Rook by Sharon Cameron

Reviewed by Ambrea

The Sunken City—formerly Paris, the grand City of Lights—is a place of danger, desperation, and despotism.  Ruled by the corrupt Premier Allemande and the bloodthirst LeBlanc, the Sunken City is brimming with discontent and revolution—and, at the heart of it all, is the mysterious Red Rook who spirits people from their cells and wreaks havoc against the Premier’s puppet government.

Not far from the heart of France, across the sea in the Commonwealth, Sophia Bellamy celebrates her arranged marriage to the wealth René Hasard—celebrate is too strong a word, however, for the girl making every last attempt to save her family from financial and political ruin.  She’s bound and determined to keep her family safe, to make a difference, even if it means sacrificing herself—even if it means facing enemies she never hoped to see on Commonwealth soil.

I absolutely loved Rook.  I found it in the library purely by accident, sitting atop a display of random young adult novels in the teen section, and I immediately connected with the cover.  I recognized the image of Paris on the jacket, replete with a skeleton of the Eiffel Tower rising in the distance.  It looked familiar and yet, at the same time, it was completely and utterly foreign…and, well, I just couldn’t help myself.

I was immediately intrigued by the Red Rook.  Sophia lives an intriguing double life as both the daughter of an impoverished aristocrat and a revolutionary in a crumbling France.  (Don’t worry, I’m not ruining anything for readers by mentioning Sophia’s alter ego, as her identity is hinted at on the book jacket and confirmed within the first couple of pages.)  She’s a clever, capable heroine, who manages to save lives and, ultimately, lead a revolution.

Personally, I liked her.  But, then again, I have an affinity for such impressive heroines.

And, while I was a little suspicious of René at first, I eventually grew to like him.  He and Sophia work well together.  They both have (possibly deadly) secrets; they have unusual skills that help them fit quite nicely into their line of work; and they make a living thwarting the government.  I liked seeing their relationship develop, and I liked seeing how Sophia reacted to someone who had many of the same skills and talents as she.  He was the perfect foil for her character and, more to the point, he encouraged her abilities more than most men would.  (A man after my own heart.)

Granted, I wasn’t a fan of the love triangle—René and Sophia harbored a mutual affection, while Spear and Sophia have a long history.  Although Sophia views Spear as more of a brother, their relationship is, nevertheless, complicated—but it wasn’t as bad as say, Twilight.  Or Vampire Diaries.  Or Something Strange and Deadly.  Or any number of other young adult fanasty/sci-fi romance.

And, admittedly, I disliked the pace of Rook.  For the most part, I enjoyed Cameron’s novel.  I liked the intermingling of tense, suspenseful story-writing with undertones of political intrigue and romance, and I liked how the story would flip between characters and give me insight into what’s happening at any given moment.  I liked the semi-omniscient quality of the story.

However, I hated how it seemed to slow toward the end of the novel.  I think Rook became bogged down by too many twists and turns, by too much build up.  It would have fared better if it had trimmed out a little of the fluff—like the budding romance between Sophia and René that takes literal weeks, or dwelling on LeBlanc’s myriad political aspirations, or the various preparations the group makes to depart for the Sunken City—and focused more on the core of the story.

I realize it had to lay out the plot, but it seemed to take just a little too long to fit the pieces together.  Personally, I would have liked a little more detail about what happened to Paris and society as a whole.  I know about the Great Death, which apparently was a near-extinction level event that practically wiped out the human race, and I vaguely understood that the so-called “Ancients” were essentially us in the modern world; however, I didn’t quite understand what happened between the Great Death and the present day of Sophia’s dystopian world.

One character even postulates some theories, such as a reversal of the magnetic poles of a weakening of the atmosphere, which could have led to the chance in climate and the gradual decline of humanity, but I don’t have much detail.  I mean, what happened to Paris that it became the Sunken City?  How and why did the Commonwealth build itself into some semblance of Regency-era England?  What happened that technology was completely and utterly wiped out—and why was it so distrusted?

