A Win and a Fail

For some reason, I thought I had til June 30th to complete this challenge, not June 21st.  I just completely forgot that the whole point of the deadline was that it was supposed to be a Spring challenge, and therefore ended the day before Summer.

Which means that when June 21st came and went, I had completed one of the Once Upon a Time challenges I'd chosen, but not the other.

Completed

The challenge of Quest the Second was to read one book from each of the following genres: fantasy, folklore, fairy-tale, and mythology.  Despite my worry that a folklore story would be harder to find, I was able to finish this Quest early on in the season.  The books I read to complete the quest were:

• Folklore:  Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson
• Mythology:  The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter
• Fairy-tale:  Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
• Fantasy:  A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

Incomplete

Quest the Third required that you meet the requirements of either Quest the First or Second (check), followed by either a June reading of A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare or watching one of its theatrical adaptations.  Because I thought the deadline was June 30th, I did not complete this challenge in time.  Oops.

So the Once Upon a Time challenge was both a win and a fail for me.  Now I need to get back on track with the Debut Author Challenge, which I completely forgot I was participating in, due to the deadline being so far away (January 31, 2014).

Book Review: Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson

Title:  Strands of Bronze and Gold
Author:  Jane Nickerson
Series:  Strands #1
Genre:  YA folklore retelling/historical fiction
Pages:  352

Rating:  B+

Synopsis from goodreads.com:  When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.

Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.

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Creepy, suspenseful, and mysterious, Strands of Bronze and Gold is an interesting retelling of the Bluebeard folktale.  Instead of the story being set in France, where the tale originated, it now takes place in Mississippi, on a Southern plantation.  It's told from the POV of Sophie, the newest conquest of Monsieur de Cressac, as she leaves her home in the Northeast to join him.

While the writing is good and the setting beautiful, the story, specifically the ending, could have been better.  I felt like the book excelled at building the tension and the suspense.  I couldn't go to sleep without seeing how everything ended.  But the final climax and following conclusion don't live up to the rest of the book.  I guess I was expecting something way more spectacular and well-written, but it all happens so quickly that it just feels rushed and thrown-together.

It also would have been nice if the story didn't stick so closely to the original tale.  The biggest difference is the plantation setting and the anti-slavery subplot.  Other than that, the story is pretty much the same, just drawn out.

I still enjoyed Strands of Bronze and Gold though, because the characters have depth, the writing itself is good, and the tension is spine-tingling.  And I intend to read the next book in Nickerson's series (which is based on the Scottish "Ballad of Tam Lin") because it sounds cool, and I do love her writing style.  B+

Book Review: The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter

Title:  The Goddess Inheritance
Author:  Aimee Carter
Series:  Goddess Test #3
Genre:  YA mythology retelling
Pages:  283

Rating:  A-

Synopsis from goodreads.com:  During nine months of captivity, Kate Winters has survived a jealous goddess, a vengeful Titan and a pregnancy she never asked for. Now the Queen of the Gods wants her unborn child, and Kate can't stop her--until Cronus offers a deal.

In exchange for her loyalty and devotion, the King of the Titans will spare humanity and let Kate keep her child. Yet even if Kate agrees, he'll destroy Henry, her mother and the rest of the council. And if she refuses, Cronus will tear the world apart until every last god and mortal is dead.

With the fate of everyone she loves resting on her shoulders, Kate must do the impossible: find a way to defeat the most powerful being in existence, even if it costs her everything.  Even if it costs her eternity.

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How do you review a final book without giving anything away?!  The Goddess Inheritance, the conclusion of the Goddess Test trilogy, is an amazing end to a good series.  It's exciting, dramatic, and romantic.  And in order to keep this spoiler-free, I'm not going to discuss anything in detail or any specific parts of the book.

• The story is fast-paced and full of action.  There are battles, arguments, disasters, and escapes.  It kept me on the edge of my seat, and I didn't want to the book down once.
• Kate and Henry's romance has finally grown into something beautiful and strong.  In the earlier books, especially Goddess Interrupted, their relationship was always in this state of "How do you really feel?!"  Now, Kate and Henry have no doubts of their feelings, and because of this, their romance has evolved into a sweet and passionate marriage that can stand against the obstacles thrown at it.
• Henry's character is so much better than in the second book.  I just wanted to hit him over the head constantly during that book, but I actually loved him in this book.  He's become more open and affectionate, and his emotions and love are so intense.  I also love how much he's willing to sacrifice to keep his family together.
• Kate makes some of the same stupid mistakes over and over again.  That hasn't changed at all.  She still keeps doubting herself and whines way too much.  As usual, she pulls herself together in the end.  If Kate had just done a little less whining, I'd probably have given the book a higher rating.
• The ending is well-written and satisfying.  Nothing is rushed or seems thrown together at the last minute.  It's an exciting and dramatic finish, and Carter even surprised me with an unexpected twist at the end.

