the darkest part of the forest

I spent a large portion of this year’s Book Expo America standing in lines.  It was my sister’s first time, and she wanted to meet Jason Segel and Jane Lynch and other ‘high profile’ authors whose lines stretched (or seemed to stretch) into oblivion.  That meant that I had a lot of quality time to chat with friends.  One of those friends, Emma from Miss Print, said she had an extra copy of Holly Black’s forthcoming fairy book. Intrigued, I asked if it was a standalone (I’m so weary of series!). She responded in the affirmative.  It was a done deal.  So when The Darkest Part of the Forest arrived at my house, I read it in one marathon session, staying up late into the night and savoring the enchantment that is a Holly Black book.  Oh yes, it’s good.

Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.

At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.

Until one day, he does…

As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?

Fairfold is a tiny town tucked away in a forest, where the locals live alongside the Folk… and (mostly) aren’t troubled by the fact.  Tourists disappear every year though – that’s part of the bargain.  Hazel and Ben grew up in Fairfold, and except for a few years away in Philadelphia they have lived their entire lives there.  Fairfold, with its horned prince lying in a glass casket in the woods, with its acknowledged fairy changeling, and with the strange mix of dread, denial and dreaming that lies thick over everything. When Hazel begins to find sinister messages and ‘lose’ bits of time, she believes her idyll is running out.  For Hazel, even though she knew the consequences, once made a bargain…

Hazel lives like there’s no tomorrow, in part because she doesn’t believe she has (or deserves) one. Her fear and numerous falsehoods are tied up together, but she cares for her brother deeply, and desperately needs crusade, a reason to save others – even if she can’t save herself.  She kisses boys she doesn’t like to distract herself from the other bad decisions she’s made.  She’s outwardly strong, and always, always fights for what is right.  Hazel works to forget the things she doesn’t want to remember, and carries her secrets, doubts and sorrows close to her chest.  She’s both strong and fragile, complicated and not, full of guilt and self-loathing, while wishing (or often not letting herself wish) for good things.

In a way, her brother Ben sees some of these troubles – and sometimes he misses them completely.  He’s a fish out of water himself – gay in a small town, gifted in music through a fairy touch, and counting down the days until he can find something different.  Ben has chosen to fight his Folk-entwined fate, and he’s in love with the fairy prince in the casket.  Ben and Hazel’s friend Jack, the only changeling in Fairfold, sees more than Ben, but he has his own reasons.  And all of them are twined together by love, secrecy, and power.

What is this story about?  It’s got the typical Black twistiness and it’s unnerving and strange, like an otherworldly fairy people would be.  At the same time, it’s about justice, sibling love/rivalry, about the dreams that make it seem worth it to sacrifice your life.  Black asks (through her beautiful prose): What are you willing to sacrifice, and who are you willing to sacrifice it for?  What changes when love comes into the picture?  How do you deal with a society entirely ‘other?’  The answers are chilling, honest, and hopeful by turns.

Oh, and yes, there’s kissing.  And diverse characters.  And a mystery that unravels like a con.  My only complaint, as it were, is that the ending ties up a bit too neatly (I’m one of those few who prefer a loose end or two).  However, I read a very early advanced reading copy, so there’s a chance things will change.  I should note that the conclusion did not in any way affect my enjoyment of the book. I thought it was a delicious read: all dark and dangerous.  Black’s writing is (as always) addictive, vibrant, and delightful.

Recommended for: fans of Charles de Lint, Emma Bull and Sarah Rees Brennan, and anyone who likes young adult fantasy and fairy stories, the darker the better.

The Darkest Part of the Forest will be released by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Hachette) on January 13, 2015.

Fine print: I read an ARC version of this book that I received from a book-reviewing friend.  I did not receive any compensation for this post.

the spiderwick chronicles: the field guide

Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi began publishing The Spiderwick Chronicles series TEN YEARS AGO.  Color me surprised!  And old.  I didn’t read the books when they came out – I was just starting college and hadn’t yet reached my rediscovery phase for young adult and middle grade books.  I do remember seeing the film, though – on the plane, I think (and many times since on TV).  When Simon & Schuster sent me a copy of the 10-year anniversary edition of the first in the series, The Field Guide, I knew I’d need to read it and form my own impressions of this now-classic children's book.

After finding a mysterious, handmade field guide in the attic of the ramshackle old mansion they’ve just moved into, Jared, his twin brother Simon, and their older sister, Mallory, discover that there’s a magical and maybe dangerous world existing parallel to our own—the world of Faerie.

