Review: Descendant

Title: Descendant
Author: Lesley Livingston
Series: Starling
Volume: 2
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal

Why I Read It: It is the second book in the Starling trilogy (I think it is a trilogy?). Which is the sequel to the Wondrous Strange trilogy, which I really enjoyed.

A Quick Summary: Mason has crossed the bridge into the underworld, and Fennrys is determined to get her back, for both himself, and to stop her from becoming a pawn in causing Ragnarok (and by pawn I mean the trigger). Of course he as to recover from being shot in the shoulder followed by the train he was on exploding as well as a sea monster, but, details. He's not going to fight on the right side this time.

What I Thought: I enjoyed this book in a yelling-at-the-book sort of way. I sometimes got a little frustrated. I annoyed my roommate by being announcing what was going on in the book (she hasn't read any of the series, so I gave a super abbreviated version).

Okay first things first. Cameos. I miss the old cast (as in the Wondrous Strange trilogy cast) a lot, so when Maddox and Chloe showed up I was pretty happy. (We did get a couple of cameos in the last one, but this time we got Madd and Chloe. Who actually played significant roles as a part of the good guys last time.) And they (well Maddox, at least, Chloe seems to not like conflict- unless you hurt Maddox. Then she's kind of scary) actually stick around for some action scenes.

Moving on. I've never been huge on the romance in this one. I don't know... I guess, I'm not typically huge on romance in general sometimes, so it isn't altogether surprising. That said, I do feel like the romance was a weaker point in the book. (I'm not entirely sure how to explain it.) It still managed to be a driving force, but I just wasn't that interested in hearing about it non-stop.

I enjoyed the fight scenes and as always, the humour. I love dry humour, so most of these characters are right up my alley in that respect. I've always found there's something really enjoyable about how Lesley Livingston writes her fight scenes. I can picture them, but the words don't seem cumbersome, which can be a difficult balance to achieve.

So far I haven't love these as much as the Wondrous Strange trilogy, probably in part because I miss the fae world. It's always described wonderfully, so I miss that. And our heroes, seeing as I think they were a little more my personal preference. That said, I'm still looking forward to the next (pretty sure it is last) book in this series as well.

Writer's Festival

I went to my first bookish event today. Like, my first one ever. I live in Canada, so there aren't that many events that interest me nearby (what book events there are, they are typically written for people who enjoy reading books that seem to lack hope, and are all man vs. nature and man vs. self...) If you like dark internal dilemmas, there are events for you.

But you know about my feelings on hope. So these aren't for me. So there was a writer's festival, I came by the knowledge by accident- I was standing awkwardly in my university (first year...), and I saw a poster. I went with my dad. This was a tiny little festival, but it was good for my first one. It was in a kind of artsy little place, with beautiful stone buildings. I got to listen to Deborah Ellis and Lesley Livingston read a little of their books. I'd like to take this moment to point out that I've been reading Lesley Livingston's books since I picked up Wondrous Strange (at the library) I think it probably was soon after it came out (2008 or early 2009), so meeting her was really, really exciting for me. I got my copy of Wondrous signed, and picked up a copy of Deborah Ellis's new non-fiction book Looks Like Daylight. It was a really great day.

By the way, on the subject of Lesley Livingston, I finished Descendant a few days ago. My review is coming.

Anyway, I'm hoping to find more bookish events in my area (maybe even go to Toronto), because this one was really fun.

Review: Viral Nation

Title: Viral Nation
Author: Shaunta Grimes
Series: Viral Nation
Volume: 1

Why I Read It: This dystopian had a lot of really good reviews, and I do like a good dystopian.

A Quick Summary: A plague has devastated the world, and all of the survivors must take a daily suppressant to prevent the virus from killing them, even years later. Brilliant, autistic Clover is denied entrance to high school because she refuses to be parted from her service dog, Mango, and instead sent to an organisation that collects information about crimes from the future and prevents them from happening in the present. She is sent forward in time to collect this information. When her brother- and caretaker- West shows up on one of the lists, because he is going to commit murder, she knows there must be something wrong. Her brother would never kill anyone. She starts to question whether or not their are flaws in the system that has kept the nation stable, and begins to uncover dangerous information about the justice system, time travel and even the plague suppressant.

