Read and Reviewed

This was a required text for my Storytelling class, and I have to say, it wasn't a favorite by any means. I found parts of this to be awfully dry in places, particularly chapter nine when the author is relating the findings of all these different studies, and terribly technical when he's talking about how the brain processes stories. I also felt like the purpose of this book was kind of a "preaching to the choir" for me personally, because I obviously feel storytelling and stories are important, or I would a) be working with kids b) want to be a Youth Services librarian or c) be taking this course. I feel like the general gist of this book could have been achieved for the purpose of this class by simply reading some articles.That being said, here's what the author was trying to get across: stories have the power to catch your attention and draw you in. They are easier to comprehend than other types of nonfiction/technical writing, and by exposing children to stories, you're setting them up for an easier time of it in school when it comes time for them to start writing. Stories even translate to higher math/science skills. So, in a nutshell, here's a one line sentence to sum up this book: Read to your kids!

Thank you to HarlequinTEEN (via NetGalley) for the e-galley of Goddess Interrupted.2.5/5 stars.Okay, so: In The Goddess Test, we met Kate, who won immortality and became Henry's (or Hades') wife. In Goddess Interrupted, Kate has returned from her six months away from the Underworld, only to be met with a distant Henry and a huge threat to her and her loved ones' wellbeing: Cronus is awake and threatening to escape from his prison in Tartarus. When Henry and his brothers are taken captive by Cronus, Kate sets out to rescue them. There's only one problem: Kate doesn't actually know her way around the Underworld, and neither do James or Ava, who are accompanying her. So Kate ends up going to the one person she never wanted to meet for help: Persephone.Funnily enough, that synopsis only took up the first half+ of the book. We meet Persephone, who I was torn about regarding my feelings toward her. She was surprisingly nasty and vicious in some cases. She spoke her mind, even when she knew it was cruel, and she was rather unapologetic about it. But she started to grow on me, especially in the latter half of the book. In the end I was intrigued by her, and felt a great deal of sympathy for her in terms of the thousands of years she lived with Henry completely miserable. But at the same time, I had a problem with the portrayal of her being someone who slept around; Henry's the martyr because he loved her and she didn't love him, and he also didn't cheat like she did, so he was clearly the better person. Or at least that was the vibe I was getting while reading. I also really despised the comparison Kate makes between her and Ava, and Kate's inability to see that Ava is the way she is because that's just WHO she is. She is the goddess of love - all love, any love, not just love between her and her husband or whatever. Kate clearly views both Persephone and Ava as less than she is because she isn't like that. I don't know; that just rubbed me the wrong way.And while I am still incredibly irritated with James, I found myself agreeing with him as he tried to explain that Persephone wasn't a bad person simply because she was unhappy with Henry. I think Kate finally comes around to that in the end, but honestly it took almost the entire book, and got really tedious after a while. Likewise, Kate's constant "Henry doesn't love me, he'll never love me, he wants me to be another Persephone but he'll never love me like he loves her!" was also tedious, and unfortunately took up almost the ENTIRE book. I wanted to shake both her AND Henry, because if they just would have sat down and actually TALKED to each other, all of this could have been avoided. And the fact that Kate waited so long to tell Henry that nothing happened between her and James in Greece, even after she knew that James purposely didn't say anything to Henry to clear that up, was also annoying. Doing THAT would have cut out a lot of the unnecessary angst.As for the mythology, BOY were there some things that made me roll my eyes. Kate didn't realize that Walter and Calliope - Zeus and Hera - were married? WHAT? Ava saying she loves Nicholas (or Hephaestus)? WHAT? Aphrodite patently does NOT love him; Hera had them marry in order to try to keep the other gods from fighting over her. And I had a BIG problem with one of Calliope's abilities, but I'm going to hold my tongue because I don't want to spoil the ending. I know I should be used to the author's re-appropriation of the myths because she's done it in the first book and the novella, but there are some things that are just so well known that it seems odd - and potentially irritating to the readers - to go against what everyone already knows about the gods. Honestly it was probably the changes to the gods' personalities and abilities that bothered me the most, along with the Persephone stuff. But I did like to see Calliope as the vengeful goddess that Hera so often was in the myths.All of that being said, I did like this book more than the first one. I felt like we got to see more of each of the characters, particularly the gods and goddesses, and I especially liked Ingrid and the foresight and intelligence she brings to Kate. I wouldn't mind seeing more of her for sure. I also felt like the story itself was a bit tighter, and that more HAPPENED. It had a middle book feel, but didn't suffer from middle book syndrome. Yes, we're definitely set up for the third one - particularly with the major cliffhanger ending - but I felt like we managed to take steps forward and fix some of the problems that occurred in this book, too, especially regarding Henry and Kate's relationship. (And BOY did a lot need to be fixed with that.)And the ENDING! Goodness! I am not particularly emotionally invested in these books, although I am interested enough to read them and enjoy them and look forward to how they're going to resolve the problems the characters are facing, so the ending didn't hit me with quite the punch that it seems to have hit others with. But if you ARE invested in the characters, be prepared for a shocker that's going to leave you wanting the third book RIGHT NOW.Basically, if you liked the first book, you'll want to read this one. But be ready for a roller coaster of a ride!Goddess Interrupted will be released in North America on March 27th, 2012.

