Review: Bleeding Violet

Title: Bleeding Violet
Author: Dia Reeves
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: January 5, 2010

Hanna simply wants to be loved. With a head plagued by hallucinations, a medicine cabinet full of pills, and a closet stuffed with frilly, violet dresses, Hanna's tired of being the outcast, the weird girl, the freak. So she runs away to Portero, Texas in search of a new home. But Portero is a stranger town than Hanna expects. As she tries to make a place for herself, she discovers dark secrets that would terrify any normal soul. Good thing for Hanna, she's far from normal. As this crazy girl meets an even crazier town, only two things are certain: Anything can happen and no one is safe.

Bleeding Violet is dark, surprising, and wholly unique. The first few chapters merely hint at the weirdness to come, which includes flying leech monsters, hallucinations, a strange romance, and plenty of inexplicable craziness.

Sensitive and volatile, Hanna is a main character that defies stereotypes and simple categorizations. She is stubborn, unapologetically promiscuous, and at times morbidly whimsical, yet her naivety is somehow convincing as she navigates the complicated paranormal politics of Portero, Texas, the place she is determined to make her new home. Her simplistic, often childish yearning to be loved by her mother grounds her sometimes too-intense personality and endears Hanna to the reader even when her actions are clearly ill-fated.

In terms of pacing, Bleeding Violet is driven by Hanna’s manic-depressive mental fluctuations: when she’s at her most agitated, the book speeds by with surprising alacrity, only to slow to a more comfortable pace as Hanna calms down. The violence, sexual themes, and general craziness of Bleeding Violet are more intense than most YA books, but Dia Reeves manages to blend these elements in a way that is disturbingly fascinating, if often discomfiting. This is reflected in the paranormal setting, which entrenches the reader in a vague, brutal town with even more callous residents. At times, it’s difficult to connect with the characters simply because their decisions and lives are so far outside the realm of normal rationale.

Despite this, Bleeding Violet is refreshingly unique, with its gritty lack of realism and darkly lush setting – the perfect background for Hanna’s mentally unstable but ultimately charming perspective.

Rating: 3.5/5

Review: Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready

Title: Shift
Author: Jeri Smith-Ready
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: May 3, 2011
Previous Titles in Series: Shade

Aura’s life is anything but easy. Her boyfriend, Logan, died, and his slides between ghost and shade have left her reeling. Aura knows he needs her now more than ever. She loves Logan, but she can’t deny her connection with the totally supportive, totally gorgeous Zachary. And she’s not sure that she wants to. Logan and Zachary will fight to be the one by her side, but Aura needs them both to uncover the mystery of her past—the mystery of the Shift. As Aura’s search uncovers new truths, she must decide whom to trust with her secrets…and her heart.

Like Shade, Shift is part ghost story, part romance, all lovable characters and darkly awesome writing. I especially liked all the musical references (Radiohead!) (Mumford & Sons!); Aura seems to have a playlist for every mood, which is just a cute, small detail.

Aura is smart, competent, indecisive without seeming wishy-washy, and normal in that she makes some definite mistakes in this book (that are nonetheless very fun to read about). While there aren’t too many new characters introduced, I liked that Logan’s little bro (Dylan) has a more significant role, leading to some pretty entertaining moments. Logan himself continues to be impetuous and dramatic, but his personality is tempered by those unintentionally sweet moments that maintain his likeability. Zachary, on the other hand, is earnest and endearing and – best of all – not without a few flaws. And his accent! Mm. I would love to listen to an audiobook version of Shift (preferably read by James McAvoy) solely in order to fully appreciate all those sexy Scottish inflections.

In fact, my favorite part of Shift had to be that Zachary wears a kilt at one point. Swoon.

Ahem, anyway. I loved Jeri Smith-Ready’s writing, which transitions smoothly from humour to romance and ensures that Shift is as compulsively readable as its predecessor. She also does well what is too-often neglected in urban fantasy: world-building. She creates an explanation for the fantasy elements that exist in the modern-day setting, rather than simply throwing in some magical creatures or borrowing entirely from mythology or folklore. The concept of ghosts and their connections to Aura continue to be expanded on in this installment, ensuring that Shift is more than just a ‘middle book.’

Overall, Shift, with its heightened romantic drama, mystery-solving, and surprising revelations, is even more engrossing than Shade. I just wish I didn’t have to wait until 2012 to read the next (and final?) book.

Rating: 5/5

Cover Thoughts: It's not that I don't like it - the dark red and violet really resonate with the story and Aura is striking a suitably strong pose - but the 'girl standing with her face obscured' thing is way overdone. I feel like Shift deserves a more unique, pick-me-up cover.

Review: The Iron Daughter

Title: The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey, bk. 2)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin
Release Date: July 27, 2010
Other Titles in Series: The Iron King (bk. 1), The Iron Queen (bk. 3)

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her. Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

There’s a reason I only managed to finish The Iron Daughter almost a year after its release, despite having bought the book as soon as it appeared, pretty and purple and new, on the shelves of my local Indigo. I loved the first book for so many reasons: the pacing was perfect; the characters were lovable and distinct; even the setting was described with the perfect amount of scintillating detail.

So I began The Iron Daughter with little doubt that this would be a fun, engrossing book. And then, not a quarter into it, I found myself gritting my teeth at the main character’s inability to do anything but cry and think about throwing up in response to her circumstances and romantic woes. Really, Meghan? This was especially disappointing since I thought she was determined and brave in The Iron King, if at times insecure.

Nevertheless, I finally picked The Iron Daughter back up a few days ago. And it was great! The first few chapters are slow-going and a bit melodramatic, but once the book settles into the familiar pattern that made The Iron King so readable – non-stop adventuring blended with witty dialogue – it is everything I’d hoped it would be.

Julie Kagawa’s writing, characters, and ability to convey setting are all excellent. I had some issues with Meghan at first, but by the end of The Iron Daughter she’s assertive enough to once again be likable. (I do wish she would cry less though.) Every other character is portrayed with distinct speech patterns and little idiosyncrasies that make them seem so real. Their interactions are alternately hilarious and deep/dramatic, and they really stand out as memorable in a genre overflowing with angsty, gorgeous male love interests and over-the-top villains.

The Iron Daughter does suffer a bit from Second Book Syndrome. As the middle of a trilogy (the third book of which has already been released), the plot is limited in how much it can develop. However, Kagawa packs in enough fun new characters and creatures to keep this sequel feeling fresh. There's also plenty of romantic drama amid the adventuring, although much of it is in the form of pining and meaningful looks. And, of course, the Alice in Wonderland-esque faery world continues to be captivating and imaginative.

Though not quite as wow-worthy as the first book in the Iron fey series, The Iron Daughter features a similarly lovable combination of romance, magic, and funny characters.

Rating: 4/5

Cover Thoughts: Pretty and shiny. I like the icy colour scheme and all the curly vines.