Review: Splintered by A.G. Howard

Splintered by A.G. Howard

Published: 2013, Amulet Books

Series: Splintered, #1

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy, Retelling

Source: Won through the Debut Author Challenge

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“You understand the logic behind the illogical, Alyssa. It's in your nature to find tranquility amid the madness. And that's what we're doing here. We are giving our food a fighting chance.”

“We’re all mad here.”

Although these words are first spoken by the Chesire Cat in Lewis Carroll’s novel Alice in Wonderland, they remain as pertinent as ever in Splintered, one of the newer renditions of the tale. More of a reimagining than a retelling, Splintered envisions an alternate world where a modern girl rediscovers Wonderland and the ties it has to her family.

Alyssa Gardner knows what madness is like. She has the dubious honor of being a distant relation to Alice Liddell, the girl who acted as Lewis Carroll’s inspiration for Alice in Wonderland. She and her father spend every Friday afternoon visiting her mother in a local asylum. There’s talk of a curse in her family, an inherited madness that passes from female to female, but so far no one has worried about Alyssa’s sanity. Because no one knows that Alyssa took up skateboarding and prefers to wear headphones as ways to escape from the constant voices of nearby plants and animals.

As her mother’s condition worsens, Alyssa begins to search deeper into the history of her family and Alice’s connection to Wonderland. Wonderland, which isn’t such a fairy tale after all. To protect her mother’s remaining sanity, as well as her own, Alyssa is willing to do whatever it takes, starting with finding a way to travel down the rabbit hole into Wonderland itself.

Whimsical and madcap, in many ways Splintered is the perfect modern-day companion novel to Carroll’s tale. It’s been a few years since I’ve read Alice in Wonderland, but I do think that A.G. Howard does a good job transporting readers back into a world very like Carroll’s and yet with subtle details and twists that are undeniably her own creation. The Wonderland Alyssa enters is darker than the place where Alice ventured. In fact, parts of it are downright terrifying. Wonderland residents hint that the darkness is partially Alice’s doing, and Alyssa hopes that by righting the wrongs there, she can break her family’s curse. Of course, in Wonderland nothing is ever as it seems.

Against such a vibrant, lush setting firmly entrenched in the literary canon, it would be a struggle for any author to rise above the inspiration and distinguish her own creativity. And it is certainly true that the places this book falters the most are those not directly inspired by Carroll’s original work: mainly, the characters. I liked Alyssa. I liked how tough she is, how she is unashamed to walk to the beat of her own drum. But her tough exterior comes at a price. I had a difficult time understanding her relationships with others, especially with her family members. After dealing with many tough situations in her life, Alyssa has understandably put up a wall around herself, but that same wall made it difficult for me to really grasp how her relationship with her father, mother, or even her friend/crush Jeb really functioned. Besides, of course, how I as a reader was told that it functioned.

Although the story’s plot is ostensibly about Alyssa’s journey into Wonderland to save her family, her mother, and ultimately herself, at times it read a lot like a paranormal romance. And what’s a paranormal romance without a love triangle? Alyssa and Jeb, the guy next door, have the history for a great relationship - but only if readers are willing to excuse the fact that Jeb is currently in a relationship with another girl. I understand that feelings are complicated, and for the most part I was able to look past that fact.

Alyssa’s other potential suitor is Morpheus, one of the inhabitants of Wonderland. Conveniently enough, he also has a history with Alyssa. I had an even more difficult time swallowing the authenticity of their relationship. For the most part, Alyssa does not remember their history, and, because of that, her feelings for him feel a bit flat to me.

Neither of these two romantic interests appealed to me. I’ll be honest, though, and admit that this might not have been the case if I had first read this book a few years ago when I was closer in age to the characters.

For all of its flaws, Splintered was compulsively readable. Howard writes very well and I quite enjoyed seeing how she manipulated the original tale to make it fit with the story she presented. That is by far the strongest aspect of Howard’s work. Howard’s story is respectful of the original work, and yet is able to take some fairly successful twists and turns along the way.

I think the story ends on a satisfying note. Not all questions are answered and not all threads are neatly tied, but there’s a sufficient sense of closure. It has been announced, however, that Splintered is the first book in a trilogy. I probably will continue with this series. Like Alice herself, I’m far too curious for my own good.

Rating: 3 stars

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Review: The Drake Equation by Heather Walsh

The Drake Equation by Heather Walsh
Published: 2013, Amazon Digital Services
Genre: Adult Contemporary, Romance
Source: From the author
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“There’s actually a calculation of how many planets might contain intelligent life. Do you want to know what it’s called?” he said.

