July Jacket Flap-a-thon

Guys. It's hot here. Which is an understatement. On the upside, since it's too hot to exist outside of an air conditioned bubble, I did get a lot of reading done. On the downside, we've also watched way too many movies and TV shows....

The best of the flap copy this month:

The Last Little Blue Envelope (HarperTeen): "Ginny Blackstone thought that the biggest adventure of her life was behind her. She spent last summer traveling around Europe, following the tasks her aunt Peg laid out in a series of letters before she died. When someone stole Ginny's backpack—and the last little blue envelope inside—she resigned herself to never knowing how it was supposed to end. Months later, a mysterious boy contacts Ginny from London, saying he's found her bag. Finally, Ginny can finish what she started. But instead of ending her journey, the last letter starts a new adventure—one filled with old friends, new loves, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Ginny finds she must hold on to her wits . . . and her heart. This time, there are no instructions. "

Tight, references the first book, and just hints at what's going to happen in this one. Perfect.

How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy (Balzar & Bray): "Thirteen-year-old Lamar Washington is the maddest, baddest, most spectacular bowler at Striker's Bowling Paradise. But while Lamar's a whiz at rolling strikes, he always strikes out with girls. And his brother, Xavier the Basketball Savior, is no help. Xavier earns trophy after trophy on the basketball court and soaks up Dad's attention, leaving no room for Lamar's problems. Until bad boy Billy Jenks convinces Lamar that hustling at the alley will help him win his dream girl, plus earn him enough money to buy an expensive pro ball and impress celebrity bowler Bubba Sanders. But when Billy's scheme goes awry, Lamar ends up ruining his brother's shot at college and every relationship in his life. Can Lamar figure out how to mend his broken ties, no matter what the cost? From debut author Crystal Allen comes an unforgettable story of one boy's struggle to win his family's respect and get the girl of his dreams while playing the sport he loves."

It sounded a lot better than I thought it was in the end. But the copy does it's job: it draws you in.

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana (Harper): "The life Kamila Sidiqi had known changed overnight when the Taliban seized control of the city of Kabul. After receiving a teaching degree during the civil war—a rare achievement for any Afghan woman—Kamila was subsequently banned from school and confined to her home. When her father and brother were forced to flee the city, Kamila became the sole breadwinner for her five siblings. Armed only with grit and determination, she picked up a needle and thread and created a thriving business of her own. The Dressmaker of Khair Khana tells the incredible true story of this unlikely entrepreneur who mobilized her community under the Taliban. Former ABC News reporter Gayle Tzemach Lemmon spent years on the ground reporting Kamila's story, and the result is an unusually intimate and unsanitized look at the daily lives of women in Afghanistan. These women are not victims; they are the glue that holds families together; they are the backbone and the heart of their nation. Afghanistan's future remains uncertain as debates over withdrawal timelines dominate the news. The Dressmaker of Khair Khana moves beyond the headlines to transport you to an Afghanistan you have never seen before. This is a story of war, but it is also a story of sisterhood and resilience in the face of despair. Kamila Sidiqi's journey will inspire you, but it will also change the way you think about one of the most important political and humanitarian issues of our time."

I'm doing this as a favor for you. This flap copy basically tells you what's in the book, and how you're supposed to react to it. Now you don't have to spend the time reading it.

Other Books Read:
Penderwicks at Point Mouette
Wildwood Dancing (reread)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (audio)
The Wee Free Men (audio; reread)
Close to Famous
What Momma Left Me
A Stranger to Command (DNF)
The Great Gatsby
Anna and the French Kiss
Mission Road

Anna and the French Kiss

by Stephanie Perkins
ages: 14+
First sentence: "Here is everything I know about France: Madeline and Amélie and Moulin Rouge."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Copy given to me by the lovely Vasilly

So, this one has been getting a lot of hype, all of it saying how wonderful, how great, how supremely perfect this was.

M, when she finished it said, "Well, that was cheesetastic. Good cheese, but so cheesy."

The basic story: Anna Oliphant is the daughter of a Nicholas Sparks-type author, who, not wanting to be outdone by all his Posh Hollywood Friends, ships Anna off to a Posh boarding school in Paris. (Oh noes.) She doesn't know a lick of French, doesn't want to leave her comfortable life in Atlanta, doesn't want to leave her blossoming almost-relationship with Toph. But, to Paris she goes.

