Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

July 12, 2011: Scholastic, Inc.

Summary

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. In Linger, they fought to be together. Now, in Forever, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in. (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

Whelmed. This word that's not a word is the best description for my feelings at the conclusion of Forever. Not overwhelmed. Not underwhelmed. Just whelmed.

I'll start with why I'm not raving about the book. It dragged. For the first 100 pages, nothing much happened. Sam sulked. Grace was a wolf and then a human and then a wolf. Isabel complained. Cole came up with risky experiments and tried them on himself. Isabel's father was trying to get authorization to shoot at the wolves from helicopters (which sounds crazy but has actually happened). With the exception of Cole, it was all talk.

The book picked up after page 150 or so - halfway through. The helicopter shoot was on and Isabel, Cole, Sam, and Grace had to race to save the wolves. Then lots happened. It wasn't a page turner, but there was a definable plot and finally some action. New characters become important. We revisited old ones. Relationships improved. Relationships broke down. The book is meant to tear at your emotions, to make you cry. To my surprise, I didn't sob at this book. There's one point were I was misty-eyed, but I never completely broke down.

The previous two paragraphs make you think that I didn't like the book. But that's not true. I loved Forever. When I finished Forever, I thought it deserved 4 out of 5 stars. But Forever is a slow-burning book. It gets its claws in you and doesn't let go. In the five days since finishing the book, I've thought about it again and again and re-read certain parts numerous times. It doesn't make me cry, but every time I think about it, my chest tightens and I can't focus on anything else. For all its slowness, it's captured my heart and I lean more towards 4.5 out of 5.

I can't quantify why exactly Forever touched me so much. Largely, I think it's Maggie's writing. It's cold and stark. Stand-offish in a way. But beautiful. Her prose doesn't just tell you what's going on. It makes you feel it. When Grace is a wolf, you're on four legs running alongside her. When Isabel is angry, you're furious too. There's very little humor in this book, except for the occasional sarcastic remark. I like that there was no attempt to inject levity into a situation that isn't funny at all. Yes, it's angsty, but that's what I'm expecting.

I love the four characters. I admire Maggie for creating Isabel, a very difficult character to love because she's always mean. Yet I do love her. I see the beautiful person within and understand why she puts up the hard shell. I love Cole for his intelligence, the crazy risks he took, his passionate soul, his rough edges, and his leadership ability. He was the rock upon which the other characters stood. I love Sam for his emo angst, his lyrics and poetry quotations, his sad and happy childhood memories, his passionate love for Grace. Even though Grace is now a full werewolf, we still see her black-and-white, rational thought-process, her love for Sam, her role as the responsible organizer. I especially love that we spend time in wolves' heads. Maggie did a wonderful job in describing how a wolf would actually think, act, and move. I really admire her for making the characters into actual wolves, not just human minds in wolf bodies. It makes the book feel more real.

Forever is a beautiful conclusion to the trilogy. It's not the most engaging read, but I connected to the characters in a way I haven't done in most recent books. I loved the ending - closure with a little room for imagination. Perhaps the reason I didn't adore Forever is that it's not Shiver. Shiver was something really special and none of Maggie's other books have achieved that level of excellence. But Forever is a powerful, emotional book in its own right and a must read for anyone who loved Shiver and Linger.

Rating: 4 / 5

Manga Mondays (62): Kekkaishi vol. 3 - Yellow Tanabe

Kekkaishi vol. 3 - Yellow Tanabe

Summary

By night, junior high student Yoshimori Sumimura is a "kekkaishi" - a demon-hunter who specializes in creating magical barriers around his prey. By day, Yoshimori's got some other demons to battle: an addiction to sweets and a seriously crotchety grandfather! Yoshimori's pretty 16-year-old neighbour and childhood friend, Tokine Yukimura, is also a kekkaishi, but their families are feuding over who is the true practitioner of the art. When he's unable to capture a particularly nasty foe, Yoshimori vows to improve himself, even if it means spending less time baking cakes! Then a spectre from the past visits Madarao, Yoshimori's loyal demon dog, and attempts to lure the canine away from Yoshimori forever. (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

*Warning: Potential spoilers. My manga reviews tend to be more of a summary than a review. I find it hard to review manga in the same way I do regular books.

I'm becoming more fond of this series with each volume, which is natural I suppose, as the characters are becoming increasingly familiar. Yoshimori is starting to take his role as a demon-hunter more seriously. We see him struggling to create better kekkai, boxes that either trap demons or protect the demon-hunters. His family and friends are always quick to criticize his little errors, but behind his back, they're marveling. He has the potential to be incredibly powerful.