“What?”

“The Drake Equation.”

“You’re kidding.”

“No. And no relation, in case you were wondering.”

She smiled.

For the past few years, Emily Crossley has worked for GeoForce, the only environmental nonprofit organization in her area of Connecticut. Mostly surrounded by those who espouse similar political and economic views, Emily deals with those who disagree by simply avoiding a discussion of those topics. At the annual Give Up Your SUV for a Day event hosted by her company, however, Emily meets Robert Drake. He works for the local SUV distributor Bell Motors and is everything she despises about conservative politics. And yet she also cannot deny that there is some sort of connection between them.

The Drake Equation is essentially about the relationship that forms between the two as they gradually test the limits of what really matters to each of them and what beliefs they’re willing to sacrifice.

I’m not much of a fan of politics, and neither do I tend to read many books expressly billed as adult romances, but I decided to take a chance with Heather Walsh’s new book. And although there were a few missteps along the way, I still am glad I had the opportunity to read this.

As anyone will notice who reads the book’s blurb, politics and political ideology are abundant in this novel. Through Emily and Robert, readers may expect to find two extremes. However, that’s not quite the case. Sure, Emily has strong liberal beliefs that border on closed-mindedness, but the same cannot be said for the more conservative Robert. Because of this, I actually felt as though I understood Robert’s character a bit more than Emily’s (ironically, since the story is told from her perspective). Not only has Emily never really accepted any challenges to her beliefs, but she has also never paused to consider exactly why she believes in these basic liberal ideologies.

While an interesting and relevant premise, the ideological differences are mainly expressed through debate. At times, this led to the book feeling very dialogue-heavy with little rest provided through description or other information. After Emily and Robert become a little more established in their relationship, other issues are brought to the forefront: namely Robert’s workaholic tendencies. It is his overcommitment to his work, rather than their political differences, that actually creates a wedge in their relationship.

The book’s resolution focuses more on Robert’s time management tendencies and Emily’s struggle to understand her own wants and needs, effectively sidelining their political issues. This was not a big issue for me, as after a while I started to tire of the intense political debates, but this is a marked difference from what I expected the book to be about. Here politics seem to act more as a vehicle for bringing Emily and Robert together and then takes a back seat to other, more personal issues. Once again, not necessarily a bad thing but certainly worth noting.

For a fairly short novel, Walsh is quite ambitious in just what she wants to portray about the modern romance. It’s about politics and belief systems, until suddenly it’s not. It’s about Emily’s journey to find herself, Robert’s struggles to balance his work life with his personal life, and identifying many other little parts that come together in a successful romance. I appreciated how Walsh really tried to identify the many factors that tend to complicate modern-day relationships, but at times I felt as though the issues being addressed came across as too wide-spread.

Although I would have liked to see certain aspects of the book condensed and others expanded upon, it’s clear that Walsh can write. From an aesthetic standpoint, The Drake Equation is very eloquent and well-written. I just wish a bit more time was spent deciding just what readers are supposed to get out of this story. As it is, I can see this working for readers who enjoy more heavy stories, and stories that start to question what people value most in their relationships, even if it doesn’t quite end up answering anything specifically.

Rating: 2.5 stars

Disclaimer: I received this review copy from the author, but that in no way affected my opinion. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to review this, Heather!

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Review: Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Series: Divergent, #3

Published: 2013, Katherine Tegen Books

Genre: Young Adult Dystopian

Source: Purchased

Contains spoilers for Divergent (my review) & Insurgent (my review)

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There are so many ways to be brave in this world. Sometimes bravery involves laying down your life for something bigger than yourself, or for someone else. Sometimes it involves giving up everything you have ever known, or everyone you have ever loved, for the sake of something greater.

But sometimes it doesn’t.

Sometimes it is nothing more than gritting your teeth through pain, and the work of every day, the slow walk toward a better life. 

A warning: This review may contain slight spoilers. I’ll refrain from mentioning anything major, but I will need to mention certain aspects of the book that others may consider to be minor spoilers in order to fully articulate my thoughts on this one.

Well, this is a bit disappointing. With the exception of Harry Potter, I haven’t been sucked into the hype of many series still in the process of being written. Unlike Harry Potter, however, the weeks of anticipation leading up to this finale ultimately ended in frustration and dissatisfaction. I would not go so far as to say that I wish I had never read this series, but I do wish I had just waited for a copy of a library book. And maybe actually read some spoilers beforehand.

