Charm by Sarah Pinborough
11 October 2013
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Charmed, Fairytales retold, Poison, Sarah Pinborough
Just finished reading Charm by Sarah Pinborough and before I go any further must say what a fantastic little book. I just loved it. I don’t know where SP has been hiding but now I’ve found her out I’m going to be backtracking eagerly through any past work of hers. Also many, many thanks to the wonderful Jenny at Wondrous Reads for putting me onto both these lovely books – you are the beeswax. I read Poison a few months ago which was also an excellent book and my review is here.
So, Charmed is a reworking of a classic fairytale, with a dark twist. Cinderella is the central character to this story just as Snow White took centre stage in Poison. The beauty, for me, of both of these stories is that SP has created this fantastic world in which the fairy tales we grew up with and loved, all live. There are no real boundaries in that the stories simply tumble into each others territories and in that respect I strongly suggest you read Poison first. You could certainly pick up Charmed as a standalone but (1) why on earth would you want to do that when Poison is so good; and (2) you would miss all the extra nuances included within this story. Trust me and just read both okay.
The real magic to these novels is the quality of the stories. Everyone loved to be read a fairytale when they were little (didn’t they) and these magical books conjure to life the old stories that we love thereby evoking fond memories. Just look at the gorgeous books themselves and then imagine sitting in the biggest, comfiest chair, in front of a warm fire, on a dark night, reading this story. The writing is so reminiscent that the story simply comes to life and almost drags you back to your childhood when all of a sudden, as you’re reading the most delicious prose, you have a ‘hello’ moment and have to back track. Yes, don’t be fooled and certainly don’t try reading these to your children of an evening. These are no Disney characters. The characters that we grew to love are cast here in a different light. Vanity prevails not to mention selfishness, willfullness and a whole other wealth of character traces that we didn’t expect to see. On top of that we have what one of my blogger friends likes to describe as ‘sexy times’ (you know who you are) so, as I mentioned no reading to the kids at bedtime please. In that respect, the Hunter, who appears from the first novel is frankly a bit of a hottie and oh my giddy aunt but can SP write a steamy scene! Dont’ get me wrong, this isn’t some sort of erotica, so I really don’t want to give the wrong impression, but this author can seriously give you the hots for her characters when she puts her mind to it – I kid you not.
Again, as with Poison, the main character is different from what we expect, her redeeming quality being the fact that she is at least aware that she’s not always acting in the best way possible We have the typical Cinders cast including Buttons and even the mouse makes a proper appearance. The story is a great little mystery with the underlying theme of ‘be careful what you wish for’. Of course Cinderella madly wants to marry her Prince Charming but is he really all that she thinks and will she be sorry to win her heart’s desire. Well, you’ll have to read it to find out.
I heartily recommend this. The writing is beautiful. It fairly rattles along. The twistedness is just as good as ever and there’s this whole intriguing plot. Also, SP manages to make her females ‘real world’. They’re no fragile, or shrinking violet beauties – they have appetites – and they know how to satisfy them. A beautiful book and a beautiful story and, yet again, what an ending!
I’m submitting this for Carl, at Stainless Steel Dropping’s RIP event (details here) as it’s a dark little twist on the Cinderella tale.
The next sentence is a bit of a take on something I’m stealing unashamedly, and adapting slighly, from the Little Red Reviewer -(namely if you like …., ……, or ……. then you’ll like …..) Therefore, if you like Neil Gaiman: you’ll love Sarah Pinborough (frankly I can’t think of any greater compliment because I adore Gaiman).
Great Scott!! Is that a DeLorean time machine? Don’t be stupid. It’s Republic of Thieves
10 October 2013
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Gentlemen Bastards, Jean Tannen, Locke Lamora, Republic of Thieves, RoT readalong, Scott Lynch
I mean it, literally. Great. Scott. Lynch! I love this guy. This post is going to be a little love letter to Republic of Thieves which I recently completed reading. It’s also going to give details of a readalong and you’re all invited to the party, plus a cool little book trailer.
As usual, with the authors that I really enjoy reading, I went into this with a certain measure of ‘can he/can’t he’ do it again. Don’t worry – he totally did it! This book was great, amazing, fantastic even. Different than the last two but so good.
Starting more or less where the last left off, Locke is poisoned and Jean is desperately trying to find an antidote. Things are getting a bit grim and Locke is deteriorating fast. Okay, I’m probably not giving too much away if I say that Locke doesn’t actually die so rest easy! The way of the antidote was totally unexpected for me (as I tried to avoid picking up any spoilers before reading) and turns into the route to the latest situation that Locke and Jean find themselves in. On top of this we have a dual story which takes us back to the original gang and one of the little escapades they found themselves in with all the resulting chaos.
I’m not going to give anything more away about the plot. Especially as there’s a readalong right around the corner which will have loads of (incredibly intelligent, well thought out) discussion about every aspect! But, I did say this would be a love letter and this is the reason why.
- I loved that the story went back in time and we got some history on our boys, and girl!
