My First DNF of 2016: INTO THE DIM

Title: Into the Dim
Author: Janet B. Taylor
Series: Into the Dim, book #1
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 1, 2016
Source: from publisher via Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

When fragile, sixteen-year-old Hope Walton loses her mom to an earthquake overseas, her secluded world crumbles. Agreeing to spend the summer in Scotland, Hope discovers that her mother was more than a brilliant academic, but also a member of a secret society of time travelers. Trapped in the twelfth century in the age of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Hope has seventy-two hours to rescue her mother and get back to their own time. Along the way, her path collides with that of a mysterious boy who could be vital to her mission . . . or the key to Hope’s undoing. Addictive, romantic, and rich with historical detail, Into the Dim is an Outlander for teens.

Not gonna lie: I had some high expectations for this book, especially as it being lauded as the Outlander for the YA set. It definitely did read a lot younger than I'm used to, even for a young adult novel. But Outlander it was not. For one thing, I was almost 40% into the story before the time travelling became an actuality. And it was very much a planned trip, not a matter of accidentally touching a stone at the wrong time.

I was supposed to be buddy reading this novel with my friend Sabrina, but she was reading ahead and I was getting further behind until she texted me to say that she'd just finished and asked if I just wanted her to tell me what happened. To which my reply was, "Oh, gawd, yes!" I had already been contemplating not finishing the book, but that sealed the deal. And I was glad that I hadn't forced myself to read further once she confirmed every one of my suspicions. I don't DNF often because I like to give a story a fleeting chance to recover my attention, but there was just no way that was going to happen with this book.

Into the Dim was just sooo incredibly predictable. The obvious foreshadowing just left nothing to the imagination, and every time one of my theories came to fruition, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the inevitability of it all. I'm just looking back at my emails and texts with Sabrina while we were reading and it's almost unbelievable how much of the story we were able to guess beforehand. I don't want to spoil anything so I won't post snippets here, but we basically called it before we even got to the 40% mark.

The main character was tragically unlikable to me. She was self-deprecating, but not in a snarky, mildly amusing way. Hope was home-schooled and socially awkward and just plain annoying. Her ability seemed to plague her constantly in the beginning but was only mentioned later when it was useful to the story. If that's what it's like to have a photographic memory, I will content myself with just having a really, really good memory.

I didn't really get to see much of the romance before I decided not to finish, but from what I discerned in my reading and from what Sabrina related after I stopped, I definitely feel like a love triangle is on the horizon, even if it didn't rear it's ugly head in this first book. One guy is the doomed love interest while the other is the brooding guy who will inevitably step in when doomed guy appears to be out of the picture. Not a fan, especially once Sabrina relayed that there was a kissing scene that involved one of the characters oozing yellow pus. No. Thank. You.

I find that I enjoy time travel novels with the simplest explanation for how the time travelling is accomplished. This was not one of those. Basically, it's described as a big mistake, stumbling on some ley lines in an underground cavern and using a friend's technology to aid in the process. It's more mystical than anything -- the travelers having no ability to control when and where they travel back to, just a computer program that predicts when they should be able to travel back to a certain time and place. And they can only travel back to a specific time and location ONCE, lest they should run into their previous selves from another trip back in time. I guess in those terms, it does seem rather simple. But maybe that's actually my issue with the time travel aspect: it was boring and I pretty much skimmed the passages about it.

As I said, I only read to about 40%, but up to that point, I found the story to read very young and to be incredibly slow-paced. I'm used to time travel novels being intense and shaking things up, but I was more likely to yawn while reading Into the Dim than be at the edge of my seat. I really, really wanted this novel to be good, but it was just too predictable for me to bother continuing. Especially since I have no plans to read the sequel now.

GIF it to me straight:

About the author:

Janet Taylor lives in such a small town in Arkansas that if you happen to sneeze when you pass by, you'll totally miss it. (Cause, you know, you can't sneeze with your eyes open. For real--try it--it's impossible)

Her debut novel, INTO THE DIM (coming 3/1/2016 from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) is about a 16 year old girl who travels through time. Totally on purpose and stuff.

