Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett

 

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Thirteen year old Tiffany Aching is continuing her training to be a witch.  At the moment, she’s apprenticed to Miss Treason, a 113 year old witch whose house is festooned with cobwebs and skulls to impress the locals. She takes Tiffany out one cold night to watch the dancing, because she says it must be witnessed—and not to dance.  It’s very cold and very dark, and seems to get colder as they go into the woods.   Tiffany is a bit disappointed and mystified to find that it’s only Morris folk dancers, like those she’s seen traveling around the countryside when they can get past the public houses.  What is so important about Morris dancers?  Though to be fair, something does seem a bit different, a bit off…

Tiffany’s feet don’t think so, though, as her foot starts tapping and before she knows it she is dancing—and catching the attention of one of the most important dance participants.

The Wintersmith has never really noticed humans, but he finds himself infatuated with this girl who has dared to join the dance.  He wants her for his wife.  He woos her with snowflakes in her image, with ice roses, and blizzards that threaten to kill everything living.  Tiffany has never quite had a real boyfriend, so dealing with one of this magnitude is quite a challenge.  She will need all her wits and all her friends to save her world.

And the Wee Free Men are going to help, of course, not to mention a rogue cheese named Horace, an assortment of witches, and maybe even a boy in not so shining armor.

Pratchett continues to delight me with is sly, humorous, and insightful tales.  Tiffany Aching is one of my favorite parts of the Discworld series as it follows a young girl from age 9 as she learns her trade as a witch.  It’s less about magic and more about understanding people—or people-like creatures like the Wee Free Men aka the Feegles who are small blue pictsies with more courage than brains.  They fear no creature but the idea of math has them quaking in their boots.  I understand that.

As usual, Pratchett delivers laughs and lessons in a wonderfully concocted tale.  Do start with Wee Free Men, though, to get the full effect.  Meeting the Feegles for the first time is not to be missed.

The Tiffany Aching series in order:

Wee Free Men

A Hat Full of Sky

Wintersmith

I Shall Wear Midnight

The Shepherd’s Crown

Wintry YA Mysteries: Cooney & Windsor

Reviews by Christy H.

Freeze Tag by Caroline B. Cooney

            Meghan Moore loves her neighbors, the Trevor family. She’s best friends with their daughter Tuesday and as a crush on their oldest son West. She enjoys nothing more than bursting into their welcoming home just to say hi or playing yard games with Tuesday, West, and their younger brother Brown. But there is another kid who wants to join in on the fun. Her name is Lannie, and no one really likes her. So to make them like her she suggests a game of freeze tag. And one by one she freezes everyone – literally. They can see and hear but they cannot move. She spares West only to have him promise that he will always like her best. When he does, she unfreezes everyone, and they don’t talk about this strange occurrence for years, pretending it never happened.

But now they’re in high school, and West and Meghan are dating. They’re wild about each other, and it upsets Lannie to see West breaking his promise. So once again she threatens to freeze those close to West, specifically Meghan, to get what she wants. That is essentially the novel. West breaks off from Meghan to spend all his time with Lannie just to appease her. Lannie threatens to freeze someone if she doesn’t get her way. It’s a short book but this scenario plays out over and over and over. Then it abruptly ends. There are a couple of times where Meghan considers the loneliness Lannie must feel as she has always been neglected – by classmates or by parents – and I felt as though the rest of the narrative would be her befriending Lannie or trying to be kind to her. Although it does hint at that in the end the novel never fully develops it. While I liked reading it just fine, and I enjoyed the writing, it felt quickly and haphazardly thrown together.

The Christmas Killer by Patricia Windsor

            The town of Bethboro, Connecticut is preparing for the holiday season but every citizen is on edge. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving fourteen year old Nancy went missing. After her body turns up, another young girl goes missing. Later on human remains are found in a junk yard but they’re from years ago. Has a serial killer started preying on this town? Or has he been around for years already? Either way, everyone’s spooked. Including Rose’s mom who just wants to protect her fifteen year old daughter. Rose brushes her concerns off as much as she can. But then she starts having dreams about Nancy – someone she only met once in passing. Dreams that show her where Nancy’s body can be found or where the older remains are buried. Rose doesn’t know how to process these dreams. After she goes to the police several times, pretty soon they’re pressuring her for more information, and grieving family members are berating her in public. It’s almost too much for her to handle.

            I enjoyed this much more than I expected to. The killer was fairly easy to guess but I appreciated Windsor laying the groundwork so the reveal didn’t feel unearned. Rose, as a character, is a little prickly which felt tedious at times however, I loved her final showdown with the killer where her bold attitude really shines.

            While I favored The Christmas Killer, I enjoyed both of these young adult books. Both were light, fun mysteries perfect for chilly Christmas reading.

