The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne DuPrau

Today is Wednesday (already!) so that means I’m posting over at We Heart Reading.  This time my review is of The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne DuPrau, which is the prequel to her other two books in the City of Ember series.  This is the perfect example of how not to do a prequel in my books.

If you’re sick of reading Jeanne DuPrau book reviews on my off days, check out The Big Idea post by author Jim C. Hines.  It’s a book I’m adding to my reading list and I think a lot of you book lovers out there will enjoy it.  If not, then John Scalzi’s Big Idea posts are always great and you can flip through the archives to find some amazing fantasy and sci-fi novels.  It’s how I discovered Feed by Mira Grant.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

(Cover picture courtesy of Reading with Tequila.)

Breathtakingly suspenseful and beautifully written, The Historian is the story of a young woman plunged into a labyrinth where the secrets of her family’s past connect to an inconceivable evil: the dark fifteenth-century reign of Vlad the Impaler and a time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive through the ages.  The search for the truth becomes an adventure of monumental proportions, taking us from monasteries and dusty libraries to the capitals of Eastern Europe—in a feat of storytelling so rich, so hypnotic, so exciting that it has enthralled readers around the world.

With a premise centred around Dracula, a novel is generally a hit-and-miss.  However, Elizabeth Kostova actually managed to pull it off and this was definitely a hit.

While the premise may attract many people, I have to say that the writing style isn’t for everyone.  It’s very descriptive and you really can picture yourself in all of the places described, but some people might find it overly-descriptive.  In historical fiction I don’t mind such things and the descriptive writing style really appealed to me because many of the settings in the novel are completely foreign to me.  Elizabeth Kostova’s writing hooks you in and slowly builds up the suspense while you wait for the shoe to drop—which it eventually does, at an unexpected time.

This is a book you really, really have to pay attention to.  I would definitely not recommend reading it when you’re tired because the plot is incredibly complicated in a blink-and-you-miss sort of way.  There are a couple of intersecting stories from different eras, which can be confusing at times, but works surprisingly well in The Historian overall.

The characters are amazing.  We don’t meet Dracula himself for very long, but he is definitely a memorable character, as are pretty much all of the characters we come across.  Elizabeth Kostova has this way of making her characters come alive, even though all we learn about some of them is through the stories of the main characters.  It’s sort of how we learn about Lestat and other characters in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles and in this case, it’s highly effective.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

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The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory

(Cover picture courtesy of A Reader’s Journal.)

A story rich in passion and legend, The Lady of the Rivers is the story of Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford, a woman who navigated a treacherous path through the battle lines in the Wars of the Roses.

When Jacquetta is married to the Duke of Bedford, English regent of France, he introduces her to a mysterious world of learning and alchemy.  Her only friend in the great household is the duke’s squire Richard Woodville, who is at her side when the duke’s death leaves her a wealthy young widow.  The two become lovers and marry in secret, returning to England to serve at the court of the young King Henry VI, where Jacquetta becomes a close and loyal friend to his new queen.

The Woodvilles soon achieve a place at the very heart of the Lancaster court, though Jacquetta can sense the growing threat from the people of England and the danger of their royal York rivals.  As Jacquetta fights for her king and queen, she can see an extraordinary and unexpected future for her daughter Elizabeth: a change of fortune, the throne of England, and the white rose of York…

The Lady of the Rivers is, so far, my favourite book in Philippa Gregory’s The Cousins’ War series.  It was even better than The White Queen, mainly because we never saw the downfall of the Yorks, which always made me a bit sad.  Jacquetta was one of my favourite characters in the first book, so I was definitely glad to see that she got a book to herself.  The story of her childhood, first loveless marriage and subsequent marriage for love is fascinating.  And to think, all of this (the broad events of her life) actually happened.

Jacquetta is an amazing narrator.  She’s strong, cunning and yet vulnerable when it comes to love.  She truly believes in Melusina and her special gift of seeing and healing, which adds another layer to the plot of the story.  Unlike Margaret Beaufort, I felt that I truly understood this incredible woman; Philippa Gregory brought her to life in the pages.

The plot is faster paced than you would generally expect in historical fiction, which is definitely a bonus.  It’s also fascinating to see Jacquetta’s rise in the English Lancaster court while she foresees an incredible future for her daughter Elizabeth that involves England being under the house of York.  This is definitely Philippa Gregory at her finest.

I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

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Chasing the Falconers by Gordon Korman

(Cover picture courtesy of J & J Books and Coffee.)

Aiden and Meg Falconer are their parents’ only hope.  The Falconers are facing life in prison—unless Aiden and Meg can follow a trail of clues to prove their innocence.  The problem?  They’re trapped in a juvenile detention center.  Until they escape one night—and find themselves on the run, both from the authorities and from a sinister attacker who has his own reason to stop them.  The Falconers must use their wits to make it across the country—with plenty of tests along the way.

I admit it: this book is way too young for me.  I wasn’t in the target age group when I read it and I’m certainly not now, but it’s still a book I like to re-read about once a year.  Why?  Because it’s a well-written book with a cliché yet interesting premise.

It’s kind of predictable, but I’ve read a lo of books and watched a lot of movies with a similar premise.  However, for the target age group, this would be their first exposure to a premise like this (proving the innocence of someone who’s been framed) and as such, is a great introduction to crime fiction.  Gordon Korman is an excellent writer and has obviously done his research when it comes to all of the exciting scenarios in his first book in the On the Run series.

Meg and Aiden are great characters; they’re sympathetic and Chasing the Falconers appealing for both boys and girls.  They also don’t like resorting to stealing to survive while they hunt for evidence and feel a lot of guilt when they do, but it shows that they at least refuse to sink to a really low level.  Gordon Korman makes the siblings sympathetic (especially when we learn more about their backstory) while at the same time keeping the plot moving at a fast pace.

I would highly recommend it to people ages 10-12.

I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

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Books that Should be Taught in School

1.  The Accidental Hero by Matt Myklusch

Two words: killer robots.

Yeah, you read that right.  The Accidental Hero has everything kids love (killer robots, superheros and adventure) while including themes educators love to over-analyze (friendship, doing the right thing and believing in yourself).  It also will actually appeal to boys, who are incredibly neglected in both children’s and young adult literature.  Besides, with excellent writing, sympathetic characters, and incredible world-building, kids will be able to enjoy novel study for once. Continue reading →