I’ve been meaning to write reviews for these two books for quite some time now, but more mundane things like, you know, that thing called life, got in the way. At last I’m sitting down and putting my thoughts to paper. Er, to blog. You know what I mean.
Revealers by Amanda Marrone: I was lucky enough to win a copy of Revealers from a contest on Amanda Marrone’s blog, and read it soon after it came in the mail, intrigued by the mysterious beauty of the metallic blue cover. I finished the story over the course of two or three days, drawn into the world of Jules, a highschool senior and Revealer witch: one of several teenage girls with the power to force werewolves, vampires, etc. into revealing their true natures so the Revealers can kill the unpleasant undead.
I haven’t read many paranormal YA books about witches, so I liked learning more about Marrone’s particular brand of magic. The folklore behind witch balls was an especially nice touch. Magic takes a backseat, though, to the banter between Jules and her friends–Marrone does a good job of pulling off dialogue between teenage girls, steering clear of the cliche-and-slang-filled speech created by lesser YA authors. I did, however, find the snarkiness-to-politeness ratio a little high, particularly since Jules’s sarcasm doesn’t seem drastically different from the legions of snarky paranormal heroines out there. But I’ve been guilty of snark before, too, and I liked Jules, anyway.
I especially liked how Jules actively pursues her crush, Conner, and has no hang-ups about her sexuality. This isn’t a finger-wagging dangers-of-teen-sex kind of book, or one that promotes promiscuous girls jumping into any hot guy’s bed, but instead shows how a young woman can smartly explore sex in a way that doesn’t have horrible consequences. That always gets a thumbs up from me when I see it in YA.
Anyway, despite my rambling in this review, Revealers is not a romance novel, and moves along at a fairly brisk pace with increasing suspense and danger to the witches. Not to spoil too much, I did find the parts with demons and spells a little cheesy, and found the fate of one of the characters dealt with in a somewhat unbelievably casual way. So I wouldn’t say I rank plot as one of this story’s strengths, but I definitely read it for the fun characters and snappy dialogue. Be sure to check this out if you’re an aficionado of YA paranormal fiction, but also give it a try if you’re new to the genre.
Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception by Maggie Stiefvater: First off, I was curious to read Lament since my debut, Other, will be coming out from the same publisher, Flux. (Spring/Summer 2010, if you’re curious.) Also, the word-of-mouth buzz surrounding this book heightened my curiosity. I’m going to go ahead and judge this book by its cover, which is lovely, as is the art inside. The overall presentation of Lament adds to the atmosphere, which is one of magic, secrets, and bittersweet romance. Don’t guess the story has too somber of a tone, though, because there’s quite a bit of lighthearted flirtation between the hero, Deirdre, and the mysterious guy she falls for, Luke.
Lament feels more character-driven than plot-driven, as it’s a little slow to get the story moving, but I didn’t really care. I enjoyed meeting Deirdre, who’s both believably flawed (her nervousness before performances inevitably leads to barf) and such a good harpist that her talent attracts notice from the faeries themselves–she’s a cloverhand, as Stiefvater puts it. While Deirdre’s special, it’s not because she’s an amazingly drop-dead gorgeous heroine who all the guys are fawning over. This gets bonus points from me, since I’ve seen this particular stereotype before in an annoying number of YA novels, particularly fantasy.
It doesn’t even matter too much how handsome Luke is, though I enjoy Stiefvater’s descriptions of him, “lean as a wolf,” with pale eyes and hair. Instead of merely sexual tension, Deirdre and Luke have a realistic romance woven from good conversation and a good dollop of humor. I really didn’t expect so much humor in this book, to be honest, and I think it’s high on the list of what makes this a great read. The faeries are up there, too, particularly the mischievous, wild kind that Deirdre encounters dancing in a ring of mushrooms. I wish Stiefvater included more faerie lore in Lament, as it feels like we’re only glimpsing a rich world, but I suspect Deirdre has just started to explore. I’m looking forward to the sequel, Ballad, since Lament teases the reader with dangling threads.
