Review: Ivan and Marya by Anna Kashina

Book Blurb: 
 Every Solstice, every year, a young girl dies to prolong the life of a madman.

While the girl's soul is fed to Kaschey the undead by his daughter, the gloriously beautiful Marya, the girl's body drowns in the clutches of Vodyanoy at the bottom of the Sacrifice Pool.

Every Solstice a hero tries to stop them...and dies.

But this is Ivan's year. Though his brothers plot his death, and the villagers whose daughters are dying warn him not to interfere, Ivan the Fool is determined to stop the sacrifice.

With the help of the immortals, gotten by sympathy, force, or guile, Ivan believes his love will save the beautiful Marya from herself.

My Thoughts: 

Reading this story made me wish I was more familiar with Russian mythology. Not because I needed it to understand or follow the story (although a little more background would have been nice), but because it was so intriguing that it piqued my interest. Kashina uses classic mythological elements: the youngest son of a royal family on a hero's quest,  a riddle-asking being, small acts of kindness on the hero's part are repaid in ways that aid his quest, to a female who needs rescuing (though she doesn't know it), an ancient, wise, mysterious mentor for the hero, etc. All of these elements are woven with traditional (or so I assume) Russian mythology in a coming-of-age story that is also a love story.

Ivan, who has been nicknamed the Fool in large part due to his oldest brother's manipulations, is the youngest son of a tzar. He sets off on a quest and encounters a wolf who is no ordinary wolf but a primal being,a deity in animal form. Wolf, the only name he is ever given, first tries to kill Ivan then saves him, recognizing a potential hero and saviour in Ivan. There's a prophecy that Wolf believes Ivan can fulfill. The prophecy dovetails with Ivan's quest so they work together. In addition to fulfilling the prophecy, Wolf helps that Ivan might be able to help him make amends for something that he did years ago that went wrong.

Marya is also a tzar's child but that particular tzar is also a sorcerer, and Marya a sorceress. Her father, Kaschey, is also known as the Undead. While not a vampire in the traditional sense, he does need to feed off of others to live., Each year, at the Summer Solstice, a young maiden, a virgin in her teens, is sacrificed, so that Kaschey can absorb her soul, which gains him another year of life and slows (or maybe halts; I was unclear on that) the aging process. Each year the search for the maiden who will be sacrificed extends further as Kaschey's reign extends, absorbing other kingdoms.

At it's heart, Ivan and Marya is a story of redemption and of  love: Ivan redeems his reputation, Marya redeems her soul, Wolf redeems, partially anyway, for a past mistake; Ivan falls in love, Marya learns how to love; various characters act out of love - romantic, familial, patriotic.

Kashina takes some chances with her story, primarily with viewpoints. Ivan's story is told in third person while Marya's is told in first person. As I've said before, I don't mind multiple viewpoints, or changing tenses, when handled well. Kashina does it very well, I was well into the story before I even realized that the viewpoints and tenses kept changing. The transitions are smooth and well-defined. Her descriptions are spare yet evocative, and the story is just the right length. I really like that the author did not try to pad it but let it runs it's course, even though it may not be full book length.

This review first appeared at The Book Lovers Inc. I received this story as a PDF from the author.

Publisher:  Drollerie Press
Release Date: June 15th, 2010

Review: One Wicked Sin by Nicola Cornick

Book Blurb:

Once the toast of the ton, Lottie Cummings is now notorious for being divorced—and without a penny. Shunned by society, the destitute beauty is lured to become a Covent Garden courtesan. But after refusing to oblige her customers, Lottie’s about to be turned out onto the streets. Until a dangerous rake saves her with a scandalous offer.

Publisher: HQN books
Release Date: October 26, 2010


This review first appeared at The Book Lovers Inc. The book was provided as an e-galley from NetGalley.

