Author: Neil Gaiman

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: William Morrow (US) / Headline (UK)
Publication date: June 2013
Hardcover: 248 pages

THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE is a fable that reshapes modern fantasy: moving, terrifying and elegiac – [...]]]> Title: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Author: Neil Gaiman

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: William Morrow (US) / Headline (UK)
Publication date: June 2013
Hardcover: 248 pages

THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE is a fable that reshapes modern fantasy: moving, terrifying and elegiac – as pure as a dream, as delicate as a butterfly’s wing, as dangerous as a knife in the dark, from storytelling genius Neil Gaiman.

It began for our narrator forty years ago when the family lodger stole their car and committed suicide in it, stirring up ancient powers best left undisturbed. Dark creatures from beyond the world are on the loose, and it will take everything our narrator has just to stay alive: there is primal horror here, and menace unleashed – within his family and from the forces that have gathered to destroy it.

His only defense is three women, on a farm at the end of the lane. The youngest of them claims that her duckpond is ocean. The oldest can remember the Big Bang.

Stand alone or series: Stand alone novel

How did we get this book: Thea received a review copy from the US publisher / Ana bought her copy in the UK

Format (e- or p-): Print for both

Why did we read this book: Because we are shameless Gaiman fans, there was absolutely no doubt we’d read this as soon as possible.

REVIEW

Thea’s Take:

A man returns to his childhood town in Sussex for a funeral, and finds himself drawn to the house at the end of the lane – the home of Lettie Hempstock, that funny girl who talked about funny things and claimed that the small pond in the back of her house was the Ocean. After forty years, he has forgotten everything about his childhood, but when he visits the Hempstock farm the memories wash over him like the cool waves of Lettie’s impossible Ocean. He remembers the day his parents started renting out his bedroom, and the South African opal miner who ran over his kitten, then later committed suicide in their family’s car. He remembers the ancient raggedy spirit (the flea), who is drawn to his town by the desperation of the miner’s death, who hitches a ride into the boy’s world as a worm in the sole of his foot. He remembers the horror of that spirit, who becomes known as Ursula Monkton, who threatens to kill him and destroy his family. Most of all, he remembers the Hempstock women – his friend Lettie, her mother, and grandmother – who are ancient, wise, and who help him against Ursula and her mischief, and the terrible things that come in her wake.

I always have a hard time starting off a review when it comes to books that I truly love.

I wanted to start this book with a quote, but it’s hard to select just one. Do I pick the first sad line from the first chapter, defining the nameless narrator’s isolation and childhood? (Nobody came to my seventh birthday party) (I lay on the bed and lost myself in the stories. I liked that. Books were safer than other people anyway.) Do I pick the quote when the eleven-year-old girl, Lettie, from the house at the end of the lane, takes our narrator into a strange place where they confront a gray raggedy monster? (Its face was ragged, and its eyes were deep holes in the fabric. There was nothing behind it, just a gray canvas mask, huger than I could have imagined, all ripped and torn, blowing in the gusts of storm wind.) Or how about that part when the young boy’s father does something terrible to his son in a fit of icy rage? (I was fully dressed. That was wrong. I had my sandals on. That was wrong. The bathwater was cold, so cold and so wrong.) Or any of the other haunting and terrifying and wonderful bits within The Ocean at the End of the Lane?

No. I’ll start with what needs to be said: The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a beautiful, unforgettable book. It’s a smaller story and a quieter one than I’ve come to expect from Neil Gaiman’s novels; certainly it doesn’t have the grandeur or scope of The Sandman or American Gods, nor does it possess the romantic fantasy of Stardust or the quirky wryness of Good Omens or Neverwhere.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is much more like Coraline, or the short stories in Fragile Things, Smoke and Mirrors, and Unnatural Creatures. This is a novel, and it’s a book meant for adults, but it’s actually a powerful, if slender, fable about childhood and memory and the painful process of losing and regrowing a heart as you grow up. This is how The Ocean at the End of the Lane makes you feel.

