Review: Battle Royale by Koushun Takami

Genre: dystopia/ thriller
Pages: 614 (paperback)
Published: 2009 by VIZ in the US; first published 1999 in Japan
Recommended for: adult fans of the Hunger Games and those who don't mind violence

My Take:

I feel like a real push-over lately when it comes to reviewing books.  First I reviewed the Wolves of Mercy Falls series, which is extremely good, and then I posted a total fangirl gush-fest about Fullmetal Alchemist.  I know I'm going to be trying to do the incredibly phenomenal masterpiece that is The Magicians justice pretty soon, so I'll try to be objective in reviewing Battle Royale.

This notorious Japanese novel has become something of a pulp classic in its native land, and its premise will sound eerily familiar to those of us caught up in the Hunger Games craze.  In an alternative, oppressive Japan, forty-two junior high students are selected to take part in the Program: a bizarre government-run social experiment in which they are set loose on a deserted island and instructed to kill one another until only one student survives.  Good-natured, brave Shuya is the star of his school's Little League team and athletic, but in no way is he prepared or willing to kill off the classmates he has grown up with.  He teams up with a small group of fellow students who attempt to defy the game and the entire Republic by attempting to sabotage the secluded set-up of their island playing field...

OK, here's me being objective: this book was a little cheesy.  Somebody dies in virtually every other chapter, so there's no shortage of gore and violence.  The way the Program was introduced-- literally, the kids wake up in a strange classroom where their 'instructor' Sakamochi informs them they've been selected for the Program and must kill each other-- was so dead-pan.  It was almost too much, almost funny, but I kind of liked the way the horror was so under-stated.  Imagine going to school and being told by your teacher, 'OK, students, for today's assignment you'll each be given a random lethal weapon and sent onto the grounds to murder one another.'  That idea that the Program was already established, that the kids already knew how it operated, worked in the same way the Hunger Games work in Suzanne Collins' books.  Now, here's what didn't work: I don't think the translation from Japanese to English was as good as it could have been.  Japanese and English are drastically different as far as languages go, but quite a few things kept jumping out at me which I think were mere errors of the translation.  For example, there was a minor character who appeared in like two chapters who was gay and-- even though it was completely irrelevant to the plot, which was him wandering around on his own with a shotgun-- every time this guy was mentioned, he was called 'this queer boy'.  Like an abrupt switch to a distant, objective point-of-view 'this', 'this'-- it must be something with the original language.  To be honest, it was hard to take this kind of writing seriously.  I saw this same error several other times and certain words were repeated over and over, too.  Particularly 'gun', and the sentence structure was off occasionally.

Overall though, I have read much worse translations and wasn't too incredibly bothered.  Battle Royale is such a thrilling, startling read.  I didn't catch many of the huge plot twists and was able to connect and understand the backgrounds of many of the characters, despite the fact that so many of them died early on.  A lot of the reviews I read on Goodreads said the Japanese names made keeping characters straight difficult, but I didn't really struggle too much beyond the first few pages.  (Except with Yumiko and Yukiko, but I think that was intended by the author.)  I was a bit skeptical of junior high students who knew how to operate guns-- though most of them didn't, a few did-- and drive.  But the way the action unfolded was amazing and the characters have branded themselves into my mind.  I do think it may have partially inspired the Hunger Games (seeing as the book inspired a cult classic movie), but I also think the two books are very different and cannot be said to be the same material at all.  Battle Royale is an action thriller which follows many different characters, and the Hunger Games is Katniss' more personal fight to survive.  The dystopian worlds have a completely different feel, too.  All the same, I think HG fans will probably enjoy this book.  The writing is somewhat like Stephen King... Stephen King if he was a Japanese writer whose work was translated not-so-brilliantly into English.  But for all my complaints, I did enjoy this memorable, intense novel.

