Soulless by Gail Carriger

I picked up Soulless following Lit Snit’s recommendation without really knowing what to expect,  I am glad to say that Soulless has a mix of dry humor, personality, style and  romance that really worked for me and let’s not forget that Lord Maccon is a werewolf and you know how I feel about those.

From Amazon:

Prickly, stubborn 25-year-old bluestocking Alexia Tarabotti is patently unmarriageable, and not just because she’s large-nosed and swarthy. She’s also soulless, an oddity and a secret even in a 19th-century London that mostly accepts and integrates werewolf packs, vampire hives and ghosts. The only man who notices her is brash Lord Conall Maccon, a Scottish Alpha werewolf and government official, and (of course) they dislike each other intensely. After Alexia kills a vampire with her parasol at a party—how vulgar!—she and Conall must work together to solve a supernatural mystery that grows quite steampunkishly gruesome. Well-drawn secondary characters round out the story, most notably Lord Akeldama, Alexia’s outrageous, italic-wielding gay best vampire friend.

A few years ago I had an appraisal with my manager and in my improvement area she wrote think overnight before speaking and then she added it’s probably because you are italian.

Every time Alexia blurts out her abrupt considerations, which happens quite often,  Carriger mentions her italian heritage and I can’t help smiling.

I instantly liked Alexia, an outspoken, sophisticated, perfectly mannered spinster which means  she can get away with many things (which she does).

It helps a lot that she is almost unique, Alexia  is a preternatural, who has no soul and can neutralize other supernatural beings such as vampires and werewolves, it’s a very rare condition she inherited from her italian father and very few people know about it.

The background is also very peculiar, it’s a Victorian London in which different communities, vampires, humans, werewolves coexist pacifically and respecting established rules.

This book it’s pure fun, it vaguely reminds me of Julia Quinn,  the romance  dynamic is also one of my favorite: a clever spinster who gave up hope for a marriage proposal and a hero clearly out of her league, except he is not.

And there are juicy bits that I wasn’t expecting, a welcome addiction to an interesting plot that works thanks to Alexia and Lord Maccon’s chemistry  but let’s not forget some well accomplished supporting characters like Lord Akeldama, a rather eccentric vampire, Professor Lyall, Beta to Alpha Wolf Lord Maccon, Foote, Alexia’s butler.

I really enjoyed the writing style, in typical victorian fashion here it’s a novel where the most daring conversations see our characters enjoying a walk in the park or a cup of tea.

It’s all rather polite and clever, very refreshing, absolutely worth reading. It’s a comedy of manners and I am a sucker for those.

Halloween is coming and I am  thinking of putting together an Alexia Tarabotti’s outfit, seriously that cover is an inspiration!

Other reviews:

Janicu’s Book Blog

Bookshelves of doom

Jawas Read, Too!

Angieville

Subverting The Text

The Infinite Shelf

My grade: 4/5

Em

The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner was recommended by Angie and Chachic, so far my favorite book is The Queen of Attolia but The King of Attolia is also perfect, exquisitely executed, Turner doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to crafting a subtle plot.

The plot from Goodreads:

By scheming and theft, the Thief of Eddis has become King of Attolia. Eugenides wanted the queen, not the crown, but he finds himself trapped in a web of his own making. Attolia’s barons seethe with resentment, the Mede emperor is returning to the attack, and the king is surrounded by the subtle and dangerous intrigue of the Attolian court. When a naive young guard expresses his contempt for the king in no uncertain terms, he is dragged by Eugenides into the center of the political maelstrom. Like the king, he cannot escape the difficulties he makes for himself. Poor Costis knows he is the victim of the king’s caprice, but he discovers a reluctant sympathy for Eugenides as he watches the newly crowned king struggle against his fate.

* There might be spoilers *

Eugenides is married to The Queen of Attolia, the woman he loves, but he is not interested in becoming King, oh he is officially  the King of Attolia but he acts like a fool rather than a king, falling asleep at  meetings, dancing with the wrong girl during  ceremonies, insisting in saying the wrong thing or barely speaking at all… the whole kingdom can’t stop laughing at him, the Attolians regard him as a lazy ass  who took advantage of their queen by forcing her into  marriage. It’s no wonder that the Queen refuses to admit Gen into her rooms and keeps him  at distance.

