Book Review: "Splintered" by A.G. Howard

Title: Splintered
Author: A.G. Howard
Publisher: Amulet Books, 2013

Alyssa Gardner is descended from a long line of madness, beginning with her great-great-great grandmother, Alice Liddell. Her grandmother Alicia drew Wonderland characters all over her walls when she was a teen and believed she could fly, jumping to her death shortly after giving birth to Alyssa's mother, Alison. Alison, residing in a psych ward, talks to flowers and bugs, and refuses to eat anything unless it's served in a teacup. Alyssa knows it's only a matter of time before she ends up in a straitjacket herself. After all, she too can hear the flowers and the insects...

But all this madness turns out to be for a reason. Alice, it turns out, really did fall down the rabbit hole, but the events of the story are a bit different than Lewis Carroll's version. When Alyssa discovers she might be able to fix her family and its curse, she is thrown into Wonderland along with her best friend Jeb and discovers allies in the netherworld, chiefly Morpheus, surprisingly sexy and seductive Caterpillar of Wonderland fame. Soon Alyssa discovers she can't be sure who she trusts; will she be able to save her mother and herself before it's too late, or will she be trapped in Wonderland forever?

This is a wonderfully grotesque and twisted view of Wonderland, and I give A.G. Howard serious credit for her world building. Wonderland is full of deformed creatures, often a mishmash of animals and mythical beings that resemble something you'd find in a nightmare. It's chaotic and morbid, mad and strange, and it was everything (and more) I really wanted Tim Burton's Wonderland to be in his disappointing film.

I did have problems with some aspects, however. The story was choppy in the beginning, with things happening very quickly; it was all a little too rapid to be quite believable to me. And at first I thought Jeb's inclusion in the adventure was purely so Alyssa could be in the center a love triangle with him and Morpheus. Luckily, it smoothed out a bit toward the middle. There are some surprising and fantastic twists that I didn't see coming, which more than redeemed the beginning bits for me.

I actually found myself enjoying the love triangle, something that usually bugs me. (The passion got a bit heavy-handed and cloying for my tastes, but I'm certain I'm going to be in the minority when it comes to that.) It was clear that each man represented a different part of Alyssa's self; light and dark, order and chaos. I found myself unsure of who to "root" for, so to speak, both of them are so much a part of who Alyssa is and could be. And that was really at the center of this novel: Alyssa's discovery of her self, and choosing which path to take.

If you're a fan of the original, this is worth the read, especially if you're into a darker and more twisted telling. Some surprising and welcome twists make this truly an original re-imagining of a classic tale.

Disclosure: I received an e-galley from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: "Fathomless" by Jackson Pearce

Title: Fathomless
Author: Jackson Pearce
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2012

Lo is a woman of the sea, what one might call a mermaid (though she has no fins). She can't remember her life before the sea, just the vague thought that she had one. But she feels like she is happy under the water and tries to forget.

Celia is a triplet with the power to see a person's past with just a touch, though she feels her power is the most disappointing out of the three sisters—Anne can see a person's future, and Jane can see their thoughts in the present. Celia is shy and feels slightly useless compared to her sisters.

When the two girls meet and together save a boy from drowning, they discover how Celia can help Lo recall who she once was. But does Lo want to know? And what is the cost Celia will have to pay?

In this third installment of the Fairy Tale Retellings trilogy by Jackson Pearce, characters mentioned in the two previous books have their own story told. This isn't really a spoiler, so I'll tell you that Celia and her sisters are the much younger sisters of Silas from Sisters Red, and Lo is of course Naida, Sophie's sister from Sweetly. Finally the two stories come full circle, though that's not to say there isn't room for expansion down the road if Pearce decides to take that route.

I enjoyed the dynamics of the three sisters. Their mother is dead and their father has Alzheimer's, which is a terrible thing especially since they are only 17, so they are all each other has. It's very hard for Celia since she feels like the odd girl out, which leads her to take some risks she perhaps shouldn't when she discovers a use for her power. We see the sister relationships mature during the course of the book, giving more dimension to the characters in the process.

Fathomless rounded out what is now a trilogy very nicely. There was plenty of mystery and action, as Celia meets Lo at night on the shore and tries to read her past. We who have already read Sweetly basically know what has happened already, but it's still exciting to see Lo/Naida get there. One thing I really loved was how the perspective kept changing—first from Lo to Celia and so on, but then Naida had her own chapters as well. What made it really interesting toward the end was Celia not knowing which personality was in charge of Lo/Naida. It takes a bit of concentration to keep everything straight, but I didn't think there was anything too confusing going on.

