REVIEW: Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest

Source: Bought

http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/merchandise/0,,278574,00.html

This is technically the fourth installment in my Women in Fantasy challenge reading. Technically, I'm supposed to have read and reviewed Prospero Lost by L. Jagi Lamplighter, but since it's some kind of retelling of The Tempest, and I'll be reading that play at the end of the month for school, I decided to postpone reading the book until I finish the play. However, here's April's selection, Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest.

This is my first taste of Southern Gothic. I don't really have too much experience with modern Gothic novels, so my only point of comparison is from 18th century British literature (including what is considered the first Gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto). It was definitely cool to see what elements were used (most especially, the moves used with setting to signal different events: like the creepy house is where the mean old aunt lives).

First of all, I loved the setting. My longest stretch living anywhere as a kid was in Mississippi, and most of my family comes from the Memphis region, so I'm definitely more familiar with the South than anywhere else in the country (although I certainly don't sound like it). Chattanooga is one of my favorite cities to drive through; it's really pretty, and I've always wanted to actually spend some time there.

Anyways, Eden Moore, born and raised in Chattanooga, is plagued by something more than just an upsetting family history. She's been seeing the ghosts of three sisters for most of her life. Although scary at first, they end up as quasi-guardian angels when they help save Eden's life after someone who turns out to be her cousin goes on a shooting spree against her. Wrapped up with her desire to figure out why he's so determined to kill her is her search for information concerning her mother, who died during childbirth in an asylum that housed troubled teens. Wading further into the truth reveals an even more disturbing truth than Eden was prepared to face.

The Gothic elements in this story were well-drawn. Like I said, my favorite was the creepy house, with the horrible aunt, that becomes a place where some not-so-nice things happen, and some cases where a storm coming heralds negative events. Then, of course, there's plenty of creepy moments with ghosts (particularly one encounter involving a girl Eden meets at camp who deals with an incredibly unpleasant specter), and the scene where Eden goes to visit the abandoned asylum (definitely the creepiest moment in the book, I think). Like the other Gothic novels I've read, the supernatural elements are not meant to scare you (like, say, a horror film, which does try to make you jump out of your seat). Instead, they create a really rich setting for the story, which Ms. Priest's really gorgeous prose facilitated.

I liked the characters. The family tree, though, is hard to keep track of as Eden uncovers more information. I loved Eden's guardians, her aunt Lulu and her uncle Dave. In a twisted way, I even liked her crazy aunt Eliza, who was the typical mean-as-a-snake old lady, alone in her big house.

The only thing that bothered me about this book was the pacing of the story. There were some different story lines that had to converge into one, but I felt like the execution was a bit choppy, and the ending became kind of rushed. It was even more jarring considering how well written the book actually was. Plus, the ending left me more confused than anything (I mean, I think I got it, but…it was bizarre enough that it wasn't entirely resolved for me). Having said that, it was almost impossible for me to put the book down, and it was a very enjoyable (and creepy) reading experience.

I'm not 100% sure why this was included on a fantasy book list, though. Yes, there's magic, in the occult that is in the book, and there's supernatural elements, but it's not at all something I'd consider fantasy. I'll be curious to see what other readers have to say on the discussion board.

[And just a random aside, but important enough I felt like adding it. Ms. Priest did not write in dialect. It's just that they're from Tennessee, there's only one person from the North, and the accents weren't written in every line, just explained or assumed. And, honestly, maybe Eden didn't have a super-heavy accent, but I could assume either way (as in, y'all wasn't in every other line). I really appreciate this: reading the accent in every line gets super tiresome (Orpheus Descending by Tennessee Williams is a great example-I got through a page), and, seriously, I know her background, it's totally unnecessary and would have completely killed the flow of the book. So, yeah, thanks for that.]