Cover: 4/5 (okay)
Premise: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Story: 5/5
Overall Rating:

Mega Manga Review: Fullmetal Alchemist

Artist/Manga-ka: Hiromu Arakawa
# of Volumes in Series: 25 released; 2 still to come
Genre: steampunk/ shounen/ action-adventure
Recommended for: everyone

I recently finished the 16th volume of FMA (universal nickname for Fullmetal Alchemist) and was going to review it.  Then it occurred to me: most readers won't bother reading a synopsis for a review of the sixteenth volume of a manga series they don't know the plot or premise of, and who could blame them?  So, instead of writing a typical review for that specific volume, I've decided to undertake a review (READ: total unapologetic gush fest) for Fullmetal Alchemist in general.
No spoilers follow, only lots of awesome.  You have been warned.

 My Take: 

For me, stumbling upon a tattered copy of the first volume of Fullmetal Alchemist at the local library was akin to finding a gold mine between those creased cover pages.  I devoured the manga in an hour, then passed it along to my picky sister Pinky, of guest reviewing fame, who proceeded to devour it in about ten minutes.  (Pinky reads manga FAST!)  We've since watched the anime series-- which is nearly as good, and would be as good but for the fact that it is television and we all know TV can never compete with the written (or illustrated) word.  Though FMA is one of the most popular manga series in the US and Japan, if not the world, it's also one of those mangas which can be enjoyed by readers who don't usually like graphic novels, graphic novel fans who don't usually like manga, even people who normally don't like to read at all.  It's that good, that addictive.  FMA is the most suspenseful, perfectly-crafted manga I've ever read.  Its material is often dark, yet our heroes Edward and Alphonse bring much-needed light humor and determined optimism into the mix, therefore rendering it pretty much perfect. 

the Ouroboros.. a mysterious symbol

The basic premise of Fullmetal Alchemist goes a little like this: Amestris is a country run by the military in a war-torn world which resembles a steampunkish England around the time of the Industrial Revolution.  Alchemy, advanced and complex science which seems like magic to ordinary people, is wielded by the military to keep control and protect the borders.  Brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric are only children when they first discover their innate talents for alchemy.  After the sudden death of their mother, the boys use alchemy's most forbidden art in an attempt to resurrect her using alchemy.  But the first law of alchemy is equivalent exchange: you must sacrifice to obtain.  The brothers' alchemical ritual goes horribly awry.

Edward loses his leg in the process and is forced to sacrifice his arm in order to save Al from being lost altogether in the darkness beyond the mortal world.  He binds Al's soul to the only available host-- a suit of metal armor-- and hires his childhood friend Winry, an automail engineer, to forge him a new, fully automated arm and leg made of steel.  The brothers burn their small town home and set off for Central, capital city of Amestris.  Ed is determined to become the youngest-ever State Alchemists in order to find out more about the Philosopher's Stone, a mythical substance believed to give the alchemist who wields it great power.  The brothers are determined to restore their damaged and lost bodies to normal... but at what great cost?

The cast of characters in this series is beyond awesome.  In particular, we have so many people who we have so much reason to hate or dislike yet somehow worm their ways into our hearts.  We have State Alchemists who brutally murdered thousands in the name of the military; we have Scar, a refugee-turned-serial-killer who makes use of his own destructive brand of alchemy while trying to make sense of his muddled past.  And then there are the homunculi-- mysterious human-like creatures created via alchemy, convincingly human but for their lack of a soul... and their bizarre physical abilities.  The homunculi are so damn cool.  Very occasionally in fiction a villain comes along who is totally despicable, yet somehow you want to see more and more of them.  The manga-ka of FMA does an excellent job holding the identities and abilities of the homunculi over our heads, offering only occasional tantalizing glimpses of them.  And if the villains are great, the heroes are even better.
 

  Ed's the best.  He's easily aggravated, especially when it comes to his small stature and refuses to consume milk in any form (lack of calcium is probably the reason for his vertically-challenged condition ;).  He's stubborn, holds a grudge, and is a child prodigy convinced he can do absolutely anything.  Yet he's also incredibly haunted by his past, hindered by his auto-mail limbs, and suffers a ton of guilt over what happened to Alphonse.  Altogether, I pretty much love Ed to death. (So does Pinky, I feel compelled to add-- she wouldn't want anyone claiming to be a bigger Ed fan than her.)  His brother Al is in some ways the perfect contrast: Ed's genius without the infamous Ed ego, I guess.

