It is common knowledge to those familiar with fairy tales that if you meet an elderly woman along the way who requests something from you it is best to give it to her graciously. If you do so, you will likely be rewarded, and if not, you will be sure to regret it.
Stepsisters, Dirbani and Tana live together with Dirbani's mother in a village, struggling to make ends meet after the death of their father. One day Dirbani goes out to collect water from the village well and encounters an elderly woman who requests from her a drink of water. Kind-hearted Dirbani quickly rushes to give the woman a ladle of cool water and in return she receives a blessing. Upon returning home Dirbani discovers that every time she speaks, flowers and diamonds fall out of her mouth. Realizing that her daughter has encountered a goddess, Dirbani's mother rushes Tana out of the house in hopes that she too will encounter the elderly woman. Instead Tana is approached by a beautiful, majestic woman that requests a drink from her jug. Immediately realizing who the woman must be, practical, plain spoken Tana becomes fearful that she is not as deserving as her sweet sister for a blessing, though she receives one anyways. Soon every word that Tana speaks gives birth to snakes and toads.
Dirbani and Tana's lives are suddenly turned upside down as they are forced to leave their village due to the strong reactions their gifts have invoked in the villagers. A passing prince takes Dirbani into his home, where she lives in the lap of luxury and falls in love for the first time, even as she realizes the danger that her new gift has placed her in. Tana is forced to flee from the village because the governor, who hates snakes, has sent men to hunt her down for being a witch. For the first time in their lives the two sisters are separated from each other and they each must find a way to persevere against the challenges and dangers they face even as they attempt to discover the reason the goddess had chosen to bless them as she did.
I really enjoyed this retelling of the French fairy tale by Charles Perrault, and the interesting alterations the author had made. Rather than one sister being good and the other selfish and greedy, as in the original tale, in this story the sisters love and care for each other, despite their very different personalities. And even though one sister receives diamonds and flowers and the other toads and frogs, both sisters are viewed as having been blessed, as frogs and snakes are viewed as creatures of the goddess and are much welcomed by the villagers.
I also really enjoyed the romantic story lines which follow Tana's love for the jeweler's son, who she believes only sees her as a friend and Dirbani's growing affection for the prince, who she knows she can never have. The only fault I found with the book is that the story ends a little to abruptly for my liking, just short of the "happily ever after" ending, which was about to take place. Readers are forced to have to imagine it for themselves rather than getting to read it, which I was disappointed about.
Heather Tomlinson has succeeded in retelling a classic fairy tale in a delightful and engaging manner, while adding her own unique twists, and I enjoyed every minute of it. This was a wonderful book that I would recommend to readers of all ages, despite its YA status, and especially to those who enjoy fairy tales, strong female heroines and a bit of romance.
I was going to skip this week's listing of new releases because I have a pretty busy day today, as I'm flying back to Israel this evening, but I just couldn't bring myself to do so since this is the week of two highly anticipated new releases, Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins and The Black Prism by Brent Weeks. I also thought I would throw in a book from last week's releases that looked interesting, The Last Page by Anthony Huso. And since I had so thoroughly enjoyed Stephen Deas's The Adamantine Palace I was pleased to see that he has a new book coming out this week, The Thief-Taker's Apprentice, which I hope to get to read.
Hope you have a great reading week!
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The Last Page
Anthony Huso
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Tor
Release Date: August 17
The city of Isca is set like a dark jewel in the crown of the Duchy of Stonehold. In this sprawling landscape, the monsters one sees are nothing compared to what’s living in the city’s sewers.
Twenty-three-year-old Caliph Howl is Stonehold’s reluctant High King. Thrust onto the throne, Caliph has inherited Stonehold’s dirtiest court secrets. He also faces a brewing civil war that he is unprepared to fight. After months alone amid a swirl of gossip and political machinations, the sudden reappearance of his old lover, Sena, is a welcome bit of relief. But Sena has her own legacy to claim: she has been trained from birth by the Shradnae witchocracy—adept in espionage and the art of magical equations writ in blood—and she has been sent to spy on the High King.
Yet there are magics that demand a higher price than blood. Sena secretly plots to unlock the Cisrym Ta, an arcane text whose pages contain the power to destroy worlds. The key to opening the book lies in Caliph’s veins, forcing Sena to decide if her obsession for power is greater than her love for Caliph.
Meanwhile, a fleet of airships creeps ever closer to Isca. As the final battle in a devastating civil war looms and the last page of the Cisrym Ta waits to be read, Caliph and Sena must face the deadly consequences of their decisions. And the blood of these conflicts will stain this and other worlds forever.