Grade: 3.5/5, leaning heavily towards a 4-the plotting was a bit choppy, but the writing and settings are gorgeous

REVIEW: Feed by Mira Grant

Source: Bought

This book was an accidental good find. It wasn't on my book list, meaning I bought it not really 100% sure what it was about or whether I had read a strong review in its favor, but I had vaguely remembered it and assumed I wanted it. I love these moments, when I accidentally discover what turns out to be a really awesome book.

So, it's 2039, and we have cures for the common cold and cancer. Unfortunately, the viruses that are these cures combined cause humans to die and rise again. At least there are perks to zombies shambling around. Georgia and Shaun Mason, news bloggers, have been selected to cover the story of a potential Republican candidate for the U.S. presidency. Although things start out great, as they follow a story that's going to completely change their lives, things deteriorate as they begin to uncover a vast conspiracy that's costing innocent lives.

This is a really fast-paced, exciting book, and that's taking into consideration the fact that it's really more a political thriller more than a horror story about zombies. Both elements were really well-balanced, actually, with plenty of zombie outbreak moments that had me at the edge of my seat, along with the work that came with covering the campaign and, later, the conspiracy.

Even with all the action, there was plenty of time for the characters to be really well-drawn. I especially liked Georgia and Shaun, who were both adopted by a couple who used them to further their ratings (which I thought really horrible and creepy, although their kids definitely turned out alright, all things considered). At first their co-dependence was slightly off-putting, but it began to make sense: in a world where danger lurked around every corner, it would be great to have someone whom you could always rely on and trust, which made the ending all the more heartbreaking.

On that note, I really felt like Ms. Grant captured the human element in all this. It's not all about action and zombie-shooting. Instead, the horror in how fast an outbreak can happen and affect everyone in the vicinity, including the people you care about, really became an important element. It was almost cruel, how democratic the infections were: everyone is somehow affected. It was also really cool that the effect on American culture as a whole was included. For example, you can easily tell who grew up in the era before the Rising, because they interact much more easily in spaces with windows and in crowds of people. For those who grew up after the Rising, a situation like a crowd just makes your skin crawl. There was tons of info on life post-Rising, the blood tests, and how people were forced to act in different situations, etc., which was really interesting.

I will say, though, that sometimes the explanations/technical-type language could be a little much. In general, it was really interesting, but Georgia had a tendency to go off on a long, detailed explanation about her equipment, or how she was uploading something, and I had no idea what she was talking about, except in a very vague sense. I wasn't even sure if it was a futuristic computer system, or if I was just that clueless about computers that people who have really big blogs/sites actually do stuff like this. Honestly, I'm fairly inept, so it was like something from a sci-fi story. At times, the plot was slightly interrupted because them sitting down to work would take half a chapter, and you'd get slammed with tons of info about their sight. Generally, this tapered off towards the last third of the novel, so it was actually well-balanced, but it was hard to follow at moments.

Overall, this book was a really fun read. The plotting was well-done, I loved the main characters, and seeing the alternate version of an America riddled with zombies was super interesting. Other than the info-heavy moments that were hard to follow at times, I enjoyed every moment of it.

Grade: 4/5

REVIEW: Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler

Source: Bought

Melissa Miller has a strange way to deal with her emotions: she cuts herself. After one particularly rough day, when kills her cat, she takes it too far. Before she slices her artery open, Death gives her the chance to become War, the Red Rider. Missy ignores him, but then her ex-boyfriend humiliates her, and she does go too far. As she begins to bleed out, Death prompts her to take the package he gave her; sword in hand, Missy begins her rocky career as War.

Rage doesn't exactly pick up right after Hunger, and it can be read as a stand-alone, although I definitely recommend reading these books in order, because the plots parallel each other really nicely, and there are some scenes involving Famine that were both amusing and interesting to read through given the context of what happened in the first book (and, seriously, that scene was absolutely fantastic). Speaking of plots, this story is very narrowly focused on a pretty specific period of time, as was Hunger. The story revolves around Missy's humiliation at a party and the weekend and the school day after. Within that weekend, Missy's dealing with real-life conflicts and grappling with what being War requires of her. The plot is parallel to Hunger in that balance and control are predominant ideas, and her conflict with her power (here, her conflict with War/the sword completely taking her over and blocking out rational thinking) combined with her struggle to control her urge to cut.

