Waiting on Wednesday: A Breath of Eyre

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine, where we talk about books we are eager to read.

My pick this week is A Breath of Eyre by Eva Marie Mont (April 2012)

Emma Townsend has always believed in stories—the ones she reads voraciously, and the ones she creates in her head. Perhaps it’s because she feels like an outsider at her exclusive prep school, or because her stepmother doesn’t come close to filling the void left by her mother’s death. And her only romantic prospect—apart from a crush on her English teacher—is Gray Newman, a long-time friend who just adds to Emma’s confusion. But escape soon arrives in an old leather-bound copy of Jane Eyre…

Reading of Jane’s isolation sparks a deep sense of kinship. Then fate takes things a leap further when a lightning storm catapults Emma right into Jane’s body and her nineteenth-century world. As governess at Thornfield, Emma has a sense of belonging she’s never known—and an attraction to the brooding Mr. Rochester. Now, moving between her two realities and uncovering secrets in both, Emma must decide whether her destiny lies in the pages of Jane’s story, or in the unwritten chapters of her own…

This just sounds like something right up my alley. It is about a girl who apparently lovedsto read and then gets to spend time in a story from a book. And not every book but Jane Eyre (I love that novel).

The trailer is really good too, take a look:

Review: Cold Kiss, Amy Garvey

Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 304 (Hardcover)
Genre: YA, paranormal romance
Release: September 2011
Source: Book Expo America
Good to know: This is Garvey's first book for teens. It is a standalone, and not the first book in a series.

It was a beautiful, warm summer day, the day Danny died.Suddenly Wren was alone and shattered. In a heartbroken fury, armed with dark incantations and a secret power, Wren decides that what she wants—what she must do—is to bring Danny back.But the Danny who returns is just a shell of the boy Wren fell in love with. His touch is icy; his skin, smooth and stiff as marble; his chest, cruelly silent when Wren rests her head against it.Wren must keep Danny a secret, hiding him away, visiting him at night, while her life slowly unravels around her. Then Gabriel DeMarnes transfers to her school, and Wren realizes that somehow, inexplicably, he can sense the powers that lie within her—and that he knows what she has done. And now Gabriel wants to help make things right.But Wren alone has to undo what she has wrought—even if it means breaking her heart all over again.

Beautiful and gripping

Cold Kiss can be described as a cross between Pet Sematary and Shiver.


Wren loves Danny with all her heart, and her world falls to pieces the day Danny dies in a car accident. She cannot live without Danny, and decides to use her special powers to bring him back to life. But things does not play out the way Wren planned. Danny is not acting like he used to before the accident. There is also a new boy at Wren's school, and suddenly she begins to doubt her feelings for Danny. She regrets bringing Danny back to life, but there is to late for regret now...

I wanted him back. I wanted him back so much I couldn't think about anything else. Everywhere I looked was suddenly somewhere Danny wasn't. My hands were empy because Danny wasn't holding them. My room echoed with quiet because Danny wasn't there whispering ridiculous things to make me laugh, or make me shiver.  (...)Danny was mine, I was his, and that wasn't going to work if he was dead. So I would make him not dead...

Garvey writes about something most of us can relate too; how it feels like to loose someone we love. I know that I have thought many times that I wish I could spend some more time with loved ones that have passed. Wren acts out on this longing, she brings the love of her life back from the dead. But soon Wren realise that it is not safe to mess with nature.

I am the kid who sticks her finger in the light socket. I am the person who doesn't check the expiration date on the milk. I am the idiot who has never looked before she leaped. I am the girl who is falling apart, right now.

Cold Kiss also deal with darker issues; the love Wren feels for Danny turns to a form of obsession after he dies. She wants to be with him no matter what. She does not reflect upon how it must be for Danny to be brought back to life, a life where he is hidden from everyone he once knew, aside from Wren. Danny exists only for Wren, it is all about her feelings.

I wrote that the book is a cross between Pet Sematary and Shiver. As with Pet Sematary, Cold Kiss is also about what happens when you bring someone back from the dead, and the person brought back is not the same person you knew before. When I mention Shiver, it is because Garvey has a writing pretty similar to that of Maggie Stiefvater. She has some beautiful quotes and passages.

I  liked some parts of the story, and the fact that the book is seeping with emotion. But I thought the story was too slow paced, nothing really happens until the second half of the book. The first half is all about how Wren regrets bringing Danny back, and it is not intereresting to read only about that from chapter to chapter. But when Wren talks more with Gabriel, things really kick off.

It wasn't love right away, because nothing ever is, no matter what the songs say, but it was the start of it. A beginning in one way, and the end in another. I think that might always be true of love.

I love that some authors still writes paranormal novels that are not part of a series, that in itself is a good reason to read this book. I have not read a lot about zombies before either, and that was also refreshing. Cold kiss is a beautiful written book that will appeal to those who like a slowpaced book that grips you.

Other reviews:
The Book Smugglers
Book Briefs
The Diary of a Bookworm

Amy Garvey is on Goodreads and has her own website here.

Review: The Iron Witch

Publisher: Flux
Pages: 290
Format: Paperback
Released: January 2011



















When the darkest outcasts of Faerie—the vicious wood elves—abduct Navin, Donna finally has to accept her role in the centuries old war between the humans and the fey. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout with secrets of his own, Donna races to save her friend—even if it means betraying everything her parents and the alchemist community fought to the death to protect.Freak. That's what her classmates call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood. When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed her father and drove her mother mad. Donna's own nearly fatal injuries from the assault were fixed by magic—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. The child of alchemists, Donna feels cursed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. The only thing that keeps her sane and grounded is her relationship with her best friend, Navin Sharma.

An easy read

Not original, an easy read - but holds promise for the next installment.

