What I've Read Lately - September

September was an incredibly busy month for me, and has left me thinking that maybe I have acquired one too many hobbies.  I thought I was going to get through the remaining books that I checked out two months ago and then get an early start on some Halloween picks, but I only managed to finish the five I already had on my shelf.  (Actually, I didn't even finish the last one until it was already October, but I read most of it in September and I hadn't finished this post yet, so I figured I'd just throw it in here.)

 So the first book of the month started out pretty well, but ultimately ended up as a bust.  If you want to know why I didn't really care for Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge, by Lisa Jensen, read my review here.

Belle's Song, by K. M. Grant was pretty interesting.  I was a bit skeptical at first, because it was set in the Middle Ages and the main character was an obsessive daydreamer with OCD, which just seemed weird.  Of course, I'm sure there were people living during the Middle Ages who had OCD, but I guess - maybe because nobody has decided to pair up the two ideas before - it just felt kind of strange.  But once the story really got going, it was quite enjoyable.  It is about a girl who joins the pilgrimage that Geoffrey Chaucer is taking to Canterbury.  But it's not just a modern retelling of The Canterbury Tales.  In fact, the stories that the pilgrims tell are really a minor part of the book, which is actually full of political intrigue (who knew Chaucer passed on secret messages for the king?) and a quirky sort of love triangle.  It is a great pick for fans of historical fiction, but even those who don't really care for stories set in the past will probably enjoy it because it has a strangely modern feel to it as well.  (Reading Level: 5.0 / Upper Middle Grades)

The Darkest Legacy, by Alexandra Bracken, is an add-on to The Darkest Minds trilogy.  It is just as good as the the original books, with non-stop edge-of-your-seat action/adventure and witty banter, and  just enough self-reflection peppered throughout to bring depth to the story.  It continues with the same fantastically original concept combined with skilled writing that gets books turned into movies.  It gives us four amazingly strong heroines as a diverse set of role models, explores the way relationships change over time, and examines both the obstacles to and the different ways people try to bring about lasting change in society.  Truly fantastic.  The only thing I didn't like about the book is the blatant race politics she throws in during the latter part of the story.  For example, the author has one of the heroines tell the other to watch out because they won't hesitate to shoot a brown girl with a gun.  Well, in every scenario given to us in this book where our heroes have a gun, nobody is going to hesitate to shoot any of them, regardless of their color.  That's the way the story is set up.  At another point she writes that a white guy is looting a computer store.  I get that she is attacking the stereotype of looters, but the way she phrases it is so different from anything else she writes that it just jumps off the page at you.  It's really kind of off-putting.  For the entire book, she makes a point of describing the characters in ways that show the reader that they are all different races and ethnicities.  The heroes come in all colors, the kids with powers come in all colors, the parents who gave them up come in all colors, the parents who didn't want to give them up come in all colors, the citizens for and against rights for those kids come in all colors, and the bad guys come in all colors.  The message is that, regardless of color, we are all people, and people are good and bad regardless of their race or ethnicity.  That is a nice, unifying message, presented in a natural, not-in-your-face manner.  I wish she would have just kept things positive, instead of throwing in divisive rhetoric.  Anyway, you should definitely read this book, but not until you've read the previous titles in the series or you'll be scratching your head enough to ruin the enjoyment.   (Reading Level: ? / Upper Grades)

Savannah Grey is the second book by Cliff McNish that I've read, and let me tell you, that guy knows how to write creepy/scary stuff.  General narration and dialogue involving characters, not so much.  So this book is a mix between horror and science fiction.  Kinda weird, but okay I guess, even though I am much more into the horror part so the science fiction stuff put a bit of a damper on my enthusiasm.  I like science fiction well enough if it is well-written, but I think I feel pretty strongly that you shouldn't mess with my creepy stuff by mixing the two together.  Anyway....the book starts with a PHENOMENAL description of a Horror traipsing along on a mission to observe the heroine of the story.  I was absolutely enthralled by the writing.  Then, we meet the characters.  And they are boring.  Not only that, but every time a new character is mentioned, McNish puts their first and last name in the sentence.  For like the first six or seven times they are mentioned.  Who does that?  It was just plain weird, and in a really annoying way.  So I was like, oh no, am I going to have to give up on this book?  But then, the author brings the Horror back into the story, and those parts are so good, it made me keep going.  Then the author starts developing the whole science fictionish part and I was like, meh, I'm not so into this, but then things started to get suspenseful and McNish does an awesome job with the intense action and whatnot, and I'm like, okay, I think I can ignore the stuff I don't like, because the stuff I do like keeps coming pretty regularly.  So.  If you just took the parts with the fantastic writing, I would say that McNish could hold his own alongside the likes of Neil Gaiman.  Yes, I just said that.  But if you take the parts I didn't like, I hate to say it but it was pretty darn bad at times.  So, If you balance out the 4 to 5 star material with the 2 star material, I would say that leaves the book in the range of 3 stars, which is worth reading.  It's probably a great pick for the middle to upper middle grade reader (even though the library has it shelved in young adult), and a great book for the upcoming Halloween season.  (Reading Level: 5.2 / Upper Middle Grades)

Dreams of Gods & Monsters is the final book in Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy (see my mini-reviews of the first two books here and here), and I have to tell you, folks, it was 613 pages of the Best Stuff Ever! You know how actors get Oscars and stars on the walk of fame, and the Queen bestows knighthood on guys who do special stuff?  Well, there really ought to be some kind of equivalent for writers like Laini Taylor.  Her writing is so good, I don't even have words for it.  It's like there is an inverse correlation between her ability to put together words and my ability to put together words to describe her superb ability at word-putting-together.  So I'll just sum it up like this:  before I had even finished reading this book, I already wanted to read it again.  And I will be receiving my very own copies of the trilogy in the mail this afternoon, so I can do just that whenever I want. If you haven't yet heeded my advice and started reading this series, you seriously need to get your act together and do it already.  (Reading Level: 6.3 / Upper Grades)