Thank you to Random House Children's Books and Alfred A. Knopf BFYR (via NetGalley) for the e-galley of Sisters of Glass.Maria is the youngest daughter of a glass-blowing family on the island of Murano. Per her father's will, she's supposed to marry into the nobility, even though her older sister, Giovanna, should be the one to do so. Her life is further complicated when her family hires a glassblower, Luca, to help them, for Maria finds herself drawn to Luca in a way that definitely goes against her father's wishes. She becomes torn between performing her duty and going after her own heart.When I first read the synopsis for this book, I was really intrigued. I thought we'd get a lot of atmospheric prose about the art of glassblowing and the island of Murano, and I wanted to know how things would work out for Maria, and if she'd get to follow her heart or have to submit to her family's wishes. But reading this was just sort of an indifferent experience for me; while there were some really great phrases used to describe Luca's glassblowing ability and Maria's feelings for the art form, there was no atmospheric prose regarding the surroundings, and I never really connected to Maria. I found that the story was just kind of flat, and it got to the point where I was only reading to finish the book (which is not very long), rather than because I was enjoying the story and wanted to see how things ended. While I liked the resolution, I sort of felt like all the problems could have been figured out well before they were, without the unnecessary heartache and stress Maria goes through. I don't know. This just wasn't that great of a story for me personally.Also, this is touted as being written in verse, but it's really not. Instead it was like the author took actual sentences and broke them up into chunks, so you'd get short phrases. For me personally, the "verse" format wasn't useful here at all; she could have easily just written actual paragraphs and sentences and achieved the same effect.Sisters of Glass will be released in North America on March 27th, 2012.

3.5/5 stars.Agnes Wilkins is about to make her debut in 1815 London, and has already caught the eye of her eligible-bachelor neighbor, Lord Showalter. After an invitation to a mummy unwrapping party, where she steals an item from the mummy, she's thrust into a mystery involving ancient Egyptian history and its potential impact on the war with Napoleon Bonaparte. Along the way she discovers that perhaps her life isn't quite as laid out for her as she'd always assumed.I enjoyed reading Agnes' story. I found her to be a fun narrator who wasn't afraid to buck tradition (sometimes a tad TOO much), and loved the adventures she and Caedmon go on while they try to solve the mystery of the item she pocketed during the party. However, she definitely had her flaws as well, which made her seem a bit self-absorbed and clueless when it came down to it. She was so sure of her convictions and was unable to believe she might be wrong. Also, the author's idea of using her to talk about the appropriation and showing of ancient artifacts wasn't appropriate for the time period; it was the one thing about Agnes that bothered me, because I just can't see anyone from that time saying the things she was saying. But that's really my only major complaint.Truthfully, Agnes reminded me of Y.S. Lee's Mary Quinn, in terms of the very nontraditional ways they went about solving their particular mysteries. (And Caedmon could very well be compared to James; this is not a knock on anyone or meant to raise any eyebrows, though, as I feel like I'm more familiar with the similarities because I've read the first Mary Quinn book quite recently.) This book, while full of actual historical details, ignores some others in a way that might annoy some people (especially when it comes to Agnes sneaking around without her chaperone), but I was able to overlook them and just enjoy the story. And I kind of loved that Agnes was such a complete and utter Jane Austen (or A Lady) fan; her spouting of Austen quotes at inappropriate times was kind of endearing.All in all this was a decent mystery (although I'd guessed the villain well before the reveal), but I enjoyed it more for the coming of age-type story, and the romance, which was a reverse Jane Austen, if you will.