Donna Underwood has been through tragedy. Her father was killed by a vicious fey when she was a little girl, and her mom went mad. She now lives with her aunt and spends her time with her best friend Navin. He is the only one that likes her - at school she is labeled as a freak. But soon, Donna's life is about to go in a whole new direction. She meets Xan at a party and soon dramatic events unfolds.

The Iron Witch was an easy book to get in to, at first. The writing flows easily and you are a bit curious about Donna and her past. But, there is a but: It takes too much time before there is actually anything happening. You read about Donna's life, her interaction with Navin and her past - but that's just about it. There is nothing here to compel me to go on reading.

I didn't get under Donna's skin and I felt that Navin became to vague. When he is kidnapped, I didn't feel Donna's anxiety for him. It was more like: Ok, so now that he is gone can we please get down to real business and get to know Xan a little bit more pleae? I never really got emotionally involved in the story. It was more like: an easy read - easily forgotten.

I also felt that the book was not that original, but my main problem with this was that it reminded by too much of The Iron King. Here are some examples:

* The first sentence in both books are very much alike:
Ten years ago, on my sixth birthday, my father disappeard.
(Quote from the Iron King)
My father died saving my life when I was seven years old.
(Quote from the Iron Witch)

* In the Iron King, Meghan must enter the fairy world to save her brother Ethan. In order to get to this world, she gets help from Robbie. In the Iron Witch, Donna must enter the realm of the Woodelves to save her best friend Navin. In order to get to this world, she gets help from Xan.

* Both of the covers have ornaments on them. Like this:































And I will not mention the obvious part about the titles of both books being almost a match.

That said, the book also had it's qualities. The language worked well, and when things really started to happen - in the last part of the book - I got more intrigued. I really like the dark world the author has created for the woodelves and I am really looking forward to reading more about that.

So all in all I think this was a book that could have been a little more original. But I will also go on reading the next installment in this series because I believe the author is talented enough to give us something more unique in the next book.

Other reviews:
Wondrous Reads
Book Chick City
Tales of the Ravenous Reader
All Things Urban Fantasy

Karen Mahoney's webpage
Goodreads

Review: Stork by Wendy Delsol

Publisher: Candlewick Press
Paperback Pages:355
Source: ARC



















" Sixteen-year-old Katla has just moved from Los Angeles to the sticks of Minnesota. As if it weren’t enough that her trendy fashion sense draws stares, she learns to her horror that she’s a member of an ancient order of women who decide to whom certain babies will be born. Add to that Wade, the arrogant football star whom Katla regrettably fooled around with, and Jack, a gorgeous farm boy who initially seems to hate her. Soon Katla is having freaky dreams about a crying infant and learns that, as children, she and Jack shared a near-fatal, possibly mystical experience. Can Katla survive this major life makeover and find a dress for the homecoming dance? Drawing from Norse mythology and inspired by The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen, debut author Wendy Delsol conceives an irreverent, highly entertaining novel about embracing change and the (baby) bumps along the way."

Background:
Wendy Delsol made her debut as an author with "Stork" this month, and the book has already been nominated for "Best Fiction for Young Adult" by Yalsa. She wrote the draft for "Stork" in only five months. The book incorporates Norse mythology, and is the first in a planned trilogy. The second book, Frost, is coming out in September 2011.

The Story:
Katla does not appreciate that she has to move to Minnesota after her parent's divorce. She longs for sunny L.A, but soon her mind gets preoccupied by something else: She meets the ladies in the Icelandic Stork Society, an order were the members decide who gets pregnant with a specific child. Katla is overwhelmed by the fact that she is their youngest member, and soon her abilities starts to show. She also meets Jack, and he knows something crucial about Katla's past.

Main Character:
Katla is a name I associate with the dragon in Astrid Lindgren's "The Brothers Lionheart". That said, I think it is cool that the author uses this name for the main protagonist in Stork. Katla is a name that holds a lot of strength. It is also the name of the biggest volcano in Iceland. In this story Katla is a sixteen year old girl, originally from Los Angeles but now living in Minnesota. She is interested in design and designer clothes, but she is not a shallow girl. She has a lot of layers, is thoughtful and funny. And I liked her even more as the story progressed.

The Book:
I adored this book. It read like a fairytale to me. Wendy Delsol has created an atmosphere in this book, that spoke to me. I loved the book now, and I would have loved it if I read it during my childhood. This is a book I am going to read to my kids someday.

When my mom grew up, she was lead to believe that children were delivered to their parents by the stork. I also heard this myth when I was a young girl - it is something every Norwegian child has heard at one time. (We even have the stork has a symbol of our leading chocolate factory). I think it is great to actually read a book that takes this myth to a whole new level.

I also loved the fact that the author has used a lot of icelandic names and titles like "Fru" ( translates as Mrs, we actually use this term in Norwegian), "Hulda" , Gudrun etc. It made me feel more close to the story. Here in Norway we have shared a lot of history with Iceland, and our languages has a lot of similar words and expressions. I really hope a Norwegian publisher buy the rights for this book, I think it would appeal to the Norwegian audience. I also think is is so cool that the author named Katla's new town "Norse Falls".

The book is full of mystery, the more I learn about the Stork Society, about Katla and Jack, the more I want to know. Why does Katla hate the cold as much as she do? What is the significance of the birds that seem to protect Katla. I just wanted to read and read.

I could have written so much about this book, but you really have to read it to see how great it is. It stands out from a lot of the books published in the YA - genre today. It has something classical about it. I can't wait for the sequel, "Frost", to come out. Stork is original and well written, a marvelous debutnovel by an author I am eager to read more from.

Candlewick Press has also done a great job with the cover for the book. It is truly beauiful!





Other reviews for this book:
Book Crazy
I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read
Larissa's Bookish Life