Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan

Title/Author: Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
Publisher/Year published: Vintage, 2010, first published in 2008
How I got this book: I bought it
Why I read this book: I love fairytales, so a retelling of one sounded really promising

Goodreads summary: 'A young woman who has endured unspeakable cruelties is magically granted a safe haven apart from the real world and allowed to raise her two daughters in this alternate reality, until the barrier between her world and the real one begins to break down.'

This book is a retelling of the fairytale of Snow White and Rose Red. For those of you unfamiliar with this fairytale (like I was), here's the link to the Wiki page that explains it: Snow White and Rose Red.

At the beginning of the book, we meet Liga, a girl who's 15 years old and lives with only her father, her mother died some time ago. They live estranged from the rest of the village and Liga's father doesn't like her going there and meeting people. He doesn't want them to find out he's sexually abusing his daughter and even getting her pregnant.
Liga wants this baby very badly and after her father dies, there's no one stopping her from keeping it. Liga loves the girl very much and thinks all her worries are over, living a simple life in the cottage of her father. But then something horrible happens to her again and after this, at the height of her despair, she and her baby girl are transported to her personal heaven, an alternate reality so to speak.
She and her now two daughters live there peacefully for some years, when the first cracks begin to show and an ungrateful little person and bears pop through from the real world.
Liga and her daughters learn that leaving the real world behind doesn't mean you never have to go back to it.

This book was a little darker than I'm used to, which I didn't expect from the premise that it was a fairytale retelling. It deals heavily with sexual abuse and is pretty frank about sex altogether. Which is why it took me a while to get into. I really liked Liga and her daughters Branza and Urdda, Liga and Branza are more mellow, while Urdda is a fierce spirit. I also loved the first Bear that came into their world, actually a person transformed into a bear while entering their world. He was such a noble character and gave Liga a reason to trust men again.

I like the broader message that's being given in the book: you can't run away from your troubles forever. Using the ostrich method of just sticking your head in the sand till it's over won't work. Liga comes to realize this and I like the character development that Lanagan shows in her. We see how she outgrows the idea of heaven she had as a 15 year old.

One thing I had trouble with, was the change in POV that were not always very clear. The author never used the first person POV in scenes with Liga and her children, but all of a sudden there'd be a scene with first person POV without it being clear immediately who 'I' was. There was a storyline towards the end with other Bears, that I think detracted from the flow of the story and didn't really add to the book in general.

I was rooting for it to end differently, but I can understand this ending and admit that it makes more sense.

All in all, I'd say this book was definitely worth reading, but I wouldn't recommend it to people who are squeamish about sexual abuse, though the author isn't very explicit about it, it's mentioned, but not really shown.

My rating: 3.5 stars

The Versatile Blogger Award and One Lovely Blog Award!

I've received The Versatile Blogger Award from Danya at A Tapestry of Words and the One Lovely Blog Award from both Rummanah from Books in the Spotlight and Jennifer at An Abundance of Books! Thanks so much ladies!
You should all go over and check these awesome blogs out, they're ones I read and try to comment on regularly. Jennifer is currently having a Percy Jackson giveaway, be sure to sign up for it!

Before I go on to the rules for the awards, I have to apologize to these lovely ladies, because it's been a month since I received the awards and I should have passed them on ages ago. I'm deeply ashamed of myself!

The Rules:
1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.
2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.
3. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.
4. Versatile Blogger Award only: Share 7 things about yourself.

As for those 7 things:
1. Some of you know this already, but I'm also part of another blog: The Broke and the Bookish, which is a collaboration of college students all part of the College Students Group on Goodreads.
2. I love ARC's and it's frustrating I can hardly ever get my hands on them, because of my living in Holland and the huge amount of money it costs to send something here!
3. I have a soft spot for all things cute and cuddly, including my boyfriend :)
4. I'm studying medicine, but I hate going to the doctor myself and I always self-diagnose before I go. Which is probably really annoying to the doctor (sorry!).
5. I speak Dutch, English, French, German and a little Latin, I wish I could speak Chinese.
6. I've been to London last year and it was so amazing! I'm a bit of an anglophile and love reading about Queen Elizabeth (I visited the Tower while in London and almost died of happiness). I can't wait to go back there again!
7. Nobody I know in real life reads as much as I do. I'm so happy to have found first Goodreads and then all these lovely book blogs! It's good to know there are other people like me out there :)