Where she bumps into -- literally -- Étienne St. Clair.

(cue dreamboat music)

What ensues is a lot of romantic push-and-pull. Anna obviously St. Clair, but she has a double problem to deal with: he's got a girlfriend though she's kind of out of the picture, and Anna's friend Mer likes him as well. Then there's the question of whether or not St. Clair likes her? Sure, they're friends, and they hang out all the time. But does he like her?

(Because, you know, we ALL want to know that.)

That's not to say this is a bad book: it's predictable, sure. But I did enjoy the relationship between Anna and St. Clair, it's heights and valleys, and it's inevitable, swoon-worthy resolution. It's not a simple book, and much like Maureen Johnson's work, Perkins knows how to write a romance that deals with more even while putting the relationship front-and-center.

Not perfect, but delightful.

Mission Road

by Rick Riordan
ages: adult
First sentence: "Ana had to get the baby out of the house."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Even after my failed attempt to read Southtown, I wanted to finish out Tres Navarre's story. Mission Road didn't sound like such the gritty story, and so I picked it up, hoping for the same sort of thrilling mystery that Riordan had delivered before.

Tres Navarre has settled into a bit of a routine: visit his girlfriend Maia up in Austin, take care of his resident ex-FBI housemate, take a PI job here and there, try not to get killed in the process. But when his old friend Ralph Arguello shows up at Tres's back door shaking, covered in blood, and accused of being his wife's, Sargeant Ana DeLeon, shooter, there's only one thing Tres can do: help him.

That makes Tres a fugitive from the law: he and Ralph have 48 hours to figure out who shot Ana, and solve a cold case from 1987. Because the two are inevitably connected. This, of course, involves getting the help of a notorious San Antonio mob boss, who also happens to be the father of the murder victim in the 1987 case.

Interestingly enough, Tres is more of a pawn in this book than an actual participant. It's Maia who does all the legwork, getting the information, and actually is the one who solved both crimes. She's the one who had the intense face-down with the suspect, who put the puzzle pieces together while Tres and Ralph were running around creating a nice diversion while trying to save their necks. I didn't mind this at all; I like Tres, but I've decided that I like Maia more. She's a tough, intelligent, interesting woman; full of power and vulnerability in all the right ways. It also helped that Tres and Ralph hooked up with another intriguing, complicated woman -- Madeline White, daughter of the mob boss -- which spiced up their run for their lives.

Even with these two women, the book is populated with less-than-lovely characters. There's an interesting division between bad and truly evil, between skirting the law and doing unspeakable crimes. Riordan handles something that could be really disturbing -- the rape and murder of multiple young women -- with sensitivity; the book never crosses over into the truly graphic, which makes it go down easier. First and foremost is saving Tres and Ralph, and by extension, Ralph's wife and year-old daughter.

As for the mystery: I kind of figured it out halfway through, but only one part of it. There's a really nice twist in the very last chapter, one that was surprising, but made sense given the characters and the plot.

Very satisfying.

The Great Gatsby

by F. Scott Fitzgerald
ages: adult
First sentence: "In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Ah Gatsby.

I fell for this book sometime in high school during my jazz phase. I don't remember what it was about the book that captured my fancy; I just remember loving it. However, after using it as a basis for a paper in my class on the history of jazz my freshman year of college, I haven't opened the book.

Enter John Green and the Nerdfighters. They're doing a read-along of the book this summer, and while I may not actively participate in the discussion (though I did enjoy John's first video on the book), I decided I would at least give The Great Gatsby another try to see if it held up over the years.

And it did. I'm not sure I was as enamored over it as I was in high school. Upon rereading, I think what I liked was the feel of the book. It captures the feel of the jazz age -- the aimlessness, loneliness after the first World War, and yet the desire to distance oneself from anything destructive -- so perfectly. I was caught up again in their mediocre lives of desperation, indulging in the reminder that being rich does not solve any problems, and may only serve to create more. It was also a reminder, this time around, that the past should stay in the past, that any desire to relive it will just end in pain for everyone.

I find the writing lyrical, and the story beautiful in it's desperation. A true American classic.

A Stranger to Command

by Sherwood Smith
ages: 13+
First sentence: "You're a new one."
Review copy won from Charlotte's Library

First off: this has the ugliest. cover. ever. After I got it in the mail, I took a look at it and thought: man, they're not doing much to promote what hopefully will be an awesome story inside.

