors I knew and also really enjoyed discovering some new authors to add to my lists. If you’re a fan of any of the series mentioned in Legends of Australian Fantasy, I recommend getting your hands on a copy of this book.

Reviewing an anthology is quite tricky, but I’ll list the stories contained in this volume and add a few comments about each.

Garth Nix, To Hold the Bridge: An Old Kingdom Story

A young man, alone in the world and with nothing of value save a share of the Bridge Company building an enormous bridge over the Greenwash to facilitate trade. He approaches the masters of the bridge to become a cadet in the Company and begins his training, but soon has to face a much greater threat than he could have imagined.

What a great opening to this collection! This story starts out gently enough, but the action hits hard when it arrives. I loved this story! I must go back and re-read the Abhorsen series so that I can remember more about the magic system and the world of the Old Kingdom.

Also by Garth Nix: Mister Monday

Trudi Canavan, The Mad Apprentice: A Black Magician Story

A story of the black magician Tagin and his sister Indra, this tale shows how nasty black magic can be. I enjoyed this story even though it was a bit grisly. Trudi Canavan’s Magician books have been on my list for a while and this has made me want to get to them soon.

Juliet Marillier, ‘Twixt Firelight and Water: A Tale of Sevenwaters

Set in the world of the Sevenwaters series, this is a story about the love affair between Conri and Lóch, a curse, and how the curse was broken. Juliet Marillier has such a beautiful storytelling style that this story was a joy to read.

This book is also available as a separate novella: Goodreads • Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk

Also by Juliet Marillier: Shadowfell

Isobelle Carmody, The Dark Road: An Obernewtyn Story

This story may be rather incomprehensible to those who haven’t read almost all of the existing Obernewtyn books. It deals with Hannah, her daughter (also called Hannah), Cassandra and Evander and the combined quest to prepare everything for the Seeker. If you are already a fan of Obernewtyn, this story gives an interesting look into the time soon after the Great White, when the mountains were still poisoned and Obernewtyn a ruin.

Kim Wilkins, Crown of Rowan: A Tale of Thyrsland

The Queen Rose is pregnant, but her husband the King is not the father. This is quite an emotional story about keeping secrets, duty and honour.

Sean Williams, The Spark (A Romance in Four Acts): A Tale of the Change

Aditi is finally close to tracking down the man she swore to marry, Roslin. When she finds him comatose in a doss-house, she must pull all strings to try to get his mind back from the void.

I really enjoyed this story of love, loss and loyalty. I’ll certainly be looking up more of Sean Williams’ work in the future!

D.M. Cornish, The Corsers’ Hinge: A Lamplighter Tale

A Sherlock Holmes style mystery and a sinister Corser going about his work of collecting body parts, all set in the world of the Half-Continent.

Set in the world of Monster Blood Tattoo, this story might be a little confusing to those who haven’t read the series. There’s plenty of the terminology that makes the MBT series so brilliant, but here it’s not explained. Don’t let that stop you reading this story and falling in love with D.M. Cornish’s beautiful storytelling style.

Also by D.M. Cornish: Foundling

Ian Irvine, Tribute to Hell: A Tale of the Tainted Realm

Something is not right with the world. Depravity is rife in the population and the Gods seem to be failing. A young novice must try to stop a terrible act that could bring about the ending of the world, but can she make a deal between Gods to stop the destruction?

This story was exciting and certainly action-packed, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as the other Ian Irvine book I’ve read. This world is the setting for the new series Ian is working on, and it sounds promising.

This book is also available as a separate novella: Goodreads • Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk

Also by Ian Irvine: A Shadow on the Glass

John Birmingham, A Captain of the Gate

This story is a snippet of an alternate history of the Cold War, but it specifically deals with the invasion of Japan during the Second World War. I’ll admit skipping over this story because it’s quite gruesome and I’m not a big fan of modern war stories.

Jennifer Fallon, The Magic Word

Adrina is confused. Why does it feel like she has fed the same sparrow every morning for years now? When will her baby finally arrive? It feels like she has been pregnant forever.

This is a fun and light-hearted look at what story characters might get up to while the author is occupied with other projects. I really enjoyed Jennifer Fallon’s writing style, even if I found the story a little too whimsical. I’ll definitely be seeking out her books soon.

This book is also available as a separate novella: Goodreads • Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk

Also by Jennifer Fallon: The Undivided

Cecilia Dart-Thornton, The Enchanted: A Tale of Erith

I loved the world of Erith from Cecilia Dart-Thornton’s Bitterbynde series, so I was excited to get back to the world of unseelie wights, the Shang winds and the Dainaan. This story is a bit different – almost like an Austen-esque romance, with misunderstandings and whispering servants at every turn. This curious combination of styles worked quite well though, and made for an exciting final story in this collection.

Warnings: Some violence, sexual references and a bit grisly at times.