antigoddess

I’ve been entranced by the cover art for Kendare Blake's Antigoddess ever since I saw it and read the official summary early last year.  It sounded bloody, slightly terrifying, and (honestly) pretty magic.  I’ve had it out from the library for a few weeks now, but I finally sat down for a few hours of quality reading time the day before yesterday because I told my book club that I was reading it. And although that was technically true at the time (I was halfway through the first chapter), I wanted it to be more true.  Lucky me, Antigoddess is the sort of story that doesn’t let you go once it has got its teeth into you.  In a good way, of course.

Old Gods never die…

Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.

Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god.

These days, Cassandra doesn’t involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn’t even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning.

Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don’t just flicker out.

Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath. 

The Greek gods are dying mysterious, horrible deaths.  Athena is sprouting feathers from within.  Her brother Hermes is wasting away.  None of them know how or why it’s happening, but they are banding together to kill each other – or die trying.  In a desperate bid to save themselves, Athena and Hermes set out on a quest to find the prophet Cassandra, in hopes that something about her will change their fates.  The trouble is, this time around Cassandra is an innocent (and ignorant) teenage girl, and the other side isn’t going to go down without a fight.

Antigoddess is a story for Greek mythology junkies.  It’s for kids who grew up reading D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths, The Odyssey, and Edith Hamilton’s Mythology.  That isn’t to say that if you haven’t read those books you CAN’T enjoy the book, but it won’t make nearly as much sense or be as easy to read if you don’t have the background.  Lucky me, I was raised on all of the books above.  Antigoddess was fun, quick reading, as well as a little dark, a lot savage, and all the way entertaining.

I thought the movement inherent in the plot was one of the strongest parts of the book.  I don’t want to spoil any twists, so I’ll just say that it starts with a journey, and ends with a full-blown war.  Also possibly the end of the world?  But yes, a war between the gods at the very least.  The beginning was a little slow – push through the first two chapters and you’ll hit the more interesting bits (at least, that was my take).  The action is helped along by the fact that most of the narration is split between Athena and Cassandra, and Athena is a goddess bent on justice and action.

Return for a minute to the part above where I said that the book was best if you’d read Greek mythology previously… that’s because much of the characterization relies on previous knowledge of the temperaments and exploits of those gods.  The back story is really back story, in this case.  And that’s not a problem, unless you expect pages of character exploration.  You won’t get it.  Instead, the focus is squarely on the action, the twists of the story, and the dealings between humans and gods.  Blake does a good job of making a millennia-old creature’s thought patterns both immediate and authentic.

Antigoddess is a dark young adult fantasy that relies heavily on Greek myth, but also explores themes of atoning for the past, the struggle to survive, and if it is possible for people (or gods) to change their natures.  It’s a little violent, a little gory, and a perfect set-up for what’s sure to be an epic death match.

Recommended for: fans of Greek mythology and young adult fantasy retellings, and readers who enjoyed Neil Gaiman’s American Gods and/or Tessa Gratton’s The Lost Sun.

banana nut brownies

I became a banana-and-coffee-for-breakfast person last summer.  Before that I was just a coffee-for-breakfast girl.  Times change!  Anyway, now that I buy bananas, I also have bananas going brown before I can get to them.  I knew of one way to use those bananas: banana bread.  Last weekend I looked around the internet for a new recipe, but for some reason I kept thinking of chocolate.  Eventually, chocolate took complete control (as it does).  And that is how I discovered these brownies, which are ridiculously good.  Like, wow.

Banana Nut Brownies (modified very slightly from this Taste of Home recipe) 

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter, very soft

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup ripe bananas, mashed (around 3 medium-sized)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9-inch square baking pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine butter, sugar and cocoa.  Stir in eggs, milk and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add flour mixture to batter in two batches, stirring after each addition.  Stir in bananas, then fold in nuts and chocolate chips.

Pour batter into the prepared baking pan, and bake 40-45 minutes until the top springs back/stays firm when tapped lightly.  Cool in pan before serving (or be very careful of the chocolate chips, which will have turned liquid and extremely hot). 

This recipe makes a lovely pan of brownies, and although they are rich, they also have that hint of ‘lightness’ that the fruit brings to the table.  I took photos and then told my roommates they were free game.  The brownies were gone by the following morning.