I loved this book. I loved it very much. I loved the simplistic writing style, narrated in the voice of our young seven year old protagonist. I loved the substance of the story, and its fantastical elements with its three Hempstead women, the terrifyingly wrong Ursula Monkton, and the frightful creatures that feast on misplaced fleas like Ursula. This is a horror fable that has been told before, with echoes of Gaiman’s other work (mythologies we’ve seen before, with Ursula-monsters like Coraline‘s Other Mother) – but even if the story is familiar, it’s the telling that is the magic.

I don’t think this is Neil Gaiman’s finest book, but it’s a damn good one. And I loved it very, very much.

Wholeheartedly recommended for readers young and old, for those who yearn for a simple story told with heartbreaking beauty. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is one of my notable reads of 2013, beyond any doubt, and without any hesitation.

Ana’s Take:

What Thea said.

I am glad Thea covered the summary, what this book is about and some of its themes so that will give me some freedom to extrapolate on the latter as well as on the topic of author accessibility instead of repeating the same points. Neil Gaiman is one of most accessible writers out there – he is always on Twitter talking to people and I have attended three events lately (including one for this book) in which it became clear to me how much he engages his audience with kindness and openness. In the talk I attended ¹ about The Ocean at the End of the Lane, he says this is probably his most personal book yet: it started as a short story written for his wife as an attempt to show himself to her. If the book is not exactly autobiographical (even though the event that sets things in motion in the story DID happen to his family), this is probably a book that is infused with Gaiman-ess. Many of the themes, the ideas, the world-building, the horror are very familiar and I can see HOW the writing of it and the final result are Gaiman himself and his favourite things.

Anyone well acquainted with Gaiman’s oeuvre knows he is a worldsmith as well as a wordsmith: he is a creator of mythologies and a fabulous writer. This is very obvious here, in this little book of wonders. The word created of Ocean is a world that are most reminiscent of the Sandman collection and of Coraline to me. The villain Ursula reminds of the Other Mother as much as the “ocean” itself reminded me of the Dreaming. Recurrent themes such as three Hempstock women (Three witches? The three Moirai? The Kindly Ones?) and the painful process of growing up and becoming are also present here.

But enough with the familiar, here is what is most distinctive about it:

One of the most striking things about Ocean is its framing device. The story is narrated by an (unnamed) adult as he remembers details of his forgotten childhood. The brilliance stems from how the author managed to capture childhood and innocence through the eyes of a grown-up. The voice is at turns mature in its narrative and childlike in its reaction to those memories. It’s incredible because this juxtaposition works brilliantly: just as one is about to get inescapably entangled in the horrors of the narrator’s childhood, one remembers he has survived it – sort of. And it’s also great because this is a story that is both about being a child and about being an adult. The former exists in the way that the narrator as a child experience powerlessness and fear in the face of unspeakable terrors; and the latter in the way that the story portrays adulthood as a fluid, ever-evolving process that is not unlike childhood.

And then there are the descriptions of events and things in the book. The description of the places, of nature and above of all, of the food prepared by the Hempstocks is out-of-this-world: sensual and honest. It was easy to feel the darkness, to hear the sounds of nature and to crave the meals shared. In that sense, this is one of the most grounded books I’ve had the pleasure of reading because it was so vivid.

I loved Ocean but I started out thinking that it was a little book of wonders. I’d like to recant that “little.” The more I think about it, the more reasons I find to not only love wholeheartedly it but to feel that there is unparalleled scope and grandeur in this more intimate, quiet story. Watch it as this makes its way into my top 10 of 2013.

Notable Quotes/Parts:

‘Are you here to see Lettie?’ Mrs Hempstock asked.

‘Is she here?’ The idea surprised me. She had gone somewhere, hadn’t she? America?

The old woman shook her head. ‘I was just about to put the kettle on. Do you fancy a spot of tea?’

I hesitated. Then I said that, if she didn’t mind, I’d like it if she could point me towards the duckpond first.

‘Duckpond?’

I knew Lettie had had a funny name for it. I remembered that. ‘She called it the sea. Something like that.’

The old woman put the cloth down on the dresser. ‘Can’t drink the water from the sea, can you? Too salty. Like drinking life’s blood. Do you remember the way? You can get to it around the side of the house. Just follow the path.’