Now, I'm going to cheat a little and send these two awards out together to 15 amazing bloggers (because else I'd have to list 45, I don't think I even follow 45 blogs).
So here they are, in no particular order:

Fresh off the Shelf
Spine Creases
The Perpetual Page Turner
The Overflowing Library
Tedious and Brief
A Girl, Books and Other Things
English Major's Junk Food
Midnight Bloom Reads
Overused Parentheses
Tahleen's Mixed-Up Files
Eating YA Books
Spine Creases
Supernatural Snark
Tangled Up in Blue
Tales and Treats

And because I can't say it enough: thanks again to Danya, Jennifer and Rummanah!

Spy Glass by Maria V. Snyder

Title/Author: Spy Glass (Glass #3) by Maria V. Snyder
Publisher/Date published: Harlequin, September 1st 2010
How I got this book: I got it from the publisher through NetGalley
Why I read this book: besides not being able to not finish a series when I start it? I enjoy Snyder's books!

In this book we meet up with Opal Cowan again. After the epic battle at the end of Sea Glass, Opal has to deal with the consequences. Struggling with adjusting to her new abilities and lack thereof, she encounters a whole lot of trouble yet again. But Opal won't be stopped by this, she's on a quest to get her stolen blood back and put a stop to blood magic once and for all. Of course, she's not alone in this and we meet Valek (from the Study series) again as he trains Opal in his area of expertise: spying (hence Spy Glass).
Everything gets confusing for Opal when she starts to doubt her relationship with Kade, the Stormdancer and finds herself attracted to someone she never thought possible to feel anything other than fear and anger towards.

I really liked seeing Valek again, he was one of my favourite characters from the Study series and after not being in the other two books, I was pleasantly surprised he had his part to play in this one.

I appreciated how Snyder ended the series, but I was a bit disappointed at the development of the relationship between Opal and Kade. I understand her reasons and felt that in the end it was right, but I didn't like how Kade was treated as in that she showed him to be a different kind of person than I thought he was after reading the first two books. He didn't turn out to be a bad guy, and I still love him very much.

I am however glad that Opal finds someone to love her just as she is, unconditionally. I had a hard time trusting this guy, but I grudgingly agree with her choice. I also liked that Opal finally realises who she is and that she doesn't need titles to define herself. Bonus points go to Opal's mother for being very funny in giving Opal the cold shoulder after she angers her.

All in all, Snyder yet again delivered a very enjoyable book, though this one was a bit slower to me than the first two.
My rating: 4 stars (for Kade and the slowness at the beginning I take half a star off)

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

Book Title/Author: The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Publisher/Year published: Pan Books, first published in 1989
How I got this book: I bought it
Why I read this book: Why I read this book now is probably a better question (I'd been meaning to for some time): I'd heard about the series coming out in July and after seeing the awesome trailer I decided I really needed to read this before watching the series (I have this rule about that..).

This book scared me to begin with, the sheer size of it (mine has 1076 pages) and the whole idea that it centers around a church, since I'm not exactly religious. But let me start of by saying The Pillars of the Earth is so much more!

I tried to write a summary of this story, but it's so complex and has so many separate storylines at first, which come together in the end, that it's nearly impossible without giving away the whole plot.
The story centers around Tom Builder and his family and the priory of Kingsbridge with prior Philip as the other main character. After the cathedral in Kingsbridge burns down, Tom is hired as master-builder to build a new one. The rivalry between Alfred, his son, and Jack, the son of his second wife Ellen, doesn't make family life any easier.
Prior Philip, taken in by monks after his parents were killed when he was 6 years old, struggles against the rigidity of the older monks, the malice of the bishop of Kingsbridge and William of Hamleigh, a nobleman's son, determined to destroy Kingsbridge.
Against the backdrop of the building of the cathedral and the civil war in 12th century England, the story is set that contains family, love, loyalty, malevolence, treachery, greed and of course religion.

