July 2012 - Page 2 of 2

Yzabel / July 11, 2012

Review: The Moon Dwellers

My rating: [rating=4]

(Book read and reviewed for {Read It & Reap 78} in the Shut Up And Read group.)

I wish my rating pluging allowed me to give .5 stars, because I’d clearly put this one at 4.5/5 stars. Well, I’d put a 5/5 if not for one thing, that I’ll expand on later on.

Having read David Estes’s first novel, “Angel Evolution”, barely a few days ago, I was amazed to discover to which extent this author’s writing has developed in this new, beginning trilogy. This is clearly a work for which said author took into account various critiques, and used them to improve his writing and storytelling. The result is, frankly, very good.

“The Moon Dwellers” follows two characters on two opposite ends on the social scale: Adele, a young woman who’s been sentenced to jail for life, but decides to escape with her friends Tawni and Cole and find her scattered family again; and Tristan, elder son of the allmighty President, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but intent on estranging himself from this life that doesn’t feel like his own. The story is told in the first person, from the alternating points of view pf Adele and Tristan; while such an exercise in writing can be quite hazardous, here it works well, allowing us to learn more and more about those characters and what their lives are like.

I especially enjoyed said characters’ personalities. Adele and her friends have had to become strong during their stay in jail, and they don’t let anyone dictate them how to behave—they don’t hesitate to fight, and they do it well and with spunk, too, both physically and through sarcasm. As for Tristan and Roc, the one isn’t such the pampered prince as a lot of people believe him to be, and the other, albeit not the best when it comes to handling a weapon, is terrific in the way he managed to keep his sense of humour throughout dark times. Their friendship, too, is made of solid mettle, and feels genuine and very much present.

The one thing I wasn’t too keen on was the ‘insta-connection’ between Adele and Tristan; it has nothing to do with “The Moond Dwellers” per se, it’s simply I as a reader who’s never felt convinced by such strong attractions upon first sight. Also, I thought that at times, events unfolded a little too neatly (the various bomb attacks, especially), reinforcing that aspect of ‘destiny bringing everyone and everything together’. I suppose you either like it or not.

This said, I am nonetheless eager to read the next volume!

(As a side note, I find the cover’s composition absolutely fascinating. The more I look at it, the more it grows on me.)

Yzabel / July 9, 2012

101: A Word From Trigg

A couple of weeks ago, I read 101 by Margaret Chatwin, and at some point in my review, mentioned that one person I would have wanted to read more about was Trigg’s father (mostly, why he was that way, or what he expected from his kids).

Guess what? Trigg himself decided to make a few things clearer, and invited himself over Margaret’ Chatwin’s blog page on Goodreads:

Yes, my adventure started long before that night in the living room when Ren sealed our fate by pulling the trigger. I actually think it started the day I was born, but who wants to be dragged that far back? Not me. Bad enough I had to live it once.

So – my dad. You probably figured we’d start with him, huh? Everything always starts with him. Not sure how that’s even possible, but it seems to be true.

His name is Kent Hale and I don’t know what he was like as a kid or teen. Never had one of those father/son get-to-know-you talks. You know the kind where, for a second, you can close your eyes and pretend your parent is really your friend? Where the two of you can find yourselves in each other? Where something they did as a kid is so similar to what you did just five minutes ago that you feel a connecting bond? Yeah – just never happened with him. When he wasn’t screaming, he was silent. That weird, vacant kind of silent. A stupor that, I’m sure was induced by the liquor.
His parents were no help in getting to know him. His dad died before my sixth birthday in some work related accident. Or so they say. Rumor has it the guy had an enemy on every corner.

Shocking how my dad turned out to be the stalwart individual that he is…

I’m not going to copy the whole story here, since it’s not mine. The rest of the post is available here.

Yzabel / July 8, 2012

Review: Day Soldiers

Day Soldiers by Brandon Hale

My rating: [rating=5]

(Book reviewed for ARR #19 in the We ♥ YA Books! group.)

When I asked if I could read & review “Day Soldiers”, I did so because the pitched elicited some interest in me. The prospect of a war between humans and the creatures of darkness looked like something that would provide me with mild fun and a pleasant quick read. To be honest, I didn’t expect a lot from this novel—just that: being a fun and easy read.

And then I got hooked.

