The Ask and the Answer - Patrick Ness

Read for: No other reason than being the sequel of a very good book, and finally being available in the library (and thus pipping Mr Beagle's book to my first of the year)!

Rarely does a sequel outdo its predecessor. Not necessarily because the writing is bad or the story less enjoyable. But because the feeling that the reader gets when reading the story for ths first time is incomparable...the original can rarely be replicated, and is even less likely to be bettered.

That being said, The Ask and The Answer does all that, and more. The Knife of Never Letting Go was an excellent first novel; full of original ideas, excellent storytelling and characters who it was easy to care about. Left on a cliffhanger ending (to say the least!), it was hard not to rush out and read the sequel to Knife straight away. Hard that is because the library copies had been reserved for what seemed like eternity, and I couldn't justify buying it when I already had so many books on my shelf. So I waited, and low and behold, The Ask and The Answer became available and was subsequently devoured in a matter of days.

Gripping is an understatement. Ness has the ability to take your average characters, your far-from-extraordinary plot and turn it into an absolutely riveting read. With one emotional rollercoaster after another and a corker of a plot twist at the end (I'm sure some readers saw it coming but I certainly didn't!), Ness deftly navigates the somewhat busy field of young adult fantasy and created something truly special. Suffice to say, if you enjoyed the Knife of Never Letting Go, I guarantee that you will love the sequel. Oh yes.

Characters developed throughout the first novel have been fully fleshed out in the sequel. Without giving too much away, our protagonists, Todd and Viola, have been dragged through the most dire of circumstances and find themselves in deadly peril from the first page. Having suffered the most tragic of personal losses, and running from one danger to another, Todd and Viola are forced to face the darkest of situations and worse, the darkness inside themselves. What they each are willing and capable of doing...and sacrificing. It is this that makes the book so enjoyable and so gripping, better than any suspense film that I have seen over the past years. The Ask and The Answer is dark, darker than I expected and far darker than the covers of either book suggest.

It is Ness' expert handling of his characters' plight and the truly devastating effects of their decisions that make the book stand out from its contemporaries, especially in a time where run-of-the-mill YA fantasies seem to be churned out by the dozen. Understated, powerful, heartfelt yet sharp as a knife, Ness' writing really delivers. My only complaint is that we are yet again left with a cliffhanger. And this time, I do not have the next installment readily available to read at my leisure. I guess I'll have to wait with the rest of you! Mr Ness, you have certainly set the bar very high.

I was slightly concerned that a childrens fantasy would not live up to the standard of my first reads of the past three years...I need not have worried. Cracking stuff.

Other blog reviews:
Becky's Book Reviews
Things mean a lot

(have i missed yours?)

The Bride's Farewell - Meg Rosoff

Set in the 1850s, this is the story of Pell Ridley, who decides to run away on the morning of her wedding day. Fleeing the life she dreads, Pell leaves to start anew, heading for Salisbury Fair to find work, taking her horse Jack and her little brother, Bean. However, things do not go to plan and Pell finds herself alone and desperate after suffering a terrible loss.

This is perhaps not what one would expect from Meg Rosoff. Although filled with her trademark writing style and sensitive handling of coming-of-age issues, The Bride's Farewell is a historical romance, compared by many reviewers to the works of Thomas Hardy. Pell is struggling against the future expected of her, as an older child, wife and eventually, mother.

Rosoff has certainly made a name for herself in reinventing each story she writes, with a new setting (in this case a new time period) and new characters. This particular novel is very focused on the heroine Pell and her particular struggles, and certainly does not pull any punches. Pell is subject to terrible treatment and neglect, and at one point, a particularly vicious attack. The latter half of the book delves into a somewhat atypical romance with Pell and her unnamed companion beginning a very modern relationship and living situation.

The Bride's Farewell is about courage and independance, about not accepting your lot in life, but striving to overcome adversity and facing your challenges head on. Rosoff's writing is as graceful as ever. Although dark and at times quite hopeless, Pell is such a tough character and continues onwards, showing admirable determination and strength. Perhaps my only complaint is the speed with which the story comes to its conclusion, with all loose ends tied up in a matter of pages.