If you’d asked me an hour before, I would have said no, I did not remember the way. I do not even think I would have remembered Lettie Hempstock’s name. But standing in that hallway, it was all coming back to me. Memories were waiting at the edges of things, beckoning to me. Had you told me that I was seven again, I might have half believed you, for a moment.

‘Thank you.’

I walked into the farmyard. I went past the chicken coop, past the old barn and along the edge of the field, remembering where I was, and what was coming next, and exulting in the knowledge. Hazels lined the side of the meadow. I picked a handful of the green nuts, put them in my pocket.

The pond is next, I thought. I just have to go around this shed, and I’ll see it.

I saw it and felt oddly proud of myself, as if that one act of memory had blown away some of the cobwebs of the day.

The pond was smaller than I remembered. There was a little wooden shed on the far side, and, by the path, an ancient, heavy wood-and-metal bench. The peeling wooden slats had been painted green a few years ago. I sat on the bench, and stared at the reflection of the sky in the water, at the scum of duckweed at the edges, and the half-dozen lily pads. Every now and again I tossed a hazelnut into the middle of the pond, the pond that Lettie Hempstock had called …

It wasn’t the sea, was it?

She would be older than I am now, Lettie Hempstock. She was only a handful of years older than I was back then, for all her funny talk. She was eleven. I was … what was I? It was after the bad birthday party. I knew that. So I would have been seven.

I wondered if we had ever fallen in the water. Had I pushed her into the duckpond, that strange girl who lived in the farm at the very bottom of the lane? I remembered her being in the water. Perhaps she had pushed me in too.

Where did she go? America? No, Australia. That was it. Somewhere a long way away.

And it wasn’t the sea. It was the ocean.

Lettie Hempstock’s ocean.

Rating:

Ana: 9 – Damn Near Perfect

Thea: 8 – Excellent

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Ebook available for kindle US, kindle UK, google, nook and itunes

Author: Joelle Charbonneau

Genre: Speculative Fiction, Dystopia, Young Adult

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Publication Date: June 2013
Hardcover: 336 Pages

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Isn’t that what they say? But how close is too close when they may be one in the same? [...]]]> Title: The Testing

Author: Joelle Charbonneau

Genre: Speculative Fiction, Dystopia, Young Adult

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Publication Date: June 2013
Hardcover: 336 Pages

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Isn’t that what they say? But how close is too close when they may be one in the same?

The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the next generation’s chosen few who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing—their one chance at a college education and a rewarding career.

Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a Testing candidate; eager to prove her worthiness as a University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on the eve of her departure, her father’s advice hints at a darker side to her upcoming studies–trust no one.

But surely she can trust Tomas, her handsome childhood friend who offers an alliance? Tomas, who seems to care more about her with the passing of every grueling (and deadly) day of the Testing. To survive, Cia must choose: love without truth or life without trust.

Stand alone or series: Book 1 in the Testing trilogy

How did I get this book: Bought

Format (e- or p-): Ebook

Why did I read this book: I’ve had my eye on The Testing for a while. I’ve been burned out on YA dystopias lately – having been severely disappointed with the majority of the new books in the subgenre, not to mention the disappointments of new installments in series’ I previously enjoyed. But The Testing caught my eye, and I was eager to give this new first in a trilogy a try.

Review:

Malencia “Cia” Vale has always yearned for the chance to prove herself and change the world, so on the day of her graduation, she desperately hopes to be chosen as a Testing candidate. Only the best and brightest are selected from across the United Commonwealth’s colonies and sent to Tosu City to undergo the grueling Testing process. The only way for a young person to gain admission to University, passing the Testing process is a ticket to becoming one of the United Commonwealth’s valued leaders, who will reshape a country ravaged by war and ecological collapse. With both scholastic aptitude and practical skills, Cia is passionate about following in her father’s footsteps and going to University, ever hopeful that she will be one of the chosen few who will make the Commonwealth a better place.

