Guest Review: Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

Here is our second Guest Review!

Thank you, Allison Fraclose, for submitting this review.




Title: INK EXCHANGE
Author: Melissa Marr
Imprint: HarperTeen
Publication Date: 4/29/08
ISBN-10: 006121468X
ISBN-13: 978-0061214684
Ages: 12 up
Reviewed for: First Look Teen Program
Reviewed by: Allison Fraclose

Since her mother took off, Leslie’s life has crashed into a nightmare. She works to pay the bills that her drunken, absent father ignores, and does her best to avoid her druggie brother, who has spiraled so deep into his habits that he’s even used Leslie to “pay back” some of his debts. Even Leslie’s friend Aislinn seems to be keeping huge secrets, and Leslie certainly isn’t going to divulge the horrible things that have happened to her. The only solace she finds is in Rabbit’s tattoo shop, where she’s searching for the perfect “ink” to claim back her body.

She finally finds it in a special book of designs that Rabbit shows her, marks given to him by the fey of the Dark Court. Leslie’s ink of choice happens to be the symbol of the Dark King, Irial, who struggles to feed his court now that the cruel Beira has been vanquished. When Rabbit implants Irial’s own blood into the skin of his chosen mortal, the bond between them will allow Irial to siphon through Leslie those negative emotions that the dark fey need to survive.

But Leslie has help. Ever since Aislinn became the new Summer Queen, she has sent her faeries to guard her human friends, and her king’s advisor, Niall, has slowly grown infatuated with the broken Leslie. As one who has suffered at the hands of the Dark Court, Niall is determined to protect Leslie at any cost, even if he must throw away everything he has believed for the past millennium.

Melissa Marr’s second book ties in nicely with her first, which chronicles the Summer Court’s fight against the Winter Queen. However, Leslie’s story is compelling on its own, as are the struggles of the background characters who have now taken center stage. This dark, delicious triangle radiates a passion that one can almost taste on the tongue as clearly as any member of the Dark Court. I eagerly wait to see who will feature in the next tale of this enticing faery world.






I plan on reviewing Ink Exchange myself at a later date - I have an ARC, but with my reading list, haven't gotten a chance to finish it yet. I'm very grateful to Alison for giving us a review before the publication of Ink Exchange!

Allison's blog can be found here.



By the way, if there's anyone here who enjoys webcomics, one of my favorites, The Broken Mirror came back from a hiatus not too long ago. It's a beautifully done dystopian science fiction romance, with impeccable characters. If you like webcomics, I recommend that you check it out!

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt

Before we get to the review, I'd just like to thank Melissa Marr for mentioning this blog on her Livejournal!

     By the way, I'd like to point out that I don't necessarily have the glowing reaction I've lately demonstrated to every book that I've read. Lately, it seems, I've had extraordinarily good luck with books. In fact, I've only read two books in the last month that I was disappointed by; the first was The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, which may be appointed to the fact that I am a Greek Myth enthusiast who nitpicks at any little reference, and who in general has trouble with books that star and are marketed towards the average preteen boy who develops special powers.

      The second book that I had trouble with was Pure Dead Magic by Debbie Gliori. Being that it was essentially an Italian Addams family, I thought it sounded great. But it was not only so similar to the Addams Family that it stood on the border between 'parody' and 'copyright suit,' it also relied on gross-out humor, and had a villain without any redeeming qualities, both aspects I can't stand in books. And, let's be honest - after seeing The Godfather, is there anyone here who can view a Mafia Don as a purely evil villain?

Anyway, let us get on to a book that I did thoroughly enjoy - Keturah and Lord Death.



