This is a take on the Wild Swans fairytale in which heroine Shiori, only daughter of the emperor, sees her brothers cursed into the shape of cranes by her magic-wielding stepmother. To cement the curse, her stepmother magics a bowl onto her head to hide her face, and threatens her brothers with death if she makes even the slightest sound. The only silver lining is that these events stave off Shiori’s unwanted arranged marriage. Naturally, things get even more complicated (almost too overly complicated) as she discovers that her stepmother may not even be the greatest threat to her father’s kingdom. Shiori is a fun heroine to read, brave and defiant despite everything working against her, and although the characterization of practically all the characters is a little one-sided, that’s par for the course in the relatively simplistic world of YA fantasy. First in a series.
Tag: genre-ya
The Immortal Heights, by Sherry Thomas
Book 3 and conclusion of the Elemental Trilogy. This was a perfectly fine read and there were a few gotcha moments in the plot, but in general it felt like a neverending chase between the ubervillain and the plucky heroes, in which things were barrelling so inevitably towards the conclusion that you wished they would just get on with it already. All in all, there were enough plot twists and emotional highs to make it a satisfying ending to the series.
Fire Boy, by Sami Shah
For a novel marketed as YA, this was super violent. I found it jarring to alternate between scenes of graphic sex and torture and the main character’s stammering shyness when attempting to ask out his crush. Set in Pakistan, this novel features teenager Wahid, who just wants to play D&D with his mates and get up the courage to talk to the pretty girl in his class; he doesn’t know why he can see djinn and would rather not think about that part of his life. Unfortunately, supernatural forces come after him anyway, threatening his friends, and he finds himself navigating many of Karachi’s darker and more magical elements in an attempt to save them. Many, many loose ends left dangling for the sequel.
The Perilous Sea, by Sherry Thomas
This sequel to The Burning Sky opens with both protagonists awakening in the middle of the desert, without memories. They come together and cooperate for survival, their impromptu alliance helped by the fact that an entire army seems to be after them. The narration then swings back and forth between past and present, as events catch up to how they got there. Although the desert interludes were thrilling, I don’t think they added much to the story; most of the meat of the book were the “past” bits, which were tense and engaging enough on their own. The second book does a little more interrogation of the logic behind Titus’ unswerving dedication to his mother’s book of prophecies, and the pitfalls therein, which I particularly enjoyed.
Batter Royale, by Liesl Adams
Cute little graphic novel about Rose, a young Canadian waitress who loves baking but can’t afford culinary school. One day a food critic tastes her baking and invites her to a reality show baking competition; of course she jumps right in. The book is definitely for younger folk; Rose’s sweetness is always rewarded, her antagonist is cartoonishly evil, any argument she has with her partner is swiftly resolved, and it’s amusing to think of how many lawsuits would be filed against the producers of the baking competition in the real world. A generally adorable read, interspersed with cheerfully illustrated recipes. I might even try to make some of the maple-infused desserts someday.
Heart of the Sun Warrior, by Sue Lynn Tan
Perfectly decent followup to Daughter of the Moon Goddess, with the same flowery melodramatic writing style. Where the first book focused on Xingyin’s fight to prove herself a worthy warrior, this one focuses outward, on politics and her family dynamic. There are a few fight scenes, but not as many as in the first book; to make up for it, we get lots of love triangle angst and tense, layered conversations. I appreciated the main antagonist, whose backstory and motivation came together to create a true monster.
Bloodmarked, by Tracy Deonn
For some reason I thought going into this book (sequel to the excellent Legendborn) that it would be the second of a duology, and that everything would be wrapped up with a tidy bow at the end. Haha, joke’s on me. In true YA form, this one winds our poor teenage protagonists into a fever pitch of angst and then drops a giant emo bomb before ending on yet another massive reveal that changes everything. Overall, I thought this book was a fun read; I like how the characters unhesitatingly call each other out for bad behavior, and how the themes of slavery and racism remain front and center of both the plot and the magic structure. That said, I found the plot a bit less focused than the first book; a lot of new elements were introduced that I may not remember by the time the next book comes out, and even though protagonist Bree retains all her sass and fire, she still comes off as very passive in this installment.
We Unleash the Merciless Storm, by Tehlor Kay Mejia
Sequel to We Set the Dark on Fire, this one is from the viewpoint of Carmen, Daniela’s rival-turned-lover-turned-?????. When Carmen returns to the rebellion, she finds that the balance of power has shifted against her, and has to choose between her orders and her heart. Carmen’s fire and drive move the story well, but the narrative spends a lot of time on her internal angst over her relationship with Dani, and her internal wibbling contrasts a bit too sharply with her steely warrior persona.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, by Axie Oh
The title is pretty, but should really reference the girl who jumped into the sea. Every year a beautiful woman is sacrificed to pacify the Sea God, whose storms ravage the villages; this year, the woman selected to be the Sea God’s bride is Shim Cheong, beloved of Mina’s brother. In anger and indignation, Mina throws herself into the sea in Shim Cheong’s place. Once in the spirit world, she finds unlikely allies who help her tell the gods exactly what she thinks of their neglect of humanity’s prayers. Mina’s narrative voice is wonderful, and the story moves along well.
Gallant, by V.E. Schwab
Spooky and atmospheric. Olivia, who cannot make sounds and has to communicate through sign language, is being raised at an orphanage for girls; she has nothing of her parents except her mother’s old diary. Unexpectedly, a letter arrives inviting her to her ancestral home of Gallant, a place her mother’s diary explicitly warns her against visiting. Of course she goes anyway, and uncovers deep dark family secrets. Although the writing is beautiful and creepy, the plot itself is fairly straightforward and predictable; the one little twist was the identity of Olivia’s father, which I thought was a nice touch. None of the characters grow or change much as they march through this gothic tale; the point is to defeat the monster, not to explore anyone’s inner development.