I really loved the pacing, I thought it would be slow, which happens a lot with bigger books, but it turned out to be a really fast read. Follett introduces you to the characters and then builds his story around this. You're thrown right into the action from the start. Some of the characters have become especially dear to me, most of all Prior Philip and Jack. Of course there are the characters who oppose them and I always appreciate them not being evil for the sake of evil, but we are given reasons for the way they act. To me it shows the skill of the author that I can really hate one of the characters, William Hamleigh, he made me care enough to.

Follett doesn't shy away from physical violence, including sexual abuse, which made me gasp in horror at the things people are capable of, but without it, the book probably wouldn't have been realistic. And although it centers around a priory, there's no preaching, which probably has to do with the author himself not being a christian. I believed Philip in his religious moments of doubt and in his devotion to God.

All in all, this is such an epic tale of everything about human life, with lovable and strong characters and it completely blew me away. If I wasn't so busy, I probably would have read this without putting it down, it was that good (I swear I heard hallelujah sounds while reading it).
I give this book 5+ stars because it is a new favourite and I'm adding the sequel World Without End to my to-read list.

Sea Glass by Maria V. Snyder

Title/Author: Sea Glass (Glass #2) by Maria V. Snyder
Publisher/Year Published: Harlequin Teen in 2010
How I got it: I own it :)
Why I read it: I read the first one earlier this week and liked it. Besides, I have a hard time not only not finishing a book, but also not finishing a series (I always want to know what comes next).

After becoming aware of her new ability, Opal Cowan is scared of what the Council will think of it. She's almost certain they will view her as a threat, so she decides to take a detour and search for Ullrick first, since she believes he's being held against his will. It all gets just a bit more complicated when bad guys turn into good buys and the other way around. With all the plotting going around, Opal doesn't know who to trust anymore. When she tries to tell the Council an evil form of magic, blood magic, isn't exterminated and no one believes her, what's she supposed to do? That's right, rebel in full force!

Opal manages yet again to land herself in various lifethreathening situations. I love that we got to know her better and that we got to spend more time with Kade, who is just dreamy.
I'll have to admit, I'm a bit obsessed with Kade, he's a new book crush, let me tell you how I picture him:



Add golden streaks in his hair and this background and picture him in a bubble of calm in the middle:



Lovely right?

So was the book, Opal stays a lovable characters, even though she goes through a lot of changes in this book. Sometimes I felt Opal was a bit too sarcastic. I can't believe I'm saying this, I love sarcasm! But the line '-Insert emotion, like jealous- Who, me?' kept coming back a bit too often for my taste. That said, the author didn't let me down with this sequel to Storm Glass and I'm very excited to be moving on to Spy Glass!
Also, I loved the cover, perfectly captures the feel of the book.

My rating: 4.5 stars.

Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder

Title/Author: Storm Glass (first in the Glass series) by Maria V. Snyder
Publisher/Year Published: Harlequin Teen in 2009
How I got it: I own it :)
Why I read it: I really liked her Study series and when I found out about this series I thought I'd check it out.

Summary from Goodreads: "As a glassmaker and a magician-in-training, Opal Cowan understands trial by fire. Now it's time to test her mettle. Someone has sabotaged the Stormdancer clan's glass orbs, killing their most powerful magicians. The Stormdancers — particularly the mysterious and mercurial Kade — require Opal's unique talents to prevent it happening again. But when the mission goes awry, Opal must tap in to a new kind of magic as stunningly potent as it is frightening. And the further she delves into the intrigue behind the glass and magic, the more distorted things appear. With lives hanging in the balance — including her own — Opal must control powers she hadn't known she possessed…powers that might lead to disaster beyond anything she's ever known."

This series is set in the same world as het Study series was, so to me it felt like meeting old friends I hadn't seen for a while. If you've read the series, you might recognize Opal as a character we meet in the final book I think (I'm not sure, it's been a while since I read the other books), she's a girl Yelena rescues and then Opal helps her in defeating evil (can't really say much about this without having major spoilers, so yes I know it's vague).