Cia’s dearest wish is granted when a government official announces the news that she and three others of her graduating class have been selected as candidates – the first to be selected from the Five Lakes Colony in over a decade. While most of Cia’s family reacts to the news with joy and pride, Cia’s father is grim, even frightened. For the Testing is no mere academic boot camp selection process, and those who are not worthy disappear. As Cia and her fellow Five Lakes friends soon learn, the Testing is a far more brutal kind of examination, and only the very strong and very smart will survive.

The first book in a new trilogy, The Testing is at first glance a Frankenstein’s monster-like amalgam of familiar YA dystopian fare. There’s the post-war, fractured colony setup and annual selection process that is entirely reminiscent of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games or Lois Lowry’s The Giver. There’s the busted shell of civilization (Chicago, once again) and controlling government ala Veronica Roth’s Divergent or Scott Westerfeld’s The Uglies series. There’s a feisty first-person narrating heroine, the promise of violence and brutality, and (of course) a love interest. While this all sounds rather familiar and formulaic, I’m very happy to report that The Testing manages to distinguish itself from the pack of wannabe Hunger Games “dystopias” (quotation marks intentional, more on that in a bit). In fact, The Testing is far more brutal than most of the books in this particular subgenre; not only is the government and world building properly dystopian, but this is a novel with serious teeth. If you’re a regular reader of The Book Smugglers, you might be familiar with my chief complaint for all contemporary YA dystopian fiction (i.e. the lack of teeth). By that I mean there’s never any fear that our heroes are in the wrong, that they won’t do the right thing, or that they won’t survive. The governments are usually haphazardly construed totalitarian regimes that are controlling and evil for the sake of being controlling and evil. In these YA dystopias, heroines are also uniformly and effortlessly beautiful, and manage to save the world AND land the hot guy at the same time (typically, this heroine has no real defining characteristics, either). I’m sick of this type heroine and “dystopia,” folks.

Thankfully, The Testing does not suffer from this affliction. The basic dystopian premise is actually fantastic: Cia’s Commonwealth is a government that employs some truly brutal tactics in the testing of its best and brightest young students, but the inherent logic of the government’s setup makes sense. I also love the way that the information about the world – the seven stages of disaster including war, societal and ecological collapse – is relayed, in plain sight, through test questions and answers. Usually this type of thinly veiled infodump is annoying, but as this whole book is a test, it actually makes sense.

Furthermore, The Testing is a sneakier, more subtle kind of dystopia than the current crop of books on the market; in this post-apocalyptic world, things have already gone to hell and the government has restructured the country to restore safety and balance. Cia’s United Commonwealth doesn’t seem like a bad place, especially considering that the greatest honor to which all citizens strive is selection to be tested and then, hopefully, a move on to university and earn a place as a contributing and important member of society. In a way, this is a perfect YA dystopia – an analogy for the pressure of life after high school, the answer as to the question “What do you want to do when you grow up?” and the dreaded standardized tests that precede acceptance to a prestigious college. In The Testing, these pressures are taken to a whole new level – in Cia’s version of SATs and entrance examinations, failing a test is met with death – and I love that hyperbolic premise. In a perverse, wonderfully twisted way. (Says the girl who is done with higher education – hopefully – forever.)

In fact, what I loved the most about The Testing is its brutality. People are grievously injured and die in this book. Our heroine is not afraid to kill people (and she does). The main characters aren’t bailed out of tough decisions that end other lives. In other words, The Testing has those sharp teeth I’ve been looking for.

From a character perspective, The Testing also does a solid job, thanks to the strength of its wonderful heroine. Cia is a likable heroine that breaks free of the typical subgenre mold – she’s a bit of an unreliable narrator, which works nicely with her blunt, terse first person present tense point of view. I love that Cia is a quieter character who is more modest in her thoughts (clearly she’s an excellent student and highly skilled, though she’s very self-deprecating early on in the book), and I especially appreciated both her introverted nature and her healthy dose of paranoia. Cia is no-nonsense and focused on survival first, but she’s also deeply compassionate and fiercely dedicated to those she cares about. Her methodical nature is also an asset, and I love how truly competent she is when it comes not only to book smarts, but practical application and deduction. Also, I love a heroine that is good with math and sciences, and Cia’s strength with mechanics is a definite plus.

