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Thursday Review: EONA by Alison Goodman

I acquired an Advance Review Copy of this book from the publisher at ALA in January. This review is based on that version. The hardcover version is out now.

Reader Gut Reaction : Eona: The Last Dragoneye is a worthy sequel to Eon: Dragoneye Reborn (reviewed here), and ultimately wraps up the story with a very satisfying and also somewhat surprising ending. Be warned, though: this is an epic tale, and as such, it is LONG. Fans of high fantasy will enjoy being plunged into this absorbing adventure and taken along for the ride. Despite some moments where I felt the pacing slowed a bit for me, I enjoyed watching Eona learn to use and control her newfound dragon power, and struggle with those who want to use her abilities for their own political and personal ends.

Concerning Character : This is an epic story with an appropriately sweeping cast of characters, but the author does an excellent job of developing and distinguishing the important personages and not letting the sheer number of people get out of hand. I was happy to see some favorite characters from the first book return and reprise their roles, often with a new twist—Lady Dela, the Contraire and Eona's loyal friend; Lord Ido, with whom Eona has a disturbingly strong attraction-repulsion dynamic; Kygo, the rightful heir to the throne. However—and I felt this way about the first book—I couldn't help feeling a bit distant from some of the characters, including the narrator, Eona, despite the story being told in first person. I can't put my finger on exactly why. It could just be a matter of taste, but I felt it might be because the society depicted in Eon and Eona is so bound by tradition and social stricture that it was difficult to relate to the motivations of the characters sometimes. On the other hand, that's a testament to how well the author has developed her world and the people who inhabit it.

Recommended for Fans Of... : Fantasy with Asian influences and strong female protagonists, like Cindy Pon's Silver Phoenix and Malinda Lo's Ash and Huntress. Books in which characters bond with dragons, like Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders books.

Themes & Things : Eona struggles to make some thorny, convoluted, difficult moral decisions in this volume of the story—what is more important, friendship or power? Can you trust someone when they haven't been entirely truthful with you, and can/should they extend the same trust? Should you sacrifice one person's life to save countless others? Eona—and the reader—are shown that regardless of the ultimate decision, each choice has a cost, and sometimes the cost seems unbearable, even if you feel you've done the right thing.

Authorial Asides : Although I love the depiction of the swashbuckling girl on the cover, I'm debating with myself whether this is an example of coverfail...after all, this is an Asian-inspired setting, and the girl on the cover looks...I don't know. She's a brunette, at least. But not particularly Asian.

You can find Eona at an independent bookstore near you!

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Spreading Poetry and Why We Love YA Fantasy

If you haven't checked out Greg Pincus's Kickstarter project Poetry: Spread the Word, you're missing out on a great opportunity to help support poetry in California schools, at a time when we're continuing to see funding dwindle and kids' access to the arts curtailed. Has there ever been a time when arts funding for schools hasn't been dwindling? Not in my lifetime, but if Greg's project succeeds, it will be a small beacon of hope that individual grassroots efforts can help combat what sometimes seems to be an inevitable slide toward seeing arts curriculum and creativity as optional and unimportant.

If Poetry: Spread the Word meets the $5,000 fundraising goal, Greg will do 40 or more school visits at no cost to schools and make original poetry available for free on his blog. If you've ever read Greg's poetry, you'll know that this is a real treat. There are 3 weeks left to pledge, and the more you pledge, the more goodies Greg will give you...


Franny Billingsley is the author of the new fantasy novel Chime. In the latest Horn Book e-newsletter, Mr. Read Roger asks her about YA fantasy vs. adult fantasy, and her answer really resonated with me:

I do read some adult fantasy, but I find it often lacks the intimacy I crave from any novel. Either the cast of characters is too large, or the landscape is too big, or the stakes are too broad (I'd rather read about saving the character's soul than saving the character's kingdom), or the protagonist feels somehow distant. This last is probably a function of one or more of the foregoing, all of which add up to a kind of psychic distance from the character that in turn, distances me from the story.

I feel like this answer applies in a much larger sense to the question I often get asked, which is "why YA?" Adult fiction really can be distant and lack intimacy with the character. A character-driven book becomes a dry study, observing from above, rather than delving deep into the heart of the character. Thanks to Franny for articulating some of the reasons why I love YA so much--as a reader and as a writer.

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Toon Thursday and Rock the Drop!

Hey, did you Rock the Drop yet today in honor of YALSA's Support Teen Lit Day? It's not too late to download bookplates to print and paste inside your favorite book, which you will then sneakily leave for some lucky teen reader to find. Yes, you. Go!