Delcroix Academy: The Candidates
Inara Scott
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Release Date: Aug 24
Dancia Lewis is far from popular. And that's not just because of her average grades or her less-than-glamorous wardrobe. In fact, Dancia's mediocrity is a welcome cover for her secret: whenever she sees a person threatening someone she cares about, things just...happen. Cars skid. Structures collapse. Usually someone gets hurt. So Dancia does everything possible to avoid getting close to anyone, belieiving this way she can supress her powers and keep them hidden.
But when recruiters from the prestigious Delcroix Academy show up in her living room to offer her a full scholarship, Dancia's days of living under the radar may be over. Only, Delcroix is a school for diplomats' kids and child geniuses--not B students with uncontrollable telekinetic tendencies. So why are they treating Dancia like she's special? Even the hottest guy on campus seems to be going out of his way to make Dancia feel welcome.
And then there's her mysterious new friend Jack, who can't stay out of trouble. He suspects something dangerous is going on at the Academy and wants Dancia to help him figure out what. But Dancia isn't convinced. She hopes that maybe the recruiters know more about her "gift" than they're letting on. Maybe they can help her understand how to use it...But not even Dancia could have imagined what awaits her behind the gates of Delcroix Academy.
Bearers of the Black Staff (Legends of Shannara, Bk 1)
Terry Brooks
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: August 24
The Genesis of Shannara trilogy – Armageddon’s Children, The Elves of Cintra, and The Gypsy Morph – charted the fall of our own world into the hands of once-men and demons…and the escape of a few humans, Elves, and others into a remote mountain valley walled in by impenetrable magic. For five-hundred years the survivors have lived peacefully, learning to coexist and to build a new world with the limited resources and skills available to them. Now the magic that kept them safe for so many centuries is wearing down. Frightening creatures are penetrating the barriers and wreaking havoc on the valley within. It is time for the four peoples to stand together and create the new world of Shannara.
Mockingjay (Hunger Games, Bk 3)
Suzanne Collins
Genre: YA Dystopia
Publisher: Scholastic
Release Date: August 24
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.
A Crack in the Sky
Mark Peter Hughes
Genre: YA Dystopia
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Release Date: August 24
Thirteen-year-old Eli Papadopoulos is worried. Even though he’s a member of the most powerful family in the world. Even though his grandfather founded InfiniCorp, the massive corporation that runs everything in the bustling dome-cities. Even though InfiniCorp ads and billboards are plastered everywhere, proclaiming:
DON'T WORRY! INFINICORP IS TAKING CARE OF EVERYTHING!
Recently, Eli noticed that there’s something wrong with the artificial sky. It keeps shorting out, displaying strange colors and random images. And though the Department of Cool and Comfortable Air is working overtime, the dome-city is hotter than it’s ever been.
Eli has been raised to believe that the dome-cities are safe, that the important thing is to keep working and consuming, and that everyone is secure and comfortable in InfiniCorp’s capable hands.
But now he begins asking questions.
All of a sudden, operatives from a dangerous band of terrorists keep contacting him. The Friends of Gustavo—or Foggers—want to tear down everything InfiniCorp has created. They promise Eli that they have the truth he seeks—if he’s brave enough to handle it.
Eli isn’t convinced. And he’s about to find out that in the dome-cities, being a Papadopoulos isn’t enough to save a rule-breaker like him from being sent far away to learn right-thinking. In his new home, the Tower, Eli meets Tabitha, once at the top of her Internship class, now a forgotten slave. Together, and with help from Eli’s beloved pet mongoose, Marilyn, they just might be able to escape . . . and try to make a life for themselves in the scorched wilderness outside the domes.
The Black Prism
Brent Weeks
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: August 25
Gavin Guile is the Prism, the most powerful man in the world. He is high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit, and charm are all that preserves a tenuous peace. But Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live: Five years to achieve five impossible goals.
But when Guile discovers he has a son, born in a far kingdom after the war that put him in power, he must decide how much he's willing to pay to protect a secret that could tear his world apart.