She's a reader/fan first and a writer second. She lives with her fantastic husband, two hilarious sons, and Dorda the diabetic dog who won't win any beauty contests, but has a "nice personality".

Find Janet:

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Pinterest

Read More

Labels: disappointments, dnf, houghton mifflin harcourt, into the dim, janet b. taylor, reviews, time travel

TELL THE WIND AND FIRE Because Heartbroken Doesn't Even Begin to Describe It

Title: Tell the Wind and Fire
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Series: stand-alone
Publisher: Clarion Books
Publication Date: April 5, 2016
Source: from publisher via Edelweiss
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Tell the Wind & Fire is about a young girl called Lucie who lives in a New York very different from the New York we know: the city is torn between two very different kinds of magic, and Lucie’s own family was torn apart years ago by that conflict. Lucie wears magic rings and carries a burden of guilt she can’t share with anyone.

The light in her life is her sweetheart boyfriend Ethan, but it turns out Ethan has a secret too: a soulless doppelganger created by dark magic, who has to conceal the face identical to Ethan’s with a hood fastened by a collar nobody but a Light magician with magical rings can take off… and who introduces himself to both of them by, for reasons nobody can understand, saving Ethan’s life…

Sarah Rees Brennan novels are always a breath of fresh air for me, but SRB retelling A Tale of Two Cities? Brilliant. I loved it from start to finish, and even knowing how it would end, I still feel as heartbroken as the first time I read the original story. Which I now want to pick up again since it's been ages. (And since Audible recently had it on sale and I may have picked it up on a whim.) My love for Sydney Carton's character has been renewed and seems even more justified to me as an adult, sobbing for a similar character imbued with his sense of self-sacrifice.

So far as retellings go, this one was pretty great. It bore just enough resemblance to the original tale to call itself a retelling, but it was also vividly different and very much its own story when all was said and done. The underlying message is still present and the need for revenge is still very much ingrained in the story. But while the characters do mirror their counterparts from A Tale of Two Cities to some extent, I feel that the author explored their hidden depths and growth as characters in a way that made them wholly unique to this story.

As with SRB's Lynburn Legacy series, the magic took a back seat to the battle between good and evil at times in this story. Even so, it doesn't take magic to make Lucie Manette a force to be reckoned with. When the story begins, Lucie seems to be a meek slip of a girl, but as the story progresses, we see hints of what she's done to get to this point and how far she'll go to protect those she loves. Her life thus far has been tragic and full of loss, especially compared to that of her boyfriend Ethan who's lived a charmed life. But just as Lucie isn't what she seems, neither is Ethan. His own secret is about to change everything.

I always expect some level of predictability when it comes to retellings, but there were times when I was reading and I'd forget that this story was based on another. It felt uniquely SRB...I don't know any other way to say it. If you've read her books before, you'll probably understand that sentiment. (Otherwise, you should rectify that immediately.) This book was a little less sassy and sarcastic than the author's previous works, but it was no less witty or well-written.

I'm glad I hadn't re-read A Tale of Two Cities prior to picking this up because I would have inevitably spent too much time comparing the two stories and not enough time just enjoying this beautiful book for what it was. That said, I do hope that reading this story might entice those who are hesitant to read the classics to give the original story a chance. It's one of my favorites, even though it's one of those they forced us to read in school. But even having a general idea of the story because of the book that inspired it didn't prepare me for how much this novel was going to hurt. Heartbroken doesn't even begin to describe it.

GIF it to me straight:

About the author:

Sarah Rees Brennan is Irish and currently lives in Dublin. For a short stint, she lived in New York and became involved with a wide circle of writers who encouraged and supported her, including Holly Black and Cassandra Clare. She has developed a wide audience through her popular blog, mistful.livejournal.com, where she writes movie parodies, book reviews and some stories.

Find Sarah:

Website | Goodreads | Twitter

Read More

Labels: a tale of two cities, beautiful covers, classics, favorite authors, grabby hands, houghton mifflin harcourt, retellings, reviews, sarah rees brennan, tell the wind and fire

{WOW} Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's WoW selection is...








