Review: Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

"Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal other-wordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?" -Goodreads
Release Date: September 27, 2011
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Page Count: 418
Buy Link: Amazon.com
Favorite Quotes:
"She was lonely, and she feared the missingness within her as if if might expand and...cancel her. She craved a presence beside her, solid. Fingertips light at the nape of her neck and a voice meeting hers in the dark. Someone who would wait with an umbrella to walk her home in the rain, and smile like sunshine when he saw her coming. Who would dance with her on her balcony, keep his promises and know her secrets, and make a tiny world wherever he was, with just her and his arms and his whisper and her trust."

"It was like stepping into the pages of a book-- a book alive with color and fragrance, filth and chaos-- and the blue-haired girl moved through it all like a fairy through a story, the light treating her differently than it did others, the air seeming to gather around her like held breath. As if this whole place were a story about her."

"The blade of his long sword gleamed white from the incandescence of the wings-- vast shimmering wings, their reach so great they swept the walls on either side of the alley, each feather like the wind-tugged lick of a candle flame."

"It was a remarkable sight, the sky beginning to flush pale at the roots, all the towers bathed in a soft glow, the streets of the city still shadowed and aglitter with fireflies of lamplight and the weaving, winking beam of headlights."

"The sun climbed above the hills and she watched as its glow herded night into the shadows where it gathered, all the darker for its density-- all of night crowded into the slanting places beyond the reach of dawn."

"Happiness. It was the place where passion, with all its dazzle and drumbeat, met something softer: homecoming and safety and pure sunbeam comfort."

Wow, wow, wow. Liani Taylor, you are my new literary hero.

Karou is a normal girl, if you consider normal knocking on doors behind which lie the portal to another world. She has tattooed eyes on her hands, wishes on a magical beads from her necklace, and meets bounty hunters to collect teeth. She was raised by Brimstone, a Wishmonger, and three of his chimaera hybrid friends. She fills her sketchbooks with pictures of her creature companions but feels a void inside. She doesn't know her parents or her past or what Brimstone does with the animal teeth.

Creative and fantastical storyline. The made up mythology blew my mind, especially about the sun and two moons. The connection between characters was electric. Not just between our two main characters who have the hots for each other, but even the friendship between Karou and Zuzana was entirely believable. I absolutely adore Zuzana's patience with Karou. She puts up with her "errands" without explanation, gets really protective when meeting "the new guy," and artistically carries out Karou's semester project idea.

You'll love this book if you like...
- Artists or hobby driven characters (Karou and Zuzana both attend an art school in Prague)
- Exotic locations intrigue you (Did I mention Prague? That's only the tip of the iceberg)
- People leading double lives (Behind door number one is...)
- A good love story that builds in tension
- Creativity
- Mystery (I couldn't guess the twist)
- The non-traditional angel (fiery wings, guys)
- Wishes and/or knives (Be surprised)
-  Writing that sweeps you away

I couldn't put this book down. And even though a ton of the book was flashbacks, they built the world up in such a strong way. I know this has set the second book up to be amazing. I even saw there's a 2.5 volume that goes into Zuzana's love story!

The best thing about discovering a series so late...all the books are already out.  I don't have to wait that agonizing year in between books and forget all the details.

This brings me to my question for you:
What awesome series did you discover after some or all of the books were out?

--BUY DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE HERE--

Review: Unspoken

Stats:
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 11, 2012
Page Count: 370
Would Appeal To: Fans of Maggie Stiefvater

Favorite Quotes:
"'Your soul is like the souls of a thousand monkeys on crack, all smushed together.'"

"'The photocopy machine overheated and broke down. I think I can still hear the sound of it sobbing and wanting to talk about its childhood.'"

"At first glance, Rusty was a masculine version of his sister--tall, dark, and incurably lazy. He had the same athletic frame, which he draped on walls and furniture as if simply too weak to support himself."

"He met her eyes, face calm. The oak leaves above him were already gilded, autumn coming to the woods like a king in a legend, touching all the trees with brightness."

