Flame in the Mist, by Renee Ahdieh

Flame in the Mist was a great novel by one of my personal favorite authors, Renee Ahdieh. It was one of those books that I couldn't put down, no matter how hard I tried. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop. I didn't even think about the time!

Have you ever had one of those books? The plot is constantly interesting, and there are twists in it everywhere? Have you read a book where the main character's feelings are not as they seem, and the role of antagonist seems to fluctuate between characters? Flame in the Mist was one of those books.

Flame in the Mist is set in feudal Japan, and is about a girl named Mariko, the daughter of a daimyo lord and the sister of a renowned samurai. On her way to meet her betrothed, the son of the Emperor, who she herself has never met, her procession is attacked by a group of ronin called the Black Clan. The only survivor, Mariko disguises herself as a boy and infiltrates the Black Clan, aiming to gain their trust and destroy them from inside. However, she finds herself conflicted as she realizes that the Black Clan are the only ones who value her skill as an alchemist and intellectual, befriends some of its members, and even grows to love one of them. Even as this occurs, her brother searches for her, confident that she is alive and determined to bring her to her betrothed.

Flame in the Mist was a miraculous novel, a happy mix of historical fiction and supernatural. With ninjas (the Black Clan) and samurai, it is definitely action-packed, with the expected plot changing so many times that it keeps you enthralled. You can feel Mariko develop in your bones, and you can watch as things unfold around her, deepening the story. I loved its use of the Japanese culture (which is personally one of my favorites), and how everything is not originally as it seems.

The Black Witch, by Laurie Forest

The Black Witch was a wonderful, time-consuming book; it was everything I needed for it to be when I read it. Have you ever had one of those days, when you are trapped by the weather and all you can do is sit and read? That was what occurred while I was reading The Black Witch.

My sister's club soccer team had a game that day in a city that was a long drive from home. Since my team didn't have a game, I was dragged along for trip. When we got there, it was three things: cold, wet, and miserable. It rained for almost the entire day, and I was hanging out in the car with the heaters cranked all the way up, despite the fact that it was May. Every once and awhile, I would look up to watch my sister play for a few seconds before I returned to the book. And an enthralling book it was.

The Black Witch is about a girl named Elloren Gardner, the granddaughter of the renowned Carnissa Gardner, who was famous as the Black Witch, who drove back the enemy races to protect the Gardnerians. Finally allowed to attend Verpax University, a famous magic school, Elloren is ripped out of her secluded private life and she realizes that the world is not necessarily a safe place for a girl who looks exactly like the Black Witch. As she meets the winged Icarals and the barbaric Lupines, the brutal Kelts and the proud Elves, she finds herself discovering that her world is not as perfect as it seems.

I loved The Black Witch, because it was a reflection of today's social issues, from the point of the privileged. If you took Elloren and everything else out of its fantasy world, you would see things that are very real: the sex trade (shown by the Selkies, enslaved creatures that are forced to act as prostitutes), racism/racial superiority (Ex: the Gardnerians and Elves believe that all other races are inferior; they are the chosen races), sexism (Ex: not getting to choose who you marry; Elloren is pressured to "wandfast" herself to someone), slavery, child labor, cultural and racial intolerance, genocide, and, of course, having the WORST POSSIBLE person as leader (in this case, a priest who strongly believes in the racial superiority of Gardnerians and believes that the other races are little more than animals). It shows how Elloren grows and realizes how wrong the world has become, and how something must be done to change it. Honestly, she is quite hateable at the beginning of the book, but eventually, she developes into someone that wants change.


P.S.: Sorry it took so long for me to write a new post. I was caught up with school, and I've also been reading ameteur writing lately.

For Darkness Shows the Stars, by Diana Peterfreund

I received the book For Darkness Shows the Stars for my birthday, from one of my best friends. You see, we're both readers, and we both have an extensive repertoire of books. We loan each other books, and eagerly await the other's recommendations. For my birthday each year, she asks me for a list of books I want/have not read, because neither of us can quite keep track of what the other has read. This year, For Darkness Shows the Stars was one of them.

I zipped through it, then I read it again. I admired the cover, caressed the pages (is there any other way to treat the pages of text?), and I tucked it lovingly into my bookshelf. I thanked my friend thoroughly, and proceeded to loan her a book that I'd been waiting to give her. Life went on, but I never quite forgot it.