Per contemporary dystopian YA usual, there is a requisite romance in The Testing, but it is secondary to the main story and, while it is of the “I’ve always had a crush on you” variety, it’s not cloying. Thankfully there’s no love triangle (there’s a sort of allusion to one but it quickly becomes clear that it is NOT happening), and more than a few times Cia thinks to herself that this is NOT the time for melodramatic romance. The love interest in question, Tomas, also has some mixed motives – we don’t really know what Tomas has done to survive (especially in that killer fourth exam), and while he seems to be devoted to Cia and trustworthy, there’s some serious doubt regarding his character. I like that very much.

And finally on the subject of endings, I liked the way that the book ends, and I’m VERY glad that book 2 is out this fall (will book 3 be following shortly thereafter?). Ultimately, this was a highly enjoyable book and a strong start to a brand new series. If you’re looking for a dystopian YA novel along the lines of the big blockbuster favorites, look no further: The Testing awaits.

Notable Quotes/Parts: From Chapter 1:

Graduation day.

I can hardly stand still as my mother straightens my celebratory red tunic and tucks a strand of light brown hair behind my ear. Finally she turns me and I look in the reflector on our living area wall. Red. I’m wearing red. No more pink. I am an adult. Seeing evidence of that tickles my stomach.

“Are you ready, Cia?” my mother asks. She too is wearing red, although her dress is made of a gossamer fabric that drapes to the floor in soft swirls. Next to her, my sleeveless dress and leather boots look childish, but that’s okay. I have time to grow into my adult status. I’m young for it at sixteen. The youngest by far in my class.

I take one last look in the reflector and hope that today is not the end of my education, but I have no control over that. Only a dream that my name will be called for The Testing. Swallowing hard, I nod. “Let’s go.”

You can read the full excerpt online HERE.

Rating: 7 – Very, Very Good

Reading Next: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

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The Book Smugglers’ Newsletter:

BEA has come and gone, and we’re finally back on schedule (sort of). Our newsletter is ready to go out tomorrow, so if you haven’t signed up yet we highly recommend that you do! We send [...]]]> Hello everyone and Happy Sunday! Let’s get straight to business, shall we?

The Book Smugglers’ Newsletter:

BEA has come and gone, and we’re finally back on schedule (sort of). Our newsletter is ready to go out tomorrow, so if you haven’t signed up yet we highly recommend that you do! We send out one email a month with exclusive articles, interviews, and guest posts, plus a sweet monthly giveaway for subscribers. If you haven’t yet, check out past issues HERE and use the form below to sign up!

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This Week on The Book Smugglers:

On Monday, Thea kicks off the week with a review of highly anticipated YA dystopian SFF novel The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau.

We cannot wait for Tuesday because it is the day that we fangirl all over Neil Gaiman with a joint review of his newest book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. WHEE!

Then it is full speed ahead to Old School Wednesday! We will have our poll for July up (seriously, how did that happen so quickly!?) plus a review of Dreamhunter by Elizabeth Knox – the first in a YA fantasy duology.

On Thursday, Ana takes over with a review of another highly anticipated book, the multiple award-winning historical LGBT novel Silhouette of a Sparrow by Molly Beth Griffin.

On Friday, we close out the week with Ana’s review of the hotly contested September Girls by Bennett Madison (will she love it or hate it?!). Plus, Thea is over at Kirkus with a review of science fiction novel Reboot by Amy Tintera (with a list of other great cyborg-type SF reads).

PHEW. It’s another busy one over here! Until next week, we remain…

“Shall We Begin?” by Andry Rajoelina

~ Your Friendly Neighborhood Book Smugglers

The Daughter Star is the first in a new series from Susan Jane Bigelow and it.Is.Awesome. Go here to see read the many reasons why.

Author: Jenn Reese

Genre: Speculative Fiction, Dystopia, Middle Grade

Publisher: Candlewick
Publication Date: March 2013
Hardcover: 368 Pages

A thrilling sequel from an exciting new voice in middle-grade sci-fi tracks two ocean-born children braving the dangers of the Above World.