After Tris and Tobias risked all so that Edith Prior’s message could be broadcast, a message that indicates there’s much more to the world outside of Chicago’s city limits, the two of them do not hesitate to be among the first to find out more about the outside world.

There’s not much tying them down to Chicago anymore as it is. The faction-based life they’ve always known is more unstable than ever, as Tobias’ mother Evelyn continues to have the factionless enforce their beliefs upon the general public. And among the dissenters of the new factionless regime is a group that calls itself the Allegiant, and it has taken Tobias’ father Marcus as one of its leaders. War between the factions has morphed into a war between the faction and the factionless systems.

Tris and Tobias thought that they were leaving behind the instability that comes with division, but the outside world is not what they expected. It’s plagued by many of the same problems that their Chicago factions faced, and then some.

I don’t know what happened with this book. If I had to speculate, I’d say that this is an example of an author being a little bit too ambitious in her aims. Veronica Roth has a lot she wants to explore in the conclusion to her Divergent series, and it’s not all bad. She offers many fascinating explorations of concepts such as bravery, identity, belonging, and individuality. The issue, I think, is that Roth just doesn’t have quite the right expertise to pull off a discussion of them all convincingly.

Part of what made Divergent and Insurgent so much fun was that Roth was not trying to force-feed her readers too many concepts at once. Are the concepts I mentioned above still present in the previous two books? Of course. But whereas in the earlier installments those concepts emerged naturally as the stories unfolded, in Allegiant they felt much more forced, and as a reader I felt as though Roth was trying far too hard to make sure her readers understood the messages she wanted to make.

Although neither Divergent nor Insurgent could be defined as light-hearted, they’re fast and engaging. And honestly, who read those books and didn’t try to figure out figure out which faction they’d want to be a part of? They have their flaws when viewed from a more critical perspective, but I was able to simply allow myself to enjoy the stories being told. Allegiant, unfortunately, is a much slower story. The first half of the novel in particular just drags, as Tris, Tobias, and their friends begin to learn all about the outside world. This ultimately comes down to the fact that Roth left simply too much to be revealed in this third book. If the second book had been less about Tris’ anguish and Roth had introduced this final conflict halfway through Insurgent, then perhaps the transition between the focus of the first two books compared to the final one would have been smoother and more convincing.

My biggest complaint about this novel is that it adopts a new focus that simply does not fit when viewed in comparison to the first two books in this series. After two books focused solely on the faction conflict and Tris’ divergence, those issues are pushed to the side to make way for the major conflicts of this book, which have to do with genetics. That’s right: genetics. The trilogy goes from being purely dystopian to picking up science fiction elements. And issues and plot holes that I was willing to overlook in Divergent and Insurgent become a little more difficult to ignore as Roth tries to give her story a more scientific basis (one with no basis in true science). The addition of a political conflict to the novel makes sense, but that’s also not fully developed enough for me to be satisfied with the lackluster attention to detail there either. When taking into account the new conflicts in this book, it feels as though the story tries to discuss two separate societies and two separate rebellions, neither of which felt satisfyingly concluded by the end.

Before the publication of Allegiant, Roth confirmed that the narration would be shared between Tris and Tobias, rather than told exclusively from Tris’ perspective. I will not rehash how much I dislike dual person narration, but suffice it to say that I went into this book feeling very skeptical about Roth’s reasoning behind turning Tobias into a protagonist. After concluding the book, I understand why Roth decided to make Tobias a protagonist, but I was not satisfied with how it was done. Not only was Roth unable to write a convincing male perspective, but Tobias’ voice sounds identical to Tris’.

The conclusion of Roth’s trilogy makes a lot of sense when one takes into account the character development and story arcs at play. I was upset by the ending not because I think that Roth played with my emotions, but because the context surrounding it does not make sense. At all. Even if characters remain true to their characterizations, I cannot disregard the fact that this story is about more than simply the characters, that it has additional messages to make. And the context of the world that Roth built here doesn’t justify the ending she has.

I wonder how many potential new readers will be turned off from this series simply due to the bad reception of Allegiant. I know I haven’t been praising Allegiant myself, but I did enjoy Divergent and it would be a shame for readers to miss out on that experience simply because they’re wary of the finale.