For Darkness Shows the Stars is based off of Jane Austen's book Persuasion, which is about a young lady named Elliot who falls in love with Malakai Wentworth, someone that is 'beneath' her, but chooses her rank and position over him. Eventually, Wentworth returns a rich and powerful naval officer, and she finds herself regretting not following her heart.

However, in For Darkness Shows the Stars, humanity has pretty much fallen due to too much tampering with genetics. The only unaffected humans are the Luddites, a religious (or, at least, I'm guessing so) group that refused the treatments and went underground. The Luddites rule the remainder of land inhabited by humanity, using the Reduced (the remainders of the people who took the treatments, who now have little or no speech and have lost some of the ability to care for themselves) as slaves, as well as their offspring, the Posts (who are pretty much the same as the Luddites, except not as stiff about tradition and, of course, descended from the Reduced).

Elliot North is the hardworking daughter of a careless Luddite baron, who is struggling to keep the North estate afloat. Once upon a time, she was in love with a Post named Kai, but she refused to run away from the estate with him, instead staying to care for the workers and her family. Now, in order to get some money, she rents out her grandfather's estate to the Cloud Fleet, a group of Posts who explore the outside world and bring back many things. She is shocked to discover that one of them is Kai, now going by the name Admiral Malakai Wentworth. As she struggles with her feelings for Kai, she also wonders about herself. Of course, there's more to the Cloud Fleet than meets the eye.

I loved For Darkness Shows the Stars because it is kind of historical in the way of slavery, racism, and sexism. This is displayed in the very beginning, when Elliot defies tradition to grow a crop of genetically altered wheat, which her ungrateful, petty father plows over to build a racetrack, not caring about the finances or the fact that many of the workers could possibly starve to death. I loved how Elliot struggled to be herself under the oppressive nature of tradition. I also loved the creative spin on an old classic, though probably only some elements were changed.

Of Beast and Beauty, by Stacey Jay

Of Beast and Beauty took me less than two days to read. It was another one of those books that I couldn't put down. Do you know the feeling? Squeezing in as much time as possible to get to the next chapter, and the next? Finishing your work early and, instead of talking with other students that are done, diving headfirst into a book? It's a wonderful feeling, if you don't get in trouble for it.

As you probably guessed, I'm a major bookworm. Especially at school. I don't really talk at all during classes, choosing to read instead. In fact, it got to the point that a teacher threatened to give me a referral if I ever bring a book into class again! However, when I'm not in that class, whenever I'm not working on something, I read.

Of Beast and Beauty is a (you guessed it!) Beauty and the Beast retelling. It's set on a different planet, where humans have split and evolved into two races: the Monstrous, who have scales, claws, and fangs, and the Smooth Skins, or humans, who have not evolved much at all. Both races are cursed, so that the Monstrous cannot cry and that the Smooth Skins are born with something missing, like vocal chords, an arm, a leg, etc. The planet is a desert except for several cities, which are held inside domes. The Monstrous live in the desert, barely surviving. The Smooth Skins live inside the dome, filled with fear and superstition.

The female main character, Princess Isra, is blind, only given sight for short bursts due to the magical roses in her domed city, Yuan. However, she has been raised to die. Once she becomes queen, she will be sacrificed to the same roses that give her freedom so that the dome will be maintained, and humanity doesn't die out. The man, Gem, is a Monstrous, caught stealing one of the roses from Yuan's garden in the hope that it can save is tribe from starvation. Between them, an unlikely bond forms as a tale about self acceptance, adaptation, and independence unfolds.

I loved Of Beast and Beauty, because both characters were struggling with what was happening around them, and struggling to believe in themselves. It could also represent racism, because the Smooth Skins hate the Monstrous with all of their being, and the Monstrous resent the Smooth Skins for what they have. The only flaw I could really find in it is that Isra seems to be a bit of a masochist, and has no faith in herself at all. I mean, who wouldn't protest being sacrificed, even if it was in the future? It's ridiculous.

Crown of Wishes, by Roshani Chokshi

Before I go into it, I have to tell you; Crown of Wishes is the sequel to another book by Chokshi, The Star-Touched Queen. However, I'll be reviewing it anyway because its one of those books where the plot has very little to do with the first book. It won't make any difference whether you read the first book or not. In fact, I haven't even read the first book yet!

