Review: Dead Rules

Dead Rules by Randy Russell

Publisher: Harper Teen (2011)
Format:  Hardcover | 384 pages
Genre(s): Urban Fantasy, Young Adult

Description (Goodreads): "Till death
Jana Webster and Michael Haynes were in love. They were destined to be together forever.
Do
But Jana's destiny was fatally flawed. And now she's in Dead School, where Mars Dreamcote lurks in the back of the classroom, with his beguiling blue eyes, mysterious smile, and irresistibly warm touch.
Us
Michael and Jana were incomplete without each other. There was no room for Mars in Jana's life—or death—story. Jana was sure Michael would rush to her side soon.
Part
But things aren't going according to Jana's plan. So Jana decides to do whatever it takes to make her dreams come true—no matter what rules she has to break."

WARNING: contains minor SPOILERS.

And... here's yet another book that turned out to be a bit different from what I was expecting (I really should start paying more attention to book synopsis'). You know, with the whole 'dead school' business, I thought the main character was going to be learning to control supernatural powers and all.

Well, I was wrong. "Dead Rules" is more of a creepy, horror-ish story about how love can be obsessive and destructive. The whole setting reminded me of "Angel Beats" which was nice since I loved the whole "school-for-dead-teenagers" idea that was presented in the anime.

This book explores the same concept; Jana Webster died in a freak bowling accident and ended up in "dead school". Why, it's unclear but apparently dying doesn't exempt one from finishing high school. Of course "dead school" is not like regular school... or at least the classes aren't; the social division seems to be pretty similar.

But Jana isn't interested in any of that. She only wants Michael, her perfect boyfriend to join her... in death. And she'll do whatever it takes to make sure she gets her wish.

So... good concept, yes? A strange school where the teachers teach weird things and people are almost literally divided into "most and less likely to succeed" groups. What they must achieve, however, is a mystery - although it's not difficult to guess.

Pity the author decided to focus the story on Jana's love life. Don't get me wrong, he does it a lot better than most YA authors. The romance is certainly believable and Jana's unhealthy obsession is portrayed in a chillingly realistic manner. But... the world is so interesting I almost resented the author's choice of plot. I think he could have done a lot more with the story if Jana had tried to understand her new life and the purpose of the school instead of spending the entire book trying to contact her boyfriend.

Even if the book doesn't tell the story I most wanted to read about I still liked it. Russell created brilliant, original main characters - Jana and Mars - who are very different from your usual protagonists. This book is very character-driven and it works mainly because although Jana is creepy and slightly off her rocker we still empathize with her a bit as she is inherently nice even if she's... well, crazy.

Mars is another surprise. He seems like your typical "bad boy" character but is so much more.

Overall, "Dead Rules" was a fun, almost compulsive read. I liked the idea behind the book but the execution could have been better.

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Review: The Greyfriar

The Greyfriar by Clay Griffith, Susan Griffith

Publisher: Pyr (2010)
Format:  Paperback | 301 pages
Genre(s): Urban Fantasy, Steampunk, Science-Fiction

Description (Goodreads): "Vampire predators run wild in this exciting steampunk adventure, the first in an alternate history trilogy that is already attracting attention. In 1870, monsters rise up and conquer the northern lands, As great cities are swallowed up by carnage and disease, landowners and other elite flee south to escape their blood-thirsty wrath. One hundred fifty years later, the great divide still exists; fangs on one side of the border, worried defenders on the other. This fragile equilibrium is threatened, then crumbles after a single young princess becomes almost hopelessly lost in the hostile territory. At first, she has only one defender: a mysterious Greyfriar who roams freely in dangerous vampire regions."

WARNING: Contains SPOILERS!

I was torn on how to rate this book; should I give it three or four stars? I liked it enough to give it four, but the its structure is flawed enough to earn it only three. While "The Greyfriar" was a pleasant read, there were things I didn't like much. I ended up giving it three stars, but I can tell you it was pretty close to four. Maybe it's because I haven't read many steampunk books or the fact that I loved the authors' characterization of vampires.

