The Fairy Godmother: Revisited

Luna Books

The Fairy Godmother
Mercedes Lackey
2004

The Summary
"In the land of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, if you can't carry out your legendary role, life is no fairy tale...

"Elena Klovis was supposed to be her kingdom's Cinderella--until fate left her with a completely inappropriate prince!  So she set out to make a new life for herself.  But breaking with 'The Tradition' was no easy matter--until she got a little help from her own fairy godmother.  Who promptly offered Elena a most unexpected job...

"Now, instead of sleeping in the chimney, she has to deal with arrogant, stuffed-shirt princes who keep trying to rise above their place in the tale.  And there's one in particular who needs to be dealt with.

"Sometimes a fairy godmother's work is never done..."

The Good
I decided to reread The Fairy Godmother on a whim.  I liked it the first time around and I was craving something with adventure, magic, fantasy and romance.  And, honestly, I wasn't disappointed when I picked up Mercedes Lackey's novel.

It's chock full of fairy tales:  Cinderella, Rapunzel, the Fairy Godmother, Prince Charming, Snow White, the Evil Queen, and much more.  Each one is given a fresh twist that draws their stories together in new and exciting ways.  Plus, it has fairies.  Not the dainty little sprites you might imagine, but the tall, lithe fair folk--the kind you meet in The Lord of the Rings--which, somehow, I'd forgotten.

I found it interesting to reread The Fairy Godmother.  Despite knowing how the story ends, I enjoyed going back and seeing the small details I'd missed during my previous trip.  More importantly, I took the story at a slower pace and I enjoyed it far more than I expected.

I mean, in my last review (which you can check out here), I pointed out that Lackey's novel was missing some indefinable quality that would have made it perfect.  While I still don't think it's the perfect fantasy novel, I do have a new appreciation for the characters and the stories as a whole.  I loved the different strands of folklore and fairy tales that come together to create a wonderful story that's full of humor, heart, magic, and adventure.

It was just the thing I need.

The Bad
No complaints.  Like I said, I enjoyed The Fairy Godmother much better the second time.

The Ugly
These fairy tales are not for children.

Kings of the Wyld

Hachette Book Group, Inc.

Kings of the Wyld
Nicholas Eames
2017

The Summary
"Glory never gets old.

"Clay Cooper and his band were once the best of the best, the most feared and renowned crew of mercenaries this side of the Heartwyld.

"Their glory days long past, the mercs have grown apart and grown old, fat, drunk, or a combination of the three.  Then an ex-bandmate turns up at Clay's door with a plea for help--the kind of mission that only the very brave or the very stupid would sign up for.

"It's time to get the band back together."

The Good
This is arguably one of the best books I read in 2017.  Sometimes ridiculous, sometimes gory, Kings of the Wyld is an unexpectedly endearing and simultaneously adventurous novel.  It's hilarious, heart-warming, and yet still action-packed.

I absolutely loved it.

I first stumbled across this book at my local library (though I will probably be acquiring a copy for my own shelves) and I was immediately caught by the cover.  At first, I couldn't quite reconcile the gritty, fantasy-esque cover image with the rock band motif.  I mean, "the boys are back in town"?  Really?

It just seemed so weird.  Mercenaries treated like rock stars?  It's absurd, but it was just the right level of absurdity to draw me in to the story.  Full of odd creatures and fascinatingly complex characters, it's a story that turns fantasy (as I have known it) on its head.

As far as fantasy heroes go, Clay and his band are not quite your typical heroes.  Granted, no one is perfect, but Moog, Gabriel, Matrick, and Ganelon are about as far from perfect as you can get.  Moog is a bit demented and terribly forgetful; Gabriel is a drunk whose life has spiraled out of control; Matrick is caught in a loveless marriage with a queen who wants him dead, not to mention he's kind of a horrible person; and Ganelon--well, Ganelon has spent the last decade or two trapped in stone, but, before that, he was a stone-cold killer.

They are seriously flawed, but they kind of grow on you.  I mean, Gabriel, despite being a crappy husband and a not-so-great dad, is setting out to save his daughter, Rose, against all odds, and Clay is going to help him do it.  They're fighting against age, personal demons, and time to save Rose.  While they may be a little more willing to break laws (and bones), they're ultimately good people.

And, personally, I found I liked Clay the best.

He wasn't the narrator, but much of the story is told from his perspective and he offered uncanny insight into the story.  Jaded and tough, gifted with a deadpan sense of humor, Clay was by far my favorite character.  (Moog, however, comes in at a close second.)  He was the driving force within the book, a steady voice, almost like the conscience of the story.

He has a dark past, but I admired him for his tenacity and loyalty.  Moreover, I couldn't help but appreciate the way he loved his wife, Ginny, and his daughter, Talley.  Clay is a big brute of a man, as you read on the first page:  "[His] shadow, drawn out by the setting sun, skulked behind him like a dogged reminder of the man he used to be:  great and dark and more than a little monstrous."

He was not a good man; in fact, he may not even be a very good man, even now.  But he cares about Ginny and Talley, and he'd do anything to protect them.  He respects Ginny, and he admires Talley.  If nothing else, I liked him for being a decent human being who cares about his family and doggedly follows his friends into battle to save another man's daughter.

The Bad
Admittedly, the story is a bit drawn out.  There's always so much happening, so many plot twists and adventures are thrown at our heroes that it can get a little tedious; however, it's an easily forgivable sin.  The ending was so satisfying, the absurd adventures in between were totally worth it.

Overall, it's an excellent debut.

The Ugly
People are not perfect.  They can make terrible mistakes and they can commit truly horrible atrocities.

Calamity

Calamity
Brandon Sanderson
2016

The Summary
"When Calamity lit up the sky, the Epics were born.  David's fate has been tied to their villainy ever since that historic night.  Steelheart killed his father.  Firefight stole his heart.  And now Regalia has turned his closest ally into a dangerous enemy.

"David knew Prof's secret, and kept it even when the Reckoners' leader struggled to control the effects of his Epic powers.  But facing Obliteration in Babilar was too much.  Prof has now embraced his Epic destiny.  He's disappeared into those murky shadows of menace Epics are infamous for the world over, and everyone knows there's no turning back...

"But everyone is wrong.  Redemption is possible for Epics--Megan proved it.  They're not lost.  Not completely.  And David is just about crazy enough to face down the most powerful High Epic of all to get his friend back.  Or die trying."

The Good
Although Calamity seemed to fall a little flat, I will admit that I have grown to love Brandon Sanderson's work.  The Reckoners series, as a whole, is full of fantastical imagery, imaginative characters, and adventure.  I was particularly fascinated by Ildithia (formerly Atlanta).

Like Babilar, Ildithia is a city of and controlled by epics.  Unlike the watery nightmare of Babylon Restored, Ildithia is a city turned to salt--much like how Steelheart turned Chicago into steel--that slowly crumbles and rebuilds every week.  It moves slowly across the country, an oddly flourishing city maintained by Larcener, Stormwind, and others that inches its way over the landscape.

It's an incredible image that sticks in my mind:  a city of salt stone laced with layers of color that sparkles in the light, one with dusty streets and salty air.  Sanderson does such an amazing job of coming up with these ideas, like incredible cities and unusual epic powers and quirky characters.  I love his work; I certainly want to explore more even if I was a little disappointed with Calamity.

The Bad
I loved Steelheart and I enjoyed Firefight immensely; I did not like Calamity nearly as much.