's Pick:

Title: Ever the Hunted
Author: Erin Summerill
Series: Clash of Kingdoms, book #1
Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books
Publication Date: December 27, 2016

Seventeen year-old Britta Flannery is at ease only in the woods with her dagger and bow. She spends her days tracking criminals alongside her father, the legendary bounty hunter for the King of Malam—that is, until her father is murdered. Now outcast and alone and having no rights to her father’s land or inheritance, she seeks refuge where she feels most safe: the Ever Woods. When Britta is caught poaching by the royal guard, instead of facing the noose she is offered a deal: her freedom in exchange for her father’s killer.

However, it’s not so simple.

The alleged killer is none other than Cohen McKay, her father’s former apprentice. The only friend she’s ever known. The boy she once loved who broke her heart. She must go on a dangerous quest in a world of warring kingdoms, mad kings, and dark magic to find the real killer. But Britta wields more power than she knows. And soon she will learn what has always made her different will make her a daunting and dangerous force.

Though this novel has a simple yet stunning cover, that premise is anything but simple. And it's totally up my alley, since I love the friends-turned-bitter-enemies storyline...and vice versa. The promise of magic seals the deal, though. I MUST HAVE THIS BOOK!


What are you desperately waiting for this Wednesday? Let us know in the comments or share a link to your own WoW post!

Read More

Labels: clash of kingdoms, erin summerill, fantasy, girl power, houghton mifflin harcourt, magic, waiting on wednesday (wow)

{Blog Tour} Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers: Review & Giveaway

I am thrilled to pieces to be a stop on the Mortal Heart Blog Tour today! I've loved this series from the very beginning, reading and re-reading each book in anticipation of the next. I just can't get enough of those assassins -- those daughters of Mortain -- and their various exploits!

Mortal Heart just released into the world yesterday and to celebrate, I've got my spoiler-free review for you below, as well as a tour-wide giveaway for a copy of the book plus other awesome goodies!

MORTAL HEART

By Robin LaFevers

In stores now!!! 

Order Mortal Heart: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Here's the blurb:

Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own.

She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind doesn't mean she has...

I went into this final book with some trepidation. I liked what I knew of Annith from the previous books, but I didn't know her yet, and if I'm being honest, I was afraid she was going to be be a little boring. I mean, they call her Saint Annith because she is so consumed with going above and beyond the convent's expectations of her. But I also didn't care much for what little I knew of Sybella's character in Grave Mercy, and her character arc really surprised me in the second installment, so I should have been prepared for a similar experience with Annith.

I wasn't, though. As much as I feared that neither of the other girls could compare to how much I loved Ismae in Grave Mercy, Annith gave Ismae a run for her money. She may be reserved, a vision of the perfect novitiate, but underneath that perfect visage, she is burning for an assignment, a chance to prove herself worthy. Annith is lethal -- touted as the best at everything among the novices at the convent -- and yet she has never been sent on assignment, passed up time and again. She is tired of being the obedient girl, the one who can always be counted to do what is expected of her. Because Annith is much more sneaky and cunning than anyone could have guessed, she finds her way off the island and away from the convent that has been her prison since she was but a babe. I have to admit, I really liked this side of Annith and I wished I'd seen it sooner so I wouldn't have been so reluctant to count her among my favorite assassin nuns. Because even though we've seen the fire that burns within Annith, she is still the same gentle soul she was when we first met her character.

Of the three daughters of Mortain that we've come to know so intimately, Annith is the one who is most balanced, and I think it was even more evident when we saw the three of them in the same confines. Ismae's temper can still be a fiery inferno and Sybella's ferocity knows no bounds, but Annith's inherent  balance of passion and calm make her the most level-headed of the three. Though the three assassins have changed so much in their time apart, it was absolutely lovely to see that their friendship had survived all the trials that they'd been through, that they'd come through their missions thicker than ever. It was nice to see some old friends and faces, and not just in passing. These girls all very much have a part in each other's stories, as do their loves.