If you've read Pearce's other fairy tale retellings or you like fractured fairy tales/modernizations of classic tales, this is a solid contribution to the genre. (By the way, this is Pearce's take on "The Little Mermaid.") I've found Pearce's retellings to be original and fresh, and this one is no exception.

Disclosure: I borrowed this copy from a friend.

Book Review: "Lies, Knives, and Girls in Red Dresses" by Ron Koertge

Title: Lies, Knives, and Girls in Red Dresses
Author: Ron Koertge
Illustrator: Andrea Dezso
Publisher: Candlewick Press, 2012

In this poetry collection, we see familiar fairy tales turned completely upside down and twisted to a barely recognizable transformation. Popular tales like "Cinderella" and "Little Red Riding Hood" coexist with less familiar ones like "The Robber Bridegroom," and "Godfather Death" in very dark modernizations and reimaginations. These are not stories you would want to be told at bedtime.

This is a very short volume, one I finished in under an hour. Unfortunately I feel like Koertge was looking to bring new meaning to the fairy tales, different messages to a modern audience, yet not always succeeding in making it as deep as it felt like he wanted to go. Some of the poems succeed more than others—for example, I found the stories told from the villains' perspectives to be illuminating and well done, like the stepsisters' story in "Cinderella" and the Mole's story in "Thumbelina." Others seem to be just modernizations with nothing new or that interesting to share, like "Bluebeard" and "The Frog Prince," or lack a clear message, like "Bearskin."

I have mixed feelings about this collection of retold fairy tales, but I would say if you are interested in them, you should give the book a shot. It's short and a very fast read. If you end up feeling like the volume is missing something, or want a poetry collection of fairy tale retellings with more substance, pick up Anne Sexton's Transformations, an excellent contribution to American literature and the poetry canon.

Disclosure: I got this book from the library.

Review: "Sweetly" by Jackson Pearce

Title: Sweetly
Author: Jackson Pearce
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 2011

In a modern telling of Hansel and Gretel, Jackson Pearce brings us to Live Oak, South Carolina, where Ansel and his little sister Gretchen, ages 19 and 18 respectively, run out of gas on a cross-country road trip after being kicked out of their home by their stepmother. Gretchen, still scarred from her twin sister being snatched by what she remembers as a witch one fateful day in the woods, is very withdrawn yet desperately wants to stand out so she doesn't disappear too. Ansel has always been her rock. Things look like they might be changing for the better when they find a temporary home with Sophia Kelly, the young woman who owns the local chocolatier. Yet there are secrets in these woods, and Sophia isn't telling them everything. What seems like paradise starts to look more and more like the woods Gretchen left behind.

In her second fairy tale book, Pearce has once again taken an age-old tale and brought it to the modern day. I love fairy tale retellings, but I was a little disappointed with Pearce's Sisters Red. But here, I think Pearce has improved as a writer. I liked the characters much more, and the language she uses for her characters is pitch-perfect.

I was intrigued by the mystery, and Pearce unraveled it at just the right pace. I was never too far ahead of the characters (I hate it when I can figure it out too soon), and I really like how she tied her two novels together. And man, did she bring on the action. My favorite part of Sisters Red was the fighting, and I was glad to see it return.

Oh, also? Delicious candy. I wanted chocolate pretty much the entire time I was reading this.

One thing I couldn't stand, though, was how often Pearce used certain words. The most memorable one was the word "tease." I felt like everything anyone said to anyone was followed by "I teased" or "she teased." It got so bad that I started rolling my eyes when I came across it—it was just aggravating. But I guess if that's my biggest complaint, that's not so bad.

I'm looking forward to the third novel, a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" titled Fathomless, later this year. There were hints about part of the plot in Sweetly, and I'm eager to see how the series will continue and for the introduction of new characters.

Disclosure: I got this book from the library.

Blog tour: "Fractured" by Joanna Karaplis

Welcome to the fourth day of the blog tour for Fractured by Joanna Karaplis! Thanks for stopping by. :)

Title: Fractured: Happily Never After? 3 Tales
Author: Joanna Karaplis
Publisher: McKeller & Martin, 2010
How I got it: It was sent to me from the author for review.