I can see this fangirl post has definitely ran a bit long, so I'll just hastily add that Winry Rockbell, Ed and Al's neighbor, Lt. Riza Hawkeye, and her dog Black Hayate are a few of my other favorites.  If you're a fellow FMA fan, I'd love to hear from you, and I hope the rest of you will consider checking out the first volume in my favorite manga series of all time! 

Review: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

 (Wolves of Mercy Falls #3)
Genre: YA paranormal romance
Pages: 390 (hardcover)
Published: July 2011 by Scholastic
Recommended for: anyone who enjoyed the previous books, or anyone who thought Shiver was just okay and wondered whether the series was worth finishing
Thanks to: Liz for letting me borrow her copy  :)
Warning: very mild spoilers follow

My Take:

Forever picks up soon after Linger left off: Grace has finally become a wolf and is now running through Boundary Woods along with the rest of the pack, most of whom will never again get to spend their summers as humans.  Meanwhile Sam longs for the days when his Summer Girl will get to stay with him.  As the weather warms up and Grace occasionally changes back to her human form, he finds that losing her so soon and suddenly is perhaps as painful as never having had her at all.  Cole St Clair, jaded-with-the-world young rockstar, is experiencing the sudden changes from wolf to human, too.  But for once he finds himself struggling to remain himself.  He sets out to control the scientific circumstances which force the change from human to wolf, using himself as a test subject.  The standoffish and lovably haughty Isabel Culpeper is still uncertain about her feelings for Cole-- and indeed everything else.  But as her father, who loathes the Boundary Woods wolves for causing the death of her brother Jack, gears the small town of Mercy Falls up for one last extermination of the pack, Isabel knows one thing for certain-- she must stop him at any cost.

Forever is a fantastic conclusion to the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy.  Since Shiver, the characters have grown so much, and yet they are at heart the same people we fell in love with.  Isabel is still the smart-ass; Cole is still eccentric and jaded; Sam is still the slightly melancholy, ultimately lovable teenage boy.  Of all the characters, Grace has changed the most, having defied her negligent parents and given up all aspects of her old life.  Yet, for me, it was Cole and Isabel who stole the show.  I'm not personally a fan of love-at-first-sight sorts of stories, though Sam and Grace's relationship is more real than that.  But Cole and Isabel's is a very different, darker brand of love-- a practically unrealized love, at that.

The lyrical prose and slower pacing of the last two books is familiar here, yet the pace is slightly faster, since the most immediate major plotline of the series-- that of the wolves being hunted by the town and Isabel's father-- is finally coming to a shattering realization.  Yep, it's finally happening.  I would like to take this opportunity to say, while my random brain is replaying the awesomeness that was that final climax scene, that I hate Shelby.  So, so much.  Anyway, I would say that if, like me, you enjoyed Shiver but didn't love it enough to read the next book, that it's a fair bet you will end up loving the rest of the trilogy.  Shiver is good; Linger is great; Forever is even better. 

Cover: 5/5
Premise: 4/5
Story: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Overall Rating:

Teaser Tuesday (#1)

This is my first time participating in  the Teaser Tuesdays meme.  I always love reading the teasers on other blogs-- even though they're very hard on my ever-growing TBR!  This week I've been reading a book which has endless suspense and plenty of potential for tantalizing teasers, so I thought I'd join in.  

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

From Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey.... 

"I'm sure it's just a coincidence," I insisted.  "A one-time aberration.  A reaction to the sun, maybe.  Or bad marmalade."  I couldn't very well tell her the truth, which was that I had seen a ghostly Rowena, but that wasn't the real problem.

The real people was that I didn't actually believe in ghosts. 

But they clearly believed in me. 

-- Page 64

I'm really liking this paranormal book and its Victorian setting.  Be sure to check it out sometime, and leave me the links to your Teasers so I can return the visit!

