Catchup

I have been very bad about writing down everything I read. But here is hopefully a comprehensive catchup from the last month!

Graceling -- Kristin Cashore C/C-

This is a fantasy novel set in a medieval world where those with eyes of two different colors are born "graced". Perhaps your grace is as simple as being an excellent cook or being able to find lost keys but some graces are exceptionally powerful and evil. And the graced are not loved as a result. Lovely Katsa has such a grace. Hers is the power to kill, to hurt, to destroy at will. And a young noble girl with such a power can be only one thing in the hands of a noble uncle: An assassin.

Katsa never expects to fall in love or meet someone who can love her in return. But an act of kindness sends her on a journey where she encounters just that -- and so much more.

The book was interesting but definitely a freshmen effort. There were small holes in the plot line easily found and it was difficult for me to follow the idea of the council and some of the things involved in that. I will probably read book two but am not dying to get my hands on it or anything.

Tea: Maybe a highly sweetened chamomile.

Bloody Good Georgia Evans A-/B+

Vampires are running around the British country side during WWII. Their mission? To sabotage the English and bring the Empire down from within. But when the cruel and sadistic vamps land in a rural country village outside London the last thing they expect to find are some powerful Others. As country doctor Alice Doyle, her grandmother, an elderly guard and a wonderful new comer all come together to fight the vamps a wonderful tale unfolds. In many ways light hearted and fun, this little gem pulls you into an England teeming with the things of fairy tale. I heartily recommend it.

Tea: A lovely pot of Earl Grey or English Breakfast is in order here.

The Fire King Marjorie M. Liu C

Soria is beautiful human woman with a past that contains a horror that marks her to this day. The loss of her arm is a haunting loss but it was the betrayal of a friendship that hurts most of all. But when she Dirk and Steele contact her for a special assignment that only she can fulfill, she puts her language skills at their disposal. Her assignment is Karr, a shape shifter of unusual powers who believes he died three thousand years ago. So how is he alive now? And why? As the two try to find the answer to this riddle being chased by gunman may be the least threat they face. How can two hearts so vulnerable be open to love once more?

This book took a lot for me to get into. I just never felt the pull I should have from the two characters. Add that to the fact that Liu's universe has an everything but the kitchen sink feel to it and you come up with a book that drags more than it delights. Still, Liu is a skilled writer and this is an interesting addition to her series.

Tea: Something very basic, like a Lipton, but make it warm to help heat up the action!

Skinned
Robin Wasserman
Grade: Not sure


Lia Khan had it all. Wealth. Popularity. Beauty. And then an accident happens and she finds herself in a computerized body. The brain is her: downloaded from bio into mechanical. But is she her? Or just a machine who wants to believe she is?

Asimov did a short story many, many years ago with this premise and the question asked here is the same. As Lia tries to fit in her old life and old family the whole idea of is she the old her or a new, something different her guides the whole story. And if she is something different, is that something different a good or bad thing?

This is probably the darkest book I have read all year (and this is after several WWII novels and a book about teens killing each other in an arena designed for the entertainment of the privileged.) It isn't just the questions asked but the horrors that happen all around that take you to dark places. It also has a strong, anti-religious bent. In the end I can't give it an A. A crucial question in the book was never asked. For those curious it is only a mild spoiler but I will warning you anyway, read at own risk. spoiler * Early in the story they tell you the bodies only last 50 yrs. and then you have to be downloaded again. And an accident on Lia's part reveals you have to be careful with the bodies. And then the author seems to forget that and makes it sound like the characters are immortal and indestructible rather than at the mercy of their human engineers. Given what probably happened to Lia the first time she was "out" I can't help thinking that was a pretty big flaw in the plot.end spoiler* That might be addressed in book two (which I have on reserve at the library but am not sure I will read) but in the end all I can say is the book is an emotionally intense and riveting read.

Tea: Comfort tea. Whatever comforts or soothes most, read this with it.