Review: To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

Title: To Say Nothing of the Dog
Author: Connie Willis
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 493
Genre: Science Fiction, Romance, Comedy, Historical Fiction
Publication Date: November 18th, 2009
Publisher: Bantam
Rating: 9

Summary:
From Goodreads: From Connie Willis, winner of multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards, comes a comedic romp through an unpredictable world of mystery, love, and time travel...

Ned Henry is badly in need of a rest. He's been shuttling between the 21st century and the 1940s searching for a Victorian atrocity called the bishop's bird stump. It's part of a project to restore the famed Coventry Cathedral, destroyed in a Nazi air raid over a hundred years earlier.

But then Verity Kindle, a fellow time traveler, inadvertently brings back something from the past. Now Ned must jump back to the Victorian era to help Verity put things right--not only to save the project but to prevent altering history itself.

Why did I read this book? This is the March Challenge in Calico Reactions Book Club!

Source: Bought

My Review
This is my first time participating in calico-reaction's book club, and I have to say what a great start! I decided to participate even though I have limited time to read because I wanted to read more scifi and having a community to discuss it after just made it more appealing.

To be honest, when I started the book, I thought it was definitely funny and entertaining, but I really couldn't get into the actual story. I had trouble reading more than one chapter at a time (which is unusual for me). Ironically, the first part of the book which mimics Willis' inspiration, Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome in which there are in fact about 100 pages about three men in a boat - to say nothing of the dog - was in my opinion the most boring part of the book. Nonetheless I was held by Willis' talent in writing passages that evoked visions of the past and present. For instance, one of my favorites was: "She was a delicate blossom, capable of growing only in a single time, adapted only to the select hothouse environment of the late Victorian era: the untouched flower, the blooming English rose, the angel in the house. She would be extinct in only a handful of years, replaced by the bicycling bloomer girl, the cigarette-smoking flapper and the suffragette." (p.94)

I noticed my attention piqued when the plot moved into the mystery aspect, and also when Ned Henry and Verity Kindle began to have scenes together. I thought the mystery was so well done, although I did catch some hints and guessed right on a couple things, nothing prepared me for the ending in which Willis reveals a very thought out and masterminded conclusion. As for Ned Henry, I can't really describe Willis' skill in creating and maintaining such a distinct narrative voice through that character. I feel like I know the guy. Some of my favorite parts were when Ned was time-lagged and had the tendency to sentimentalize, which was quite charming and hilarious.

Rating: 9
I think this book is great fun and also contains an impressive plot and that it could be good for fledgling scifi readers (like me). Also, anyone who is interested in Victorian history should read this too as most of it takes place in that time. I hope to read more of Connie Willis in the future.

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Review: The Crow by Alison Croggon

Title: The Crow
Author: Alison Croggon
Series: Book Three of the Pellinor Quartet
Format: Paperback
Pages: 511
Genre: Epic Fantasy, Young Adult
Publication Date: August 12th, 2008
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Rating: 9

Summary:
From Goodreads: As this enthralling epic nears its climax, the young heroine’s brother discovers his own hidden gift — and the role he must play in battling the Dark.

Hem is a weary orphan whose struggle for survival ends when he is reunited with his lost sister, Maerad. But Maerad has a destiny to fulfill, and Hem is sent to the golden city of Turbansk, where he learns the ways of the Bards and befriends a mysterious white crow. When the forces of the Dark threaten, Hem flees with his protector, Saliman, and an orphan girl named Zelika to join the Light’s resistance forces. It is there that Hem has a vision and learns that he, too, has a part to play in Maerad’s quest to solve the Riddle of the Treesong. As THE CROW continues the epic tale begun with THE NAMING and THE RIDDLE, Alison Croggon creates a world of astounding beauty overshadowed by a terrifying darkness, a world where Maerad and Hem must prepare to wage their final battle for the Light.

Why did I read this book? I read and loved the two previous books in the series, The Naming (review) and The Riddle (review).

Source: Bought

My Review
This book follows The Riddle) in the Pellinor series. However, this book doesn't follow chronologically; the story is parallel to that of the Riddle. Where in The Riddle Maerad's story is told, in The Crow Hem's story unfolds. This is a good and a not-so-good thing.

I really looked forward to and enjoyed the chance to experience Hem's story. We travel to a new city and are exposed to other cultures of Edil-Amarandh and get to learn about Hem himself. We also meet a new character, Irc the white crow (as seen on the cover) who is enorminously endearing. Being an animal lover I always appreciate our non-human characters in fantasies.

I found it mildly annoying that we had to go back in time to see Hem's story which coincides with Maerad's. We made big leaps in plot during The Riddle and I felt that there wasn't much that was new or unexpected in The Crow. I could feel the strings of the author pushing and pulling the plot to set everything up for when everything converges in The Singing (the fourth and final book).

Rating: 9
That being said, The Crow really stands out from the previous two books. This installment is much darker. There are heavy themes and also many gruesome images. It really gives you the sense that things are starting to get very serious. I liked that; it made everything seem that much more real. I highly recommend this series!

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Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Iron King
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Iron Fey #1
Format: Paperback
Pages: 363
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Publication Date: February 1st, 2010
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Rating: 9

Summary:
From Goodreads: Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

Source: Bought

My Review
I was surprised to find that the book was quite the adventure story. There was action, a bit of mystery and it was all complemented by the romance. The romance aspect of it wasn't as prevalent as I thought but it fit into the main story and completed it nicely. Something I thought was very interesting was that Kagawa uses faeries from A Midsummer's Night Dream by Shakespeare (Oberon, Titania, etc) and at first I wasn't sure about this because I was worried the author would fall back on already-known characters. Kagawa created one of the best faerie worlds I have read (up there with my other favorite, Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr). I don't want to give too much away but I have to say I thought her plot and world building was clever and executed very well.

One of my favorite characters of this book was Grimalkin the cait sith. What a treat he was. I felt that every time he was there he stole the scene. His bemusement and snarky comments were a delight and he just added to the overall magical feeling of this book. Meghan was a good lead female, spunky, smart but also a realistic teen-aged girl with doubts about herself. She grows over the course of the story and I was very happy with her.

Rating: 9
In the end I thought this book had a good message to it; how we all start to lose our belief in things that used to be important to us and how those changes as society progresses. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend this. The book concludes with a wide opening for the sequel, The Iron Daughter which comes out in August 2010. Can't wait!

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