Series Review: The Icemark Chronicles by Stuart Hill

Book #1: The Cry of the Icemark
Genre: YA fantasy
Pages: 512 (paperback)
Published: 2005 by Chicken House

My Take:

Today I'd like to share a trilogy of books which I've loved and been impressed by for a long time.  I read The Cry of the Icemark in seventh grade, and the third book, Last Battle of the Icemark, only last week.  The series is aimed at MG and YA readers, but the books really do have something for everyone: magic, romance, war, and most importantly, hilarious and endearing characters.

Thirrin Freer Strong-in-the-Arm Lindenshield is the thirteen year old princess of the Icemark, a tiny snowbound country surrounded on all sides by enemies and harsh mountain wilderness.  When the powerful Polypontian Empire, led by the conniving General Scipio, turn their enormous eye on the unprotected Icemark at last and her warrior king father falls in battle, Thirrin must search for allies among the most unlikely of the Icemark's former foes.  She meets an unexpected ally in Oskan Witchson, a young warlock whose power and empathy perfectly complement Thirrin's impulsiveness.  Together, the princess  and her new adviser risk their lives as envoys to the mysterious Wolf People who roam the mountains, a tribe of Amazon-like warriors, a nation of mythical  snow leopards as big as horses and with twice as many teeth.  Thirrin even ventures to the infamous Land-of-the-Ghosts and attempts to forge an alliance with Their Vampiric Majesties-- a pair of sangfroid immortals who have lorded over their fellow vampires for untold centuries.  But as the Icemark and their new-found mythical allies prepare to face the scientifically-based Polypontian Empire in an epic battle for the Icemark's capital, it occurs to Thirrin that the time of freedom and coexistence among creatures in the north may have already ebbed and waned.

Author Stuart Hill writes battle scenes fantastically-- the only writer I can think of who captures the intensity and chaos so perfectly and captivatingly is JRR Tolkien.  The first book remains my favorite of the Icemark Chronicles.  There are a lot of proper nouns and names at first, but readers will quickly grow to love these unusual (to say the least) characters and their funny quirks.  Flame-haired Thirrin is a true warrior-at-heart and I loved her chemistry with Oskan despite their vast differences and conflicting backgrounds.  My favorite of Thirrin's allies are her most reluctant ones: Their Vampiric Majesties.  Their biting sarcasm and adherence to the laws of actual vampires (no sparkling or feeding upon mountain lions) is entertaining and refreshing.
______________________________________________________________

Book #2: Blade of Fire
Pages: 640 (paperback)
Published: 2007 by Chicken House

This sequel to Cry of the Icemark could well be called Icemark: NG-- Icemark: The Next Generation.  I was skeptical at first when I saw that this book skipped ahead twenty years and picked up just as a new battle with the Polypontian Empire and the vicious General Scipio Bellorum was about to be waged for the Icemark.  Bellorum is accompanied by his teenage sons, Sulla and Octavius (Ring a bell, much?  Yep, the Polypontian Empire are more or less the Romans.),  tactical geniuses like himself who are equally bloodthirsty.  Queen Thirrin and her beloved Oskan have children, too: three sons and two daughters.

As war approaches, Thirrin sends her son Sharley, crippled long ago by polio, to the Southern Continent as a diplomat.  Sharley, angry at being sent away like a child, takes the reins of his own destiny and travels to befriend new allies in the form of the Desert People and their Crown Prince.  As Bellorum attacks the outskirts of the Icemark with a new fleet of terrifying airships and defeat for the allies seems inevitable, the teenage princess Medea broods alone in her tower rooms.  Alone of Thirrin's children, Medea has inherited her father's magical power.  But unlike Oskan, Medea is intrigued and enthralled by the Dark.  As her warrior brothers and sisters prepare to make their last stand, Medea prepares for the betrayal which she hopes will set her above her hated family forever.