Another cool thing was the scene between Missy and Pestilence, who was only briefly introduced in the last book. He seems like a really interesting character, I must say-in the scene, he was having a bad day and was basically babbling nonsense, so I'm really curious to see what his story will be like. On that note, though, it's important to note that world-building isn't really a priority. These are definitely character-focused books, so details on the Horsemen, their function, how the system works, etc., aren't really in the book. I felt like I had a better concept of what they did, though, after reading the conversation between Famine and Missy, although it's still a little confusing. I really get a lot out of the emotional development of the characters, and how they grapple with their issues, so I'm able to not get hung up on figuring out how everything works. Still, there was one plot detail that did bug me (how she actually killed her cat), which was explained at the end; I just didn't understand why it wasn't initially explained, mainly because Missy thought about the cat often. It got irritating to read about someone who was obviously an incredibly important part of her life for a long time and not know how she died.

Like Hunger, the issue at stake in the story is one that makes people uncomfortable, and is often inaccurately portrayed. Self-injury being something that is used as a coping mechanism for incredibly powerful and overwhelming feelings was really well-portrayed. In the afterword, Ms. Kessler talked about how she did a lot of research on self-injury to portray it accurately, and I thought she did a fantastic job. There are definitely some tough scenes, including one where Missy is bleeding out on the floor, and there's lots of description of her scars. If the concept of blood or cutting through flesh makes your skin crawl, steer clear!

Missy was an incredibly refreshing character. I must say, I get sick of characters who tend to wallow in self-pity, or who shut down or get depressed. It seems like that's used much more than a character who gets furious, especially in YA. There are definitely characters who've had epic angry moments (like Daine from Tamora Pierce's Emperor Mage), but I feel like I don't see them too often. Missy's entire world is focused on keeping her emotions in check enough to function in her school and at home (there's a really nice way this is described, the glass jar that she forces her emotions into, so she can put on her "dead face"). Like Lisabeth, Missy has a major show-down with her issue/role as Horseman, although it was done in a different way, which was not quite as cool as the War vs. Famine showdown. Also, this isn't an all-is-well ending, as Missy dealing with her need to cut as a coping strategy doesn't magically go away by the end.

Overall, I liked this book. The plotting was similar to Hunger, although I was frustrated a few times with lack of details. I feel like the Horsemen are being fleshed out more, and there are more interactions between them all. Again, I mainly read this for the raw emotions and the development of the character, so I really got a lot out of the book. I definitely can't wait for Pestilence's book (and, of course, Death's).

Grade: 3.5/5, leaning towards 4

Double Feature

So this is technically last month's Double Feature, but chaos ensued, and so April will have two Double Features. For this one, the first two books of the Salt trilogy by Maurice Gee.

Book 1: Salt

Source: Christmas present I'm finally getting to

Life before Company was good; but Company came with guns and destroyed the city and built their own on the ruins, leaving the citizens to live in the rubble left. Hari lives in the destroyed city with his father Tarl, in Blood Burrow, where eating rats and crawling through slimy holes is an everyday occurrence. Then Company clerks come to collect workers, and Tarl is caught. When he tries to escape, he is branded as a worker meant for Deep Salt, the mine that no worker ever comes out of. Hari decides to follow to free Tarl before it is too late.

On the other side of the coin is Pearl, whose family is Company. She is fleeing from a forced marriage to a randy old goat with her maid Tealeaf, who is a Dweller and has taught her how to speak with her mind and control others, something Hari has also learned to do. The two meet accidentally as they flee the city and join forces (reluctantly at first). Together, they plan to reach Tealeaf's village and launch a rescue for Tarl.