Thank you to HarperCollins and Balzer + Bray (via NetGalley) for the e-galley of Slide.Slide tells the story of Vee, a girl who has the ability to "slide" into the minds of others if she touches an object they touched. Mostly she sees humdrum things, like teachers sneaking liquor, her sister crying, etc. All of that changes, however, when she slides into the mind of a killer right after they've murdered her sister's best friend, Sophie. The murder is considered a suicide, and only Vee knows the truth. As such, she takes it upon herself to use her ability to slide in order to figure out who is responsible for Sophie's death.This was a thoroughly engrossing read, which I devoured in a matter of hours. The mystery and suspense were first rate, and I loved the idea of Vee's ability; it was something totally fresh and new. However, the highlight for me was watching Vee interact with her friends and family, in particular her barely-home father and her younger sister, Mattie (her relationship with Mattie was my favorite). I felt like this was an extremely accurate look at the life of a teenage girl who's serving as her younger sister's mom (her mom died from cancer several years ago, and her dad is never home) while trying to deal with the things she herself has gone through or is currently experiencing. While I enjoyed the supernatural portion of this story, it was Vee's humanity, faults and feelings that made this a really great read. I'm looking forward to the next installment in this world.Slide will be released in North America on March 27th, 2012. I highly recommend you check it out.

After the events of The Goddess Test, Kate is on her six-month sabbatical from the Underworld, and has decided to vacation in Greece with her best friend James (aka Hermes). However, James drops her smack dab in the middle of a millennia-old feud between Castor and Pollux, the Gemini twins, and the gods of the council, which occurred when Pollux broke Castor out of the Underworld. Kate is a lot more sympathetic to the twins, and decides that she must help them remain together, even though it goes against the ruling of the gods (particularly Hades and Zeus).

Let me first say that I didn't think The Goddess Test was that great of a book. Being a huge fan of the myth of Hades and Persephone - I used the tale as my first telling in my Storytelling class - I had major issues with the way the mythology was used, and the "tasks" (for lack of a better word) that Kate had to accomplish in order to become Henry's wife. Some of these same issues are alive and well in The Goddess Hunt, and will most likely be present for the remainder of the series. However, I liked this novella well enough, especially the chapters from Henry's point of view, that I'm going to rate it exactly as I did The Goddess Test. There were some definite things I didn't like - again, with the inconsistency of her mythology - but I will say that Kate was pretty awesome in standing up to Walter. She's got a definite backbone, even if I can't always stand her decision-making.

 

SPOILER: One complaint is Kate's blindness to the faults of the gods and goddesses. She states that she thought they were "good guys" and champions for human kind; and here I was thinking she'd learned anything from the readings and test that Irene put her through in the first book. The gods and goddesses are known for their human failings, and their very real faults - stories of said faults are littered throughout Greek Mythology, aren't they? So where does this inability to see that they're not always "good" or "right" come from? That, to me, didn't make a bit of sense.

And also? I really don't like James. It's true that he's Hermes, the god of tricksters and thieves, etc., so his behavior is a bit more in line with what we know about Hermes, but he seems to take great joy in causing problems for Henry, and I hate the way he plays on Kate's emotions. And I also can't stand Kate's inability to see that that's exactly what he's doing. Drives me truly crazy. [/END SPOILER]

 

Also, just a note: this isn't a stand alone story. If you haven't readThe Goddess Test this won't make much sense. Just an fyi!

