Please Don't Read This Book

Ash

Ash by Malinda Lo

Marirosa Mia:  I’ve been in a bit of a fairytale retelling kick lately, most likely because the novel I’m writing is very fairytale-like, so I wanted to see how other writers have taken popular/iconic tales and made them their own. Enter Malinda Lo’s ASH, which had been sitting on my to-read pile since my friend Ames sent it to me.

When it was published in 2009, ASH was named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, a Kirkus Best Book for Young Adults, and a William C. Morris Award YA Debut Award Finalist. Not too shabby for a retelling of Cinderella. But like I said before, if you’re going to retell a classic – especially one that’s already been retold so many times before – you better make it your own. Malinda Lo did just that.

In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, she often finds herself curled up on her mother’s grave, waiting for the fairies of folk tales to come steal her away. It’s during one of these nights that she meets Sidhean, a fairy, who though often cold and mysterious elicits strong emotions of want and need in Ash. And though it is common for humans to be enchanted by the fey, it is clear that Ash is not normal and that her feelings for Sidhean may be a small part enchantment and a large part loneliness. Soon Sidhean becomes one of her only friends and allies. Though Ash asks Sidhean to take her away over and over again, Sidhean refuses, declaring that Ash ‘is not ready yet’ and returning her home.  

Then one day Ash meets Kaisa, the King's royal Huntress, who makes Ash…well, feel something, something different from what she feels with Sidhean. Not need or want but the return of life itself, as only love can. As Kaisa teaches Ash how to hunt and enjoy her brief moments away from her family, her heart begins to thaw, though she wasn’t aware it was frozen in the first place. The sweet love between Kaisa and Ash is so well written that every time Kaisa and Ash met my heart skipped just a bit at the possibilities that lay ahead for them.

My only disappointment was in Clara – the nice stepsister – who didn’t feel as fleshed out and necessary at times; every time she was introduced I thought, ‘Oh yeah, her.’

ASH is delicate and entrancing, filled with the sort of pure love (and I don’t mean pure in the sweet, clean sort of way, but in the so well done that how could these two not be together way) that brings a smile to your face. Malinda Lo has taken the bones/tropes of Cinderella and her little glass slipper and laced it with culture and folk tales that give it a sense of place and time while still making it new and fresh. Lo’s writing creates a haunting tone like a heavy mist that rolls through a dense forest carrying with it myth and history. I very much enjoyed this retelling and will dive into my pile once again to see what other gems I have yet to discover.

Winner!

Congrats to Emily Colletta!

You won a copy of Dreamland Social Club!(Kermit is super excited for you)

Shall be emailing you soon for your address! Congrats again.

Dreamland Social Club

Dreamland Social Club – Tara Altebrando

Marirosa Mia:  Jane has traveled the world with her father (who designs amusement park rides) and brother, but it's not until her family - still suffering from the loss of Jane's mother - inherits a house and a history in Coney Island that she finally begins to find a home.

Altebrando’s DREAMLAND SOCIAL CLUB was a breath of fresh air in a sea of science fiction and fantasy novels I had been gorging on when I started to read it. Its vibrant and beautiful writing captured me from the beginning, and its Coney Island setting (rich in details and history) wrapped itself around me like an awesome quirky blanket you didn’t know your grandma owned.

DREAMLAND is filled with wonderfully colorful teens like Babette (total girl crush on Babette) and the Tattooed Boy (the love interest - because EVERY book should have a cute boy with tattoos) who help Jane understand the uniqueness of Coney Island and connect to her mother’s past. 

DREAMLAND SOCIAL CLUB captured Coney Island’s personality (like New York City, Coney Island is a character in itself) and brought to life its weird/wonderful/crazy residents that help Jane come into her own.

For more on DREAMLAND and its author, check out: http://www.taraaltebrando.com/

 ALSO! Make sure to comment on this post for a chance to win a free copy of DREAMLAND SOCIAL CLUB! We will announce the winner on March 20th!

 

I have no excuse

I really don't have any excuse for not posting about this sooner. Yes, I could say I was swamped with reading manuscripts that won't be coming out for another year while working on my own books, reading for this blog, and working in my writing group...but really. I have no excuse.