Also, apropos of Tanita's post and the ensuing discussion below on whether kids are attracted to the dark and/or gruesome, here's an interesting article about the rather grim stage interpretation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden--an article that starts with the premise that the book really isn't a children's book. I can't say I agree with that. Maybe that's because I do, to some degree, think kids have a tolerance for certain types of grim, even if I don't think that all kids "like a bit of gore." Beyond that, though, I'm not sure how I feel about a musical interpretation of the book. Turning beloved books into musicals can be such a touchy endeavor...

Aside from that, we present you with a brand-new installment of Toon Thursday. Click to view larger (i.e., if you actually want to READ the thing). Enjoy!

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Monday Review: HUNTRESS by Malinda Lo

I acquired an Advance Review Copy of this book from the publisher at ALA in January. This review is based on that version. The hardcover version is out now.

Reader Gut Reaction : I enjoyed Malinda Lo's earlier fantasy novel Ash, so I was really looking forward to reading Huntress and seeing where the author would go next. In this case, it felt like a prequel that really allowed her (and the reader) to explore the setting in much more intimate detail. And that had been my main quibble with Ash--I wanted a more fleshed-out glimpse of both characters and setting, and with Huntress, I was happy to find it was provided in spades. I really like it when authors can put a new twist on high fantasy, and the Asian influences on the setting and cultures in this book make it stand out. The unique details really help draw in even the more jaded fantasy reader such as (ahem) myself.

Concerning Character : I was a little surprised at first by the omniscient viewpoint that lets us get a glimpse of all three main characters—Kaede, Taisin, and Con. It was a very close third person whenever we were in each character's head, but the different viewpoints weren't kept apart in separate chapters the way many books with multiple POV do it. Rather, it felt more like traditional storytelling, letting us see Kaede and her growing sense of herself as a protector and hunter responsible for their party; Taisin's growing magical power and her fears of loving (and losing (Kaede); and Con and his care for both girls as well as his unexpected love for his guardswoman Shae. Once I got more accustomed to the style, though, I thought it worked well, and gave the story a classic fairy-tale feel.

Recommended for Fans Of... : Fantasy with an Asian-mythology twist, like Cindy Pon's Silver Phoenix and Alison Goodman's EON: Dragoneye Reborn. Fairy-tale retellings with a dose of romance, like Robin McKinley's Beauty.

Themes & Things : This is a sweet, poignant, hopeful love story as well as an intriguing fantasy adventure. The romance is not limited to the two girls, Kaede and Taisin, and their growing feelings for one another—in a world where same-sex relationships do not necessarily seem to be viewed with negativity—but also includes their friend Con and his love for Shae...a nobleman in love with a humble guardswoman. So there are themes of both gender and class at work here, but neither theme is overemphasized as such. And I liked not being beaten over the head with issues. It's simply a good story.

Authorial Asides : You can check out Malinda Lo on her blog/website and on Twitter, as well as on the fabulous site Diversity in YA Fiction, which she co-created with YA fantasy author Cindy Pon.

You can find Huntress at an independent bookstore near you!

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Thursday Bits: Are You Ready to Rock...the Drop?

That's right, Teen Literature Day is coming up on April 14th, and this year the Readergirlz are teaming up with the folks at Figment to Rock the Drop. Buy your favorite book, print a bookplate, stick it in the book, and leave it for some lucky YA reader to find. Go to the Readergirlz site to download banners and printable bookplates!


Have you signed up for Alyssa @ The Shady Glade's 2011 YA Book Battle? Check out her post on the rules of the contest--you've still got 3 days left to nominate your two favorite overlooked books of 2010, and then the brackets begin! Sounds like fun. I did not volunteer to assist, because if I volunteer for anything else my husband will strenuously object (and with good reason), but there might even be a few spots left for volunteer judges. There's even a Goodreads group so you can keep up with the action. Go check it out!


And, just because it's cool, children's books in Laos, delivered by elephant, and a 1980 Mercedes bus that's now the Bumper Children's Book Bus in Russia. (Via SCBWI's Expression newsletter)

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Monday Sci-Fi Bytes: SHADOW WALKERS by Brent Hartinger

I acquired an Advance Review Copy of this book from the publisher at ALA in January. This review is based on that version. The official version is out now.