Calamity is a fascinating book.  Ildithia is an incredible place, an entire city made of salt that destroys and reconstructs itself every 7 days.  Sanderson is wonderfully imaginative and inventive and he's a spectacularly writer; however, Calamity was such a disappointment for two reasons:

One, I did not like the conclusion.  I mean, the epilogue is sort of sweet and I thought it was nice that David managed, for once, to catch a break, but I absolutely hated learning the truth about Calamity.  (I'm going to start discussing spoilers from the previous book, so turn away now if you don't want to hear more.)  Granted, it was an intriguing plot twist to learn that Calamity was actually an epic through which all powers were descended; however, I didn't like the idea that Calamity was actually some kind of alien being.

Two, I disliked the alternate dimensions Megan conjured.  As we learned in the last book, Megan isn't just an illusionist, she can actually tear holes into the fabric of reality and dive into alternative universes.  Cool, right?  Except it pokes some major holes in the plot of the story and it just adds another layer of complicated ugliness that I just didn't need or want.

I loved the series overall, but, as I dwell on this finale, I can't help thinking it could have been so much better.  The Reckoners had the makings of an epic (no pun intended) series--one that I would remember for a long time, one I would convince myself I needed to grace my own shelves--but it just seemed to fall apart.

Calamity just isn't nearly as good as it's predecessors.

The Ugly
Violence, death, destruction.  What do you expect when the world has been turned upside down by epics?

Oh, and fair warning:  a main character will die before all is said and done.  Just be prepared for it.

Firefight

Delacorte Press

Firefight

Brandon Sanderson

2015

The Summary

"Newcago is free.

"They told David it was impossible--that even the Reckoners had never killed a High Epic.  Yet Steelheart--invincible, immortal, unconquerable--is dead.  And he died by David's hand.

"Eliminating Steelheart was supposed to make life simpler.  Instead, it only made David realize he has questions.  Big ones.  And no one in Newcago can give him answers.

"Babylon Restored, the city formerly known as the borough of Manhattan, has possibilities, though.  Ruled by the mysterious High Epic Regalia, Babylon Restored is flooded and miserable, but David is sure it's the path that will lead him to what he needs to find.  Entering a city oppressed by a High Epic despot is risky, but David's willing to take the gamble.  Because killing Steelheart left a hole in David's heart.  A hole where his thirst for vengeance once lived.  Somehow, he filled that hole with another Epic--Firefight.  And he's willing to go on a quest darker and even more dangerous than the fight against Steelheart to find her, and to get his answers."

The Good
Honestly, I enjoyed Firefight almost as much as I enjoyed Steelheart.  Fast-paced and action-packed, Firefight is a great sequel to the Reckoners series by Brandon Sanderson.  Adding in Regalia and Obliteration gave the book an added layer of depth and danger, not to mention you're actively wondering what will happen to Prof--and you can't help wondering where Megan fits in to the grand scheme of things.

Is she good?  Is she bad?  And what will happen when Prof finds out that she's back?

Granted, I couldn't help equating some of the drama to a soap opera; however I enjoyed the novel overall.  I was also excited to learn more about Megan's powers and I was floored by the truth about Calamity.  Megan is incredible, by the way, but the "star" is still a bit of a mystery.  I won't say anymore, of course, for fear of spoilers.

Just know that Megan's powers are not what they seem and Calamity has a cause.

The Bad
I really enjoyed Firefight, don't get me wrong, but I really thought it had too much going on at once.  It's almost overwhelming the intensity of the action, how they never seem to catch a break.  It's just one fight after another after another, and it's packed with plot twists that made my head spin.

It's good, I won't deny it; however, it just has a little too much happening.

The Ugly
Death.  Gore.  Violence.

The usual.

Steelheart

Delacorte Press

Steelheart
Brandon Sanderson
2013

The Summary
"Ten years ago, Calamity came.  It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary people extraordinary powers.  The awed public started calling them Epics.

"Epics are no friends of man.  With incredible gifts came the desire to rule.  And to rule man, you must crush his will.

"Now, in what was once Chicago, an astonishingly powerful Epic named Steelheart has installed himself as emperor.  Steelheart possesses the strength of ten men and can control the elements.  It is said that no bullet can harm him, no sword can split his skin, and no fire can burn him.  He is invincible.  Nobody fights back...nobody but the Reckoners.

"A shadowy group of ordinary humans, the Reckoners spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.  And David wants in.

"When Steelheart came to Chicago, he killed David's father.  For years, like the Reckoners, David has been studying, and planning, and he has something they need.  Not an object, but an experience.

"He has seen Steelheart bleed...

"And he wants revenge."

The Good
I loved Steelheart.  It's action-packed, it's interesting, and it takes everything I know about superheroes/supervillains and completely turns it on its head.  Part science-fiction, part fantasy, Steelheart is a wonderfully crafted dystopian world full of detail, depth, and intrigue.

It was so much fun to read.

I was particularly fascinated by the main characters, specifically the Reckoners.  David, as the narrator, is incredibly resourceful.  He sometimes feels like a caricature; however, he's surprisingly astute in his observations and he's wildly intelligent.  I'm always surprised by what he does and what he remembers.  He's daring, he's unexpected, which I found made Steelheart that much more interesting.

Not to mention, I found the ending to be spectacular.

After learning that Steelheart does have a weakness, I puzzled over what it might be.  Reading the prologue again, I couldn't imagine what it might be, but when David discover it, when that moment of recognition and discovery blossomed in his mind and mine, I was thrilled and astonished and excited.  I loved the conclusion.  It startled me, yes, but I found the irony of the situation to be so very satisfying.

I will definitely read the rest of the series.  Firefight is up next, followed by Calamity--and I can't wait to dive back in.

The Bad
No complaints.

The Ugly
Steelheart is graphic, bloody, and riddled with gore.  Bad things happen in Newcago, and you get the impression that, no matter what happens, things aren't really going to get better.

Norse Mythology

HarperAudio

Norse Mythology
Neil Gaiman
2017

The Summary
"Neil Gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical reams of his fiction.  Now he turns his attention back to the source, presenting a bravura rendition of the great northern tales.

"In Norse Mythology, Gaiman stays true to the myths in envisioning the major Norse pantheon:  Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring and cunning; Thor, Odin's son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of the gods; and Loki--son of a giant--blood brother to Odin and a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator.

"Gaiman fashions these primeval stories into a novelist arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds and delves into the exploits of deities, dwarfs, and giants.  Through Gaiman's deft and witty prose emerge these gods with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and duping others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again."

The Good
I listened to Norse Mythology as an audiobook and, personally, I think that's the only way to enjoy Neil Gaiman's latest book.  I absolutely adored Norse Mythology, and I loved listening to Neil Gaiman narrate it.  It has quickly become one of my favorite audiobooks, simply because Gaiman is a master storyteller whether he's using the written word or reciting it aloud.

There's something magical about Norse Mythology.  I mean, you can really tell that Norse myth means something to Gaiman.  He's poured his heart and soul into telling these stories and telling them well, and he's created something that's both familiar and wholly unique.

Moreover, I loved the way Gaiman told the story.  I'm not just talking about the language and cadence of the text; I'm talking about the way he spoke, the way he gave life to his characters by changing tones and inflections to give them depth, real meaning.

For instance, I could tell the difference between Loki and Thor with just a word, because Gaiman imbued them with such distinct personalities.  Likewise, I could envision the enormity and ferocity of Fenris just through his harsh, graveled tones; or the haughty elegance of Freya; or the cool, calculating intelligence of Loki.