The story takes place in 2020, in an alternate reality. At the end of the 19th century, vampires came out of the shadows and attacked the human populations of the North. The humans, unprepared were beaten and driven out of Europe and North America. They established their empires in the South where the warmer climates protected them from the vampiric threat.

150 years later, the status quo is still in place. Humans in the North, dominated by vampires are little more than cattle; in the South, great human empires were born fueled by steam and oil. Neither race is strong enough to attack. That is, until princess Adele of the Equatorian (British) Empire agrees to marry Senator Clark, a powerful man in the equally great American Republic. The union is seen as a threat by the vampire clans and Adele is in danger.

When her ship crashes in the North, she is rescued by the Greyfriar, a mysterious rebel who fights vampires in their own territory.

As I said before, I enjoyed this book. It was an interesting read, with decent world-building (not very original, sure, it is a typical steampunk-ish society) and a few good characters.

Still, it took me a while to get immersed in the story. The first few chapters weren't very interesting for me as they focused on battles and the introduction of the main characters: Adele, the Greyfriar, Flay and Cesare. I was pretty bored with the substandard and cliched action scenes and unimpressed by the Greyfriar. Princess Adele seemed to have potential, though.

Half the book later, I started liking it more and more. Adele is trapped in the North and gets to learn much about vampires and their culture. The book really shined then, with descriptions of vampire anatomy and customs and how they differed from humans. The two authors managed to portray their vampires in an original and intriguing way and when Prince Gareth was introduced I was much more interested.

It was also halfway through the book that the romance (very subtle and well done) was introduced. It may have been part of the reason why the second half appealed to me more, because the romance seemed to add depth to the plot which had, until then, been little more than skirmishes and blood. I loved the sort of "Beauty and the Beast" feel of the book, with Gareth eager to learn more about humans and Adele realizing there was more to vampires.

Of course, there was still action and fights and blood (this is not a 'girl book', after all), but I felt the plot had gained with the introduction of the romantic story and the consequent development of the characters.

I didn't particularly like the Greyfriar, he didn't seem to have much personality... which is understandable, given his identity. I liked Princess Adele well enough and loved the fact that Gareth kept a gazillion cats. I wasn't too fond of Clark, which is probably what the authors intended; I just wish they hadn't been so obvious about it. Clark is pretty one-dimensional, only there to make us root for the couple and little else.

Overall: this book is definitely a solid start to the trilogy. The quality of the narrative seemed to fluctuate a bit and I thought the first half of the book a little boring and simplistic. The second half is better, with marked character development. It almost seems like these two parts were written by different authors (maybe they were, at that) trying to appeal to different readers (male and female perhaps) which would be okay if they blended seamlessly... which they don't. Still, I liked this book and will probably read the sequel.

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Review: Fury

Fury by Elizabeth Miles

Publisher: Simon Pulse (2011)

Format:  Hardcover | 370 pages

Genre(s): Urban Fantasy, Young Adult

Description (GR): "Sometimes sorry isn't enough....

It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems...

Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend.

On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.

In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay.

Em and Chase have been chosen."

WARNING: Contains minor SPOILERS!

"She pulled the sleeves of her sweatshirt down around her thumbs and bit them - a habit from childhood, from being freaked by scary movies and ghost stories.

That's what this was: a ghost story."

                   --- "Fury" by Elizabeth Miles - pages 314-315

For me, this is one of the sentences that best describes this book. A ghost story. A horror story of sorts. Even with all its predictable cliches it manages, nonetheless, to touch some pretty uncomfortable subjects like teenage bullying and peer pressure.

I confess I was expecting a completely different story. I also confess I was enticed primarily by the gorgeous cover and didn't pay as much attention to the blurb as I should have, possibly. Still, even if I got something different, it was still good. At least I liked it.

When I started reading this book, I was expecting the main female character to discover some powers and eventually realize she was a fury. I kid you not. Who can blame me for expecting that? I mean, that's how most YA paranormal books go these days. Girl is a werewolf; girl is a descendant of a Greek god; girl is an ancient goddess. And so on.