Why You Must Read This:

• Invisible friend come to life, anyone? Right from the start, this premise had me hooked. Kami has talked to Jared in her head her whole life, and sometimes she spaces out when having conversations with him. Her mom has always hoped she'd grow out of it, the kids at school used to think she was weird-- she even lost a best friend over Jared. But she's not willing to give him up. When he becomes a real person, one of the Lynburns who moves back to the spooky manor at the top of the hill, Kami practically has a mental breakdown. She isn't crazy, and she has to figure out how to live in a world that's scarier, now that he's an actual person she must interact with. 
• I laughed out loud, in the gym! So I tend to start new books while I'm working out...let's just say I'm glad no one else was around. Within the first three chapters, I was cracking up. Kami starts a school newspaper in a cramped office with only her best friend Angela to keep her company. Angela's really only in it for the napping couch. Soon, the mysterious Ash Lynburn appears, a perfect interviewee for her story on "The Return of the Lynburns."
• Magic. Not only are all of Brennan's descriptions magical and unique, but she weaves magic through the storyline in ways you won't even see coming until, BAM, they hit you!
• Fun dialogue. I can't remember being this amused by dialogue since two years ago when I read Robin Benway's The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June. The characters' speech, from self-defense instructor (and older brother of Angela) Rusty to Kami's jokester of a father, brings the story to life and makes even the most minor characters sparkle off the page.
• Kept me guessing. On more than one occasion, I found myself right there with Kami--unsure of who to trust. She is a reporter who needs to get to the bottom of mysterious events before someone--gasp--kills her! She only seems to be a little worried about the death part, thanks to her habitually curious tendancies. If you go into this story just knowing the invisible friend part (and the book jacket does an excellent job of not providing spoilers), you will be pleasantly surprised with the plot twists! Clever work, Ms. Brennan. I will be reading all of your other books.
• Emotional. The plot wasn't all fun and games. I enjoyed the relationship between Kami and Jared. Kami's good at analyzing gestures and deciphering thoughts, but of course, she misreads certain cues, as does Jared. There was a surprising moment when the 3rd person POV switched to Jared, but I also liked getting into his head a little. I found myself rooting for the good characters but also sympathizing with the ones who are unsure of whether they can fully cross the line to what we might call "bad guy." I also had a strong dislike for Ash's mom. She made my skin crawl.  
• Loved the ending. For once, abrupt equals AWESOMENESS! Your emotions might go haywire, but you will be pining for the next Lynburn Legacy book. 

What Bugged Me:

• The only thing I can think of is that Ash comes from America and uses some British phrases, like "Can I offer you a lift home?" I haven't ever heard a U.S. teen say that particular sentence. This was not nearly enough of a discrepancy to make me deduct half a butterfly on the rating scale.

Final Verdict:
Unspoken showcases a cast of cooky characters with extreme loyalties whose adventures are both hilarious and nightmarish. A memorable mystery that causes eruptions of laughter and lack of sleep.   

Review: The Lost Girl

Happy 2013! I hope you all got books or giftcards for Christmas and are losing sleep reading your picks because they are just that good! I'm going to try to pick up on the reviews on here (New Year's resolution). Here's my first read of the year, which hooked me from the cover.


Stats:
Publisher: Balzer and Bray
Release Date: August 28, 2012
Page Count: 432
Tagline: "Her life begins when another one ends."
Would Appeal To: Fans of Jodi Meadows' Incarnate, anyone who likes a well-crafted story, anyone who has experienced the death of someone close

Favorite Quotes:
"What is this power the dead have over the ones they leave behind? It's strange and beautiful and frightening, this deathless love that human beings continue to feel for the ones they've lost."

"His voice is quiet, but it reminds me of thunder. Thunder tightly boxed. It makes me afraid of what will happen if the box is broken."

"There are tears creeping down her face, leaving glistening trails like the wet left behind by a snail."

"It's fitting that the feathers are so ragged, unformed. Fitting for an angel the gods want to tear from the sky, who must ride on a bird until her broken wings heal."

"'For someone who died,' I mutter at an imaginary Amarra, 'you've done a very good job of hanging around.' But maybe that's what the dead do. They stay. They linger. Benign and sweet and painful. They don't need us. They echo all by themselves."

"That night, as I lie in bed, my thoughts start to look like a ballroom. It's painted the color of burnished silver, the color of a Bangalore sky after the rains. In this ballroom there are angels and monsters, and Seans, and Rays, and echoes and others...and families distorted in broken mirrors, and they are waltzing, to and fro, with one another."