Then I stuck it on my shelf. Every time I looked at it, I just thought: ugh.

Eventually, I did crack it open. Partially because I loved Crown Duel and this is billed as the "exciting prequel". Partially because I was looking for some good sweeping fantasy, and hoping this would fit the bill.

Unfortunately, I bailed halfway through. The book wasn't doing it for me. It's the story of Vidanric as a 15 year old, sent off to a military school in a far-away kingdom because his king is killing off all the heirs in his kingdom. He has to adjust, to learn, to fight homesickness... blah, blah, blah.

It was glacially slow; I made it through Vidanric's (now known as Shevraeth) first year and about halfway into his second when I just got bored. I put it down, and now, two weeks later, have no desire to learn any more about Marloven's military tactics, their boy-king, the prophecy, or the unseen force that's rising in the north. (Or wherever.)

I wanted this one to be so much more. Disappointing.

Sunday Salon: Why I Go To KidLitCon

I've been meaning to write this post for weeks, but with vacation and summertime computer usage by my children (we really need another computer around here!) I've hardly been on the blog at all. Just enough to whip off yet another review (at least I can read while everyone else is hogging the computer!), but not enough to spread news.

The 5th Annual KidlitCon is set for September 16-17 in Seattle this year. Registration is open through August 31, but after August 1, the price bumps up $5. And -- this is beyond cool, I think -- Scott Westerfeld is the keynote speaker.

This will be the third KidLitCon I've gone to. Why do I choose this one above everything else bookish out there I could go to, like BEA? (Though I'm tossing around the idea of going to the Texas Book Festival this year. That is, if there's going to be any authors I'm interested in. They haven't put up the list yet... I may go, regardless; I've always kind of wanted to do a big book festival, and the one in DC is on a bad weekend.) I'd like to be able to go to more, but time and money won't allow it.

I go to KidLitCon because it's small. I'm an introvert, and honestly? While BEA appeals to me (as does ALA), the idea of so many people and me being there by myself thoroughly intimidates (and terrifies) me. KidLitCon is the right size: there's usually around 100 participants, so there's enough people there to have a diversity, but not so many that there's a mob. Just perfect.

I go to KidLitCon because it helps me be a better blogger. Or at least I'd like to think that. Sure, a lot of the panels are directed toward helping authors navigate the world of social media, but there are ones about blogging and reviewing and connecting with said authors and publishers. I find it engaging and thrilling to be talking to like-minded people; ones who are just as passionate about not only reading but about children's books (and not just what's hip in YA) as I am.

Speaking of which: I go to KidLitCon because of the people. This seriously may be the biggest reason for me. By the time I started going, I'd been following blogs for years, and I wanted to meet the people whose writing I enjoyed. I figured if they were as lovely in person as the were on the web, then I'd be in good company. (I was right.) The thing I think I like most about this group of people is that they are some of the kindest, most inclusive people I've ever met. Sure, I'm not a librarian, or a literacy advocate, or an author, or even that good of a writer, but they don't seem to mind. (Or if they do mind me crashing their party, no one's ever said so.) I feel as much a part of the group as Carol Rasco (who, by the way, has a delightful Arkansan accent and is a pleasure to talk to).

Those are my reasons for going. If you go, what are yours? And if not, consider joining us. You won't regret it. I promise.

What Momma Left Me

by Renee Watson
ages: 10+
First sentence: "I don't have many good memories of my daddy."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy provided by the publisher

Serenity is 13 years old; her brother Danny is 12. And they just watched their their mother violently die.

Starting life over with their grandparents -- their mother's parents -- isn't easy. There's a new school, new rules at home which include, and all the haunted memories that comes with their mother's death. On top of that, they suddenly find themselves as PK's -- preacher's kids, or in this case, grandkids -- since their Grandpa is a preacher, and all that entails. Serenity seems to find solace in that, but Danny; let's just say that Danny's tendency is to turn out as well as their drug-dealing father.

Let's just say that this one is very realistic.

Very. Realistic.

Depressingly realistic.

I know there are kids out there who live like this. And kudos to the grandparents who are trying to raise their grandkids right. But. Oh, it was so heartbreaking to read. Heartbreaking that these kids were caught up in adult problems, and going about making the same choices their parents made. Heartbreaking that there are people out there who call themselves parents, and yet never take time to take care of their kids. Heartbreaking that books like this are needed in order to give kids hope that things may turn out all right. Hopefully.

