Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow is of late my #1 book on my To-Be-Recommended list. Soon after finishing, I thrust it into my mother’s hands, and I plan to give it as a gift to all my friends on their birthdays this year. In short: I loved it.
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow is the retelling of a Norwegian fairy tale, East of the Sun, West of the Moon. It is the tale of how a nameless girl, the daughter of a woodcutter, comes to live in a palace of ice with an enchanted isbjorn who knows more than he lets on. She becomes determined to find the truth, but when she goes searching, the man she is only beginning to realize is her true love is whisked away, to be persued at the palace East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
Not only was the heroine strong and believable, but I found this retelling extremely satisfying. Hints of romance, mystery, adventure and fantasy made it all worthwhile. While some would argue that it sticks to close to the original folk tale, being unfamiliar with the tale as it is, I found George’s hand steady when it came to recreating its charm.
The element it could use more of, however, is theme. Not that I really complain, though, the story was pushed along well enough that I didn’t realize its lack until long after I’ve read it, reread it, and recommended it. There were parts that could use a breather, where the heroine could think a bit more on the messages behind the story, but in all, it was fantastic.
Welcome to The Shelf, Jessica Day George. I’m excited to read more of what you’ve done. : )
Another book I’ve read is The Amulet Of Samarkand, of the Bartimaeus Trilogy. I’ve only just started the exciting Trilogy, but as soon as I get my hands on the last two, they’re as good as read.
Jonathan Stroud was brilliant in his crafting of the tale of Bartimaeus and Nathaniel. With multiple plot twists, believable characters, and magnificent writing, I’ve converted myself.
This is the story of a young magician’s apprentice, Nathaniel, who is remarkably gifted. In an attempt to take revenge on a character in his past, Nathaniel is bound to the demon Bartimaeus, and the two are thrown into a world of magic, politics, and secret plots. It is up to them to stop what they’ve started, and other subsequent threats.
What I loved about this book, is how well it was written. There were countless times where I read a phrase, and thought, “Brilliant!” Stroud has a way with words. In addition to that, but the characters were ingenious. Believable, but not over-the-top. They were perfect in their strengths, flaws, and logic. Now I’m wishing I were a witty demon, completing summons with attitude. Or a defiant magician, over his head in a series of betrayals.
To put it straightly: This is a series I’ve enjoyed, and I plan to enjoy the rest as soon as my library requests become available.
***POST-EDIT***
Right now, it’s 8:19 a.m., and I’m trying not to fall asleep at the monitor. I finished Genius Squad last night at one a.m. (!) and I absolutely loved it!! Not that it was good enough to keep me reading until one a.m., but that it grabbed me by the sleeve, tied me to the chair, and wouldn’t release me until I finished. I didn’t complain.
The second book is equally as good as the first (but with a different set of strengths and weaknesses) and I hope every person who even pretended to like the first book will check the second out from the library as soon as possible.
The idea behind both Evil Genius and Genius Squad is that of Cadel, a teenage genius. I like this book because, having the narrarator sit on Cadel’s shoulder, it makes the reader (me) feel like the genius. I like the intelligent language, and the dazzling terms Jinks uses in her character’s speech. Also, the story moves along well from the start, and by the end it moves at a break-neck pace that is impossible to tear your eyes from.
It’s true: Genius Squad and Evil Genius have different strengths and weaknesses, but overall they’re equally good. Catherine Jinks has a bit of a problem with characters in Genius Squad, in that characters like Lexi, Devin, Hamish, Trader, etc. get extremely on my nerves. They’re too over-the-top and unbelievable, but they only occupy the middle portion of the book and I put up with them once exciting events including Prosper English started to unfold.
Still, the experience is so new, so fresh. There is probably no other book like it–with this sort of… actually, I can’t call it fantasy OR sci-fi. It’s realistic fiction. And it’s brilliant (the idea, I mean), so I would recommend Evil Genius to anyone to try. If you like it enough, go for Genius Squad. And after you’re finished with that, read Genius Squad A.S.A.P.!
And that’s all I have to say.
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