Recommended for: fans of brownies, anyone with overripe bananas and a chocolate craving, and for an easy, family-friendly dessert to end any meal.

Interested in other food-related posts?  Check out Beth Fish Reads’ Weekend Cooking!

black dog giveaway

2014 is still young, but I’ve already read some great books.  As I mentioned on twitter yesterday, the best young adult book I’ve read so far this year is Rachel Neumeier’s Black Dog.  It has unique mythology, complex characters, diversity, and a plot that just won’t stop.  Basically, it’s AWESOME. 

I want to share my love of this book with all of you!  I’ll give away a paperback or ebook copy of Rachel Neumeier’s Black Dog to two giveaway winners.  To enter to win, simply fill out the FORM.  Giveaway open internationally, will end at 11:59pm EST on February 28^th.  Winners will be selected randomly and notified via email.  Good luck!

Natividad is Pure, one of the rare girls born able to wield magic. Pure magic can protect humans against the supernatural evils they only half-acknowledge – the blood kin or the black dogs. In rare cases – like for Natividad’s father and older brother – Pure magic can help black dogs find the strength to control their dark powers.

But before Natividad’s mother can finish teaching her magic their enemies find them. Their entire village in the remote hills of Mexico is slaughtered by black dogs. Their parents die protecting them. Natividad and her brothers must flee across a strange country to the only possible shelter: the infamous black dogs of Dimilioc, who have sworn to protect the Pure.

In the snowy forests of Vermont they are discovered by Ezekiel Korte, despite his youth the strongest black dog at Dimilioc and the appointed pack executioner. Intrigued by Natividad he takes them to Dimilioc instead of killing them.

Now they must pass the tests of the Dimilioc Master. Alejandro must prove he can learn loyalty and control even without his sister’s Pure magic. Natividad’s twin Miguel must prove that an ordinary human can be more than a burden to be protected. And even at Dimilioc a Pure girl like Natividad cannot remain unclaimed to cause fighting and distraction. If she is to stay she must choose a black dog mate.

But, first, they must all survive the looming battle.

black dog

I am intrigued by the idea of werewolves, and I know I am not the only one out there (see: the popularity of paranormal fiction and film).  Even more than werewolves themselves, I’m interested in the mythology and world-building it takes to make a story with werewolves in it viable and more-or-less believable.  So: I was interested, and I’d heard about Rachel Neumeier’s Black Dog, But what actually got me reading?  Stephanie Burgis’ tweet and Liviana’s review.  All at once I felt a pull toward the book – you could even say it was like the lure of the full moon (if you wanted to be incredibly cheesy) – and I am so glad I heeded that call.  The puns, they just write themselves…

Natividad is Pure, one of the rare girls born able to wield magic. Pure magic can protect humans against the supernatural evils they only half-acknowledge – the blood kin or the black dogs. In rare cases – like for Natividad’s father and older brother – Pure magic can help black dogs find the strength to control their dark powers.

But before Natividad’s mother can finish teaching her magic their enemies find them. Their entire village in the remote hills of Mexico is slaughtered by black dogs. Their parents die protecting them. Natividad and her brothers must flee across a strange country to the only possible shelter: the infamous black dogs of Dimilioc, who have sworn to protect the Pure.

In the snowy forests of Vermont they are discovered by Ezekiel Korte, despite his youth the strongest black dog at Dimilioc and the appointed pack executioner. Intrigued by Natividad he takes them to Dimilioc instead of killing them.

Now they must pass the tests of the Dimilioc Master. Alejandro must prove he can learn loyalty and control even without his sister’s Pure magic. Natividad’s twin Miguel must prove that an ordinary human can be more than a burden to be protected. And even at Dimilioc a Pure girl like Natividad cannot remain unclaimed to cause fighting and distraction. If she is to stay she must choose a black dog mate.

But, first, they must all survive the looming battle.