It's well written enough, with poetry scattered through, drawing on Maya Angelou for strength. The chapter titles were from the Lord's Prayer, as well, which I thought was a nice touch.

It's still a depressing book, though.

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana

Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe
by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
ages: adult
First sentence:"I touched down in Afghanistan for the first time on a raw winter morning in 2005 after two days of travel that took me from Boston to Dubai via London."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Life is not easy in Afghanistan. It hasn't been for a long time, now. Between the Soviet occupation, the civil war, the Taliban, and the U.S. retaliation, everyday life for Afghanis is difficult, to say the least. Especially for the women. Especially during the Taliban years, when they were essentially relegated to their homes; held prisoner in their own houses.

With the men and boys fleeing to Iran and Pakistan for work, and to avoid being force-drafted into the Taliban army, how do these women -- some of them highly educated -- provide for themselves and their families?

Lemmon focuses on one family -- the five sisters of the title, but one, Kamila, in particular -- who take the bull by the horns and, working within the Taliban's rules, manage to find a way to thrive under the strict rules and foreboding environment.

On the one hand, what Kamila does in creating a sewing/tailoring business that provides merchandise to local stores and employs local women and girls truly is an inspirational thing. Her innovation and resilience is impressive; she worked within the bounds the Taliban set, and only once did she ever come close to going afoul of the Amr bil-Maroof, the police who enforced the strict morality code. Even then, she was able to talk her way out of things. Her faith and optimism are amazing; if she believed it could be done, she found a way to make it so.

However, it seemed that Lemmon was trying too hard to make the book inspirational. it's hard to pinpoint, exactly (and it may work for some people), but it's overall feeling was: "This is INSPIRATIONAL. Pay attention!" The blurbs on the back don't help: this book will Change Your Life. (And given Greg Mortensen's problems, having a big blurb on the cover by him doesn't really help with the credibility.) Additionally, while it's a non-fiction book and telling is to be expected, there was way too much telling and not enough showing. She told me that the women were scared by the Taliban; she never showed me. She told me that they worked hard, were stressed, and yet overcame all; she never showed me. The other problem was time: the movie covers 13 years, and yet reads as if Kamila achieved all this in a matter of months.

I'm sure there are better books about women under the Taliban, ones that show how resilient and strong they were in spite of everything. And while this is an impressive story, this book is not one of them.

Close to Famous

by Joan Bauer
ages: 11+
First sentence: "The last place I thought I'd be when this day began is where I am, which is in a car."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Things in this book that I'm getting mightily tired of:
Dead parent (this time, it was in Iraq; at least it wasn't cancer)
Small town as a place of Redemption and Wholesome Values (why doesn't anyone ever write about how confining a small town can be?)
Cooking/food as a means to Overcome Everything
Mom's bad boyfriends (this time there was domestic abuse)

Things that worked reasonably well, even though I've seen them before:
Children who have a Brilliant Talent (in this case, baking) that Brings The Town Together
Faded Hollywood stars who have Lessons to Teach
Pursuing your dreams as a Means For Happiness
Big Bad Businesses that Promise Things to small towns but Never Follow Through (a prison was built outside of this town, and they promised lots of jobs. Of course, it never happened. Likewise, there was a small subplot about a big business trying to buy out a church. I never quite understood what the purpose of that one was.)

Things that I actually liked:
The cover
That the main character couldn't read. There was no explanation given, no label; she just has a hard time reading. Bauer handled it well, the shame our main character, Foster, felt because she couldn't read and her desire to want to read as well as her inability to overcome this. It was a damning portrait of schools: she slid through the grades because no one wanted to hold her back, and yet no one took the time to help actually teach her to read. If she hadn't moved and found a group of people who were willing to help, then what would have happened to her? It made me angry at the teachers and the schools that let her slide, that never saw Foster for what she was: a person who needed help. Argh.

Things I wished the book had included:
Recipes!

I think the ultimate problem with this book is that it was too much like several others I've read and/or tried to read (Rocky Road, Scones and Sensibility, Dear Julia, Waiting for Normal, Okay for Now, The Dancing Pancake; not to mention It's Raining Cupcakes, which I actually didn't read, but C did), that I felt more annoyance than enjoyment while reading. Which is too bad, because I usually like Bauer's books.

