Category Archives: News and Fun

Stunning Teen Sci-Fi Novel: Inherit the Stars by Tessa Elwood

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Inherit the Stars by Tessa ElwoodInherit the Stars
Tessa Elwood
Perseus Book Group/Running Press Kids

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

When an explosion during a riot leaves Asa’s sister in a coma, she vows to do what she must to bring her back. As the youngest daughter in a royal house on the brink of collapse, her choices are desperate. She impersonates her sister in a marriage alliance to the heir to another ruling family, a boy with tragic secrets of his own.

Every time Asa thinks she has made things better, she’s met with the bitter realization that she’s in fact only made her sister’s and her family’s situation more dire. War could come at any moment. War which will destroy them all. Asa scrabbles to right each new domino that falls, hoping against hope that she can get ahead of the catastrophe enough to spare those she loves most: her sister, her family, her kingdom, and unexpectedly, her new husband.

This book is one of those fantastic ones that left me amazed at the way the plot twisted in on itself. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, it was like the author flipped my whole perception upside down or revealed a secret that completely changed the game. The rabbit hole of political intrigue went deeper and deeper until I didn’t think there was any way there could be light at the end of that tunnel.

I loved the characters. I felt like each of them could have walked off the page. I liked the relationship and conflict between Asa and her father and Asa and her sister Emmie best. Super complex relationships, really getting into that tug-of-war between love and hate. I loved the way her relationship with Eagle unfolded, too. I am least crazy about his name, but absolutely adored him other than that.

Another thing that I’m a total sucker for is a really dense artistic narrative style. In a response to a question I asked her via Goodreads, author Tessa Elwood talks about being inspired by Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi in her development of the raw emotional style in Inherit the Stars. She did an amazing job. There were passages I read multiple times just because I liked them too much to read them only once before moving on. An example, you ask? Here’s one of my favorites:

“He steps with me. Hands catching my cheeks, closing in until the room disappears and I taste him. Wide lips and lost places. Tangled forests of pine nuts and rivers and the way the air sings before the sun rises. His fingers chase dawn into my hair.”

Love it. Love this book. Cannot wait for the next one, which it sounds like will be out around this time next year.

Language Content
Mild profanity used moderately.

Sexual Content
Brief kissing.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Brief battle violence, references to explosions. Asa’s sister is injured in a riot and remains in a coma. Asa has to cut into her husband’s shoulder, he then has to cut into hers. He tells her how he earned his scars and of a fellow soldier’s injuries. Some of that is a bit wince-worthy more in word choice than length of the description.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A Time for Giving Thanks

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As I took time this week to pause and look at my life, I am filled with gratitude. Our refrigerator is packed with food. Our table is surrounded by family and friends. We have medical care which provides for our needs when we are sick (and we’ve all been sick this week!)

Though we had to say goodbye to both of our longtime pets – two cats we’ve had for more than ten years – we also adopted a new cat from a local shelter. He had a rough start, so he was fearful and skittish when we brought him home. But there was something in his face that made me believe he just needed an opportunity to love. It’s proven to be true. After just a few months in our home, he is possibly the most affectionate cat I’ve ever met. He’s been a Godsend, and we adore him.

This past year, my daughter and I have bonded over Anne of Green Gables, Lemony Snicket, and her budding theater interest. We’ve talked about what it means to become a teenager, a woman, to speak your mind with kindness and conviction. Every day she grows, learns, challenges me to be a better person, a better mother.

As a serial over-committer, I’ve challenged myself to slow down this holiday season. As various hitches and bumps arose around our Thanksgiving plans, I feel like I lost sight of what these celebrations are all about. Giving thanks. Being with family. Celebrating the greatest gift we’ve ever received.

I’ve only made a few commitments to review books over the next several weeks, and I’ll continue to honor those. I’ll continue to post here at The Story Sanctuary through the holiday season, but I will follow my heart where my reading choices are concerned. (Probably this means reading some of the hard copies of books I’ve been squirreling away on my shelves since last Christmas…)

Thank you, dear readers, for taking this journey with me. I hope this season provides you with many blessings around your table. I’m thankful that you’ve chosen to spend time here, listening to my thoughts. I love middle grade and teen fiction, and it’s a joy to share that passion with you.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

 

My Favorite Books from 2015 (January to October)

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My Favorite Books from 2015 (So Far…)

So these are not guaranteed to be clean teen reads. This list is made up of the stories and characters which most captured me, deprived me of sleep or free thought until I’d finished the very last page or beyond. Read my reviews (click the book title) for more information on content of each novel. Enjoy!

1. Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman – I loved that Shusterman took us on this journey through mental illness and it felt so authentic. At the same time the metaphorical structure made it easy to follow the story and added to its complexity.

2. When You Leave by Monica Ropal – This was one of those books that I read in one sitting and thought about for weeks afterward. I loved the characters and the way Ropal explores the unanswered questions left behind when we lose someone.