Read Harder, Part Two

Update by Ambrea

I’ve managed to read a few more books for my Read Harder Challenge, and I’ve checked some categories off my list.  This week, I’ve managed to complete:

1.      Read a book over 500 pages long.

2.      Read a book of historical fiction set before 1900.

3.      Read a book that was adapted into a movie, then watch the movie.  Debate which is better.

Shortly after the New Year, I finished reading Winter by Marissa Meyer.  At just over 800 pages, it fit nicely into the “over 500 pages” category on my list—and, confidentially, I couldn’t be more excited.  As the conclusion of the Lunar Chronicles, which spanned four books (including Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress) and spawned a novella (Fairest) and a short story collection (Stars Above), Winter is the book I’ve been waiting all year to find and, yes, read.

In Meyer’s latest novel, I had the opportunity to finally meet Winter, princess of Luna.  She’s the step-daughter of Queen Levana, ruling monarch of the Lunar colony; moreover, she’s the cousin of the lost princess, Selene (who’s very, very important to the story, trust me).  Several years ago, she vowed never to use her bioelectric manipulative powers again—which means she’s slowly losing her mind—and she quietly rebels against the queen by frequently feigning bouts of insanity, protecting unexpected allies, and, in general, causing a nuisance in the court.

I loved the whole concept of Winter, the mixture of fairy tale and science fiction that originally enchanted me in Cinder, and I absolutely loved the story.  Winter is an unusual character:  she’s totally batty, but she’s genuinely nice and she’s surprisingly adept at thwarting Queen Levana’s wishes, considering she’s spent a number of years under her stepmother’s thumb (and suffered terribly for it).  Overall, I was inordinately pleased to get my hands on a copy and add it to my collection—and I couldn’t wait to see what Meyer would do with the traditional “happily-ever-after.”

Next, I read Sorcery and Cecelia; Or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevemer.  Although Wrede and Stevemer’s novel technically falls into the realm of fantasy, given the permeation of magic and wizardry, I think (read:  executively decided) it can probably be construed as a historical fiction novel.  Being set in England in 1895, it’s at the very cusp of the 19^th century.  So, yes, I really think it qualifies.

Sorcery and Cecelia is a strangely pleasing novel.  Think Jane Austen, but throw in a bit of wizardry and magic for spice.  It’s an enjoyable little story that features the exchange of letters between Cecelia and Kate, cousins who share an adventurous spirit—and fiery attitude.  Their correspondence begins at a bit of a slow pace, but, once the schemes of Miranda Tanistry begin to unfold, the adventures picks up pace and soon Kate and Cecelia are drawn into a twisted web of danger and deception—and, of course, intrigue with a distinctively Victorian flavor.

It’s an immensely satisfying story, and I was ultimately thrilled by the novel.  It appealed to my love of classic English literature and fantasy without compromising on either one.  Although I was initially hesitant to begin Wrede and Stevemer’s novel (for the slow pace, mind), I’m glad I stuck with the story and completed it.  It was surprisingly enjoyable and, I’ll point out, exceedingly fun.

Last, I finished with Howl’s Moving Castle by Diane Wynne Jones.  Finding a book I wanted to read and watch onscreen proved a trifle more difficult than either entry listed above.  Howl’s Moving Castle is both a classic young readers novel by Jones and an animated movie directed by Hayao Miyazaki.  Having watched Miyazaki’s movie in the past, but needing a refresher, I decided it would be appropriate to pick up Howl’s Moving Castle and decide whether the book or the movie is ultimately the best.

Except I don’t really have an answer.

Howl’s Moving Castle as a book and Howl’s Moving Castle as a movie are two very different beasts.  First, they are very different formats and have their own merits as such; two, they tell different stories; and, three, the characters feel (and look) completely different that I have a hard time classifying them as the same individuals.  For instance, in the book, Sophie is quiet and mousy as a young woman, but she’s an outspoken curmudgeon when she’s morphed into an old woman; however, in the movie, she’s pretty quiet throughout and she’s more like a doting grandmother, rather than the nosy old grouch I’d come to know and love.

Likewise, the stories have an entirely different flavor to them.  In the book, the Witch of the Waste is a real threat.  Her machinations have directed the kingdoms toward disaster and put Howl’s loved ones in grave danger (and, yes, Howl does have loved ones outside Ingary).  Howl is, in fact, running from his responsibilities and putting a number of miles between himself, the King of Ingary, and the Witch of the Waste—and the curse she’s heaped upon him.  But in the movie, Howl is caught in the midst of a war and the Witch of the Waste, while still a daunting figure, is certainly not up to challenging Howl, less so the Wizard Suliman (who is of a different gender entirely in the novel, but that’s another story).

Anyway, as I said, I can’t really pick which one is better.  Miyazaki’s creations is wonderful:  beautiful animation, an intriguing and compelling story, and a whole heaping of creativity that takes a story and gives it wings—quite literally.  And Jones’s book is absolutely lovely:  magical and creative, full of quirky characters and fabulous stories and a winding, weaving plot that’s sure to keep readers on their toes.  Both are equally wonderful and entertaining, but if I lean more toward appreciating the book, I can only say I like it best for the fact that I can physically hold it in my hands and let my imagination truly wander.