I would have liked a little more detail, and I was a little disappointed when I didn’t find it.

But, overall, I really liked Rook.  It reminded me of Cinder and the rest of the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.  While it does fall under the rather broad label of dystopian YA fantasy (think Hunger Games, Divergent, The Maze Runner, Life as We Knew It or, even, The Giver), I really enjoyed Cameron’s novel.  It felt original.  I also enjoyed the characters, the unexpected twists and turns, the ambiguous references to the past, the complicated political and social climates of the Commonwealth and the Sunken City.  It’s quickly become one of my guilty pleasures.

As Dark As My Fur by Clea Simon

Reviewed by Jeanne

Since the apparent death of her mentor, young teen Carrie Wright—better known on the street as Care—has been living in the late detective’s office along with her cat, Blackie. She’s been trying to keep a low profile while eking out a living doing what he taught her: to do the needful, find the missing, locate the wrongdoer, retrieve what has been lost.  Now the other shoe has dropped, in the form of an eviction notice, and it appears even her meager shelter will soon go.

Hope arrives in the form of a job offer: a man suspects one of his workers is skimming profits and he asks Care to investigate.  When the trail leads to a decomposing body, Care finds she may have been set up.  She has only herself to depend on, or so she thinks.

In reality, she has another protector, one who would guide her away from danger and keep her fed and safe:  a small, aging black cat who once lived as a human.

The second Blackie and Care Feline Mystery is set in the same bleak landscape as the first, a once thriving city that is now weighed down by decay and dissolution. The story is narrated by Blackie, who struggles with the limitations of his feline form as he tries to guide his charge away from danger while Care stubbornly heads into the fray. He regards the child with a great deal of anxiety and more than a little pride.  She saved his life and he would return the favor, even if it means going into danger.  He worries that she is too compassionate, too naïve for this harsh world. Care eats scraps and shivers in the cold, while thuggish men lord it over the weaker denizens. Drugs, prostitution, alcohol, and despair seem to rule the streets, but Care is determined to make her own way and to rescue Tick, the boy she loves as a little brother but whom Blackie fears will cost Care her freedom—or her life.

Despite the adolescent protagonist, As Dark As My Fur isn’t a YA novel. The story is narrated by Blackie in a voice both scholarly and observant.  He is wise but not human. He sees the world in much starker terms, and worries that Care’s compassion will be her downfall in a place where ruthlessness is often the key to survival. As a cat, Blackie understands this; and yet he does remember some things from his life as a man.  He finds it frustrating that he can no longer comprehend the marks on the pages Care reads, and that he is unable to communicate warnings to her. At other times, his cat instincts are at the fore, as when he brings Care some of his kills knowing how hungry she is, only to see her turn away from his offerings. His love and devotion to the girl brings light and warmth to a dark place.

This is a darker series than I usually read, and has an almost post- apocalyptic feel.   Or it could just be any modern city where law and social services have broken down, leaving people to fight and claw their way to the top of the garbage heap. Simon does a masterful job of creating atmosphere, using Blackie’s narration to go beyond mere visual description to evoke the dark, cold feel of the city with the smell of refuse, the biting wind, and the hungers of all types that eat at the inhabitants. I had to remind myself I was walking on a treadmill, not hungry and cold in a dilapidated apartment.

Yet there is a hope in the bleakness.  Care is a brave, compassionate girl willing to take on thugs or even the system itself in order to right wrongs. She’s a fine addition to the pantheon of young, strong female characters who usually populate YA novels—Katniss Everdeen, for example—but she’s still a child in many ways. She tends to lead with her heart, which is dangerous for her but which also gives a bit of hope and light to a dark world.  

Although all the reader’s senses are called into play, it’s the visual aspect that grips my imagination.  I can almost see the book as one of those wonderful black and white film noirs, with grey looming buildings, dark alleys, and an enigmatic black cat trailing after a girl.  Hollywood, take note. 

 

Tommy the directionally challenged attempts to give the book a paw's up.