The prologue itself, in the form of a declaration of war, immediately grabbed me. The first chapters then pulled me into the action, as Lily and Leo, 18-year-old, decide to take on the vampires who’ve been threatening their small town, because the adults aren’t acting fast enough. As they come back victorious, little do they know that their single action is going to trigger a chain-reaction culminating into events they wouldn’t have suspected. And the both of them are going to pay a heavy price. We then get to see the two friends through their joining and training within the Day Soldiers, a corps specifically aimed at fighting vampires and werewolves. After what happened to them, is there any other path they could follow? Not really.

I thoroughly liked Lily and Leo. Lily’s got a strong personality, and a definite ability to fall back on her feet. Even though she gets discouraged at times, she doesn’t let this stop her, and she doesn’t give in to throwing pity-parties for herself, not for more than a couple of minutes, which is always pleasant to see, in my opinion, in a character. She also has special skills, but I was glad to see that the author didn’t make them *that* special in the end. She doesn’t get to save the day all by herself, and she’s far from being the only one with such abilities; this makes that plot point more believable. As for Leo, at first, I feared for his role in the story, wondering if he’d just be some uninteresting sidekick—because the kid *is* skilled, for sure, and he can pack a handful just as well as Lily can. I also feared what was in store for him. Until that moment, I hoped he’d get to find a way out. When I realized there wasn’t any, I must admit I shed a tear for him. Be awed. This very seldom happens.

The other characters were also enjoyable. Abbie does come off as unpleasant at first, but it’s clear that she is a good person, too, and that she doesn’t hesitate to act. The B-Team (no, really, this *is* a play on words on the A-Team, isn’t it? I can’t shake that feeling off!) is made of awesome, and I liked their take on events, how they always did their best to do what felt right to them. Their boldness and inventiveness roped me in (the way they tackle the rescue operation in Sneaker City was just so great!), and I could easily feel their sense of camaraderie, the strong bonds they managed to form among them, the instinct they had to stick to each other now matter the circumstances.

And what about the story itself? I quickly was drawn into its pace: not too slow, packed with action, but not too fast either. Events fold into each other in a logical way; we get to see that every action has its consequences, and that the characters have to deal with those, make their decisions, and then live up to those decisions in the end. I don’t know if there will be a sequel to this novel: the ending could very well stand for itself the way it is, or open up towards a second book. What’s sure is that if there is one, I will definitely pick it.

Yzabel / July 7, 2012

Review: Joe

Joe by H.D. Gordon

My rating: [rating=5]

(Book read and reviewed for {Read It & Reap 76} in the Shut Up And Read group.)

I had never read anything from this author in the past, but I wanted to review it after noticing a few people writing about it on their blogs, as well as being attracted by the kind of plot it deals with. It turned out to be quite the gripping novel in many aspects, and I found myself drawn to it more and more with each page.

The themes perused in the book are of the kind that tend to hit home. Enjoy life while it lasts, because you never know what will happen tomorrow. Don’t put back what matters until tomorrow, because tomorrow might just not come. It’s when you’re about to lose your life that you finally understand its worth. And, of course: if you were able to foresee such a terrible event as presented in “Joe”, what would you do? Would you face it, even knowing there’s no chance to win? Or would you run away, saving your life at the cost of that of dozens of people? Perhaps such themes will seem overrated or hackneyed to some readers, but to me, they always provide perspective and questioning, and I like that. I like being confronted with such conundrums.

The eight people whose points of view we follow through the story all have questions and/or problems of their own to deal with. The almost-retired teacher with only two months left before she is ‘free’ from her job at last. The depressed student who’s taken a terrible decision. The kid who can’t wait to meet his teenage-years sweetheart. The single mother wondering if she should allow herself a new chance at loving, and find a new father for her children. The young man estranged from his family because of one mistake, with a fierce desire to get a new start. The killer—the Decider, with his cold point of view that will send shivers down your spine. And, of course, Joe herself, struggling with her insecurities, her power that may or may not be a curse, the decision she will have to make. All of them I found interesting to follow. All of them I wanted to see survive in the end. But from the start, you know that in such a story, not everyone will get a chance at life again. This inescapable conclusion is absolutely heart-wrenching.