 

Why You Should Read This Book:

• The story is impressively creative. A group called the Weavers has created life on their own for 200 years. They've learned how to stitch life out of dust and infuse that life with bits of another person. Although it's illegal in places like India, people can order an echo of their loved one to replace that person after he or she has died. The echo's job is to study her other's life; eat the same foods, learn her favorites, love the same boys. The main character, Eva, spends her life across the world in England doing all of these things. She has guardians who look after her. She has her own thoughts and feelings, and even falls in love with a boy that her other, Amarra, might never choose. When Amarra is in a car accident, Eva has to take her place, leave behind her entire existence to replace this girl. And if she makes a mistake, she can be unstitched and Amarra's parents could be imprisoned. I'm in love with the concept. The Weavers are humans, yet they haven't perfected the creation of life, not until they learn how to change someone's soul from body to body. Adrian, the power-hungry Weaver, wants to do this, but has not yet been successful. Because echoes aren't treated like humans and are generally feared, Eva has a secluded life in the country with Mina Ma and her guardians. The author did a great job with world building. The terms were easy to grasp and I didn't find any contradictions within the plot about rules or laws. 
• The settings transport the reader. The reader gets to spend time in both India and England. I don't know that much about India, so the sights and sounds of a busy country with markets and rickshaws riding the streets was interesting to imagine. Eva ends up traveling to different places in England, and it's also obvious the author has lived there. Her details are realistic, and the settings don't overshadow the story.
• The outcast is the perfect point of view. Eva is such an outcast that she's even had to name herself. Because the story is from her viewpoint, readers are able to experience her up and down emotions. We also come across discoveries about laws at the same time as she does, especially since her guardians have chosen what not to share with her for the sake of protection. She's never been to a zoo. She's not allowed to leave the general area. She's homeschooled until she has to replace Amarra in India. Then there's the constanst pressure of being like Amarra so her friends don't find out and call the police, or her familiars, Alisha and Neil, don't issue a Sleep Order because they are displeased by Eva's imitation of their daughter. I appreciate that Eva is true to character; because she has been so sheltered, she doesn't have the same "street smarts" that other characters do. Although she can be quick thinking, she also is naive. She does, however, see her plight paralleled: in her dreams, from parables Mina Ma tells, in students at school, which makes her observant in a way other fifteen year olds would not be.
• Ethical questions are presented at every turn. This is a time when humans have the ability to create life. Just because an echo isn't human, does that mean everyone has a right to act more superior and treat her poorly when she too has thoughts and feelings; but of course, that's not how the ordinary public views it, including Ray, Amarra's old boyfriend. Should Eva be punished for wishing to live her own life with her own love?
• Characters' reactions to death are wide ranging. Just as in real life, everyone reacts differently to Amarra's death. Mina Ma is overjoyed because that means Eva will be safe living someone else's life. Eva is distraught to leave behind the only life she's known. Alisha sees her daughter in Eva and lives in a fantasy world where her daughter has not been taken from her. Ray cannot cope with his emotions.

What Bugged Me:

• There were a few parts where the action slowed about 2/3 of the way in that made it easy to put down the book and come back. Overall, I kept wanting to read to find out Eva's fate. 
• The ending was rather open-ended, and I'm not sure whether there are plans for a sequel.

Final Verdict:
Sangu Mandanna has crafted a gorgeous debut that addresses the tough questions about rights of the living. A fiercely independent female is forced to be what society deems her; an emotionless, humble servant who must hide her feelings to pretend to be someone she's not. Riddled with roadblocks, Eva's quest for identity continues to bring her back to those who loved her in her old life, especially one boy with green eyes who is forbidden.

  

Review: Every Day

Stats:
Publisher: Knopf
Release date: August 26, 2012
Page count: 322
Would appeal to: Fantasy lovers, non-readers (I really think this would convince them to read more!), anyone who likes John Green (writing has that kind of lasting impression)

Favorite Quotes:
"I know from experience that beneath every peripheral girl is a central truth. She's hiding hers away, but at the same time she wants me to see it. And it's there, just out of my reach. A sound waiting to be a word."

