fantasy

BOOK REVIEW: Wolf Speaker by Tamora Pierce

Book Review

Author: Tamora Pierce
Genre: Middle Grade/Fantasy
Series: Book 2 of Quartet (Complete)

Wolf Speaker: ★★★★/5

Summary: When humans start cutting down trees and digging holes in peaceful Dunlath Valley, the wolves know that something is wrong. They send a messenger to the only human who will listen — Daine, a fourteen-year-old girl with the unpredictable power of wild magic. Daine and her closest companions heed the wolves’ cry for help. But the challenge they are about to face in the valley is greater than they can possibly imagine…

Now Daine is 14-years-old and has a better handle on her powers. She’s called to Dunlath Valley where the wolf pack she first connected with needs her help. In this book she learns a new facet of her wild magic. I was definitely glad to see Daine growing up. There is a clear difference in Daine’s maturity in this second installment compared to the first, from her actions to her thoughts. She is also making the transition from student to friend with Numair!

I finished the whole quartet, but I decided instead of reviewing it as a whole, I would review each book individually. This book was my least favorite of the four, not to say, I still enjoyed reading it, but you always have a least favorite. I guess it has to do with the fact that I thought it dragged a little bit in the middle while Daine was waiting for Numair to return, though it was necessary to move the plot along with the two different perspectives. However, once the action did pick up, it didn’t stop and I couldn’t stop reading until I finished.

DAINE: Daine is growing more confidence in herself and her power. She continues to venture further to see where her wild magic will lead her. Her thoughts have become more complex as a 14-year-old and she still remains loyal to her beliefs. She has a deep concern and love for all the animals and is still learning the balance between asking for their help and sending them to die. Daine has a tender heart and it is very endearing because of her tough past.

NUMAIR: Numair’s feelings for Daine continue to grow. He cares for her and is constantly making sure she’s safe. However, I do appreciate the fact, despite her age, he trusts her in important situations. He worries for her but believes that she can handle more than the average teen. You can see the small signs that Numair is developing deeper feelings for her.

MAURA: Maura is the runaway princess who wants to warn the king of an uprising. She’s mature for her age and very open-minded as she befriends a Stormwing named Rikash. Even though she is only ten, she has a noble sense of responsibility and right and wrong.

WOLF PACK: These wolves are smart, smarter than the typical animals. It is mainly due to the fact the wolves had a deep connection with Daine, who seems to have that affect on the animals she comes in contact for in long periods. They act more like humans and have developed complex thoughts for their problems. Whether for their own good or not, you’ll have to find out.

The conflict is getting deeper and more complicated. Readers start to find out that Carthak is making a move against Tortall. I love the relationship developing between Numair and Daine and it’s one of the main reasons I continue to read!

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BOOK REVIEW: Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce

Book Review

 

Author: Tamora Pierce
Genre: Middle Grade/Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of Quartet (Complete)

Wild Magic: ★★★★/5

Summary: Young Daine’s knack with horses gets her a job helping the royal horsemistress drive a herd of ponies to Tortall. Soon it becomes clear that Daine’s talent, as much as she struggles to hide it, is downright magical. Horses and other animals not only obey, but listen to her words. Daine, though, will have to learn to trust humans before she can come to terms with her powers, her past, and herself.

The Immortals Series has been one of my absolute favorites since I’ve started reading fantasy novels. It was the series that actually got me hooked on fantasy as a genre. I first read it in middle school and for the first time, 12 years later, I started to reread it. I remember loving it, but 12 years is a long time and whole different life stage. Mainly, I bought the series because a new edition with the amazing cover pictured above was released and I had to have it. I remembered the gist of the story and a few of my favorite characters, but I totally forgot the plot, which is exciting because I get to relive one of my favorite books for a second time, and that doesn’t happen very often.

I love this book because it has magic, mystical creatures, and amazing characters. The plot is well-developed and even though I’m 11 years older than the main character, I still found her enjoyable to read about. There were a few times her worries were juvenile, but overall Daine is a great protagonist, constantly looking to become a stronger and better, emotional enough that she’s not a stone, but logical enough to understand what needs to be done. I never found myself once bored with the story because it was always moving. Only what is necessary is included and the descriptions are both realistic and easy to follow. I enjoy a simple read from time to time so my mind doesn’t have to work so hard; it allows me to fall into the story even more.

DAINE: Daine is a 13-year-old girl who discovers she possesses something called “wild magic,” which allows her to connect with animals and immortal creatures in a way others cannot. She suffers a huge loss that you find out later in the book and experiences more than an average teen would. However, her ability to persevere through difficult situations is admirable and you continue to see her grow into the respect of her power. Though she may be young, she is strong at heart. You get a tiny glimpse (literally) of her roots and readers will be flipping through the pages to find out who she is and where she came from.

NUMAIR: Numair is the most powerful mage in all of Tortall and he’s a giant of a man who is also good-looking. I loved Numair when I first read him into my mind in middle school, and I still love him now. His character is humorous but he is a reliable partner and teacher to Daine. You can tell that even though he’s taken Daine under his wing as a student, he still cares for her deeply. He’s my favorite character in this series (minus some of the animals!)

