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REVIEW: Ordinary Magic by Caitlen Rubino-Bradway

Posted by Anastasia on May 17, 2012 2 Responses »

May 172012

043. Ordinary Magic by Caitlen Rubino-Bradway
Publication: , ebook, 256pp / ISBN
Genre: MG Fantasy

Read: March 2-3, 2012
Source: NetGalley (thank you!)

Summary from Amazon:

In Abby’s world, magic isn’t anything special: it’s a part of everyday life. So when Abby learns that she has zero magical abilities, she’s branded an “Ord”—ordinary, bad luck, and quite possibly a danger to society. The outlook for kids like Abby isn’t bright. Many are cast out by their families, while others are sold to treasure hunters (ordinary kids are impervious to spells and enchantments). Luckily for Abby, her family enrolls her in a school that teaches ordinary kids how to get around in a magical world. But with treasure-hunting kidnappers and carnivorous goblins lurking around every corner, Abby’s biggest problem may not be learning how to be ordinary—it’s whether or not she’s going to survive the school year!

Review

This is one of those books that, immediately after finishing it, makes me think it’s the best book ever. While it’s pretty darned good, and while I enjoyed reading it (and liked it enough to rate it 3.5 birds), I can’t actually remember all that much about it. Usually, with books I adore, I have a few things I particularly like and those things stick in my mind until the next time I read it. Right now, several months after reading Ordinary Magic, all I can remember is that the family relationship(s) are adorable. Continue reading »

REVIEW: A Greyhound of a Girl by Roddy Doyle

Posted by Anastasia on May 1, 2012 3 Responses »

May 012012

005. A Greyhound of a Girl by Roddy Doyle
Publication: Amulet Books (May 1, 2012), originally published 2011, eARC, 208pp / ISBN 1419701681
Genre: Children’s Magical Realism (could be MG, too)

Read: January 10, 1012
Source: Publisher via NetGalley (thank you!)

Summary from Amazon:

Mary O’Hara is a sharp and cheeky 12-year-old Dublin schoolgirl who is bravely facing the fact that her beloved Granny is dying. But Granny can’t let go of life, and when a mysterious young woman turns up in Mary’s street with a message for her Granny, Mary gets pulled into an unlikely adventure. The woman is the ghost of Granny’s own mother, who has come to help her daughter say good-bye to her loved ones and guide her safely out of this world. She needs the help of Mary and her mother, Scarlett, who embark on a road trip to the past. Four generations of women travel on a midnight car journey. One of them is dead, one of them is dying, one of them is driving, and one of them is just starting out.

Review

I’ve read a few other Roddy Doyle books before, all meant for adults and all of the literary fiction type. A Greyhound of a Girl is almost completely different: it’s meant for children, and it’s more magical realism than anything else. Like all of Roddy Doyle’s books, however, Greyhound is about family, and about navigating the rough waters that come with family. And that’s great! What’s not so great is basically everything else. Continue reading »

REVIEW: Vodnik by Bryce Moore

Posted by Anastasia on April 27, 2012 No Responses »

Apr 272012

060. Vodnik by Bryce Moore
Publication: Tu Books (March 1, 2012), eARC, 368pp / ISBN 1600608523
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy, Action

Read: March 30-31, 2012
Source: NetGalley (thank you!)

Summary from Amazon:

When Tomas was six, someone–something–tried to drown him. And burn him to a crisp. Tomas survived, but whatever was trying to kill him freaked out his parents enough to convince them to move from Slovakia to the United States.

Now sixteen-year-old Tomas and his family are back in Slovakia, and that something still lurks somewhere. Nearby. Ready to drown him again and imprison his soul in a teacup.

Then there’s the fire víla, the water ghost, the pitchfork-happy city folk, and Death herself who are all after him.

All this sounds a bit comical, unless the one haunted by water ghosts and fire vílas or doing time in a cramped, internet-deprived teacup is you.

If Tomas wants to survive, he’ll have to embrace the meaning behind the Slovak proverb, So smrťou ešte nik zmluvu neurobil. With Death, nobody makes a pact.