Blade of Fire very nearly improved upon the first book.  The story is one which makes it impossible to put down and the new glimpses we get of this world's magic are beyond cool.  Thirrin and Oskan are still very much major characters despite their children taking the stage.  As in the first book, there are quite a few devastating deaths among major characters.  One death scene in particular I will always remember-- it was beyond sad.
____________________________________________________________________

Book #3: Last Battle of the Icemark
Pages: 480 (paperback)
Published: 2008 by Chicken House

In this final book in the Icemark trilogy, Thirrin and her myriad of allies face what may be the greatest challenge to their nation yet: a brutal warrior Queen whom commands a legion of hoards into the realms of the Icemark and the Polypontian Empire.  (Think the Mongols invading Europe.)  Meanwhile Medea is caught in the limbo realm of the Darkness and plotting her revenge against her family and her father Oskan, whom she has come to loathe as much as she adores.  She joins forces with Cronus, embodiment of evil and... her grandfather.

Fewer new characters and nations are introduced than in previous books, though the cast list still grows several names longer.  The Icemark and the Polypontian Empire joining forces against Erinor (the warrior Queen) was very much unexpected-- yet everything which occurred made for the perfect conclusion to this fantastic trilogy.  The beginning of this third book, unlike the other two, was just a little bit slow, but things picked up fairly quickly after that.  Seeing as I read this book years after the others, it was a lot like being reunited with old friends.  I love it when you discover a sequel to an old book or series which you'd half-forgotten about.  Medea becomes a major player and a major force of evil, and I loved seeing more of her sister Cressida as well.  Her awkward relationship with Leonidas, the son of a Polypontian General, was hilarious (largely due to everyone trying to set them up together), and just meant to be.  I HATED the invading queen, even more than I hated General Bellorum, so as a villain she was perfectly written.  The subplot with their Vampiric Majesties, without giving anything away, was amazing and more than any fan could have hoped for.  Once again, a major beloved character dies, one I didn't expect to die... but the ending does a lot to soften the blow.  Loved this book as much as the previous ones.

Overall Series Rating:

 

Cover VS Cover: Vampire Academy

Cover VS Cover is a semi-weekly meme here at A Myriad of Books that I started because I've long been fascinated with the different international covers of the books we all know and love to read.  This week I'm taking on a pretty extensive series, which makes for the longest Cover VS Cover post yet: the Vampire Academy books by Richelle Mead.  I always try to feature every book in a series for these posts, but in this case I've decided to split the feature in half because of the sheer volume of covers out there.  This week we're looking at some of the many, many faces of the first three books-- Vampire Academy, Frostbite, and Shadow Kiss. 

US

The two sets of US covers are very similar, yes.  I think the second set with the expanded gates is newer.  Those are the covers I have, so I personally prefer them.  The only major difference is Dimitri's presence on the third cover.  

UK

The first covers are so close to identical to the US covers, except for the swirly black backgrounds.  The red UK covers may be my personal favorites, because I'm just a sucker for covers with emblems or symbols on them.  Particularly like the snowflake on the Frostbite cover.

German

The German covers definitely have a darker feel to them.  St Vladimir's looks like Count Dracula's castle in the background there.  They're alright, though. 

Swedish

Tsk, tsk.  When will these Swedish cover designers learn: you can't transpose the same image of a girl's face onto all three books in a series, change the colors around a little bit, and call it a unique design?  (See the Swedish covers for the Hunger Games.)

Dutch

I kind of like these covers... but don't really see what most of them have to do with Vampire Academy.  Maybe it's been too long since I read the first few books, but I don't remember any butterflies or girls with swords facing down very friendly white wolves.  Ah, well, at least they're eye-catching.

Greek

Reminiscent of the US covers... I like the computerized look of the model, for some reason.  The pose on the third book is an odd one, but the other two seem to work.  Meh.

Russian

Well, this girl doesn't resemble Rose, nor Lissa.  And what's with the bat tattoo?... I thought Rose had marks on the back of her neck for each of her Strigoi kills.  Now that would make a cool cover for Blood Promise, the fourth book: the Strigoi marks tattooed into the back of a girl's neck.

Turkish

Gee, I didn't realize Dimitri was Edward Cullen's long-lost, Russian brother.  They blatantly switched models for him, too.  And Lissa's (??) eyes on the first cover are weirdly sunken in.  She looks like a Buffy vamp with her game face on.  Not really a fan of these.

