Review: The Sunbird

Book three of the Lion Hunters
By Elizabeth Wein
Available now from Open Road Media
Review copy
Read my review of The Winter Prince

The first three books of the Lion Hunters series switch focus between three members of a family: Medraut, then his legitimate half-sister Goewin, and then his son Telemekos.  This means that although the books build on each other, they also stand fairly well on their own.  (The last two books focus on Telemekos and should be read as a duology.)

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THE SUNBIRD first came out in 2004, and in some ways feels dated despite only being ten years old.  It is very short compared to most current YA novels, although it cannot be confused with an MG novel despite Telemekos's youth.  (He's eleven.)  The Lion Hunters novels address some very dark themes, including torture and dehuminization in this entry.

The start of the series plays with Arthurian mythology, but the series does not stick to a traditional path.  THE SUNBIRD takes place in Aksum, now known as Ethiopia.  Telemekos is half-British and half-Aksumite, but he is still accomplished at hiding in plain sight despite his distinctive pale hair.  It is that skill that causes the Emperor to recruit him.  Plague is spreading through Europe, and quarantine has been instituted to protect Aksum.  But there are those who would take this as a chance to make money on the black market, no matter the risk of spreading disease.

In THE SUNBIRD, Elizabeth Wein skillfully weaves together an espionage adventure with a coming of age and the story of a broken but loving family.  Medraut does not speak, and Goewin is a princess of Britain first, grooming her nephew (who is unknowingly the heir apparent).  Fans of her breakout novels CODE NAME VERITY and ROSE UNDER FIRE will not be surprised at the depth of emotion in THE SUNBIRD nor the exploration of darker themes.

This historical fantasy will appeal to fans of Megan Whalen Turner and Jennifer A. Nielsen, which also feature clever and secretive young boys having adventures with consequences for entire nations.  I do recommend reading THE WINTER PRINCE and A COALITION OF LIONS first.  It is not necessary to understand THE SUNBIRD, but it makes the experience richer.  Plus, they're also terrific novels.  This series is criminally underrated.

Review: Deadly Little Sins

Book three of the Prep School Confidential trilogy
By Kara Taylor
Available now from St. Martin's Griffin
Review copy
Read my reviews of Prep School Confidential and Wicked Little Secrets

Anne Dowling is back at Wheatley Prep for her senior year and one final mystery.  She is determined to find her teacher Ms. Cross, who suddenly disappeared last year. Anne's determination is increased when Ms. Cross's ex-boyfriend is killed in an apparent robbery gone bad.  Anne doesn't trust appearances, especially not when they tie into more secrets about Wheatley's past.

Honestly, the mystery was a bit weak in DEADLY LITTLE SINS.  In this one, it's Anne who wants to pretty up the truth, allowing her to miss something very important.  What is good about DEADLY LITTLE SINS is the character development.  Anne is not the same girl who came to Wheatley in PREP SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL.  She's suffering nightmares from WICKED LITTLE SECRETS, and while she doesn't regret interfering, the consequences are lingering.  She's also reached a conclusion about her romantic dilemma, partially because people change.

While the reoccuring characters are well done, I thought it was a bit strange that Kara Taylor introduced several new characters.  A new freshman girl and vice principal are treated like important newcomers, but they don't really serve a purpose in the story.  There could've been more focus about familiar characters in their place, such as Anne's roommate and best friend who has her own relationship issues.

Overall, DEADLY LITTLE SINS was a little weaker than its predecessors, but a fine conclusion to Anne's story.  I love this little mystery trilogy because of Anne.  She's one of my favorite heroines in recent memory, and I think the path Taylor sets her down is one she's well suited for. 

Review: The Girl from the Well

By Rin Chupeco
Available now from Sourcebooks Fire
Review copy

Rin Chupeco's debut novel THE GIRL FROM THE WELL brings a Japanese ghost story into the present.  Chupeco has clearly paid attention to the success of J-horror, because the atmosphere is dead on.

Much of the book is told through the point of view of Okiku, a spirit who travels upside down because that is how she died and doesn't like the number nine.  She travels about punishing men who hurt children.  Then she is drawn to Tarquin, called Tark, a boy on the cusp of manhood with rather strange tattoos.  It turns out that those tattoos imprison another spirit, a darker spirit, and Okiku's attention might be all that can save Tark.

THE GIRL FROM THE WELL does quite a bit of head hopping, which can be slightly disorienting.  It works in the book's favor, however; this is a story where strange things happen and putting together the pieces opens the characters up to the darkness in the world.  There are many unpleasant deaths in THE GIRL FROM THE WELL, and some of them are deserved.