For me, Allegiant is an example of a series that should not have happened. Veronica Roth can say all she wants that she knew how she wanted this series to end, but the plot and sheer scope of the third book makes me think differently. I am fine with the non-traditional ending, and I liked the messages that Roth had about identity and the greater good, even if they do feel heavy-handed at times. My primary wish for this trilogy would be that it had been better planned and could therefore function as a cohesive whole, but what can you do?

Rating: 2 stars

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Top Ten Sequels I Can't Wait To Get My Hands On

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week we're discussing some of our most anticipated sequels.  

I consciously try to avoid reading too many incomplete series because, for someone who prefers to binge read a series like me, there's nothing quite as frustrating as reading one installment and then realizing that you have months (or years) to wait in order to see what happens next. So I haven't read enough unfinished series to complete this list with simply unpublished continuations. For that reason, I switched up my list a bit. First I listed four sequels I own but have yet to read, and then I listed six of my most-anticipated upcoming sequels.

Those I Own But Have Yet to Read:

The Crown of Embers (Fire and Thorns, #2) by Rae Carson

In my defense, I won this book unexpectedly. Not so much in my defense are the facts that I loved the first book, bought a physical copy of the first book after winning a copy of the sequel, and pre-ordered a copy of the third book. My bad.
Froi of the Exiles (Lumatere Chronicles, #2) by Melina Marchetta
I liked Finnikin of the Rock. And then I heard that the trilogy just gets better and better, so I decided to buy all three books in the series at once. I've been sitting on this one mainly because I want to do a binge read of all three in a row and haven't been able to justify the time that will take. Not yet, at least.
Jovah's Angel (Samaria, #2) by Sharon Shinn

I'm a little worried about this one, since it's not a direct sequel of Archangel, but it still takes place in the same world. I've read some of Shinn's other works, however, and have confidence in her writing abilities. Again, though, I'd prefer to re-read the first one before continuing on.

Days of Blood and Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #2) by Laini Taylor

I adored Daughter of Smoke and Bone when I read it last fall. So much so that I decided to buy both it and the newly released sequel. Somehow my urgency in buying the sequel has not equated to me actually taking the time to read it, however.

The Up-and-Coming Releases:
Ruin and Rising (Shadow and Bone, #3) by Leigh Bardugo 
First of all, the official synopsis for this was recently released. And it sounds fantastic. Siege and Storm really cemented the fact that Bardugo has a lot of talent. While Shadow and Bone did rely on many typical fantasy tropes (enjoyably so), Siege and Storm was an even more impressive feat, and one that left me with confidence it will be upped again by the conclusion. 
Lair of Dreams (Diviners, #2) by Libba Bray 
Not crazy about the cover change here (is anyone a fan of it?), but I am excited to see where this particular story goes next. The Diviners was a rare case where the first book's main conflict wrapped up very well, and yet I'm actually anxious to see what's next in store for the teenager diviners.
World After (Penryn & the End of Days, #2) by Susan Ee
I enjoyed Angelfall but didn't love it. Still, I am looking forward to seeing what happens to Penryn and Raffe next, enough so that I pre-ordered an ebook when it went on sale. I'm just hoping that I can really come to appreciate Ee's awesomeness for myself here - and the advance praise seems promising!
Shadowscale (Seraphina, #2) by Rachel Hartman 
Seraphina was one of my favorite reads from last year. Absolutely everything about that novel was perfect to me. And in this instance, I'm happy that Hartman is taking her time between Seraphina's release and the release of Shadowscale; I'm sure the sequel will be that much better and more polished (if that's even possible).
The Winds of Winter (A Song of Ice and Fire, #6) by George R.R. Martin 
Obviously. Even though I haven't posted any reviews on here, I'm a big fan of the books and HBO's show Game of Thrones. Also, I always want to support efforts made to popularize the fantasy genre into mainstream culture. Write like the wind, George R.R. Martin!
Split Second (Pivot Point, #2) by Kasey West 

I was surprised by how much I actually enjoyed Pivot Point. Although I liked the ending it had, I am curious to see what happens next. I am also curious to see how West's decision to involve the dual narration of Addie and her friend Laila fares.

Agree with any of my choices? Let me know which sequels you can't wait to get your hands on!

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Showcase Sunday #8

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicki at Books, Biscuits and Tea. Its aim is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week.

For Review: 
Pawn (The Blackcoat Rebellion, #1) by Aimee Carter
Thanks, Netgalley and HarperCollins! I'm not bored of dystopian fiction just yet. This dystopian YA fiction is about a girl who is given the opportunity to rise in rank and thus live a better life - but only if she's willing to go against the very rebellion she's been in support of. I haven't read Carter's Goddess Test series, but I love the sound of her newest series.