3. Because You’ll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas – I was a little bit torn between this book and Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon, but the tie breaker for me was the fact that I loved both the boys in Because You’ll Never Meet Me so incredibly much and couldn’t stop rooting for them. I didn’t realize until just now that both books feature boys named Ollie/Olly, but also deal with a person who is unable to be around others for medical reasons. Both were great books, but BYNMM takes top prize for me.

4. The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey – I loved the fantastic story world in this book. It definitely reminded me a bit of Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone, but it wasn’t quite so dark, I thought. I loved the romance.

5. Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella – This book made me laugh so hard I had tears streaming down my face. The relationships between characters is absolutely great, and the way Audrey’s illness affects each family member is really well-explored. I think it takes a truly amazing writer to take a hard topic like mental illness and yet relate events to us in such a way that we can still laugh. Kinsella definitely has the knack for it.

6. The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow – Right from the very beginning, I was completely hooked on this story. Such high stakes! And I loved that they AI character(s) didn’t follow all the stereotypes about how AI would behave, etc.

7. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – Are you tired of hearing about how much I like this book yet? I feel like it’s all I’m talking about right now. Totally immersive story world. Characters that I just can’t stop thinking about. And an impossible heist to keep me on the edge of my seat.

8. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – This book is like World War Z meets 2001: A Space Oddyssey. Some nights I could not go to sleep for thinking about this book. The dialogue and the unique presentation are definitely among the book’s strengths. I would definitely pick up a follow-up story to this one.

9. These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly – If you’ve been around TSS much lately, you know I LOVE me some books by Jennifer Donnelly. This book really scratched an itch for me. It’s a historical set in the 1890s and touches on some feminist themes about that time. It’s also a murder-mystery and has a really intense (but not explicit) romance. Loved it!

What’s your favorite?

Have you read any of the above books? What are your favorites so far this year?

Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

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Six of Crows
Leigh Bardugo
Henry Holt & Co./MacMillan
Published September 29, 2015

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Six of Crows

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

My Review

This book is a bit longer than my usual read, I’d heard so much buzz about it that I couldn’t resist giving it a shot. It’s also the first book by Leigh Bardugo that I’ve read.

Now, after I’ve recovered from sleepless nights huddled in my bed reading far too late, I can say it was absolutely worth it. Not since reading THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak have I read a novel that has affected me so.

The characters immediately hooked me. Each one of the heist members is unique and has so much to lose if the job goes wrong. I loved the way Bardugo set up the romantic tension. I was absolutely dying for the couples to find their way through the conflict to at last reveal their true feelings for one another. Totally swoon-worthy. Wow.

At its heart, SIX OF CROWS is a pretty simple story about a team who get hired to steal something valuable. What makes it so truly spectacular is the complex story world in which the characters exist and the relationships and experiences that bind the characters together or drive them apart. The narrative is also fantastic. Fantasy lovers absolutely need to give this a read. Even if you didn’t enjoy Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone Trilogy, trust me and give this one a go. This was my first experience with her writing, and afterward I went back to read the first in the Grisha series. The style and the story are so different. It took me a lot longer to get into SHADOW AND BONE. Not that it isn’t good, I just feel like it’s a mistake to compare them.

Now I’m off to scratch another mark on my wall counting down to the release of CROOKED KINGDOM next year. Must. Have. More.

Content Notes

Language Content
Infrequent use of profanity.

Sexual Content
While there’s no explicit sex, there are some intense moments. Nina and Inej both have a history working in a brothel, though very few details are given about that, and Nina uses her Heartrender gift to soothe and calm the minds of her patrons. Inej was trafficked as a sex worker. Nina and Matthias have a history and she makes a couple of crude comments about his arousal, but there is no description of sex.

Spiritual Content
SIX OF CROWS includes some fantasy story world lore, especially Fjerdan traditions.

Violence
Fight scenes, references to torture, some moderately gory battles. Also, one character has a bit of a gruesome backstory in which he was trapped among dead bodies.

Drug Content
Grisha are vulnerable to a highly addictive drug which grossly amplifies their power. Exposure to even one dose can turn them into desperate, terrorized addicts.

What’s the last book you read that left you totally breathless?

When I finished this book, I just sat speechless for a few moments. Then I honestly had to stop myself from turning the book over and starting again! I loved loved loved it and cannot wait for the sequel.

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Review: These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

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These Shallow Graves
Jennifer Donnelly
Delacorte Press/Random House Children’s

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

When news of Jo’s father’s sudden death rips her away from school, she returns home to her grieving family. Unable to accept the story that her father accidentally shot himself, she teams up with Eddie, a local reporter who worked for her father’s paper, to uncover the truth about his death. As each clue leads to more questions, Jo and Eddie quickly realize that the uncovering the truth could destroy everything her father once built. Jo also realizes she may be falling for the handsome reporter, but to surrender to her feelings would mean turning her back on her family.

I first fell in love with Donnelly’s writing in A Northern Light. More recently I’ve read the first three Waterfire Saga books, which are a lot lighter and geared for a bit of a younger audience. I enjoyed those books, too, but I have to say I’ve been craving the darker, more complex historical feel that first book contains, and These Shallow Graves absolutely delivered all that I hoped for and more.

