Love in the Time of Influenza: In the Shadow of Blackbirds Review

I am a sucker for all things Gothic. The Victorians may have had some weird ideas about things, but they certainly make for excellent fiction. Such is the case in this debut YA novel, In The Shadow Of Blackbirds, which lacked a little in richness and depth but nevertheless was a compelling and original story.

It’s 1918 and the United States is at war with Germany and in the grip of the Spanish Flu. Mary Shelley is sent to live with her aunt in San Francisco after her father is accused of being a traitor and her mother dies. There, Mary learns that her childhood friend and sweetheart Stephen has been killed in action. But Stephen appears at her bedside every night, screaming about blackbirds and covered in blood. A woman of science, Mary doesn’t believe in spirits but she cannot deny Stephen’s presence. Why is he haunting her? Is he caught between worlds, or is there something about his death he wants her to know?

I first picked this book up because I liked the setting of San Francisco at the tail end of WWI and in the throes of the Spanish Flu. It is easy to forget that this flu killed 20 million people world wide. Some estimates are as high as 100 million. Author Cat Winters does a great job re-creating this era of uncertainty, death, and superstition. Much research has gone into the odd remedies people used to ward off the flu, including wearing necklaces of garlic and burying themselves in onions.

This book unfolded like a traditional mystery and felt quite procedural at times, with Mary Shelley puzzling over clues, questioning possible suspects, and then arriving at the scene of crime only to have the perpetrators appear, confess, and threaten her own life. Cat Winters‘ writing style is brisk and well-paced and the book was extremely visual. At times I wanted her to flesh out the secondary characters a bit more. Particularly Aunt Eva, who felt under-developed to me.

This is a moody book, full of nightmares, a ghost suffering from shell shock, desperate people and illness. What happens to Stephen is truly horrible, but their is relief at the end when Mary Shelley is able to help him rest and she herself goes forth to do good in the world. A great read for fans of gothic fiction such as This Dark Endeavour, Masque of the Red Death, The Madman’s Daughter and The Diviners.

In The Shadow of Blackbirds is available now in hardcover from Amulet Books.

Love in a Dangerous Time: Eleanor & Park Review

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. It’s been getting flawless reviews, but to be  honest I’ve just about had my fill of contemporary YA romances starring quirky, intelligent misfits. But what sold me on this book was the unique take on teenage obsession and the truly painful depiction of Eleanor’s home situation. 

Park doesn’t know how or when it happened exactly, but somehow he has fallen in love with the new girl, Eleanor. ‘Big Red,’ as she is referred to by most of the school, doesn’t seem to care about what she looks like or making friends with anyone. Eleanor is equally shocked at her intense affection for the beautiful half-Asian, comic-book reading boy on the bus. But despite their differences, their relationship escalates to surprising levels.

Eleanor is a non-traditional love interest. She wears old men’s clothes, is constantly described as big or fat, and in many cases is the more assertive half of the relationship. Park finds innumerable ways to describe Eleanor’s colouring, particularly her red hair, which I loved. Park is also an unlikely male romantic lead. Eleanor describes him as beautiful, almost feminine. I like how the author Rainbow Rowell subverts traditional ideas of masculinity and femininity.

The contrast between Eleanor and Park’s families was fascinating and will be eye-opening for teen readers. I loved the scenes with Park’s family. His parents are dopey in love, even after a number of years. His father, an army man, has some difficulty with Park’s experimentation with punk makeup, but he loves his son and is very supportive of Eleanor. His mother, a Korean immigrant who runs a beauty salon out of their garage, is slow to warm to Eleanor but when she does she embraces her warmly.

Eleanor’s family situation is full of silences, rushed private moments, and fear. She shares a cramped room with three younger siblings who seem to be warming to their monster of a step-dad out of preservation. I truly despised Eleanor’s mother, who has trapped her family in a dangerous family situation with volatile, drunken, violent Richie. In addition to her home situation, Eleanor suffers at the ends of a number of school bullies. I won’t go into the details here, only mention that it is girl on girl crime and makes the reader’s stomach turn.

The book escalates to a point where Eleanor must make a hard choice, and the last few chapters are addictive and adrenalin soaked and I found myself rushing through them, wishing for the best and the impossible. The last few words are open to interpretation, and the internet is a-buzz with speculation about just WHAT is on that postcard.

This is a rich, surprising, and satisfying novel of love, escape, and hope. Eleanor & Park is available now in hard cover.