The Thief-Taker's Apprentice
Stephen Deas
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Gollancz
Release Date: August 26
Berren has lived in the city all his life. He has made his way as a thief, paying a little of what he earns to the Fagin like master of their band. But there is a twist to this tale of a thief. One day Berren goes to watch an execution of three thieves. He watches as the thief-taker takes his reward and decides to try and steal the prize. He fails. The young thief is taken. But the thief-taker spots something in Berren. And the boy reminds him of someone as well. Berren becomes his apprentice. And is introduced to a world of shadows, deceit and corruption behind the streets he thought he knew. Full of richly observed life in a teeming fantasy city, a hectic progression of fights, flights and fancies and charting the fall of a boy into the dark world of political plotting and murder this marks the beginning of a new fantasy series for all lovers of fantasy - from fans of Kristin Cashore to Brent Weeks.
Sydelle Mirabil is living proof that, with a single drop of rain, a life can be changed forever. Tucked away in the farthest reaches of the kingdom, her dusty village has suffered under the weight of a strangely persistent drought. That is, of course, until a wizard wanders into town and brings the rain with him.
In return for this gift, Wayland North is offered any reward he desires—and no one is more surprised than Sydelle when, without any explanation, he chooses her. Taken from her home, Sydelle hardly needs encouragement to find reasons to dislike North. He drinks too much and bathes too little, and if that isn’t enough to drive her to madness, North rarely even uses the magic he takes such pride in possessing. Yet, it’s not long before she realizes there’s something strange about the wizard, who is as fiercely protective of her as he is secretive about a curse that turns his limbs a sinister shade of black and leaves him breathless with agony. Unfortunately, there is never a chance for her to seek answers.
Along with the strangely powerful quakes and storms that trace their path across the kingdom, other wizards begin to take an inexplicable interest in her as well, resulting in a series of deadly duels. Against a backdrop of war and uncertainty, Sydelle is faced with the growing awareness that these events aren’t as random as she had believed—that no curse, not even that of Wayland North, is quite as terrible as the one she herself may carry.
After reading so many reviews effusively praising Brightly Woven I found myself curious about this book and I decided to read it even though the description didn’t particularly grab me. But about a quarter way into it I went back to check if I had gotten the correct title because this book did not seem to merit all the wonderful things I had read about it. Since it was a relatively easy read I decided to complete the book and suspend my judgment until I finished, but even after doing so my opinion remained unchanged.
At first I was easily drawn into the story by the engaging narrative and the interesting scene that the story opens up to, of a town receiving rain for the first time after a long drought. Soon afterwards the narrator, Sydelle, runs into a wizard who has suddenly appeared in the town and who seems to have been the cause of the much-needed rain. Sydelle’s parents are so grateful to the wizard, Wayland North, that they offer him a reward and he chooses their daughter. Sydelle is horrified when she discovers that her parents have given her to the wizard, although North promises her that after they complete the journey on which has is embarked, she may chose to leave him if she wishes to. And so Sydelle and North leave behind the village and head towards the city of Provincea in order to meet with the head sorceress and try to avert the forthcoming war.
Up until this point I was enjoying the story very much and looking forward to discovering more about the two main characters, North and Sydelle, who I had already come to like. But instead of getting to follow the two on their journey out of the village the next chapter finds North and Sydelle at a pub, a week later, and the dynamic between the two characters has changed. Sydelle still appears to hate North for dragging from her home against her will, but she has also softened towards him somewhat. North has started calling Sydelle by nicknames and teasing terms of endearment, and occasionally gives her hair an affectionate tug. At this point the interactions between the two suggest that their relationship has changed based on experiences shared over the past week which the reader was not privy to, and this really irritated me. From this point on the relationship between the two is clearly moving towards an eventual romance, which turns out to be a central element of the story, but for me the romance feels contrived because I didn’t really see it develop. Sydelle quickly goes from hating North to loving him, without a satisfactory transitional stage in between. While North seems to have liked Sydelle all along I didn’t really catch when it is exactly that he fell in love with her, or why. Because their romance was a main part of the story the whole story fell flat for me because of my dissatisfaction with the way it was presented.
The main story line didn’t really do much for me either. I didn’t find North and Sydelle’s journey, or the little side trips that they took, to be particularly interesting and I had a hard time following the political crisis that was taking place. The author also didn't do much world building so I had no sense of what all the places that North and Sydelle passed through were like, so the outside world ended up feeling rather colorless.
The one thing I could say that I liked about Brightly Woven is the character of North, who strongly reminds me of one of my favorite book wizards, Howl from Diana Wynne Jones’s Howl’s Moving Castle. He is appealingly roguish and charming but also cocky and vain, though these qualities often mask the vulnerabilities which he tries so hard to hide. And even though he is a powerful wizard, North is hopeless when is comes to directions and would constantly be getting lost if not for Sydelle, which added to his appeal.