The romance between Jo and Eddie had me flipping page after page. I loved the dynamics between them and also the way they each related to other characters in the story. I loved that the side characters had a lot of personality and many became significant to the story. Jo’s journey has a lot to do with answering the question of who’s valuable, and over and over Donnelly presents answers in the way these minor characters unexpectedly play significant roles in the way the story develops. I loved that message.

Readers looking for a murder-solving suspense, a taste of historical fiction, or a swoon-worthy romance will find these things and more in These Shallow Graves. If you liked A Northern Light, I suspect this one will be a sure win, too.

Language Content
Infrequent use of moderate profanity.

Sexual Content
Girls briefly discuss curiosity about sex – no details. Jo learns of the existence of brothels and briefly visits the parlor of one. She spends the night in the company of a man, but only sleeping occurs.

Spiritual Content
References to church attendance. A man claims regret over his past misdeeds causes him to have visions of Hell.

Violence
This book contains a lot of suspenseful and intense moments featuring bad, violent men, who don’t hesitate to harm women and children. The description are often brief, but so sinister.

One of the characters is a student of forensic medicine. He relates information about causes of death to Jo and Eddie. His descriptions can be a bit graphic.

Drug Content
Brief reference to morphine addiction. Several scenes take place in a bar or show characters drinking alcohol.

Waterfire Saga Giveaway

Don’t miss a chance to enter the giveaway for the first three books in the Waterfire Saga plus series-themed nail polish. Check it out here. (Giveaway ends 11/3/15)

 

Waterfire Saga Giveaway and Mini Reviews #Giveaway

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One of the series I’ve been super excited about is the Waterfire Saga series. Today, I’m honored to work with Disney Hyperion to offer a Waterfire Saga prize pack as part of a giveaway celebrating the release of Dark Tide, the latest book in the series by the amazing and lovely Jennifer Donnelly.

Mini Review: Deep Blue

My favorite thing about this book is that it doesn’t take the traditional line of stories about mermaids. There’s no handsome human prince out there waiting for this Mer princess to rescue him. She’s got much bigger problems right here under the sea. I love that Donnelly creates this whole culture with  lore and customs but keeps it feeling fresh and accessible. Sera and her friends feel like hip teen girls even though they’re in a completely different world than ours. This is a great intro series for younger teen or preteen readers looking to get into fantasy or fairy tale retelling-type stories. (Read my full review of Deep Blue here.)

Mini Review: Rogue Wave

While Deep Blue spends a lot of time following Sera’s story, Rogue Wave branches out into her friend Neela’s story quite a bit. The Mer world has kingdoms of wildly different races and Sera’s journey to save her kingdom involves six girls with diverse backgrounds. I liked that the series brings some variations in race and ethnicity even at the ocean floor. Sera and Mahdi’s romance progresses but stays very PG and sweet. There are a couple of things that got a little bit repetitive for me – over and over we’re reminded that a ritual shared by five of the Mer girls transferred some of their special abilities to each other. It wasn’t a big deal, but it did seem to come up a lot. (Full review coming soon.)

Mini Review: Dark Tide

Read an excerpt of Dark Tide here.

In Dark Tide we get a view into Ling’s and Astrid’s roles in the plot to destroy the monster Abbadon. The stakes get higher as the bad guys close in on the mermaids and Mahdi’s cover could be blown at any minute. Sera and Neela have grown a lot since we first met them. Sera is now a seasoned warrior and leader. Neela has so much more confidence in herself. We get a little taste of romance with some of the other characters, which I really liked, too. Again, the love stories stay very clean. This might have been my favorite book of the series so far. The suspenseful ending definitely left me eager to read the final novel Sea Spell, which won’t be out until June 2016. (I received a copy of Dark Tide from Disney-Hyperion as part of my participation in the giveaway, but my opinions on the book and series are my own. Look for my full review on Dark Tide in November.)

About Jennifer Donnelly

Jennifer Donnelly is an award-winning author of both adult and young adult books, including Deep Blue, Rogue Wave, and Dark Tide, the first three books in the Waterfire Saga. For adults she has written a trilogy of best-selling books that includes The Tea Rose, The Winter Rose, and The Wild Rose. Her first young adult novel, A Northern Light, received many accolades, among them the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, a Carnegie Medal in the UK, and a Michael L. Printz Honor. Her second young adult novel, Revolution, was named a Best Book of 2010 by Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal, and the audiobook received a 2011 American Library Association Odyssey Honor. She lives in New York’s Hudson Valley. For more information, visit www.jenniferdonnelly.com.

(She is also one of my favorite authors! If you haven’t read A Northern Light you definitely want to check it out.)

Waterfire Saga Books and Nail Polish Set Giveaway

One lucky winner will receive these awesome goodies provided by Disney Hyperion. (US addresses only, please.) Winner will be chosen when the contest ends on 11/3/15.

Leave a blog post comment about your favorite mermaid myth or story to enter the giveaway.

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