Reader Gut Reaction : Right away, I was happy to see a supernatural suspense novel with a gay teen character in which the protagonist's sexual orientation was neither treated as a social "issue" nor seemed to be a source of undue psychological stress on the character. Zach is lonely, yes, but mostly as a factor of living with his grandparents on a really small island off the coast of Washington state. His parents are dead, and he's only got his grandparents and little brother...and an interesting array of internet friends, who he's recently been forbidden to contact. So when Zach discovers a book about astral projection, he figures it might give him a way off the island, a means of escape. Soon enough, though, he discovers that astral projection has its dark side...and that he's not alone in the astral realm.

Concerning Character : Zach is a really likeable guy. I felt for him being one of very few teenagers (and even fewer gay teenagers) on the island where he lives, and I loved the depiction of his relationship with his little brother Gilbert. He's pretty much a regular kid, but desperately lonely. So when he meets Emory, his potential astral love interest, I wanted to cheer for sure. The characters are quickly drawn, but effectively, making this a fast and absorbing read rather than a study of character or an in-depth examination of what it's like to be a gay teen. As I mentioned, it's not an "issue book." But that's one of the things I liked about it. Not to beat it over the head, but we need many more books like this in which being a gay teen is treated as normal.

Recommended for Fans Of... : Lois Duncan's books about paranormal powers, especially those about astral projection like Stranger With My Face. Suspenseful books about battling mysterious dark creatures who live in the liminal spaces, like Scott Westerfeld's Midnighters trilogy.

Themes & Things : I'd say this book is more plot-driven, but one of the key themes is, of course, first love, and learning that it's what's inside a person's heart that's important, not what they look like or whether they're differently abled or gay or straight or what. Family bonds are also a big part of this book, and so is the idea of having the courage to do the right thing and to be your own person.

Authorial Asides : Brent Hartinger is a fellow Flux author and all-around nice guy. (And I'm not just saying that because it's in his bio. He really is.) He's also the author of Geography Club, Project Sweet Life, and a number of other books. You can visit his website and pick his brain on a number of writerly and non-writerly topics, and you can follow him on Twitter.

You can find Shadow Walkers at an independent bookstore near you!

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Toon Thursday: Special Tax Time Edition

That's right, I spent inordinate amounts of time this year fussing with our home office deduction, not to mention figuring out how to deduct the art studio for the 3/4 of the year that Rob used it for his sabbatical workspace. So I hereby bring you A Day in the Writing Life 6: Your Home Office. (Click cartoon to view larger.)


For earlier installments of  A Day in the Writing Life, check out the Toon Thursday Archives.

In other news, are you ready for National Poetry Month? Who cares about taxes? Let's get poetic. Lots of kidlitosphere folks are participating, including blog buds like Liz Garton Scanlon, Gregory K., Jama Rattigan, Andromeda Jazmon, Mary Lee Hahn, and many many more. Original poems, classic poems--you'll find plenty of both. Stay tuned for an update of the full schedule on the Kidlitosphere Central site.  (As of this writing, the list still referred to last year's schedule.)

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Monday Sci-Fi Bytes: ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis

I acquired an Advance Review Copy of this book from the publisher at ALA in January. This review is based on that version.

Reader Gut Reaction : This one's been getting quite a lot of buzz on the blogs, from what I've seen, and I'd been excited to read it, too—I mean, a romantic dystopian sci-fi mystery in space? Bring it on! And I'm happy to say that it didn't disappoint. The plot moved quickly, and I enjoyed the fact that this one took some risks in going into less-frequently-explored territory (there aren't as many hard-SF books for teens as we—that is to say, me and T—would like to see around) and giving the idea of a dystopian future a unique twist by conceiving it as a murder mystery in space.

Concerning Character : The story's told in the alternating viewpoints of Amy, who wakes up mysteriously early from her cryogenic sleep and realizes that it was not an accident, and Elder, who is the leader-in-training for the society that has evolved aboard the ship Godspeed. Their contrasting perspectives on the situation were nicely done, and I loved seeing the ship through Amy's eyes, as she strikes me as being a stand-in for the reader in some ways, providing a familiar viewpoint on an unfamiliar world. I would have liked the side characters to feel a little more fleshed out—Eldest, for instance, and Orion, who were both critical to the story and intriguing enough for me to want to know more. I suppose there's always room for that in a sequel...

Recommended for Fans Of... : Maria V. Snyder's Inside/Out, a suspenseful read which also takes place in the far future in a rather regimented society (reviewed here). Ally Condie's Matched, which explores the idea of love in a future where everything seems to be determined for you (reviewed here).