I was pretty thrilled when I realized "Fury" was different. It was like reading "Lost Voices" again, discovering a hidden gem, an original story... even if the plot isn't that original once you actually think about it. It's just the novelty of reading about main characters who are completely human and so very flawed. It was amazing. The characters are deftly constructed to represent entire cliques and niches: Chase is the typical jock and Em the mean, bitchy popular girl; but at the same time, there is another layer there that makes them multidimensional and... human. There is reason behind their behavior. The author gives us an uncomfortable insight into the motivations of characters we usually despise (popular people, basically).

The Furies, on the contrary, were pretty one-dimensional. They were just means of pointless and unfair revenge but, again, it felt that there was more to them and that it just wasn't time yet for the reader to know about it.

To sum it up, I loved the story of this book. Ok, so it's mostly a pretty typical horror story, with psycho girls stalking the protagonists, but there was something else too. Did Chase and Emily deserve what they got? Were their victims redeemed? Why did the Furies chose teenagers as the objects of their revenges?

You see, in any other book these questions would be frustrating if left unanswered (especially the last one) but the way Miles wrote the book I felt there was more to the whole thing and that the happening in this first book were just "the tip of the iceberg".

I didn't like the fact that Emily was generally pretty clueless and didn't fully understand what was going on until she bumped into Drea. Drea seemed to be there only as a source of information, at least in this first book (I think there is more to her, as well). I also didn't care for JD, he didn't have much personality.

Overall, "Fury" was a great read. I liked the author's take on the Furies and how very inhuman they seemed (I mean they chose to attack teenagers... weird). The characterization was unusual and appealing. The story had a horror movie" kind of feel which didn't bother me much as I felt there was more underneath. I'm interested in knowing what will happen next and am waiting eagerly for the sequel!

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Review: The Maze Runner (James Dashner)

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Publisher: Chicken House (2010)
Format:  Paperback | 371 pages
Genre(s): Science-Fiction, Young Adult

Description (Goodreads): "When the doors of the lift crank open, the only thing Thomas remembers is his first name. But he's not alone. He's surrounded by boys who welcome him to the Glade - a walled encampment at the centre of a bizarre and terrible stone maze. Like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they came to be there - or what's happened to the world outside. All they know is that every morning when the walls slide back, they will risk everything - even the Grievers, half-machine, half-animal horror that patrols its corridors, to find out."

WARNING: Contains some SPOILERS!

This book is another one that many bloggers like and highly recommend. Also, the cover says anyone who liked "The Hunger Games" would like "The Maze Runner"... and while I didn't exactly love Suzanne Collins' books, I think they were somewhat original and interesting so I decided to finally read this book.

Fortunately, "The Maze Runner" did not disappoint... much. It has an Hunger Games 'feel' to it - the futuristic society, the kids trapped in a deadly game, the resourceful main character -, but it's better in my opinion... the world building is sharper and even with the slow start you actually get answers. Not all of them, but some. Just enough to make you want to read the next book.

Thomas wakes up without his memories, in a strange place where a bunch of boys live. He quickly learns that it is an enclosed space, a maze. And that his job (and everyone's job) is to find a way out. Thomas doesn't have much time to get used to life in the Glade; he is immediately put to work in the strange community. However he dreams of being a Runner, to run across the maze day after day trying to find a way out.

Why is his desire to be a Runner so strong? And what is the maze all about?

This book starts slow, as I've previously mentioned, but after a few rather bewildering and abrupt chapters, the pace picks up and you just can't stop reading. The author cleverly keeps the action going with attacks from the "Grievers", dissent amongst the inhabitants of the Glade and the enigma of the maze. Throughout the book Thomas and his new companions figure out clues that will eventually lead to an explanation about why they are trapped in a giant maze like lab experiments.

If you can get past the first few boring chapters it will be quite difficult to put this book down!

The plot is rather intriguing even if it is very much like the Hunger Games. The main difference resides in the main character, Thomas who relies more on his brain than in his physical prowess (unlike Katniss). I thought Thomas was way too instrumental in figuring out the maze (which made all the other guys look pretty stupid, since they had been there for a a while and didn't find anything relevant), but other than that I liked the story and can't wait to read the other two books.