ONUA: Onua hires Daine as an assistant and she’s the older sister Daine never had. I love her powerful presence despite her difficult past. She supports those around her and is one of the most loyal people. No matter how much Daine may retaliate, Onua understands and supports her in the best way possible.

There are a lot of characters I can talk about, but those are the three standout ones. Another unconventional character I do like is Cloud, Daine’s pony. She’s sassy in her actions and words (which only Daine can hear of course). There isn’t a set villain in this book, except maybe the Stormwings. The conflict was only just introduced in this book and will get more in depth through the part of the series. That might be my only warning to relay to other readers. There is some tension, but not as much as typical young adult readers are used to reading. So if you are reading this book, keep in mind that you are reading a MIDDLE GRADE novel. The main conflict in this first book is a battle at the end of the book, which gets resolved, but there’s really no information about what’s to come, only foreshadows suspicions readers may develop during their read. The lack of a deeper conflict to really satiate me as a reader is why I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 stars. (Though 12-year-old me would’ve gave it 5 stars in a heartbeat)

Whether it’s nostalgia or not, I still loved this first book that I finished it in one day, and I’m itching to start the next one after I get some actual work done. I typically only enjoy writing young adult novels because I love a good romance, and one of the defining qualities of a middle grade is that there isn’t an explicit romance, but after re-reading this book I kind of feel like I would be interested in dabbling into the middle grade market!

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ARTICLE POST: Writing Convention

article, writing

So I recently went to my first writing convention this past Saturday. It was a one-day affair and about an hour away from my home, so I wasn’t forced to dish out an obscene amount of money to attend it. At the convention, they allowed writers to purchase 10-min pitch times with agents. I decided I would pitch a new trilogy I started writing to two agents, Nephele Tempest and Sara Sciuto.

Before attending, I had no idea what to expect and I was ridiculously nervous about the pitch. I memorized my 1-2 minute blurb and ran it through my head repeatedly the night before, on the drive there, and even during the event. Both my pitches were scheduled early in the day, so I wasn’t pacing throughout the event.

My first pitch was to Sara Sciuto. She represents a variety of works ranging from picture books to young adult books. Which is perfect, because I have a young adult fantasy and a middle grade idea that I’ve been tinkering around with. The beginning of my pitch sounded rehearsed, but it became a more colloquial toward the end (at least I hope it did). She asked me a few questions about it and I answered with more in-depth explanations of the different fantasy concepts woven into it and she said she was intrigued! She handed me her business card and asked me to send the first 50-pgs of my manuscript. I was downright giddy at this point, but I still had about 5 minutes left from my 10 minutes. I didn’t want to just get up and waste half my time, so instead I asked her questions (because from the articles I read about pitches at writing conventions, that’s what you’re supposed to do). I asked her what other fantasy books she’s representing and what style of writing she most particularly enjoyed so I could get to know her better. Overall it was a successful pitch and if she does like my manuscript, I know I would really enjoy working with her!

My second pitch was with Nephele Tempest. By this time, my head was still bobbling from my first pitch, so I was a bit more relaxed and natural. Since I got Sara’s card and interest, I didn’t have all my eggs in one basket. (Of course I wanted it to be a success, who wouldn’t want the interest of two agents instead of one?) My second pitch was more natural and conversational and Nephele made a few ooh’s and ahh’s during it that made me smile. She was also very intrigued by it and gave me her business card to send her the first 50pgs of my manuscript as well. I was ecstatic.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if maybe the agents were just giving their cards to all the authors who pitched to them out of good measure since they went out of their way to pay for those short, precious 10 minutes, but it really didn’t matter to me. I felt that in a way, we skipped the first part of querying agents, the part that has them opening the initial email to read your query to ask for a longer sample. And to me, that’s worth every penny. Plus, now the agents are able to put a face to the query/manuscript, which humanizes the process. There’s no guarantee they’ll like my manuscript. They might have enjoyed the idea of it, but writing style is a whole other beast.

I’ve been working on finishing and refining my manuscript in order to send it to them. (Although, I did learn that an agent’s request for a longer sample has no deadline) Therefore, I’m trying not to rush myself because I really want to send my best work. But I have made a self-induced deadline of October 31 to get the first draft completed and the first 50-pgs refined to send out. I figure that I’ll have another 1-2 months after submitting the first 50-pgs to polish the rest of my manuscript while they read my longer sample.

I’m glad I registered for the Los Angeles Writing Workshop 2015 (#LAWW15). It was a very positive experience and I learned a lot. I think the only thing that I might have enjoyed would have been to connect with other writers more. Because the convention was so short, you didn’t really have much time to get to know that many people. I’m thinking it would be great to attend a writing retreat or even a longer writing convention in the future.

This is the first sentence of my new trilogy!

“A wish made was a price paid, and no power could undo it.”
-Death Life Taken

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ARTICLE POST: Constructive Criticism Revisions – Ask for opinions, they matter, despite how much it may hurt…

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BOOK QUOTE: Kalcyon (The Phoenix Ashes Book 2)

The Phoenix Ashes Trilogy

A little excerpt from Kalcyon (The Phoenix Ashes Book 2)

It had been imprinted into me the moment I was born and the silent oath clung to my heart. I wanted everyone to experience this marvel: to help them feel their heartbeat chase the one before; to have life electrified into their nerves that it brought a tingle to their fingers; to show that air was not just meant to be breathed, but absorbed.