Japanese 

The manga art style on Japanese covers is something I'm personally always a sucker for... but here Rose and Lissa look about eight and half Dimitri's height.  Oddly enough, anime Dimitri is closer to how I imagined him.  Except for, you know, the whole manga-ized thing.  I think these covers could have been a lot better.

So, that's 32 covers from 9 different countries.  I did find several more international covers for the Vampire Academy series which I didn't include due to how long this post was getting.  If you want to check out the Dutch and Italian editions, you can at Goodreads.com -- that's where I get 80% of these covers.  Hope you guys enjoyed looking at all the VA covers, and as always, let me know what you think! 

Review: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Genre: YA paranormal romance
Pages: 360 (paperback)
Published: 2010 by Scholastic
Recommended for: everyone who enjoyed Shiver
Warning: mild spoilers follow...

My Take:

After the events of Shiver, Sam feels hesitantly hopeful about his future, but more concerned than ever for Grace.  The werewolf bite she received ten years ago as a child seems to finally be taking its toll on her. As spring approaches, Sam tries to come to terms with the wolf he was and the human he is now, even as Grace struggles to deny the signs of her seemingly inevitable transformation.  Meanwhile the newest member of the Mercy Falls pack, a wolf called Cole, fights to remain a wolf as Minnesota warms up.  Eccentric and dangerously impulsive, the last thing Cole wants to do is face his human past, even if being human means he gets to see the equally standoffish Isabel Culpeper.


The Wolves of Mercy Falls series is one of the few paranormal romances I've really enjoyed.  As a reader, I tend to lean more towards complex magic systems and sci-fi worlds, lots of action and less romance.  But in Linger's case, the beautiful simplicity and bittersweet lyrical tone of Maggie Stiefvater's story made for the perfect beach read this past week.  This series is simply a fantastically-crafted and intensely addictive love story.  I remember Shiver fairly well considering it has been a year since I read it, and overall I think I liked Linger, still fresh in my mind, just as much.  The slower yet captivating pace of this book nevertheless kept me hooked, and the four first-person perspectives from which the story is told was much less disorienting than I feared it might be at first.


We have two new narrators in Linger: Cole, aforementioned mysterious and impulsive new werewolf, and Isabel, Grace's friend who previously had been a more minor character.  Cole's voice surprisingly became the most distinctive, and I really grew to love him.  He's blunt, possibly suicidal, and on the run from the reality of his life-- so what does the fact that I felt I could relate to him more than any of the other characters say about me???  Cole's more like a mish-mash of personalities and qualities: sarcasm and anguish paired with egomania, regret, flaws, and unexpected genius.  In a way, he's more like a real teenager than any of the others who are more predictable-- not flat characters, exactly, but they're nowhere near as absolutely spherical as Cole.  I've always liked Sam more than Grace, but Isabel grew on me, too.  There are quite a few funny one-liners in her conversations with Cole; they were so enjoyable to read.


I always appreciate how different the werewolves in these books are from your average Werewolf John Does... or Jacob Blacks, as the case may be.  ;)  My one major complaint is the barest hint of Middle-Book Syndrome which became evident towards the end... important things happened and the story progressed, yes, but not nearly as much as in Shiver and Forever, which I've already read thanks to a friend who let me borrow her copy.  (Thanks, Liz!)  Overall, Linger is a strong sequel and has definitely proved to be the ideal beach read.

Cover: 5/5
Premise: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Story: 4/5
Overall Rating:

Manga Review: Black Butler Volume 1

Japanese title: Kuroshitsuji
Genre: shounen;historical fantasy
Manga-ka/Artist: Yana Toboso
Pages: 192
Published: 2010 by Yen Press in the US


My Take: 

