Book Review: Stain by A. G. Howard @aghowardwrites @jennybent @ABRAMSbooks

I am pleasantly surprised by Stain. It is one of the best fairytale retellings I've ever read.

I'm getting tired of fantasy. Especially dark, ominous stories. So I had misgivings when I picked up Stain. But I had never read anything by Howard, and I wanted to.

Stain is its own story; a mashup of fairytales retold, which made it even more appealing. Even though you know the prince and the princess will eventually get together, you aren't sure how that's all going to play out. Howard includes The Princess and the Pea story at the end of the book, but I saw elements of Cinderella too. (Evil stepmother and stepsisters -- aunt and cousins in this case.) Although there is the bed of nails thing, and the prince needs to find her before he dies. Doesn't really matter. Just don't worry about what story this is supposed to be.

And about the Prince and Princess--Stain is full of peril and pain, but because it is written like a fairytale, you know there is a "Happily Ever After" (or, Hopefully, as Howard writes) in store for the ending. The characterizations are great--the evil characters are vile. And the heroes are...well, heroic! The writing is uplifting and compelling. At over 500 pages, I flew through Stain.

If I have to say anything negative about Stain, it would probably be that there are a lot of characters to keep track of. I did get confused once or twice, like, "now wait, who is that again??" But that's my own thing and might not apply to other readers.

Maybe Stain was just the right book at the right time for me, but I found it refreshing and fun. I'll be donating this to my high school library and can't wait to recommend it.

Published by Harry N. Abrams, January 15, 2019
Copy obtained from a freebie!
512 pages

Rating: 5/5

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Book Review: The Glass Spare by Lauren DeStefano @LaurenDeStefano

The Glass Spare kept my interest and has a different twist that makes it unique.

Wil is the princess of a very wealthy nation. She has three brothers, but her favorite is Gideon who practices alchemy.  Gideon and Wil are the "spares" in the family.  Their older brothers are the only ones that the King cares about since one of them will be the next King.

The King is ready to go to war with the southern colonies since they are very private and will not trade with any other kingdoms.  The King wants their magical plants and minerals. Gideon tries to seek approval from his father by using his alchemy to make deadly weapons to defeat their enemies.

The king uses Wil as a spy since no one knows who she is.  One night, she discovers a magical power - when she touches something or someone who is alive, they turn to gemstones. A tragedy befalls the royal family (I'm being very unspecific on purpose here) and Wil is banished. She longs to find a person named Kahn who Wil believes is the only one who can cure her of her deadly touch.

Her travels throw her together with an unlikely young man who has secrets of his own. While Wil is fighting for her freedom and a way to return to her family, she ends up in a fight for her life as well as the lives of her companions.

I'm trying to be as vague as possible about the details because the reader needs to discover the secrets on their own.  I found The Glass Spare to be easy to follow, and I liked the characters enough to want them to find happiness.

But they aren't happy yet at the end of The Glass Spare.  It does end in a good spot -- a major crisis has been averted -- but there is more to come since this is the first book in a new series.

I'm not always into adventure stories about magical abilities, but I fell for The Glass Spare.  It has enough real-life danger (that can't magically be fixed) to keep me turning pages.  I think my teens will enjoy this one too.

Published by Balzer + Bray, October 24, 2017
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
416 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

The Wrath and the Dawn  is an exciting albeit loose retelling of One Thousand and One Nights and The Arabian Nights. I'm must admit I'm not familiar with the details of those stories, but this retelling hit the right notes for me.

The Caliph of Khorasan takes a new bride each evening and executes them at dawn. After her best friend becomes a victim, Shahrzad volunteers so that she can execute the Caliph and get her revenge.

She manages to stay alive by beginning a story that she hasn't finished before dawn, so the Caliph agrees she can finish it the next night. Well, after that he just falls head over heals in love with her, so he can't execute her.  Yea, there was a bit of instalove that seemed a bit unlikely. Especially when Shahrzad begins to have feeling for her captor just as quickly. Yes she's torn because she's supposed to hate him and murder him, but it seems instantly that she is swooning instead of hating.

Other than that, I really like the storytelling and the pacing. The excitement builds, since there's obviously a reason the Caliph has behaved this way, because Shahrzad sees his softer side.  And Shahrzad was practically engaged to someone and he, along with Shahrzad's father, is bound and determined to rescue her -- except she doesn't really want to be rescued. Oh, and there's a magic carpet that doesn't play much of a part here, but I'm certain we'll see it in future books.

Shahrzad finally convinces the Caliph to explain why he's been compelled to be such a brutal leader and shortly after that, The Wrath and the Dawn ends, so yes, there's a huge cliffhanger.  The sequel, The Rose and the Dagger is scheduled to be released in May. If you like books with curses, magic, and evil plotting, then The Wrath and the Dawn is one to check out.

Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons BFYR, May 12, 2015
eBook obtained from the library
416 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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Book Review: Tiger's Curse, by Colleen Houck

Tiger's Curse is a page turner. I never lost interest and the pace keeps you on your toes.

Tiger's Curse is fantasy. The main character, Kelsey, befriends a tiger while working at a circus. It turns out the tiger is really an ancient prince who has been cursed to live in a tiger's body. He has determined that Kelsey is the one that can help him break the curse.

Tiger's Curse is an exciting adventure and it's sweet at the same time. The characters were endearing. Kelsey, who is so compassionate, Ren, the tiger, who is obviously mad about Kelsey, and Mr. Kadam, the perfect side kick are the main characters.

Durga is the god that can release the curse. Kelsey is supposedly Durga's favored one. Kelsey accepts all this weirdness pretty easily. They have to travel all over India and figure out a lot of cryptic messages and symbols. It all happens quickly, but that also is what keeps the plot full of action. And, while they do get into some seriously dangerous situations, they always manage to figure out how to survive fairly easily.

I'm a tentative fantasy fan. I like my fantasy to have a lot of reality mixed in. And, Tiger's Curse went too far for my taste. There is just too much magic.  I have students that love these books, and they are often checked out. I don't hesitate to recommend this series. Most of my complaints are entirely personal.

If you enjoy a fantasy about lovable wild animals, Tiger's Curse is sure to entertain. The empathetic characters and fast pace will definitely keep your interest.

Published by Splinter, 2011
Copy obtained from the library
403 pages

Rating: 3.5

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