80's Pop Culture, Trailer Stacks, and an Easter Egg- Review of Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Ready Player One

Ernest Cline

2011

Amazon/Goodreads

Wade lives in a "trailer stack"- literally a stack of trailers!

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is a dystopian novel set in 2044.  Due to global warming and the energy crisis, industrialized nations are collapsing.  People escape into the Oasis, an immersive Internet world, where players are able to build the lives they wish they had in reality.  When the 1980’s-obsessed inventor of the Oasis dies, he leaves his fortune to the winner of a virtual contest within the Oasis.  High school senior Wade Watts is determined to win this fortune- and the most epic videogame of all. 

I enjoyed this fast-paced read because of the incredible world building, the 1980’s pop culture references, and the mysterious clues within the contest.  I even found myself trying to solve the riddles along with Wade.  The characters demonstrate inspiring perseverance and sacrifice in their quest, and teenage and adult readers alike will enjoy the game contained in this book.

For more information, check out the book's website.

Review of A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine

A Tale of Two Castles

Gail Carson Levine

May 2011

Ages 8-12 (or 23...haha)

328 pages 

This is the story of a twelve-year-old girl named Elodie who leaves her family to travel to the town of Two Castles (so named because of the two castles- one belongs to the king, the other to an ogre!!) to become a "mansioner" (aka an actress).  Elodie is very smart- she observes everything which helps her to be a good mansioner.  She hopes to become a free apprentice, as her family is very poor, but once she has embarked on her trip, she finds out that free apprenticeships are no more, and she needs to either find enough money to pay or find other employment.

During her trip, Elodie sees some new things that surprise her.  Some people are dressed strangely, there is a weird obsession with cats in Two Castles, and she meets the dragon Meenore, who hires her as an assistant.  When the ogre, Count Jonty Um, comes to Meenore to ask for help, Meenore sends Elodie back with him to be a secret agent in the castle and protect the Count.  This tale is loosely based on the story of Puss 'N Boots... but are the cats in Two Castles friends or enemies?

I absolutely loved Ella Enchanted, so I always make an effort to read anything that Gail Carson Levine writes.  I found the beginning of this book to be tentative as far as the warm, magical romance that I expect from Levine, but it definitely showed up in the second half of the book.  The plot is well-developed- a mystery with twists, turns, and close calls.  Elodie is a likeable heroine, but the supporting characters are really excellent.  Masteress Meenore the dragon is multi-dimensional, which is refreshing in a mentor (by this I mean that Meenore goes through different moods and challenges Elodie in ways that surprise the reader), and County Jonty Um is the most unique ogre that I have ever read about- I'll let you read the book to find out more!  

I give this book 4 stars and would recommend it for young readers.  You can check out the website to read the first chapter, and here is the book trailer!!

Interview with Augusta Blythe, Author of Winterborne

A few days ago, I reviewed the debut ebook Winterborne.  Here is an interview with the author, Augusta Blythe, a lawyer currently living in England.  You can check out her Goodreads page here and her personal blog here.

In case you missed my plot summary and review of Winterborne, you can check here before reading the interview (or you could probably just scroll down)!

LPFR: Winterborne is the story of two very different best friends.  If you had to pick one word to sum up each girl, what would they be?   


Augusta:  Mia - confident; Loie - loyal.

LPFR: Which girl do you identify more with- Mia or Loie?  

Augusta:  Like a lot of characters, these two are composites of many people, including myself, so I have to say I identify with both.  I identify with Mia's confidence and Loie's tendency to find humor in humorless situations.    

LPFR:  What is your favorite part of the story?  

Augusta:  They probably won't be anyone else's favorite parts, but I love the scenes between Loie and Gran.  Gran is (loosely) based on my own grandmother, who died in 2003.  She was a real piece of work and she manages to pop up as a character in pretty much any story I write. 

LPFR:  You mentioned that you are working on Book 2.  Can you tell us any more about that?  

Augusta:  Without including any spoilers from Winterborne here, I'm continuing Loie and Mia's journey now that the girls have turned seventeen and the Ancients are getting restless.  I'm also including another hot guy that gives perfect Andreas a run for his money.  

LPFR:  What is your favorite book that you have read so far in 2011?  

Augusta: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.  I couldn't believe she managed to write him in such an engaging way that I found myself crushing on a historical statesman.  Unfortunately, it's been a slow reading year because I am trying to cram a lot of writing into the short spurts of time I have (centered around the schedules of two small children).  

Many thanks to Augusta Blythe for the interview!  If you haven't checked out this book- do it now!

Top Ten Settings

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

My Top Ten Settings:

10.  Tortall from Tamora Pierce's books-  Tortall is basically a deciduous forest in a temperate climate, but it is roamed by knights and not-so-mythical creatures.  I would kind of like a reason to learn how to sword fight.

9.  Maycomb, Alabama from To Kill a Mockingbird- Obvs I'm not so keen on the racism, but I have always been curious about small town life.  I'd love to have neighbors and be allowed to play outside without my parents fearing for my abduction.  In PG County, we try to avoid our neighbors as much as possible despite the cramped neighborhoods.

8.  Stoneybrook, Connecticut from The Baby-Sitters Club series- Again, close knit town, this time in the North.  I particularly like how this small town has its own university.

7.  Dauntless Headquarters from Divergent- Wow.  A cliff society with no railings?  Lots of hardcore peeps?  Living in basically a giant cave?

6.  North Carolina as described by Nicholas Sparks- I love the cool breezes from the coast, the pretty water, and the relaxed atmosphere.

5.  The moors in Wuthering Heights- The loneliness, the desolation, the endless sea of green and cloudy skies.  Oh, and the mud.  What better scene for melancholy and desperate love?