The Grace children want to share their story, but the faeries will do everything possible to stop them…

The Spiderwick Chronicles series stars the three Grace siblings, who have moved from the city to a rickety old house in the country after their parents’ divorce.  Older sister Mallory is obsessed with fencing and is very pragmatic (and suspicious!).  Simon is one of the twins, and his main goal in life seems to be to collect as many types of animals as possible.  Jared Grace is the curious one, the troublemaker, and the main character.  When the children discover that all is not as it seems in their new (old) house, adventures ensue.  Because something doesn’t want them knowing the secrets of the Spiderwick estate.

The Field Guide is very much an introduction to the characters and their surroundings, but it also contains a concise mystery and sets the stage for continuing adventures.  The writing is perfect for lower-end middle grade readers (and those who read aloud to children ages 6-8), and there are accompanying illustrations of fantastical creatures and other, more mundane objects on almost every page.  DiTerlizzi’s artwork fires the imagination and adds layers of story to the text.  The result is beautiful as well as entertaining.  The Spiderwick Chronicles should serve as a perfect stepping stone into chapter book fantasy, even for those who believe they don’t like make believe. 

Jared Grace’s story (and frustration) is universal, and his dawning curiosity about the natural (and supernatural) world will light up the imaginations of readers who have long since abandoned belief in the wondrous and unseen.  I found the book a charming and brief interlude in a place where fairies are real and clever children might be able to learn about them.

Recommended for: fans of Hayao Miyazaki’s film My Neighbor Totoro, readers who enjoyed Neil Gaiman’s Odd and the Frost Giants, and anyone who might be a little young yet to independently read C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia.

Fine print: I received a copy of The Field Guide for honest review from Simon & Schuster.  I did not receive any compensation for posting this review.

waiting on wednesday (43)

Today I’m participating in "Waiting On" Wednesday, a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Its purpose is to spotlight upcoming book releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Two things that I really enjoy are coming together.  The first is author Holly Black.  Her Curse Workers trilogy is absolutely genius (oh hey, feel free to check out my reviews of White Cat and Red Glove).  The second thing is creepy middle grade along the lines of The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls.  Black’s forthcoming book (illustrated by Eliza Wheeler) sounds amazing, and I can’t wait to read it.  Doll Bones will be released on May 7, 2013 by Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster).

A doll that may be haunted leads three friends on a thrilling adventure in this delightfully creepy novel from the New York Times bestselling cocreator of the Spiderwick Chronicles. 

Zach, Poppy, and Alice have been friends forever. And for almost as long, they’ve been playing one continuous, ever-changing game of pirates and thieves, mermaids and warriors. Ruling over all is the Great Queen, a bone-china doll cursing those who displease her. 

But they are in middle school now. Zach’s father pushes him to give up make-believe, and Zach quits the game. Their friendship might be over, until Poppy declares she’s been having dreams about the Queen—and the ghost of a girl who will not rest until the bone-china doll is buried in her empty grave. 

Zach and Alice and Poppy set off on one last adventure to lay the Queen’s ghost to rest. But nothing goes according to plan, and as their adventure turns into an epic journey, creepy things begin to happen. Is the doll just a doll or something more sinister? And if there really is a ghost, will it let them go now that it has them in its clutches?

What books are you waiting on?

red glove

The perfect con, a couple of intense twists, a sociopath or two, and an engaging and exhilarating adventure in a world filled with magic and mobsters. That was White Cat, Holly Black’s first installment in the Curseworkers series. It was a huge favorite of mine last year. Need evidence? Check it out. So I’ve been waiting not-very-patiently for the sequel, and more of quirky, clever Cassel.

The follow-up, Red Glove, was released two weeks ago. I reminded my brother Joey of this by text (he was excited). We read it at the same time, then called to rehash. The burning question: how did it go?

Curses and cons. Magic and the mob. In Cassel Sharpe's world, they go together. Cassel always thought he was an ordinary guy, until he realized his memories were being manipulated by his brothers. Now he knows the truth—he’s the most powerful curse worker around. A touch of his hand can transform anything—or anyone—into something else.

That was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Cassel was tricked into thinking he killed her, when actually he tried to save her. Now that she's human again, he should be overjoyed. Trouble is, he isn’t sure he can believe anything she says or does.

Cassel is going to have to stay one step ahead just to survive. But where can he turn when he can't trust anyone—least of all, himself?

Love is a curse and the con is the only answer in a game too dangerous to lose.

Did Red Glove live up to expectations? Were the mysteries and cons fresh and the twists convincing? Did I feel a deep sense of satisfaction at the trickiness? Unfortunately, the answer was somewhere in the region of ‘sort-of.’ It’s hard to maintain the same level of excellence and excitement from book to book. I know this. And while parts of Red Glove felt just as wonderful as the first in the series, other bits felt like solid ‘second-in-a-trilogy’ material.