But one likable protagonist is not enough to salvage this book for me and overall I found Brightly Woven to be a disappointment, nothing like the brilliant debut novel I had been expecting. It was not memorable or magical and even those elements that had a bit of spark ended up falling flat because they were not developed properly, such as Sydelle and North’s romance. Considering all of the raving reviews that had read I must suppose that there are many reads who quite enjoyed this book, but I am certainly not one of them.
The Adamantine Palace lies at the center of an empire that grew out of ashes. Once dragons ruled the world and man was little more than prey. Then a way of subduing the dragons alchemicly was discovered and now the dragons are bred to be little more than mounts for knights and highly valued tokens in the diplomatic power-players that underpin the rule of the competing aristocratic houses. The Empire has grown fat. And now one man wants it for himself. A man prepared to poison the king just as he has poisoned his own father. A man prepared to murder his lover and bed her daughter. A man fit to be king? But unknown to him there are flames on the way. A single dragon has gone missing. And even one dragon on the loose, unsubdued, returned to its full intelligence, its full fury, could spell disaster for the Empire. But because of the actions of one unscrupulous mercenary the rivals for the throne could soon be facing hundreds of dragons ...
It’s been many years since I last read a book featuring dragons because for some reason dragons just don’t appeal to me now as much as they did when I was younger. But after reading The Adamantine Palace I found myself wondering what I might have been missing out on over the years because this books was really fantastic. The Adamantine Palace is one of those books that remind me of why I was attracted to fantasy in the first place, though it is rather more sophisticated than those fantasy books of my youth.
In addition to the engaging writing style, the wonderful world building and the steady pacing which kept me completely hooked all the way through the book, I was particularly impressed by the way the characters are presented. The story is told from the perspective of each character so the reader comes to intimately understand and sympathize with each one, even though many of them are enemies of one another.The dragons receive similar treatment as well. At first we only view them through the eyes of the humans but eventually we get into the head of the one of the dragons and receive a new perspective of the unfolding events. Initially I had felt sympathetic for the plight of the dragons, for their having been drugged and enslaved by humans for the past hundred years, but once it becomes clear what the dragons are like in their natural form I felt my sympathy shift to their human captors. There is no black and white in The Adamantine Palace, no clear lines separating villains from heroes, which is part of what makes this story a complex and deeply satisfying read.
The only complaint I have is that none of the various story-lines are actually resolved by the conclusion of the book and, in fact, the book ends just as events get even more heated. This means that you will want to have the sequel, The King of the Crags, close by so that you can immediately delve into it once you finish The Adamantine Palace. I certainly wish I had been properly prepared as now I have to wait impatiently for the week, or so, that it will take The King of the Crags to be delivered to my mailbox.
I highly recommend The Admantine Palace to all readers of fantasy. Even if it has been years since you last read a book about dragons, don't hesitate to give this one a try. You will not be disappointed.
Almost every book blog that I follow dedicates one post a week to listing all of the books that the blogger had received over the past week, either from publishers, other blogs or the library. I have never put up such a post myself because I don't receive new books that frequently and I usually don't even read those posts because they just serve to make me jealousto of all the awesome books everyone else is getting. But in the two week that I have been in America I have accumulated an impressive selection of books which I am quite proud of, from the various second hand shops and flea markets I have visited ( boy how I've missed flea markets!) and now it's my turn to do a bit of bragging...
At today's trip to the flea market I picked up The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (because one can never have too many copies) and
Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett (my favorite of the Discworld books, so far), for 25 cents each! I would probably have gotten more books if my two year had 
not decided that he was done waiting for me, and knocked all the books on the ground.
By Philadelphia's Franklin Mills Mall there is a wonderful second hand shop where, in addition to some great clothes and toys, I bought these books for 50 cents each:
Marley & Me by John Grogan 
(I don't usually read dog books but I've heard great things about this one and have been wanting to read it.)
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Summerland by Michael Chabon
Wicked: Witch & Curse by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie
Wicked by Gregory Maguire
Sideways Stories from Wayside School ( I love Wayside School!)
And for review I received Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal, 
which is a book I've been really interested in reading. I also received the following books for review from author Danielle Ackley-McPahil:
I also received my first graphic novel, Foiled
,by Jane Yolen, which is signed by both Jane Yolen and
Mike Cavallaro, the artist. My mother had bought it for me when Jane Yolen did a signing in Philadelphia and I am really looking forward to reading it, since I have never read a graphic novel before.