4.  Kyrria from Ella Enchanted- In case you have forgotten, as I had, this is just where she lives.  The name Kyrria started my adolescent obsession with strange fantasy names.  Anyways, this is a fun land with nutty fairies and lots and lots of pretty things to look at.

3.  Rivendell from LOTR-  BTW, if you listen to the Fellowship soundtrack while napping, I can guarantee super trippy dreams about elves.

2.  Isle Esme from Breaking Dawn- Oh. My. Goodness.  Can I just say how much I can't wait for the movie? 

1. OF COURSE, HOGWARTS, because WHY WOULDN'T I want to live in a magical castle with adorable Brits and delicious food and sneaky elves?  My life back up plan is to work at the theme park.  I could easily be Ginny, which is who I am dressing up as for the party this summer!

Review of Winterborne by Augusta Blythe

Winterborne

by Augusta Blythe

eBook, published April 2011

Available for 2.99 on Kindle, Nook, and iBookstore

Winterborne is the story of two best friends, Mia and Loie (rhymes with Joey) as they approach their shared 17th birthday, December 21st.  Mia, the strong, beautiful one, is going to inherit psychic powers on her birthday, but her father, who also had these powers, disappeared a long time ago, so she doesn't know much about them.  Loie, an orphan who lives with her crotchety, gin-drinking grandmother, is content hiding in Mia's shadow and being her emotional support and confidant.  During the summer before the fateful birthday, Loie watches as Mia tests out her powers, which are just beginning to emerge.  Mia's powers seem to include a little bit of telepathy and telekinesis, although neither of the girls knows exactly what will happen when her powers arrive in full.  Their summer becomes more interesting when a gorgeous Brit named Andreas climbs over the fence (see Teaser Tuesday here).  Both Mia and Loie find themselves attracted to Andreas, but Loie is content to let  Mia have him, at least at first.  As December 21st approaches, Loie starts experiencing strange nightmares,  and after a frightening nighttime attack, the girls realize that things are not exactly as they seem.  Nothing can prepare them for what happens on December 21st.

When the author emailed me inviting me to review this book, I was super excited.  This book is exactly the kind of thing I like to read: YA, urban fantasy, cute man-candy, and secret powers.  I did receive this ebook for free in exchange for a review, but if I were not absolutely beyond broke (about to graduate with my Master's and currently unemployed, living with my parents), I would have purchased it in a heartbeat, especially for the amazing price of $2.99.

I loved this story- it was fast paced, very funny, and had an excellently developed plot with twists and action in all of the right places.  Loie and Mia both show excellent growth throughout the book, and their relationship is honest and imperfect, but they work together to make it through the difficulties that face them.  Andreas is a very NICE boy, which is refreshing, because as much as I <3 Edward, Jace, and even Four, not ALL great guys are secretly tortured and desperate.  Although I don't think we have seen all of Andreas' secrets, he seems to be emotionally healthy and not in need of "fixing."

The only downside of this book was that I felt it was very short!  I read it on my phone, where it was 800 something pages with the font size I use, but in on my laptop it is only 188 pages.  I was really happy to find out that the author is working on a sequel.  I just want to keep reading and learn more about this world- there are still mysteries to uncover and secrets to explore.

I give this book five stars, and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes YA fantasy.  I can't wait to see what happens next!

STAY TUNED for an interview with the author, Augusta Blythe, later this week.

Belated Books- Tithe by Holly Black

I often find myself reading books that were published a while ago, but I never got to read them.  It always feels strange reviewing these books, because often the hype surrounding them came and went.  However, I think it is useful to still review these books, because maybe other people will find them who haven't read them yet.  And so, I am starting a weekly feature on my blog entitled "Belated Books" where I will do just this- review the books that I somehow missed.

The first book I have chosen is Tithe by Holly Black.  This is the first book in the Modern Faerie Tales trilogy (book 2 is Valiant and book 3 is Ironside).  Tithe was first published in 2002.  I chose to read this book because Cassandra Clare fans are always talking about Holly Black, and I hadn't read anything by her.  My BFF MRT recommended that I start with The Modern Faerie Tales, so I requested a copy from the library.

Tithe is a very dark urban fantasy tale about a young teenage girl who has spent her childhood traveling with a dysfunctional mother pursuing a singing career.  Kaye is very mature and somewhat jaded as she has had to care for her mother, helping her when drunk, etc.  When Kaye's mother is almost killed by strange attack, they move to her grandmother's house where Kaye lived as a child.  Kaye is clearly, from the beginning, not an ordinary teenage girl, and we hear about strange imaginary friends that she had as a child.  When Kaye rescues a handsome, otherworldly knight in the woods while walking home, a series of events follows that quickly spiral out of her control.

As I said before, this is a super-dark story.  I had trouble with the first few chapters because I wanted to clean the whole time.  I wanted to pick up the trash on the ground. I wanted to clean Kaye's room.  I wanted to scrub her hair, and most of all, I wanted to wash her clothes.  Once I got past the grime, I really enjoyed the story.  Although I could never live such an edgy, grungy life, it was fun to experience.  The scary and sometimes grotesque imagery made the story reminiscent of a freak show at times.

I have to say that I really do not like Corny.  He is just a little bit to grody for me.  Again, please take a shower.  He did add a great element to the story, and I like that he is an unlikely male supporting character because of his... pathetic-ness, but ew.  I would like to make him wash his hands.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for something to try in between CC books- it's very different from anything that I have read before.  I give it 4 stars and look forward to reading book 2.

Visit Holly Black's website to read an excerpt!