I love how Tokine and Yoshimori always work as a team. They may not intend to work together, but they are always looking out for the other person. We see Tokine looking out for Yoshimori in this volume, not because he's an annoying kid who screws up, but because she cares for him and wants to protect him.

The main plot of this volume centers on Madarao, Yoshimori's demon dog. We learn a little more about the origin of the demon dogs, the powerful watchdogs who help kekkaishi fight demons. Madarao becomes a main character when his former brother puppy arrives as an incredibly powerful demon.

As I'm getting used to with Tanabe's writing, we get emotional scenes describing the history between Madarao and Koya. The reader feels sorry for the demon and his painful past, yet also understands that Koya must be destroyed. I felt bad for the difficult choice Madarao had to make. I also liked seeing Yoshimori's demon-dog in a role other than the big brother role. In the first two volumes, he was always making sure Yoshimori did things right. Now it's Yoshimori who is helping him. He reminds me a bit of Grimalkin from Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series.

Yet another good volume of Kekkaishi. I like that we're learning more about the world of kekkaishi in each volume. Plus, we're getting to know and emphasize each character better. Tanabe does an excellent job of balancing character and plot.

Feature & Follow Friday #57

Welcome to Feature & Follow Friday (err Thursday) on Parajunkee.com

If you are new to the #FF fun, Feature & Follow Friday is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers. Feature & Follow Friday is now hosted by TWO hosts, Rachel of Parajunkee and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

*Thanks so much to Rachel for allowing me to be part of the Follow Friday fun. Parajunkee is one of the best blogs out there and FF is a highlight of the blogging community. The FF has been one of my favorite parts of my week for over a year and I'm so excited to help my fellow book bloggers get to know each other better.

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you! Now to make this #FF interesting we do a FEATURE blogger. If you are interested in becoming a Feature click on the drop down link above FEATURES > Feature & Follow Friday and get on the waiting list! It is also required, that if you participate you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) and the two Feature blogs.

Our Feature - Amber @ Me My Shelf and I

I am Amber of Me, My Shelf and I. Self Proclaimed cover snob, lover of all things pink and/or glittery. I will NOT share my coffee with you, but will share my wine ;0)

I started book blogging as a way to keep track of the 104 book challenge I joining at the beginning of 2011. When i realized people actually liked what I was writing I gave the blog a little face lift and a new name, hired a pal to help me and here I am today!

Q. Talk about the book that most changed or influenced your life (was it a book that turned you from an average to avid reader, did it help you deal with a particularly difficult situation, does it bring you comfort every time you read it?).

I have had several influential books at various points in my life. The first one was Mary Anne's Bad-Luck Mystery, the 17th Babysitter's Club book by Ann M. Martin. I read it in second grade and it transformed me from an okay reader into an obsessive, life-long book addict. The girls of the BSC were some of my best childhood friends.

The other highly influential books have been the Harry Potter series, Pride & Prejudice, and Twilight. And maybe a few others that I'll think of when I read other people's FF posts.

In light of today's question and the answers I've read on a lot of blogs, I think it's time to bring up one of my favorite posts again: I LOVE Twilight and I am NOT ASHAMED! Check it out and be a proud vampire lover.

Now for the Follow Fun!

<center><a href="http://www.alisoncanread.com/search/label/FF" target="_blank" ><img border="0" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4710921228_e3140444bf_o.png" /></a></center>

RULES To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - We Fancy Books & The Little Book Blog
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say "hi" in your comments and that they are now following you.
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Happy Follow Friday! Follow it up with your twitter address if you want to get that one out!

*********

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

2009; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Summary

Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and she was supposed to be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never showed up. Now seventeen, Tamsin attends boarding school in Manhattan, far from her family. But when a handsome young professor mistakes her for her very Talented sister, Tamsin agrees to find a lost family heirloom for him. The search—and the stranger—will prove to be more sinister than they first appeared, ultimately sending Tamsin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her true identity, unearth the sins of her family, and unleash a power so vengeful that it could destroy them all. This is a spellbinding display of storytelling that will exhilarate, enthrall, and thoroughly enchant.(courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

Tamsin Greene's mother can run at super-sonic speed, her father can control the weather, and her sister can bend people's will by just talking. Tamsin? She can do diddly squat. It's like being a toy poodle in a family of doberman pinschers. Understandably, Tamsin is a little sensitive about being a talentless teen in a powerful witching family. She's happily ensconced in boarding school in Manhattan. But her life becomes intertwined with her family when she pretends to be her sister and agrees to retrieve a clock for a stranger. This little task becomes incredibly complicated and awakens powers Tamsin didn't know she had.

I loved Once A Witch. The story flowed quickly and smoothly. The fantasy element was a unique twist on sorcery and was well-explained. The characters were likeable and believable. They didn't have particularly unique personalities, but they weren't so cardboard that I felt like I could tip them over. The romantic element was there with a cute, slightly over-confident, nice, helpful guy.