Fairy tales have been told and written down for centuries. Throughout the years, they've not only been told, but retold, and many have been completely revisioned. Fractured gives us incarnations of Snow White, Cinderella and The Little Mermaid, all old favorites, but with a very different twist. They're modernized: Snow White is Yuki (meaning "snow" in Japanese) White, budding graphic designer and friends of the seven dorks who hang out in the computer room. Cinderella is Cindy, fangirl extraordinaire and texter to the extreme—who manages to snag tickets to see her reality-TV crush at a Halloween party. And the little mermaid is Adrianna, a girl with a beautiful voice but the perceived impairment of a gigantic schnoz—thank goodness YouTube can get her an audience without her having to show her face.

All three tales are completely rewritten and re-imagined in ways I have never seen before, but they all retain the structure and basic story of the original fairy tales collected by the Grimm Brothers and written by Hans Christian Anderson. Karaplis manages to make everything work incredibly well—Snow White's apple, Cinderella's fairy godmother and the ball, and the little mermaid's impairment keeping her from her love (in this case, it's not a prince at all, but fame as a singer).

So let's break it down by story.

"Snow White and the Seven Dorks" is about, as I said, Yuki White, new girl in school, slightly badass, and awesome artist. She eventually falls in the geek crowd, not necessarily as one of them, but as their hang-out buddy, someone who also happens to use the computer room. Yuki is seriously awesome—she's got a sassy, sarcastic air to her that is just great (funny and charming) and it makes her incredibly likable. I wanted to be her friend. I also really liked how the story alternates between the present at the dance she's at with her crush and how she got to that point. There's a lot of development within the 30 pages of the story, not only in Yuki's character, but in her relationship with Kevin, head dork and all-around nice guy. This was by far my favorite, if only because I loved Yuki so much.

"Cyberella" is, of course, the Cinderella story. But this story is told completely in texts and blog posts (which are done by Trevor, fan blogger for the reality show True 2 Life). Some might find the texting to be a bit annoying, but I quite liked looking at the story through them. It's a new sort of epistolary telling, along the lines of ttyl by Lauren Myracle. Karaplis completely captures the language tweens and teens use in texting, accidental misspellings included. It makes it real. At times they seemed more like IMs than texts, but then again I'm sure there are people who text that frequently. My one problem was that the "prince" of the story, the True 2 Life star, says his Mystery Girl left something behind at the party, but then we never find out what it is. But all in all it's a cute story and I enjoyed it.

"Swan Song" is the story of the Little Mermaid, Adrianna (nicknamed Adi), who has a beautiful and professional voice, but a nose that she is incredibly self-conscious about. Her friend Fiona convinces her to create YouTube videos after a particularly awful encounter with a bully who targets her nose, and Adi agrees, as long as she doesn't face the camera. But looks aren't everything, and she makes a decision that will change the course of her life forever. It's a story about self-acceptance, even if Adi might not accept herself as she is—we can learn from her, as the story's title page indicates. And the ending gave me goosebumps, by the way. It's a great retelling, even if I didn't quite identify with Adi or agree with the decisions she makes. I kept telling her NO DON'T DO IT. But she did anyway. And if she didn't, we wouldn't get a Little Mermaid story.

One quick note about Jenn Brisson's illustrations. Each story began with a title page that included a tag line and an illustration. I loved them all. They look like pencil drawings, and they're set in a white oval on a black background. They all have this surreal quality, which goes very well with the fairy tale theme, and are all slightly creepy. Again, I especially love the Snow White one, a girl holding a circle with an apple on it and looking slightly anxious, with a crow in a top hat swooping under and around. Very nice.

If you like fairy tales, especially fractured ones as I do, I would definitely check out this one. Completely original tellings in a modern context—fabulous!

See what other bloggers had to say about Fractured and some interviews of Jo at the other blog stops:

Nov. 15: Steph Su Reads and Word bookstore
Nov. 16: Word of Mouse Book Reviews and Bella’s Bookshelves
Nov. 17: The Reading Girl and Between the Pages
Nov. 18: Page Turners and Tahleen’s Mixed-Up Files
Nov. 19: YA Addict and YA Book Shelf

On The Broke and the Bookish: "Sisters Red" by Jackson Pearce

Today is my day to review on The Broke and the Bookish! Here is my review reposted here for all you readers who don't yet follow The Broke and the Bookish (if that's the case you should fix that now!).

