Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale

Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale (illustrated by Nathan Hale)

Rapunzel's Revenge is a great book by a great author.

Shannon Hale retells the classic tale of Rapunzel with a little bit of a Mother Goose (Gothel?) tie-in in a wonderfully comic-book style illustrated book.

Hale is funny and thoughtful in creating this new version of Rapunzel, a heroine who realizes that the woman who has been raising her is NOT her mother and that her real mother has been slaving away in Mother Gothel's mines. When Rapunzel rebels, Mother Gothel places her in a towering tree room. Mother Gothel posesses growth magic and so the tree is able to provide everything Rapunzel needs to survive for several years.

Finally on Rapunzel's 16th birthday (after her hair has grown to ridiculous lengths, like everything else in the Forest) Rapunzel rebels for the last time and Mother Gothel commands the tree to stop providing food and shelter. Rapunzel uses her hair to swing to safety and the real adventure starts from there.

Rapunzel immediately meets several characters and makes a friend of Jack, a briefly cross-dressing, goose-toting man with some fairly loose morals when it comes to stealing. Rapunzel and Jack save each other from some seedy characters before heading out of town on stolen horses.

Rapunzel (or Punzie as Jack sometimes calls her) is determined to save her mother from Mother Gothel's mines. With the help of Jack (and a little bit of magic) Rapunzel is able to get into the party Mother Gothel is hosting and save her mother and all the inhabitants that Mother Gothel had oppressed.

The book is a charming retelling of the fairy tale and the illustrations are terrific. Hale is able to use the illustrations to tell a fuller story. My favorite instance of this is when Rapunzel is escaping from her tree tower and the words say that she manages to gracefully escape but the pictures show her falling into the water around the base of the tree. In this way Hale is able to make the heroine both strong and funny. She's not perfect but learning and growing (without the help of Mother Gothel's magic).

The Darkest Kiss by Gena Showalter

The Darkest Kiss (Lords of the Underworld, 2) by Gena Showalter

The second installation of Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld Series was much better than the first of the series (in my humble opinion). It could have to do with the fact that the characters were a tad more believable or it could have been the fact that all the backstory setup was already accomplished.

I had a problem with Violence (Maddox) becoming anwhere reasonably tempered in the first book but found Death (Lucien) to be spot-on what I was expecting. Lucien is cold, shut-off from emotion and others in an effort to keep his own demon perfectly under his iron control.

And then there's Anya, minor goddess of Anarchy and a more perfect foil for Lucien's staidness couldn't be found. She is snarky and silly and goes after what she wants without regard to anyone. In their first meeting she tempts him in front of his brothers to lose control and almost suceeds. She lies and thieves to keep her more violent side at bay and just can't seem to get enough of Lucien.

It really does work out perfectly since as a goddess Anya is immortal like the rest of the Lords of the Underworld and Anya is perfectly capable of defending herself against Death. Cronus, the king of the Titans, has set a task to Lucien; to kill Anya or else he will make the other Lords suffer. Initially Lucien tries to take Anya out but his attempts are half-hearted at best. Little by little they learn about each other and why the Titans are toying with them.

Anya is the daughter of Lawlessness and Tartarus. Tartarus' wife is Justice and when she found out about Anya, Justice cursed her so that Anya would never be able to complete the sex act. Penetration would bind her to the man for forever, even if he were to love another. To further complicate matters Anya carries within her the All-Key which allows her to escape from any prison and guarantees her freedom. The person that kills her to take the All-Key becomes powerless himself (something that Cronus didn't exactly tell Lucien) and if Anya were to freely give up the All-Key she would lose all memory of her life while she had the All-Key. This renders both Lucien and Anya helpless to save each other on more than one occasion. To up the ante (again) the Lords of the Underworld must search out Pandora's box before the Hunters find it and to find it they must find four powerful objects first.

This book is action packed and easy to read. Lucien and Anya are a much better couple than Maddox and Ashlyn were in the first book and there is so much else going on that even if you don't like them as characters there is backup and the third book is poised to start with Reyes and Danika. I can't wait to see how THAT turns out...

Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz

Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz

I had heard this book compared to Twilight but aside from both books being about vampires there wasn't much I found that was similar.

Blue Bloods starts out with Schulyer Van Alen, a teenage girl at a ridiculously rich school in New York. Schulyer's father died before she was born and her mother has been in a coma since just a few weeks after she was born leaving her stately (and slightly intimidating) grandmother to raise her. Schulyer's only real friend is Oliver and they feel like the Outcasts of Duchesne High School.

As the story progresses we see many other characters from their own point of view. We see Jack & Mimi Force, twins and Blue Bloods. We get some of their previous life memories, their personalities and quirks etc. Many of the chapters start with diary entries that date back to the days of Plymouth and Roanoke Island. Little by little we learn that Schulyer and many of the other students at Duchesne are vampires, "Blue Bloods," for the way their veins pattern through their skin and the glow of their blood when the lights are out. We find out that the Blue Bloods are fallen angels trying to get back into heaven through the guidance of the two archangels that voluntarily became vampires to help them find their way back (Gabrielle & Michael). We also learn that nothing can kill the Blue Bloods, except another Blue Blood by drinking them completely dry. Those vampires that suck the blood of others are true devils and go crazy with the additional memories of the one they sucked dry. They are called Silver Bloods for the way the additional blood shows in their veins and the silver slits of their eyes.