Yay, something different from the usual faerie/vampire/werewolf/fallen angel YA's populating the shelves! I really enjoyed this look at something new, and the mystery and characters weren't too shabby, either. Definitely going to continue reading this series to see where else the author takes her mythology. And I'm looking forward to more Tod! He's the most intriguing character for me personally, by far, and I definitely want to know more of his story.Other thoughts: I can't help but be concerned over Nash's ability to Influence Kaylee, and what it might mean for later. While I liked the two of them, that added a slight creep factor, especially since she herself is very aware of it. And I'd totally guessed the whole "borrowed time" thing regarding Kaylee way before she realized it herself. Although it was nice to have my guess confirmed.Anyway, this was a really fast read that was thoroughly enjoyable. Yay for fresh ideas!

Thank you to HarperCollins and Katherine Tegen Books (via NetGalley) for the e-galley of Pretty Crooked.Willa Fox is a new student at an elite prep school in Arizona, which she and her mother just moved to. Willa is immediately taken in by the Glitterati - the rich, popular, pretty girls of the school - and thinks she's finally made it. She starts spending all of her time with the Glitterati, attending scandalous weekend parties and spending every afternoon at the mall, shopping at expensive stores. But then Willa starts to see the distinct line drawn between the students at the school: those who have wealth, and those that don't. So Willa decides to pull a Robin Hood-type thing, and rob the rich to provide the poorer students with something to "even the status quo". And that's when this book really went down hill for me.First off, I was leery about reading this book because I'd seen two separate not-so-great reviews. The issues they brought up were significant enough to make me think twice, but I decided to go ahead and read it anyway. And, ooh, boy, this book. Aside from Willa's really stupid way of trying to even the status quo, I had a VERY serious issue with the topic of bullying that's brought up, and the way it's never actually addressed. Bullying via Facebook or other online blogs or message boards is a very real threat to teens these days, and it's precisely what's going on in this book. There are exactly two times that someone says anything against said bullying, and both times it's brushed aside or causes such a huge rift in the Glitterati friendships that the topic is let go and continued to be ignored. THIS IS NOT OKAY. Willa stealing money and clothing, etc., from the rich to purchase new clothes for the "Busteds" (i.e. the girls who are "bussed in" from the city) does not even begin to address the true issue here. She's not fixing anything; she's choosing to ignore the real problem and trying to put a bandaid on it for an only temporary fix. I feel like the better way to go about this book would be to address what Cherise was trying to do, and the results it had on her social status (if you will) because THAT is the true problem here, not the fact that the less fortunate girls didn't have pretty expensive clothes to wear. Also, I didn't like that Willa automatically assumed Tre's record involved theft of some sort. And I didn't like that she just took Kellie's word for it, either. There was a lot of stereotyping going on here, none of which is addressed in any kind of real, useful way.However, there was enough question marks going on, particularly involving Willa's mom, that compelled me to keep reading. And then of course none of them are answered, because this is apparently the first in a series. Do not like.I will say, however, that the ending was completely and utterly cute, which is why I went ahead and gave this that second star. Still, not a favorite. I think the story could have been really great, if it just would have addressed the true problems inherent in this type of plot.Pretty Crooked will be released on March 13, 2012.