Anyway, Opal comes from a family of glassmakers and she has her own kind of glass magic, discovered by Yelena. Because of this, she's training as a magician at the Magician's Keep. She struggles at school, only being able to do one thing: create glass creatures other magicians can communicate through. She can't even use them herself, which I think would be really frustrating. At school, she doesn't really have any friends, partly due to what happened with Yelena in the fight against evil.
In her fifth year there, she's sent on a mission to help the Stormdancers and meets Kade, a Stormdancer who recently lost his sister when one of the orbs they use to harvest a storm exploded.
Of course fixing the problems isn't so easy as it seems at the beginning (just find out what's making the orbs break) and Opal and her friends get in all kinds of trouble, most of the time life-threathening. On her travels, Opal meets Ulrick, a boy from a family of glassmakers himself, he and Opal have a lot in common.
But the problem is, she can't forget about Kade and the spark they shared.
Throughout the book, Opal discovers new sides to her power, but as always, with great power comes great responsibility (I know, I'm a dork).

First of all I should tell you that a lot of this book won't make sense without having read the Study series first. I don't even know if my rambling made sense if you haven't read those, because I'm trying really hard not to give anything about the other books away.

I really enjoyed this book, as said before, it felt like visiting old friends and I like the world Snyder has created. I like how in her magic system not everybody can do the same things, everyone has their own talents.
And I love the idea of Stormdancers, can you imagine someone standing on the beach in the midst of an enormous angry storm, harvesting its power in a tiny glass orb? For me it creates visions of the sea slamming on the rocks, lightning flashing over the water and in the middle one handsome man in a bubble of calm. Who wouldn't fall in love with that?
So I could spot from a million miles away who would be Opal's love interest, but I completely agree with her choice. Kade is a complex character who struggles with the recent death of his sister. Something Opal can relate to, having lost her sister as well. I felt they had meaningful conversations and it wasn't like 'ooh, you are so cool and handsome, let's be together', which to me is totally annoying.

I also really liked the character development in Opal, she gets some serious reality checks and learns to deal with the problems she encounters. She also has to accept the consequences of her growing power. I liked Opal, she's a bit naive and tends to get in trouble a lot, but she cares a lot about her family and her friends and doesn't sit around waiting to be saved. She makes a few questionable decisions, but in the end she goes with what she feels is right and I can respect that.

I recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the Study series and who enjoys YA fantasy, but like I said before: read the other books first.

My rating: 4.5 stars.

Carrie Pilby by Caren Lissner

Title/Author: Carrie Pilby by Caren Lissner
Publisher/Publication date: July 1sth 2010 by Harlequin
How I got it: I received it from the publisher through
NetGalley.
Why I read it: it sounded interesting.

Goodreads summary: "Carrie Pilby doesn't fit in -- and she's pretty much given up trying. A year out of college and settling in to life in the big city, this nineteen-year-old genius believes everyone she meets is immoral, sex obsessed and hypocritical, and the only person she sees on a regular basis is her therapist. When he comes up with a five-point plan to help her discover the "positive aspects of social interaction," Carrie, who would rather stay home in bed, is forced to view the world in a new light."

This five point plan includes:
1. List 10 things you love
2. Join a club
3. Go on a date
4. Tell someone you care (your therapist doesn't count)
5. Celebrate New Year’s

Carrie doesn't really have any reason to get out of bed in the morning. She thinks people are mostly stupid and she doesn't have to pay the rent. So, why bother?
At first, she isn't too keen on the plan her therapist starts her on, but gradually warms up to it. Or at least starts on it to proove him he's wrong, that it won't help her at all.

The book centers around the sometimes weird philosophies that enter Carries mind and the things she comes up with are very funny. In this she reminds me of conversations my best friend and I have in which we come up with all kinds of conspiracy theories and plots to take over the world. Carrie reminds me of myself, not neccesarily in my good moments.
She got me thinking, while I do believe that because I'm a college student I belong to the better educated part of the population, I don't think it's true people are unintelligent if they haven't read a whole lot of books like she does. Carrie overgeneralizes and likes to put a label on someone, even though she doesn't like it when people do it to her.

The plot is more character-driven than action-driven, there's not a whole lot going on outside Carrie's head. Which is fine, but I'd like to have seen more actual things taking place. The ending left me a bit hanging and I feel like I was waiting for some kind of grand finale that never came.

All in all, I liked this book, Carrie is a likable character and the things she comes up with are sometimes hilarious.

My rating: 3 stars