The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

Synopses:

Although she is the daughter of Damar's king, Aerin has never been accepted as full royalty. Both in and out of the royal court, people whisper the story of her mother, the witchwoman, who was said to have enspelled the king into marrying her, to get an heir to rule Damar--then died of dispair when she found she had born a daughter instead of a son. But none of them, not even Aerin herself, can predict her destiny--for she is to be the true hero who will wield the power of the Blue Sword.

My Rating: 7/10

My Thoughts:

I'm not sure exactly how to review this book... I liked it, but at the same time I kinda didn't. It's one of those classic young adult fantasy novels that always seem to come up on lists of best books for teens, or kick-ass girl books, and there is a part of me that believes it deserves to be there. But at the same time, I had a hard time getting through it.

This is not the first time I've read this book. The very first time, I was pretty young, and just couldn't get through it. I tried it again in high school, and finished it, and I don't really remember feeling either positively or negatively about it. This time however, because of this blog, I'm forced to actually articulate my feelings, and it's so difficult. I guess I'm finding reviewing it difficult because I found reading it a little difficult. The style of writing seems almost... arcane. That's the only word I can think of, and I guess I didn't really like that style. I felt a little disconnected from the main character, Aerin, and I didn't really care about the love story.

I guess I should also list some things I did like, since I did like the book, even though I didn't. Ultimately, this is a girl kicking some ass novel, which I'm a huge sucker for. Any time a female character does something that she is not expected to do because she is female, I'm one hundred percent behind it. So having a feisty heroine give this book a lot of points.

So there you have it, my review of a book that I liked even though I didn't. I guess I recommend reading the book for yourself and coming to your own conclusions. Don't listen to me, what do I know. Many, many people love this book, so who are you going to believe. And remember, I too liked it, even though I didn't.

Graceling by Kristen Cashore

Synopsis:
In a world where people born with an extreme skill--called a Grace--are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of a skill even she despises: the Grace of killing. She lives under the command of her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and is expected to execute his dirty work, punishing and torturing anyone who displeases him.

when she first meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.

She never expects to become Po's friend.

She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace--or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away... a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

My Rating: 9/10

My Thoughts:
First off, I just want to say that I love, love, LOVE this book. It's definitely on my top 10 list of all time, and everyone should go read it right now.

I love books where gender roles are inverted, when a female character is either pretending to be a man, or they are naturally physically stronger, faster and better then the men. Specifically, I love how authors solve the problem of this female character finding love. I think as a society we generally think of the male as the protector and provider, so when these gender roles are reversed, the love story aspect becomes slightly complicated. So I found this book very interesting because when facing the main antagonist, Katsa has a weakness and Po does not. So though Katsa is faster and stronger and a better fighter, she still needs Po to help and protect her, as least in this one way. It creates an equality between them that Katsa exsperiences with no other man. Maybe it's just me, but I find that endlessly interesting.

All the characters are fabulous in this book, and I would love to hang out with them all. However, this isn't possible, so I'm stuck reading Graceling over and over again, pretending Katsa and Po are my best friends and eagerly wait for Bitterblue, which does not yet have a release date, to find out what happens next.

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

Synopsis:
Lucy Scarborough is only seventeen when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or to fall into madness upon their child's birth. How can Lucy succeed when all of her ancestors have tried and failed? But Lucy is the first girl who won't be alone as she tackles the list. She has her fiercely protective foster parents beside her. And she has Zach, whose strength amazes her more each day. Do they have enough love and resolve to overcome an age-old-evil?

My Rating: 7/10

(Uh, I may have gotten a little excited, and some may see my thoughts as a little spoilorish, though I don't think so, but proceed at your own risk)

My Thoughts:
This book had so much promise. I was so intrigued by a novel based off of the ballad Scarborough Fair, the same ballad the Simon and Garfunkel song is based off of. But once I started reading I was a little disappointed. I'm not sure exactly why, but I think it comes down to the love story portrayed between Lucy and Zach. It seemed to move way to fast for me. He goes from thinking of Lucy as a kind of younger sister figure to suddenly confessing his love for her in a matter of days, then it just keeps progressing from there. And yes, I understand how their relationship plays a major part in the resolution of the plot, but to me it was unbelievable and detracted from an otherwise interesting story.

A warning to younger readers, Lucy is raped in the beginning of the story, but it's not graphically portrayed. However, I have read some complaints about this because it's not mentioned anywhere in the synopsis and I guess it surprised some people.

Overall I thought it was a unique ballad retelling which only lacked a realistic love story.

Front and Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Synopsis:
After five months of sheer absolute craziness I was going back to being plain old background D.J. In photographs of course I'm always in the background--it's a family joke, actually, that us Schwenk kids could go to school naked on picture day, we're all so crazy tall. But I mean I was returning to the background of life. Where no one would really notice me or talk about me or even talk to me much except to say things like "Nice shot," and I could just hang out without too many worries at all.

But it turns out other folks have big plans for D.J. Like her coach. College scouts. All the town hoops fans. A certain Red Bend High School junior who's keen for romance and karaoke. Not to mention Brian Nelson, who she should not be thinking about! Who she's done with, thank you very much. But who keeps showing up anyway...

What's going to happen if she lets these people down? What's going to happen when she does? Because let's face it: there's no way, on the court or off, that awkward, tongue-tied D.J. Schwenk can manage all this attention. No way at all. Not without a brain transplant. Not without breaking her heart.

My Rating: 5/10

My Thoughts:
Oh man, what to say. I had some problems with the second book, but it was nothing compared to this one. My biggest problem was finishing it. D.J. drove me crazy in this book. The fact that she gets nervous talking to people is STILL a major theme. Dead horse? Stick? Anyone? I wanted to scream at her. Suck it up, talk to the coaches, make the phone call, believe in yourself a little bit! I thought it was a big unrealistic that D.J. who admits readily that she's the best female basketball player at her school, and she has all these coaches telling her she should play for them, yet she still questions her ability. I was over that whine fest early in the novel.

It was only worth reading as a wrap-up for the series, and to see the growth Brian ends up going through as a person. Though in my opinion, I don't know if I would have forgiven him like D.J.

Read it to conclude the series, but really that's all it has going for it.