Personally, I thought Norse Mythology was fantastic.  After reading The Gospel of Loki by Joanne Harris, I have found myself captivated by Norse myth more and more--and Norse Mythology only lifts these myths higher in my esteem.  Although I know all the stories, Norse Mythology is a wonderful addition to any collection and it's great for readers who are both familiar with the myths and those who are just starting.

The Bad
No complaints.

I absolutely loved every minute of Norse Mythology, all 389 of them.

The Ugly
I'll say the same thing that I said about Joanna Harris' novel:  the gods are cruel, brutal, violent, and licentious.  More often than not, they're terrible people.  I found it difficult to like any of them, plus it's best not to get attached.  If you know anything about Ragnarok, then you know how things are going to end for the gods.

The Apprentice Witch

Chicken House

The Apprentice Witch
James Nicol
2017

The Summary
"Arianwyn has flunked her witch's assessment:  She's doomed.  Declared an apprentice and sent to the town of Lull in disgrace, Arianwyn may never become a real witch--much to the glee of her archrival, Gimma.

"But remote Lull is not as boring as it seems.  Strange things are sighted in the woods, a dangerous infestation of hex creeps through the town, and a mysterious magical visitor arrives with his eye on Arianwyn.

"With every spirit banished, creature helped, and spell cast, Arianwyn starts to get the hang of being a witch--even if she's only an apprentice.  But the worst still lies ahead.  For a sinister darkness has begun to haunt her spells, and there may be much more at stake than just her pride...for Arianwyn and the entire land."

The Good
I liked The Apprentice Witch.  It's not a bad book, but it's not a great book either.  It's a fun story, more suited for a younger audience, and I liked the magical aspects of it.  I was particularly fascinated by the glyphs, which seemed to help witches control their magic, and I would certainly have liked to learn more about them.

The Bad
The Apprentice Witch feels a little like it's trying to be Harry Potter--and, well, it doesn't really succeed.  Personally, I really thought it needed more detail.  It has such a rich history and a sprawling background from which it could pull, yet it simply doesn't.  I mean, here is a enormous world full of strange creatures and magic and myth and lore...and you barely get a tiny piece of it.

Take the witches, for example.  They have this whole hierarchy and education system in place, but I found very little explanation as to how it works.  What is it that apprentice witches do, and what does it mean to become  full-fledged witch?  How does their "school" work, like what sort of classes do they take and what do they learn?  What are glyphs and where did they come from?  What is "hex," other than just bad magic?

Moreover, I really wanted to know how witches became witches.  I mean, I never met a single male witch--or would they be wizards?--and I couldn't figure out if they even existed.  Were witches only women?  Were women the only ones able to control magic, or was there just more of a predisposition for women to become witches?

I had lots of questions about The Apprentice Witch, but I never received any answers.  Granted, I put my hands on an advance readers copy, so I could be judging this book a little prematurely.  Changes could have been made at publication that cleared up my questions or complaints; however, I doubt they will be so great as to make this novel feel entirely different.

The Ugly
The night ghast is pretty terrifying.

Unfinished 7

W.W. Norton Company

Okay.  So, I started reading Bonk by Mary Roach after I finished reading Packing for Mars.  After reading a review on Goodreads that cracked me up, I decided I would give it a try--and I kind of regret it.

First off, Mary Roach is hilarious.  I liked Packing for Mars, and I think I could have enjoyed Bonk if I just hadn't been traumatized by some of the stories.  I like to think I'm not a prude, but when sex leads to disfigurement, count me out.  I just can't do it.  It gives me this weird squirmy feeling inside, and I just can't cope.

Mary Roach is a great author, but I just don't think I can handle Bonk.

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Gallery Books

I picked up Tyler Oakely's Binge out of curiosity.  I'd seen it in the YA section at my local library and I thought it might fit my Read Harder Challenge, so I thought, "Why not?"  It seemed interesting and it would help me mark off one of my challenges.

Wrong.  On both accounts.

Oakley is a pretty funny, I'll give him that; however, I just wasn't taken with his memoir.  I like that he's so very candid about his experiences, even the most embarrassing ones, but I found there is something as too much of a good thing.  Oakley tells me a little more than I would normally like to know about his personal experiences, and I just found myself quietly closing the book and returning it to my library.

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Death of a Darklord by Laurell K. Hamilton had so much potential.  It was beautifully written, it carried intricate characters with interesting talents, it had magic and fantasy and adventure.  It struck all the right notes for me.  I was so excited to read it, especially as I started in on the first couple of chapters.  I was intrigued by the villain and I wanted to see where the story would go.

Wizards of the Coast

And then I made the mistake of looking up the book on Goodreads and discovering, much to my astonishment, that it was part of a series.  I learned Death of a Darklord is a stand-alone novel in a series roughly based in the same world (or something along those lines).  Not necessarily a bad thing, right?

Except it's part of a horror series.

When I picked up Death of a Darklord, I expected a fantasy novel.  I expected magic, mischief, adventure, trials and tribulations, before eventually culminating in a relatively happy ending.  There's always a little tragedy in every fantasy story; however, I always expect to find a satisfying conclusion, if not an outright happily-ever-after.

Death of a Darklord is a horror story.  It's full of tragedies, one after the other--and it literally doesn't get any better.  If I'd gone into this novel with the knowledge I was reading a tragic story, I probably would have been fine with it.  As the cover gave no inclination as to what I would find, I started reading with the expectation of a good ending and I was incredibly disappointed.  I put it aside without ever really finishing it.

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Pantheon

War and Turpentine wasn't a bad novel.  It's based on Stefan Hertsman's grandfather, a would-be painter who lived through and fought in World War II.  Hertsman regales readers with embellished stories of his grandfather, his grandmother, his family, and, ultimately, his legacy.

It's an interesting book that reminds me of The Things They Carried, in that there are some truths buried beneath the fiction; however, it just didn't grip me like Tim O'Brien's earlier novel.  Personally, Hertsman's novel isn't for me.  I didn't care for the style or the feel of the novel, even though I wanted to enjoy it; I didn't like the characters, I didn't like the way they felt or the way they made me feel; moreover, I found myself growing bored with it at regular intervals and casting it aside for more interesting fare.

I'm sure it's a fine book, but it's just not for me.

Read Harder Challenge 2017: Part 4

This month, I finished a few more challenges, including:

• Read a book by an immigrant or with a central immigration narrative.
• Read a book published between 1900 and 1950.
• Read a collection of poetry in translation on a theme other than love.

Balzer + Bray

First up, I read American Street by Ibi Zoboi, which follows Fabiola as she adjusts to life in America with her rowdy cousins and her reclusive aunt.  When she arrives in Detroit, she is confronted by a terrible crossroads that will change her life and haunt her as she goes in pursuit of the American Dream.  A fascinating inspection into the immigrant experience, American Street  was made all the more compelling by the fact that the author, like Fabiola, was emigrated from Haiti when she was only a child.

Overall, I liked American Street.  It's a good, solid book with interesting characters, a wonderful narrator, and a heart-wrenching story.  However, I often found myself divided, because I both loved and hated this book.  It inspired a lot of emotions, not all of them good, but it also made me think and it made me feel and it compelled me to read on through Fabiola's story even when I felt my interest waning.

But, most of all, I loved the hints of magical realism seeded throughout the story.  Fabiola has very strong beliefs and she particularly believes in the ilwas of Vodou, which adds a layer of mystery, a thin veil of magic that enriches her story.  You don't really discover if Bad Leg is really Papa Legba, or if he really is just some junkie off the street, like Fabiola's cousins say, but it's that uncertainty that imbues a certain strength in Fabiola's belief and offers uncommon insight into the landscape of Vodou.