Imagine if the Earth we lived on was right next door to a planet where magic was the norm, and dragons, elves and dwarves (among other fantastical beings) lived side-by-side with the people. That's exactly the case in Dark Lord of Derkholm, and as such, a man named Mr. Chesney created the Pilgrim Parties in order to allow Earthlings to come and visit the world. But his specifications regarding what the Pilgrims are to see are very specific, including taking part in numerous battles, sacking and destroying cities, and killing all those "expendables" (i.e. Pilgrims whose family members want offed). As such, the Pilgrim Parties have completely devastated the world. Enter Derk, the most unassuming wizard ever, who would rather spend time creating fantastic new beasts (think winged horses and griffins) and tending to his plants than having anything to do with the Pilgrim Parties. But he's got no choice, as he's been selected to be this year's Dark Lord. And that's when everything that could go wrong does go wrong.This is the second book I've read by Diana Wynne Jones, and while I didn't like it as much as I did Howl's Moving Castle, there were definitely some parts that made me laugh, made me sad, and made me frustrated with what was happening to Derk's world. It was amusing to watch Derk struggle with all the components of being Dark Lord, especially when so much was clearly not going to plan. I enjoyed reading about Derk's family - he has two human children and five griffin children - and the roles they played in trying to help their father. Mara made me angry although obviously she had a reason for being absent, and it wasn't her fault at all, as did all the people who swore they'd help Derk who either did a half-assed job of it, or just didn't do anything to help at all.The book is told via different viewpoints, but stuck mostly with Derk or Blade, Derk's human son, who is put in charge of the final Pilgrim Party even though he's far from a qualified wizard. I enjoyed reading about Blade's adventures, and the trouble he got into, and the ways he tried to fix everything but just made things worse. I was particularly interested in his total lack of a sense of direction, which suited him okay for translocation (think Apparation, if you're a Harry Potter fan) but definitely didn't work at all for getting a Pilgrim Party across the country to their various checkpoints. In fact, I would have liked to learn more about that, because it seemed like it was distinct to Blade alone, and I would have loved to learn why he could move himself (or anyone else he's translocating) without getting lost but couldn't manage to walk people in the right direction.There is a second book to this series, but I don't think I'm going to read it. I enjoyed reading about Derk and Blade, and the griffins, and the ways they were trying to get rid of Mr. Chesney. The twists and turns in the story line were engaging and interesting, and kept me going through a very long book (over 500 pages, and while I enjoyed the story I felt the length, if that makes sense), and I felt invested in the story and the characters. But I'm okay with being done with this world, and don't think I'll re-read this book again. It was good for a one-shot read, if you will, but isn't something I feel the need to revisit, unlike my feelings regarding Howl's Moving Castle, which I adored.

3.5/5 stars, but rounding up because it really was a nice, suspenseful, well-written story.Thank you to Random House Children's Books and Delacorte BFYR (via NetGalley) for the e-galley of Cross My Heart.Laura della Scala was sent to a convent when she was ten years old, when her father decided he couldn't raise both her and her sister after their mother's death. Several years later, she's been recalled to her father's house, where she finds out that her sister, Beatrice, has died, and it's now fallen to Laura to marry Beatrice's fiance, Vincenzo, in order to save their father from ruin. Vincenzo, however, is a disgusting old man, and Laura despairs over the turn her life has taken. She is therefore surprised when a group of women known as the Segreta approach her and tell her they can save her from Vincenzo, if she can provide them with a worthwhile secret. And thus, Laura is launched into a new life where no one can be trusted, and she must learn to find her strength and stand up for herself if she's to have the life she wants.I really enjoyed this book. I felt like Laura was a sympathetic character who goes from being thrust from one situation to another as she tries to adjust to her new life outside of the convent (with no help from anyone) to a heroine with a definite backbone who stands up to her father and tries to figure out the truth behind her sister's death. She doesn't know who to trust, because while she realizes how powerful the Segreta are - they do manage to get her away from Vincenzo, after all - she starts to suspect that they may have played a role in her sister's death. There's also a handsome painter who ensnares Laura and has his own secrets, and her sister's best friend who is perhaps hiding some things as well. I really liked Laura's journey in this story; I was really pulling for her happily-ever-after. The atmospheric prose was also first-rate, especially that describing Laura's night-time wanderings and gondola rides. All in all, this was a really engrossing, engaging read that I enjoyed from beginning to end.Cross My Heart will be released on March 13, 2012.

