Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Review: Spinning Starlight by R.C. Lewis

August 30, 2015August 31, 2015 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Sixteen-year-old heiress and paparazzi darling Liddi Jantzen hates the spotlight. But as the only daughter in the most powerful tech family in the galaxy, it’s hard to escape it. So when a group of men show up at her house uninvited, she assumes it’s just the usual media-grubs. That is, until shots are fired.

Liddi escapes, only to be pulled into an interplanetary conspiracy more complex than she ever could have imagined. Her older brothers have been caught as well, trapped in the conduits between the planets. And when their captor implants a device in Liddi’s vocal cords to monitor her speech, their lives are in her hands: One word and her brothers are dead.

Desperate to save her family from a desolate future, Liddi travels to another world, where she meets the one person who might have the skills to help her bring her eight brothers home-a handsome dignitary named Tiav. But without her voice, Liddi must use every bit of her strength and wit to convince Tiav that her mission is true. With the tenuous balance of the planets deeply intertwined with her brothers’ survival, just how much is Liddi willing to sacrifice to bring them back?

Haunting and mesmerizing, this retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Wild Swans strings the heart of the classic with a stunning, imaginative world as a star-crossed family fights for survival in this companion to Stitching Snow.

4 Drink Me Potions

Thank you to Netgalley and Disney Book Group for this copy in exchange for an honest review

**Spinning Starlight comes out on October 6, 2015**

Can I first just say that I absolutely adored this book? Oh, and that TITLE along with the cover? Just. Gorgeous.

For an adaptation and fairy tale retelling of a story that’s not as famous as some others, Lewis did a fantastic – no, a SPECTACULAR – job of spinning out Hans Christian Andersen’s The Wild Swans in her own way. And going into this, I had not read her previous novel, Stitching Snow, but I think I may have to after seeing the remarkable way she spins a tale. (Yes, I’m really going all out with the word spin here.)

Liddi initially impressed me as some spoiled girl who lived in the spotlight because her family’s big and rich in this interplanetary kingdom. She went to parties, had media following her around everywhere and a house (with a talking operating system as her friend) to herself. But that was just initially, which lasted all of maybe ten seconds. It was immediately apparent that she was none of these things. She hated the paparazzi. She never asked for the attention that came with being born into the Jantzen family, and there was so much pressure to live up to that name and the glory of each and every single one of her 8 big brothers.

Now, the tech speak and the physics of things went beyond me. That’s not my specialty. At all. But the feeling of isolation and the need to create something technological to impress the world WAS understandable. Lewis didn’t immediately make it clear what this world was exactly. It was maybe revealed in the odd sentence here and there. For example, the world is called Seven Points. What’s that supposed to mean? Okay, 7 planets as each individual points? That makes sense. Wait, what are they each called? What is the one she’s on? Is there something special about each one?

Okay, the answers slowly piled in but it took a while to understand it. There was no information dump at all, which is a blessing and curse at the same time. It took more effort on my part to get into the story in the beginning when I was confused with half of what was going on and the terminology that was being thrown around. So maybe a little information dump, more like an information pile, would have been appreciated. That’s my only complaint.

From there, danger dropped onto Liddi and the story unfolded a little slow. Who was the bad guy? Where were her brothers? If you knew of The Wild Swans, you’re just waiting for the pieces to start falling together.

But the wait was worth it. Once Liddi lost her voice and the whole evil plot involving her brothers was laid out, it was better than I thought it could be. A surprising twist there, new characters there, it took me on a wild ride indeed. It was absolutely genius in mixing this tale with sci-fi aspects like portal travelling and being trapped in a hyperdimensional state, not fully in the physical world but not fully out of it either.

Lewis put her own mark on Andersen’s basic plot and really made it her own. I want to say so much more about plot things, but I don’t want to ruin the surprise of just what they are so that limits it.

What I will say is that I didn’t think it was possible to enjoy a book that contained more descriptive writing than dialogue. It wasn’t possible for that if Liddi couldn’t speak. We were just constantly in her head, reading her thoughts and her emotions. The anxieties of time limiting her and the constant fear for her brothers’ safety. Her memories and flashbacks to her past when more of her brothers lived at home with her and when her parents were still alive. There was so much GOOD content and it was written well. It had to be or else all these monologues would just get beyond tiring. It’s an easy trap to fall into and I can’t stress enough how well Lewis did to keep me interested.

And the relationships. Oh my, the feels! There was so much love for her brothers, each and every one of them. It was clear she would do absolutely ANYTHING for them. Come on, there are EIGHT brothers. That’s a lot of people to love, but the flashbacks really helped us understand their relationship with her and how much they all loved and wanted to protect their baby sister, no matter what. There was also a romantic sort of love as well, which didn’t get my heart racing as much as other books may, but it was the sweet kind of love that is reminiscent and suiting for fairy tales. So I’m definitely not complaining.

The ending was not what I expected, but that’s not to say it wasn’t good either. And it was summed up in a quote that I must put down here, which is a testament of how relateable Liddi’s character can be to anyone who reads Spinning Starlight.

