Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Review: Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson

Publication Date: October 9th 2012 
Publisher: HarperTeen 

Nothing ever happens in Norway. But at least Ellie knows what to expect when she visits her grandmother: a tranquil fishing village and long, slow summer days. And maybe she’ll finally get out from under the shadow of her way-too-perfect big brother, Graham, while she’s there.

What Ellie doesn’t anticipate is Graham’s infuriating best friend, Tuck, tagging along for the trip. Nor did she imagine boys going missing amid rumors of impossible kidnappings. Least of all does she expect something powerful and ancient to awaken in her and that strange whispers would urge Ellie to claim her place among mythological warriors. Instead of peace and quiet, there’s suddenly a lot for a girl from L.A. to handle on a summer sojourn in Norway! And when Graham vanishes, it’s up to Ellie—and the ever-sarcastic, if undeniably alluring Tuck—to uncover the truth about all the disappearances and thwart the nefarious plan behind them.

Deadly legends, hidden identities, and tentative romance swirl together in one girl’s unexpectedly epic coming-of-age.


My Thoughts


Greek gods and Roman gods are commonly adapted into works of fiction but it is more rare to see Norse mythology at play in a young adult novel, at least from my experience. 

Valkyrie Rising has all the right ingredients that I like. Myths clashing in with the modern world, a mystical foreign place I wish to visit some day, and a dash of romance between the heroine and her older brother's best friend. 

The story was fast-paced and action packed which I really liked in this case. I just wish it wasn't a stand-alone novel because I was really intrigued by the Valkyries and would have liked to see the author build the plot around their world a bit more than we were given. I liked how carefully portioned each detail about Ellie's history came out and that there was no info-dumping, wild denials or quick acceptances of her mythical history.

There were no annoying characters here to spout on about. I really liked the chemistry between Ellie and Tuck from the get go. However, more conflict for their relationship would have been nice and suspenseful, as well as a bit more of details on Tuck's side of the family. 

The blurb uses the term epic for this novel and I think it could have been epic if the plot was thicker! Overall it wasn't bad; it was good but just not epic.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Review: The Diviners (The Diviners #1) by Libba Bray


Publication Date: September 18th 2012
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."

When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.
 

My Thoughts 


I remember reading Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle series years ago when it was newly released and how I was hooked into it until I had finished all three books. It didn't turn out to be one of my favorite reads but there is something about the way she writes that makes the story seem real even in its fantastical settings. I wouldn't have picked this up if not for the blurb that I posted above. A paranormal creepy mystery set in New York during the roaring twenties! It was too good to pass up.

October is all about Halloween and all things spooky! If there are summer reads, then there are also Halloween reads! The Diviners definitely belongs in the creepy category. It wasn't scary, but the things Libba Bray describe will make your hair stand on end or maybe just make you a little bit green in the face, especially the gruesome murders found scattered all over this whole book! 

I admire how she is able to give voice to multiple characters yet I find that with every detail that we find out about someone, the more I have questions about him/her. Who is he really? And how does he fit in the grand scheme of this nearly 600page book. It's so long yet so much is still left to be known about the plot.

My favorite character would have to be Evie O'Neill, who isn't a hard character to like. Sure she can be selfish and impulsive, but the she's also brave, caring, smart and liberated. The other ones like Will (Evie's uncle and curator of the "Museum of the Creepy Crawlies"),  Jericho, Memphis, Theta, Mabel, Sister Walker... I could go on and on! We're only given a glimpse of their thoughts from here and there, some darker than most. So I like Evie best because she somehow lightens up the mood whenever she's around. Oh, and about Jericho, I knew there was something 'steampunk' going on around him!

I can see how much research Libba Bray has put into writing this book and have so much to thank her for it. I did a little research myself and found out more about the facts from that time period that she mentioned in the story. I've never really had a big interest in the twenties but as I said, the combination of all those themes I mentioned earlier were just too intriguing.





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