"I tell her what she wants to hear, but she doesn't trust it. I feed her the right words, but she suspects they're threaded with hooks."

"Margaret quickly comes down with a cold. The kissing stops, and the doting begins. Sam is rather smitten, and he surrounds Margaret with the sweet quicksand of his love."
 
"The books sit crooked on the shelves, like rows of neglected teeth."

"Sometimes when you hit send, you can imagine the message going straight into the person's heart. But other times, like this time, it feels like the words are merely falling into a well."


Why You Must Read This Book:
1. Amazing concept! A wakes up in a new body every single day. But what happens when he falls for someone's girlfriend and he knows his time with her is coming to an end? Are you hooked yet? 

2. The insights. Levithan is one of those authors (like the above mentioned John Green with whom he wrote Will Grayson, Will Grayson) who makes me sigh because he gets it. His characters make everyday observations that I've often thought, only not as eloquently. It's like he's walked a mile in every person's shoes. A experiences the life of a twin football player, a gorgeous African American teen, a home schooled boy from a religious family, an addict. Some days are good, some days he can't get through quick enough. (I thought of A as a boy, so that's how I'll refer to him, but he's really just an "it").  A has the kind of maturity that none of us will ever attain because we don't really get to try on lives.

3. The twists. My advice is just start reading. The book blurb barely gives anything away, but Levithan's mind goes crazy places. He answers all the "What if..." questions I'd never think to ask.

4. The ending. I thought it really fit the reality that the story had built.

5. The main character doesn't have rules about his existence, so he makes his own. Because A doesn't understand much about what he is, he has to blindly accept his reality. That's what makes it exciting. He doesn't know whether the body he inhabits will remember what happened to them the day after he leaves. He lives his various lives cautiously, leaving as little behind as possible so as not to disturb the person's life. But Rhiannon changes everything, and soon, he's breaking the few rules that guide his existence.

What Bugged Me About This Book:
Nothing.
I read it in less than a day because I could not put it down. I just wanted to keep seeing life through the eyes of different people! And A's views on love are interesting. He doesn't get caught up with gender. He falls for the soul. You'll totally fall for his (couldn't resist).

 

Review: The Night Circus

"The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart."

-Goodreads

Stats:

• Publisher: Doubleday
• Release date: September 13, 2011
• Page count: 387
• Unique elements: Designs on pages, the way sections are divided
• Would appeal to: Lovers of magic, fans of Harry Potter, kids at heart!

Favorite Quotes:
"He reads histories and mythologies and fairy tales, wondering why it seems that only girls are ever swept away from their mundane lives on farms by knights or princes or wolves. It strikes him as unfair to not have the same fanciful opportunity himself."

"As the course progresses, when she is not distracted by the astounding quality of the food, Celia makes a game of deciphering the relationships between the guests. Reading the way they interact, intuiting the emotions hidden beneath the laughter and conversation, catching the places that gazes linger."

"There is the softest of sobbing...but it is difficult to pinpoint who it is coming from, or if it is instead a collective sound of mingled sighs and wind and shifting feet."

"It is a different sensation than watching the stars while lying in a field...There are no trees creeping into the edges..."

"'Did Widge tell you that?' Bailey asks, wondering if the thought is so strong that it sits on him, evident and readable."

"Only hours ago, she was certain. Now, sitting in this cave of lightly perfumed silk, what had seemed constant and unquestionable feels as delicate as the steam floating over her tea."

Wow! I said it out loud when I finished reading. This book, with its complicated interwoven storylines, must have taken immense planning, yet Erin Morgenstern has sewn it so effortlessly together. Most of that is thanks to her gorgeous story-telling. This lady can write and I'm already looking forward to her next novel! Her sentences fit the time period--no contractions, and her vocabulary ROCKS! I didn't know a lot of the words, but that didn't distract me. Some sentences were so powerfully compelling or uniquely stated that I read them four times before moving on ("far-flung friends" is my new favorite phrase). See if you notice a pattern with some of the chapter headings.

