Puzzles Presents: Ultimate Reading Challenge 2015 discussion

a book published this year

For this challenge, I decided to read kThe Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black. It was amazing! I grew up with an intense love of fairies, however mine were the mystical pretty ones (think tinker bell and her books/movies). Black takes you to a place steeped in traditional folklore and violence. As an adult, I love seeing the darker side of what I loved as a child.

As for the book, it was amazing. Black has an ability to weave a story that is both beautiful and haunting. In The Darkest Part of the Forest twins Hazel and Ben live in Fairfold, a town living in tumultuous harmony with fairies, elves, and other mystical tricksters. For generations, Fairfold has been home to a sleeping fairy prince, trapped in a coffin harder than diamond but as smooth as glass. Everything changes when the boy wakes and disappears, setting in motion a chain of events that sweep Hazel and Ben into the adventure they've always dreamed of.

Beautifully written and fairly addicting, I would recommend this book a thousand times over.

Alistair Grim's Odditorium by Gregory Funaro

Orphaned and dropped on a doorstep as a baby, Grubb, like the worm but with two b's in case you want to write it down, has had a rough life. Starved and forced to clean chimneys by the Mr. Smears, Grubb will do anything to get run away. One day he gets his chance, and his adventure takes him beyond his wildest imagination.

After stowing away in a stranger's trunk, Grubb finds himself in a new place filled with magic and Odditoria. Meeting some eccentric people along the way, Grubb finds himself a place where he finally belongs and a family. However when the Black Fairy and Prince Nightshade threaten to take all of this away, it is up to Grubb to use his courage and wit to defeat the darkness and save those he loves.

I am a true sucker when it comes to weird, eccentric and off the beaten path middle grade novels. They are my favorite to pick up and I love trying to recommend them to some of the kids that come into my library. AGO (yes I am abbreviating the title because I am not typing it out again haha) is now one of those books I will try to get into as many hands as possible.

From the cover illustration, I was hooked. Then when you add in the abandoned orphan, quirky sorcerer and an entire laboratory that can pick up and fly through time and space, well, there’s not much more I can ask for from a book. It was very reminiscent of Harry Potter but with a slight steampunk feel throughout the whole thing.

With that Harry Potter comparison being said, make no mistake that this book reads like a copycat to the Boy Wizard. On the contrary, this story is creative and stands out from a lot of the other books which can be said to resemble the Boy who Lived. It’s a fun, smart and clever story and one that any fantasy lover will be sure to like, for one element or another.

The only comment I will make is that the book is definitely geared towards middle grade readers. The character development is more two dimensional, the plot isn't fraught with too many subplots and it is a fairly predictable ending, esp. for the first book of a potential series. If you’re OK with that then I totally recommend you pick it up to read. If you don’t like reading younger novels, this is one you may want to stay away from.

Golden Son by Pierce Brown

This is the raw, seething sequel to Red Rising and it is a thrilling, mind-boggling, action-packed ride. Be prepared for first-person description of character, scenery, and story. First-person is tough: on the one hand, you enhance the immediacy and the closeness of a character’s emotions, experiences, and perception; however, on the other hand, you sacrifice insights into other characters’ perceptions and other storylines. In other words, if you don’t like the protagonist, you won’t like the book. I found it to be a small sacrifice for powerful storytelling. Choosing first-person makes the revolution appear in your hands; and as easily as it appears in reach it is just as easily ripped away. Let’s just say I’m counting down the days until January 2016 for Book 3.

I read Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I thought I would love this book but for some reason I just could not get into it. I think I was expecting something livelier and it just could not hold my attention when I listened to it on audiobook.