Mini-Reviews: Fantasy Novels

Every Day by David Levithan

I read this book for the FYA book club, and to be honest, I didn't have very high expectations. Different people had told me that they didn't care for it, and the premise, a nameless, genderless spirit who occupies different bodies each day but falls in love, seemed bizarre and a little hokey. Still, I have never escaped my obedient school days in which I never failed to complete a reading assignment, and the lure of book club made me feel obligated (even though I didn't actually attend the meeting where the book was discussed). Also, all (two) of my experiences with David Levithan have been positive. He is pretty experimental, but he is also a fantastic writer, particularly at transmitting emotions. So, I gave it a chance.

And the verdict? I really enjoyed Every Day. A's transformation into different bodies each day was interesting, despite the bizarreness. In addition, despite the fact that the experience of possessing a different body each day is at the very least uncommon, the story still held powerful themes that almost anyone could relate to -- letting people go, making sacrifices for the people you love, what love really is. I think it's a worthwhile book that will bend your brain a bit.

4 stars

Warnings: Some language, brief drug references, brief referral to sex

Heir to Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier

If you've been reading this blog for the last year or so, you've probably gathered that Juliet Marillier can do no wrong in my opinion. Having recently finished her first Sevenwaters trilogy, I was very excited to dive into the second trilogy (although like the Jane Austen books, I can't stand the thought of being finished forever, so I am puttering around a bit). In Heir to Sevenwaters, Aisling and Sean have finally had a son -- only to have him ripped from them days later and replaced by a changeling creature of the forest. Meanwhile, unrest in the region is threatening Sevenwaters. Clodagh decides to rescue her brother by entering the land of the Fair Folk -- a land where nothing is certain and risks abound.

While I didn't love Clodagh as much as some other Sevenwaters heroines, this book just brutally shredded my heart. Motherhood is a theme in most of the Sevenwaters books, but for some reason it was particularly wrenching in Heir to Sevenwaters. There were scenes that literally felt as if I had been kicked repeatedly in the stomach. One of the reasons I love to read is to experience a powerful range of emotion, so I found Heir to Sevenwaters to be evocative and satisfying. I plan on reading every book Marillier has ever written, and I will probably reread all the Sevenwaters books. She is definitely elevated to favorite status.

4.5 stars

Warnings: Violence, referrals to sexuality (off the page)

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

I read the sequel to Princess of the Midnight Ball a long time ago, and you know me -- I can't leave anything unfinished. I actually enjoyed Princess of the Midnight Ball more than Princess of Glass, although it had a few moments of dullness for me. 

The story is a retelling of the twelve dancing princesses. Rose and her eleven sisters (all named after flowers -- I'm impressed that Jessica Day George came up with all the names) are forced to dance for an evil fairy king each night to pay off a family debt. They can't escape, and no one can help them, til a brave soldier and gardener, Galen, takes matters into his own hands. 

Initially, I felt that the story was slow moving and I found it hard to relate to the characters. The backstory dragged on a bit and I was ready to put the book down. However, in the second half the action picked up and I found myself eager to return to the adventures of Rose, Galen, and the rest of the princesses. I'm a sucker for a fairy tale retelling, and Princess of the Midnight Ball provided a light, enjoyable story. 

3 stars

Warnings: None

Sabriel by Garth Nix

This is another FYA book club assignment (but I did go to this meeting). I actually read this book when I was much younger, having randomly picked it off the shelf at Barnes and Noble when I had a giftcard. I remembered being completely unimpressed, but now, over ten years later, I knew that Sabriel had a huge fan base, and I was curious to see if maybe I had missed a gem. The good news is that I had! I think only rarely do fantasy books improve with time, but the book that left me completely unimpressed as a pre-teen charmed me (in as much as a story about the dead can be charming) as an adult. 

Sabriel and her father have the power to visit the land of the dead -- to help spirits go past the seventh gate to their eternal destiny. However, often spirits find their way to earth and cause harm -- and it has been happening a lot more frequently. Suddenly, a huge weight of responsibility rests on Sabriel's shoulders, and she has no idea what she is doing. 