Finally, near the end we learn that Schulyer is not one of the vampires that has been around for forever (one of the Four Hundred). Her mother (the angel Gabrielle, or Gabriel) had a child by a Red Blood, a human, and so Schulyer is a new soul. There is also a prophecy that said the child of Gabrielle would save the Blue Bloods. As of yet we don't know if she will be instrumental in saving them from the Silver Bloods or getting them back into heaven or maybe both. We do know that Schulyer is unusually gifted in that she can sometimes control the minds of humans and has a bloodhound as an angel protector.

The book is a little bit confusing because the information changes very fast sometimes. At one point Jack and Schulyer are dancing at one of the highschool formal dances and they share a memory which is confusing since as a new soul, Schulyer should not HAVE memories. Jack waves it off later as he was projecting his memory onto her but I don't think that is necessarily the case.

It was very obvious from the beginning that this book would only be the first of several since it seemed to take a long time for the action to get started. I started to get near the end of the pages with no end to the action in sight. As with many other books that are serial, I think I'm going to have to wait until I've read the second or third book to decide whether the series as a whole is worth it.

Hush by Donna Jo Napoli

Hush by Donna Jo Napoli

Hush is based off an Irish legend of a princess that was captured and made a slave and who through her silence won back much of her freedom.

Melkorka starts out as a beautiful, headstrong Irish princess that still has a lot of growing up to do. For her birthday she begs her father to take them to see the Viking town of Dublin. Her entire family pays bitterly when her brother loses a hand and her family goes to "war" over the dishonor. Melkorka and her little sister Bridgid are sent away somewhere safe only to become captured and made slaves. For the rest of the book Melkorka doesn't say a word. She takes the motto of her mother to heart, "Hush."

Bridgid eventually escapes the slave ship but we never know what has become of her. Melkorka travels through much of the world to see Russian cities, Arabic cities, Norse cities etc. Through it all she is silent which cloaks her in an air of mystery. Her captor is reluctant to give her up because she is so beautiful and because he thinks she is an enchantress of some kind. Mel is able to win some much needed food and clothing for her fellow captives through his fear and admiration of her. She does eventually get sold to a Norseman that impregnates her.

Boiled down like this it doesn't sound like a terribly good story but it actually is. Donna Jo Napoli has a way of taking the facts and weaving a life into and around them. By the end you feel much in tune with Mel and the choices she has made. It's an interesting story that does end reasonably well. It is a story that can teach girls and young women to be strong despite adverse conditions.

Kiss of Midnight (The Midnight Breed, 1) by Lara Adrian

Kiss of Midnight (The Midnight Breed, Book 1) by Lara Adrian

Okay, so I might have devolved into trashy paranormal romance novels but is that really such a bad thing?

I've obviously been on something of a vampire kick lately (blame it on Edward Cullen, I know I do) and I can't find it in myself to regret it. I've read some really intriguing (okay, that might be a stretch) novels and have sort of been working out a vampire truth theory. Well, okay not really but I have been trying to sort out the "facts" if you will of vampirism. Each author perceives them differently there aren't many straight truths that haven't been bent or twisted. I find that interesting (so sue).

In this novel the main male lead is named Lucan, a Generation One vampire that leads warriors of the Breed (a simplistic name for the good vampires, ha ha) against the Rogues who have given into their bloodlust addiction. As a Gen One vampire Lucan has the most strength and power but also the most temptation to fall into bloodlust which is where our female lead comes in.

Gabrielle Maxwell is an artist, a photographer of lonely, desolate places that somehow convey hope to the average viewer. She generally feels alone in life until she witnesses a brutal murder outside of a nightclub. When she reports the strange murder the police brush her off as crazy and even her cell phone photos won't convince them of what she saw; a man brutally torn apart and cannibalized by a group of men with fangs and feral yellow eyes. Lucan protects Gabrielle from the rougher elements of the Rogue society that are after her for her rare gift of finding vampire locations. Lucan has a hard time protecting her from himself (he just can't get enough of her for some reason), especially after learning that she bears the mark of a Breedmate (a woman with the genetic capability of bearing vampire children). By feeding from Gabrielle Lucan would be tied to her for life, a burden that he doesn't want or need in his warrior lifestyle.

Of course Gabrielle breaks through all of that in the end and they learn that it is Lucan's brother controlling the Rogues in the upcoming war (and so the saga continues). But Gabrielle and Lucan live happily ever after so to speak. All in all a likable enough story. We'll see how the next one goes.

I have a feeling this is going to be another one of those series where I look back and think, "If they'd have just talked more and had sex less this never would have happened..."