“Some journeys can only be made once. Some partings aren’t what they seem. Some endings must be so something else can begin.”

And with that thought hanging on the mind, so did the story end as well.

Overall Recommendation:
Spinning Starlight was a beautifully written prose and modern adaptation of The Wild Swans. With a protagonist who was mute, the writing did centre more on the inner monologue in Liddi’s head than dialogue with others, but that in itself was done so well that it didn’t feel like it dragged the story. It enhanced it. Mixing the old fairy tale with new sci-fi elements and tech speak, it may get confusing in the beginning but I definitely recommend you check out this clever and gorgeous retelling for yourself. I don’t think it would disappoint.

Review: The Ugly Stepsister by Aya Ling

August 23, 2015August 31, 2015 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

When Kat accidentally rips apart an old picture book, she’s magically transported into the world of Cinderella–as Katriona, one of the ugly stepsisters!

Life turns upside down now that she’s a highborn lady and must learn how to survive the social season, including how to get through the door in a huge metal hoop skirt. To get back, she’ll have to complete the story, right to the end of happily ever after.

But the odds are huge: the other stepsister is drop-dead gorgeous, the fairy godmother is nowhere to be found, and the prince, despite being insanely hot, openly dislikes balls. Can she ever return to the modern world?

4 Drink Me Potions

Thank you Xpresso Book Tours and Giselle for the copy in exchange for an honest review

Now, who doesn’t love a good fairy tale retelling? I sure love ’em, and it’s clear that author Aya Ling does too (and that’s not just because I read her exact words describing this in the Acknowledgements –which yes, I do read too). She provided a beautiful backdrop in Cinderella land for The Ugly Stepsister.

The story jumps right to it. Our protagonist Kat is terribly shy with boys and loves to just hide in her room with a good book in hand rather than party it up like the other girls at school. Now why does that sound so familiar?

Oh right. That’s ’cause I can totally relate to that when I was around that age. As I’m sure many other readers out there can also relate to that sentiment.

Anyway, there was an immediate understanding and bond with Kat which made me like her all the more. Soon after, she falls into a completely crazy world of fairy land, but nothing seems to be working right. How does one find a fairy godmother? What’s with all these corsets? And what? The other stepsister is NOT ugly? How can that be? Kat has a lot on her hands to get the story going so that the prince would fall for Cinderella in this tale. Oh, and not to mention, all these crazy antics are pure hilarious entertainment for the goblins that had cursed Kat to this fate.

I loved a whole lot of this book. Kat had to go through a lot to first just even understand how this old historical-like kingdom system worked. And then to do it all alone, with barely any help from the goblin intermediate that would pop up in her room at night occasionally to just ask for progress. She was strong and through it all, it pushed her out of her comfort zone. Talking to hot guys? Check. Facing down lords and other royalty while trying to not completely make a fool of herself? Check. Having to live with a horrible mother who only cared to find Kat a suitor? Check.

It was slow towards the middle, I will admit. I felt Ling didn’t have to drag the plot out so much with all the horrid parties Kat had to attend in order to “find an appropriate suitor”. And man, her awful sister! Did I want to strangle that girl sometimes? And this was coming from the point of view as the sister and NOT as Cinderella? That says a lot how much I hated her.

But overall, the story brought out a lot of greatness. Kat was an amazing girl. She fought hard for things in this kingdom that mattered only in her “normal” modern day life. It didn’t matter that she kept telling herself at night that these people were only just characters in a book. She was living it and these people mattered to her regardless. Haven’t you ever felt that way about characters in a book before?

And the romance . Oh my goodness. Prince Edward was swoon-worthy (of course!). What kind of Cinderella retelling would it be without a gorgeous prince? But he wasn’t just a face. He cared about things that other high ranking nobles didn’t. His cousin was just as amazing, choosing a profession that helped the common people. It’s always good in a book to enjoy the PERSONALITIES of the hot guys the protagonist is vying for.

Alas, the ending melted me. It absolutely did. I won’t say much beyond that so it wouldn’t ruin a thing, but it did make sense from a writing point. I loved it; it was ingenious of course. But it was definitely bittersweet as well.

Overall Recommendation:
The Ugly Stepsister is not just some fairy tale retelling. There are so many of those already, aren’t there? It’s a beautiful twist of possibly the greatest classic fairy tale, and it contains such remarkable elements. With immense detail into what life would be like in Cinderella’s kingdom, and a protagonist with such strong convictions to get home, this story leaves you cheering for Kat to finish the fairy tale story and crying with her when things go so horribly wrong. I love fairy tale retellings and this definitely made it to the list of books I thoroughly enjoyed.

Review: Hunter by Mercedes Lackey

August 20, 2015August 20, 2015 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: Hunter #1

Centuries ago, the barriers between our world and the Otherworld were slashed open allowing hideous fantastical monsters to wreak havoc; destroying entire cities in their wake. Now, people must live in enclosed communities, behind walls that keep them safe from the evil creatures constantly trying to break in. Only the corps of teen Hunters with lightning reflexes and magical abilities can protect the populace from the daily attacks.