I loved the world-building and the fact that the creatures could be considered zombies (closet zombie story lover). And while Sabriel herself was a bit stiff and unlovable, I respected her strength and her journey. There was even a bit of romance, albeit somewhat bumbling. I have the second book in the trilogy out from the library and I am curious to see what Garth Nix does next.

4 stars

Warnings: Scary images, violence, innuendo

Italian Folktales retold and edited by Italo Calvino

This was a beast for me to conquer, but it was enjoyable as well. I love mythology, fairy tales, folktales -- you name it. I saw this book mentioned and was intrigued for two reasons -- first of all, the Italian background, which intrigued me because my husband used to live in Italy, and second of all, the fact that it is by Italo Calvino, an author that I have always wanted to read because he is mentioned in my favorite book, Kartography. Checking in at 200 stories and well over 700 pages, it literally took me months to read, but it was rewarding. It was interesting to see the different take on traditional fairy tales as well as the similar threads and tropes running through the tales. It won't appeal to everyone, but I think Italian Folktales is a true masterpiece. I only wish I could remember more of the stories so I could share them with my children.

3.5 stars

Warnings: Fairy tale violence (evil stepmothers in boiling oil, cut off hands, etc.)

The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

Guys.

This book.

Well, I highlighted over half of it. And I read about a third of it out loud to my husband as he diligently tried to focus on his tissue biology homework. I didn't cry, but I think I connected with it on a deeper level than tears.

There is a passage in John Steinbeck's The Winter of Our Discontent where the main voice, Ethan, despairs because no matter how much he loves his wife, no matter how well he knows her habits and cadences and mannerisms, he cannot be inside her head. No matter what, he can't understand completely because he is separate. There is another book I read like this too, and I can't remember what it was but I think it was Madeleine L'Engle, and she says something along the same lines - we can't perfectly understand each other because we have bodies, and they separate our souls from each other so that we can't know each other perfectly.

The reason why I love books is because they transcend this barrier and let us right into the author's head. Or the character's head. Some authors are better at this than others, and in this book, David Levithan is the best. It always surprises me to find emotions that I thought were my private property echoed in someone else's voice. This book brings you right into the raw, conflicting, alternatingly beautiful and tragic facets of love.

I should back up. The Lover's Dictionary is a love story told in definitions. Each page has a word on it, and a little anecdote follows the word. Slowly and un-chronologically, the love story unfolds.

I loved both of these people so much. I was so sad when the book ended because I wanted to spend more time with them. They are at times cruel and petty, but also witty and passionate. In them I saw represented the faults that we all have - of getting annoyed over small interruptions to our routine, of being selfish, of refusing to admit that we are wrong - but also the greatness of the human soul when it is transformed by love. Which, thank goodness, is a capability we all have.

This book was also hilarious. Case in point:

anachronism, n.
"I'll go get the horse and buggy," you'll say.
And I'll say, "But I thought we were taking the hovercraft!"

Or try

scapegoat, n.
I think our top two are:
1. Not enough coffee.
2. Too much coffee.

And then there are those things that I thought were only hallmarks of how I acted in relationships: "I was still scared by every gap in our conversation, fearing that this was it, the point where we had nothing left to say." Or "I'm careful what songs I play. I try to speak to you with my selections." Or when the lovers trace back their random conversation to its roots.

I loved this book because it spoke to me. It touched my emotions, it made me laugh, and the only bad thing I can say about it is that it ended. The format was amazingly creative, the writing was beautiful and poignant, and I read it in one day, tossing aside all responsibilities to devour the pages.

Please read this book.

Love, me.

5 out of 5 stars. No further qualifications needed.

PS: 'Twas my February Just For Fun Challenge pick.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

This book exists in my mind as Skip and Dash's Book of Dares.

For some reason that has stuck instead of the real name, so if I inadvertently call it that, you know why.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares follows the adventures of a red Moleskine notebook that Dash finds in the shelves of The Strand (18 miles of shelving!) next to a copy of Salinger's Franny and Zooey. It starts he and Lily, the owner of the red Moleskine, on a wild goose chase through New York City at Christmastime, performing crazy dares and developing curiosity about each other at the same time.

