Review: Dark Mirror by M.J. Putney

Title: Dark Mirror
Author: M.J. Putney
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: March 1, 2011
Series: Dark Mirror #1
Links: Amazon | Goodreads
Source: LibraryThing Early Reviewers

As the youngest daughter of the Earl and Countess of Fairmount, Lady Victoria "Tory" Mansfield is destined for a charmed life of status and wealth.  The envy of many young girls, Tory knows she is lucky which is why she goes to great lengths to hide her special talent...magic.  If her powers were exposed, it could strip her of her position and disgrace her family forever.  Which is exactly what happens when a shocking accident forces Tory to reveal her magic, and she is immediately exiled to Lackland Abbey, a reform school for other young men and women in her unique position.

What lies ahead is a strange and wonderful world where Tory will learn that it is not her social standing or her family's wealth, but destiny and magic, true love and friendship, and courage and strength that determine her real worth as a young woman.

This one started off a little slow for me. The first several chapters are events leading up to Tory's being sent to Lackland, and it moves pretty slowly up until she arrives at the school. I felt like the book could have jumped right into her arrival at Lackland, and that the events leading up to her being sent there could have probably been contained in a few short musings or flashbacks by Tory.

But once she arrives at the school, things really pick up. The magic system is interesting and the characters are enjoyable but do tend to fall a little flat at times. Tory is sympathetic and smart. Her interactions with her roommate, Cynthia, are particularly amusing. The relationship between Tory and her love interest does fall somewhat flat. This is in part due to the formalities and restraint of the time period, but also just poor relationship development where the romance is concerned.

Lackland is a place where the children are sent in order to be stripped of their magic, but Tory finds that there are some who would prefer to train their magic and use their abilities for good.

The plot is actually an alternate history with time travel. It is set in England in 1803, and the mages feel that Napoleon is a threat and that they must be ready to use their magic for defense should France attack. The time travel element takes Tory to the 1940's, into a WWII England in which Hitler is conquering Europe, and there is again the threat of war coming into England. Hitler is pushing through France, and England is already involved in the war, so this time the threat is more immediate and certain.

I found the alternate history aspect of it to be a pleasant surprise and liked the direction that the novel took with the mages and wars. I do wish that there had been a little better character development, though. The romance, in particular, fell pretty flat for me.

This novel is the first in a series. But it does have a fulfilling resolution and doesn't leave the reader with a lot of questions, so it could also work well as a standalone for those who aren't interested in getting hooked into another series. The story does, however, leave some hints and some minor (to this story) unfinished business which, while it doesn't leave the reader feeling as though something were left out, does leave some interesting places for this series to go in future installments.

In My Mailbox (12)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, in order to bring books to the attention of readers and to encourage interaction between bloggers.  It's a great way to discover new books to add to your ever-growing to-read list!  Stop by Kristi's blog to participate or to take a look at what bookish things everybody got this week.

Here are the awesome things I got this week:

For Review:
Orchards by Holly Thompson (My Review)
Blood Red Road by Moira Young (SO excited about this one!)

NetGalley:
The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Won:
(via The Contemps Challenge, Part 2)
Mostly Good Girls by Leila Sales (My Review)
One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt
Far From You by Lisa Schroeder
The Day Before bookmark signed by Lisa Schroeder

No books bought for me this week, as I am still on my book buying ban until March while I try to catch up on my reading.

Thanks to Random Buzzers, Simon & Schuster, NetGalley, Harlequin Teen, and Amber & Cheryl over at Just Your Typical Book Blog for the awesome stuff I received this week!

What did you get in your mailbox?

Review: The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima

Title: The Exiled Queen
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: September 28, 2010
Series: Seven Realms #2
Links: Amazon | Goodreads
Source: Purchased

You can't always run from danger...

Haunted by the loss of his mother and sister, Han Alister journeys south to begin his schooling at Mystwerk House in Oden’s Ford.  But leaving the Fells doesn’t mean danger isn’t far behind.  Han is hunted every step of the way by the Bayars, a powerful wizarding family set on reclaiming the amulet Han stole from them.  And Mystwerk House has dangers of its own.  There, Han meets Crow, a mysterious wizard who agrees to tutor Han in the darker parts of sorcery—but the bargain they make is one Han may regret.

Meanwhile, Princess Raisa ana’Marianna runs from a forced marriage in the Fells, accompanied by her friend Amon and his triple of cadets.  Now, the safest place for Raisa is Wein House, the military academy at Oden's Ford.  If Raisa can pass as a regular student, Wein House will offer both sanctuary and the education Raisa needs to succeed as the next Gray Wolf queen.

THE EXILED QUEEN is an epic tale of uncertain friendships, cut-throat politics, and the irresistible power of attraction.

Characters and worlds collide in this second installment to the Seven Realms series, and it is awesome!  There is so much more interesting stuff going on in this book than in its predecessor.  Now that the basis of the plot has been laid, there is even more room for magic and conflict and secrets and all kinds of other fun stuff!

Han and Raisa are still awesome - even more so really.  Each one has his/her moments that dropped my jaw or made me laugh out loud.  They continue to be their bad ass selves and they also grow a lot in this book, getting stronger in their abilities and confidence and learning a lot along the way.  The secondary characters get further fleshed out as well.  We see a lot more of Micah and Fiona, as well as Amon, Cat and Dancer.  I really liked Amon in the first book but felt particularly sympathetic toward him in this one, the poor thing. 