Barnes and Noble

Next, I conquered A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, who also happens to be author of Tarzan of the Apes.  I picked up A Princess of Mars because I had it on my shelf and, more to the point, it seemed like an acceptable escape from reality; however, I wasn't always enchanted with the story.  I mean, it was really just mindless fun.

Originally serialized in 1912, A Princess of Mars is the first of many novels of the Barsoom Chronicles penned by Burroughs.  It follows John Carter, a former military man from Virginia, who finds himself ambushed in Arizona--and transported to a different world.  Mars (known as Barsoom to the native peoples) is a seemingly desolate land populated with dangerous creatures and war-like citizens, and Carter must find a way to survive if he eventually hopes to return to his home world.

For much of the story, it's really just Carter being really impressive with his super-strength and incredible agility and uncanny ability to learn languages--that is, unless he's rescuing the damsel in distress or endearing himself to the local wildlife.  Something interesting or incredible usually happens at the end of every chapter, so it's a bit of a page turner when Carter isn't boring you with facts that are obviously wrong or making you laugh with physics that could obviously never happen.

New Directions

Last, I checked out Paris Spleen by Charles Baudelaire.  Paris Spleen is a short collection of poetry originally written in French in 1896 by Charles Baudelaire--and none of his poems are about love.  I found it exceedingly difficult to find a collection of poetry that didn't talk about love, because everyone likes to talk about love and relationships and affection.  They're warm, fuzzy feelings to which everyone can relate.

But Baudelaire doesn't base his poetry on warm, fuzzy feelings; instead, he examines a darker side of human life.  He looks at the every day pleasures of intoxicating drink, sensuous women, and fine art; however, he also shines a lot on oppression, city squalor, mistreatment, malice.  His work couldn't be farther from warm, fuzzy feelings, like love.

It worked for my Read Harder Challenge, but, I will admit, it's definitely an acquired taste.  Baudelaire is really something else.

Hunted

HarperTeen

Hunted
Meagan Spooner
2017

The Summary
"Beauty knows the Beast's forest in her bones--and in her blood.

"She knows that the forest holds secrets and that her father is the only hunter who's ever come close to discovering them.

"But Yeva's grown up far from her father's old lodge, raised to be part of the city's highest caste of aristocrats.  Still, she's never forgotten the feel of a bow in her hands, and she's spent a lifetime longing for the freedom of the hunt.

"So when her father loses his fortune and moves Yeva and her sisters back to the outskirts of town, Yeva is secretly relieved.  Out in the wilderness, there's no pressure to make idle chatter with vapid baronessas...or to submit to marrying a wealthy gentleman.

"But Yeva's father's misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one prey:  the creature he'd been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance.

"Deaf to her sister's protests, Yeva hunts this strange Beast back into his own territory--a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of creatures that Yeva's heard about only in fairy tales.  A world that can bring her ruin--or salvation.

"Who will survive:  the Beauty, or the Beast?"

The Good
I enjoyed Hunted.  Granted, it wasn't quite what I expected, but, nevertheless, I enjoyed it.  I loved the subtle interweaving of Russian folklore with the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale, and I liked the ethereal magic of the Beast's world.  I like the creatures Hunted envisioned:  Lamya the dragon, who could take on female shape; Borovoi, the leshy (or forest spirit), who liked to take on the form of a fox; the Firebird that inexorably draws Yeva; and, of course, the Beast.

It's a darkly magical world that's both breathtaking and dangerous, fascinating and deadly.  I fell in love with the woods that Meagan Spooner imagined, a cursed forest full of magical creatures--dragons, forest spirits, monsters, more--that exists just beneath the surface of human perception.  I loved even the simple descriptions of it:

"She instantly saw colors playing against the backs of her eyelids, pulsing in time with the not-quite-music.  Blue and white and green streaks of light shot across her vision.  She did not dare breathe to speak, but nodded instead, slowly, as though moving too quickly would jar the vision free.  [...]  All around were the trees, and the snow, and the underbrush, and the light in her mind's eye was transposed against the scene."

And when both Yeva and the the Beast speak of longing, of wanting something indescribable, it really struck a chord with me.  I mean, everyone has a goal, everyone has something in mind that they want and desire, something for which they hope.  Sometimes, it's just a longing that has no relief, no way to alleviate, because, until you find that indescribable thing, it's hard to even imagine what you want.

"I remember a life before that was good, but not the one I wanted.  I remember feeling as though nothing and no one in this world could ever understand the way I wanted, that pang that rings deeper than flesh and bone. 

"My longing for something else, beyond, into magic and dreams and the things everyone else seemed to leave behind as children.  For something I knew I could never truly find."

As silly as it may sound, I found those words spoke to me.  I think it's the feeling every reader gets whenever he or she picks up a book and dives into a new story.  For me, I feel like I'm always looking for something in the next book that will really connect with me, that will make me feel something incredible--that will take me away, for the briefest moments, from everyday reality.  Readers are always looking for something, looking to find something or learn something in a new book, and Hunted seems to capture that longing.

Oh, and I can't forget the dedication:

"To the girl

who reads by flashlight

who sees dragons in the clouds

who feels most alive in worlds that never were

who knows magic is real

who dreams

This is for you."

Who wouldn't fall in love with that dedication?

The Bad
Although I enjoyed Hunted overall, I found myself constantly stymied by my expectations of what Beauty and the Beast should be.  I read the cover, so I knew what I was getting into with this novel; however, I kept thinking back to Belle in Disney's rendition of the tale.  I couldn't get my mind to drift away from it, which colored how I began to think of Yeva and her story.

I think if I'd gone into this story with no expectations, without knowing the novel was based on The Beauty and the Beast, I would have enjoyed it more.  I liked it, don't get me wrong, but I was always expecting something else to happen, hoping Yeva would live up to some kind of expectation that she couldn't because she's a completely different character.

Reading it for itself, reading it without Disney's Beauty and the Beast in mind (a difficult thing to do, since a new version only recently came out), makes for a much better experience.  That is, if you go into it without the expectation of finding Belle--if you go into it thinking of Yeva as her own separate character with her own separate story and thoughts and feelings--Hunted is a genuinely good story.

The Ugly
Blood and gore.

Yeva is a hunter.  Her father is a hunter.  The Beast is a predator.  There's bound to be blood at some point.  And it only gets worse when Yeva sets her sights on revenge.

Master of Crows

Grace Draven

Master of Crows
Grace Draven
2009

The Summary
"What would you do to win your freedom?

"This is the question that sets bondwoman, Martise of Asher, on a dangerous path.  In exchange for her freedom, she bargains with her masters, the mage-priests of the Conclave, to spy on the renegade sorcerer, Silhara of Neith.  The priests want Martise to expose the sorcerer's treachery and turn him over to Conclave justice.  A risky endeavor, but one she accepts without hesitation--until she falls in love with her intended target.

"Silhara of Neith, Master of Crows, is a desperate man.  The god called Coruption invades his mind, seducing him with promises of limitless power if he will help it gain dominion over the world.  Silhara struggles against Corruption's influence and searches for ways to destroy the god.  When Conclave sends Martise as an apprentice to help him, he knows she's a spy.  Now he fights a war on two fronts--against the god who would possess him and the apprentice who would betray him.

"Mage and spy search together for a ritual that will annihilate Corruption, but in doing so, they discover secrets about each other that may damn them both.  Silhara must decide if his fate, and the fat of nations, is worth the soul of the woman he has come to love, and Martise must choose continued enslavement or freedom at the cost of a man's life.  And love."