There are three main characters: Okiku, Tark, and Callie (his cousin).  I liked Callie's growing importance in the novel, because her point of view is very down to earth even when she starts to see spirits.  And I loved the relationship between Okiku and Tark, two people who can barely communicate but still come to understand each other.  It's intense, not quite a romance nor a friendship, and an intriguing counterpoint to the straightforward designated love interest relationships found in many horror novels.

I devoured THE GIRL IN THE WELL.  The plot is somewhat vague at times, but the atmosphere always carries it through.  There are some genuine moments of horror, which I always appreciate in a scary story.  And I absolutely loved the ending.  It wrapped things up in a bow I would love to unravel.  If this is Chupeco's debut, I look forward to what she does next.

Review: Charlie Glass's Slippers

By Holly McQueen
Available now from Atria (Simon & Schuster)
Review copy

This modern update of Cinderella positions Charlie Glass as the inheritor of a luxury women's shoe company with multiple desirable suitors.  Charlie's life didn't always go so well.  She left school and her dreams in order to care for her terminally ill father.  She was overweight, and struggled with being positive about her body.  Her stepmother was cruel and her half sisters selfish.

I am a sucker for retold fairytales, and I liked the way Holly McQueen updated Cinderella in CHARLIE GLASS'S SLIPPERS.  Charlie's struggle with her body and appearance was more compelling than an effortlessly beautiful heroine.  Her sudden windfall is her chance to become thinner and blonder (with an intensive fat camp), but her new attention to everything she eats and intense exercise doesn't really make her that much happier.  I liked her half sisters quite a bit.  The younger one is a model, quite silly in a bit of a sad way, but mostly tries to be sweet to her sister when she isn't jealous.  The older one has her own family and is dedicated to her career, without much use for Charlie until she comes to respect her.  The sisters aren't the nicest, but they aren't totally awful and they have feelings about family.

As for the two men in Charlie's life, I liked that McQueen didn't make it as simple as Prince Charming just happening to hold a ball.  Both men have their good points and bad points.  In fact, I didn't like her old crush Freddie at first because of how he failed to communicate with Charlie, but he grew on me.  Her new boyfriend is sexy, generous, and really into her, but a bit shallow.  I believed I knew which way things were going, but I was a bit surprised.

McQueen also throws a cold case murder mystery into the mix, which seemed a bit much at times.  It tied into Charlie's past, her recent grief over her father's death and her mixed emotions since he mostly left her alone after her mother's death.  Her mother died in a hit and run, and Charlie and the lead detective (Freddie's father) never give up hope of finding her killer.  It added a darkness to the frothy tone of CHARLIE GLASS'S SLIPPERS.

If you're looking for chicklit with a fairytale bent, you might try CHARLIE GLASS'S SLIPPERS.  It's characters have surprising dimension, and it tackles some surprisingly tough topics (if with a light touch).  I really liked Charlie, with her struggles to maintain her closest friendship amidst change, find true love, and rejuvenate her company.

Review: Knockout Games

By G. Neri
Available now from Carolrhoda Lab (Lerner)
Review copy
Read my review of Surf Mules

G. Neri first came to my attention with the ridiculously titled SURF MULES.  I gave it a chance because it was summer and I was bored, and I loved it.  I've kept an eye out for his name since.  His latest novel, KNOCKOUT GAMES, is ripped from the headlines.  The Knockout Game sounded like some fad made up by the media, and to some degree it is.  But where it is played, people have ended up in the hospital.

Neri has the good sense not to sensationalize the story, but to humanize it.  He gets into the bones of why someone might play such a stupid, hateful game.  Some of it comes from the young age of most of the players, still in middle school and eager to seem impressive.  Some is the high from the violence.  It's a combination of factors.

Erica Asher, unlike most of the players in her town, is white.  But she has her own camera and a pretty good eye, and the players like having their knockouts filmed.  As she gets more involved with the game, she also becomes more involved with the Knockout King, Kalvin.  He's charismatic, genuinely talented, and kind and sensitive when he talks to Erica alone.  But the sweet boy she falls in love with is also capable of great cruelty, some of it directed at Erica.

Just as Neri builds up the reasons why, he tears it down with a realistic description of the consequences.  KNOCKOUT GAMES is not preachy - in fact, some people get away with more than they should and some get away with less, and both sides are a tragedy.  The racial implications of the Knockout Game are also explored.  (Although the real-life trend of Jews being targeted is avoided.)

KNOCKOUT GAMES is a tough read.  It's violent, and the sex (which the heroine wants) leads to unfortunate consequences (as it is filmed without her consent).  The characters are complex and sympathetic, but many times quite unlikeable.  It is a story about finding the courage to speak up, but it's a hard journey for Erica.  I highly recommend this book for older teens, but I doubt I'll revisit it.  It would be a hard one to reread.