The Passage for Kids: The Fifth Wave Review

Those of you who have heard me say ‘I don’t really read much sci-fi or fantasy’ probably have a hard time believing me given the number of speculative books I’ve reviewed recently. The truth is I LOVE a well told fantasy or sci-fi novel, I’m just EXTREMELY picky about what I read. The Fifth Wave is is one of better ones. If you’re looking for a fast-paced survival story with a touch of sci-fi, this should be your go-to summer read (in addition to Summer Days, Starry Nights of course).

Despite being a standalone book, The Fifth Wave has the scope, range of characters, and the same taught tension as Justin Cronin’s best-selling The Passage. We are introduced to Cassie, sixteen, paranoid and alone, hiding from an unknown alien foe in the woods. Cassie tells us about the previous waves of invasion and how quickly earth’s population has been decimated in a matter of months. Next we meet Ben, a schoolmate of Cassie’s who has been recruited by a covert military operation who are training children to become ultimate alien-killing machines, a la Ender’s Game.

The teens in this novel are up against some pretty serious odds. Parts of the book are vivid and brutal, including Cassie coming upon a dying soldier in an abandoned convenience store, and scenes of cruelty involving a rather sadistic commander and his child soldiers. It’s not gratuitous and helps build up the characters of Ben and Cassie, but it may be hard for some younger readers to stomach.

The strongest part of the novel is how plausible it all felt. I like my sci-fi near-fetched, as opposed to far-fetched. Rick Yancey‘s ‘waves’ of invasion feel frighteningly possible: power outage, natural disasters, viral outbreak, etc. I don’t want to give too much away because the joy of reading this novel is having it unravel as you get deeper into the story. There is a moment when Cassie, who is the character we spend the most time with and grow the closes too, mentions her few possessions, one of which is a box of tampons. YES. Even when on the run from unseen alien invaders, a girl needs tampons. I wish more survival novels acknowledged the necessities of life.

At times The Fifth Wave dips into melodrama in the form of some teen angst and relationships, but I appreciated how Yancey acknowledges that even in the middle of an apocalypse, teens are going to have feelings, much like the teen angst that rears its head in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Overall I could not get enough of this well-paced, suspenseful read. Yancey is an accomplished storyteller who reels you in from the very beginning. This book feels tailor-made for adaptation, perhaps as a miniseries. This is one of those rare books that appeals to both male and female readers, and fans of The Passage, Ender’s Game, The Hunger Games and well-told survival narratives with eat this one up.

The Fifth Wave will be available from Penguin Canada on May 7th.

Summer Days, Starry Nights Toronto Launch: Party Like it’s 1962!

It’s party time! If you’re in the Toronto area on Tuesday, May 28th come celebrate the launch of SUMMER DAYS, STARRY NIGHTS with me at one of my favourite Junction hotspots, 3030.

Starting at 7pm, this is an all ages event and will feature a reading by yours truly and a performance by the amazing Miranda Mulholland, of Great Lake Swimmers and Belle Starr fame. Miranda is also an accomplished solo artist and I could not be more thrilled that she is sharing this night with me. Also, look at her wicked hair:

When Miranda is not singing, expect a great mix of late 1950s and early 1960s vinyl, perfect for dancing! This is not a costume party, but if you come dressed in 60′s attire you will earn my undying respect and devotion. Books will be sold by Toronto institution Mabel’s Fables and I will be happy to sign one for you, your niece, your grandmother, or anyone else you’d like to give a first edition signed copy to!

Located at High Park and Dundas West, 3030 is easily accessible by TTC (walk north from High Park station or take the 40 bus from Dundas West Station) and there is a Green P parking lot nearby (south of Dundas West, between Pacific and Medland) for those who will be driving.

Can’t wait to see you! Bring your dancing shoes and we will party like it’s 1962!

For those of you outside the GTA area I will also be doing events in Woodstock, Brampton, Erin Mills, Creemore, Orillia and London. Schedule coming soon!

New Book Announcement: SUMMER DAYS, STARRY NIGHTS

I am thrilled to announce a new book, Summer Days, Starry Nights, due out June 1st! This is my love letter to summer, the 1960s, and growing up. Pretty much all of my favourite bookish things in one novel! I am beyond thrilled with this gorgeous cover, which captures the essence of the novel beautifully.

Summer Days, Starry Nights is the story of 14 year old Reenie Starr, who loves her family’s summer resort, Sandy Shores, more than anything else on earth. The resort falls on hard times the summer of 1962, so the Starrs decide to hire a young dancer from the city to come up and run an entertainment program. When 17 year old Gwendolyn Cates arrives, Reenie is starstruck by her glamorous looks and exciting lifestyle. But Gwendolyn is not exactly who she seems to be, and her arrival sets off a series of events that will change Reenie’s life forever.