As a side note, since the “eight POVs” aspect was mentioned by other people, I must say that it didn’t bother me. I’ve read stories with even more POVs than that, and here I think the voices of all those characters were introduced clearly enough each time (if only because their names are mentioned) to make them flow nicely. Also, the way they were used near the end was a clever addition, giving the feeling of cut scenes interweaving into each other. I quite liked that. The only thing I couldn’t determine until well into the novel was: why make Joe’s point of view the only one in the first person? I couldn’t decide if it was justified or not, because I feel the story would have worked just as well had it been in the third person. In the end, though, I chose to view it as a good point. It marks the centre of the whole web, gathers all the threads together, while setting Joe apart, which is also justified if we consider her odd ability that has always made her different.

Yzabel / July 5, 2012

What I’ve been working on

Back when I created this blog, I had some art/writing projects going on.

That was in 2005-2006. Since then, obviously, a lot of time has passed—enough for me to have moved on, shelved some of those projects temporarily, shelved some others for good… and started new ones as well. As I was recently asked in a comment what I’ve been up to, I thought it’d be a good idea to post a recap of where I can be found these days, and what my writing has been evolving into.

WRITING :

Des Mondes et des Lunes: This is the place where I (try to) keep track of my works. It’s in French only, not very developed at the moment, and mostly set as an “author’s website” for the writing I do in my native language. I will develop it more at some point in the future.
Eien: Back in 2007, I took part in NaNoWriMo (as usual, or almost) and worked on Oraison d’Être, a one-shot story set in the world of Eien. This one is part of the stories that I’ve shelved, but not given up on.
Was: An ongoing urban fantasy story that I may or may not end up publishing online for free, and/or through self-publishing. I’m more and more tempted to go the self-publishing road, because, let’s be honest, this story is in English, and has no future in France unless I translate it, which I won’t do. It’s one of the two projects I’m having the most fun with, and it’s been going on slowly but steadily since 2009-2010. (For now, you can read the first chapters on its dedicated website.)
Our Darker Purpose: This story in French (2/3 completed) isn’t available online, because it’s the one I seriously want to try and peg to a traditional publisher in France. It’s a dystopian Victorian (or, rather, Stuartian) story set in a parallel England, dealing with a world on the brink of destruction.

ARTWORK:

Yzabel on deviantART: The place where I post my drawings. You can also find them on Paradygma, the latter however being more of a portfolio. If you want to comment on my drawings, strike a chat, or get fresh updates, dA is your best bet.
Yzabel on Facebook: My FB *page*, not my personal account. ‘Yzabel Ginsberg’ is the pen name I go by for anything fiction-related. My real name is to be kept for official research papers, the day I finally bite the bullet and decide to go for a Ph. D. (I know myself. I’ll probably do at some point, if only because I’m too easily bored intellectually-speaking.)

READING;

Mostly Goodreads, although you can find my reviews here on The Y Logs anyway.

RPG:

Shadow Nexus: My attempt at chronicling a 1880 Victorian England Mage: the Ascension game (all in French, sorry). I’m terribly late in keeping it updated, though.
If you’re interested in Was: I’ve also been writing reports (in English) from the point of view of my character in another, 2009-based game of Mage, in which I play an alternate version of Ewan Doyle. It’s been fun. It’s only available on Google Docs, not publicly, but I don’t mind giving you access if you send me your e-mail address.

There you have it—where I can be found.

Yzabel / July 4, 2012

Review: The Mirror and the Meretrix

Blackstone & Brenwen – The Mirror & The Meretrix by Andrew D. Mellusco

My rating: [rating=5]

(Book read and reviewed for {Read It & Reap 75} in the Shut Up And Read group.)

First, I must say that this novel was not devoid of imperfections. I spotted a few recurrent glaring errors, of the kind that I unfortunately easily notice, as well as a couple of formatting problems (missing ends of sentences). However, what might have been a problem in another book wasn’t one here. In spite of those mistakes, I found the novel fascinating, devoured it in a blink, and couldn’t stop myself. It was sheer gluttony on an ereader screen.

The world in which the author set his court drama was fascinating from beginning to end, bouncing off and twisting traditional fairy tales, well-known ones as well as more obscure ones. It is a consistent and believable world, full of rich descriptions and allusions, that I took much pleasure in discovering—and linking to the original versions of the fairy-tales woven within the story. The plot itself was interesting, intricate enough to demand that the reader pay attention to catch little hints. I didn’t find any inconsistencies in it, the mystery was preserved for long enough without being held off uselessly, and everything nicely tied up in the end.

Above all, the characters were very enjoyable, all with their distinct personalities and little quirks. I liked reading about them, about their meetings, about their conversations, and I was glad to see that each of them had his/her important part to play, as well as his/her own backstory. I was especially fond of Fury, but the others came very close behind.