Except things are not always what they seem to be, are they?  and by now I suspected  that Gen  had a plan  to outsmart his opponents.

This third book is mainly told by Costis’ point of view, Costis is a young attolian guard who despises the king to the point that he physically assaulted him only to find himself at the King’s service rather than executed.

I missed Gen’s voice but I like the way Turner turns things around and we see it happening by Costis’ prospective, we know that Gen has something up his sleeve, we know that he might not be the smartass Thief of book 1 but he he can do better than that, Costis doesn’t know and it’s engaging to see how Gen plays the fool (idiot would be a better expression) while waving his own web of intrigue.

And what about the royal marriage? Is it really troubled? I don’t think so, Gen and Irene are now a team, and yes Irene is worried about Gen but their love is solid,  I enjoyed those brief moments of intimacy and tenderness between them, I appreciated their new closure and complete trust in each other.

The story starts slowly focusing on building the awkwardness of the new monarch and describing all sort of mortifying situations Gen has to deal with (pranks organized by his attendants, sand in his food, mismatched clothes he is forced to wear), the real turning point occurs after 100 pages or so when there is an attempt to murder Gen.

From now on the rhythm intensifies and it’s Turner at her best which means that you won’t be able to put the book down until “The End” and even there you are left with a feeling of wanting more.

It’s safe to say that I am irrevocably in love with this series because of the humor, the unpredictability, the smartness, those characters…but above everything else because it has a SOUL and there is no mistake there, while reading this you know it’s different, you know it’s so much better than so many books you read before. Or I do.

Other Reviews:

Book Harbinger

Angieville

Chachic

Miss Print

The Book Smugglers

Between The Stacks

My Grade: 5/5

Em

A Good Book is a Good Book Forever

Yesterday I came across an excerpt of The Thief on the Harper Collins website.

When you reach the end there is a very interesting EXTRA titled “A Good Book is a Good Book Forever“:

I think a good book is a good book forever. I don’t think they get less good because times change. If I said that about an adult book , most adults would agree. Look at Shakespeare. What’s funny is that people might not think that it is true for children’s books as well.  I think that readers get pushed toward newly published books. Of course the bookstores want you to read the newest books – they need to sell them to you. But look at the library and you will see faced out on the front shelves the new books. It only makes sense to show you what has been added since the last time you were in the library. If you don’t know what is already in the collection and you want to find out, you need to ask a librarian. Say, “I liked Harry Potter, what should I read next?” The Librarian can show you new books and old ones. The disaster comes when the librarian isn’t there.Everybody should have a good librarian in his life, but not everyone does. So what those people see are the new books in bookstores and the new ones in libraries. When I want to buy someone a present, what do I get? Usually a new book, unless I know them really well. Obviously, I want to get them something they haven’t already read. So new books push the old ones aside. I’d like to make an argument for some great old books. It astonished me that some books last as long as they do.

I love it, it’s so simple and so truthful and so well written.

Em

The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

*This review contains spoilers*

Although I don’t believe that the success of this series lies exclusively in Gen’s character I must admit that he had a major role in keeping me reading day & night  until I reached The End and forcing me to go back and re-read most of the book …the first time I read it too quickly but  every single page in here deserves full attention.

The Thief thought me not to underestimate Gen, he has proven his ability to outsmart opponents and readers.

That  smart, carefree, young boy has grown up and when Attolia cuts his hand off  he finds himself questioning his position as Queen’s thief.

His previous outgoing attitude is replaced by cryptic silences, he needs constant medication to cope with the pain, he can’t sleep without experiencing terrible nightmares.

He is terrified by Attolia and what she can do to him:

He started to pace. “Her following stroke is as good as her attack” he said “I’m too frightened to leave my room, much less to be of any use to my queen”

Gen’s mutilation causes political ramification all over the country plus the Mede is  stepping in to try to gain power for his empire.

Attolia will stop at nothing to defend her throne, vicious, barbaric, edging toward insane,  she is also an astute strategist who rules her country with inflexible hand.