Tamsin was a great character. In this book, she goes from being nothing to being something (I don't think it's a spoiler to say this much). Her feelings of inferiority are fully understandable, as is her desire to prove herself. Her fear, anger, and amazement at discovering who she is was also believable. She's not by nature a kick-butt type of girl, but when something needs to be done, she steps up to the plate. These are my favorite kind of girls. I also liked her roommate Agatha. She was your stereotypical kooky best friend, but not so crazy that she became annoying. Gabriel is great. Handsome and self-confident. While he's Talented, his family life is sad enough that he can really relate to Tamsin's life as a Talentless freak. Together they make a great team - their abilities play off one another well. I like that he wasn't the overprotective type. There actually isn't a lot of romance in this book. I could have used a nice kissing scene or two, but the tension was fun. There's potential for lots more!

My only issue with this book was the presence of smoking and drinking. The characters casually drank and smoked. This is nothing new in YA, but usually you see alcohol at parties or as part of a plot device. Here, they just drank for no reason - like a shot of vodka before studying. Similar with the cigarettes. There's nothing really wrong with this...if anything it's reflective of many teens' lives, but it stuck out as odd and something not to be encouraged. But that's just me on my goody-two-shoes high horse.

Once a Witch is a fabulous story that sucks you right in. I loved the family element to the novel. I also loved how some of the odd references earlier in the story made a lot more sense later on. The story concludes nicely, but still leaves you ready and waiting for the sequel.

Rating: 4 / 5

Waterfall (River of Time #1) by Lisa Bergren

Waterfall by Lisa Bergren

February 1, 2011; David C. Cook
*I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Summary

In Waterfall, American teenager Gabi Betarrini accidently finds herself in Fourteenth-Century Italy . . . Knights. Swords. Horses. Armor. And Italian hotties. Most American teens want an Italian vacation, but the Betarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives there with their archaeologist parents. Stuck on yet another hot, dusty dig, they are bored out of their minds... until they place their hands atop handprints in an ancient tomb and find themselves catapulted into the Fourteenth Century and in the middle of a fierce battle between knights bent on killing one another. (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

Waterfall is an example of why books shouldn't be categorized into genres. It is cataloged under Christian historical fiction, two genres that many people dislike. This will likely keep most people from reading Waterfall. Such a shame. The book never hits you over the head with Christian themes - rather it has basic references to faith. And as a historical fiction book, it is as detailed and exciting as any high fantasy or paranormal novel.

Waterfall is much like its name. A slow stream that initially lulls the reader but quickly builds pace and soon throws you straight down the waters of Niagara. I thought Waterfall was only okay at first, but I became attached to the characters and story to the point when it became really exciting and could hardly put it down.

I was impressed at what a believable story Bergren created. Obviously, you have to suspend some sense of reality to believe that a girl could place her hands on a spot in an Etruscan tomb and somehow be thrust back into 14th century Italy...let alone be able to survive in said century without being thought insane or evil. Bergren made sure Gabi knew enough in her modern life to live in 14th century Italy. Because of her parents' jobs as architects and frequent travels, she was fluent in Italian, knew a great deal about medieval history, and even traditional herbal medicine. Add to that some mad skills as a fencer and Gabi is set to go back in time 600 years. I was impressed that the author made sure to cover all the small details of Gabi's life to make the time travel work. In a less skilled author's hands, Gabi's transition to the 14th century would have been laughable. With Bergren's writing, it almost felt real.

Similarly, Bergren does a wonderful job of world-building (because 14th century Italy requires just as much world building as a high fantasy novel). The reader can see every inch of the castle, the surrounding countryside, and Siena. No detail is left uncovered. This slows the pace of the book somewhat, but it doesn't drag. I thought it was a nice balance. There was enough action and amusing cultural adaptation scenes that the story felt like more than an info dump.

Gabi is a great leading lady. She's the perfect time traveler. Brave, cunning, and adaptable. She was quickly able to change from her modern Italian to an older style - which, realistically or not, sounded more like a Jane Austen novel than Shakespeare. She also figured out much of the local politics and motivations behind characters' actions, particularly Marcello's fiance. She is loyal to her younger sister, stubbornly insisting on doing everything possible to help Lia. Gabi loves passionately, but also reasonably. She doesn't lose her head over a boy. Plus, she can wield a sword! She's a fierce fighter and won't let others stand up on her behalf without her support. Gabi fits the description of most strong female characters in current YA, but what she lacks in uniqueness, she makes up for in likability.