As for the story...who doesn't like the circus? This is even better than an ordinary circus. Anything you could ever dream awaits attendees in the multitude of black and white tents. It appears out of nowhere, stays an indetermined amount of time, and leaves in the night without notice, traveling to an unannounced location. From the tantalizing smell of carmel and delicious chocolate mice with licorice tails to the air of mystery given off by the large clock at the entrance of Le Cirque des Reves, the circus is one I fully hope someone tries to replicate. After each particular tent was described, for example, the Cloud Maze or the Ice Garden, I could imagine it perfectly. And all of these tents that are popping up are part of a giant game started when Marco and Celia were children; they are merely pawns in an ancient dispute, seared red scars on their fingers from binding rings. The only instructions they truly understand are that there must be a winner, even though they don't know they're opponent or the rules of the game.   

The details transform this book from good to brilliant. Morgenstern takes her time describing little things-- the color of a scarf, the see-through hand of a father, the broken wing of a paper raven. A love of books is definitely instilled in both Marco and Celia, so if you like ink, Shakespeare, poetry, or libraries, you will love the ways all of them are incorporated. I loved the relationship between Marco and Celia, even though it took time to develop. The dialogue between them is honest and flows so naturally. Not all romances are heated and fast and many YA books describe. I think it's also important to mention how fleshed out the minor characters were. I fell in love with the eccentric clockmaker and the lavish man who threw midnight dinner parties (names witheld so you can find out who they are yourself!). I appreciated the fact that there is a character not loved back...in fact, perhaps more than one, depending on your interpretation of events. The best thing about this circus is that they aren't seen as misfits, neither to the circus performers or the attendees, because each person appears to have been born of magic, from the barely moving statues to the acrobats to the twins who perform with their kittens.

The author was also fabulous at providing tiny hints of what was to come. I guessed one event before it occurred, partly thanks to my college psychology class, but many other events I didn't see coming. Penelope, or Poppet, was actually my favorite character, as she was genuinely well-meaning and sweet. More than one romance unfolds along the course of the story!

This would normally get a five star rating, however, the beginning was very hard for me to get into. I found the jumping around of time periods confusing and often looked back to see how much time had passed. I became fully immersed and interested in the story at about page 100. That was my single and only disappointment in the novel. Please don't let that fact scare you, as I know it'll be different for each reader. The black and white stripes in the inside cover made me dizzy when I'd get a glimpse of them, but I absolutely loved the black and white theme throughout. It made the tents and their contents that much more vibrant.

It was more than worth sticking out the slow start. I got extremely teary eyed at the end because I became so attached to the characters, but even more than that, the circus as a whole. It could be argued that Le Cirque des Reves is a character in itself. I will tell everyone I know about this book. Although it contains magic from start to finish, some real and some learned, it IS magic itself! What a fabulous fantasy world to escape to. I would happily purchase the author's imagination from her if it were up for sale (creepy, but not untrue).  

Review: Incarnate

"NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?"
-Goodreads

Stats:

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jan. 31, 2012
• Page count: 384
• Unique elements: World building incorporates mythology, includes dragons
• Would appeal to: Readers interested in reincarnation, a good fantasy, fabulous writing

Favorite Quotes: (will be checked against final publication)

"Gradually, the cloud-diffused sunlight sank toward the horizon, silhouetting the snowy peaks on my right."

"Snow sparkled in the moonlight, deceptively peaceful with its smothering silence."

"He played my notes again, but instead of stopping after, he played the most amazing thing my ears had ever heard. Like waves on a lakeshore, and wind through the trees. There were lightning strikes, thunder, and pattering rain. Heat and anger, and honey sweetness."

"The market tents were bright bruises against the Councilhouse and temple, cloth mazes that made every turn a wrong one."

"Rarely does romantic love transcend incarnations. Rarely. Some souls, however, were created as matching pairs. Every generation, these souls are drawn together, regardless of their physical forms. Their love is pure and true."

"Murmurs hissed again, rippling like a sheet flaring over a bed."

I will never stop gushing about this novel. I'm still thinking about it. I will buy it when it comes out and read it again. This is a MUST READ for 2012!

Jodi Meadows is a gifted wordsmith. Did you read the quotes above?

This story incorporated so many ideas. The first time I read a reference to a he/she, it stumped me, but soon the reader finds out that souls can be reincarnated in a body of any gender. Also, love can transcend reincarnation for certain souls, which is seen by the rededication ceremony for Tera and Ash, both females, in the town center. I loved that their party was a masquerade, the idea being that true souls in love could find their mate no matter what mask he or she was wearing.