The things Red Glove did right: character development (oh Cassel, you tortured soul, you), set-up for interesting third book shenanigans (mob! Feds! revelations galore!), and further explanation of the world of cons, curses and magic. I got delightful shivers down my spine whenever one of the characters seemed hard and calculating. That part was rather strange and all awesome.

On the flip side, there were some negatives. First: the con itself. I wanted more, better, and a thrill to boot. I won’t spoil it – you should definitely read this series for yourself. But you may see what I mean when you compare books 1 & 2.

Another bit I didn’t find satisfying was the relationship development. There’s a technique of leaving thoughts or actions to the reader’s imagination, and just giving us reaction. We don’t need play-by-play in EVERY young adult novel out there. However…in this case it I was legitimately confused. I read scenes over to make sure I hadn’t skimmed something important to making sense of the situation. I couldn’t help but feel that either I was stupid, or it didn’t gel. Probably I am stupid.

My brother and I agreed that we are both SUPER excited for book number three, Black Heart. So despite the below-expectations results of Red Glove, the enjoyment remains undiminished, the excitement unabated, and the wait far too long. We will be back for more!

Recommended for: lovers of young adult literature, fantasy, crime and cleverness, and the ever-elusive boy reader. Also – anyone who enjoyed White Cat, casual fans of the Oceans 11, 12 and 13 films, and anyone looking for a bit of harmless (we hope!), entertaining darkness with their springtime reading.

september zombie event comes to a close...with unicorns?

Part of the fun of the ‘zombie craze’ is that authors who wouldn’t usually write a zombie story are getting on board and adding to our culture’s overall entertainment value. This includes authors of young adult books. And this is also how an anthology called Zombies vs. Unicorns comes into existence. Only an awesome, completely ridiculous world could spawn such a wondrous thing. And yes, I’m going overboard. I think you like it.

It's a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn? In this anthology, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (unicorn and zombie, respectively), strong arguments are made for both sides in the form of short stories. Half of the stories portray the strengths - for good and evil - of unicorns and half show the good (and really, really bad-ass) side of zombies. Contributors include many bestselling teen authors, including Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot, Scott Westerfeld, and Margo Lanagan. This anthology will have everyone asking: Team Zombie or Team Unicorn?

Holly and Justine are like competing Most Extreme Challenge (MXC) moderators. And by that, I mean they’re taking potshots at each other, each other’s choice of mythical being, and at the individual contestants (err…stories), all while being dubbed over in a foreign language. The result is hilarious, and the book is worth reading if only for their ‘introductory’ comments. BUT! Let me highlight my favorites for you and convince you to read this for yourself....

“Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Alaya Dawn Johnson

A dark, music-heavy zombie story featuring two misunderstood young men. One is struggling not to become a monster, the other already is – can they change? Is there hope?

“Purity Test” by Naomi Novik

Made of hilarious, in all sorts of ways. Combine a snarky heroine, a unicorn who can’t be too fussed about particulars, and five baby unicorns addicted to chocolate milk – what could go wrong?

“Bougainvillea” by Carrie Ryan

A seriously haunting story that draws from the true horror inheritance of the zombie canon. It’s a magnetic tale, set in the world of The Forest of Hands and Teeth, very shortly after the Return, on the island of Curaçao.

“The Children of the Revolution” by Maureen Johnson

Is the protagonist TSTL (too stupid to live) or just unlucky? Maureen Johnson crafts a hilarious and slightly horrifying zombie story that manages to do make fun of both celebrity adoptions and celebrity cults. Funny + frightful = fantastic.

“The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn” by Diana Peterfreund

Tragedy, teenage angst, a freak show, and a baby killer unicorn make for an out-of-the-ordinary story. Fans of Peterfreaund’s Rampant and Ascendant will be pleased, and newcomers to killer unicorns will probably be both confused and entertained. But what’s not to love about a boy named Yves?

“Cold Hands” by Cassandra Clare

Wow. Stunning story that takes the zombie trope and turns it on its head. Weird, wonderful (if you can use that word in conjunctions with a zombie story) and chilling. I think I may scream the next time someone with cold hands touches me.

“The Third Virgin” by Kathleen Duey

Mix a sociopathic unicorn in with a scarred young girl, and you have a disturbing story in an extremely well-written sort of way.

“Prom Night” by Libba Bray

What better way to close out the anthology than with a chilling, absorbing, but not so gory or violent that it’s painful sort of tale. One word? Haunting. Explores how people cope with loss, inevitable mortality, and what the law really means. Big themes for this magnificent (and oddly funny) little tale.

Recommended for: fans of zombies, unicorns, anyone not sure about either but willing to dip a toe in and test the waters, and those who like a little bit of horror with their comedy (but only every once in a while). Silly, suitable fun for the older teen set. Enjoy!