The lovely people over at Verbal Pyrotechnics featured an excerpt of my John Hughes-esque novel PROM (not the final title, I promise) in their second issue.

You can read it here in Issue 2:
Verbal Pyrotechnics Blog

And to all you writers out there, Verbal Pyro is looking for submissions for their third issue!

So don't be shy, and submit.

I Capture the Castle

I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith

We're so delighted that avid reader Katie Fee, who works in School & Library Marketing at Penguin Young Readers Group, agreed to chat with Julie about a favorite book for this post.  Many, many thanks to the wonderful Katie!

Julie:  I bought Dodie Smith's I CAPTURE THE CASTLE long ago, after a friend raved about it.  Initially I found the first few pages off-putting.  A family living in an English castle, yet in such dire financial straits that the main character has to write in her journal while sitting in the kitchen sink (or, at least, with her feet in there)?  I didn't think I could ever find the story plausible. So I set the book aside for a good long time.  But it stayed in one of my "read someday, maybe" stacks, and eventually I picked it up again.  Give it thirty pages, I thought.  And then I was off. I'm so glad I gave it that second chance.  Because as contrived as the set-up seems, the characters and the story do come to magnificent life.  In the end, I CAPTURE THE CASTLE is a wonderful book about love in many forms, including the first love of the terrifically engaging protagonist, seventeen-year-old Cassandra (whom J.K. Rowling deems "one of the most charismatic narrators I've ever met"); the unrequited love of endearing Stephen; and the suspect love of Cassandra's sister Rose for wealthy Simon--not to mention the love of Cassandra's family for one another.  The novel also has much to say about writing.  I've happily read it several times now.  Katie, I know that you're a fan too.  What do you love about it?

Katie:  I personally love the opening scene where Cassandra is writing in her diary with her feet in the sink. Could there be a better way to be introduced to our narrator? This is a world where literary pursuit is taken seriously above all else, even creature comforts like candles to write by and food to eat. Cassandra must write wherever she finds her muse and not a single person in the novel would expect her to do anything less.

As you mentioned, I CAPTURE THE CASTLE has a lot to say about the writing process. One of my favorite lines occurs early on when Cassandra writes, "When I read a book, I put in all the imagination I can, so that it is almost like writing the book as well as reading it--or rather, it is like living it. It makes reading so much more exciting...." In many ways, this feels like the mantra of the novel. The Mortmains are living in a sort of suspended animation as they wait for their father to write a follow up to his highly acclaimed first novel. It takes the introduction of their new American neighbors to break them out of their literary spell.

 Julie, what do make of the obvious correlations that the book makes to the works of classic English romances? The author clearly made a conscious choice to include these references and yet in many ways these characters feel much more modern than the tropes they follow. What do you think?

J:  I agree that to a certain extent the sisters' romances feel modern, perhaps because of the independence Cassandra and Rose are afforded by their circumstances.  Cassandra's father pays virtually no attention to them.  Their mother is dead, their stepmother a free spirit.  Their castle is isolated, and their only regular connection to town is an indulgent librarian who takes pleasure in bringing Mr. Mortmain books.  So they're largely free from the family and/or societal constraints that typically play a large role in classic English romances.  Maybe Smith refers to texts like PRIDE AND PREJUDICE to highlight that lack of constraints and its reflection of civic changes during the 1940s, when I CAPTURE THE CASTLE was written?  It's just a guess!  What do you think?  And do you agree with J.K. Rowling's assessment of Cassandra as "'one of the most charismatic narrators I've ever met'"?

K:  I do agree that many of the things you mentioned probably impact the feel of the novel. I also think some of the modern tone comes from the language Cassandra uses to describe the other characters -- she's fairly shrewd for a 17 year-old who has led a sheltered life. I love Cassandra as a protagonist. I think Smith perfectly captures the mix of naivety and thinking you know everything that is seventeen. I also think telling the story as a diary brings the reader into Cassandra's head in an interesting way. It's possible to see her not only growing up but also realizing that she's doing so in her own words.