Hmm, you’re thinking. That sounds kind of like the movie Dirty Dancing.

I have been known to describe the book as ‘Dirty Dancing without the Dirty.’ There are some similarities in that it takes place on a summer resort during the same time period and is very much about the music and culture of the 1960s, however Reenie is significantly younger than Baby (aka Frances) and Summer Days, Starry Nights is more about friendship and family than romance. But there is some romance. And secret letters. And missing persons. And campfires. And late night dance parties…

Summer Days, Starry Nights will be available in June, 2013. Just in time for summer reading! You can pre-order on Amazon, Indigo, or visit your local bookstore. I will also be throwing a super-fun 60s style launch party in Toronto, which you are all invited to! More details to come.

I can’t wait to share this book with you!

 

I Wanna Be a Bank St. Irregular: Kiki Strike & The Darkness Dwellers Review

I adore the Kiki Strike series. I still can’t believe it’s not bigger than it is. It is one of my missions in life to make The Irregulars a household name.One can only hope with all the spy and international intrigue “Bourne books” on the rise that people will get another chance to discover The Irregulars.

A good part of the book takes place in Paris, but author Kristen Miller does not abandon her beloved New York completely. NYC is just as much a character in the series as any of the girls, and I’m glad she found a way to include it yet again. The Darkness Dwellers refers to a secret society living in the catacombs of Paris. Throw in an upscale girl’s finishing school, some WWII intrigue, and two cases of mistaken identity and you have the recipe for a killer adventure.

For some reason I never think to categorize these books as fantasy, despite obvious made-up elements (a fake European kingdom complete with it’s own history & traditions or massive man-eating rats that live in a made-up city underneath NYC). Instead, I consider it a kick-ass mystery series featuring a troupe of almost super-hero like teenagers.

Picking a favourite Irregular is like picking  a favourite Spice Girl: impossible, and I resent being asked to choose. Why can’t I like ALL of them equally? I love how vindictive but surprisingly sensitive Oona is, I love Ananka’s deadpan narration, and I love Iris the 12 year old side-kick who kidnaps delivery boys when she has crushes on them. But this book was an ode to Betty Bent, the kind-hearted master of disguise who until now, is often underestimated by the rest of the team. Betty could come across as sickeningly sweet, but Miller avoids this and instead she projects quiet confidence. I loved the image of her in a super-hero esque catsuit with killer boots when she descends into the catacombs of Paris. There were so many get up and cheer moments for Betty that I lost count and just continued to grin through the whole book.

Miller does a great job juggling not only a number of plot lines, but a large cast of characters. The Irregulars never feel interchangeable and even the supporting cast members feel distinct. I loved the addition of a love interest for Kiki (who would have thought!)

My only question is WHY hasn’t this series been made into a movie yet? The books are fabulous on their own, but they would make one fist-pumpingly good movie. Seriously with all the superhero flicks out there what’s stopping producers? It would be like Kick-Ass meets The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants only set in NEW YORK!

I think everyone should read this series, but fans of The Red Blazer Girls, Nancy Drew, Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls books, Maureen Johnson fans will especially love it.

Kiki Strike and the Darkness Dwellers is available now from Penguin Canada.

Out of This World: Maggot Moon Review

The always fabulous Sally Gardner has outdone herself with a chilling speculative vision of a fascist 1950s regime in her Costa award-winning novel, Maggot Moon.

Standish lives in Zone 7, a forgotten slum of The Motherland where every day is bleak and violent. Without Gramps and his friend Hector, life would be unbearable. But when Hector and his family disappear in the dead of night and the day of the much-anticipated first moon landing draws nearer, Standish decides that something must be done. Despite his challenges (Standish has difficulty reading), he could be the person who throws the rock that takes down the giant.

The novel takes place in what feels like 1950s England, should the Nazi’s have won WWII. The Motherland is racing towards the first moon landing to prove their supremacy to the rest of the world. The author has been a bit mum on the exact setting but gives an eloquent explanation of it here.   In this lovely piece Gardner also talks about dyslexia, something her character Standish (and she herself) struggles with. Standish’s narration is full of unique observations, something the author contributes to his dyslexia, which allows him to see the world differently. This makes for some memorable and fresh descriptions.