The Good
When I first looked at Master of Crows, I wasn't sure I would like it.  It's a little rough around the edges and it seemed a tad different from my usual fare; however, as I set off on a journey through Martise and Silhara's world, I found myself enjoying Grace Draven's novel.  I was immediately captured by the fantasy elements, the magic, the invented cultures and imagined religions.

Personally, I thought Draven did a wonderful job of building her world.  It's full of unique cultural and social groups, each carrying their own distinctive religion, myths and legends, language and more, and it has intricate political undertones.  While defeating Corruption is the ultimate goal, it's fascinating to see how Silhara interacts with the Conclave and vice versa.  There's a thick animosity between them, but it's also a very complicated relationship (like more than I care to get into, right now).

Overall, it's a very interesting novel.  I liked the imagery, and I loved the threads of fantasy spun into each page.  Magic is a curious creature in Master of Crows.  There are rules, of course.  All magic requires a spoken spell; however, it's so intrinsically linked to the individual that emotions and limitations affect the potential of the spell.  Moreover, not all people have Gifts; in fact, a Gift may go undiscovered for years, until called to the surface (usually life-and-death situations).

I liked this portrayal of magic, and I liked how it could be used to influence the world.  Granted, it made individuals, like Silhara, seem very nearly all-powerful, but magic gave the world a greater depth and, in some cases, added layers to characters (i.e. Silhara and Martise) because it helps define them and shape them.

The Bad
Okay, so I both liked and disliked Silhara.  He has his moments when he's sweet, self-sacrificing, honorable, noble and courageous (you know, the qualities that make ladies swoon); however, for much of the novel, he's also a colossal jerk.  (I have other names, but I'll be polite and keep them to myself.)

I say this because he was a complete and utter beast to Martise.  I mean, he basically calls her ugly to her face (in the nicest way possible, of course); he treats her like an extra servant, rather than the apprentice he requested from the Conclave; he gives her back-handed compliments that would sting any woman who felt plain; he frightens her when trying to uncover her Gift, and she subsequently has nightmares about her ordeal; he actually hires a prostitute when frustrated by his attraction to Martise.

I mean, seriously, the man is horrible to her.  Even when he does fall in love with Martise, I can't help but wonder if his attraction is based on the unusual qualities of her Gift.  I don't want to spoil any plot points, so I won't go into detail, but I thought it seemed rather convenient that he began to appreciate her talents for scholarship and her incredible wealth of knowledge and her ability to help maintain his crumbling estate after they discovered her Gift.

It just struck me as something akin to the Florence Nightengale effect, where a patient falls in love with their caretaker and/or savior.  Martise saves his life, and he subsequently begins the long--and, he might argue, arduous--task of falling in love with her.  It just doesn't quite sit well with me, you know?

I mean, no relationship is perfect and, yes, I suppose the outcome is really all the matters.  But I just felt like Martise gave so much of herself, sacrificed so much for Silhara...and it just wasn't quite reciprocated.  It was rather frustrating.

The Ugly
Corruption vs. Conclave politics.

It's a toss up.

Read Harder Challenge 2017: Part 2

Next up for my Read Harder Challenge, I...

• Read a book about sports.
• Read a book you've read before.
• Read a book published by a micropress.

Admittedly, I wasn't sure how to conquer this first task, because I am not a sports and/or athletic person.  I am, at best, a rather sedentary creature with a great affinity for books and chocolate and good food, preferably in that order; however, I was willing to take a crack at this one, because, surely, I could find a sport liked.  Considering the sheer variety of sports out there, I knew I could find something entertaining.

Doubleday

And, luckily, I did.  A co-worker recommended Playing for Pizza by John Grisham, and, since the challenge doesn't specify fiction or nonfiction, I thought I'd give it a whirl.  I'm so glad I gave Grisham's novel a chance, because I enjoyed it so much more than I expected.  Granted, I listened to the audiobook, which features Christopher Evan Welch as narrator, but I don't think that matters as Playing for Pizza is a fun, accessible and entertaining novel whether listening or reading.

Not to mention, I really enjoyed the description of food.  (I was craving pasta like mad, before all was said and done.)

Playing for Pizza begins with a game, specifically the worst game of Rick Dockery's career.  Now, marked as the worst player in the NFL--and effectively banished from Cleveland--and sporting a terrible head injury that would leave most player's contemplating retirement, Rick is at his wits end.  Since he can't find a new position in the U.S., his agent directs him to Parma--as in Parma, Italy, where he becomes quarterback for a ragtag group of Italians who just happen to be American football aficionados.  It's a huge change for Rick--and, as Rick learns, it might not be a bad one.

Next, I decided to reread Hush by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee.  This is one of my favorite Batman comics for the simple fact that it has some of the most alluring, most beautiful art I've encountered, and it has such a richly detailed, incredibly poignant story that it kept me absolutely mesmerized the first time around.  I love every bit of this book, and I found it to be even better the second (okay, third) time.

DC Comics

Unlike Loeb's earlier works, Long Halloween and Dark Victory, which features Batman's earlier career, Hush follows the weathered and strained Batman/Bruce Wayne as he tries to keep Gotham safe from new and ever worsening dangers.  Together with his cadre of crime-fighting vigilantes--including Nightwing, Robin, Huntress, and Superman (but not quite Catwoman)--Batman sets out to find the puppet master who has set the whole of Gotham's underworld onto his heels.

Hush is one of those comics that will knock your socks off.  It's thoughtful, it's complex, and it explores every emotional side of a Dark Knight who has suffered innumerable losses, endured more grief and pain than most can manage, and defeated some of the most terrifying villains in the world.  Moreover, it has a level of Agatha Christie-esque mystery, which I enjoyed.

I mean, I certainly didn't expect it to end the way it did--and I found Batman to be all the more clever for ultimately solving the mystery.

Last, I read Master of Crows by Grace Draven.  Originally published by Amber Quill Press (which, I realize, is not a micropress), it was eventually republished by Grace Draven--and, as the definition of a micropess means it is a small and/or single-person publisher, I decided it would fit nicely into this category to complete my challenge.

Yes, yes, I realize I might be pushing the rules with this one, but I have to point out that I haven't had a lot of luck finding books published by micropresses to which I have easy access.  I know of a few local publishers, but they are publishing companies with a large enough staff that I feel they don't count.  Moreover, I couldn't find something I enjoyed by a micropress to which I had access at my local library, thus the Internet--and Master of Crows--became my go-to choice.

Amber Quill Press/
Grace Draven

Now, putting aside my (weak) justifications, Master of Crows wasn't a bad novel.  In a world where magic exists and dark creatures lurk at the periphery of civilization, Silhara and Martise are thrust together in an unexpected alliance when one of the old gods--Corruption--returns.  Determined to stop Corruption and deny his fate, Silhara enlists the aid of the Conclave and meets Martise, a slave girl turned spy.  Together, they must discover Corruption's weakness and save the world....or, quite possibly, die trying.

I realize it sounds melodramatic and, yes, I suppose it is; however, it's also an unexpectedly complex novel that I enjoyed.  It has its faults, but, overall, it had interesting characters and created a sturdy setting that I appreciated.  Personally, I think I enjoyed Draven's ability to build her world.  It's rich with detail and magic, and I absolutely loved learning more and more about the creatures, places, and history of Silhara and Martise's world.  I realize it's more of an acquired taste, but it's certainly worth sampling.