We  get to know Attolia’s story, which partly explains the brutality she is capable of.

The world is at war, the  Queen of  Eddis needs her thief, she needs Gen to steal her peace, not for the first time it’s up to Gen to come up with a solution that will preserve Eddis’ independence:

“Your Majesty” said her Thief at last. He’d never spoken before at a council meeting, and those at the table turned to look at him in surprise.
“Our goal has been to dethrone Attolia without inviting in the Mede.  If the instability of her rule were eliminated and Attolia had a government more stable but inimical to the Mede, it could mean an alliance between Eddis and Attolia that would drive back Sounis.”
“Yes,” Eddis agreed.
“I think,” Eugenides said quietly, “that I could eliminate the instability of the Attolian queen.”

by stealing the queen of Attolia.

And then there is a twist (not as  unpredictable as what happens in the Thief) and I genuinely melted because this is the kind of romance that warms my heart. Eugenides definitely had me swooning.

I feel a little overwhelmed, The Queen of Attolia doesn’t have the greatest plot ever  but while reading  this story I never  experienced that annoying sensation that the author is trying too hard to be smart.

There is a certain degree of simplicity in dialogues, strategies, descriptions and yet it’s subtle, smart without over complicating things.

Plus is not conventional, there is nothing I like more than an unpredictable love story 🙂

Other reviews:

Angieville

Jenny who is immoderately gushing about Megan Whalen Turner

Chachic

Fantasy Cafè

Just Book Reading

Fryrefly’s Book Blog

My grade: 5/5

Em

I Just Can’t Get Enough of Megan Whalen Turner

It’s been a busy week that it’s about to culminate with a wedding ceremony (this afternoon) and a traditional irish music festival (tomorrow and sunday) .

It doesn’t help that every single night I’ve been up until 1 am reading Megan Whalen Turner.

I finished The Queen of Attolia (it deserves a 5 star review) and I am now reading The King of Attolia, this series is so good and so unputdownable, maybe it’s a good thing that I wasn’t aware of A Conspiracy of Kings, I need some sleep.

I just can’t get enough of Eugenides, I loved him in The Thief but he stole my heart in The Queen of Attolia.

I will post a proper review next week, for now I want to share this amazing video , I used to love this french band, it’s such a beautiful song (regardless of what happened) :

I’ve been listening to Noir Desir all week ( no I don’t speak french but I am used to listening to songs in english and not understanding most of the words) , I think Le Vent Nous Portera is perfect for The Thief.

Happy Weekend

Em

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

For five days in a row I woke up earlier than everybody else… to read … I had to, when you are on holidays surrounded by people who want to do all sort of things and you start a book like Graceling it can be  ABSOLUTE TORTURE (I am sure you understand what I mean).

Graceling it’s compelling, once you get sucked into the story you have to keep going.

Katsa…is there something special in names that start with K (Katsa, Katniss, Kate) that conveys strength and personality into an heroine?

Cashore’s idea of coming up with the “grace” concept really impressed me, here it’s a fantasy novel without monsters, witches, talking animals, wizards, there are Gracelings instead. Gracelings are specially gifted humans, born with special abilities.

Katsa is a noble Graceling Lady, she is a Killer, she  is respected and feared in all eight kingdoms  but her gift is also her curse.

Katsa feels manipulated by her uncle, the King, into killing his enemies , she feels sick every time she is ordered to break a neck of perform an act of violence that can be spared.

Together with her cousin  Raffin and other loyal friends she creates a council, a sort of secret society, whose mission is to prevent injustices committed by kings at the expense of honest citizens.

Katsa  is not afraid of getting her hands dirty, she is  a survivor, a free spirit, compassionate, smart, it’s impossible not to love her.

And then there is Po.

Po is a Graceling Lienid Prince, the world believes him to be a fighter,  indeed he is the only one who can  challenge Katsa in a fight. When the council rescues Po’s grandfather and starts investigating what’s behind the kidnapping, he gets involved into the mission.

Po and Katsa embark in a journey that will keep you engrossed until The End. A  page-turner.

I loved Po, his good humor, his courage, his choices, he is very much an anti-hero which is probably why he is so dear to me.