The man who steals into Annith's life like a thief in the night carries no less baggage than the other girls' love interests, but his role is much larger than any of the others. Like the assassins, Balthazaar serves the god of death, but in a different capacity. While the daughters of Mortain delight in meting out his justice, Balthazaar seems to harbor a deep sadness for his task. And yet Annith is drawn to him and Balthazaar to her. They don't try to deny their attraction for very long, which is one of the things I love best about the romances in this series: Robin LaFevers creates these romantic leads that know exactly who and what they want and aren't about to give them up. The romances are mature in all the ways that matter and are so artfully written as to make each pairing perfectly suited for each other.

Not only were the couples suited for each other but also for what they have yet to face in the battle for Anne to keep her duchy and avoid war with France. Political intrigue abounds in this final installment, not only as tensions mount with France, but also as secrets about Annith's past and the convent come to light. I love the liberties the author has taken with the history of Brittany and France during the time period but also how much of it she has left intact. With the continued presence of the patron saints and their mythology, this world felt new and unique while also comfortable for its familiarity with the basis in real historical events.

I knew I'd love this book once I finally cracked it open. I just didn't know how much. And I also didn't expect to run the full gamut of emotions while I read it. I'm not often shocked by a story, but Mortal Heart caught me by surprise on more than one occasion. I may have predicted some of the bigger reveals, but it was the smaller obstacles that caught me off-guard. I was expecting big things from this book, and I got more than I bargained for, that's for sure. And now I'm left reeling from the loss of it. I'm afraid to really dive into another book for fear that it won't be able to compare to the beautiful story I just read. Mortal Heart was a brilliant and utterly stunning conclusion to one of my very favorite historical fiction series, and I'm going to miss those assassin nuns something fierce.

GIF it to me straight:

About the author:

Robin LaFevers was raised on a steady diet of fairy tales, Bulfinch’s mythology, and 19th century poetry. It is not surprising she grew up to be a hopeless romantic.

Though she has never trained as an assassin or joined a convent, she did attend Catholic school for three years, which instilled in her a deep fascination with sacred rituals and the concept of the Divine. She has been on a search for answers to life’s mysteries ever since.
While many of those answers still elude her, she was lucky enough to find her one true love, and is living happily ever after with him in the foothills of southern California.

In addition to writing about teen assassin nuns in medieval Brittany, she writes books for middle grade readers, including the Theodosia books and the Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist series. You can learn more about those books at www.rllafevers.com.

Find Robin:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumblr

(1) One winner will receive a rustic arrow necklace, a leather bound notebook and a hardcover of MORTAL HEART! US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Eeek! That is a fabulous giveaway...especially knowing how each piece plays into this final installment in the His Fair Assassins series!

Be sure to check out the rest of the blog tour for more awesome posts!

Week One:

10/27/2014 - Two Chicks on Books - Guest Post

10/28/2014 - Katie's Book Blog - Review

10/29/2014 - Once Upon a Twilight - Interview

10/30/2014 - Magical Urban Fantasy Reads - Review

10/31/2014 - Reading YA Rocks - Guest Post

Week Two:

11/3/2014 - Mundie Moms - Review

11/4/2014 - Tales of the Ravenous Reader - Interview

11/5/2014 - The Starry-Eyed Revue - Review

11/6/2014 - Step Into Fiction - Interview

11/7/2014 - Parajunkee - Guest Post

Read More

Labels: blog tour, favorites, giveaways, his fair assassin, historical fiction, houghton mifflin harcourt, reviews, robin lafevers, rockstar book tours

Review: Zac & Mia by A.J. Betts

Title: Zac & Mia
Author: A.J. Betts
Series: n/a
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 2, 2014
Source: ARC from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The last person Zac expects in the room next door is a girl like Mia, angry and feisty with questionable taste in music. In the real world, he wouldn’t—couldn’t—be friends with her. In hospital different rules apply, and what begins as a knock on the wall leads to a note—then a friendship neither of them sees coming.

You need courage to be in hospital; different courage to be back in the real world. In one of these worlds Zac needs Mia. And in the other Mia needs Zac. Or maybe they both need each other, always.

Those allegations that this is The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor & Park aren't far off but they don't do this story any favors with the comparisons. I despise those types of comparisons, honestly, because they just don't do a book any justice. So, let's forget them. What this story is is honest and stark and hopeful and brutal and basically what you'd expect a story about kids with cancer to be...except it's not.