 

"I just love a book with dark, handsome hero!" ~ La Nuit

Full disclosure:  I was given a copy of the book by the author with no stipulations for any sort of review, favorable or otherwise.

Read Harder Challenge: Florence Foster Jenkins, Rook, and God in Pink

Reported by Ambrea

I finished some new books for my Read Harder Challenge, and I've completed more reading tasks:

1. Read a biography (not memoir or autobiography)
2. Read a dystopian or post-apocalyptic novel
3. Read a book about religion (fiction or nonfiction)

First up, I finished Florence Foster Jenkins by Nicholas Martin and Jasper Rees, which inspired the recently released movie of the same name.  Florence Foster Jenkins was not a traditional singer.  At a young age, she was well known for her skill with a piano and her love--and, more importantly, support--of music; however, it wasn't until she was 76 years old that she undertook to become a concert singer.  She's best remembered for her concert at Carnegie Hall and her vinyl recordings, which introduced the world to her rather...unique voice.

I enjoyed reading Florence Foster Jenkins.  Drawing from multiple resources, including Florence and her common law husband, St. Clair Bayfield, Martin and Rees' book does an incredible job of shedding light on Florence, her work, and her time.  It's intriguing without becoming dull, amusing without ridiculing its rather unorthodox subject, and chock full of interesting historical facts about Florence and the New York artistic scene of the early 20th century.  Overall, I enjoyed it and I highly recommend for any readers to take a moment to listen to Madame Jenkins on YouTube to get a better idea of how her singing voice sounded.  You (probably) won't regret it.

Next, I completed Rook by Sharon Cameron.  The Sunken City--formerly Paris, the City of Lights--is a place of danger, desperation, and despotism.  Ruled by the corrupt Premier Allemande and the bloodthirsty LeBlanc, the Sunken City is brimming with discontent and revolution--and, at the heart of it all, is the mysterious Red Rook who spirits people from their cells and wreaks havoc against the Premier's puppet government.

A story packed with action and adventure, political intrigue and danger, Rook has quickly become one of my guilty pleasures.  I know it falls under the rather broad category of dystopian young adult fantasy (think Hunger Games, Divergent, The Maze Runner, Life as We Knew It or even The Giver), but I really enjoyed Sharon Cameron's novel.  I enjoyed the characters, the unexpected twists and turns, the ambiguous references to the past, the complicated political climate.  I wasn't a fan of the love triangle and, yes, I will admit that the story seemed to drag in a few places; however, altogether, I really liked it and I think it settles in nicely next to Cinder.

Last, I rounded out my reading with God in Pink by Hasan Namir.  Ramy is a young Muslim man living in Iraq in 2003, right in the midst of a war and a cultural revolution--and he also happens to be gay.  Struggling with what he knows his brother would term a "sexual deviancy," Ramy tries to balance his feelings with his obligations to his family and his faith.

Truthfully, I struggled with this novel, because I was not comfortable with all the depictions of heinous violence and wanton savagery.  I understand that mindless cruelty, thoughtless barbarity is simply a fact; that it's not something you can ignore if you live on the planet Earth.  I know it exists, but it's still hard to read about terrible things happening to other people.

I didn't hate this novel; rather, the opposite.  I thought God in Pink was a magnificent book depicting life in war-torn Iraq for a gay Muslim man.  It's poignant and it's guaranteed to make an impact, but, at the same time, it will tear out your heart.  I recommend reading it with great caution, like I would for Native Son by Richard White, Beloved by Toni Morrison, or The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.  Read it, but expect deep emotional turmoil.

Note:  We'll have a Nevermore report next week.  In the meantime, here's a photo of Malala, darling kitty of a Nevermore member.  Malala likes to go outside with her owner in her very own stroller! She especially likes to watch the ducks.

 

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Reviewed by Ambrea

Thomas has no memory of who he is or where he was before he reached the Glade.  He knows only his name, and he knows he was meant to be a Runner in the maze that surrounds them, protects them, and, ultimately, traps them.  However, shortly after Thomas arrives, someone else is delivered to the Glade:  a girl, the first girl ever to arrive in the maze.  She has a message to deliver—and the world as they know it will change forever.