Natividad and her brothers Miguel and Alejandro are on the run – and they’re hoping that their destination will offer a refuge.  Hoping, but not counting on it.  Natividad’s parents were killed in Mexico in an attack from their father’s enemy, and now they’re fleeing to his homeland Dimilioc, in Vermont. Dimilioc is their only option, despite its repulation.  Natividad is Pure, a rare girl who can use magic, her twin Miguel is human, and Alejandro is a black dog, a shifter.  And Dimilioc is famous for being the home of the most vicious and protective black dogs – black wolves – in North America.  But before they can find a place in Dimilioc, they will have to prepare for a battle against the enemy that followed them across a continent.

I REALLY liked this book.  It had unique werewolf lore, diversity, fantastic world-building, beautiful writing, layered characters and an intense fight for survival (aka plot).  Wait, I need to write more?!  Ha.  Let’s go with Natividad.  She’s a girl who has recently lost her home as well as her mother, but she’s still intensely protective and caring.  She’s not surrendering to anger or turning her emotions into reasons to fight. She doesn’t always know the answer, she sometimes acts rashly, but she’s constantly learning and hoping and surviving, driven all the time by love for family. I wonder if it is possible NOT to fall in love with Natividad.

Even if Natividad didn’t carry the story, there’s Dimilioc and its complicated hierarchy, and Miguel and Alejandro struggling to find a place in it – all the while wondering if death is around the next corner.  It’s pretty intense stuff, and that’s not even counting the fight against Malvern Vonhausel, their father’s old enemy.  Add in the very nature of black dogs, where the ‘shadow’ of their other self is always trying to overtake their human side, and you have a setting rife with tension and anger, shame and secrets that keep trust from taking root.  And still, that’s not all.

Neumeier has written a story where familial relationships shine.  Miguel and Alejandro and Natividad are the obvious family unit, but so too are the Dimilioc wolves.  The give and take of those relationships adds layers of depth to every character – there are no cardboard representations in Black Dog.  Also wonderful: the diversity of those characters and families, and the Spanish dialogue that Natividad and her brothers fall into unwittingly or use to describe their magic/nature.  The obvious contrast of Mexico and Vermont adds to the strangeness of the situation for the newcomers.  As Natividad assimilates to her new environment, so does the reader.  It’s really rather genius.

You may have noticed that I have said nothing yet about the fact that Natividad, due to her status as Pure, must choose a mate (it’s right there in the official summary). I understand that this is part of the culture/tradition in this setting, but it still made me uncomfortable in the extreme, especially at the beginning.  I believe Neumeier deals with this element well (by narrowing the field almost immediately), but the fact remains that all of Natividad’s dealings with the Dimilioc wolves have at least a double meaning.  Of course they value her magic, but they value her possible fertility even more.  I can’t decide if I think this is creepy enough to be a true reservation, or adds to the world-building.  Probably a little bit of both.

I will certainly be reading the sequel, and I very much enjoyed the book overall.  It’s young adult fantasy with a bite, and the tension and pace compliment the characterization and plot wonderfully well.

Recommended for: fans of werewolves and unique paranormal lore, those who like diversity, great world-building and solid characters, and anyone who loved Robin McKinley’s Sunshine or Anne Bishop’s Written in Red.

Fine print: I received an e-ARC of Black Dog from the publisher (Strange Chemistry) via NetGalley for honest review.

oatmeal raisin molasses cookies

I never knew my great-grandmother Susu, but she made an indelible imprint on fabric of my maternal family.  My mother is her namesake, and one of her favorite stories about Susu involves cookies.  Apparently my great-grandmother and grandfather baked batches of this recipe and won baking competitions together.  I can imagine that strong-willed woman and her son in the kitchen, making cookies that look modest, but taste robust, rich and surprisingly light for something that seems so dense when it goes into the oven.

To continue the story to the present day, this recipe continues to be a favorite with my family.  My mother has been known to whip up a quadruple batch for a gathering at the house.  Then of course the cookies disappear within days.  Too much temptation!

Oatmeal Raisin Molasses Cookies

INGREDIENTS

1 cup sugar

1 cup salted butter

2 eggs

3 tablespoons molasses, generous

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 tablespoons milk, generous

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

2 cups flour

1 cup nuts (walnuts, pecans, etc.), chopped

1 cup raisins

DIRECTIONS

Allow butter, eggs and milk reach room temperature.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Prepare several cookie sheets by covering in aluminum foil or parchment paper, set aside.