And finally, these are the books that I had gotten out of the library, which I had dragged my brother to (since he has a car and a library card) on my first full day in the US:
Sasha by Joel Shepherd
Ice by Sarah Beth Durst ( I started this one but didn't feel like finishing it)
The Enchanted Emporium by Tanya Huff
The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt
Candor by Pam Bachorz
The Anvil of the World by Kage Baker
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay
The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett
Toads and Diamonds by Heather Tomlinson
Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon (The only non-genre book I let myself get out and I really hope I get the chance to read it)
The Adamantine Palace by Stephen Deas
Yes, perhaps I did go a little crazy at the library and I probably won't get around to reading all of the books that I had gotten out (though apparently the library lets you get 50 books out at one time, and had I been able to carry more I would have tried to do so) but I just 
love looking at them on the shelf and knowing that they are nearby. I only wish that I could read faster...(plus I have to squeeze in time to spend with family) So far I have read three of them and I'm currently in the middle of The Adamantine Palace, which I am enjoying tremendously.
So that's it. I'm done with my bragging and now I have to figure out how the heck I'm going to get all my newly acquired books into the suitcases (and I haven't even mentioned the 42 books that my in-laws bought me from a bookstore that was going out of business) But it is a challenge that I don't mind attempting.
Now I'm off to do some reading...
When Lady Saren refuses to marry a man she fears, she and her maid, Dashti, are locked in a tower with just a tiny flap open to the outside world. As food runs low and the weather changes from broiling hot to unbearably cold,m is is all Dashti can do to make them comfortable in their dark prison.
Not long after their confinement begins, Saren’s suitors arrive- one welcome, the other less so- and she orders Dashti to speak to them. Impersonating Lady Saren is a crime punishable by death, but Dashti will have to play the role many times if she is to save them both from the tower and the dangers outside. As she takes control of their desperate situation, Dashti begins to understand her own astonishing talents and believe that even a low-born maid can find true love.
When Dashti arrives in the city, recently orphaned and looking for work, the last thing she expected was to be imprisoned in a tower with a young noble woman that she only just met. Though rather than sharing her lady’s despair, Dashti is delighted at the turn of events which guarantees her seven years worth of food and lodging. But the tower in which Dashti and Lady Saren are confined fails to protect them from foul weather, rats that come nibbling at the food or the dangerous man who is determined to get a hold of Lady Saren. And since Lady Saren is able to do little but cry and mourn it is up to Dashti to care for them both, even if it means breaking the strict laws which she has always been so respectful of.
I’m not familiar with the Brothers Grimm fairytale "Maid Maleen" but I very much enjoyed this retelling of it by Shannon Hale. At first Dashti comes across as overly obedient and naïve though it quickly becomes apparent that she is actually a very strong young woman, one whose loyalty and resourcefulness will help keep both her and Lady Saren alive. Through her daily journal entries, written in an earnest and entertaining manner, we get to know Dashti and we learn the story of how she and Lady Saren came to be locked up in the tower, and what eventually becomes of the two of them.
While I often avoid reading books writing in journal or letter format I think it worked very well here, breaking up the story into individual days and providing an intimate look into Dashti’s thoughts and personality. Hale skillfully develops the complex relationship between the low-born Dashti and the Lady Saren as well as the sweet romance between Dashti and Kahn Tegus, the noble that Lady Saren had hoped to marry. I also thought it was interesting that the story’s main character is not the noble woman locked in the tower but her maid, who only stumbled into the story by chance, though I do wish that Lady Saren’s character had been fleshed out just a bit more.
Book of a Thousand Days was a very enjoyable and entertaining read with a wonderfully strong and compelling heroine. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fairy tale retellings or just a good, well written, romantic fantasy. I now look forward to trying out some of Shannon Hale's other books as well.
This week Audio Book Community is offering the audio versions of Beastly and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for free download, until August 18th.
Unfortunately Beastly is only available to resident of the US and Canada.
Beastly
by Alex Flinn, Read by Chris Patton
A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright—a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.
You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll stay this way forever—ruined—unless I can break the spell.
Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I'll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
by Robert Louis Stevenson, Read by Scott Brick
When a brute of a man tramples an innocent girl, apparently out of spite, two bystanders catch the fellow and force him to pay reparations to the girl's family. The brute's name is Edward Hyde. A respected lawyer, Utterson, hears this story and begins to unravel the seemingly manic behavior of his best friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and his connection with Hyde. Several months earlier, Utterson had drawn up an inexplicable will for the doctor naming Hyde as his heir in the event that he disappears.
Follow this link to download these audio books.
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