I loved how the author handles the dual points of view in this narrative, though at times the two voices did sound a little too similar. Still, this isn't the usual back-and-forth between two characters, getting his perspective and then hers on the same situations. No, this story is told in three parts, each of which highlights the character and paves the way for the ultimate role reversal.

Zac

We start out with Zac's perspective as the resident cool kid in the adult cancer ward. He's beating this leukemia thing and he's not letting anyone tell him otherwise, not even the newbie in room 2 who blares Lady Gaga like she's the only one in a hundred mile radius. Mia is a bit rough around the edges, to say the least, but Zac tries to remain hopeful for her sake, even when her own resentment and anger turn her into a bit of a shrew.

Zac is sweet and unassuming. He knows the math, the statistics behind his illness and recovery and what it means for his future. And yet, he still remains positive. Sometimes his character read a bit younger than the nearly 18 years he was presented as, but maybe being stuck in a hospital for weeks on end will do that to you?

And

Next, we get the standard dual perspective, starting again with Zac and then switching to Mia and then back again. But it's anything but standard. Though the characters may have sounded a little alike from time to time, they both handle their situations in very different ways. Each character seems different when viewed through the other's eyes, but I think it was their inner monologues that made them eerily similar to me. But maybe that's because they were going through some of the same things, no matter how they inevitably handled them.

Fair warning, if you don't enjoy characters that you're not supposed to like despite the fact that they could use a little compassion -- a la Alice from Side Effects May Vary -- you're likely to have difficulty connecting with Mia, especially even once you read from her point-of-view and understand better where she's coming from. Knowing doesn't actually make it any easier to empathize with her. Zac tries his best, though, and at times, he seems to be just what Mia needs: someone who cares enough to try, to fight for her when she's ready to give up fighting.

Mia

And then we're back to a single perspective, this time just Mia's. She's different. Things haven't miraculously gotten better for her, but she's more accepting, and a lot of that she owes to Zac. Zac, who she's pushed away for months. Zac, who she wants in her life now, more than anyone and more than ever before. How could she not have seen just how lucky she was to have someone so genuine and good in her life?

Zac & Mia is a story of friendship, love, pain, and everything in between. It's about two kids who find each other amidst battling cancer and hoping for some semblance of normalcy. Above all, it is hopeful, if not a tad bittersweet, and I appreciated the fact that the characters were flawed and not above reproach. This is not the sobfest that others that have come before it were inclined to be, but I don't think that was the author's intent. Those Aussies know how to pluck at the right strings to make you feel just how they want without inundating you with those emotions. And Zac & Mia is no different. If you like characters with faults, have a penchant for Aussie young adult novels, or just enjoy genuinely heartfelt stories with a hopeful message, I think there's something for you in this novel.

GIF it to me straight:

Sad but hopeful.

About the author:

A.J. grew up in Far North Queensland, Australia, reading Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton, L.M. Montgomery, and Douglas Adams. She has taught in Brisbane and traveled the world with a backpack and a camera. When she is not writing or teaching, she rides bikes, bakes, and occasionally communes with sea lions that live near her home. She lives in Watermans Bay, Australia.

Find A.J.:

Website | Blog | Goodreads | Facebook

Read More

Labels: a.j. betts, aussie, contemporary, houghton mifflin harcourt, reviews, tough subject, zac & mia

Review: A Death-Struck Year by Makiia Lucier

Title: A Death-Struck Year
Author: Makiia Lucier
Series: N/A
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group
Publication Date: March 4th, 2014
Source: Received from publisher via Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A deadly pandemic, a budding romance, and the heartache of loss make for a stunning coming-of-age teen debut about the struggle to survive during the 1918 flu.