Certainly not everyone's cup of tea, and perhaps not as beautiful as her other work, but a good example of Rosoff's writing. I would recommend it to any fan.

Other blog reviews:
Fluttering Butterflies
Things mean a lot
The Written World

Moon Called - Patricia Briggs

Read for: Challenge with Rhinoa

Mercedes (Mercy) Thompson is a Native American mechanic with her own auto repair shop in the Tri-Cities of Washington State. A pretty damn good mechanic, Mercy also has a secret...she is a walker, a shapeshifter who can take the form of a coyote. In this world, many of the lesser fae have revealed themselves to the wider public, although werewolves and shapeshifters still keep themselves hidden. Mercy lives next door to the Alpha of the Tri-Cities werewolf pack, Adam, and is fast friends with his daughter, Jesse. Another friend is a local vampire, who manages to blend into the community but drives around in a replica of the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine!

Moon Called is the first in the Mercy Thompson series, in which Mercy becomes embroiled in deadly werewolf business when she gives a teenage runaway werewolf a job as her assistant. She soon discovers a deeper plot, and when Adam is gravelly wounded and his daughter kidnapped, must resort to returning to the clan of werewolves who raised her in Montana. Mercy is forced to confront her feelings for her lost love and work alongside the werewolves and vampires in order to find Jesse and save the day.

The story itself didn't particularly inspire me, but Briggs' characterisation was excellent, with really enjoyable characters. I became completely involved in Mercy's plight and found the book very difficult to put down. Mercy herself was an interesting character, although the heroine, she is forced to concede to the Alphas decisions though she may not like it. However, as she is not part of the pack, she can often go against werewolf tradition and make her own choices.

I found the werewolves particularly enjoyable to read about, and was very taken with Adam and his relationship with the feisty mechanic. I will certainly be reading more of the series and hope that Stefan the vampire makes another appearance! A really enjoyable book.

Other blog reviews:
Medieval Bookworm

The Forest of Hands and Teeth - Carrie Ryan

"In Mary's world, there are simple truths.
The Sisterhood always knows best.
The Guardians will protect and serve.
The Unconsecrated will never relent.
And you must always mind the fence the surrounds the village..."

I blame Darla D of Books and other thoughts for this entirely. But with a title and book description like that, who could blame anyone for being tempted.

Mary lives in a small, fenced-in village surrounded by the Forest of Hands and Teeth, where the Unconsecrated wait for the opportune moment to strike, to kill. Living her sheltered life with her mother and brother, mourning the loss of her father, Mary dreams of the world outside the fence, the world lost to her people, and the ocean she longs to see with her own eyes. Her quiet existence is shattered one day, when she is proposed to by her childhood friend, Harry, when it is his brother whom she longs for. When tragedy strikes, Mary finds herself at the mercy of the Sisterhood, the mysterious group of nuns who maintain their society and way of life, but whom she soon discovers bear some terrible secrets.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth was not the book I was expecting. From the reviews and blurb that I had read, I imagined it to be a run-of-the-mill fantasy, set in a small village where a girl finds the truth about her ancestors and origins. It is all that, but also so much more. Forest is gripping and suspenseful, harrowing and sad, and I could barely put it down; reading the entire book on Christmas Day. But it is not your typical zombie story either, and it is these differences that truly make the book worth reading.

This is a tale of longing and loss, of growing up, and of making choices. And yes, it is the first in a possible series. The second book, The Dead Tossed Waves, will be published in the spring, and a film adaptation of the first book is likely for 2011. I have read many comparisons with Twilight, and though Forest is as readable ad exciting as the vampire series, I found it to be far better quality writing and a more enjoyable set of characters with real tangible flaws.

Most definitely a series I will be following. Thanks Darla!

Other blog reviews:
Becky's book reviews
Books and other thoughts
My Fluttering Heart
Ravenous Bookshelf
Stuff as Dreams are Made on
The Written World

(Have I missed yours?)

Holiday Swap

My holiday swap gift arrived the other day from the lovely Maree of Just Add Books. I was gifted many lovely items from Maree's home country, New Zealand, with a beautiful journal, kiwi key ring, NZ wildlife fridge magnets, sweets and a cd of NZ music! Many many thanks for the fabulous horde Maree, I'm so pleased! As most people know NZ is up at the top of my list of places I want to live and work in one day, along with Japan and much of Eastern Africa, so these gifts were great! Now this stationary-obsessed blogger has to decide what to use this journal for...so many possibilities!