Unless, of course, you're not a fan of explicit romance.  In which case, I probably wouldn't recommend it.

Geis: A Matter of Life and Death

Nobrow

Geis:  A Matter of Life and Death
Alexis Deacon
2016

The Summary
"The chief matriarch is dying.  Drawing her last breath, she declares a contest:  let fate decide the one worthy to rule.  Fifty souls are summoned in the night; fifty souls bound to the same fate.  But this is no ordinary trial...

"And so begins the first task."

The Good
Honestly, I was unexpectedly fascinated by Geis.  It's a book that I did, but somehow didn't, like.  That probably sounds strange, but Geis is a graphic novel that's difficult to explain.  It's rich with imagination, but terrifyingly dark, hinted with macabre undertones that make you shiver and make you think.

It's a startling combination of adventure and horror and supernatural elements, fabricating a dark and fascinating world that's rich, but stark in its shadows.  I was reluctantly intrigued by Geis.  I almost didn't want to read it, but, at the same time, I ended up devouring it in a matter of hours.  It's so morbid that you almost can't help following along with the story.

Overall, it's a fine comic.  It had an interesting story, a well-developed world, and a fascinating cast of characters that caught my attention.  Although I'm still not sure how I feel about Alexis Deacon's book, I will probably read the second volume when it arrives on the scene.  I could use some closure--I feel I'm invested now.

The Bad
I can't quite put my finger on it, but something didn't quite catch me with Geis.  It left me with a lot of conflicting emotions, and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it.  I wasn't overcome with joy when reading it, yet I didn't find it horrible or distasteful; rather, I liked it.  I liked it even if I didn't care to like it.

It's a muddle.

The Ugly
The premise of this book is a competition.  Fifty individuals are summoned to the castle of the chief matriarch to witness her death and receive her decree on who shall succeed her; however, a dark enchantress is added to the mix....and she has other plans in mind.  The chief matriarch creates a trial:  whosoever succeeds in the competition shall be crowned the new ruler.

And everyone else dies.

Seriously.  That's how it goes.

Only one person will survive the trial, which means everyone else will meet horrible, gruesome deaths--and, somehow, the enchantress will triumph over all.  I won't say anything more for fear of ruining the story; however, I will note that I was surprised by the dark turns that Geis seemed to make.  It's almost difficult to read in that regard, because I don't foresee the series ending very well.

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry

Washington Square Press

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry
Fredrik Backman
2016

The Summary
"Elsa is seven years old and different.  Her grandmother is seventy-seven years old and crazy--as in standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-strangers crazy.  She is also Elsa's best, and only, friend.  At night Elsa takes refuge in her grandmother's stories, in the Land-of-Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas, where everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal.

"When Elsa's grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged, Elsa's greatest adventure begins.  Her grandmother's instructions lead her to an apartment building full of misfits, monsters, attack dogs and old crones, but also to the truth about fairy tales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other.

"My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry is told with the same comic accuracy and beating heart as Fredrik Backman's bestselling debut novel, A Man Called Ove.  It is a story about life and death and one of the most important human rights:  the right to be different."

The Good
I loved this book.

Although it took me a little time to get into the story, especially when so many characters became involved, I absolutely loved it.  I enjoyed the authentic--sometimes explosive, sometimes heartbreaking, but always genuine--emotions in this book; I enjoyed the oddity of it; I enjoyed the threads of danger and adventure woven into the story; I enjoyed Backman's storytelling, reading about Wolfheart and the Wurse; I even enjoyed Britt Marie (and that's saying something).

Admittedly, I loved the whole thing.

In his novel, Backman will show you the worst side of people:  drugs, alcohol, social and behavioral problems, grief, bullying, and more--so much more that it will break your heart.  He'll show you things that are hard to see; however, he'll balance these things with humor and insight and heartwarming moments of compassion.

I would call his novel bittersweet, because it so closely mirrors life.  It shows you the difficult side of human nature, all the struggles that weigh us down on a daily basis; however, it shows you the sweeter things in life, like best friends and wonderful mothers and good stories and loyalty and, wonder of wonders, laughter.  Sometimes, life isn't always good, but this book makes you feel like things will get better in the end.

Overall, I loved reading My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry.  I especially liked the characters:  they're so different.  Each with his or her own history that changes them, makes them a unique personality--and yet they're all tied together by the thread of Elsa's grandmother.  She brings them together in an oddball quest to deliver letters, to apologize for the wrongs in her life and rectify the things she can no longer fix.

But Elsa, I think, was my favorite.

She's a smart, headstrong little girl.  She's read the Harry Potter series numerous times, she's proficient in her grandmother's "secret language," and she's a frequent purveyor of Wikipedia, an avid researcher of the mundane and the obscure.  She's such a unique personality, I couldn't help liking her--and, of course, her crazy, paintball-gun-wielding grandmother.  They give the novel a unique flavor that truly makes it one-of-a-kind.

The Bad
No complaints.

The Ugly
Losing a loved one always hurts.  For poor Elsa, she's faced with a doubly great loss:  she loses her grandmother, her best friend, and all the magical stories of Miamas.  It's truly heart-breaking.

The BFG

Penguin Books

The BFG
Roald Dahl
1982

The Summary
"Captured by a giant!

"The BFG is no ordinary bone-crunching giant.  He is far too nice and jumbly.  It's lucky for Sophie that he is.  Had she been carried off in the middle of the night by the Bloodbottler, or any of the other giants--rather than the BFG--she would have soon become breakfast.  When Sophie hears that the giants are flush-bunking off to England to swallomp a few nice chiddlers, she decides she must stop them once and for all.  And the BFG is going to help her!"

The Good
I had fun with The BFG.

It's an odd little story, principally on par with Dahl's other works, James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but it's really quite a wonderful story.  It's funny, it has endearing characters, and, honestly, it has these adorable moments--mostly when the BFG fudges his words and leaves Sophie positively bumfuzzled--that wrench your heart and leave you smiling or laughing by turns.

Personally, I fell in love with the big friendly giant and I was always tickled by his antics, fascinated by his dream catching excursions, and, of course, warmed by his fondness for little orphaned Sophie.  Their relationship is so pure and sweet, and I couldn't help wishing I'd met a BFG of my own.

It's a great children's book.  I can certainly see what it's a classic.

The Bad
If I have one regret it's that I didn't take the time to find an audiobook copy of The BFG.  This would have been a magnificent book to have read to me.

The Ugly
I'll be honest, I was a little disturbed to learn that the giants ate people.  I never imagined The BFG would have such a dark and terrible beginning, but, then again, I should know by now that Roald Dahl was never afraid to approach the darker, more unsavory aspects of a story.

I mean, think about it:  Charlie in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is very poor, so poor he cannot always afford food; James in James and the Giant Peach lost his parents to a rogue rhinoceros and lives with his cruel, vindictive aunts; and Sophie in The BFG is an orphan who is faced with horrible flesh-eating, bone-crunching, and chiddler-eating giants.

Seriously, it seems like all the children involved in Dahl's books face extraordinary hardship and it's absolutely heart-breaking.

James and the Giant Peach

Puffin Books

James and the Giant Peach

Roald Dahl

1961

The Summary
"A little magic can take you a long way...

"When James accidentally drops some magic crystals by the old peach tree, strange things start happening.  The peach at the very tip of the tree starts growing, and growing, and growing...until it's as big as a house!  When James crawls inside, he meets a houseful of oversized friends--Grasshopper, Centipede, Earthworm, and more.  With a snip of the stem, the peach starts rolling away and the adventure begins!"