The desert is no place for ocean-dwelling Kampii like Aluna [...]]]> Title: Mirage

Author: Jenn Reese

Genre: Speculative Fiction, Dystopia, Middle Grade

Publisher: Candlewick
Publication Date: March 2013
Hardcover: 368 Pages

A thrilling sequel from an exciting new voice in middle-grade sci-fi tracks two ocean-born children braving the dangers of the Above World.

The desert is no place for ocean-dwelling Kampii like Aluna and Hoku, especially now that Aluna has secretly started growing her tail. But the maniacal Karl Strand is out to conquer the Above World, and the horselike Equians are next on his list. Aluna, Hoku, and their friends — winged Calli and Equian exile Dash — race to the desert city of Mirage, intent on warning the Equians. When they arrive, Strand’s clone, Scorch, has gotten there first. Now the Equian leader has vowed to take all his people to war as part of Strand’s army. Any herd that refuses to join him by the time of the desert-wide competition known as the Thunder Trials will be destroyed. To have any chance of defeating Scorch and convincing the Equians to switch sides, the four friends must find a way to win the Trials. The challenge seems impossible. But if they fail, the desert — and possibly all of the Above World — will be lost to Karl Strand forever. Here is the action-packed follow-up to Above World, which Kirkus Reviews called “a thrilling sci-fi adventure. Imaginative and riveting.”

Stand alone or series: Book 2 in the Above World series

How did I get this book: ARC from the Publisher

Format (e- or p-): Print (Funny story – the US publisher sent a copy over to Ana in the UK, and then I waited for Ana to bring that copy back to the US for our annual BEA meetup.)

Why did I read this book: Are you freaking kidding me? I loved Above World, the first book in this fantastic new middle grade series. I actually mis-scheduled my review of Mirage – had I known this book came out in March, I would have bought it immediately. Imagine my delight, then, when Ana arrived with a copy of this beautiful, beautiful ARC. OF COURSE I was going to read it as quickly as possible!

**WARNING: This review contains unavoidable spoilers for Book 1, Above World. If you have not read the first book in this series and wish to remain unspoiled, look away. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!**

Review:

The battle of HydroTek is over, and the fierce Aluna and her friends Hoku, Calliope, and Dashiyn have emerged victorious over Karl Strand’s clones. Battered and tired, the group makes their way to Dash’s people, the four-hooved Equians of the desert, to warn them of Karl Strand’s nefarious schemes for power. Their greatest hope of warning the horse-people lies with the grand city of Mirage, home of the High Khan Onggur – a man of great honor, who rules not only over the Red Sky herd but all Equian lines. What the group finds at Mirage, however, is disheartening. They are too late to warn Dash’s people, and High Khan Onggur has allied with a human “upgrader” (that is, a technologically enhanced human/cyborg) who calls herself Scorch – another of Strand’s clones, who has manipulated her way into the High Khan’s favor. Even worse, Scorch has an ax to grind with the Avians, and demands Calli’s blood for the bird-people’s murder of Scorch’s clone-siblings. Luckily, Calli, Dash, Hoku, and Aluna are granted a temporary reprieve, when Tayan, emissary from the Shining Moon herd, intervenes and claims responsibility for Dash – for his appearance in Mirage is a violation of his Exile, and so by Herd law he must face punishment with his original tribe.

Together, the unlikely group and Tayan head back to the Equians of Shining Moon – where Dash faces likely death. Aluna has the daunting task not only of saving her friend’s life, but also convincing the people of Shining Moon that Khan Onggur’s alliance with Karl Strand will only bring death and destruction to the Equians and all who live in Above World – she must convince the people of Shining Moon to challenge the High Khan at the upcoming Thunder Trials, and win power of all the herds to stop the Equians from going to war as Strand’s army.

And, as if things couldn’t be any worse, there’s also the problem of Aluna’s legs gradually fusing and changing into her Kampii tail – in the middle of the desert so far away from the ocean, with so many lives at stake depending on her and her strength in battle, this might be the most dangerous secret of all.