For Cleo Berry, the people dying of the Spanish Influenza in cities like New York and Philadelphia may as well be in another country--that's how far away they feel from the safety of Portland, Oregon. And then cases start being reported in the Pacific Northwest. Schools, churches, and theaters shut down. The entire city is thrust into survival mode--and into a panic. Headstrong and foolish, seventeen-year-old Cleo is determined to ride out the pandemic in the comfort of her own home, rather than in her quarantined boarding school dorms. But when the Red Cross pleads for volunteers, she can't ignore the call. As Cleo struggles to navigate the world around her, she is surprised by how much she finds herself caring about near-strangers. Strangers like Edmund, a handsome medical student and war vet. Strangers who could be gone tomorrow. And as the bodies begin to pile up, Cleo can't help but wonder: when will her own luck run out? Riveting and well-researched, A Death-Struck Year is based on the real-life pandemic considered the most devastating in recorded world history. Readers will be captured by the suspenseful storytelling and the lingering questions of: what would I do for a neighbor? At what risk to myself? An afterword explains the Spanish flu phenomenon, placing it within the historical context of the early 20th century. Source notes are extensive and interesting.

Do you know what's scary? This book, that's what. Not in your horror film way but in real life way. I kept thinking back to a few years ago when the whole swine flu thing was going around. I had a two year old at the time, and it was like a mad rush to get her to a clinic that had the vaccinations. The news stations were hyping it up like the end of the world. I know so people are anti vacs, but our family is all for them since my husband, MIL and SIL all work for hospitals.

I don't remember much about the Spanish Flu. Surely we must have learned a little bit about it in school, or at least heard of it in passing. The only memories I have about it are in books I've read over the years. So I can't really vouch for authenticity, but it sure as hell felt real reading it.

Cleo Berry is the main character and I adored her. I can't say I would be as good a person in her situation. She's everything good in the world rolled up into one little person. Her home town has been hit with the Spanish Flu, and she volunteers for the red cross. Guys, I'm no saint and I would probably say “F That!” and stay holed up in my house till it all blew over, but Cleo... she's amazing. She has her doubts and I liked seeing her struggle through what she was doing, but in the end she's such a good person, how can she turn away. The compassion she show's is heart warming.

She has her personal reasons for choosing to work with the Red Cross and that made me love her even more. There is a little hint of a romance, but its not what fuels this story. It's very much part of the back drop. Some of the situations Cleo goes through helping these sick people out, well it brought tears to my eyes and also made me gag.  (the flu is not pretty) I seriously want to research the Spanish Flu now.

I really liked A Death-Struck year. This was another book that I saw on Netgalley that I was unsure of but once again, I picked a winner. 

About the author:

Makiia Lucier grew up on the Pacific island of Guam, not too far from the equator. She
received a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oregon and a master's in library studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she studied literature for children. She's had plenty of jobs, mostly in libraries, and currently resides in the small college town of Moscow, Idaho.

Find Makiia:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads

Read More

Labels: A Death-Struck Year, houghton mifflin harcourt, Makiia Lucier, reviews, Spanish Influenza

Review: Mistwalker by Saundra Mitchell

Title: Mistwalker
Author: Saundra Mitchell
Series: n/a
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Publication Date: February 4, 2014
Source: for review via ATW ARC Tours
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

When Willa Dixon’s brother dies on the family lobster boat, her father forbids Willa from stepping foot on the deck again. With her family suffering, she’ll do anything to help out—even visiting the Grey Man. Everyone in her small Maine town knows of this legendary spirit who haunts the lighthouse, controlling the fog and the fate of any vessel within his reach. But what Willa finds in the lighthouse isn’t a spirit at all, but a young man trapped inside until he collects one thousand souls. Desperate to escape his cursed existence, Grey tries to seduce Willa to take his place. With her life on land in shambles, will she sacrifice herself?

I expected to be seduced by this book, much like the Grey Man "tries to seduce Willa to take his place". But to be honest, there's not much seduction here.  If you were looking forward to a romantic tryst with an urban legend type character, I think you're going to be disappointed with this one.  But, if you're looking for a story about a girl who's troubled by the part she played in her brother's death, about a girl who's trying to figure out where to go from here, then this might be your kind of book.

This is the third novel I've read from Saundra Mitchell, and as per usual, one of my favorite aspects is the setting. In this story, it's a poor fishing village in Maine.  I've never been to Maine, but I've always wanted to visit, and I almost felt like I had through the author's beautiful prose.  Her descriptions of the wharf and the lobster boats that sit in it, the island and it's somewhat magical lighthouse, the mystical fog that rolls into the village seemingly of its own accord, even the changing of the leaves as winter approaches...so much beauty and majesty in such a cold, harsh place.