What I Thought: Overall, this one was a good read. I could root for the main characters, though I did find some of their motives a little confusing. It's hard to explain why... Some of it might be because this is the first book of a trilogy, so maybe we're not supposed to know all of the motives. Clover was a readable protagonist, though she had her moments where I couldn't really follow what she was thinking (West and the suppressant -minor spoiler- couldn't she have waited to see if the sores showed up before dosing him with the suppressant? It works on people who already have the virus, so I wasn't sure why she didn't wait to see, since they had already been told that people would go through withdrawl, and West clearly was- it wasn't the virus). There was something that confused me about Clover's autism too. She shuts down when exposed to stressful/overwhelming situations (ex. situations with a lot of noise), but the time traveling didn't seem to bother her, when I feel as though anyone would have been overwhelmed by that. But I'm nit-picking a little. There were some qualities to this book that I enjoyed. The idea of using the virus-suppressant as a method for controlling the population, and how much control having monopoly over a vital resource gives the government was interesting to see. Foster City sounded like a really horrible place to grow up, and obviously some of the citizens aren't treated very well. I feel like the story was a pretty simple one, even with all of the technicalities of time travel. So while the story wasn't completely original (a lot of the story is standard dystopian tropes), I still found it an enjoyable read.

Review: Ungifted

Title: Ungifted
Author: Gordon Korman
Genre: Realistic fiction

Why I Read It: I love reading about brilliant people. It's one of my favourite topics to read about. Basically, I love intelligence. Also, talking about intelligence as it is defined by society, versus how clever a person actually is.

A Quick Intro: Fleeing his school's administration after an incident involving the gymnasium and a giant metal globe, Donovan Curtis hides out in a gifted program, where he was accidentally placed. "Gifted" is a word that has never been a word that has applied to Donovan, and he's pretty sure he can't hack this program for genii. But he's here, and fighting to stay, so he's going to have to try.

What I Thought: I enjoyed this one. As mentioned, brilliance is something that I  really love reading about, and reading about Donovan's struggles to fit in with the academically gifted, quirky and more often than not social awkward was a lot of fun. I liked Donovan as a character, as well as all of the other characters who also narrated. While I personally tried hard in school (generally, I had my days of complete and utter academic apathy). It wasn't that he had no potential, but that he felt no inclination to succeed, and found classes dull, essentially turning him into a bit of a troublemaker. He was an enjoyable character to read- I liked the antics. The other students and teachers at the school were both enjoyable characters to read from- I especially liked reading from Noah, who is brilliant, but finds attending a gifted school dull, and really wants to go to an ordinary school.

Donovan's effect on the gifted students was interesting in that he brought an element to the class that it didn't have before, like naming the class robot and offering up his pregnant sister for a project so that the class can get their human growth and development credit. While not academically talented, he brings some different skill set to the group.

The story is fun and engaging. I found Donovan's sister, Katie, and the story line when the class follows her pregnancy to be one of my favourite parts. I liked the class's curiosity about it and how they go from Katie find them annoying to seeing the as a support group. One of my favourite lines was "this pregnancy is a group effort" and the breathing technique. They both had me laughing out loud. I really found myself rooting for the team, and for Donovan himself.

Overall, this book was a fun, clever, humourous read, and a reminder that "smart" isn't always about school.

Review: Going Vintage

Title: Going Vintage
Author: Lindsey Leavitt
Genre: Realistic fiction

Why I Read It: I feel like I haven't read much realistic fiction, and I try to keep some diversity in my reading, and this one had quite good reviews.

A Quick Intro: When Mallory finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her with a cyber-wife, she breaks up with him and swears off of technology. She devotes herself to following her grandmother's list of goals. She plans to simplify her life by avoiding all of the pitfalls of modern technology.

What I Thought: I don't really have any feelings about this one. I wasn't very interested in the characters. Mallory especially seemed quite melodramatic, and I didn't find myself rooting for her journey. Having never been in a relationship like the one she was in, I actually found myself wondering if her response was realistic (was it?). Also, is going doe to a dance that weird? She certainly seemed to make a big deal of it. I just finished high school, but her high school experience seemed to be somehow... off. I can't really describe it. I didn't really find the characters convincing or magnetic.

