Sometimes I read a book, and I even enjoy it, but I don't have much to say about it. I jot down a few thoughts and then I move on. When these start to pile up, I put them together in one post.
Here are a couple recent YA Fantasy reads.
A Creature of Moonlight by Rebecca Hahn
The prose in this book are hauntingly beautiful and evocative. The imagery used paints a gorgeous picture of the kingdom, the flowers, the woods, loss, yearning, and the pain of growing up and taking on responsibility. The problem is that not much happened. Or rather, things were happening, but the action was described in circular prose that moved from flashback to present and never contained any urgency or sense of anything. There were so many beautiful words, but other than creating setting and mood, they didn't do much. I can see why this would be blurbed by Franny Billingsley. As I began reading it, I was reminded of her work. The major difference is she has always makes me care about her characters, even when I don't like them. Marni never became more that words on a page for me. Beautiful though this is, it is also incredibly dull.
I read an e-galley of this book made available by the publisher, HMH Books for Young Readers, via Edelweiss.
The Wizard's Promise by Cassandra Rose Clark
I really had fun reading Clark's former duology, The Assassin's Curse and The Pirate's Wish, so was excited when I discovered another book was coming out set in the same world. While still a fun and intriguing story, I didn't enjoy this one as much as the previous two. Hanna has an interesting past and eventually does some interesting things, but for a large portion of the novel she complains and flounces a lot. The story takes so long to go anywhere truly interesting. The majority of it is spent on the boat, and I don't love stories that take place on boats. Also, enough people I trust have called in to question Clark's research and knowledge of how boating works that I find myself distrustful now whenever her character is on a boat. This felt a bit repetitive too. The Mists need to be defeated by a girl on a boat with a boy who has a mysterious origin. AGAIN??? All of that combined to make it harder for me to get into. But I love the magic and world-building still.
I read an e-galley made available by the publisher, Strange Chemistry, via NetGalley.
Here are a couple recent YA Fantasy reads.
A Creature of Moonlight by Rebecca Hahn
The prose in this book are hauntingly beautiful and evocative. The imagery used paints a gorgeous picture of the kingdom, the flowers, the woods, loss, yearning, and the pain of growing up and taking on responsibility. The problem is that not much happened. Or rather, things were happening, but the action was described in circular prose that moved from flashback to present and never contained any urgency or sense of anything. There were so many beautiful words, but other than creating setting and mood, they didn't do much. I can see why this would be blurbed by Franny Billingsley. As I began reading it, I was reminded of her work. The major difference is she has always makes me care about her characters, even when I don't like them. Marni never became more that words on a page for me. Beautiful though this is, it is also incredibly dull.I read an e-galley of this book made available by the publisher, HMH Books for Young Readers, via Edelweiss.
The Wizard's Promise by Cassandra Rose Clark
I really had fun reading Clark's former duology, The Assassin's Curse and The Pirate's Wish, so was excited when I discovered another book was coming out set in the same world. While still a fun and intriguing story, I didn't enjoy this one as much as the previous two. Hanna has an interesting past and eventually does some interesting things, but for a large portion of the novel she complains and flounces a lot. The story takes so long to go anywhere truly interesting. The majority of it is spent on the boat, and I don't love stories that take place on boats. Also, enough people I trust have called in to question Clark's research and knowledge of how boating works that I find myself distrustful now whenever her character is on a boat. This felt a bit repetitive too. The Mists need to be defeated by a girl on a boat with a boy who has a mysterious origin. AGAIN??? All of that combined to make it harder for me to get into. But I love the magic and world-building still.I read an e-galley made available by the publisher, Strange Chemistry, via NetGalley.
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