The illegitimate son of a duke, Ethan Ryder rose to the ranks of Napoleon’s most trusted cavalry officer—until his capture landed him in England as a prisoner of war. Now on parole, Ethan is planning his most audacious coup yet. But he needs to create a spectacular diversion. Having infamous Lottie as his mistress will lull everyone into thinking he’s busily bedding her instead of plotting deadly treason. Yet their business decision ignites a passionate relationship. And their unexpected bond may scandalize even these two wicked souls…

My Thoughts:    

This is the second book in a trilogy, Scandalous Women of the Ton, which I didn't realize when I picked it up. Happily, my ignorance was not detrimental to reading or enjoying the book. It pretty well stands alone, the ties between the books are fairly loose. The leads from the first book,  Whisper of Scandal, make a brief appearance at the very end of this book and the events in that book appear not to be essential to the second book. 

This book is set during the Napoleonic War and the war is important to the story. providing the motivation for much of behavior of the male lead, Ethan Ryder, and the reason that Ethan and Lottie get together. It's central to the story but I'll get back to that.

Lottie is a divorced woman, which was not a common event in England in those days, and the fact of the divorce is scandalous in itself. Add in the events that led up to her divorce and she finds herself outcast from her family and osctracized by the Ton, England's upper class society.

Lottie married at seventeen, hoping for security, freedom from financial worries, and love. Her father abandoned her family when she was six years old and her family endured severe financial difficulties as a result. She got the first two wishes but not the last. On her wedding night her new husband informs her that they will not be sleeping together, ever, but she can have affairs provided that she is discreet about it. They live like this for about 15 years and then Lottie goes too far. He kicks her out and divorces her, leaving her penniless, friendless, and homeless. She ends up working in a whore house where her she finds that both her self-confidence and her sexual skills have deserted her. She's on the verge of being fired when Ethan arrives and offers to hire her as his mistress.

Ethan is the illegitimate son of an English Duke and an Irish circus performer. He was removed from his mother's care at the age of five and taken to live with his father and stepmother. Neither his father nor stepmother ever had much use for him, but his elder (by about 3 months) half-brother is his friend. He grew up feeling an outsider, unwanted by most of his father's family and with anti-British feelings. He runs away at fifteen, tired of being slighted, ignored and treated as lesser. For reasons I was never clear on, he signed on with the French and joined their army. At nineteen he has an affair with a French aristocrat which results in a son that he leaves behind, certain that the boy's mother can give him a better life.

Fast forward 18 yeasrs and Ethan has been captured by the British, as has his son, Arland. Arland ran away when he was fifteen, just like dear old dad, and, lying about his age, joined the French army. Arland is thrown into a jail while his father is given parole in the same town as his son's jail. It's a small country town, with, as Lottie complains repeatedly, noting to do. Ethan is forbidden from seeing or having any contact with his son. As you might imagine, Arland's captivity is all the restraint necessary to hold him and, provided he meets certain conditions, he lives a fairly normal life: a room of his own at an inn, dinner with his fellow captive officers or even at the houses of some of the local gentry, the occasional authorized trip to London.

Ethan and Lottie reach an agreement: Lottie will be Ethan's very visible, notorious mistress and Ethan will provide her with a cottage, a brand new, fashionable wardrobe, and a generous allowance. You may have already guessed that Ethan wants Lottie for more than her talents in the bedroom; she provides cover while he plots escape. Lottie wants nothing more than to return to the Ton and be rich.

I enjoyed watching the two of them negotiate their arrangement, get to know each other, and learn each others boundaries. Both are emotionally shut off, believing themselves unworthy of being loved and incapable of giving love. Cornick develops their emotional relationship over time and we see into both Lottie's and Ethan's hearts and minds. She does use a couple of cliches that particularly irritated me: the first time that Lottie and Ethan have sex, Lottie falls in love and Ethan discovers that he has tender feelings for his new mistress. That was some incredible sex! Another device that I found irritating was the number of problems between them that could have been solved or prevented by talking, communicating with each other. Now, to some extent, that's to be expected, given their experiences and the arrangement between them. Still, it did get irritating.