The second book in the Above World series, Mirage is every bit as action-packed and grand as the first book. Instead of the sea and sky, however, this novel takes Aluna and her friends to the hot, dusty desert, to the ways of the horse-human Equians (and the snake-human Serpenti). As with Above World, these new, genetically modified half animal/half human characters are fascinating and well formed, with varied cultures, customs, and beliefs. The ways of the Equian people take center stage in this novel, and Aluna and her friends learn of their fierce belief in honor and bloodlines, the power of tradition and the sanctity of the herd. I love that the Equians are very different people than the Kampii of the oceans, or the Avians of the skies – but at the same time, these horse-humans are every bit as real and flawed as the other two societies. Perhaps moreso, because of their almost blind adherence to tradition and strict constructs of honor. For example, the Equian treatment of the aldagha – that is, “failed” Equians, mistakes that did not form properly in their genetic incubators – Dash (and another character introduced later, Tal) is cruel, discriminatory, and wrong. I love how this social construct and behavior is challenged by Aluna and her friends, who know Dash to be incredibly honorable, brave, and worthy of respect.

The worldbuilding in this series continues to impress me, as we learn more about Aluna’s world and the different, fractured clans and peoples that populate it. In Above World, we discovered that people took to the skies, the seas, the deserts, and the caves with genetic modifications to survive the more devastating effects of the changes to their planet. This basic framework is furthered in Mirage, as we learn that the different clans of chimeras were never meant to live alone or in opposition to one another. And, after so many years of isolation and stagnating technology, they are facing death – even extinction. The Serpenti, for example, have been all but destroyed thanks to their long war with the Equians, just as the Kampii face their own failing technology and shrinking reproductive pools. Needless to say, this is actually a very complex, nuanced, and fully-imagined world – I was impressed with how fully these facets of the world were developed in Above World, and I’m even more impressed with how this framework is expanded upon in Mirage.

Of course, the REAL heart and soul of the series lies with the characters – and oh, how much I love these characters. I love the prickly Aluna who is learning that she must trust others and cannot face everything alone (by the end of the book, she desperately relies on Hoku’s help and that is kind of a beautiful thing). Not to mention the fact that Aluna is growing an actual tail out in the desert, which presents a whole new set of challenges for the young Kampii woman – you might think that Aluna’s soon lack of legs means The End for her character. You would be wrong. There’s also Hoku, who also grows more confident in this second book and is, after Aluna, my favorite character of the ensemble because of his earnestness and trustworthiness as a friend. (Sidenote: I love how Aluna and Hoku’s friendship is completely platonic – it’s very refreshing to read.) Calli gets less time in this book, but is still a major character whose fierceness is always welcome – but the real other standout character in Mirage is Dash. After all, this is the book of the Equians, and Dash’s past is fraught with struggle, pain, and honor – I so loved getting closer to Dash and his backstory.

The plotting isn’t bad, either! The novel moves along at a brisk pace with high stakes, culminating in a dramatic competition of blood and strength in the desert. And, while everything is resolved in a way that is a little too pat, I do love the direction of the story and the feeling that a much larger, more important battle is on the horizon. I cannot wait to see where Jenn Reese takes Aluna and her friends next.

Simply put, I loved Mirage. It’s every bit as dramatic and action-packed as Above World, and while I still think I preferred the first book, Mirage more than holds its own. Absolutely recommended – and in the running for one of my notable reads of 2013.

Notable Quotes/Parts: From Chapter 1:

Aluna ran toward a patch of rocks and scrubby trees, trying to reach its shade before the next wave of pain struck. The sun’s gaze followed her, searing the air and stifling the wind. The desert was no place for a Kampii, especially not a Kampii whose legs would soon begin fusing into a tail.

She stumbled and fell. Sand matted to the sweat on her face as she rolled on the ground, clutching her legs. The pain was her fault. She’d swallowed the Ocean Seed a month ago, when she was trying to rescue her sister from that evil monster Fathom. Now she was paying the price.

Underwater, a tail granted speed and agility. It shimmered and flowed. Growing a tail marked a Kampii’s passage to adulthood and respect. But in the desert, weeks away from the ocean’s embrace, a tail meant the opposite. It meant she’d no longer be able to walk or run or jump or fight. She’d be a fish on dry land. Useless.