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Review: Sorrow's Knot by Erin Bow

Sorrow’s Knot by Erin Bow

Published: 2013, Arthur A. Levine Books

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Format: eARC

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

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Deciding to die is one thing. Walking to your death with your eyes open is another.

Otter’s life has been one full of certainties. She is daughter to the most powerful binder in recent history and already possesses intrinsic raw talent. When she and the other children leave their childhoods behind, no one in their society doubts that Otter will become an apprentice to her mother Willow. And in the forested town of Westmost, the job of the binder is absolutely integral. Without a binder tying knots to both free the souls of their dead and keep back the spirits found in the shadows, their small village would quickly be overrun. Otter’s accepted her duty to her people.

But the death of Tamarack, the old binder, and her mother’s ensuing grief causes everything to spiral out of control. Her mother does not set Tamarack’s body free, instead consigning it to become a dreaded White Hand spirit. Willow also reveals that she no longer has control over the knots she makes, and that they’re more likely to unravel than to tightly bind. And, worst of all, she chooses another apprentice over Otter. Otter, whose life was so certain, so set, no longer knows what to do, or even who she is.

Sorrow’s Knot reads like a fable, rich in history and lore. The prose is beautiful but sparse, each and every word advancing both the plot and the reader’s understanding of Otter’s world. Much as Otter learns to take control of every knot she makes, so does Erin Bow deftly manipulate her words.

Much like a fable, Sorrow’s Knot is also full of relatively simple concepts waiting for their greater meanings to be teased out. Otter’s seeming loss of identity. The significance of the problems found within the knots. The origins of the White Hands. The story of Mad Spider, the greatest binder ever to have lived. The constant focus on retelling the stories of the past gives the story a circular motion, but is absolutely integral to its overall mood and understanding.

A gast’s attack of Otter’s male friend Cricket early on in the story serves to show not only the looming darkness of their world, but also how unfit this life is for anyone without the power to tie knots. Most boys leave the town upon maturation for the safer sunlit areas, for within Otter’s village it is the women who hold all the power to tie the knots that protect their people from the spirits. The binders may be the ones that securely bind together the bodies of the dead and hang their bodies from trees to prevent their spirits from coming back for the living, but the rangers, storytellers, and medics all create their own special knots to protect the village. Even in times of quiet, the dead are always waiting, mostly kept at bay by the knotted fence surrounding the village. There is a lot of darkness in Otter’s life, both literally and figuratively.

Location is of utmost importance to the story of Sorrow’s Knot. Otter’s life, and the lives of the villagers, are defined by the area they inhabit. While the majority of people near open, sunlit areas, hidden away from all that hides within the shadows, Otter’s people - appropriately called the Shadowed People - choose to live near the darkness. Their shadowed village is under constant threat from the weak but ever-hungry slips, the cunning gasts, and the White Hands. Rarest and most powerful of the three types of spirits, a touch from a White Hand is a death sentence, and those who live long enough for the White Hands to break free from their bodies become White Hands themselves, or so the stories say.

In many ways, Sorrow’s Knot tells the traditional story of a hero’s journey. After more grief and sorrow than Otter can bear, she travels away from their village into the subtle menace of the forest. Her search for identity and meaning is closely tied with the land she and her friend Kestrel explore. And it is in the land, in the places she discovers, that Otter is able to find answers to her questions.

As much as I loved the concept behind this story, I felt as though the story itself did not end on the strongest note. In the last quarter of the book, Bow introduces a new character (a storyteller like her friend Cricket) so that she (a binder) and her friend Kestrel (a ranger) once again form a group of three with three different ways to form knots against the dead. Essentially from this point forward, I found I was not quite sure what Bow intended for her story to do. I did not fully grasp the meaning of any of the final revelations, nor did I understand how the characters arrived at their conclusions. I suppose that the ending was fitting, but it was ultimately not as satisfying for me as I hoped it would be.

Still, though, I found much to appreciate in Bow’s latest novel. Thank goodness for these impressively rendered fantasy standalones. They seem to be a dying breed, which makes me want to gather them up and hold onto them all the more tightly. A few issues with the conclusion aside, Sorrow’s Knot is a complex, nuanced tale that has ensured I will read more of Erin Bow’s books in the future. 

 

Rating: 4.5 stars

Disclaimers: I received this review copy from the publisher, but that in no way affected my opinion. The quote is from an advanced copy of the novel and is subject to change in the final edition.  

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