Thank you to Bloomsbury Children's Books (via NetGalley) for the e-galley of The Académie.It's hard to really describe what this book is about. The story takes place in France in the Fall of 1799, right before Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the French Directory, who was ruling France after the French Revolution. The author used the setting of an all girls school in Saint-Germain called The Academie to tell what was happening in France during this time period through the eyes of three young girls. The story is told via three different point of views: Eliza Monroe, daughter of the future President of the United States, Hortense de Beauharnais, step-daughter of Napoleon Bonaparte, and Madeleine de Pourat, a fictitious daughter of a fictitious Creole actress at the Comedie Francaise. Eliza, Hortense, and Caroline Bonaparte (Napoleon's sister) all attend the school together, and set out on many adventures, several of which don't achieve the hoped-for outcome. Madeleine is involved simply because she is in love with Hortense's brother, but she doesn't meet either Eliza or Hortense until almost 70% through the book.I am sort of mixed in my opinion of this book. I felt like the first half was really slow-moving, as the author tried to introduce the characters and let the reader know how they were all connected. I felt sorry for Hortense from the first; Caroline is openly vindictive and treats her terribly, simply because she doesn't like Hortense's mother. Eliza's narration is suitably young - she is only 14 - but I found her incredibly grating. She's selfish, arrogant and easily manipulated by Caroline, and I found her constant cataloging of what was happening as being good fodder for letters to her mother quite annoying. I felt horribly sad for Madeleine, who has the worst time of it by far than any of the other characters, and enjoyed reading her chapters the most.And then, the second half of the book happens. It definitely picked up, and you could see the plot lines coming to a head. At times I was almost breathless with what was going on. But the feeling the book left me with was sort of one of disappointment. It wasn't that I thought that these couples (aside from Caroline) were going to be able to stay together or whatever - I know my history, thanks to Wikipedia (LOL) - but I wasn't expecting everything to end in the manner it did. I was quite shocked with the climax.And while we're talking about couples, let me just say that all of this "love at first sight" stuff that was going on was a little ridiculous. Hortense falls in love with the music teacher's son, because, what, he plays music? And Eliza's in love with Eugene because he's handsome? And then they do really stupid things because of said love? It just got really stupid and was a bit overdone, in my opinion. Also, I was really unhappy with Hortense at the end; I mentioned that I felt bad for her above, but by the end of the book found her to be just as selfish in her own way as all the others. Her actions left me with a bad taste in my mouth.All in all, this was an okay book. It's an interesting snapshot in French history, and I enjoyed parts of it immensely and others much less so. But it definitely wasn't a favorite.

Wondrous Strange is the story of Kelley, an actress at a very off-Broadway Shakespearean theatre who is currently playing Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Little does Kelley know that Faeries do exist, and one in particular means her a lot of harm. Enter Sonny, a Janus guard who is responsible for keeping the Fae out of the mortal world. He's instantly drawn to Kelley, and is the first to realize that she isn't at all what she'd always thought she was. Throw in a bit of intrigue from the various Faerie courts (two in particular, but I don't want to spoil!) and combine with a very frightening and dangerous legend, and Kelley's life is about to be completely turned upside down.Intricate plot twists, spectacularly engaging characters, and a wonderful combination of Shakespeare made this an absolutely fantastic book that I pretty much devoured. It hit all of my weaknesses: a feisty, independent heroine, a swoon-worthy male hero, a bright-burning, page-melting romance, and a unique twist on the Faerie plot device. Not only were Kelley and Sonny fully developed and well-written, but the supporting characters were as well. It was such a relief to read a book where there were no flat characters, and for the most part, everyone managed to avoid the cliches that tend to overwhelm YA literature. I can honestly find no fault whatsoever with this book, and am eagerly looking forward to reading the last two. Now to just find the time....

Thank you to Bloomsbury Children's Books (via NetGalley) for the e-galley of Shooting Stars.Zo Jo (the zo stands for paparazzo) is a famous member of the paparazzi, and is known for her ability to get into places no one else can, due to her age (sixteen) and her small stature. Her goal is to earn enough money "papping" (and this word annoyed me, because it made me think of things that were decidedly NOT photography-related) to be able to attend portrait school. Because of her desire for said money, she takes on a job that she doesn't actually want to do: following teenage heartthrob Ned Hartnett to an exclusive retreat near Boston and taking pictures of him from the inside. What follows is her own eye-opening experience at the retreat, not only involving Ned, whom she has a crush on, but also involving herself and her own life.I have to admit that I was not the hugest fan of Jo for the first half of this book, and that was probably part of the point. I felt like she was being willfully blind to her own issues, and unwilling to face the fact that "papping" is indeed a fairly sleezy occupation. However, she really started to grow on me once the V-ball game happened (and even a bit before that), and I couldn't help but cheer for her as the rest of the story played out. Toward the end of the book I was even laughing out loud at some of her antics, and thoroughly enjoyed the ending; it was so cute that I sort of wanted to draw hearts all over it. The book is very much a personal journey-type story, and it did that extremely well, and in a very entertaining and interesting way. Jo was a very real character, and the author managed to portray her perfectly.I have to say, however, that I SO called the fact that "Ned" wasn't actually Ned. Saw that coming pretty early on, and was glad to be right. :)This book will be released on February 28th, 2012.