     There is not an existent soul in Western society to whom the conventional fairy tale is unfamiliar. Ask anyone, and they will tell you that the story of the peasant boy or girl who eventually wins the heart – and hand of their beloved prince or princess, is the most ingrained in the minds of any who have heard such a tale. While it takes its inspiration from tales like these, Martine Leavitt’s Keturah and Lord Death is a far cry from anything you would find written by Charles Perrault. For one thing, the title’s mention of Lord Death is by no means symbolic. Keturah and Lord Death follows Keturah, a beautiful young girl living in the poor village of Tide-by-Rood.
     One day, spying the majestic Hart that the Lord of Tide-by-Rood has been unable to catch, she follows it into the woods, becoming thoroughly lost. After staying in the woods for three days and three nights, without food, shelter, or warmth, Keturah encounters Lord Death. Desperate to keep her life, but unwilling to trade it for another’s, Keturah entrances Death with a story, refusing to tell the ending unless allowed to live. When asked what she has to live for, Keturah responds that she has yet to find her one true love. Amused, Death allows a twenty-four hour reprieve in which Keturah may find this ‘one true love.’ If unable to find her love, she will come with Death and become his bride.
     And so begins a fairy tale so beautiful, sweet, and unconventional that it will impress even one jaded by traditional tales. While very romantic, in more than one definition of the word, this story contains realistic details that remind the reader of the grim medieval times in which it takes place. Among these are the use of trenchers rather than plates, and the spread of disease through vermin and lack of cleanliness.
      Despite these grim reminders, or perhaps because of them, Leavitt brings to her readers a sense of wonder and belief, while at the same time showing us the dark beauty of Death and the fear each person has of its power. Keturah, herself, is a naive and idealistic teenage girl whose sense of what is good and just permeates each word of the narrative. Usually, stories primarily about death are, as a rule, tragic and depressing. Not so, with Keturah. There may never be a story about death as touching and beautiful as this.


By the way, just so you know, the week-long gap between this and the last review is most likely indicative of the future schedule.
I also deeply apologize if this review is briefer than the others. This will not be the case in the future.

Guest Review: Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

Here is our first Guest Review, written by TigerLeighLeigh of the Wicked Lovely forums. Thank you, Tiger, for submitting your review - I enjoyed reading it, and I definitely enjoyed reading Eclipse!




“Once upon a time I was falling in love
But now I'm only falling apart
There's nothing I can do
A total eclipse of the heart…”

     While reading Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer’s YA supernatural romance/mystery, and the third installment of the “Twilight” vampire series, I was struck by its similarities to the 80’s song “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler.
     Like the song, this novel broods over romantic attachments verging on codependence, laments the destructive progression of time, and acknowledges the inevitability of heartbreak. Bella, the protagonist of the series, is a human teenager in love with Edward, a ‘vegetarian’ vampire who only hunts animals.
     She scarcely gets to enjoy the company of her immortal boyfriend, though, because she misses her best friend Jacob, who is a werewolf (wouldn’t you know!). Jacob hates vampires and also hates the idea that Bella will soon be transformed into a vampire so that she can be with Edward forever. Bella displays a fierce determination to escape Edward’s protective custody and spend time with Jacob, but balances this behavior with the equally fierce insistence that she only thinks of Jacob as a friend. Hmmm.
     Guy trouble isn’t Bella’s only problem in the mythical world—in fact, the sheer number of non-humans who take a keen interest is Bella is staggering. Apart from her super-powered love interests, she is also being hunted by a vengeful vampire named Victoria, and the powerful Volturi vampires want to see Bella either dead or transformed into an immortal, whichever comes first. A string of messy homicides in a nearby city implies that several young vampires are going on a killing spree, and Jacob’s werewolf pack seems to be on the verge of breaking their unstable treaty with Edward’s family. What’s a mortal girl to do?
     Eclipse is definitely a three-quel that delivers. Though clearly aimed at young women, it contains enough mystery and violence to entertain any male readers willing to brave the uncharted waters of a ‘girl’ book, and its popularity with readers of both genders knocked Harry Potter 7 from its number one bestselling status last August.
     Eclipse is also similar to Harry Potter in its 600-page length, but it’s an extremely fast read.
This is not a romance novel, but it does focus on romantic subject matter. Owing to the (apparently) innate sexiness of vampires and werewolves, the story heats up a bit, but never strays beyond the carefully patrolled borders of PG-13-Land.
     It’s basically a guilty pleasure, sans guilt—a well-written novel with a tightly constructed plot that can’t resist periodic lapses into melodrama. Like the similarly-named 80’s song, you have to recognize it for what it is: long, loud, dramatic and monstrously enjoyable.