Title: Sisters Red
Author: Jackson Pearce
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, 2010
Where I got it: I got it through InterLibrary Loan.
Why I read this book: I read about it in a Ypulse interview with the author and liked the sound of it. Fractured fairy tales have always been an interest of mine.

Sisters Scarlett and Rosie March are hunters. They track and kill the Fenris, werewolf-like monsters that hunt and prey on young women (obviously not Twilight-esque, dreamy werewolves). Ever since one attacked her and Rosie as children and took her eye, Scarlett is determined to kill as many Fenris as she can. Rosie feels it's her duty to her sister to fight alongside her, even though she longs for a life outside of the hunt. Meanwhile, their friend Silas, a woodsman who has been their neighbor, playmate and fellow hunter through the years, returns from California to join them again in their self-appointed quest.

Yet all of a sudden, more and more wolves are found in their small Georgia town of Ellison, and even more in nearby Atlanta. Why are they coming back in such numbers? They're looking for something, or someone, but what? A determined Scarlett, somewhat reluctant Rosie, and loyal Silas decide it's their duty to find out and hunt them all down. Things get even more complicated when Rosie discovers she's falling for the woodsman, her sister's partner and only friend, aside from her.

This fractured version of "Little Red Riding Hood," narrated alternately by Scarlett and Rosie, has a whole lot of action. From the very beginning, we get to the wolves and the fighting, and it doesn't really stop until the end. Scarlett and Rosie are some pretty awesome butt-kickers—they're deadly with their weapon of choice (Scarlett a hatchet, Rosie daggers). Silas is also someone not to trifle with.

The characters are all believable, though they seemed a little underdeveloped to me. I could see why Scarlett is the way she is, all fight and passion when it comes to the wolves, but a little distant when it comes to people. Rosie is a sympathetic character, someone who feels obligated to a certain way of life because she was saved by the one she follows, yet wants something more. It's hard to judge Silas in the same way, however, since we are never inside his head. I never really understood him completely; it would have been nice to get more information about him, like about his relationships with his siblings (who no longer speak to him) and with his father. But for the purpose of the story we get enough.

My problems with it start from maybe 50 pages in. Yes, there's a lot going on, but I didn't feel like there was any real point or direction in which the story was headed until about halfway through. It just seemed like Scarlett wanted to kill Fenris and Rosie didn't really, but went along with it anyway, and that would be it. It finally all came together, but it took too long in my opinion.

I would also have liked more information on the mythology of the world in which the book takes place. We keep hearing that Pa Reynolds (Silas' father) knew everything there is to know about Fenris, but we don't really hear any legends. Just that they lure and slaughter young women, don't have any souls, and travel in packs. It would have been nice to know more about them. I also got super frustrated with how long it took them to figure out what was going on; but that's just a pet peeve of mine. I hate knowing the answer and waiting for the characters to figure it out too.

Even though there are some flaws in the plot, the main characters are strong and admirable women who don't need a prince to save them, and that always wins points in my book. They're their own people and don't take anything lying down.

Throwback Thursday: "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine

So I know I skipped a week of this, but I have been super busy and my class syllabus wasn't as accommodating to Throwback Thursday as it was last time. (Great books, just not ones I had read when I was little.) But I'm back this week, now that I have time to write up reviews and whatnot, since my classwork is, for the most part, finished. ANYWAY.

Here we are, back for another Throwback Thursday! This week's selection...

Ella Enchanted! This, Gail Carson Levine's first novel, is one of my very favorite Cinderella retellings. Ranks right up there with Ever After.

So Ella of Frell was cursed when she was born. It wasn't meant to be a curse, but (apparently) these things happen. Ella must be obedient. She has to obey every single command thrown her way, even if it will put her or her loved ones in danger. But even with this less-than-desirable way of life she has to lead, she grows up to be a spunky and clever girl, since she's had to find ways around doing exactly as she's told, to the point where she almost gets to be disobedient.

After her mother dies, she is put in the care of her ever-absent father, a greedy merchant. She also meets and befriends Prince Charmont ("Call me Char"), but only right before she's sent off to finishing school with the detestable Hattie and Olive, disgusting, greedy, dreadful girls that no one would want to get near. Luckily, she is able to escape. Unfortunately, things just seem to go downhill from there, and this is where we start to see the Cinderella story skeleton. Her father marries Hattie and Olive's mother, Dame Olga. They treat her worse than they'd treat a servant. She falls in love with the prince. BUT! The big problem? How could she possibly find a happily ever after if she must do everything she's told? Can she break the curse?