Rating: 8 – Excellent

Reading Next: The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

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Author: Jennifer Trafton and Brett Helquist (Illustrator)

Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade

Publisher: Dial
Publication date: December 2010
Hardcover: 352 pages

Ten-year-old Persimmony Smudge leads (much to her chagrin) a very dull life on the Island at the Center of Everything . . [...]]]> Title: The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic

Author: Jennifer Trafton and Brett Helquist (Illustrator)

Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade

Publisher: Dial
Publication date: December 2010
Hardcover: 352 pages

Ten-year-old Persimmony Smudge leads (much to her chagrin) a very dull life on the Island at the Center of Everything . . . until the night she overhears a life-changing secret. It seems that Mount Majestic, the rising and falling mountain in the center of the island, is not a mountain at all-it’s the belly of a sleeping giant, moving as the giant breathes. Now Persimmony and her new friend Worvil the Worrier have to convince all the island’s other quarreling inhabitants-including the silly Rumblebumps, the impeccably mannered Leafeaters, and the stubborn young king-that a giant is sleeping in their midst, and must not be woken. Enhanced with Brett Helquist’s dazzling illustrations, Jennifer Trafton’s rollicking debut tells the story of one brave girl’s efforts to make an entire island believe the impossible.

Stand alone or series: Stand alone

How did I get this book: Bought

Format (e- or p-): print

Why did I read this book: I SOMEHOW managed to miss rave reviews of this book when it first came out a few years ago and it wasn’t until I was browsing the shelves at The Strand when I was visiting Thea in NY that I came across it. I saw the cover, read the back copy and it just immediately won me over.

Review:

There on the Island at the Centre of Everything, where poison-tongue tortoises lie in wait to jump on unsuspecting passers-by, magic clay pots produce what you need (but not what you want) and the King’s castle sits on the top of the always moving up-and-down Mount Majestic, lives Persimmony Smudge, a bold and impetuous ten-year-old hat-aficionado who is about to embark on an adventure of a lifetime.

It starts simply enough: with an accident and a broken pot. Determined to find a replacement before her mother finds out, Persimmony sets out at night through the woods to visit her pot-making friend. When she comes across a deadly tortoise, she hides inside a tree and happens to overhear a plot to dig for gold buried under the King’s castle, a plot to be carried out by the fearsome (yet impeccably mannered) underground dwellers Leafeaters. Armed with this information and aided by her new friend Worvil the Worrier, she sets out to inform the King – a pepper-lover bratty (but solitaire) 12-year-old – only to find out that this gold everybody is looking for? Might be nothing but a huge belt buckle that belongs to a sleeping giant and that the gold-diggers might be about to wake him up.

Not that the King believes her of course, because who would believe a 10-year-old girl? Now Persimmony needs to prove to everybody that the island is in serious danger.

The story is framed as a history book, told by the island’s Historian Professor Barnabas Quill and the writing is funny as well as engaging. The prose comes across in an almost conversational narrative that alternates between several characters (but principally Persimmony) as they all attempt to save the island (or sometimes, obstruct the island-saving shenanigans).

In the middle of all this fun, there are very thoughtful (but not overwhelmingly obvious) threads that are interwoven into the story: is the island really at the centre of everything? Either way you answer that question: what does that mean exactly? How does living in isolation have affected the lives of its inhabitants?

In a way The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic is a very straightforward quest that turns into a journey of self-discovery but it’s not only the characters’ journey but also the island’s. There is an interesting underlining point about History and history-writing, about silly assumptions made based on gender and class and Persimmony herself is a wonderfully bold heroine. And even though there is some slipping into quick moralising toward the ending, this didn’t detract from my enjoinment of this otherwise clever and charming book.

Bonus factor: the wonderful illustrations.

I imagine most kids would love this but here is something that might help some of our adult readers decide: The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic is an incredibly inventive, fun and thoughtful book, a mixture that really reminded me of books by Frances Hardinge and Terry Pratchett. This is quite possibly the biggest compliment I could ever give a new author and even though she is not quite up there yet, I can’t wait to read her next books.

Notable Quotes/ Parts: No quotes but here are some of the illustrations by Brent Helquist:

Rating: 7 – Very Good

Reading Next: Gifts by Ursula Le Guin

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