J:  I agree that Cassandra is immensely likable.  Her voice makes the books as appealing as it is.  But with all due respect to J.K. Rowling--seriously, what am I thinking, questioning her?!--I'm not sure I'd describe Cassandra as charismatic.  That suggests a certain natural bent for leading others.  Wouldn't you call her more of an observer than a leader for the vast majority of the book? 

K:   If I may defend Ms. Rowling, not that she needs my help in any way, I can understand where she's coming from. I find the entirety of I CAPTURE THE CASTLE to be quite charismatic and, as the book is her diary, Cassandra to be as well. The strength of her writing is what draws the reader into her world. While she is surrounded by people who fancy themselves to be artists, she is the one who spends the most time dedicated to her craft. What do you think the decision to frame this novel as a diary adds to the story?

J:  The diary format highlights Cassandra's voice and allows for her reflection on events as she describes them.  It's interesting, too, to contrast the young Cassandra's flood of words with her father's drought.  And now we should stop our own shower of words and post this so that our very, very last-minute-shopping readers can rush out and buy I CAPTURE THE CASTLE as a gift.  Maybe a gift for themselves, since we're awfully late!  Sorry about that.  Happy Holidays, everybody!

A Monster Calls

A Monster Calls – Patrick Ness

 Julie:  I love books, obviously.  But it's rare that I find one I love so much, I want to stand in crowded spaces and shout at strangers passing by, "READ THIS BOOK!  I MEAN IT!  READ IT RIGHT NOW!  YOU WON'T REGRET IT!"  That is exactly how I feel about Patrick Ness's A MONSTER CALLS.  It is beautifully designed and beautifully written, full of heart and wonderfully flawed, fully envisioned characters.  It made me cry.  It kept me guessing.  It has a monster as a main character--I don't typically like books about monsters--I don't care.  This book is marvelous.  I know you loved it too, Mia, and that's a good thing.  Because what if you hadn't?  This blog would've had to take a particularly long hiatus, because surely I would've felt compelled to put you in a reading timeout.  

Marirosa Mia: I. LOVED. IT. (You know it's true because I used all caps and dramatic punctuation, folks.) As soon as I finished it I did three things. I walked into the head of our School & Library department's office, and we both gushed about Patrick Ness for a good 10 minutes. I accosted anyone who walked by my desk with "Did you read this book?" And finally I emailed my sister (who is illustrating my own novel) and told her to buy the book immediately because it’s imperative that we use it as research for our own collaboration. From its quite charming first lines (The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do.) I was hooked! I knew I was reading something special. Julie, I'm a huge sucker for stories within stories (darn you, THE PRINCESS BRIDE!).  Did you enjoy how Ness weaved storytelling into his own tale? 

J:  Before I answer that, let me give a little background.  A MONSTER CALLS opens with the first visit to thirteen-year-old Conor by a monster in the shape of yew tree.  It "tower[s] thirty or forty feet above him, breathing heavily in the night air."  "‘Who am I?’" the monster roars.  "‘I am the spine that the mountains hang upon!  I am the tears that the rivers cry!  ... I am everything untamed and untameable!  ... I am this wild earth, come for you, Conor O'Malley.’"  To which Conor skeptically replies, in a perfect illustration of the wry exchanges between the two:  "‘You look like a tree.’"

The monster explains that he will come to Conor on further nights and tell him three stories "‘from when I walked before.’"  Conor responds with disbelief:  "‘How is that a nightmare?’"  And the monster replies, "‘Stories are the wildest things of all.  Stories chase and bite and hunt.’"  Later, in the same vein, the monster says, "‘Stories are wild creatures.  When you set them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?’"  

Of course I love that message about the power of stories.  And the monster's stories do end up having an unexpected, slow-boiling, intriguing sort of power.  I love that they surprised me and Conor alike.  I love the choice of stories.  And you?  

M: Very much so. I loved that the stories were old school fairy tales; the kind where happy endings are hard to come by and you aren't quite sure what you're supposed to be learning right off the bat.

Can we talk about secondary characters? I was surprised by how much I was interested in the school bully Harry. In the course of the story he went from being just a one-note bully to a bit more...unsettling as his understanding of Conor grew. How about you, Julie?