If you want to submit a Guest Review, please consult the guidelines listed in the first post of this blog, and send it to forestfaeye@yahoo.com.

Wyvernhail by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

So, here's my second review. I know I suggested that these would be coming weekly, not daily, but I'm trying to build momentum for this blog. Since I'm just starting out, I figured it would be best to get my second review up as soon as possible. And, since I woke up at 7, and the first thing I did was finish Wyvernhail, I figured, hey, why not? Anyway, if you haven't read the first four books of the Kiesha'ra series, I recommend that you buy Hawksong, Falcondance, and Wyvernhail, and get the rest from the library. While Snakecharm and Wolfcry, in my opinion, pale in comparison to Hawksong and Wyvernhail, they are worth it in order to get the necessary background for Falcondance and Wyvernhail, respectively. To be honest, Hawksong is one of my favorite books - definitely one of the top 20, and Wyvernhail, as you'll see in my review, is, in my humble opinion, just about its equal.




Warning: The book reviewed herein is the fifth book, and conclusion, of a series. While the following review contains no spoilers for the book itself, it does contain spoilers for the other four books in the series. If you have not read Hawksong, Snakecharm, Falcondance, and Wolfcry, all by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, please proceed with caution.

     The future, the web of possibilities that spans out in front of each and every person, has always been the cause of much fear, paranoia, and worry in the minds of those unable to see what it holds. As history and myth have shown us, that paranoia may lead to destruction if one believes they have insight into that distant realm. For Hai, the protagonist and narrator of Wyvernhail, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes’ conclusion to the ever-popular Kiesha’ra series, the future, along with the possibilities that it may contain, is all too real, and far too visible. Desperate to rescue her new home, the Wyvern’s Court, from the countless futures of its destruction that she has witnessed, Hai mercilessly manipulates the flow of events in order to prevent the world from resulting in her horrid visions of fire and ice. At the same time, she struggles to come to grips with her own heritage – and allegiances.
     Having been brought to Wyvern’s Court by Nicias, Hai longs for the white city she grew up in – the place where she knows she could never be accepted. At the same time, she is largely ignored and avoided at her current place of residence, save by Nicias, a full-blood falcon who swears allegiance to Wyvern’s court, and a small group of rebels that support her ascension to the serpiente throne. With her calculating view of the world around her, and her all too loose grip on reality, Hai makes for a stirringly original and evocative narrator. Her constant glimpses to potential futures come quickly and suddenly, melding with the current storyline until the reader is sometimes uncertain as to what is actually happening. Unique, also, is the perception and presence of magic in the book. While magic has certainly been portrayed in previous Kiesha’ra books, especially in Falcondance, it has never been shown from the perspective of a character as familiar with its ways as Hai. Therefore, magic plays a large role in Wyvernhail, showing itself to truly be an untamable force.
     As any long-time fan of the Kiesha’ra series would hope, the narrators of each of the previous four books have speaking roles in Wyvernhail, although Nicias is the only one of the four that can be considered a major character. Indeed, Hai holds the spotlight, for the most part, which would be difficult to endure were her narration not as clear and captivating. Like its predecessors, Wyvernhail discusses the cultural aspects of the serpiente and avian people in great detail, possessing much of the emotional and political aspect that made the first novel in the series, Hawksong, so great. Every aspect of this society – its culture, its leaders, its politics, and the characters that we have come to love through Atwater-Rhodes previous book, is filtered through the measured, garnet eyes, of an entrancing character, simultaneously dark, shadowy figure, and an uncertain and emotionally damaged young woman trying to prevent a future she deems intolerable.
     Politics, even in real life, are incredibly confusing. Politics when they involve shapeshifters, magic, and an ancient cult of priests and priestesses? Something only Amelia Atwater-Rhodes can deliver, brought to life with unbelievable characters, emotional realism, and beautiful cultural detail. While I admittedly had my doubts on the series’ continuing excellence, this latest edition provides a suitable, and wondrous conclusion to the Kiesha’ra series, finishing what its distant ancestor, Hawksong, gloriously began.

Please comment and tell me what you think! Do you agree? Disagree? At this very moment plotting my assassination? Feedback is always welcome!