The Good
As a child, I somehow never read any books by Roald Dahl.  I love the movies--Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory--but, for some reason, I never read any of the original books until recently when I first picked up Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach is about a boy faced with incredible hardship who sets off on the adventure of a lifetime.  However, instead of meeting a Mad Hatter-esque chocolatier, James encounters a handful of gigantic insects and travels in a gigantic, magical peach.

Sounds like fun, no?

Honestly, I enjoyed reading James and the Giant Peach.  It's a quick, rather sweet happily-ever-after, and I had fun watching James as he escaped his despicable aunts, made new (and rather extraordinary) friends, and takes an incredible adventure across the sea.  More to the point, I liked that James was given the chance to thrive.

James is a clever, imaginative and sensitive little boy, and yet he's been under his aunts' thumbs for many months, subject to their tormenting and taunting and abject cruelty.  When he gets the opportunity to escape, I felt like jumping for joy.  I liked James, and I was so glad he was able break free of the aunts who didn't care for him and find a family, of his choosing, that would treat him well--and, more importantly, love him unconditionally.

I highly recommend it--and Roald Dahl in general--to young readers.

The Bad
When I first watched the James and the Giant Peach, I absolutely loved it.  I recall the characters with great fondness and I remember thinking what a wild, zany and wonderful adventure it was.  However, while I thought many of those same things about the book, I found I didn't enjoy the book as much as I enjoyed the movie.

Personally, I think part of it was Centipede and Miss Spider.  Centipede was terribly annoying and, yes, while he's thoughtlessly selfish in both the movie in the book, he was more of a nuisance than I remembered in the movie.  Plus, Miss Spider just wasn't as sassy and dramatic and lovely as she was in the movie.  She was, sadly, a bit forgettable, which I found disappointing.

The Ugly
Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge.

Ick.

The Witch's Boy

Algonquin Young Readers

The Witch's Boy
Kelly Barnhill
2014

The Summary
"When Ned and his identical twin brother tumble from their raft into a raging, bewitched river, only Ned survives.  Villagers are convinced the wrong boy lived.  Sure enough, Ned grows up weak and slow, and stays as much as possible within the safe boundaries of his family's cottage and yard.  But when a Bandit King comes to steal the magic that Ned's mother, a witch, is meant to protect, it's Ned who safeguards the magic and summons the strength to protect his family and community.

"In the meantime, in another kingdom across the forest that borders Ned's village lives Aine, the resourceful and pragmatic daughter of the Bandit King.  She is haunted by her mother's last words to her:  'The wrong boy will save your life and you will save his.'  But when Aine and Ned's paths cross, can they trust each other long enough to make their way through the treacherous woods and stop the war about to boil over?

"With a deft hand, acclaimed author Kelly Barnhill takes classic fairy tale elements--speaking stones, a friendly wolf, and a spoiled young king--and weaves them into a richly detailed narrative that explores good and evil, love and hate, magic, and the power of friendship."

The Good
I'm not really sure what to say about The Witch's Boy.  It's not quite like anything I've ever read.  Grim and rather macabre, it's a story that doesn't pull punches and makes you squirm for the terrible things you witness.  I think it was a little more mature than I was expecting from a book I found in the juvenile section.

The magic involved in these stories was especially complex.  I mean, my understanding of it was that it's a powerful, dangerous beast, not just some energy that can be manipulated or changed.  It's as contradictory as human nature--and perhaps it is the culmination of several sentient being?  I'm still not sure I understand it, but I found it intriguing.

While I was reading, I also grew to enjoy the characters.  Aine was flat out amazing:  tough, smart, take-charge and take-no-nonsense, she was an amazing heroine, even if she was a difficult character to like (at first, anyway).  Likewise, I loved the Ned's mother, the Witch.  I honestly can't remember her name, she's just the Witch to me--and I wouldn't have it any other way.  She was probably one of the more interesting characters for her curious connection to the magic and, moreover, her almost supernatural connection to the rest of the world.

And, of course, my heart went out to little Ned.  I loved that kid for some reason.  He's not the hero you'd expect; in fact, he's not heroic at all.  He's a timid kid who gets thrown into a dangerous situation and he's stuck trying to figure a way out--to save his mother, to save his village and to keep the magic at bay.  His journey is, in it's own way, heartwarming.

The Bad
I had an odd feeling the whole time I was reading The Witch's Boy.  I can't put my finger on it, but I just had this weird jumbling of feelings in my chest while I was reading Barnhill's novel.  I mean, I wanted to finish reading Ned's story and see where his journey led--I was committed, so I was going to find out--but I had strange ominous sort of feeling while reading it.

Like I  said, it's hard to describe.  It was a tumultuous amalgamation of many things, which made this reading experience unusual, even if it wasn't always pleasant.

The Ugly
Magic isn't always a good thing.  In this case, working magic means you always have to pay a price--and, sometimes, that price is steep.

Read Harder Challenge 2017: Part 1

So first up on my Read Harder Challenge, I tackled:

• Read a debut novel.
• Read an all-ages comic.
• Read a superhero comic with a female lead.

Sourcebooks
Casablanca

I started with a debut novel, Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster.  Although I originally intended to read A Man Called Ove, a debut novel by Fredrik Backman, I stumbled across Kiss of Steel purely by accident and discovered it was just what I needed to complete this challenge.  The first book in the London Steampunk series, Kiss of Steel tells the story of an alternative Victorian age in which verwulfen (werewolves), vampires, automatons, humans, and more live side-by-side in a steam-fueled world.

Honoria Todd fled to the rookeries in a desperate attempt to escape the Echelon, the blue-blood (i.e. vampire) aristocracy of London who rule over the city with an iron fist.  But when Blade, de facto master of the rookeries, discovers her living at the fringes of his little kingdom, he becomes embroiled in a series of unexpected mysteries involving Honoria.  Soon, a vampire--a blue-blood who has crossed the Fade, who has completely succumbed to blood lust--is terrorizing the rookeries and it's up to Honoria and Blade to stop it--and the Echelon--before it's too late.

I actually enjoyed reading Kiss of Steel.  It wasn't quite what I expected, but I wouldn't say that's a bad thing.  Granted, it was a bit explicit, hyper-violent, and incredibly grisly; however, McMaster's debut novel was a mixture of action, romance, science-fiction and paranormal fantasy that I found thrilling.  Overall, I enjoyed Kiss of Steel, but I do think it could have been better.  I would have loved to have delved deeper into the alternative history and discovered more about the people--and creatures--that inhabited this world.

Marvel

Next, I read Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur:  BFF (Volume 1) by Brandon Montclare and Amy Reeder, which was a fun and amusing comic featuring Lunella and, of course, the indomitable Devil Dinosaur.  First in the series, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur:  BFF is a great comic for kids of all ages--and it's simultaneously amusing for adults.

It starts out with Lunella, who is 9-years-old and quite unlike other girls her age.  She's an unexpectedly talented inventor and she's also an Inhuman--and the Terrigen Mist that's creeping through the city, the amorphous haze that will activate her Inhuman DNA, terrifies her.  Desperate to keep her Inhuman DNA dormant, Lunella sets out to discover alien technology that will help her stop the Terrigen Mist and keep herself human.  That is, if Devil Dinosaur, who was transported to the future with the same alien technology, doesn't destroy everything first.