Cream sugar and butter together in a large bowl.  Add eggs, molasses and vanilla and mix until blended.  Dissolve baking soda in milk and add to mixture.  Add spices, oats and flour.  Mix until completely blended – batter should be heavy and a little sticky.  Fold in nuts and raisins.  Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheets.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, switching racks halfway through baking.  Let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to finish cooling.  Yields 3 dozen cookies (or a few more, depending on how generous you are with cookie size!).

Note: This batter turns out best when the kitchen is a little cool.  If you make these cookies in summer, I suggest refrigerating the dough for an hour before baking.

A word of warning, these are not mild oatmeal cookies that masquerade as a ‘sensible dessert.’  They’re packed with flavor and texture and will please fans of carrot cake and the occasional hearty morning muffin. In other words: don’t expect that store-bought oatmeal ‘taste.’  Also: they smell DIVINE while baking.

Recommended for: fans of spice and texture in their baked goods, and the perfect hearty cookie to finish off a workman’s lunch.

Interested in other food-related posts?  Check out Beth Fish Reads’ Weekend Cooking!

cruel beauty

At the end of last year and during the holiday season I kept my head down, busily reading for the CYBILS first round of judging.  Perhaps that’s how I missed early buzz for Rosamund Hodge’s fairy tale retelling Cruel Beauty.  When I looked around in January, there were positive (glowing, really) reviews for the book on blogs as far as the eye could see.  Overnight I went from interested to must buy it the day it comes out.  And that’s the story of how I found myself reading (and liking!) a compelling fantasy about a girl who hates everything, but most especially her fate.

The romance of Beauty and the Beast meets the adventure of Graceling in a dazzling fantasy novel about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom, Nyx has always known her fate was to marry him, kill him, and free her people from his tyranny.

But on her seventeenth birthday, when she moves into his castle high on the kingdom's mountaintop, nothing is as she expected—particularly her charming and beguiling new husband.

Nyx knows she must save her homeland at all costs, yet she can't resist the pull of her sworn enemy—who's gotten in her way by stealing her heart.

For fans of bestselling authors Kristin Cashore and Alex Flinn, this gorgeously written debut infuses the classic fairy tale with glittering magic, a feisty heroine, and a romance sure to take your breath away.

Nyx Triskelion is the daughter of the leader of the Resurgandi, a group pledged to overthrow Arcadia’s demon ruler, the Gentle Lord.  Before her birth Nyx’s father made a bargain to marry one of his daughters to the Gentle Lord on her seventeenth birthday.   Nyx has been training to kill that demon since age nine, all the while guarding hate in her heart, lest it mark her twin sister, too.  The trouble is that Nyx’s plan is a suicide mission. She knows it.  Her father knows it.  Her husband knows it.   The only option left is to carry out the plan, if she can.

The official book summary (in the gray box above) makes much of the Beauty and the Beast overtones in this story.  As many other reviewers have noted, however, Cruel Beauty does more homage to the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche, and there are strands of many other fairy tales woven into the whole as well.  BUT.  This is more than a retelling.  It’s a book about memory, knowledge, sacrifice, and clues left at the edges, about self-hatred and redemption, and about the stories that can be built between the lines of any life.

Nyx is an interesting character. For the first fifty pages of the book, I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep reading about her.  She had so much poisonous hatred in her heart, and it (inevitably) spilled out into her life and the lives of the ones she was meant to love.  I’ve realized that I am not one to challenge myself by reading about difficult characters, so Nyx was a stretch.  What kept me going, then?  Her absolute determination, her intelligence, and her willingness to take unbelievable risks.  For those first few chapters I thought to myself, ‘Textbook depressive personality,’ and then for the rest of the book I was swept into the story, into the incremental changes in Nyx’s actions and purpose, and into a hope for a better ending.

Any first-person narrative rotates around its main character, but of course Ignifex (the Gentle Lord), his shadow and his house also loomed large.  I didn’t find the book quite as swoon-worthy as expected – the central romance didn’t appeal to me that way.  However, the banter between Nyx and her husband and the mysteries of the house did appeal, immensely, as did the theme of trust growing on rocky ground. 