The narrative is steeped in metaphor and told in jagged, non-sequential sections. There is a lot left to the imagination in terms of the setting, the details of The Motherland’s rise to power and regime, and what exists in the outside world. Despite some graphically depicted scenes, there are moments of tenderness and hope, such as Standish’s dreams of a world in technicolour, with ice-cream coloured Cadillacs and Croca-colas, his friendship with Hector, and his loving, supportive Gramps, an ex-scene painter who is part of the resistance (if you can call it that). One of my favourite moments is when a relentless bully sides with Standish and sticks up for a child who is brutally beaten by a cruel teacher.

This is a powerful book with scenes of graphic violence and horrifying abuses of power. It reminded me in parts of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and Janne Teller’s Nothing, a book that chilled me to the bone. Though it may be too strong for some readers, it provides an excellent basis for discussion on power, rebellion, hope, humanity, and change. Sometimes a piece of well-written speculative fiction is the perfect mirror in which to reflect what’s happening in the world today. The central metaphor of David taking down Goliath is well drawn and moving. There is just enough distance that readers can disassociate from the truly terrifying situations, but there are lots of opportunities for them to make comparisons to our own world. Very powerful stuff.

Maggot Moon is available now in hard cover from Penguin Canada.

Angels and Demons in Prague: Daughter of Smoke and Bone Review

When this book originally hit the market, the internet was flooded with raves and fangirls who just couldn’t get enough. I admit I steered clear because of the angels and monsters, neither of which I generally enjoy reading about. But after Lisa Doucet from Woozles in Halifax told me that it was one of her absolute favourites, I decided to give it a try. The lesson learned? Always trust a seasoned bookseller!

Karou has always felt like she was caught between two worlds. The human world- where she studies art, avoids her ex boyfriend, and visits a unique cafe called Poison decorated with caskets- and a secret world of monsters like Issa and Brimstone, formidable but loving half-breed creatures who raised her. But other supernatural beings don’t feel so fondly towards these monsters, and when the portals to their world are shut forever, Karou finds herself alone and desperate to get back to her family. Enter Akiva, an angel with a painful past that is linked to Karou’s own shadowy history.

I loved the setting of this book. Laini Taylor‘s descriptions of Prague made me want to visit. It was a perfect backdrop for her story, Gothic and steeped in beauty and history. I wanted to live in Karou’s apartment, hang out at her favourite cafe, and above all else I wish I could see her friend Zuzana’s performing art installation, in which a giant puppet acts as a puppet master to a human ballerina in a vintage tutu.*

This is a capital R romance novel, and if it wasn’t for the stellar writing, fascinating world building and Karou’s backstory, which has a grand tragic almost Shakespearean or Greek scope to it,  I would have been less enamoured with the book. Teens (and adults) looking for a sweeping romance, a standout heroine, or a refreshing European setting will eat this one up.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is available now in paperback from Little Brown.

*Hmm…between this book and Splendors & Glooms I am seriously developing a taste for puppets in books. Why is this? Because they are beautiful, touching, and yet creepy?

I laughed, I cried, I read: My Favourite 2012 Reads

Like Audrey, I also like to read next to a stack of ball gowns.

Looking back at my year in reading is always a fun and enlightening trip down memory lane. I review less than half of what I actually read, due to pesky time-consuming things like work and my own writing. I try to give space to new authors, trends, interesting work, and my personal favourites. In retrospect, 2012 was a year of great YA but not enough middle grade.  Let 2013 be a year of great middle grade! I also seem to be developing a taste for steampunk…

MIDDLE GRADE

Susin Nielsen finally gets the literary cred she deserves with her Governor-General award for the wonderful The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen. The topic of bullying is approaching saturation point in children’s books (it’s so widespread it has become it’s own sub-genre, one that I have written in myself) but Nielsen balances the bullying with friendship, awkward almost-romance, and humour.

The Peculiar was a beautifully told, harrowing tale of changeling children being hunted in a re-imagined Victorian Bath. With political undertones and visceral prose, it also marked the arrival of a hot young talent in Stefan Bachmann.

Middle grade graphic novel Drama deepened my love for author/illustrator Raina Telgemeier. Her work is always frank, funny, and positive without feeling cheesy or too after-school-special-y. I wish someone would give her animated TV series already.

Splendors & Glooms defies categorization. I’d love for people to read it and tell me what THEY thought. Middle grade? YA? Gothic horror? Fairytale? It is masterful, haunting, and yet another feather in Laura Amy Schlitz’s impressive literary cap.