I'm so happy about how this series progressed and ended.  I was concerned by other people's reviews, but I should have known better than to listen to the haters.  The Goddess Test trilogy is a great mythology series, and this final book is probably the best book of the three.  A-

Book Review: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Title:  Scarlet
Author:  Marissa Meyer
Series:  Lunar Chronicles #2
Genre:  YA dystopian/Fairy-tale retelling
Pages:  452

Rating:  A+

Synopsis (goodreads.com):  The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth...  Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

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Aaaa!!  I don't know even know where to begin!  Scarlet is a phenomenal book; I only put it down once and that was only because it was my dad's birthday.  I really enjoyed the first book of the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder, but I think Scarlet is so much better.  That could be primarily due to the addition of Wolf, and I'm not ashamed to admit that, but there was just so much more action and drama and romance and everything!  I just feel the need to gush about this book.

The action is fast-paced and almost non-stop in Scarlet.  I felt like I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.  And I never felt like the story got jumbled or confusing, even though there were several new characters' storylines being interwoven with the original characters'.  The introduction of new people was one of my favorite parts of the book.  Cinder and Kai are both great characters, but Scarlet and Wolf added a lot more depth and layers to the story.  And "Captain" Thorne provided some much-needed humor to break the tension in this gripping book.  I especially enjoyed the way each person's unique personality and background worked and blended together, or even better, the way they sometimes clashed.

If only last week's Top Ten Tuesday topic (favorite fictional crushes) had been for this week instead.  I would totally have bent the rules and added an eleventh entry for Wolf.  Loves him!  Another blogger mentioned that his personality reminded her a little of Wolf from The 10th Kingdom, and I definitely see where she got that.  They share so many character traits, but Wolf (from Scarlet) is so much more intense.

Overall, I think Scarlet is an incredible sequel.  I loved how it used the Red Riding Hood fairy-tale with Scarlet's red hoodie and her grandmother being missing.  And the continuation of Cinder and Kai's story was also really interesting too, although I preferred Scarlet and Wolf's.  I also loved that the book left me breathless at points from all of the excitement and danger.  Any time a book grips me like this, where I don't want to put it down unless I absolutely have to, it's a success in my eyes.  If the rest of the series is like Scarlet, then the Lunar Chronicles will be one of my favorite series ever.  A+

Book Review: A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

Title:  A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent
Author:  Marie Brennan
Genre:  Fantasy
Pages:  336

Rating:  A-

Synopsis from goodreads.com:  You, dear reader, continue at your own risk. It is not for the faint of heart—no more so than the study of dragons itself. But such study offers rewards beyond compare: to stand in a dragon’s presence, even for the briefest of moments—even at the risk of one’s life—is a delight that, once experienced, can never be forgotten. . . .

All the world, from Scirland to the farthest reaches of Eriga, know Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world’s preeminent dragon naturalist. She is the remarkable woman who brought the study of dragons out of the misty shadows of myth and misunderstanding into the clear light of modern science. But before she became the illustrious figure we know today, there was a bookish young woman whose passion for learning, natural history, and, yes, dragons defied the stifling conventions of her day.
Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit who risked her reputation, her prospects, and her fragile flesh and bone to satisfy her scientific curiosity; of how she sought true love and happiness despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her thrilling expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world forever.

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So A Natural History of Dragons was nothing like I expected, and not in a bad way.  I was expecting something more on the fantastic side, with lots of dragons and creatures.  But the dragons played a very minor role.  The story was mostly a memoir about Isabella Camherst, her marriage, and what led her to become a dragon naturalist.  It's implied that there will be at least one or two sequels to this memoir since it only covered the first nineteen years of Isabella's life.  Plus, in the book, Isabella discussed "future volumes" of her memoirs, and I'm hoping Brennan really does write more because I enjoyed this first one.

Overall the book had good dialogue and an interesting story.  It does get slow at points when it gets bogged down with scientific details.  The story isn't very action motivated at all, at least not until the end.  Then all the action seems to happen at once.  It took me a little longer to get through this book than others, but it was worth trudging through the slow parts.

One of the reasons I really liked the story was because Isabella was a very different heroine.  She's bookish, not sentimental, and very straightforward.  Her husband, Jacob, is the perfect match for her, and I fell in love with him myself.  The other characters are good too, with enough character development to keep them from being two-dimensional, but Jacob and Isabella have the most depth and realism.  A-

Once Upon a Time VII

Spring is here... sort of.  The snow falling outside and the winter weather advisory for my town make me question this, but according to the calendar, it's supposed to be Spring right now.  And with Spring comes the Once Upon a Time VII Challenge.  This is my first year participating in this challenge (it's actually the first time I ever heard of it), and I'm super excited for it.

The purpose of this challenge is to use the Spring season to enjoy books from four different genres - fantasy, mythology, fairy tale, and folklore.  There are different ways to participate in the challenge, each with its own set of specific rules.  I chose two options - Quest the Second and Quest the Third.

The rules for Quest the Second are simple.  You have to read at least one book from each of the challenge genres.   I think I've figured out exactly which four books I'm going to read too.

1. Mythology - The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter
2. Fantasy - A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan
3. Fairy tale - Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
4. Folklore - Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson

Quest the Third is kind of like an add-on to one of the other quests.  In June, after finishing the requirements for Quest the Second (or The Journey or Quest the First), you also read A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare or watch a theatrical version of the play.  I love this play and its adaptations so I definitely wanted to do this quest as well as the other.

So I'm psyched to take part in the Once Upon a Time Challenge.  It's going to be a lot of fun (the first rule of the challenge), especially since it involves my four favorite genres ever.