- I loved that this element of the story meant we spent time with the Sanza twins
- I laughed – quite loudly and often at rather inopportune and embarrassing moments at the great variety of ways that Lynch has discovered to insult someone and I also found out that tea is not supposed to spurt out of the nostrils – it’s a little bit uncomfortable so I suggest not drinking any hot drinks whilst reading this book
- My stomach growled at some of the descriptions of strange food and drink, some in appreciation – some not!
- I loved that this book is to theatre what Red Seas Under Red Skies was to pirates – Lynch’s own particular interpretation but brought alive so successfully
- We finally find out about Sabetha – *wiggles eyebrows mysteriously* (and I’m not going to elaborate further!)
- I banged my head in frustration at the way Locke and Sabetha behaved (in a good way of course – imagine banging your head against a wall made of marshmallow, no, too sticky – a wall of cushions!)
- The depth to the characters, descriptions of place and concept are fantastic
- And, Jean Tannen remains my major book crush! Need I say more?
- Okay, how about really nasty baddies
- or a total WTF ending!
On top of this, what I really like about this series is the relationship between the characters. They’re all, for want of a better word, naughty, but you just have to love them! And they always aim so high don’t they… Plus the dialogue which just feels really natural.
It would be a tiny bit obscene to gush further so I’m going to stop!
I mentioned above a readalong, nay, an immense readalong. The details are as follows and as you can see the timeline is incredibly generous:
Week 1 – prologue thru Intersect I, hosted by Dab of Darkness, questions go out Oct 25, posts go up Oct 28
week 2 – chapter 3 thru interlude “Bastards Abroad”, hosted by Over the Effing Rainbow, question go out Nov 1, posts go up Nov 4
week 3 – Chapter 6 thru Interlude “Aurin and Amadine”, hosted by Lynn’s Book Blog, questions go out Nov 8, posts go up Nov 11
week 4 – Chapter 8 thru chapter 10, hosted by Little Red Reviewer, questions go up Nov 15, posts go up Nov 18
week 5, – Interlude “Death masks” thru epilogue, hosted by Tethyan Books, questions go up Nov 22, posts go up Nov 25.
Sincerely, I hope you will find time to join in. This series is one of my favourites and I just want everyone else to share the joy (because I’m a nice sharing person like that). If you haven’t started the series then there’s still time – if you don’t think you can catch up however I still hope you’ll read this series because you’re in for such a treat.
Also, follow this link and check out the trailer – which is way cool:
http://fantasy-faction.com/2013/republic-of-thieves-by-scott-lynch-exclusive-book-trailer
Hoping you can come to the party. It’s going to be fun, there’s going to be hats, cake and wine – oh, sorry, wrong party, but there will be loads of bloggers sharing witty repartee.
I received a copy of this through Netgalley for which I will be forever grateful!
Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett, readalong week III
9 October 2013
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Dab of Darkness, Over the Effing Rainbow, Readalong part III, Terry Pratchett, Wintersmith
The Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett readalong week III. Nearly caught up with this readalong – holidays hey (can live with em)!!
Hosted by Dab of Darkness and Over the Effing Rainbow. Week three’s questions hosted by Dab of Darkness as follows, oh and if you don’t want to know what a Scotsman wears under his kilt then read no further as spoilers will abound:
1) What did you think of Annagramma’s blunderings and then her reveal to Tiffany about her parentage? It sort of makes sense. I hadn’t really considered it but when she revealed her background it gave a bit more substance to the way she behaves. She’s somehow ashamed of her background and comes across as though she’s always trying to hide her real self!
2) Lady Summer makes herself known in this section of the book. How did your impressions change with each time we saw her? Well, she was pretty miffed and like I always say ‘hell hath no fury’ so I wasn’t too surprised about her reaction when a young usurper comes along and steals her man! All that being said, and whilst I might understand her a little I can’t say I warmed to her (no pun intended).
3) Ah, the Cornucopia, the Horn of Plenty. Was it all you expected? What would you ask from the Cornucopia if you had it for a day? This wasn’t what I expected but I loved Pratchett’s strange twist. Mmm, I would ask for a very fine bottle of red wine (after all it’s like having one of your five fruits for the day), some cheeses (because what could be more natural?) and Jean Tannen – sorry, just skipped books there, brrr…
4) Werk, werk, werk. So many chickens! Which is worse: 5 kilted Feegles hiding under your bed or a house full of chickens? What would you do with so many of the feathered egg-laying manure factories? I’ll take the Feegles hiding any day. At least they’re relatively house trained – although the fresh eggs would be a bonus. Chickens can be little so and sos though and I don’t fancy getting my ankles (and other bodily parts) pecked!
5) The winter was a harsh one, with wolves in the ice tunnels. However, Mistress Weatherwax put a stop to the wolves but never said how. What do you think she did? She probably set You on them (btw I’m referring to the kitty and not being personal)! Or perhaps she simply transported them to another place! Maybe she turned them into ham sandwiches and shared them round the village. Basically, I’m pretty clueless – but then I like to be consistent. (Actually, damn, what did she do with them?)