I was also enchanted by the Greek mythology and theology sprinkled throughout.  There were notes of other myth traditions, too – it was really a smorgasbord of tales and allusions, and I adored that aspect.  I do think that could be a negative for some – if they don’t know their mythology well, the allusions would then seem like dead ends, rather than offshoots of world-building.  In that respect, I believe Cruel Beauty is one of those books that will mean or speak wildly different things to different readers – much of its meaning and beauty is hidden in allusion and metaphor.

In all, I thought Cruel Beauty was a rather wonderful read, with lovely bits of mythology and fantasy woven in to complement a story about a mysterious house and its owner, and the girl determined to destroy them both.

Recommended for: fans of Charles de Lint’s darkness, Robin McKinley’s Beauty and the Beast retellings, and Merrie Haskell’s The Princess Curse, those who like fairy tales, mythology and perilous bargains, and anyone who can appreciate beautiful writing that hints at the true self hidden deep in our hearts.

top ten books that will make you swoon

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where we all get to exercise our OCD tendencies and come up with bookish lists.  If you’d like to play along, check out this post.

St. Valentine’s Day is Friday, and the internet has surely taken notice.  All of my favorite lifestyle blogs have tips for incorporating pink and hearts into the daily routine – or instructions on how to host a complete themed party.  Heck, even book bloggers are getting into the act, with this week’s list of books that will make a reader swoon. 

Here’s something I’ve said before, but you might not know if you didn’t pay close attention: I read romances.  Like, all the time.  I love shifter and Regency ones best right now (dear lord i hope my mother doesn’t read this!).  But yeah.  You’ll notice that about half of the books on my list aren’t romances.  They’re spectacular books WITH romance in them.  Which is the sort of book I prefer at all times, really.  And yes, they bring the swoon, even if it’s just of the developing tension variety, rather than the happily ever after kind. Also you should know that the romances I DID include are the cream of the swoon-making crop.  I need to re-read them all soon!

Top Ten Books That Will Make You Swoon

1. Persuasion by Jane Austen – This is one of my favorite books of all time, and I think it is because at its heart it’s about forgiveness, overcoming the past, and getting (and taking!) second chances.  Also, Captain Wentworth’s letter to Anne hits me right in the feels.

2. For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund – Is this cheating?  It might be cheating.  Peterfreund’s book is a sci-fi, post-apocalyptic retelling of Persuasion.  It has all of the best elements of Austen’s original, written beautifully and wrapped in a shiny YA SFF package.

3. Archangel by Sharon Shinn – Science fiction.  Angels.  Mates brought together against their will.  Music.  And Shinn’s writing!  She makes you believe in a romance, in characters, in emotion.  Oh, this one’s good.

4. Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley – Two people on completely different paths…who happen to fit each other.  And they have one night to figure it out.  An adventure full of art and discovery and that beautiful, shivery thing that is first love crossed with hope.

5. The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook – Brooding, reluctant hero meets no-nonsense, practical heroine.  It’s not love at first sight – it’s criminal investigation at first sight.  And from there it’s airships, zombies, clockworks and, oh yes, eventually, love.

6. Written in Red by Anne Bishop – There is no central romance in this book.  HOW DID IT MAKE THE LIST?!  It’s one of those with so much potential that it fairly vibrates with it.  Also, the amount of sacrifice and love and loyalty takes it into swoon-worthy territory.  Healthy respect is hot, folks.

7. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater – ZOMG, this book!  It is so atmospheric and special.  I may swoon over the setting even more than the romance, but it’s a close call.

8. Sunshine by Robin McKinley – The swoon in this one is about food, courage, and loved ones giving you space or knowing when to close ranks.  It’s sweet and dark and complicated and Sunshine has the best voice ever. 

9. Steam & Sorcery by Cindy Spencer Pape – The hero is good with kids.  I think that automatically ups a book into swoon-possible territory.  I know I am not alone in this.  Pape’s first in a steampunk series is a combo platter of romance with pretty steamy sexy-times and a family-style happily ever after.

10. Snowfall by Mary Ann Rivers – Angie at Angieville finally convinced me to read Rivers, and holy goodness, I’m so glad I did.  The emotional range in this little novella (from the Heating Up the Holidays anthology) is breathtaking.  So good, so different, so addicting.  I shall be reading Rivers again.

Did any of these books make your list? What makes you swoon in a book?