As in the previous book, Han and Raisa go about their business for a while before their paths intersect.  There's a good bit of traveling, with some trouble along the way, of course, so it doesn't get boring.  Through the characters' travels, the reader gains a more in-depth understanding of the world and politics.  This part of the story really helps a lot in giving a visual picture of what is going on throughout the seven realms - it enhances and helps to clarify a lot of the politics and war information that is being discussed in the first book through character experiences and visual imagery.  Once the characters arrive at their schools the story opens up a lot.  And things also begin to get more serious as destinies start to unfold.  It ends with some character decisions that will have readers waiting impatiently for the third book.  It also leaves the reader with some interesting questions - and theories regarding the answers! 

I loved this book just as much as, and probably even more than, The Demon King, and I definitely can't wait to get my hands on the third book as soon as it is released.

Review: Orchards by Holly Thompson

Title: Orchards
Author: Holly Thompson
Publisher: Delacorte
Publication Date: February 22, 2011
Links: Amazon | Goodreads
Source: Random Buzzers

After a classmate commits suicide, Kana Goldberg - a half-Japanese, half-Jewish American - wonders who is responsible.  She and her cliquey friends said some thoughtless things to the girl.  Hoping that Kana will reflect on her behavior, her parents pack her off to her mother's ancestral home in Japan for the summer.  There Kana spends hours under the hot sun tending to her family's mikan orange groves.

Kana's mixed heritage makes it hard to fit in at first, especially under the critical eye of her tradition-bound grandmother, who has never accepted Kana's father.  But as the summer unfolds, Kana gets to know her relatives, Japan, and village culture, and she begins to process the pain and guilt she feels about the tragedy back home.  Then news about a friend sends her world spinning out of orbit all over again.

Orchards is an amazing little book about guilt, healing, family, and life, among other things.  It is written entirely in free verse, so it reads quickly and easily even though it touches on some heavy subjects such as suicide and body image.

Kana is an easily likable and sympathetic character.  In the aftermath of a classmate's suicide, she feels guilt for things that she didn't do, things she didn't know, things that in hindsight she feels that she should have done or known.  But at the same time that she is processing her own failures where this girl is concerned, she is also smart enough to recognize that she and the other kids should have been educated on depression and mental illness and warning signs of suicide, and that it is not fair for some of the adults who are quick to gossip or point their fingers at the girls in her class when they could just as easily point back at themselves for the things that they also didn't see or do or know.

Kana's time in Japan brings her a lot of distraction in the form of hard work, but not nearly enough.  She is almost always burdened by her thoughts of her classmate's death.  She goes through periods of sadness at the death and anger at the girl whose actions have disrupted her life.  Her grandmother is hard on her and life in her family's Japanese town takes some getting used to for Kana.

The plot of this book moves along at a leisurely pace.  There's not a whole lot of big things happening, but there are a lot of small things.  The free verse helps with what might otherwise be a story with a slow and almost tedious pace, turning it instead into beautiful snippets, moments, and experiences - both happy and sad - that make up Kana's summer and reveal to the reader so many elements of life.  LIFE in a book that follows a suicide. 

I really enjoyed Orchards.  I think that I could read this book over and over again and find something new to love about it each time.

In My Mailbox (11)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, in order to bring books to the attention of readers and to encourage interaction between bloggers.  It's a great way to discover new books to add to your ever-growing to-read list!  Stop by Kristi's blog to participate or to take a look at what bookish things everybody got this week.

It's been a couple of weeks since my last IMM post - I've put myself on a book buying ban, so things have been slow while I work on my to-read stack and avoid bookstores.  So, without further ado, here are the things I've gotten since last time:

For Review:
Timeless by Alexandra Monir (from Random Buzzers)
Dark Mirror by M.J. Putney (from LibraryThing)

Free on Kindle:
Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble (no longer free)

And I broke my book buying ban once, telling myself that it was to support my local Borders, which is staying open - due in small part to my addiction.

Bought: 
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand (My Review)
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

What did you get in your mailbox?

Review: The Education of Hailey Kendrick by Eileen Cook

Title: The Education of Hailey Kendrick
Author: Eileen Cook
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: January 4, 2011
Links: Amazon | Goodreads
Source: Purchased

Hailey Kendrick always does exactly what's expected of her.  She has the right friends, dates the perfect boy, gets good grades, and follows all the rules. But one night, Hailey risks everything by breaking a very big rule in a very public way...and with a very unexpected partner in crime. Hailey gets caught, but her accomplice does not, and Hailey takes the fall for both of them.  

Suddenly, Hailey's perfect life - and her reputation - are blowing up in her face. Her friends are all avoiding her. Her teachers don't trust her. Her boyfriend won't even speak to her for long enough to tell her that she's been dumped.

They say honesty is the best policy--but some secrets are worth keeping, no matter the cost. Or are they?

The Education of Hailey Kendrick is a cute and fun story. I like the characterization in it. Hailey's character is quirky - she's got this thing for safety and knows the potential dangers associated with just about everything. One of the things that I like about her is that she craves a relationship with her dad, who sent her to boarding school after her mother died. A lot of teens are struggling for independence, but Hailey is craving a connection to her father and I appreciate that. The secondary characters show emotion and depth, and even though they are mostly in the background I sympathized with and related to them.  

The plot is really predictable. I think most readers should be able to guess exactly how the story plays out because it isn't exactly a unique concept. But it is fun and adorable, and since I like the characters the plot's predictability is not something that disappointed me. It just never surprised me either. I was able to kick back and just enjoy the story and the characters.

Regardless of its predictable story arc (and maybe a little bit because of it), The Education of Hailey Kendrick is a incredibly fun book. I'd recommend it if you are looking for a quick, light, enjoyable read with quirky, entertaining characters.