Before Midnight: a retelling of "Cinderella" by Cameron Dokey

Before Midnight: a Retelling of "Cinderella" by Cameron Dokey

This was an interesting retelling of the classic tale Cinderella by a good storyteller. I thoroughly enjoyed some of the new concepts presented like the magic that was so prevalent that it was commonplace. I liked the way the author started the book, with the knowledge that we are all made up of multiple stories with multiple beginnings narrowing down into one perfect end of a person. The author had a way of writing about her characters that was both detached and loving - a bedtime story for her children to fall asleep to.

There are some main differences from the other major written works of Cinderella and a ton of differences from the Disney Cinderella many children have grown up with. In this book Cinderella is Cendrillon (the French version of the name) but her real name is Constanze after her mother who died at her birth. Her father is a nobleman but is alive for the duration of the book and cuts himself off emotionally from his daughter blaming her for the death of his beloved wife. As he leaves his infant daughter with Old Mathilde who delivered her he also leaves a baby boy. Mathilde gets to name both children and raises them as equals. She names the young boy Raoul.

In this story Cendrillon's father does remarry and sends his unwanted wife to the same stone house where his unacknowledged daughter lives. Through her goodness and kindness Cendrillon is able to get the nobleborn stepmother and her two daughters Amelie and Anastasia to become a real family for her. There are no ugly stepsisters in this story; just ones who have a little more growing up to do. It is a very happy ending for everyone: Amelie ends up with Niccolo (a younger nobleman's son from another country), Anastasia falls in love with Raoul (who turns out to be a prince) and Cendrillon falls instantly in love with the Prince Pascal who is twin brother to Raoul.

It is a lovely story with many good lessons in it. Cendrillon admonishes her father for turning his back on love. Mathilde advises her young charges that nothing is impossible just perhaps not as you would expect it. We learn that things can change in a blink of an eye and that sometimes it may take years of wishing and hoping to get what you want. All in all this is a beautiful bedtime story.

The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter

The Darkest Night (Lords of the Underworld Series, 1) by Gena Showalter

I ordered this book from the library because it showed up in my Amazon.com recommended list. I'm not positive what book I read or bought or reviewed that made them think I would like this book but they did okay and I'm not sorry I read it. It just wasn't on par with what I normally like to read.

This is a paranormal romance focusing on the immortal warriors of the gods who felt slighted when the gods chose Pandora to guard the box of evil instead of one of the other warriors. Thinking to prove Pandora an incompetent woman the warriors opened the box and let the demons loose on the world. The gods punished the warriors by making each of them bear one of the demons set loose from the box. I thought that it was an interesting (and feminist) prospective to the old Pandora's box story.

The first novel follows Maddox who bears the demon Violence. Maddox carries a second curse in addition to Violence. Since he slaughtered Pandora in his first demon rage the gods cursed him to die every night at midnight in the same way that he killed her.

The other main character is a woman named Ashlyn who has heard voices for all of her life. She can hear all of the conversations that have taken place where she is from all through time. This makes her a valuable asset to the people who employ her skills seeking out the paranormal who would normally prefer to remain hidden. It is on a trip to Budapest that Ashlyn learns about the angels/demons on the hill with extraordinary powers. She intends to visit them in the hopes that one of them is able to quiet the voices that she hears constantly.

The warriors that house the demons have been living (so to speak) in Budapest for quite a long time and have become benefactors of a sort to the people. The castle on the hill houses not only Violence (Maddox) but also Death (Lucien), Wrath (Aeron), Pain (Reyes), Disease (Torin) and Promiscuity (Paris). When Ashlyn comes up on the house on the hill only Torin and Maddox are home and Torin will not touch another living creature for fear of the plague that he could spread. So Maddox goes to frighten her off while fighting off his own violent rage since the hour is so close to his death time. He sees she is being followed by four men (hunters) and slaughters them before pouncing on Ashlyn thinking that someone has sent Bait to lure him out of the safety of the castle to kill him. Ashlyn proves to be different from what he expected; she is not scared of him and even seems to cling to him. For whatever reason when Ashlyn is near Maddox the voices go away and she is so grateful that they abated that she won't leave his presence. Of course since he harbors the spirit of Violence this provides some rocky tangle-points but eventually both Maddox and the demon want her and form a truce of sorts to protect her.

While reading this book I was very much okay with the plot line -- it was an interesting plot after all. But in retrospect I just can't see how plausible it is for anyone to remain with Violence or with Violence wanting to protect someone. I also felt an enormous amount of pity for Torin (Disease) because I can't think of a way the author could give him a happily ever after. I also found it amusing that the voices of the past stopped because they were, what scared? of the demon of Violence. As far as I can tell from this first book there are 12 demons within warriors total and only three books. I'm a little sad that not all of them are going to be getting a human romance to counterbalance the inner demon. It was also not addressed how the warriors were going to live once their human counterparts got old and died. It was sort of a depressing realization.

I did order the next book and I'm hoping that at least answers some of those questions...