Twelve-year old, tragically orphaned Ciel Phantomhive is nevertheless a young Earl and head of the world's most successful toy company.  He's also inherited the Phantomhive distinction of being the Queen's 'watchdog' in London in these times of Victorian deceit and brutality disguised as kindness.  Ciel's household servants are less than competent: every attempt of the gardener to make the enormous Phantomhive estate look presentable goes comically awry, and the cook and maid experience similar epic fails.  Luckily for Ciel, he has his faithful, immaculate butler Sebastian Michealis on hand at all times to ensure that the household runs smoothly... and that any devious adults and criminals who try to take advantage of a child Earl will find themselves on the wrong end of neatly polished silverware.  Of course, Sebastian is also a demon whom Ciel has promised his soul to, in exchange for Sebastian's assistance in helping him complete a series of yet mysterious tasks... including, perhaps, revenge on the arsonist who murdered Ciel's parents.

In Japanese, so I'm told, the kanji for 'butler' and 'demon' can be used as a kind of play on words.  Similar to how, in English: words like 'saw' and 'duck' have multiple meanings.  Go figure, right?  Anyway, I really enjoyed both Sebastian and Ciel's characters.  Ciel is a brooding, possibly even disturbed little boy-- terribly clever for his age and somewhat cynical.  Still, there's nothing he likes better than sweets, and nothing he hates more than losing at games.  Sebastian... I love his enigmatic smile and gangly grace.  He's definitely crush-worthy, despite the fact that he's, you know, an avenging demon/butler.  He's fantastic in the first chapter, when he salvages a ruined kitchen and lawn (courtesy of those pesky servants) into a fine, exotic dining experience for one of Ciel's guests.  And when Ciel is kidnapped, we get to see Sebastian in action for the first time when he rescues his master, just in time to save the carefully prepared dinner back at the manor.  Another character I liked was Elizabeth, Ciel's young betrothed, who upon visiting insists on throwing a frilly dance party at the manor house. 

I'm not sure if I would categorize Black Butler as shounen-- it's really more shojo, as I think girls and women would be more intrigued by the humor in the story and the beautiful Victorian period costumes.  I definitely recommend this series and am looking forward to finding out more about Ciel's past and the deadly deal he made with Sebastian.  I don't think Black Butler will become one of my all-time favorite manga series, but I really enjoyed Sebastian's character and the spectacular art.  My favorite Victorian manga will probably remain Godchild by Kaori Yuki.

Art: 5/5
Premise: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Story: 3/5
Overall Rating:

Poison Study by Maria V Snyder

Genre: fantasy
Pages: 409 (paperback)
Published: 2005 by Mira
Recommended for: not just fantasy fans-- pretty much any reader will find something to enjoy in this one

My Take:

Poison Study has a lot in common with those USA spy shows which they run marathons of every week or so.  Even the people who consider themselves immune to the mind-numbing powers of drama TV for the most part *waves hand*, will doubtless fall prey to the absorbing formulaic plot and constant action, and end up watching the entire episode no matter how they try to get away during commercial breaks.  There were a lot of elements in this novel I'd definitely seen before in fantasy: lots of court politics (minus the king, who'd been murdered long ago), gossipy kitchen workers, Smelly Dungeons, and a Seemingly Ordinary Girl who in fact is an Innately Potent Magician and perhaps also a Lost Heir.  (If you're ever up for a laugh, read Diana Wynne Jones's Tough Guide to Fantasyland).

Yelena has spent the past year rotting away in a dungeon, awaiting her execution for the murder of a General's son.  A murder she does not even deny committing.  When Yelena is roughly wrenched from her prison at last, she expects to encounter the noose, but instead she is brought before Valek, the Commander's most expert and trusted ally.  Valek informs her that the Commander's previous food-taster has died, and by law, the next prisoner to be executed-- her-- must be offered the position.  Desperate to escape the noose, Yelena agrees.  She begins to train under Valek, for it seems there is more to being the Commander's official food-taster than taking a bite of his meals and waiting to see if she keels over.  Yelena learns the precise and deadly art of poisons and of physical combat, from a couple of friendly soldiers, even as the circumstances surrounding her crime are brought violently into the light by enemies of the Commandeer, including the father of the man she killed.  Meanwhile, Yelena cannot help but be drawn in by Valek.  Dangerous and unknowable as he is, she dares to believe that she has discovered a hidden kindness in this apparently cold and business-like assassin...