6) The immortal who tried to make himself into a man: did you enjoy the Wintersmith’s attempts to make himself a man? I actually had a good deal of sympathy for the Wintersmith and thought he was a great character. He had his little infatuation and didn’t really understand all the trouble he was causing. I loved that whole poem ‘thing’ – I wonder if it’s actually based on a true poem?? Anybody????
7) Granny Weatherwax tests Rob Anybody’s spelling and then sets him a heroic task. Do you think she was right to set that in motion or do you think someone else would have come up with the same idea? Maybe, although Granny W always seems to be one step ahead of the game. I thought it was good that she gave Rob Anybody a bit of a push in the right direction and the whole incident with the ferrymen and singing ‘row your boat’ was pretty funny to say the least.
8) Finally, did you applaud Tiffany’s solution to the Wintersmith dilemma? Did you find the ending satisfactory? Yes. Yet again I wondered how she would achieve it but she simply managed when the time came. She’s experiencing a wealth of different and difficult situations which are ultimately going to make her into a simply brilliant witch.
Very enjoyable. Terry Pratchett is so funny he had me laughing out loud no end in this volume – particularly any part where the Feegles show up – such a great creation – I would literally read a book just with the Feegles.
And they all lived happily ever after, didn’t they??
8 October 2013
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: The Broke and the Bookish, Top Ten Tuesday
Okay, it may seem like I’ve just posted a Top Ten Tuesday – but it was late. I’ve had a rather unorganised period, ahem, so now trying to be, or appear to be, organised. In which case I will keep this short and sweet!
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish – they have some pretty interesting topics so you might want to stop on by and check them out. Plus I always give a high five to Mega Mad 4 Books whose lovely blog enticed me over there in the first place.
This week – Top 10 Best and Worst Series Enders
Best first :
- Lord of the Rings, JRTolkien – no comments necessary methinks.
- The Broken Empire Trilogy by Mark Lawrence (Prince, King and Emperor of Thorns) (Thanks to the Little Red Reviewer for putting me onto this!)
- The Forest of Hands and Teeth series by Carrie Ryan (including the Dark and Hollow Places and the Dead Tossed Waves) – I loved this, zombie apocalypse and the ending was spot on.
- The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov – such a clever series and so intriguing. (respect to Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings for hosting a readalong for this which made it really interesting and without which I probably wouldn’t have picked it up!)
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – I loved this whole series and thought the ending was amazing plus Lisbeth is such a great character.
Worst :
- The Hunger Games series, by Suzanne Collins – loved the first book, liked the second, disappointed with the third.
- Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyers – yes, I read these! Breaking Dawn was a bit surreal for me personally.
- Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse – this is a great series and I’ve really enjoyed it – but I thought the ending was slightly meh!
- River Marked by Patricia Briggs. Okay, a bit of a cheat because this isn’t the end of a series but it is the last book I read in the series and it went off track I thought. Might try the next one just to see if it was a fluke.
- Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare – again, I liked the first but thought the second was totally flat and I probably won’t finish this series.
Two things did this post reveal: (1) I found it easier to come up with series endings that I enjoyed than disliked and (2) I’m astounded at how many series I’ve actually started and not finished yet – I think I have some sort of hang up about finishing a series! I NEED HELP!!
Oh no you didn’t!
10 things that bug you most when you’re reading or, put bluntly, ‘book turn offs’.
I saw this over on Mega Mad 4 Books. It’s a weekly meme entitled Top Ten Tuesdays hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and wanted to take part. Unfortunately I missed the opportunity (ahem, by almost a week!) but still wanted to have a go because the cogs were already in motion. Here are my contributions:
- Book jackets that bear no relation whatsoever to the content – what is the point?? Don’t show me a blond haired white girl with a sword and tattoos if it’s about an Asian girl dragon slayer who uses a crossbow! I’d sooner have a plain cover than a misleading one.
- Inaccuracies in content during a series – keep to the programme please. If I can do it then so can you.
- Errors in spelling and grammar – can stomach a little bit but if I have to start backtracking to make sense of the sentence then I’m pretty quickly going to lose patience/the will to carry on reading.
- Made up slang that requires a glossary in order to understand. I don’t want to keep flipping backwards and forwards all the time. It’s up to the author to use the language in a way that makes it possible to grasp – that being said I don’t mind there being a glossary for reference purposes – just more that I don’t want to take twice as long to read the book because I’m constantly having to study definitions.
- The inevitable love triangle! Bored with that now.
- Huge info dumps. Be a bit more subtle please and find a way to deliver the information without a 30 page history lecture.
- Sex, violence and profanity used purely for the shock value rather than to add to the story. Don’t mind it being there but not for the sake of it.
- False modesty in the characters. You know, the beautiful girl who doesn’t know she’s beautiful even though men and women are falling over themselves to get her attention.
- Rushed endings where it feels like the author had simply had enough and wanted it over and done with!
- Fur coat no knickers – in other words lots of plot and action but very flat characters with, well, no character
Now, what about you??