J:  The character portrayals are virtually universally fabulous.  The mom, the grandmother, the dad, the monster--everyone feels so real, and they're all struggling in such different and heart-tugging ways.  (Well, nothing about the dad is heart-tugging, exactly; but it's a tribute to Ness that I'm not thoroughly repulsed by the man.)  I like the bully, Harry, as well.  Although by the end it becomes clear that Ness is using Harry to make a point, it doesn’t feel annoyingly didactic--likely because of the weaving in of the monster's stories.  Ness buys himself some moral-making leeway with those stories, I think.  Does that make sense?  Also, we haven't even noted yet that Conor is grappling with his mother's sickness.  Any concern that the book overall feels too heavy?

M: No. I think it's hard not to be heavy when you are talking about cancer, and I think overall the book does a great job of depicting Conor's anger and fear such that we don't feel the topic is overdone in any way. Does that make sense?

J:  Again, I think the fantasy element helps.  The recurring presence of the monster, the mystery surrounding him, the humor in his interactions with Conor, and the puzzles posed by his stories all prevent the weight of the mom storyline from becoming overbearing.  

Can we talk about the book’s design a little?  I think this might be my favorite book design ever.  

M: I see what you mean about the fantasy element, Julie, though I’m not sure if that’s what was keeping the heavy topic well-balanced for me.  Sometimes I think I connect more with fantasy and magical realism elements than actual real life!

What about the illustrations did you particularly like? For some reason I was really drawn to the images that worked with the text itself--the ink creeping into the pages and so on. Not that the separate illustrations weren’t magnificent, but there was something about the way they bled into each other in those particular sections that I really enjoyed.

J:  I also love the margin illustrations and think they intensify the tone of the book.  But I can't say that I prefer them, because some of the full-page illustrations and two-page spreads are so spectacular.  Pages 182-83, for example, and pages 193-94?  Gorgeous.  I love the texture of each illustration, and the shadings.  They all contribute brilliantly to the book's atmosphere, without ever distracting from the text.  I love that virtually every illustration makes me wonder, how did Jim Kay (the illustrator) capture that effect?  I see now, on the book jacket, that he used "everything from beetles to breadboards to create interesting marks and textures."  Beetles and breadboards!  It's all so interesting and beautiful.  

M: I'm not saying I preferred the margins--or maybe I am--but there was something about the ink sneaking in ... like it couldn't be contained. I love that.

Well, I think we could talk about this book for quite some time; but I think we should let our readers go and perhaps...purchase the book! Go!

J:  Yes!  Go!

Perks of Being a Wallflower

Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky

M: It's interesting that we chose Stephen Chbosky's THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER for this week, Julie. It being Banned Books Week recently and WALLFLOWER being one of ALA's (American Library Association) top ten most frequently challenged books in 2009 due to the book's treatment of drugs, homosexuality, sex, and suicide. WALLFLOWER is an epistolary novel that takes place in the early 90s, narrated via letters from Charlie, a sixteen-year-old boy, to a stranger.  The letters describe his family, falling in love, trying drugs and simply living. I was captivated by Charlie's voice and frankness. There was something so interesting about the character’s seemingly naive narration and the very complex and adult situations he found himself in. Julie?

J:  As I started PERKS I thought, I don't know--too derivative of THE CATCHER IN THE RYE?  As I kept going I thought, Too many social issues, one after the other?  But eventually I closed my critical eye and just kept thinking, I love this book.  Because ultimately Charlie's voice is so engaging and so loving and so sympathetic that I was happy to glide right over flaws that have ruined other books for me.  I loved the twists in Charlie's character, too.  He's physically small and cerebral and an outsider, but because of training from his brother, he's perfectly capable of beating bullies up.  Almost too capable.  He has to hold himself back.  And sometimes, after pummeling someone, he cries.  And he's a teenage boy experimenting with powerful drugs and (to a limited extent) sex, but he's also very open about how much he loves his mother.  He's flawed and immensely lovable.  Mia, do you agree?  And what do you think about some of the other characters?    

M: Very much so, Julie. I fell for Charlie and the way emotions just pour out of him. I like how even though Charlie loves Sam so much, she isn't a perfect character. She has her flaws and is very human. I particularly enjoyed the very complex relationship Charlie has with his sister, who at times both saddened, worried and infuriated me, yet I liked her very much! What about you?