Review

For some reason I had a really hard time writing this review– not because I didn’t like Vodnik, but because there’s so much stuff to talk about that I couldn’t figure out where to start! Vodnik has got almost everything I want in a YA book: it’s set in a non-US/non-England location, it stars a not-completely-white kid, it’s got exciting action stuff and fun fantasy elements and it ALSO deals with discrimination and bullying and death! And it’s not even that badly written; if I was a teenage person I’d probably love this book a lot. As an adult person, I LIKE it but I’m not overwhelmed with my love for it. Continue reading »

MINI-REVIEWS: Haint Misbehavin’, The Tail of Emily Windsnap, Pizzicato

Posted by Anastasia on March 26, 2012 No Responses »

Mar 262012

041. Haint Misbehavin’ by Maureen Hardegree
Publication: Bell Bridge Books (June 6, 2010), ebook, 206pp / ISBN 1935661930
Genre: MG (maybe young YA?) Urban Fantasy

Read: February 28, 2012
Source: Freebie

Mini-Review

I liked this one a LOT more than I thought I would, based on that horrible cover. It reminds me a lot of a Judy Blume book for some reason (maybe the fighting siblings/bullying aspect?) only there are ghosts and hauntings and it’s set in the South. Heather is a tough character to like– she’s sympathetic because her sister is so horrible to her and because of the whole “this ghost kid is ruining my life” thing, but she’s also really whiny and awkward in a way that makes you want to cringe. She spends a lot of the book running around denying who she is, hiding from the bullies, and being basically completely clueless. So I can understand why some people didn’t like her! Continue reading »

The Sunday Salon (Mar. 18): Lots of books in a small room

Posted by Anastasia on March 18, 2012 12 Responses »

Mar 182012

Hello! Happy Sunday evening, everyone. I’ve completely forgotten what it was I was originally going to write about for today’s post, so instead let’s talk about bedroom decor.

We’re fairly certain we’re going to get the house we’ve found, so that means I can start planning how I’m going to decorate my room! Now, my new room is about half the size of my Albuquerque room, which means I’ll need to change how I’d normally decorate. For instance: I don’t think I can have three or four tall bookshelves in my room now, because I’d feel like they were about to fall on me and/or the walls were closing in, etc. I’m also planning on painting my walls, doing something fancy with my closet organization– basically, I want my new room to be much more interesting than my old room was.

So! Those of you with small rooms: how do you deal with your books? I can keep most of them in the “media room,” so that’s no problem, but I’d still like to have at least one shelf for favorite books/TBR books. What sort of shelf would be best for a small room? I’m kind of thinking something like this would be good. What do you think?

Besides that whole thing, I’m trying to figure out which sort of bed would be best: should I go for a futon mattress, which I can fold away during the day and thus clear up a lot of room, or should I get a daybed, with drawers underneath for extra storage? Choices, choices… Continue reading »

MINI-REVIEWS: Who What Wear, Goy Crazy, My Lunatic Life

Posted by Anastasia on February 29, 2012 No Responses »

Feb 292012

037. Who What Wear: The Allegra Biscotti Collection by Olivia Bennett
Publication: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (November 1, 2010), ebook, 258pp / ISBN 140224391X
Genre: MG Fiction

Read: February 25, 2012
Source: Freebie

Mini-Review

I wasn’t sure if I’d like this book at first, because the first chapter is kind of boring. But! It gets better, and by the end I thought it was really cute. Fashion is always a tricky subject to write about because it changes so rapidly, but Who What Wear was still current enough to not be completely distracting. Emma, the protagonist, reminds me of all those adorable teenage bloggers/fashion designers who have big dreams and aren’t afraid to make them happen, and since I know of a few teenage bloggers who’ve actually made some of those dreams happen I didn’t think the plot was all that implausible, either. And like I said: it’s just darned cute. Continue reading »

MINI-REVIEWS: Dust, My Fair Godmother, Wish

Posted by Anastasia on February 28, 2012 8 Responses »

Feb 282012

034. Dust by Arthur Slade
Publication: Dava Enterprises (February 5, 2011), originally published 2003, ebook, 192pp / ISBN 0385730047
Genre: MG Horror, Historical Fiction

Read: February 19-20, 2012
Source: Bought

Mini-Review

This was way scarier than I thought it’d be for some reason. It reminds me somewhat of The Boneshaker and how that was scary, how it deals with the power adults have over children physically, emotionally, and so on. I liked the writing in Dust a lot more than I did in The Hunchback Assignments, my first Arthur Slade book, and I liked the story more, too. It’s less of an action, kick-ass, “kid saves the world” kind of a book and more of a magical realism/”weird things happen in small towns” book, which I liked. Plus! There’s stuff about the importance of imagination and reading and thinking outside of the box! Defeating baddies through the power of your mind? Awesome! I love that, especially when it’s in a “boy” book. They don’t seem to get that sort of thing a lot in their books, to be honest. Continue reading »