A Tournament of Reading

Yes yes, one more challenge she says! But how could I resist one based in mediaeval literature and history. Megan of Medieval Bookworm is hosting A Tournament of Reading, challenging participants to read more medieaval literature in 2010. Challenge genres include history, medieval literature and historical fiction. Medieval, for simplicity of definition, will be from 500-1500, and literature from all over the world is welcome, not just Western Europe. There are 3 levels:

• Peasant - Read 3 medieval books of any kind.
• Lord - Read 6 medieval books, at least one of each kind.
• King - Read 9 medieval books, at least two of each kind.

Participants are not required to make a list or stick to one, but post one if you can. For help, Meghan will be posting some recommendations. You can sign up using Mr Linky on Meghan's challenge post, and enjoy some medieval literature! For now, I am signing up as a peasant, with aspirations of becoming a lord (or rather a lady!), and I will post some titles once I've had a think. Fare thee well good readers!

Nation - Terry Prachett

I am writing my last few reviews for 2009 in reverse order, as they are freshest in my mind that way!

Read for: 2009 YA Challenge, Herding Cats II

This is the tale of a wave, one that wipes out every living person in the Nation, a small island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. The only survivor of that Nation is Mau, a boy returning home from the challenges of leaving boyhood to accept a new status as man. Trapped at sea in his canoe when the wave hit, Mau returns home to devastation and lost somewhere between being a boy and becoming a man (and thus with no soul), and tries to make sense of what has happened.

However, Mau is not alone. Mau is joined by Daphne, a high class Victorian girl, the only survivor of the ship Sweet Judy, that lies wrecked and broken on the island. Daphne is what Mau refers to as a trouserman, and with the vast language and cultural barriers that divide them, the two survivors attempt to communicate, while of course adhering to Victorian protocol. Soon, the pair are joined by other survivors and with Mau as their (soulless!) Chief, this sad and broken rabble attempt to make a life for themselves.

Nation is a book of questions. Throughout Mau questions everything around him. The reasons for his surviving the wave, Daphne and her strange trouserman ways, the history of his people and ultimately the existance (or not) of their gods. Although imbued with much of the humour one would expect from Pratchett (tree-climbing octopus!), this is quite a serious book, due predominantly to the terrible events caused by the wave, and the spiritual questions posed by our protagonist. I also particularly liked the nods to science and the discoveries and scientists of the era.

The progression of the story after the wave felt slow, and I did not warm immediately to it or to Mau. However, by the time I was in the latter third of the book, it occurred to me that I liked it, a lot more than I thought I would, though perhaps not as much as I had hoped, given the reviews and recommendations. Mau is a delight and his questions are what drive the book and, I am sure, the reader's enjoyment of it. Daphne too comes into her own, transforming from a confused Victorian castaway, to a clever, scientific-minded woman of power, and it is she who uncovers much of the secrets of the Nation. Indeed, the other survivors are so individual in character and voice that it is almost possible to visualise them, and I found myself particularly taken with the unknown woman. My feelings towards latter events in the book are still somewhat conflicted, but as promised (by many bloggers!), the final chapter was truly wonderful. I have a feeling that this tale may haunt me for a while.

One particular passage that stood out for me midway through the book:

"It was a sacred place, and not because of some god or other. It was just...sacred, because it existed, because pain and blood and joy and death had echoed in time and made it so."

I will certainly recommend Nation, especially to fans of Pratchett, though I am aware that it is somewhat different to his other books. And that is perhaps why I will not be rushing out to read much of his other work. I have never loved Pratchett (the measley handful of books I have read that is!) and doubt I ever will, but I appreciate the following he has and hope that, in light of his illness, this very popular and prolific author can continue to entertain the masses for a long while to come. However, if another book appears in a similar vein of storytelling and characterisation as Nation, I might well consider it.

Other blog reviews:
Becky's book reviews
Book Gazing
Books and other thoughts
Medieval Bookworm
Stuff as dreams are made on
Things mean a lot
Valentina's room
The Written World