Joyeaux Charmand is a mountain girl from a close knit village who comes to the big city to join the Hunters. Joy thinks she is only there to perform her civic duty and protect the capitol Cits, or civilians, but as cameras follow her every move, she soon learns that the more successful she is in her hunts, the more famous she becomes.

With millions of fans watching her on reality TV, Joy begins to realize that Apex is not all it seems. She is forced to question everything she grew up believing about the legendary Hunters and the very world she lives in. Soon she finds that her fame may be part of a deep conspiracy that threatens to upend the protective structure built to keep dark magic out. The monsters are getting in and it is up to Joy to find out why.

3.5 Drink Me Potions

Thank you Netgalley and Disney Hyperion for this copy in exchange for an honest review

***Hunter comes out on September 1, 2015***

From the start, I could already tell that this was the kind of novel that you either hated or would find oddly interesting.

I couldn’t quite decide for myself which category I was in until a lot later into the book. The first few chapters were more than enough to cause a lot of readers to doubt their ability to continue on with the story. I swear, all that happens is this inner monologue that just continues on and on in our protagonist’s head. She’s explaining kind of what happened to this world that we’ve dropped into, getting us readers acquainted with the terminology and the events leading up to present day. Yet the author chooses to do this in such an odd manner.

How so, you may ask?

Well, let me tell you, dear reader. Our girl Joy is sitting on a train travelling to the great city Apex where she has been dispatched to serve her duty by orders of her Uncle, a great chief of police of sorts. And while she’s on this long, LONG train ride? She’s basically narrating all these things in her head. There is NO dialogue whatsoever for the most part. The odd sentence exchanged with a train steward checking on her maybe, but that’s the first several chapters. It was a little exhausting.

And it wasn’t just some narration. The author would switch over to second-person writing. Like how I’m writing to you reading this right now. It’s like Joy is telling us specifically, as audience/readers, using the word you to explain things. It was just a bit weird, in my opinion. So here is this whole giant monologue (for the most part) taking up our first impression, with a huge information dump on our heads right from the start. And it wasn’t all made clear immediately what the different terminology meant either. It took a while into the story for certain things to make some sort of sense….Talk about the need for patience.

But if that didn’t deter you, then maybe the slow pacing of the plot after she arrives at Apex and reaches Hunter HQ might. Joy is getting used to the area and it’s all fairly new to her, growing up in the Mountains with her Masters in a Monastery setting. Oh, all these references I just randomly dropped into the previous sentence? Well, get used to it. That’s how the story was written too, until you started piecing together her history, with confirmation in Joy’s monologue a little later.

Anyway, it wasn’t all peaches and cream. I think that’s fairly obvious with a lot of other reviews I’ve seen floating around. I was kinda miffed at all the different present day references Lackey used, and her need to change their spellings into something that sounded the same but just wasn’t. For example, vegan became vaygen. Like. What the heck? And champagne into Sham-pane? And she definitely brought in some references to Christians, calling them Christers in the book. If you can’t tell from reading this, I’m shrugging my shoulders at all this. I find it absolutely unnecessary but oh-kay….Whatever floats her boat.

All right. You may now wonder why this rating is still so high? Why not a 2 star?

That….is a mighty good question. I may have found a lot of things odd in the beginning or just annoying, but I couldn’t quite stop myself from finishing. The world was rather intriguing. All these monsters, otherwise known as Othersiders, were well-described, and related to all sorts of religions and mythologies. Even the odd vampire was featured. And the Hunters’ abilities, as well as their Othersider sidekicks called Hounds were purely fascinating. I loved reading all the Hunts that Joy went on, either solo or with her newfound Hunter friends in the big city.

So even though the beginning was mediocre in execution at best, if you stuck around long enough, I think you’d be drawn into the plot. There’s plenty of action battles described, to the point you can picture it as if it were a movie unfolding before your eyes. Not a whole lot of romance highlighted, but there’s some romantic interest around to satisfy romance lovers. And plenty of intrigue into possible conspiracies and why there’s an increase in sightings of Othersiders where there should be none.

I will say this to conclude. Hunter could’ve been written a little better, especially in the first few chapters where hooking readers in are crucial, but it has a ton of potential and stands on its own with originality in world building. The style of writing is less conversational and more descriptive, reminding me of writers in the past like L.M. Montgomery, which is a huge compliment. It sticks out in the YA genre, and I do like the sense of action being highlighted in this way. There are also so many questions left to be answered going into the next novel, but the ending was more than satisfactory, and might I say, ironically the best scene to have concluded it at.

Overall Recommendation:
There were definitely pros and cons to this book, and it’s not a book for everyone. The pacing can be slow at times without the plot progressing hugely if you look at it in the big picture. The beginning was one huge monologue inside Joy’s head that could kill a lot of readers’ interest, and there are minor irritants like using modern day words but re-spelling them to make it look “cool” and “futuristic”. However, if you can get past that, the world building is superb and the action Hunt scenes are written with such detail that it’s like a movie in your head. Plenty of questions are left unanswered, but enough of the central mystery is touched upon that it still satisfies. I don’t recommend this for people who get bored easily, but Hunter is definitely unique in the YA world.