J:  I agree entirely about his sister!  I somehow love her, though at times she is truly appalling.  I feel the same about Charlie's brother, though he’s largely absent.  I wish Chbosky had trusted the compelling nature of Charlie's relationships more and omitted some of the more sensational plot twists--particularly the secret that's revealed at the end.  Mia, do you know which one I mean?  Do you agree with me that it feels needless and contrived?    

M: A bit. It had me wondering if I'd missed something important in Charlie's words. Had I overlooked a hint, a vague memory that was perhaps too vague for me? I'm not saying that Chbosky had to drop clues like a mystery novel, but the revelation came a bit out of nowhere; and I felt that if he was doing it to explain Charlie's sensitive and emotional nature, then it wasn't necessary.  I was already there. Do you think that's why it felt contrived to you? 

J:  Either Chbosky was (needlessly) trying to explain Charlie's sensitivity, or he was interested in exploring an issue that was sensational at the time of the book's publication.   Regardless, it doesn't quite work for me.  Nor does the fact that Charlie is writing all along to a stranger.  I still wonder--did I miss something?  Is he in fact writing to someone we know?  If he is, oops!  And if he isn't, why not?  To add to our sense of Charlie as unusual and an outsider?  Again, I'm not sure that’s necessary.  But in the end, I don't care!  I like being inside Charlie's world, immersed in his thinking.  It's the kind of book I'd be happy to read again and again.

I just learned, by the way, that PERKS is being made into a movie, written and directed by Chbosky himself and starring Emma Watson as Sam.  Will I see it the first moment I can?  Yes I will!      

M: I'm interested in seeing how they adapt this as well! Here's one final question for our trusty readers: What banned book are you interested in reading (or re-reading)?

 

Cold Skin

Cold Skin – Steven Herrick

Marirosa Mia: I rarely gravitate toward novels written in verse. I don't think I've ever woken up and said, "Why, today I need some verse with my coffee!"  Not that I dislike verse or anything.  In fact, it usually takes me about a second to remember what verse is.... Never mind.  Let's move on before I start reminiscing about brain cramps and 8th grade English class. On to more important things, like gripping YA novels.

A cast of brilliantly stitched characters inhabit the small, post-WWII Australian coal-mining town where COLD SKIN is set. We hop from point of view to point of view, guided by each character through the town until, just a quarter of the book in, we get such a sense of place, it's as if we've lived there all our lives.  And when a young girl shows up dead and the detective work starts, a sense of dread and unease quickly set upon me.  I started to wonder whether, and hope that, the character I'd started to love and trust would make it out alive. Julie?

Julie:  I was beside myself too!  I so admire the pacing of this book.  Often, when I'm writing, I fret about fireworks--is there enough real action to keep readers interested?  But Herrick takes his time introducing each character, letting us get to know them and their world and their feelings, good and bad, about each other.  Relatively little happens.  Still, the tension keeps growing and growing.  I was riveted.

I also appreciate the balancing act Herrick manages with the characters.  They are individuals, but they also resonate as archetypes:  the strong, simple, moral hero; various fashions of villain; the girl who can escape because of her beauty.  And so they feel known, without ever veering into stock.

My one reservation about the book is the ending.  I don't mind the whodunit answer, but the story surrounding that resolution struck me as off. I won't say more, for spoiler reasons.  Mia, was there anything you didn't love about the book?

M: Julie, I understand what you mean about the ending. Perhaps this was because it felt a bit too rushed? I think that was it for me. I wanted (and I know this sounds weird because I usually never want this from an ending) it to draw out a little more, like the rest of the book. Just more time and detail to make my skin crawl a bit more, know what I mean?

J:  That wasn't my initial reaction, but I think you might be on to something. Do you have a favorite character, or pairing of characters?  My favorite pairing is Eddie and Mr. Butcher. So much great, negative feeling there. My least favorite, in terms of the writing, is Eddie's dad.  I think some of his actions don't ring true. How about you?

M: I was also a fan of Eddie. My least favorite character actually has to do with personality rather than writing, as I think he was very well written:  Eddie's brother, Larry.  He was such a creep that I found myself frowning every time I read his sections!