How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy

by Crystal Allen
ages: 12+
First sentence: "Since Saturday, I've fried Sergio like catfish, mashed him like potatoes, and creamed his corn in ten straight games of bowling."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Lamar has got it going on. Sure, he lives in small-town Coffin, Indiana. Sure, he's got asthma, which keeps him from playing champion basketball like his older brother Xavier. Sure, he's 13 years old and doesn't have a girlfriend (what's the deal with 13-year-olds and girlfriends these days?). But he's the King of Sriker's bowling alley. He knows his game, he knows he's good. He's got it going on.

It's frustrating, though, being 13-years-old and living in Xavier's shadow. Everyone in town -- their father included -- respects, admires and cheers for Xavier. And Lamar? He's just a bowler. The epitome of lame, even if he is the best in the town.

Enter Billy Jenks. Sure, he's trouble, but he's offering Lamar a chance to earn some money to get the dream bowling ball he's always wanted, and maybe he'll get some respect as well. And it seems like Billy is a kindred spirit (okay, so it wasn't in those words exactly): he gets where Lamar's coming from. He understands. Until it all goes south.

I was torn about this one: the characters were tough for me to like; I don't know exactly why I was turned off by Lamar, but I was. I understand he was trying his best, doing his best, working towards things, but I just never connected. And I didn't particularly like his friends, brother, or dad. (His eventual girlfriend, on the other hand, was a spitfire. Can we have a book about her please?) I did, however, like that when things went south, and Lamar's actions have serious consequences and he faced them without blinking. No whining, no blaming. Just sucked it up, and took it.

However, while I liked that part, I did feel it veered into the saccharine at the end. Sure, a happy ending is nice, but this one seemed a bit, well, over the top. All love and happiness and goodness and lessons learned. It left me kind of... meh.

That said, I think it's a good debut; I'll be interested to see what Allen has to offer next.

Audiobook: The Wee Free Men

by Terry Pratchett
read by Stephen Briggs
ages: 9+
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

I first read The Wee Free Men two years ago, and thoroughly enjoyed every bit of the time I spent with the book. It's hilarious, adventuresome, cool, and Tiffany Aching, even when she's just 11 years old, is a force to be reckoned with. There's a power in her, a determination. I love that in this world, all it takes to be a witch is powers of observation and the knowledge that you're the only one who can do anything about the situation.

There's magic, of course, but it's not flashy magic. It's quite, subtle, and still there, even after you know how it's done.

That said, I loved hearing this book read aloud. Even more so than when I read it. It's fine reading it and all, but nothing -- nothing! -- is funnier than someone doing a spot-on Scottish accent for the Nac Mac Feegle. And the voice for Toad? So deadpan, so hilarious. I laughed. So hard. Often. And I actually got the section near the end when Tiffany goes up against the Queen; something which I remember eluding me when I read it. Perhaps because listening to it means I go through things more carefully than when I read them? Whatever it is, listening to the audiobook made this books so much more loveable and enjoyable than it already was.

Which means, of course, that I'm going to have to listen to the rest of the Tiffany Aching books.

Audiobook: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

by C. S. Lewis
ages: 7+
read by Michael York
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

I don't quite know where to start with this. I read the books for the first time in college, and I think I liked them. Though I'm nowhere near the Lewis devotee as some. (Including Hubby.) I saw the movie, but wasn't impressed. And, honestly, I didn't remember much about the story.

But, there had been some talk around the house about the Narnia books, mostly because we'd just watched The Voyage of the Dawn Treader movie. A and K were curious about the stories, so I picked up this one to listen to while we were on the trip.

And, to be thoroughly honest, it didn't stick with me. Sure, I enjoyed it while I was listening to is, as did A and K. But, two weeks later (there is a reason I put posts up right after I finish things), all I can remember about the story was that it was nice. And that I was surprised at how little the Pevensie kids actually did. Mostly it involved them reacting to events, getting caught up in events and watching events unfold. Very rarely were they actual active participants in the story, which disappointed me.

But the younger girls enjoyed it, and Michael York did an admirable job reading it. And it kept everyone from arguing in the car for a few hours. So it wasn't really time wasted.