This was an interesting retelling of the Grimm Brothers' The Twelve Dancing Princesses, which took the original fairy tale and combined it with Arthurian legend, making the boy who figures out the mystery behind the girls' worn out shoes one of Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. In this story, the girls are the daughter of a self-made Count, who met their mother near a lake in the forest. The woman turns out to be Vivienne, the Lady of the Lake, and Arthur's aunt. She's trapped in the lake by Morgan Le Fay, causing Ethan, the husband, to think she left him. This makes him extremely overprotective of his daughters, whom he raises in a walled-in manor house.I liked how the author switched the viewpoint of the narrator throughout, although it did get kind of clunky in some spots. Rowena (the youngest daughter) and Bevidere (the Knight) were my favorites, though. I've always had a problem with the lack of feeling that the sisters have for the men they end up tricking, causing them to lose their lives, and was glad that Weyn only had two men attempt it and allowed both of them survive. I'm actually using this fairy tale as one of the stories I'm going to tell for my Storytelling class in Grad school, and have read many MANY versions of this story in preparation. This was definitely one of the more interesting ones.

Three volumes in, and I'm still not in love. However, there were plenty of things this time around that I did like, so that made this volume slightly better in my opinion than the first two. I loved the look at Briar Rose and the fact that her fairy blessings have translated over into their exile. I was struck at how pretty she was drawn; I think she is the prettiest female character thus far. I also enjoyed the look at her curse, and how it's still having an effect on her life. I'm glad Bluebeard got his comeuppance. Ditto Goldilocks, although I don't think either one of them is actually gone for good. And the Lilliputians were too cute; I love how they're part of the Fable police force. I also liked how the artists did Charming's part of the story, putting his parts in a shield outline. That was well done.As for the story line, I definitely felt that this one was a tad more out there, but was amused nonetheless with the mundy reporter who thinks they're all vampires, and how they used Briar Rose's curse to help get the information from him. I also liked the interaction between Snow White and Bigby, and what was starting to possibly turn into a relationship. I will say, however, that the ending completely and utterly shocked me; I definitely didn't see it coming at all and am now wondering what's going to happen because of it. If I had been leaning toward skipping the rest of the volumes, that would have ensured that I at least read the next one, so, well done authors. :-P

Thank you to EgmontUSA (via NetGalley) for the e-galley of The Butterfly Clues.I have mixed feelings upon finishing this book. On the one hand, it is probably a great example of what a family goes through when it loses someone (in this case, the son). Lo's parents have completely lost touch with reality, her mom living in a haze of anti-depressants and sleeping pills, and her father working 16+ hours a day. Neither of them realize exactly what Lo is dealing with, or even try to parent her at all. Lo is also clearly mentally ill - she has OCD and is a kleptomaniac - to the point where she can barely function in the world. (Let me just say that, by the end of the book, I was thoroughly sick of "tap, tap, tap, banana" and all her other various methods of dealing with her life. To say it was driving me nuts wouldn't be an understatement, which probably means that the author depicted what it's like to be mentally ill perfectly.) Lo has taken to wandering aimlessly thorough a part of Cleveland called Neverland, and its here that she winds up right smack in the middle of the murder of a stripper named Sapphire. It's also here that she meets Flynt, who she can't help being completely infatuated with because he's so different.I felt like the mystery was just okay, especially considering that I figured out who the villain was, as well as the truth behind Lo's brother WAY earlier than Lo did herself. That being said, I liked how Lo continued to try to seek the truth regarding Sapphire's death, even if she took some decidedly stupid risks to do so, especially since it seemed like no one else was willing to do so. She was definitely a determined young woman, and that's always good to see. I'm not sure that she's necessarily a "heroine" figure, though, because I certainly can't advocate that high school girls take after Lo and put themselves in as much danger as she found herself in.All in all, I thought this was a decent book that I liked well enough. I think some aspects of the mystery could have been stronger, to make it harder for the reader to figure things out, and I hope that some of the typos littered throughout the ARC were cleaned up in the final version.