The love story between Katsa and Po is very special, Cashore is smart enough to avoid  literary stereotypes and stick to reality (surprisingly for a fantasy), Katsa and Po are first of all friends, plus they are both adults so you can expect a certain degree of sensuality.

Be aware of spoilers.

What makes this book exceptionally good to me:

* it’s a fantasy  coming-of-age story meaning that both Katsa and Po develop  during the story, they acquire a  better understanding of their graces but they also realize their priorities and what is important to them;

* no sloppy romance, it’s labelled as YA but  is more insightful than most adult books, I strongly believe that facts are more important than words or grand gestures,  those two stick together for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish ;

* no obvious choices, no compromises. I am a huge supporter of compromising but you can’t compromise on those values that define your essence;

* a perfect ending in its imperfection (what I mean is that Katsa and Po find themselves dealing with some serious consequences but I appreciate the way Cashore doesn’t amend does consequences with some “literary trick”);

I would have loved a better understanding of Leck’s sadism,  great villain but he could have been better.

My grade: 5/5

Em

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

Few of you know that my real name is Arianna (Emily is a nickname I had since I was in high school), it’s a greek name, the original version being Ariadne (you can check the myth here, I am not sure what my parents had in mind when they named me but it’s quite  an interesting legend).

It goes without saying that I have a thing for greek’s mythology and imagine my surprise when I started reading The Thief.

I had no idea that this story was  a “mythological fantasy” that took place in a natural landscape so dear to me (here it’s a pic from my last vacation, I was reading the book while camping in an olive grove):

A well written fairy tale is a true gem and while reading The Thief I found myself smiling and dreaming because this is the sort of adventure that makes you think about magical lands, impossible missions, forgotten legends. Turner’s style is superb.

I am thrilled to have  discovered this (thanks Angie!), it’s been said  the it’s the greatest twist in all of young adult literature (Shannon Hale), I couldn’t agree more.

Gen (short for Eugenides) is an imprisoned thief who claims the impossible: he can steal everything.

He is recruited by the King’s Magus of Sounis to steal a legendary stone that mythology claims to be hidden in a temple in the kingdom of Eddis:

“The reign of Eddis supposedly arose out of one of the stories in which Hephestia rewarded a king named Hamiathes with a stone dipped in the water of immortality. The stone freed its bearer from death, but at the end of his natural life span the king passed the stone to his son and died. The son eventually passed it to his son, and the possession of it became synonymous with the right to rule the country. When a usurper stole the stone and soon thereafter died, it was understood that the power of the stone was lost unless it was given to the bearer, and so a tradition grew up that allowed the throne of Eddis to change hands peacefully when another country might have had a civil war. One person stole the stone and then gave it to his chosen candidate for the throne, in that way making him rightful king”

Gen is supposed to steal the stone for the Magus so that the Magus can give it to his King, this way the reluctant queen of Eddis will be obliged to accept a wedding proposal from the King of Sounis.

An expedition is arranged by the Magus and off they go, Gen, the Magus, the Magus’ assistants, Ambiades and Sophos ( Useless the Elder and Useless the Younger), plus Pol, an unfriendly soldier appointed by Sophos’ father to protect his son.

Not too much happens, it’s a very simple plot but it’s an utterly enjoyable fast read with a PERFECTLY CRAFTED ENDING and great characters.

Gen, Oh Eugenides, what a refreshing character you are.

Gen has it all but his biggest quality is his cheekyness, here it’s a character that has none of the stuffiness that usually comes with his position, he would rather be a thief than a soldier, he is uber smart and likes his hair long.

I liked Gen from page one but by the end of the book I was completely fascinated, under-a-spell, enchanted. Plus imagine my surprise when I found out that I wasn’t giving him half the credit he deserved.

If you enjoy fantasy than this is a must read, there is more to come in the next two book (my reviews are coming soon).

Other reviews:

Angieville

The Reading Zone  (have a look!)

Presenting Lenore

The crooked shelf

The Coccinelle put it among her top ten picks

If you want to browse inside, here it’s the link for you.

My grade: 4.5/5

Em

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

WOW I loved Moon Called and I wish I could read the next book in Mercy’s series immediately.