Ana is the first-ever new soul to be born. She is looked upon as an outcast because she prevented another soul that everyone loved from coming back. Her emotionally abusive mother, Li, moved into the country so she wouldn't be embarrassed by Ana. Li's lover, Menehem, left shortly after, which is part of the reason she is so bitter. Ana decides to get away from her mother's torture and journey to the city of Heart to research whether or not there are others of her kind.

Along the way, there is the threat of Sylph, dark shadowy creatures that leave nasty burns on a human body. They have the power to kill. She is chased by several of them straight over a cliff.

Lucky for her, Sam is in the woods, and saves her from drowning.

As a character, Sam is sweet, gentle, intelligent, musically inclined. Qualities Ana is at first hesitant to believe could be shown toward her as a No Soul. He attempts to convince her that her soul is a New Soul instead, and she should think more highly of herself.

The two new traveling companions reach Heart, where Ana is openly discriminated against by its citizens. She is allowed to be watched over by Sam, according to the Council members, as long as he gives them progress reports on her abilities as a student. She must learn a trade to be useful in her next life, if she is even reincarnated.

Everything changes when Li comes to Heart and tries to reclaim custody of Ana. Taken away from the comfortable home she has molded with Sam, Ana must escape a massive dragon attack and the eerily beating white walls of the town temple, where Janan, the possible creator of the world, may or may not live. The dragons always fly straight to its tower, but they can never destroy it.

Some of the descriptions of the temple (primarily inside), confused me and became hard to imagine. But that didn't take anything away from the entire book. There are two great twists at the end. I'm so glad this is only the first in a series.

The slowly blossoming romance between Sam and Ana caused me to continue reading as much as the gorgeous writing and unpredictable plot. I so wanted them to move faster, but Ana's low-self esteem and Sam's confusing signals prevent this from happening. I love that music is such a huge focus in the book and that Ana is quick to pick up the piano. When you discover where the title comes from, you'll sigh with contentment.

Bravo, Jodi Meadows. This story is creative, action-packed, and heartbreakingly beautiful. Without authors like you, I'd never pick up a book.

 *This book was provided to me by the publish in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Toonopolis: Gemini

"Toonopolis is a cartoon city that is home to the thoughts and ideas of all sentient beings in the universe. As the center of the Tooniverse, it acts as an other-worldly rest stop for these creations.
Gemini is a teenage human boy who is thrust into Toonopolis through his father's scientific research program. He loses part of himself in the process and immediately begins a quest to regain his lost memories with the help of his Tooniverse guide named Jimbob the Talking Eggplant.
After an altercation with a mysterious Shadowy Figure, Gemini's mission is changed, and he begins a new quest to defeat Shadowy Figure and protect Toonopolis from his nefarious destruction. Along the way, he meets new friends, discovers just how diverse and strange Toonopolis is, and learns lessons about compassion, forgiveness, redemption, and being true to oneself."
-Goodreads


Stats:
Publisher: Portmanteau Press LLC
Release date: May 10, 2011
Page count: 314 (paperback)
Format: Kindle ebook
Unique elements: Illustration (by Cami Woodruff) at the beginning of each chapter of a character that the reader will meet
Would appeal to: Anyone who likes Saturday morning cartoons or Marvel comics, fantasy fans

Favorite Quotes:

"'The shopkeep was only selling wooden weapons. I asked her about metal ones, and she said you weren't high enough level to use metal yet.'"

"'Speaking of cats, here is lesson two: Feline Matter Rearrangement Impermanence, or FMRI.' 'Say what?' Gemini responded. 'Anything done to a cat is not permanent...' Professor Rabbit retrieved from his desk a remote control with a single red button. When he pressed the button, a cartoon-style anvil fell from the ceiling onto the cat. Gemini gasped at the blatant violence right in front of him...The cat was left as a two-dimensional circle, much like a Frisbee, on the ground...'You see. No damage done.' The cat shot a hateful glare at the professor, suggesting that it did not agree with his analysis of the situation."

"'How did you get in here?' asked Miss Fire. 'We found the secret switch of predictability and climbed the rope ladder of awesomeness into your lair of...' Jimbob began and struggled for an appropriate adjective to describe an open room with nothing but a circular table in the center. 'Cool?' he ventured."