The Maze Runner is a quick, suspenseful read with an intriguing concept.  James Dashner’s novel falls into the vein of The Hunger Games, pitting young individuals against seemingly insurmountable odds; however, it also calls upon William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, creating an interesting blend of survival-horror and science-fiction and dystopian-apocalyptic genres.  Moreover, Dashner manages to give it his own twist by adding a maze, a group of intelligent and strikingly self-sufficient adolescents, and a number of sinister creatures known as Grievers.

The Maze Runner is a novel worth perusing, at least once, but I can’t say I would read it a second time or readily pursue the rest of Dashner’s series.  Although I enjoyed parts of the novel, it couldn’t my attention for very long.  I was dissatisfied by the conclusion of The Maze Runner, which left too many questions unanswered and too many mysteries lingering, and I thought the end of the novel felt eerily familiar.

Honestly, I was surprised by how much The Maze Runner resembled The Lord of the Flies.  I found it strange how Chuck, Thomas’s closest friend and confidante, mirrored Piggy from Golding’s novel.  They possess similar attributes, often developing identical attitudes and sharing similar fates, and they form relationships with the main character that run parallel to one another.  Their similarities were peculiar and, confidentially, disappointing.  After a while, The Maze Runner started to feel like a remake of The Lord of the Flies set in a post-apocalyptic future.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Reviewed by Meygan 

The Divergent series by Veronica Roth is set in a world where people are divided up by personality into one of five groups:  Abnegation, Dauntless, Erudite, Amity, or Candor. People who do not fit easily into any category are called Divergents.  As the second book opens, Beatrice (now known as Tris), Tobias, Marcus, Peter, and Caleb are on a train that is making its way to Amity. The Dauntless have just killed the Abnegation; Erudite’s leader, Jeanine, is trying to take control of all factions; and it is up to Tris and her group to protect everyone. In Amity, they will be protected and have food and shelter, but it won’t be enough. Tris can’t remain in Amity knowing that Jeanine is still ruling the Erudite. After all, Tris is Dauntless and hiding in the background as a war breaks out is not in her blood. 

Tris hates Marcus, Tobias’ abusive father, but she knows that he has answers. Why is Jeanine so adamant about killing the Divergent? Why were the Dauntless put under a stimulation to kill the Abnegation? What exactly is Jeanine hiding from everyone? The Dauntless, including Tobias, are dedicated to killing Jeanine and the rest of the Erudite. However, Tris knows that Jeanine must be kept alive in order to answer the questions at stake. As much as Tris despises Marcus and loves Tobias, she knows that taking Marcus’ advice instead of following Dauntless will help her obtain the answers she needs. It is a race between Tris and the Dauntless to get to Jeanine, but who will get to her first?

In order for Insurgent to make sense, one must read Divergent first. This is a series and I would strongly recommend that the books be read in order. In my recent review of Divergent, I went on and on about how wonderful and action packed it was. However, I did have a disclaimer in my review because I have been warned by several people that the series tends to dwindle. Insurgent didn’t have nearly as much action as I anticipated. Also, I didn’t admire Tris in Insurgent as much as I did in Divergent.  

Now, I didn’t hate Insurgent, even though my review may sound otherwise. There were pros to this book. I liked that I got a better view of Amity, as there wasn’t much coverage about Amity in Divergent. But when comparing it to Divergent standards, I couldn’t believe that Insurgent came from the same series. The action doesn’t heat up until about page 300. Trust me, when you are reading a 525 page novel, you expect the action to begin by at least page 150-200-ish. Also, where is that deep, true, I-can’t-get-enough-of-you love between Tris and Tobias? I don’t particularly care for romances, but I do enjoy a good love story as long as it is not the premise of the book or movie. In other words, I read Insurgent because I wanted to know what happens to the characters and even though Insurgent fell short, I would still give it two and a half stars.