Here it’s the official cover but I must say that I could never picture Mercedes Thompson wearing such an item, I would have appreciated something less sensual and more “Would You Do Me a Favor and Fetch that Hammer?”

From Goodreads:

Werewolves can be dangerous if you get in their way, but they’ll leave you alone if you are careful. They are very good at hiding their natures from Werewolves can be dangerous if you get in their way, but they’ll leave you alone if you are careful. They are very good at hiding their natures from the human population, but I’m not human. I know them when I meet them, and they know me, too.
Mercy Thompson’s sexy next-door neighbor is a werewolf.  She’s tinkering with a VW bus at her mechanic shop that happens to belong to a vampire.  But then, Mercy Thompson is not exactly normal herself … and her connection to the world of things that go bump in the night is about to get her into a whole lot of trouble

I mentioned before how much I dislike vampires, it’s now crystal clear that I instead care deeply for all kind shapeshifters (although vampires were ok in here).

Moon Called makes you feel part of a fictional world that might be on paper but after a few pages starts feeling very real. Briggs creates a strong heroine, her name is Mercedes Thompson aka Mercy, she is a “walker” and can shift into a feisty coyote, which she does quite often.

Mercy fixes cars for living, that’s right, she is a mechanic, an excellent one, as a general rule she minds her own business … at least she tries.

Mercy was raised among the Marrok, the most powerful pack of werewolves in North America, she now lives in Washington close to Adam Hauptman, the local Alpha, Adam’s wolves are the Columbia Basin Pack. Adam is a control freak, you can’t really choose your neighbour,  can you? Besides Mercy knows better than antagonizing a dominant werewolf.

Moon Called is a character driven adventure, it’s all about getting to know Mercy, a girl who is not afraid of getting her hands dirty, an independent creature who has no obligation to obey Pack’s rules, for all her toughness Mercy has a big heart, when Adam’s life is threatened and his daughter Jess is kidnapped, Mercy springs into action and her help proves to be crucial.

What I really liked about this story is the way it carefully details uses & rituals that occur among werewolves’ society, we all agree it’s NOT REAL but by setting clear rules Briggs ensures consistency and credibility to the story. By the end of the book I had a solid grasp of Mercy’s world.

The actual plot starts with the right pace but towards the end it becomes sloppy, the good characters are great but the villain gave a very poor performance (we all know how important a good villain is) and I was honestly confused, I don’t think he/she (I won’t say) has been enforced  with solid motivations.

Overall I can’t wait to see more. Romance doesn’t play a major role (there is hardly any romance) but Mercy and Adam have great chemistry, I am sure there is more to come.

Other reviews:

Sarah’s Book reviews

Renee’s Book Addiction

The Infinite Shelf

Aelia Reads

plus I was greatly encouraged by Angie on Angieville and Carla on The Crooked Shelf.

My grade: 4/5

Em

Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews

Magic Bleeds it’s the fourth book in Kate Daniels’ series by Ilona Andrews, I rambled before about how special Kate is ,  it gets better and better as you get to know and love all characters.

This is what I love about series, when they are good  I can feel my interest increasing to the point of turning into something that is no longer rational, a mild obsession, all I can think of is how badly I want to read my book.

I love when this happens, I love when books mess with my routine to the point that all I want to do is reading, reading, reading.

This review contains spoilers, This review contains swooning, This book is pure awesomeness.

On Ilona Andrews’ website there is a really cool feature “the world of Atlanta” where you can check all main players:

Kate Daniel:  engaging kick-ass  heroine, a combination of dry humor, determination and combat skills … I like the way she doesn’t take crap from anybody. She doesn’t cause problems, she CAUSES CATASTROPHES . Kate used to be a merc but she now works for The Order, highly empowered with magic, she cleans up magical messes

Curran Lennart: a shapeshifter (part lion and part human), 31 years old, 5′11,  Beast Lord, observant and shrewd, skilled fighter, confident but not obnoxious, jealous, possessive, insightful, caring, power comes with responsibility and Curran doesn’t take his role lightly

Saiman: I adore Saiman, talented, excellent at his job, a pervert with great sense of humor, a gentlemen when he wants to be, interested in money and pleasure, hid duplicity would appear at its best on screen