The characters definitely need more development as most of them are indistinguishable from one another. Thomas was a likable character (a bit too perfect for my taste, though) and Teresa was... not important at all.

There were a few things that bothered me like the fact that the whole world seemed to be in bad shape but somehow someone invested time and money on the maze. But oh well... what are a few, minor inconsistencies?

Overall, "The Maze Runner" was a good read within the genre. It had action and mystery in the right doses and a great pace. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

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Review: The Near Witch (Victoria Schwab)

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Publisher: Hyperion (2011)

Format:  Hardcover | 288 pages

Genre(s): Fantasy, Young Adult

Description (Goodreads): "The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.

And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.
But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.
The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.
As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.
Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget."

I am now convinced that no matter how much I tell myself (and everyone else) that I will not (or should not) put stock in all the raving, gushing reviews for certain books, I'll always end up being influenced by them. "The Near Witch" is another unfortunate example. I should have known that the book simply couldn't be as good as advertised... and it wasn't.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I liked the concept. Even after reading the book and being thoroughly disappointed by it I still like it. If I didn't not even a gazillion positive reviews would have made me buy it.

Unfortunately the concept is all that's good about this book. It starts and ends with the concept. Instead of the intriguing paranormal mystery I'd been promised, I got a book riddled with YA cliches from the insta-romance to the brooding male character and a 'Katniss-clone'; for Lexi, our female protagonist is very strong and can use a knife... oh yes.

As if horribly stereotyped characters weren't bad enough, the world building was weak, weak, weak. The action takes place in Near, an isolated village in... we don't know. Is it in America? The Moon? Some fantasy land? We're never told. I reckon the author was trying to make everything oh-so-mysterious by not telling us where it was, trying to make it clear that Near was very isolated and all, but it was way too much. There is simply no context at all when it comes to place, time and culture in this book.

For example we know women wear dresses and there is no electricity but when does the action take place? Again, we're not told. In the past? Future? Some medieval fantasy land? Who knows? Not the reader. It drove me mad throughout the book. No, really. It simply didn't work for me, it held no mystique it was simply annoying.

As for the story, it was neither well developed nor nearly as interesting as the blurb made it out to be. The culprit was pretty obvious and the mystery insipid. Even the writing was annoying. I mean it would have been great if the characters were complex enough to match it, but since they weren't... ugh.

Overall, a very disappointing read. Weak world building, annoying insta-romance and very badly developed plot. Nice concept, though. And great wording, the author was going for poetic, I suppose, to add 'depth' to the story. But that was only partially achieved, since the entire book was uneven and pretty random. 288 pages were insufficient to properly tell this story.

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In my Mailbox (27)

Mais uma sexta-feira, mais uma "Mailbox"! Esta semana recebi mais uns livritos novos pelo correio incluindo o "Bloodlines" da Richelle Mead (Academia de Vampiros), mais um livro do Simon R. Green (gosto bastante da série de Fantasia Urbana deste autor) e o primeiro de uma nova série de steampunk (yay!).

Phoenix Rising - Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris 

The Good, the Bad and the Uncanny - Simon R. Green 

Armed and Magical - Lisa Shearin 

Spectyr - Phillippa Ballantine 

Bloodlines - Richelle Mead 

An Abundance of Katherines - John Green

E vocês o que receberam na vossa Caixa de Correio (What did you get in your mailbox this week?)?

"In my Mailbox" is hosted by The Story Siren.

Lançamentos Fantásticos - Setembro

Setembro será um mês particularmente bom para os amantes da ficção científica e da fantasia em todas as suas formas; várias editoras vão lançar livros dentro do género. Destaco as ofertas da Saída de Emergência e a obra "A Passagem" de Justin Cronin (que irá ser publicada pela Editorial Presença).