Life shouldn’t be a wish. It was a God-given gift we were meant to take hold of.

-Kalcyon

Also, the price of Karnage has been reduced to $9.99 on amazon.com. So grab your copy before the release of Kalcyon!

BOOK REVIEW: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Book Review

Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/Romance
Series: The Grisha Trilogy

Ruin and Rising: ★★★★★

Summary: The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne. Now the nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army. Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives. Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova’s amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling’s secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for

Review: I love when a series ends exactly how you wanted except like nothing you thought. While some plot twists had me dying and rolling around on my bed, I did see the HUGE plot twist coming. If you read my review on “Siege and Storm” (Book 2), I mentioned a twist that I suspected and I WAS RIGHT. Sometimes I hate my wandering mind when I read because it ruins the omfg moments. But, I still enjoyed it all the same. And I will say though, I didn’t know how everything was going to play out. Bardugo did an amazing job tying all the loose ends and really bringing the whole trilogy back to the beginning. The connections tied from “Shadow and Bone” all the way to the last page of “Ruin and Rising.”

For the record, I finished this book in two days. The first night, I really just meant to read it for an hour or two before I went to bed, but who was I kidding, I ended up reading it for FOUR hours! It was that amazing. You never want to stop reading because the plot is always moving forward. No scene is superfluous and every scene shows growth in one or all of the characters.

The depth behind each character was just right for my taste. You got enough background story to relate with the minor characters, just enough to care about them. It was nice to see the very human development of the relationships in the epic adventure that they risked their lives for. In regards to the romance, it’s sort of a love squarish thing. I thought it was done very tastefully though: a marriage of counterparts, a marriage of young love, or a marriage of power. I do like who she ended up with, and I know there were a lot of 1 star reviews out there because she didn’t get with *cough*cough* but I think I would have still been happy if she ended up with either of the three love interests because I loved the book mostly for it’s plot.

ALINA: In the first book, she was weak and unsure. In the second book, she had a stronger resolve, but was afraid of the powers growing inside of her. In this book, she owns up to the life she was born to live and remains true to herself until the very end. She knows what has to be done even if there were times she wavered (You can’t blame the girl, she had more weight to shoulder than most of us do). What I loved most about Alina was that even though she was the second most “powerful” Grisha, the talents and powers of her companions were much more valuable; she leaned on them and they leaned on her, and that’s what friendship and loyalty are all about.

MAL: Oh my Mal. I love how even though he’s otkazat’sya, he did everything in his power to make up for it and ended being more powerful than some of the Grisha. He is the living proof that hardwork and a strong resolve are all you really need to succeed in an environment that you were meant to fail. At the end, I had a mini heart attack, but I’m glad Bardugo wrote it out the way she did, because I thought it was perfect!

NIKOLAI: I still LOVE all his dialogue. I really want Nikolai all for myself. He’s such a genuine and pure person that even when “darkness” was thrust upon him, he remained somewhat himself still. The fact that he’s not “true” royalty, but instead earned the position as King through his experiences and service is even more admirable and meaningful. Bardugo mentioned that she mightttt write a book dedicated to Nikolai and I really hope she does because he was my FAVORITE character in this entire trilogy.

THE DARKLING: I actually really loved the Darkling. Yes, he’s the bad guy trying to destroy the kingdom, but really he was just a lost child trying to fix things through his own skewed means. I really felt for the Darkling at the end of the book and I’m glad Alina grew to understand him and accept how he had turned so wretched for the generations he’d lived. I think if I lived for so long that I saw the people I love die, kingdoms rise and fall, and retarded kings believing they know better, I would have gone a little crazy too.

Overall, I am definitely a Leigh Bardugo fan. I never thought I would be the type of reader who goes to author meetings (not saying there’s anything wrong with those type of readers, I actually admire their dedication), but I think I would actually want to meet Leigh Bardugo if I had a chance. I love her writing style and her storytelling abilities. There’s a natural flow that doesn’t seem forced and makes the world seem so real. I actually wanted to leave this life and live in that book if I could (despite how messed up it was for most of the time). GAH. Seriously, I recommend the Grisha Trilogy for ALL readers–it’s amazing. (It’s so amazing that even though I own the trilogy in paperback, I’ve begun purchasing it in hardback too hahaha)

They are making this trilogy into a movie and I FREAKING CAN’T WAIT. The last movie adapted from a book that I waited in line for a midnight showing was Twilight (hey don’t laugh. but really that movie was so cringe-worthy…biggest disappointed by far for books adapted to movies). Anyways, you can’t bet that I’m going to buy my tickets on presale or somehow get myself into an advanced showing to go and watch “Shadow and Bone” when it comes out. I cannot wait to see who they cast. EEEK.

Safe to say, THE GRISHA TRILOGY WAS THE BEST READ OF 2015 for me. It was literally EVERYTHING I look for in a book. Please go read it!

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