"'Funny,' observed Jimbob, 'it was just a clear sky. It seems like the rain only appeared suddenly for some sort of dramatic effect, setting up a more interesting fight sequence.'"

"'You humans seem to have vampires on the brain. We have been inundated with tons of vampires for years upon years. We didn't know what to do with all of the vampires sent to us from Sorting Square, so we created the Sea of Vampires with them'...'So you're saying that so many humans have created vampire toons that there are enough to fill an entire sea?' asked Jimbob in shock...I blame Anne Rice.'"

My first requested review. It was an enormous privilege to read the first in a fantasy YA series by Jeremy Rodden, an impressively creative individual who has created a toon world where it's always Saturday morning.

How can you not like a book with a talking Toonopolis guide named Jimbob the Eggplant? He has hands that appear whenever he needs them. Reminds me of Veggie Tales, but Jimbob's a much wittier vegetable.

This genre of YA is not something I'd normally pick up. I am so glad the author contacted me! It has humor, style, clever banter, and fabulous character names. I think I've found something to advertise to my sophomore boys that they might...(gasp)...enjoy.

This would be a fabulous teaching tool for middle or high school English. As far as figurative language goes, Rodden weaves devices seemlessly throughout the text. I spotted personification, allusions, irony, paradox, similes, puns, hyperboles, idioms, cliches, and onomatopoeias.

The allusions were amazing. A mention of Scooby Doo or Rainbow Brite made me wistful for childhood. There are nods to novels like The Wizard of Oz, when Gemini must walk on a Rainbow-PEZ road to get to Toonopolis and the Sorting Square (a little Harry Potter in the mix!) Not to mention, references older teens and adults would get like X-Files...reminded me of Shrek because only the older crowd understands certain jokes.

Description was superb. Rodden found so many different adjectives and verbs that I was amazed-- another thing I could stop while reading in front of my class and say, "Look at that diction!" I hardly noticed repetition. Two words I did notice use a few times were "confrontation" and "wisp," but they were both important to the story and necessarily repeated. There were two sentences with two verbs used in a row (one that should have been taken out but was forgotten), but it did not disrupt the flow of reading very much.

As far as accents go, you've got the gambit: gangster, New York, Irish, British. I loved the diversity of characters. Some mythical Greek creatures appear, but also brand new ones that Rodden has created. The reader sees talking objects everywhere. In cartoon land, as long as something appears to be real, it doesn't really have to work.

Early on, one of my favorite parts was when Gemini had to visit Professor Rabit to learn about the Laws of Cartoon Physics. That way, the Outsider Gemini will succeed through the various lands- Adventure Realm, Supercity, Animetown, Camenot (and I can't continue because half the fun is discovering the names for yourself). Even though I loved Jimbob (he truly has the best lines in the book!), I appreciated Sir Hawk's character because he represented the chivalry of medieval times. The word "paladin" was even introduced (and I saw "wince" and "consternation" which are two vocab words my students had last week...strange coincidence). Animetown was hilarious to me-- the slow motion fight scenes, the word "kawaii" (I used to live in Japan), the way characters' heads and eyes grew two sizes bigger when they were surprised.

Gemini's adventure is sliced by reports from Agent Mimic who is running Operation Gemini from the human world on planet Earth. Parts of those reports were confusing to me. I got the idea that Gemini/Jacob Grenk was the "Agent" referred to, but I couldn't figure out why he would have been given a list of targets from the Agency to destroy. It's possible the overall plan for the operation comes out more in book 2. I liked the idea that humans and cartoons had a direct effect on each other's worlds and that when a creation rebels against its master, the human goes a little crazy.

There was a pretty big plot twist toward the last quarter of the book where Gemini learns something interesting about himself and why he must face Shadowy Figure.

I'm pumped about reading the second book to see what happens to all the characters. By the end, I felt proud of the bond between Gemini's gang and wanted them to go on another adventure together. I hope we see more of the same characters again, as well as some new ones!

The Kindle copy of this book is only 99 cents-- a bargain for a book you'll find hard to put down.

A delightful read that will make you laugh out loud, root for the good guys, and wish you had a talking eggplant as your sidekick.