Yelena was an intelligent protagonist, and I really grew to like her despite the fact she tended to get in a hell of a lot of trouble every few minutes.  (Really, the woman broke a record for Most Injuries Received Over the Course of 400 Pages!)  Valek was my favorite character by far.  He was ninja, in a word.  I also loved how he showed that he cared for Yelena in very small ways at first-- so much that we were never quite sure he returned her equally subtle affections, but strongly suspected it.  I can't wait to read more about these two... must get Fire Study, the sequel.  There were a few plot twists I saw coming, and one I never would have guessed in a billion years.  Poison Study is a great read-- not the most unique fantasy ever, but a fascinating and very well-written one nevertheless. 

Cover: 4/5 (there are a ton of different covers-- I don't like this one the best, but it was the cheapest editon ;)
Premise: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Story: 4/5
Overall Rating:

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Underrated Books

Top Ten Tuesday is an awesome meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.  Every week bloggers are invited to create their own bookish lists with a certain theme... this week we're featuring those incredible books that you love and can't believe more people haven't read or enjoyed.  I found myself wishing it was 'Top Fifty or Top One Hundred Tuesday' this week-- there were loads more great books I wanted to highlight.  Most of these are YA, since the adult books I read tend to be bestsellers or well-known books.

1.

Watership Down by Richard Adams

Right, let's get this over with, shall we?  This book is about migrating rabbits.  I cannot tell you how skeptical I was upon starting it, but as it turns out, Watership Down is completely deserving of its classic status and besides that, it is awesome.  Not sure it's 'underrated', per se, more like 'misunderstood' or shied away from.

2. 

The Cry of the Icemark by Stuart Hill

Fifteen year old Thirrin suddenly finds herself Queen of the Icemark, a tiny snowbound country which is marked to be invaded by the all-powerful Empire and their calculating General Scipio.  This one's an old favorite, and there are two sequels, both equally good.  

3. 

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey 

I recently read that the Monstrumologist series is being discontinued by Simon & Schuster due to poor sells.  This officially sucks.  These books are like YA Victorian Gothics-- so gory and great.  Plus, the first book won a Printz Honor Award!  How can they discontinue this series?-- come on! 

4.

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

I know what you're thinking: 'What, you mean one of the most famous books of all time?'  Yes.  I included The Jungle Book because of all how many people have seen the Disney movie and think they know the story.  But... Kaa is not evil; only a few of the stories are about Mowgli, who does not in fact sing and dance with Baloo.  This book is too awesome to be missed-- I confess I just read it for the first time recently, and wish I'd read it sooner.

5. 

Godchild series by Kaori Yuki

An underrated manga series.  Seriously, they've yet to even make an anime out of it.  (Now, that's underrated, considering all the horrible mangas which are made into anime.)  Teenage Victorian nobleman Cain studies poisons and solves eerie mysteries, many of which regard his own shadowy past, in a crime-ridden London.

6. 

Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo

British author Jenny Nimmo's books are most popular with younger children, but I think teens and adults would also love this series.  It's somewhat like Harry Potter, yet somehow manages to elude comparison.  

7. 

Gone by Michael Grant

Pinky and I (that's my elusive little sister, for those who don't know) have featured the Gone series on the blog before.  It's an awesome dystopian series, Lord of the Flies-esque with a modern twist and a fast-paced, action-packed writing style.  Seriously, the most addictive series ever.

8. 

The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff 

A great historical fiction book, first of a series.  These books are from the fifties, but gained a bit of attention after the release of The Eagle as a movie.  Still fairly little-known.

9. 

 Epic by Conor Kostick

The world is a fantasy MMORPG in this fantastic sci-fi book.  I think it was popular in Ireland, but never very much in the US.  

10. 

The Tree Shepard's Daughter by Gillian Summers

I loved this, the first in a series about a girl who goes to live with her father, who travels with a Renaissance Faire, after her mother's death.  Surprisingly great, though I don't really like the cover.  The Ren Faire setting is really fun.