I guess overall, I didn't really enjoy this one. The characters and setting didn't really have any draw for me.

Talking About: The Omnivore's Dilema

This is one that I've meant to read for years. (I seem to have unusual ambitions, don't I?)

This was a really neat read- food sciences and agriculture are two of my interests, so this was a good read. This one is all about where food comes from and all of the dilemmas we humans go through when choosing what we should eat.

Michael Pollan focuses in on three meals: a fast food meal, one made with food grown sustainable, and one made from ingredients that were hunted and gathered. Before focusing on these meals, Pollan takes us through the current state of the agriculture industry, which boils down to one thing: corn. I know more about corn than I thought was possible. The economics, the reproductive cycle, the processing, the effects on the environment, and its roll in the industrial farming industry. Corn. That said, it was an important part of the book.

I enjoyed reading about sustainable farming. I'm kind of a sustainability geek there so, make of that what you will. It was nice to read about letting nature do it's thing a little more using rotational farming. (See, geek). It seems to be the more hopeful part of the book (hunting and gathering takes so much time and energy that an individual couldn't survive in our society that way, and couldn't support populations, simply because of space). I hope that we can one day get to the point where we can farm sustainably, since the industrial food chain really isn't sustainable.

Basically I loved this book. I have my copy bookmarked all get out (do people say that anymore?), with notes to myself. Again, food sciences and sustainable living in a modern age are two passions of mind, and this book marries them. It took me a little longer to read than fiction usually does, but it wasn't too heavy a read, and was generally quite intresting.

Harry Potter Re-read: Wrap Up

Well, I've finished. A little late, even with the extension, but I'm glad that I took my time. I think I got more out of it this way anyway. Anyway, this post contains spoilers... so be warned.

I really got a lot more emotional about it this time. This was the first time through that Cedric's death upset me, and Sirius's death was kind of harder to read too. Dumbledore's death and the funeral were always tough. Kreacher's Tale gets harder to read each time. Regulus Black was a character that I would have liked to know more about. And of course the end of the Deathly Hallows was as upsetting and wonderful as ever.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was still one of my favourites (actually they all were). The way J.K. Rowling manages to intersperse despair and hope. One of my favourite scenes was always when Ron managed to get Potterwatch on the radio.

The Forest Again and The Flaw in the Plan are some of the best final chapters in any book I've read so far and the ending is one of my favourite endings to a series ever. When Harry and Voldemort have their final duel in the Great Hall, I loved all when Harry reveals everything. He starts calling Voldemort Tom, and I liked the build up. Six years and it is still one of the best endings I have ever read.

You could tell that J.K. Rowling really planned out the story before she wrote it. The character arcs were really well planned out, and the story was exquisitely detailed in its way.

The messages are fantastic. Its all about the power of friendship and love, the value of bravery and the power of hope.

Harry Potter Re-read Day 10

So, as you can see, I'm doing it in two weeks this time.

I'm taking my time with it this time. I'm also finding that I'm getting way more emotional over these books, this time.

Goblet of Fire: This is the first time that I was upset about Cedric dying (in the past, I've kind of skated over it and viewed it more as a plot device). It really hit me that he is a genuinely decent human being. I don't know how else to say it. So that was upsetting. Also, as a side note Barty Crouch Jr. did a really good job of pretending to be moody. Someone give the lunatic a prize.

Order of the Phoenix:

In keeping with the lack of matching in the Harry Potter collection at my place of residence. The first hardcover in the collection (we finally got caught up). This book is falling apart. The front cover is taped on and the back is water-stained. 

I have found in my soul a new depth of loathing for Umbridge. I seem to dislike her more and more each time I read the books. Between her and Bellatrix later on, there are some characters I dislike as much as Voldemort. Both Umbridge and Bellatrix like to play with people, albeit in different ways. They just like to cause suffering. They find it enjoyable. And I hate that. (By the way- minor spoiler- what happens to Umbridge anyway, I mean they leave her in that courtroom unconscious with a couple of Dementors...)