I will definitely keep an eye out for the second volume in this series.

Yzabel / July 3, 2012

Review: Matched

Matched by Ally Condie

My rating: [rating=3]

To be honest, I’m not sure how to rate this book, so I gave it an average mark. Let’s say, 2.5 to 3 stars.

I kept on putting it down, then taking it again to go on reading. Regularly, I felt like I was getting bored with the story, yet I still felt like I wanted to see it unwind. I think this was due to the characters, with whom I didn’t really feel a connection. I liked discovering what happened to them (even though it was predictable enough, in a way), and they had their good sides, but they just felt a little too dull to me. Neither good nor bad, neither very interesting nor utterly boring. Some of their reactions were a little ill-timed—among other things, Cassia paying attention to Ky just because of that one glitch seemed just a little too convenient to keep my suspension of disbelief totally intact; it would’ve been different had we been introduced to Ky a little earlier on, perhaps, and had we seen the heroine already paying some attention to him as a friend (as it is, he appeared as an almost complete stranger at first, when he was actually someone she had had contact with more than just once, if only at school or games).

Other sides of the novel also left me with mixed feelings. The Society depicted in it was both detailed and not detailed enough, with certain of its aspects coming in as unexpected—unexpected as in “wait, where did that come from?”. For instance, we are told about a war, and all of sudden it’s like some people seemed to knew all along and aren’t surprised at all; only after a while, it’s also like they don’t care anymore, or have forgotten about it. Was Cassia surprised by such news, or not? I couldn’t determine. I sure would’ve liked this element to be introduced sooner for the reader’s benefit.

And yet, I kept coming back to the book, wanting to read more. So I can’t say I disliked it. I just don’t know where to stand regarding it.

Maybe I’ll read the second installment. Maybe not. Even this I don’t know yet. It’s quite weird.

Yzabel / July 2, 2012

Review: Angels In America

Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes by Tony Kushner

My rating: [rating=5]

Funny how things go. Four years ago, I just couldn’t push myself to read these plays. And now I’ve just breezed through them in a fascinated haze, barely able to put the book down when it was time to do something else. I can’t really explain it, why and how it made me react in a such a way.

It’s not an easy read, in that it tackles several contemporary issues—racial issues, homoesxuality, AIDS, politics—but also more emotion-centered ones, for want of a better expression (abandonment & coming home, love, the fear of death and ineluctability…). Yet at the same time, the words just seem to flow, invested with a life of their own, carrying those themes with the visions they evoke (I read some parts aloud, too; no play for me is meant to remain on paper only). Even the comical moments aren’t played for silly laughs, but convey something to think about.

And even without that: it’s simply beautifully written.

Yzabel / July 1, 2012

Review: Talented

Talented by Sophie Davis

My rating: [rating=3]

(The ebook was provided to me by the author herself, after I answered an ARR in the We ♥ YA Books! group.)

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed the world developed in Sophie Davis’s novel. While it seems to be divided into two clear camps at first, it soon appeared to me that the dichotomy was far from being so evident, and that factions and characters were bound to harbour secrets and hidden standards. The last chapters sure didn’t disappoint me in that regard. I also enjoyed discovering how the Agency works, what kind of jobs its employees perform, as well as how missions are carried—I like to see that such ‘details’ were taken into account. The use of varied Talents offer those agents diverse opportunities, and it was interesting to read about that.

The reason why I’m giving it 3 stars ‘only’ is that I was however left with a lingering feeling of frustration at the themes developed throughout the story. I would have liked to see more of Talia’s challenges regarding her job as a Hunter, her desire for revenge, the means she would employ to do so, the choice she had to make between saving herself or enacting her revenge… I understand that this novel is not a standalone, and that such aspects are likely to be developed in book 2 or 3—in other words, that they’re part of a bigger picture. That’s not what frustrated me. I simply thought, when I read the summary, that they’d be keynotes of the story, and in the end, I felt that they were put aside in favour of the developing love triangle. I think I’d have liked this novel best if the romance part had been left to grow in a more balanced way along what I had expected to read about.

The file also contained recurrent typos, such as inverted words and commas in weird places. Unfortunately for me, I’m too trained to notice those things, and they tend to quickly become annoying.

Other than that, I was glad to be handed out this ebook. I spent good moments reading it.