Marcello is our leading man. He reminds me of a lot of fantasy heroes. A swashbuckling soldier. The big, brawny guy with a heart of gold. His passion is great enough that he'd give up all his family's ambitions to be with Gabi. Despite being willing to abandon his family's calculated marriage plans, he defends his family and their castle with his life, and of course will fight anyone and anything to help Gabi find her sister. I liked Marcello but he doesn't do it for me quite yet. Perhaps I'll feel more affection towards him in subsequent books. The characters I like best are Luca, Marcello's funny, carefree best friend, and Fortino, Marcello's sickly yet intellectual brother. I'd love to see Fortino and Gabi together.

Waterfall is a historical adventure story. It's a fun ride watching the Gabi adjust to a new world and seeing her and her new compatriots fight battle after battle in defense of their land and Gabi's sister. A great start to a new series.

Rating: 4 / 5

Blog Tour: Epic Fail by Claire LeZebnik - Author Tens List

Thank you so much to Claire and Teen Book Scene for allowing me to participate in the book blog tour for Epic Fail by Claire LeZebnik. Check out my review of Epic Fail. I really enjoyed the book.

Please welcome Claire to Alison Can Read.

My top ten favorite ways to procrastinate when I should be writing:

1. Enjoy a slice of coffee cake with a cup of coffee. (You’d think there’d be a limit to how many times a day you can use the coffee/cake excuse to get out of writing, but I’ve yet to find one. You have to pace yourself, of course, but some days, that bitter/sweet combo is all that keeps me going.)

2. Decide I have to exercise because I’ve been eating too much cake; take the dogs for a walk.

3. Feed the cat and beg him to pee in the litter box this time, not on the floor of our bedroom.

4. Clean up the cat pee on the floor of our bedroom. (That isn’t actually one of my favorite things to do but it happens so often you might think it was and it certainly keeps me from working.)

5. Check to see if there are any new posts on Facebook.

6. Check to see if there are any new posts on gofugyourself.com.

7. Check to see if there are any new posts on seriouseats.com.

8. Pick up the little dog and make kissy faces at him, then reassure the big dog that I love him too by rubbing his stomach.

9. Put on some loud music, pretend I’m going to clean up the kitchen, but instead just listen to the music while I push stuff around on the kitchen table.

10. Bake a sour cream coffee cake. You can’t keep eating cake if you run out of it, you know.

Repeat cycle of 10 as often as necessary to keep from being productive.

Manga Mondays (61): Kekkaishi vol. 2 - Yellow Tanabe

Kekkaishi vol. 1 - Yellow Tanabe

Summary

By night, junior high student Yoshimori Sumimura is a "kekkaishi" - a demon-hunter who specializes in creating magical barriers around his prey. By day, Yoshimori's got some other demons to battle: an addiction to sweets and a seriously crotchety grandfather! Yoshimori's pretty 16-year-old neighbour and childhood friend, Tokine Yukimura, is also a kekkaishi, but their families are feuding over who is the true practitioner of the art. Although Yoshimori and Tokine often quarrel, they battle demons side by side almost every night. When the two must confront demon-charmer Yomi and her dysfunctional pet demon Yoki, their partnership is threatened. Can they work together to keep their school from the clutches of a power-hungry monster-and keep their fellow students from noticing? (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

*Warning: Potential spoilers. My manga reviews tend to be more of a summary than a review. I find it hard to review manga in the same way I do regular books.

Like most early volumes in a series, volume 2 of Kekkaishi is a lot of background material. While background volumes often drag, this volume had enough plot and action that you hardly noticed the substantial amount of background information.

A mysterious girl shows up at Tokine's house saying she was sent to stay with them by the shadow organization. Tokine's grandmother is surprised but admits her into the house. Turns out that Yomi is a demon tamer. The real reason she's here is to take her demon Yoki to Karasumori, where Yoki can grow into a powerful and dangerous demon. Yomi is willing to do anything to help Yoki the demon gain power, including killing Tokine and Yoshimori when they get in her way. Yomi particularly likes to taunt Tokine about her dead father, accusing him of being weak.

What I liked about this volume is that there's an undercurrent of love in many of the characters. Yomi truly loves her demon Yoki. They've been friends for years. Even Yoki the demon has some affection for Yomi. It shows that demons are not simply devilish creatures. I doubt they'll be the heroes of this series, but the series isn't simply black and white. Yoshimori is a kindhearted boy. Brave and willing to kill, but not without thought. He recognizes that some demons or demon tamer may not be worthy of death even if they're bad. In contrast, when the shadow organization shows up to help destroy the demon, they're cold-hearted killers. So the good guys may not be entirely good.

I still can't say that I'm in love with Kekkaishi. But I do like the thought that's gone into this series and the layered characters.