Título: "A Dança dos Dragões"  
Autor:  George R. R. Martin
Editora: Saída de Emergência
N.º de Páginas: 571
Lançamento: 9 de Setembro 2011

Descrição (SdE): "O Norte jaz devastado e num completo vazio de poder. A Patrulha da Noite, abalada pelas perdas sofridas para lá da Muralha e com uma grande falta de homens, está nas mãos de Jon Snow, que tenta afirmar-se no comando tomando decisões difíceis respeitantes ao autoritário Rei Stannis, aos selvagens e aos próprios homens que comanda. Para lá da Muralha, a viagem de Bran prossegue. Mas outras viagens convergem para a Baía dos Escravos, onde as cidades dos esclavagistas sangram e Daenerys Targaryen descobre que é bastante mais fácil conquistar uma cidade do que substituir de um dia para o outro todo um sistema político e económico. Conseguirá ela enfrentar as intrigas e ódios que se avolumam enquanto os seus dragões crescem para se tornarem nas criaturas temíveis que um dia conquistarão os Sete Reinos?"

Título: "Segredos de Sangue"  
Autor:  Charlaine Harris
Editora: Saída de Emergência
N.º de Páginas: 288
Lançamento: 9 de Setembro 2011

Descrição (SdE): "Depois de suportar tortura e a perda de entes queridos durante a breve mas mortífera Guerra dos Fae, Sookie Stackhouse sente-se magoada e furiosa. O único elemento positivo da sua vida é o amor que acredita sentir pelo vampiro Eric Northman. Mas este está sob olhar atento do novo rei vampiro por culpa do relacionamento de ambos. Enquanto as implicações políticas da revelação dos metamorfos começam a ser sentidas, a ligação de Sookie a um
lobisomem específico arrasta-a para uma questão perigosa. Além disso, sem saber, apesar de os portais para Faery terem sido fechados, restam alguns fae no mundo humano... E um deles está zangado com Sookie. Muito, muito zangado. "

Título: "Antes Bruxa que Morta"  
Autor:  Kim Harrison
Editora: Saída de Emergência / Chá das Cinco
N.º de Páginas: 464
Lançamento: 9 de Setembro 2011

Descrição (Bertrand.pt): "Não há bruxa mais dura, sensual ou louca do que a caçadora de prémios Rachel Morgan, que já arriscou a vida amorosa e a alma para trazer perante a justiça as criaturas que percorrem a noite do crime. Entre missões, ainda tem de se defender das tentações da sua parceira sedenta de sangue, guardar um segredo mortal do companheiro de aventuras e resistir a um novo pretendente vampiro.
Rachel também deve tomar uma posição na guerra que irrompe no submundo da cidade, já que ajudou a pôr atrás das grades o vampiro que até aí a controlava… o que implicou fazer um acordo com um demónio que lhe poderá custar uma eternidade de dor, tormento e humilhação. E agora esse poderoso demónio está pronto para tomar o que lhe é devido."

Título: "O Messias de Duna"  
Autor:  Frank Herbert 
Editora: Saída de Emergência
N.º de Páginas: N/A
Lançamento: Setembro 2011

Descrição (Leituras do Corvo): "Doze anos depois dos eventos descritos em Duna, Paul Atreides governa como Imperador do Universo, tendo dado início a uma Jihad galáctica ao aceitar o papel de Mahdi do povo Fremen. Paul é o mais poderoso Imperador de sempre, mas é incapaz de travar a sangrenta Jihad que já ceifou as vidas de milhões de pessoas e destruiu mundos.

Com a sua visão presciente, Paul vê a Jihad a alastrar-se, mas não pode travá-la face às terríveis alternativas que se podem seguir. Motivado por este conhecimento, decide seguir um plano complexo e perigoso que pode evitar a extinção da Humanidade, uma visão que o atormenta dia e noite.

O que Paul desconhece é que muitos velhos inimigos se reúnem à sombra do Império, preparando uma conspiração para derrubar a Casa Atreides do trono. Mais do que um mero assassinato, preparam-se para fragilizar o Kwisatz-Haderach… Conseguirá Paul estar à altura dos desafios do seu papel como Imperador e evitar os perigos que o rodeiam?"