Mistwalker was surprisingly (to me, at least) told from both Willa and Grey's perspectives.  While Willa's voice was rather stilted and halting as she tried to deal with her grief, I found Grey's to be very appealing and almost poetic in nature.  Of course, Willa is from present-day and Grey is the spirit of a seventeen-year-old boy who's been trapped in the lighthouse for 100 years...their voices should sound very different.  However, I appreciated Grey's perspective much more.  His frustration and humiliation over being deceived into his current position were nearly tangible, and his overall appearance and control over the fog and mist made him that much creepier.  But he was just a boy who had been tricked, and he'd still proven himself more or less honorable over the 100 years he'd been ensnared on the island.

Willa, on the other hand, wanted to avoid thinking about her situation, wanted to avoid anything that meant things would change.  She gives everyone the cold shoulder and pushes them all away.  And then she meets the Grey Man.  Nothing comes of it, except that now she's even more worried about her own sanity.  But as luck would have it, their meeting is fortuitous to both of them in ways that neither of them are ready to comprehend.

The problem I ran into with this story was the pacing.  It just never really felt like the story was moving forward.  I think I would have preferred this narrative as a short story rather than a full-length novel.  The writing is good...it's par for this author, but I have to admit I was more than a little bored at times.

A story of seduction that sounds to good to be true, Mistwalker is not what it appears to be, but I think it's all the better for it.  It's not entirely unique in its handling of grief and heartbreak, but it is genuine.  Haunting and beautiful, this eerie tale of tragedy and deception will appeal to fans of ghost stories and urban legends alike.

About the author:

Saundra Mitchell is the author of SHADOWED SUMMER, THE VESPERTINE, THE SPRINGSWEET, THE ELEMENTALS and forthcoming MISTWALKER. She’s also the editor of the YA anthology DEFY THE DARK.

This fall, she debuts WHILE YOU’RE AWAY, her first New Adult novel writing as Jessa Holbrook. In summer 2014, she debuts WILD, her first YA novel writing as Alex Mallory.

Find Saundra:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Read More

Labels: houghton mifflin harcourt, mistwalker, paranormal, reviews, saundra mitchell, souls, urban legends

Teaser Tuesday #78: Mistwalker by Saundra Mitchell

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here's what I'm teasing this week:

Title: Mistwalker
Author: Saundra Mitchell
Series: n/a
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Publication Date: February 4, 2014
Source: for review via ATW ARC Tours
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

When Willa Dixon’s brother dies on the family lobster boat, her father forbids Willa from stepping foot on the deck again. With her family suffering, she’ll do anything to help out—even visiting the Grey Man.

Everyone in her small Maine town knows of this legendary spirit who haunts the lighthouse, controlling the fog and the fate of any vessel within his reach. But what Willa finds in the lighthouse isn’t a spirit at all, but a young man trapped inside until he collects one thousand souls.

Desperate to escape his cursed existence, Grey tries to seduce Willa to take his place. With her life on land in shambles, will she sacrifice herself?

My teaser(s):

"I think it's plain by now.  If she's a romantic, it's the secret sort.  I won't win her by force or insistence.  Instead, I ask again, an intimate murmur made for her alone." -- Grey

- p. 147 of ARC

"From that lighthouse, he saw me. That lighthouse, where nothing but a fall stood between him and the ocean. Where some kind of spell brought him everything he wanted. As I slipped into a quiet house, I thought hard at the kitchen. I dared it to give me a turkey dinner, to put Levi in the chair across from mine." -- Willa

- p. 156 of ARC

I know it's cheating to include two teasers, but I thought it best since there are two points of view in this novel.  (I didn't know that going into it.)  Anyway, so far, I'm not in love with this one, but I'm enjoying the story nevertheless.  I am just getting to the good stuff, though.  =)

What are you teasing this week?  Share it in the comments or leave a link so I can visit!

Read More

Labels: houghton mifflin harcourt, mistwalker, paranormal, saundra mitchell, souls, teaser tuesday, urban legends