The Last Little Blue Envelope

by Maureen Johnson
ages: 13+
First sentence: "It was that time of day again."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

It's been forever and a year since I've read 13 Little Blue Envelopes, and while I remember enjoying it, I didn't remember much else. I wanted to read this book not so much because I was invested in the story of Ginny and her quest to do what the letters from her (now dead) aunt instructed, but because I adore Maureen Johnson and her writing. I'm on board for any story she wants to tell.

Thankfully, MJ made it easy for me to pick up this one without revisiting the first one.

Apparently (since I didn't remember that), Ginny's backpack with the letters in it got stolen at the end of the last book. (Hence the need for a sequel. And for the title.) She's basically given up ever completing the quest, and has tried to move on with her life, filling out college applications. It's all just okay, being normal. Then out of the blue, a guy named Oliver contacts her: he has her letters, and he's willing to give them back to her. For a price.

And, off she goes on another adventure. This one will take her across France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Ireland. It will involve romance, but again only in a subtle, understated way. It's more about tying up loose ends, saying goodbye and learning about art. There's a lot about art, actually, something which I thoroughly enjoyed.

It's a good book; intelligent fluff for those who think their books should be smart and fun as well as swoony and sweet.

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette

by Jeanne Birdsall
ages: 10+
First sentence: "The Penderwick family was being torn apart."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

How can I express my love for the Penderwicks?

Honestly? I can't. I adore them, I want to be a part of their world.

Though I've noticed something: I think the Penderwicks are better when they're on vacation than when they are at home.

This time, newly wed Dad and Iantha are off to England for a conference/honeymoon and Rosalind is off to a much-deserved vacation with her friend Anna to New Jersey. The rest of the Penderwicks -- acting OAP (Oldest Available Penderwick) Skye, Jane and Batty, plus honorary Penderwick brother Jeffrey -- are off with their Aunt Claire to a lovely little cottage in Maine for two weeks.

Perhaps it's the lovely little cottages that make the books so wonderful? I'm beginning to think that everyone should have a vacation at a lovely little cottage.

Things happen at Point Mouette, of course. They meet a lovely next-door neighbor, Alec, who has an annoying dog but a wonderful piano; some more honorary siblings and a first-love in Mercedes and Dominic, who are staying at the Inn with their grandparents. They have adventures, discover things, bond, fight, and are just thoroughly wonderful.

I know this has been said many times, but it's really the main charm of the book: I love how Birdsall combines an old-fashioned feel with the modern times. These books aren't historical, they aren't set anytime other than present, and yet they feel timeless. You could picture Anne Shirley or the March sisters having the adventures that the Penderwick girls have, and yet threaded through the books are modern themes like divorce and bad mothers and cancer. It's a wonderful balance, something which gives these books their charm, and pulls readers in (and it's not just adults; my daughters adore the Penderwicks) and holds them there, making them fall in love with the characters.

This is why I read.

Reread: Wildwood Dancing

by Juliette Marillier
ages: 13+
First sentence: "I've heard it said that girls can't keep secrets."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

When I last visited the book, I had issues with it. Specifically, I had issues with a subplot wherein a character, a woman, wasting away pining for her True Love. It soured the book for me, and even though M really liked it, I didn't change my opinion.

But my in-person book group chose it for their book for August, and I had time and figured it was a light vacation read, so I thought I'd give it another try.

It's a clever twist on a couple of fairy tales, deftly combining vampires with The Frog Prince and the Twelve Dancing Princesses. The Transylvanian setting was lush and Marillier knows how to spin a story. One of the comments I remembered people saying in favor of the book was the relationship between Jena and Gogu, her frog. It's a good relationship, fun and witty. But, even with that, I had issues.

I really disliked the treatment of the sisters by Cezar. I know you're not supposed to like it; he's the "bad guy" after all. But, it was really unsettling to me this time around. I had to put the book down several times, and found myself desperately loathing having him around. I almost didn't finish the book because of him, this time. Perhaps it's a good thing that I had such a violent reaction to him: it means, to a large extent, that Marillier did her job well.

And as for Tati and Sorrow, the pair that soured the book for me the first time around? Yep, still didn't like them. Still became impatient with Tati and her wasting away for True Love. Still impatient with the idea of True Love, and how worthless an idea it is. I do prefer Jena and Gogu's relationship; at least there's mutual trust and understanding there. Perhaps Marillier meant Tati's to be a counterbalance to the more down-to-earth Jena? I don't know. But Jena, as spunky and brave and cool as she was, wasn't enough to save the novel for me.