This is an incredibly clever take on Cinderella, a tale that mostly portrays the title character as a meek and helpless woman who needs to help of fairies and a man to get what she wants. Ella is none of these things. She is feisty, incredibly intelligent (especially with languages), knows what she wants, and figures out how to get it. This is no helpless damsel in distress, here.

Characterization is wonderful. Most of the characters are multifaceted, especially Ella's father. He readily admits he's a greedy man, yet there is this honesty he has with Ella, and an admiration for her that you wouldn't expect from someone who is painted to be such a villain. Ella is extremely likable and relatable (she not exactly popular at school, and she has to deal with mean girls and bullies; though, I don't know how relatable it is to be trapped by ogres). The rest of the cast of characters are all unique and not exactly stock characters, though we of course have to have each role filled (ugly stepsisters, evil stepmother, fairy godmother, etc.).

I love how Levine has created all of these different cultures and languages, without making it seem overwhelming, like when you read The Lord of the Rings. You know just what you need to know, and apparently the new edition of the book has glossaries. Excellent!

When I first read this, I remember thinking it was one of the best books I'd ever read. I don't think at that point that I'd ever really read anything like this; the only Cinderella I'd ever seen was the Disney one, and she's a wimp. This made Cinderella WAY better. (Plus, best part? I got the book for free through the Barnes & Noble summer reading program. How awesome.)

On The Broke and the Bookish: "Rapunzel's Revenge"

Today I'm the featured reviewer on The Broke and the Bookish! You can check it out on that blog here, or you can just read it on mine. Since, you know, you're already here.

Title: Rapunzel's Revenge

Authors: Shannon and Dean Hale, illustrated by Nathan Hale (no relation)

Publisher: Bloomsbury, 2008

Where and why: From the library through ILL, for the folktales/fairy tales unit in my children's

lit class.

Who remembers the old story of Rapunzel? If it's what you're expecting in this graphic novel, you're in for a surprise and a treat. In this tale, things are a bit different.

Rapunzel grows up in a beautiful villa, with servants and everything she could possibly wish for—except the love of the woman she believes to be her mother. Eventually she discovers that beyond her (ridiculously tall) garden wall, there is something she could never have imagined possible.

Things happen—Rapunzel is locked up in her tower, her hair grows. Her witch of a stepmother visits yearly, until Rapunzel crosses her one too many times. What's a girl locked in a tree tower to do? Why, put her 20-foot length of hair to use, of course.

This is a completely fractured and often hilarious Rapunzel tale, a hodgepodge of familiar fairy-tale characters and legends, with a few literary allusions thrown in for good measure. There are a lot of elements that are the same (taking from parents for some stolen lettuce, long hair, trapped in a tower), but the whole thing is completely turned on its head. Set in a vaguely Wild West–ish land, it's a great adventure full of thieves, rescues, acts of daring, narrow escapes, and a bit of romance—not to mention the most awesome fairy-tale heroine I've come across in quite some time. Just look at that picture of the cover! You know she's using those braids for some serious lassoing and butt kicking. Finally, a Rapunzel who knows how to DO stuff.

There's a lot of great detail in here, too, not only in the clever nods to various literary characters, but in the setting and the secondary characters. The ethnicities of each is clearly carefully chosen, especially concerning who owns what type of shop and who is in charge at various villages and towns. It looks pretty well researched, though it lacks any kind of source notes, which is unfortunate. I'd love to know why the Hales chose to use certain aspects and not others, why they decided to set it where they did, and a few more things.

But despite that one drawback, here we finally have a graphic novel heroine who not only holds her own, but is the one to fight for what's right and save the day. This is great for reluctant middle-grade readers, or even those in high school. (It will probably appeal more to girls than boys, but boys can certainly enjoy it too. There's a sequel titledCalamity Jack that came out in January, featuring the male protagonist in its predecesor, which might appeal more to boys. Either way, I certainly plan on reading it.)

Nathan Hale's illustrations are absolutely fantastic. He uses a lot of color, perspective, detail, and humor throughout. He's also great at showing what panels are flashback, what dialogue is meant to be an aside, and each character's face clearly shows their emotions (unless they are too far away in the panel for that kind of detail).

If you like retellings or fractured fairy tales, and you could do with a nice dose of graphic novel fiction, definitely go for this one. It's a fast read, the illustrations are beautiful, it's hilarious, and it's pretty much nonstop action—something for just about everyone.