The plot from GoodReads:

Kate Daniels works for the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid, officially as a liaison with the mercenary guild. Unofficially, she cleans up the paranormal problems no one else wants to handle—especially if they involve Atlanta’s shapeshifting community.
When she’s called in to investigate a fight at the Steel Horse, a bar midway between the territories of the shapeshifters and the necromancers, Kate quickly discovers there’s a new player in town. One who’s been around for thousands of years—and rode to war at the side of Kate’s father.  This foe may be too much even for Kate and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, to handle. Because this time, Kate will be taking on family…

The opening is great, Kate is cooking dinner for Curran but he doesn’t show up, she calls The Pack and she is advised to leave a message plus the receptionist informs her that in the future she should go through proper channel.

Kate cooked a huge meal and Curran stood her up. Kate is sad, angry, mad, scorned but when duty calls she will run and work her ass off.

Payback Time later. Kate is not your average oh-I-am-so-heartbroken whiner, she is hard working and I love her even more for her strong ethic.

Magic Bleeds displays  gross content, there are some disgusting scenes (especially at the beginning), there is an engaging thrilling storyline but I kind of started grinning at this point in the story:

“Here you go” He leaned his head to me, his neck so close to my lips, I felt the heat coming off his skin. His breath was warm against my ear. His voice was a ragged snarl “I miss you”
This wasn’t happening
“I worry about you” He dipped his head and looked into my eyes “I worry something stupid will happen and I won’t be there and you‟ll be gone. I worry we won‟t ever get a chance and it’ s driving me out of my skull”
No, no, no, no . . .
Mad gold eyes stared into mine “Do you miss me, Kate?”
I closed my eyes, trying to shut him out. I could lie and then we’d be back to square one. Nothing would be resolved. I’d still be alone, hating him and wanting him.
He grabbed my shoulders and shook me once. “Do you miss me?”
I took the plunge. “Yes”

I melted at “Did you miss me?”, I waited three books hoping to see Kate and Curran together and IT WAS WELL WORTH IT.

Relationships come at a price, is there a future for those two together?

Not only they have different personalities (Kate can’t stand authority, Curran is a controlling freak) , they are also defined by their different natures (Curran is half animal), different roles in society,  different lifestyles. Kate is an agent of the order, she values her neutrality, Curran is the Beast Lord which means that his mate will have to accept responsibilities among the Pack.

The result is poignant, heart warming, compelling.

Magic Bleeds is clearly a transitional book ,  it helps us to understand Kate’s heritage and how scared she really is that something bad will happen to people she loves  because of her identity. We also find out more details about Curran’s Story.

This is by far my favorite urban fantasy series, I can’t wait for the next  book.

Read those reviews and you’ll want to read this:

Angieville

See Michelle Read

Lurv a la mode

Chachic

wonderful snippets from Curran’s point of view on Ilona Andrews’ website.

My grade: 5/5

Em

Fantaghirò The Beautiful

“Myth is the hidden part of every story, the buried part, the region that is still unexplored because there are as yet no words to enable us to get there. Myth is nourished by silence as well as by words.”

–Italo Calvino

When it comes to fairy tales, folklore and fantasy there is plenty of material in the italian literature,  my passion for fairy tales started when my mother borrowed Italian Folktales by Italo Calvino:

I became so passionate on this collection of traditional tales that as soon as I was able to read my parents bought it for me, it was a very big volume for a six years old girl but I was (I still am) very keen on it  and I read those tales hundreds of times.

I have a love-hate relationship with Italo Calvino but  he was  a brilliant intellectual  and a  master storyteller .

Out  of two hundreds fairytales my favorite has always been Fantaghirò The Beautiful.

My enchantment with this fairytale was  fueled by a tv adaptation (the Cave of the Golden Rose)  starring Alessandra Martines as Fantaghirò:

In this story there is a mix that always works for me: a feisty heroine who engages in battles and wins, knights, enemies who fall in love, adventure, great setting and, of course, a happy ending.

You can read it (in english, pag 249, fairytale 69) on Google Books (keep in mind that  it’s meant to be for pre-schoolers).

Em