This is my final entry in the September Zombies event. Yay!

teaser tuesday (55)

It's Teaser Tuesday, a bookish blog meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Here's how it works:

Grab your current read and let it fall open to a random page. Post two (or more) sentences from that page, along with the title and author. Don’t give anything vital away!

“And though they were clearly not doing well, I guess the voices in my brain were telling me that these kids had dieticians and had spent a lot of their short lifetimes on private aircraft (that has to mess with your inner ear balance), and maybe that’s just what being really rich looks like.

But there was another voice in my hear – a quieter one, way in the back, telling me to leave, to get out of the house and away from them, to go back into the rain, to hitchhike to London or starve or even just to call home.”

-p. 149 of Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier’s (eds.) Zombies vs. Unicorns, from “The Children of the Revolution” by Maureen Johnson

teaser tuesday (49)

It's Teaser Tuesday, a bookish blog meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Here's how it works:

Grab your current read and let it fall open to a random page. Post two (or more) sentences from that page, along with the title and author. Don’t give anything vital away!

“Will you take just a few steps this way? So I can stay hidden. If anyone else sees me, I will end up in the zoo.

‘And if I try to tell anyone, we might end up roommates?’”

-p. 367 of Kathleen Duey’s “The Third Virgin” in Zombies vs. Unicorns by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier, eds. (ARC version)

book extravaganza - white cat giveaway

I feel like I’ve gone slightly contest crazy. And I like it. The crazy part. Oh heck, the contest part too…

In any case, welcome to the Book Extravaganza! Kristen of Bookworming in the 21st Century and Kate at The Neverending Shelf are hosting a weekend full of giveaways. They’ve gotten book bloggers of all stripes to offer giveaways over July 16-18, and I’m taking part.

So, for my first giveaway (yes, there are TWO!), I’m offering a signed copy of White Cat by Holly Black, an excerpt from Red Glove (Curseworkers #2), black Curseworkers gloves and a button.

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers -- people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail -- he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love – or death – and your dreams might be more real than your memories.

Oh yeah, and check out this photo of me with Holly Black! I got to meet her at ALA, where she was signing White Cat and being awesome. As you can tell, she is made of classy, and I have that glazed fangirl look. In other words, all is right with the world. But! You will want to know how to win the book and swag.

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To enter:

Leave a comment on this post with something that makes you smile. It could be a joke, a link, a (very) short story, a book title…whatever you want it to be. You can earn an extra entry for the giveaway if you comment on my review.

Please include a method of contact. Giveaway is open internationally. Comments will close on July 18 at 11:59pm EST, and I will notify the randomly selected winner via email.

Good luck!

a white cat and a con

Oh twitterverse, I want to say ‘thank you.’ I’d never read a Holly Black book before picking up White Cat. I knew vaguely that she had written some ‘modern faerie tales,’ but I didn’t feel any urgency to find those titles. Then White Cat was released. The twittering world exploded, blog reviews went up all over the place, and someone said the magic words: ‘best book of the year.’

Just like that, my antennae went up. Well, it's quite a claim. I'll give anything proclaimed 'best of the year' a try, as long as I trust the speaker. But even if a book sparks my interest, I won’t necessarily go out and buy it. If that were the case, I’d be buried under a mountain of books (literally), and also quite broke. So instead I checked the local library system and found a copy. Here’s my shout-out to the Arlington Library System! The book was in my possession within the week.

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers -- people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail -- he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love – or death – and your dreams might be more real than your memories.

My undiluted reaction: fan-freaking-tabulous. Just the sort of con caper that makes my insides liquefy and my brain start working in overdrive. If it were translated immediately into film-form, it would rank right up there with Ocean’s 11, The Italian Job, and Brothers Bloom. Those are, by the way, some of my favorite films. I get a rush from the cleverness, the con, and the bit-by-bit reveal. It’s not for everyone, but it’s for me. Not even kidding. I don’t even like mystery as a genre; I like people getting played, and the story itself getting the best of me until the last second.

I also love a twist, an unexpected conclusion and a clever switch. I don’t want to explain more, because one of this book’s main strengths is its inscrutability and the unraveling thereof. Cassel and company were a great cast of characters, though not all are equal or equally interesting. But each person fits in the novel, and I didn’t feel like anyone was there as a placeholder or simply for a future set-up. I guess I’m just trying to say that it’s smooth, seamless, and beautiful. Here’s hoping there are many more adventures, cons and magic-filled moments in their future.

Recommended for: adventurers, daredevils, and those who want to join the club (or at least read about it), appreciators of clever stories, dark magic and dark times, and anyone in the mood for sharp, brilliant entertainment at its best and finest.

This book counts for the Once Upon a Time IV challenge.