It only took me two days to read Crown of Wishes, partly because it was a great book, partly because I had too much time on my hands. I tried to make it last, but it just wouldn't. I'm sure that many of you have had the same experiences. I didn't pay attention to how much of it was left, and I read the entire thing.

Crown of Wishes is about a prince, named Vikram, who is destined to become a puppet ruler despite his potential. He is called the Fox Prince by his people, due to his remarkable intelligence. The second main character is a princess, Gauri, who has recently failed to take the throne from her older brother Skanda, who is cruel. She is called the Jewel of Bharata, but her real skill comes from her fighting prowess. When the two meet, they become partners to compete in the Tournament of Wishes, a competition that takes place in the realm of Kubera, the Lord of Wealth. They'll undergo a trial of desire, a trial of fear, and a sacrifice, and if they win, they will each earn a wish. However, all is not as it seems in the Otherworld, a realm of magic and intrigue.

Crown of Wishes was an excellent book, with brain-twisters and interesting stories. I enjoyed how it was placed in a universe with a culture similar to medieval and mythological India, and how it toyed with the concepts of desire and stories. I'd recommend it for lovers of the supernatural and romance genres, as well as those who like the idea of a competition to achieve ones desires.

Graceling, by Kristin Cashore

Graceling was a book that, while it took me forever to read, was worth it. I got it at a bookstore called the Book Exchange, where you can buy both used and new books, for incredibly cheap prices, as well as signed books and other, more expensive things.

I had driven there (I don't live in that town) with my mother, little sister, and my little sister's friend. Even though it was a little less than forty five minutes, it was incredibly stressful for me. However, I had been determined. We were going to order my letterman jacket.

After ordering it, we went to a Chinese place, and then to the World Market. l. Finally, we arrived at the Book Exchange. My mom promised me that she would buy me one book, because they were so cheap, and I had twenty five dollars on my own. With her help, I bought six books, each around five dollars. They were put in an annoyingly flimsy pink bag, and all was right with the world. Due to a pileup of books (I splurge on them. A lot.), it took me several weeks to set to reading Graceling.

Graceling is set in an alternate, medieval-ish universe where there are people called Gracelings, who are always highly talented at something, be it dancing, art, fighting, singing, cooking, etc. You can tel them apart from normal humans because their eyes are two different colors. Gracelings, if their talent proves useful, are taken from their families and given to the king that rules them. The main character is a girl named Katsa, whose Grace is killing. She has been used to punish her uncle's, the King of the Middluns', so-called enemies. Then, she meets Po, a Lienid prince Graced with fighting, and they set out on a journey to find out who kidnapped Po's grandfather. Over the course of the book, Katsa learns many things about herself, and about Po.

Graceling is a great book by Kristin Cashore, about self-acceptance, love, and, of course, a little bit of violence. I wouldn't change anything about it, plotwise. I found one or two parts confusing, but otherwise, it was perfect.

Valkyrie, by Kate O'Hearn

Valkyrie is a novel that I really enjoyed reading. For all those bookworms out there, you know the drill: Wake up late on a Saturday, with absolutely nothing to do, so you browse the shelves and pick out the book that you've been meaning to read.

This was how my reading of Valkyrie worked. I woke up around 9:45 a.m. on a Saturday morning (no matter how hard I try, I can't sleep any later), and I ate breakfast. Then, I went downstairs, and I had nothing I could possibly do besides spend the Saturday with the love of my life, also known as my library. I picked out Valkyrie, and went and sat on my chair, not bothering to turn on the lights because the chair was right below the window. I sat there for hours, doing nothing else but read. I finished it a few hours after I had to get up and eat lunch.

Valkyrie is the story of Freya, a new Valkyrie for Odin. The Valkyries' job is to choose souls to reap and bring to Valhalla, the hall for the valiant dead. Freya has never much liked humans, with their bloody conflict and destruction, but when the very first soul she ever reaps, a soldier, asks her to help his family, who are in danger, she can't refuse. Breaking just about every Valkyrie rule in the book, she goes down to Earth and meets the soldier's family, trying to help them with their troubles along with making friends with a human boy.

I believe that Valkyrie is the ultimate fantasy/coming-of-age novel. I love how Freya discovers herself throughout the book, and makes friends. She's definitely one of the bravest characters I've witnessed in a long time, who was willing to sacrifice her wings and her eyesight to save the ones she cares about. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who likes a strong female protagonist. The only real flaw in the entire novel was that it didn't really follow mythology, at all.