YA

Code Name Verity knocked my socks off and took me back to my youth when I couldn’t get enough novels set in WWII.  An excellent, page-turning mystery that is also a beautiful novel about female friendships.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post was so flawless I couldn’t believe it was a debut novel. It is probably the novel I have recommended the most to a vast range of people this year. I meant it when I said it was a new classic, right up there with A Tree Grows in Brooklyn . I cannot wait to see what author emily m. danforth does next.

Masque of the Red Death was an unexpected gem. I don’t go in for love triangles, but this one was hard to resist. I loved the decrepit Paris meets New Orleans setting, and the vaguely steampunk-ish elements were well developed and made for some excellent escapist reading.

Mister Death’s Blue-Eyed Girls by middle grade horror author Mary Downing Hahn is the kind of book that leaves you unsettled after reading it. Based on a true incident in the author’s past, it examines the after-effects of a shocking murder on a group of teens in the 1950s. Part true-crime, part coming-of-age, part-period piece, this novel stuck with me for a long time.

And of course Sorta Like a Rock Star, which was not a 2012 release but I read it this year and loved it so much I could not exclude it from the list. I have since forced this miracle of a book on many friends and coworkers and all of them felt just as strongly as I did. Read it! You won’t regret it.

I also read quite a few adult books. You can check out some of my favourites on Goodreads:

The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones

The Emperor of Paris by C.S. Richardson

How To Be a Woman by Caitlan Moran

Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carla Rifka Brunt

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

Stray Love by Kyo Maclear

Above All Things by Tanis Rideout

Magnified World by Grace O’Connell

The Power of Why by Amanda Lang

The West End Front by Matthew Quick

A Gothic Masterpiece: Splendors & Glooms review

Be prepared- this review contains spoilers and incessant gushing.

A Drowned Maiden’s Hair remains one of my favourite contemporary middle grade books and I could not wait to read Schlitz’s next book Splendors and Glooms, which seemed perfectly Victorian and gothic and creepy. The wait was worthwhile, and this book has vaulted into my best books read in 2012 list (post coming soon!)

Clara Wintermute is lonely. After a cholera outbreak takes the lives of her four brothers and sisters, she is the sole child left in a sad, mourning household. But Clara is determined to have a good birthday, and so she begs her father to allow Gaspare Grisini to put on a puppet show for her guests. Clara is enchanted by the puppets, but also by the two children who work with the puppeteer, Lizzie Rose and Parsefall. She hopes to befriend them. Little do the three children know that Grisini has a dark past steeped in magic and horrors involving a curse and a series of kidnappings.

Set in London and Northern England in the 1860s, this is a masterful gothic fairytale from one of my favourite contemporary writers. Something about the tone and structure of this novel reminded me of  old-school fairytales, particularly The Snow Queen. It is dark in the same way fairytales are dark, which is to say there is an element of fantasy or disbelief employed that keeps the reader from crying throughout the whole book. We believe we are reading a fable and therefore we are affected but not traumatized by the story. There are many people who disagree with me, especially on Goodreads, where I made the mistake of browsing some of the reviews and came across a number of angry adult readers who found the book too disturbing for children.

Schlitz and I share a love of prickly protagonists. Maude (from A Drowned Maiden’s Hair) and Flory (from The Night Fairy) have a lot in common with Parsefall the pickpocket-turned-puppeteer. Orphans and fairies tend to be sympathetic, hard-done by, sweet characters, but not so in Schlitz’s work. All three of these characters are independent, selfish, conflicted, and damaged, but not so far-gone that they can’t experience transformation.I have a friend in social work who finds a lot of children’s literature frustrating because the protagonists seem untouched by the horrible and often traumatic situations they have to deal with (Harry Potter comes to mind. There is a kid who in the real world would need some serious therapy). I think she would appreciate Schlitz’ s work, which is more realistic in terms of the psychology of her troubled characters.

Parsefall, for example, is impulsive, selfish, and slow to trust others,  but his loyalty to Lizzie Rose and especially to Clara, when she is turned into a puppet, is touching. Lizzie Rose’s desire to be good no matter what is heartbreaking and inspiring.  The combination of complicated characters and truly striking prose is what makes Schlitz stand apart from the crowd.

This book has an interesting denouement, which is bit longer than most middle grade or even YA novels. It’s very spiritual and cleansing in a way, and Schlitz takes great pains to explain the actions of her villains, if not exonerate their guilt completely. The children’s goodness and forgiveness lightens the heavier aspects of the book and I finished the book with a sense of catharsis that happens to rare these days. A true masterpiece.

Splendors and Glooms is available now in hardcover from Candlewick Press, distributed by RandomHouse in Canada.