Overall, I loved reading Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.  I admit, I was a little hesitant to read it at first.  I'd seen single issues in the local comic book store and, for some reason, I couldn't imagine myself reading them--and then I discovered the collected volume at the library.  I immediately fell in love.  Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is a lot of fun to read.  Although it takes place in the Marvel Universe, readers don't really need a who lot of background about the Kree and the Inhumans and the Terrigen Mist to enjoy the story.  It has a dynamic, intelligent character, and it's a crazy, fun adventure that will lead you across time and the city of New York.

Last, I checked out Wonder Woman:  Blood (Volume 1) by Brian Azzarello, Cliff Chiang, and Tony Akins.  I have long been a fan of comic books.  I love Batman and Superman and even Aquaman, and I've found a recent favorite in Squirrel Girl, Daredevil, and Hawkeye; however, I've not read much of Wonder Woman.  She's an interesting character to be sure, but I've just never found myself compelled to read about her until now.

DC Comics

In Wonder Woman: Blood, first in the New 52 series, Wonder Woman finds herself caught in the middle of a battle for supremacy between the Greek gods of myth.  Diana has long abstained from the more complicated dealings between these capricious gods, but Zeus has gone missing--and Hera is on the war path to destroy the child he left behind.  Now, the remaining gods, including Apollo, Hades, and Poseidon, are in a war for the king of gods' throne, while Hera cuts a bloody swath across Paradise Island to rectify the injustices done to her.

Let me say, I like Greek mythology.  I've always been intrigued by it and I've gone out of my way to discover more about it than what I learned in school, but I wasn't really impressed with their appearance in Wonder Woman.  Honestly, I wasn't really all that impressed with the story in general.  I was a little disappointed, especially since I went into this comic with such high expectations.  I'm a fan of powerful, self-sufficient women, and I love the idea of Wonder Woman, who is a warrior first and foremost; however, I'm not so sure I like her in practice.

It's difficult to describe, but let me put it this way:  I like Batman, because he is human and he is deeply flawed.  I like Superman, because he is an alien who grew up in Kansas and he is good to the best of his ability.  Likewise, I like Aquaman, because he is half-human/half-Atlantean and he struggles daily with his dueling identities.  And all these characters have one thing in common:  they were raised, in my opinion, in a recognizable place and way.  Diana, on the other hand, was raised on Paradise Island with a different set of beliefs and a completely different set of rules, which makes it difficult to relate to her on a personal level.  More to the point, it made Wonder Woman:  Blood (Volume 1) less than enjoyable to read.

The Cats of Tanglewood Forest

Little, Brown and Company

The Cats of Tanglewood Forest
Charles de Lint
Charles Vess
2013

The Summary
"Lillian Kindred spends her days exploring the Tanglewood Forest, a magical, rolling wilderness that she imagines to be full of fairies.  The trouble is, Lillian has never seen a wisp of magic in her hills--until the day the cats of the forest save her life by transforming her into a kitten.  Now Lillian must set out on a perilous adventure that will lead her through untamed lands of fabled creatures--from Old Mother Possum to the fearsome Bear People--to find a way to make things right.

"In this whimsical, original folktale written and illustrated by two celebrated masters of modern fantasy, a young girl's journey becomes an enchanting coming-of-age story about magic, friendship, and the courage to shape one's own destiny."

The Good
After reading A Circle of Cats, I checked out The Cats of Tanglewood Forest with the encouragement of a co-worker.  I thought I would be stepping into the same old story--The Cats of Tanglewood Forest is, of course, an expansion of A Circle of Cats from it's small, short children's book to a middle-grade novel--but it's a complete reimagining of the world that Vess and de Lint created in their original book.

It was certainly worth reading, especially as I enjoyed A Circle of Cats.  I especially liked the addition of Old Mother Possum.  She was a wonderfully colorful character, and I enjoyed meeting her.  Moreover, I loved the expanded involvement of one T.H. Reynolds, who acted as guide and guardian for the young Lillian during her journey.

I don't know why, but I felt compelled to read T.H.'s dialogue aloud with an exaggerated Southern accent.  Think Colonel Sanders kind of southern or, better yet, Scarlett O'Hara kind of southern.  it was a strange thing to do, I admit, but it just felt so right.  Plus, I got a real kick out of it and I laughed my way through much of the book.

And, of course, I loved the artwork.  Charles Vess outdoes himself with The Cats of Tanglewood Forest.  He adds greater depth to the world and manages to breathe life into the characters, into the magical places to which Lillian must travel.  It's spectacularly colorful, wonderfully detailed, and utterly beautiful.  I was greatly impressed by his work, and I can't wait to find more from him.

Overall, The Cats of Tanglewood Forest was a great little adventure, and it's an excellent book for younger readers.

The Bad
Despite getting a little more insight into Lillian's odyssey through the verdant forests of Appalachia, I still didn't quite understand how her condition--that is, her being turned into a cat--became her fault?  I mean, some of it I can see and I understand why she needed to learn lessons about this dangerous, magical world; however, I'm still a irritated by some aspects of her journey.  Namely, her responsibility in it.

It bothered me, just a little.

The Ugly
Snakes.

Still snakes, but throw in the added danger of the Bear People.

A Circle of Cats

Viking

A Circle of Cats
Charles de Lint
Charles Vess
2003

The Summary
"Lillian is an orphan who lives with her aunt on a homestead miles from anyone, surrounded by uncharted forest.  She wanders the woods, chasing after squirrels and rabbits and climbing trees like a possum.  Free-spirited and independent, Lillian is a kindred soul to the many wild cats who gather around the ancient beech tree.  One day, while she is under the beech, Lillian is bitten by a poisonous snake.  The cats refuse to let her die, and use their magic to turn her into one of their own.  How she becomes a girl again is a lyrical, original folktale that begs to be read aloud.

"Set in the hill country of the author's fictional city of Newford, A Circle of Cats is the much anticipated first picture book by longtime friends Charles de Lint and Charles Vess, whose masterful art is as magical as the story."

The Good
I enjoyed reading Circle of Cats.  I picked it up on a whim, curious to see more of Charles Vess' work (I loved his illustrated edition of Stardust by Neil Gaiman), and I'm incredibly pleased with Charles Vess and Charles de Lint's book.  Quite frankly, it's like nothing I've ever read--and I liked that about it.

Yes, it's a children's book, but it's accessible for all ages.  As an adult, I appreciated the subtle nuances of culture and magic that existed in the midst of the story, and I absolutely loved the artwork.  Besides which, it's not quite what you expect from a half-fairy tale/half-folklore story about cats--or, at least, it's not quite what I expected.

Moreover, it's unexpectedly southern.

I know that sounds almost ridiculous, but I enjoyed how it pulls from southern (specifically, Appalachian culture) and draws on many of the legends, stories, and fables of the area.  It lends magic to the real world, appreciating both the history and culture of Appalachia while simultaneously providing a compelling odyssey.

Although I liked Lillian as a character and I loved the charming legends surrounding the Father of Cats and the Apple Tree Man, I adored Vess' illustrations.  The art is absolutely beautiful, a unique blend of reality and imagination that's sure to impress.  I especially loved the greenery of the background and the mountains in the distance, the rustic charm of the landscape and characters, the almost cozy feeling that proliferates the pages.

It has a touch of something that makes it feel like home to me, and it makes me see that world with new eyes.  Honestly, that's probably one of the biggest draws for me with Circle of Cats and I highly recommend it to young readers and their parents, even if you're not the biggest fan of cats.

The Bad
Occasionally, I found Lillian's journey to be unfair.  I mean, she didn't ask to be turned into a cat--and yet she still had to pay the price?

No, I found that injustice rather hard to swallow.

The Ugly
Snakes.

Snakes, curses, and dangerous journeys.