This is a very cool book. The idea of Salt is absolutely freaky (especially the mutant rats that chase them through caves, gross!). I haven't yet read a book that involves the negative after-effects of imperialism, but it certainly echoes the ideas of European colonialism. White-skinned Company comes across the sea with guns to destroy the lives of the dark-skinned natives. Hari has to get over his natural instinct to kill anyone white-skinned, and Pearl has to get over belittling anyone who isn't Company. Both undergo significant development and mature as they continue along their journey. This was a story as much about coming of age as it was a story about a dystopian future. Even though the writing and plot itself seem simplistic at times (the world building, for instance, is very basic), there is plenty for you to think about. There is more to this story than initially meets the eye; I love that this book made me think about it after I read it.

Pearl and Hari were great lead characters. Their meeting was really rocky to begin with, but it wasn't all magically fixed once they realized they were working towards the same basic thing. Hari especially has a lot of emotional scarring from how he grew up, and they had to grapple with some big trust issues before they became loyal to each other. Tealeaf was the mediator and helped them learn how to live off the land (i.e. they would have died in a few days of starvation without her) and how to find themselves in such a miserable world.

It took a little while to adjust to the writing. It's unlike anything I've ever seen. I'm not totally fond of it, but I was able to adjust. It's appropriate in its seeming simplicity (for lack of a better word: basically, not really rich and luscious, but to-the-point), since their world is stripped to the bare essentials. Everything is focused on Hari's drive to find Tarl, and on sealing Salt and keeping the mysterious substance from the power of Company. I do like really sumptuous world building and story-telling, but this was a really refreshing read.

Overall, Salt is a bizarre and fascinating story. I liked the characters, and that the entire plot was driven by their drive for changing their world as much as possible. Pearl and Hari underwent significant development as they matured and came to care for each other. The story was well-paced. It wasn't my favorite read of all time, but I definitely enjoyed it.

Grade: 3.5/5

Book 2: Gool

Source: Also a Christmas present

 

As if Salt wasn't a freaky enough invention, the Gool is from a completely different world (literally). Hari and Pearl have built a life of peace for themselves and their children, a village made of people who hear the same voice that they do. This peace is ruined when they discover the Gool, a monstrous thing that attacks and eats anything that comes near. Hari is touched by it, and a piece wraps itself around his throat and begins to kill him slowly. Based on a story Tealeaf tells them, Xantee and Lo, Hari's children, and Duro, their friend, set out to the city from their parents' past to find books that might help them kill the Gool.

Like Salt, this book is fueled almost solely by the characters' drive to fix a life-or-death situation involving their father and by the need to fix a great wrong in the world. The plot of this story had a little more traveling in it than did Salt; it was a little less action, but it also helped flesh the world out a bit more. Once the action picked up, though, it was fast-paced until the end. I really liked how the story both continued the first book's story and also echoed it, without it being really overdone. I didn't feel like this was Salt retold with the kids.

What I liked about Salt, I also liked about Gool: the characters, their development, the pacing, the story itself. For some reason, though, I liked the writing style slightly less, maybe because the middle section of the story was less action-packed (again, it's not just a repeat of the first book). Still, it wasn't too hard to look past.

I can't think of an elegant way to describe the Gool, other than it is really freaking whacky. As if the thing itself wasn't crazy enough, the reason it exists is really nuts (it's really cool, once they piece the puzzle together). Then there's the icky part where they fight the thing…God, the visual images I got from the descriptions were disturbing. It was an absolutely fascinating scene, although I rushed through to get to the end (I couldn't help it) and I didn't sit and grapple with everything that happened in that scene-the ending is definitely something to reread and ponder over, which is cool.

Like Salt, the story is deceptively simple, especially at first. The issue echoed here is the harmful effect of men's hatred, and you can just stick with the story, or read it with this in mind and really think about it. I'll admit, I was in the first camp, mainly because I was too eager to reach the end to give the book the amount of thought it really deserves. This is a series that definitely merits rereading, and I feel like, every time I reread it, I'll get something else out of it.

Grade-3.5-very good, but the writing style isn't my favorite, so I can get annoyed at points