J:  Ew, yes!  Larry is intensely creepy.  Do you think you'll give any of Herrick's other novels a try?  THE WOLF, maybe?

M: [runs to look up description of THE WOLF] Yes, yes I would.

J:  Me too!

 

Skin Deep

Skin Deep – E.M.Crane

Marirosa Mia: Andrea Anderson considers herself a nothing and is OK with that. She has no support from her mother and is pretty much ignored in high school. But things start to change when Andrea starts to dogsit for her neighbor Honora, an eccentric woman prone to odd tea combinations. Through her growing relationship with Honora and Zena (the giant yet gentle St. Bernard Andrea dogsits), Andrea learns a thing or two about herself. This all sounds like a run of the mill coming of age story, doesn't it? Well, it really isn't. There isn't any huge glamorous transformation from ugly duckling to beautiful swan or any revelation that the boy next door is secretly the guy for her. No fashion/shopping montage here. Instead I found myself intrigued by the quietness of the story.  Though part of me was cautious, certain that at any moment this would turn into an overly melodramatic story about dresses and boyfriends. But it never did. Thank you so much for that. Julie?

Julie:  I love the tone of this book.  Somehow, through sentence structure and a short chapter framework and Andrea's even-keeled, thoughtful voice, the author (E.M. Crane) made me feel immersed in the solitude that defines Andrea for much of the book.  I haven't yet figured out exactly how Crane accomplished it.  But it's impressive.  

I also admire how appealing Crane made virtually all of her characters.  Andrea's homeroom teacher "forgets to trim his ear hair" and commits one appallingly selfish act (which I won't reveal).  And yet I feel much sympathy for him.  Andrea's mom's boyfriend, Dennis, seems to Andrea like the kind of man who would "blow his nose in the fake dinner napkin.  Or ... lean his chair back and undo the top button of his polyester slacks."  "His eyes are buggish and he's the lumpy kind of overweight."  He "belche[s] like a foghorn."  How many authors would have used those kinds of details as building blocks for an unpleasant character?  Not Crane.  By the end of the book, Dennis was hands-down my favorite character other than Andrea.  And you, Mia? What did you think of the characters?

M: I also loved how Crane created her characters. As you said, I didn't think that Dennis would turn out to be such an awesome ally for Andrea - it was a lovely surprise. I liked how he was believably weaved into the changes in her mother's personality. And even her mother was very well crafted and everything that came out of her mouth - though mostly discouraging and careless - was pitch perfect for her character. And although I loved Honora, I must say that it was Zena that won my heart. Every time she appeared I wanted to reach into the book and hug her. (Can you tell I've been thinking about getting a dog? It's getting worse by the day.)

There was one character I thought a little suspect: Ashley, the popular girl turned friend. I wasn't sure if it was her sudden social change or my teenage years playing into my reading of her, but I was always cautious of the story when I was around her.

Was there anyone you didn't find believable?

J:  The sad truth is, I was skeptical of the characters whom Crane painted as purely kind to Andrea.  These included Ashley and Roger Dupris, the strangely nice boy next door.  Neither seemed real to me.  I didn't understand their motivations.  Then again, why do I assume that teenagers need a particular motivation to be nice?  Surely some of them just *are*.  I need to open my mind to this radical concept.  My older daughter is already in middle school; I must hold out hope!  

M: I can't wait till your kid is in high school, Julie. I can just picture you interrogating her friends/potential boyfriends and using the phrase "Just what are your intentions?" constantly. Can I be there when that happens? I have a very good poker face. 

J: No, you cannot.  I need to at least appear authoritative.  I can't have you and your so-called poker face giggling in a corner.  

M: … that’s probably for the best.

Eona

Eona – Alison Goodman

M: Annie and I are back for more EON/EONA talk. If you missed the first part, catch up here: EON review. Are you back? Oh, good! Let's continue. *Warning: possible spoilers ahead.* When we last left her, Eona (now Lady Eona) was 'out' as a woman and the entire nation was up in arms. Wars, battles, mutinies, political coups - you name it. Having escaped the palace, Prince Kygo must fight his uncle (with the help of the resistance, which includes Lady Dela and Ryko) for the right to be Emperor once again. Lady Eona is saddled with a mass of new duties that she is not prepared for, the biggest of which is being a symbol for the resistance.  Not to mention her growing feelings for Prince Kygo, which are not at all PG (oh, yes, pages were re-read a couple of times).