Themes & Things : I had a good discussion with Jennifer, another member of our writing group, about the fact that the society depicted on Godspeed has interbred to the point of near-complete racial uniformity, so Amy's appearance—and her shocking red hair and fair skin—create quite a contrast and a stir. That, and the other genetic aspects of the story, like population control and minimizing the effects of inbreeding in a population of limited size, are particularly interesting to ponder. And, of course, Elder must learn what it means to be a leader and how he can grow into that position as an individual, rather than as the obedient and unquestioning scion that the ruling Eldest expects him to be.

Authorial Asides : All I can say is, what an awesome debut novel. I'm fantastically envious in a "wish I'd written it" sort of way. The author has a very nifty personal site here, and blogs about dystopian lit here,. Plus I think she has the same agent as Neil Gaiman. Talk about wow! (Says the girl who, at this point, is basically jealous of ANYONE with an agent.)

You can find Across the Universe at an independent bookstore near you!

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Thursday Bits and Pieces

Since it's my birthday today (and thank you, Tanita, for the lovely birthday message below), I'm simply going to present a few links for your enjoyment, and wait until Monday for my next batch of reviews:

The Kidlit 4 Japan auction started up this past Monday. There are some great items to bid on, including signed ARCs, manuscript critiques, a poetry critique from our own Kelly F., and (to be posted in a future batch of auction items) a copy of The Latte Rebellion, signed by yours truly, plus bookmarks. Donation proceeds will go to the UNICEF U.S. Fund. Also, YA author Heidi Kling is hosting a Doctors Without Borders fundraiser on her blog.


Don't forget to hit save! Check out Robert Lee Brewer's tips for avoiding computer-related writing disaster on his blog My Name Is Not Bob.


Via the SCBWI Expression newsletter, a BoingBoing post on what it's like on the inside of James Frey's YA novel assembly line. Plus, an article about series books and the YA-oriented book packaging industry. Very revealing. And makes me so glad I'm not working in marketing any more.


Get this... Martin Scorsese's next film is...wait for it...The Invention of Hugo Cabret. We love that book here at FW, and all we can say is, he'd better do it justice. Yeah, Jude Law, you heard me. You too, Ben Kingsley and Sacha Baron Cohen. (Jeez, is there anybody NOT in this movie? Besides Charlie Sheen?)


This week on Guys Lit Wire: flying men and Floating Islands; Tim Powers blends beer, Arthurian lore, and magic; and flaming guitars a la Chris Barton.


Lastly, Patricia McKillip!! How much do I wish I could go to Norwescon next month? Unfortunately, I have plans already that weekend, plus my conference budget for this year is already spoken for, but maybe some other year...

Enjoy the weekend!

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Monday Review: Matched by Ally Condie

I borrowed a copy of this book from my mom.

Reader Gut Reaction : Though it took a few chapters for this one to catch my interest, once narrator Cassia was presented with her dilemma, it got a lot more riveting. The setting was immediately intriguing to me—sometime in the far future, in a so-called ideal Society that neither acknowledges nor tolerates any independent thought, and leaves no room for nonconformity to its rules. In this Society, young people are Matched with future mates according to genetics and other factors, and Cassia's been matched with her childhood friend Xander...or has she? It's a rather sinister take on the idea of computer-matched dating profiles, made all the more sinister when you find out just how much control the Society has over its citizens.

Concerning Character : At first, Cassia is a character who lives life very much on the surface—just like every other good citizen, she doesn't question anything the Society tells her is right. As such, it was a bit of a challenge to identify with her enough to lose myself in the story, at least in the beginning. However, the author imbues her with relatable feelings of excitement, of attraction, of caring for her family and friends, and that gives the reader something to hold onto. As the book progresses, of course, Cassia begins to question what she's always been told, and her character deepens in a very satisfying way. Though we don't get to know her family very deeply, they are important foils for Cassia's character development, and the two love interests, Xander and Ky, are both appealing enough to give the Peeta-vs.-Gale conundrum a run for its money.

Recommended for Fans Of... : Dystopian fiction about breaking out of an all-seeing, all-controlling system, like Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix, and 1984 by George Orwell.

Themes & Things : Besides the obvious dystopian-connected themes like learning to think for oneself in a society that is constantly telling you what to think, what to eat, how to live, who to marry, and when to die, this book is also a romance that highlights the differences between family love, friendly love and romantic love.

Authorial Asides : This is the first book I've read by Ally Condie, and I was very glad to see that the sequel will be out this November. Besides the MATCHED trilogy, she's written a handful of books for an LDS imprint (including the Yearbook trilogy). Check out the FAQ on her website for the story behind the story, or the author Q&A on the book's Amazon page.

You can find Matched at an independent bookstore near you!

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