This book is quite possibly my new favorite Christmas read. I loved how it wasn't stereotypical Christmas warm-and-fuzziness, but it still left me with a nice warm-and-fuzzy at the end. I also loved how it took me through New York at Christmastime, because it is on my bucket list to experience the Christmas season (if not Christmas itself) in New York.

I also loved the bookishness that pervaded the book. The story begins at The Strand, a mecca for book-lovers. Lily and Dash do not write in just any notebook, they write in a Moleskine notebook. They both love Franny and Zooey and even launch into a bit of analysis about it in the story. Dash wants the complete Oxford English Dictionary for Christmas. This story added at least two books to my TBR (I looove when I find books through other books). The bookishness in and of itself made me love the book.

I also really enjoyed Dash. His large vocabulary and tendency to overanalyze everything in a slightly cynical way were very endearing. However, despite his cynicism, he was still very sweet. He hates Christmas, yet he still goes along with Lily's dares because he is curious about her. While he often has a tendency to overthink a situation, he has a freshness of perspective that is very er... refreshing. One of my favorite quotes from him (in reference to a pair of mittens at Macy's that look like a hitchhiker thumb to the North Pole):

'Aesthetic and utilitarian considerations aside,' I said, 'those mittens don't particularly make sense. Isn't the whole gimmick of Christmas that there's home delivery? You get up there, all you're going to find is a bunch of exhausted, grumpy elves. Assuming, of course, that you accept the mythical presence of a workshop up there, when we all know there isn't even a pole at the north Pole, and if global warming continues, there won't be any ice, either.'

While Dash was my favorite, I also couldn't help adoring Lily. This girl is hyperactive, quirky, overly innocent and fun. She had me when she was describing how holiday cheer should apply to everyone, including stuffed animals ("special shout-out to my Ariel mermaid, who presides over the shabby-chic flower power pillow on my bed - love you, girl!"). She forgoes her normal uniform of Chuck Taylors to run around the city wearing her aunt's old white majorette boots. She talks about how she is unpopular because as a child, she started screaming about a tragic event in elementary school (I'll let you read the story to find out what that was) and acquired the nickname "Shrilly," which has never left her. She's definitely weird. But, as Dash points out, "It was so much cooler to be the weird girl."

I also loved the chase itself. Dash and Lily are very creative as they invent new places to hide the notebook. From Madam Tussaud's to FAO Schwartz (and of course The Strand, multiple times), they ran all over the city, enlisting friends and family as aides.

While this book would have been entertaining from the plot alone, the characters also explored some deeper themes (mainly having to do with young love). Sofia, Dash's ex-girlfriend, explains that he has a "girl inside his head" -

Like most guys, you carry around this girl in your head, who is exactly who you want her to be. The person you think you will love the most. And every girl you are with gets measured against this girl in your head. So this girl with the red notebook - it makes sense. If you never meet her, she never has to get measured. She can be the girl in your head.

A lot of the more thoughtful parts of the story have to do with reconciling real people with "the girl in your head." I could really relate to this (I'm sure many can) - I had a long distance love interest in high school. It was easy to write long emails and feel like my life was so perfect and romantic, but when it came down to it, we never knew each other very well because we superimposed our mental ideals on each other. Now, my husband is often not "the [boy] in my head" - he is better because he often is wonderful in ways I didn't realize I needed. Anyway, personal stories aside, I think that theme in the book rings true for many people - it is something many of us have to overcome on our way to love. I appreciated the depth in this hilarious story.

The one thing I didn't really like is probably better explained by Lily when Dash drops an F-bomb: "Ouch. Cursing -- not so dashing." I'm not a huge fan of swearing in books. But it wasn't excessive - just a little bit of a turn off. And I guess this can't be the "book in my head." (OK, I'm probably stretching that a little far now).

But overall - love it. I would highly recommend it, especially but not only during Christmas.

Accessibility/readability - quite.

Aesthetics/literary merit - 3.5 Mostly just a fun read, but Dash's vocabulary was studly.

Plot - 4.5

Characters - 4.5

Personal response: 4

Overall: 4

Read for All About {n}'s holiday reading challenge.