I was so (so) very happy that I didn't have to wait a year to read this sequel. As soon as I finished EON I reached over and started EONA, so I just slipped into the story once again - so much so that I'm having difficulty recalling what happened in book one versus book two (as I just remember everything as one long, cohesive story).

So let's start with a few things I was really happy to see. First off, Lord Ido. Wait, what? I was happy to see Lord Ido? Wasn't he the bad guy???  Be quiet. Yes he was. Now hear me out. Lord Ido is a very interesting character to keep. Really he should be dead, but that would mean spending the entire second book introducing a new villain. And although Lord Sethon is not a new villain per say, he is not as well developed; and we don't know/hate him as we do Ido. By keeping Lord Ido, Goodman uses him to expand on the villainy of Lord Sethon. Not to mention that by keeping Lord Ido, Goodman showed him in a whole new light.  At moments I as a reader felt swayed by his words and his actions. I was right there with Eona in her confusion and apprehension.  And I was a bit intrigued by his actions. Very well done. Annie?

A: At least one of us didn’t have to wait forever to read it! Anyways, the second book really does start right up from where the last one ended (probably because the last book ended on a cliffhanger moment. Sigh – authors kill me when they do that). So if it has been some time since you read the first one, you might want to read at least the last couple of chapters of EON again. I know I had a few issues getting back into the story – not because it was poorly written, but because I was trying to remember everything that had happened as I got thrown back in the action.  There’s none of that jaunty lead-up that some books have to recap all the previous events.

I definitely didn’t think Lord Ido is quite the same character in EONA as he was in EON.  He is much more compelling in this novel – his development, as you said, provides a whole new meaning to his actions. It makes him less a villain and provides Eona an alternate path for resolution, which definitely added a good amount of sexual tension that also acted as a tool for Eona’s self-awareness. And you’re right: Sethon is actually a pretty weak character and wouldn’t work at all without Ido there.  There just isn’t much to him other than as a catalyst for Eona to develop her relationships and understand herself and, with that, her dragon.  You need to hate Sethon for what he’s done and what he is doing, but you need complexity in the plot (which Goodman provides in heaps) so that it doesn’t just feel like it’s something you’ve read before. 

Eona is being pulled all over the place in order the deal with Sethon’s conquering, the madness of a former apprentice, the dangerous passion for Ido, her actual feelings for Kygo, and the repercussions of hew newfound powers (which by the way only covers a few of the plot points).

I have to say, I really enjoyed the path Goodman takes in dealing with Eona’s powers.  Her abilities based on her dragon link offer some great storylines regarding responsibility and identity.  She has to struggle both with her control of it as well as the ethical challenges brought on by need and desire.  Eona doesn’t initially realize the consequences of what she’s done with her power and the compulsion she’s imposed on people. Once she does, she still has to recognize what that means to her and comprehend the heart of the situation. Just as she does with steamier parts of her life.

M: Exactly, Annie. Eona is under so much pressure that as a reader you start to feel it as well. I think it's a testament to how well Goodman develops her heroine that even when she's made mistakes we (or at least I) feel the need to defend her. I haven't felt a connection like that to a character since Buffy from BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (remember that last season where no one trusted her or wanted her as a leader? That killed me! But I digress). All I could think whenever she was questioned was, "After all that's she's gone through? All she's done? How could you not understand?"

As I was nearing the last few pages I worried that there wasn't enough time for a resolution, but I must say I was very happy with where Goodman left it. It felt the natural place to end the journey for the reader. What did you think, Annie?

A: Absolutely. I don't think she could have left the ending on a higher note.  So, yes - perfect place to end it.  All the meaningful loose ends were tied up nicely, and she still left me craving just a little bit more of that world. But I was happy with where things were - which is always a nice feeling to have when you finish a book.  I'm definitely curious to see what Goodman will do next.  But until then I'm glad I’ve had the pleasure of escaping into this world for a bit