There were twists and turns that I didn't see coming, and a few that I saw right off, but overall the story is well plotted and there is some well-done characterization. The story ultimately sucked it in and kept me engaged.

Review: Feed by Mira Grant

Book Blurb: 

“Alive or dead, the truth won't rest. My name is Georgia Mason, and I am begging you. Rise up while you can.” The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beaten the common cold. But in doing so we had created something new, something terrible. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED.

Now, twenty years after the Rising, Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives – the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will out, even if it kills them.

My Thoughts:

I don't consider myself a zombie fan, it's never been a genre that interested me. But, the author, who also writes (lighter) urban fantasy involving the fey,  under the name of Seanan McGuire, is one whose writing that I enjoy and I had heard good buzz about the book.  Combine that with the above blurb, which piqued my interest, and I had to check it out. It's the first book of The Newsflesh Trilogy.

The beginning of the book starts out fast with a close encounter between a group of zombies and the two main leads, brother and sister, Shaun and Georgia Mason. Then it becomes one slow, long info dump that gives the background needed for the story. We meet their parents, their business partner and friend, Buffy, the computer geek and fiction writer, and learn about the virus which turns people into zombies, and some of the resulting social, political, and cultural changes. The book is set in the USA, but occasionally references other parts of the world and how they were affected.

The book picks up the pace when Georgia, Shaun and Buffy are chosen to be the official, resident bloggers for one of the candidates in the race to determine party candidates for the US presidential election. It's a bold strategy for the candidate to have bloggers (who are considered respectable journalists in this world) living with, and following him, daily on the campaign trail. What follows is an inside look at an election campaign complete with betrayal, intrigue, medicine, politics, and life in general.

Grant takes a while to establish her world and is occasionally stingy about revealing information but overall, the book is a solid, fascinating read, well worth the reader's patience. It's an intriguing mix of science fiction, sociology, current events, action, horror and politics. One note: hardcore zombie fans may wish there were more zombie appearances but it was just right for me.

Publisher: Orbit Books


Format: Paperback


This book was purchased with the reviewer's own funds.

Redraw: NEW WINNERS!!

Well, I didn't hear back from either of the winners for "Speak" so I did a re-draw. The new winners are squinto and Ekta. Email me at baconnors at gmail dot com with your info. Don't forget, you have 48 hours to contact me to claim your prizes.

Saturday's Winner for BANNED BOOK WEEK CELEBRATION

Banned Book Week is over now, here on the East Coast anyway, and I have one final winner. Thanks to everyone who entered and who has supported the freedom to choose what they read.

The last winner is:  -Melissa-

Send me an email within 48 hours with your choice of a book, and your mailing addy and name.

Congratulations!!!!!

SPEAK Winners!!!!

Ok, Banned Book Week is officially over here on the East Coast, and winners have been chosen. As promised, there are 2 winners. Each one wins a copy of "Speak" and any one book from the ALA's list of banned books. The latter can't cost more than $10US. Look around on The Book Depository and send me an email with a link to your choice, and your mailing address and name. If I don't hear from you within 48 hours, then I draw a new winner.

And now, the winners:

Ashley

Maddie M



CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! Thanks to everyone who entered and posted. You're the best. :)

Friday's Winner. Today is the last day to enter!!!

Friday's winner is whateveramber. Send me an email with your info. Congratulations :)

Today is the last day for both of my giveaways.  I appreciate everyone who has entered, who has read and commented, and I really appreciate everyone who has spread the word about banned books and done something to support banned books.

Thursday's Winner!!

Banned Book Week is almost over, it ends tomorrow night, and so does the giveaway. I'm curious, what have you been doing to spread the word and celebrate this week? Have you talked it up amongst your family, friends, and co-workers? Have you talked it up on facebook, twitter, or any other social network? Gone and supported a community event? What was your contribution this past week to the freedom of speech?

And, before I forget, Thursday's winner is Leanne. You know the drill. :P Congrats!