The Fate of the Tearling - Erika Johansen

The Fate of the Tearling

Title: The Fate of the Tearling

Author: Erika Johansen

Publication Date: 11/29/16

Pages: 496

Genre: Fantasy / Fiction

How I Found It: TLC Book Tours and Harper Collins

Date Completed: 12/20/16

Summary: Having relinquished herself and her powerful sapphires to the Red Queen, Kelsea must now figure out how to save the Tearling - and maybe the world - from inside her prison cell. Her visions of pre-Crossing Lily have been replaced with visions of a young girl, Katie, born shortly after Crossing who also seems to have a big role to play in the fate of the new world. 

What I Thought: I have really enjoyed this series. Throughout, Johansen has impressed me with her bold approach and unique voice. She has written characters who are strong and broken and powerful and flawed. That takes skill. For me, the characters are easily her master stroke in this series. Here in the final book, the plot fell down for me a bit - not terribly, but noticeably. The characters, however, continued to keep me in awe and suspense to the very last page.

Let's start with the stuff I did not love about this last book. I want to get past that so I can rave more about the things I did like. I've always been a delayed gratification/bad news first kind of girl (with the notable seasonal exception of Christmas presents, which I mercilessly searched the house for hoping to ruin any surprises. Sorry, Mom.). So, here we go:

The Invasion of the Tearling - Erika Johansen

The Invasion of the Tearling

Title: The Invasion of the Tearling

Author: Erika Johansen

Publication Date: 6/9/15

Pages: 515

Genre: Fantasy / Fiction 

How I Found It: TLC Book Tours and Harper Collins

Date Completed: 12/4/16

Summary: Kelsea has come into her role as Queen of the Tearling. Despite the impending invasion from the Mort army, she is rallying troops and making preparations among her people. However, her mind is pulling her away more and more frequently to visit the life of Lily, a woman from pre-crossing times. Kelsea must figure out the meaning of these visits as well as the visits from a mysterious man.

What I Thought: It has been a while since I have gotten excited about a series. So often, the first book is good enough, but I am either not compelled to continue the series or the sequels are letdowns. So far, that is not the case here. One book left to go, but I am optimistic.

This felt like a really well done middle book. There is enough independent story here to fuel the book on its own, but it clearly serves as a bridge between the beginning and the end of Kelsea's story. 

The Queen of the Tearling - Erika Johansen

The Queen of the Tearling

Title: The Queen of the Tearling

Author: Erika Johansen

Publication Date: 7/8/2014

Pages: 434

Genre: Fantasy / Fiction

How I Found It: TLC Book Tours and Harper Collins

Date Completed: 8/6/16

Summary: The future of our world looks a lot like our past - at least according to Johansen. Though the characters are clearly living in the future, the setting and culture of the story largely replicates the era of Arthurian legends, magic included. Young Kelsea, having been raised in hiding, finds herself Queen of the Tearling and facing a variety of personal and national threats with which she must deal.

What I Thought: I am so glad TLC offered me a chance to be on this tour. I had heard of it before and placed it on my TBR, so I jumped at the opportunity. I'll be reviewing all three books in the series this week, so make sure you come back on Wednesday and Friday to see what I have to say about the sequels.

Today, however, is all about book one. 

I have heard some people compare this to George R. R. Martin's popular A Song of Ice and Fire series - better known as Game of Thrones. Others have compared Queen Kelsea, protagonist, to my beloved Katniss Everdeeen. I can see some thin parallels with both. I think, though, that trying to lump it in with something else is a discredit to Johansen's work. I found it delightfully original and fresh. 

There are a number of familiar premises - a 'regular' teenager finds herself suddenly in a unique position of power, something has happened to our world and this is a distant future, power struggles plus magic equals a dangerous situation...we know all of these, right? Somehow, when Johansen brings them together, they feel new and different. None of the tropes felt stale to me. I was actively engaged and interested in Kelsea's fate. 

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

Title: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

Author: Carson McCullers

Publication Date: 1940

Pages: 368

Genre: Classic / Historical / Fiction 

How I Found It: 100 Best Novels

Date Completed: 12/7/16

Summary: McCullers follows deaf-mute Singer as he gains and loses friendships in a small Georgia town. Though Singer is at the heart of the story, the cast of characters is rich and diverse.

What I Thought: I really did not know what to expect going into this book. I was excited because this is one of few on the Modern Library list written by a woman (a fact about which you'll hear my extensive feelings next year when I finis the challenge). The small collection on the list written by women have brought an unsurprisingly fresh perspective. They simply have a different tone and perspective, as you can see in modern literature as well. This is why diverse authors and voices matter in literature.

Ok, so I'm getting off the point here. Let's stick with this book for the moment. 

There is so much depth here. This is a book I feel I will need to read several times to fully extract its goodness. On the surface, I did not find it to be a particular stand out. However, if you are reading on more than a cursory level, there is a depth and richness here that cannot be ignored. As with some other 100 Best books this year, I do not feel my reading of this did it justice. I want to come back and languish in the words, the characters, the story-telling. 

The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones - Rick Riordan

The Maze of Bones

Title: The Maze of Bones

Author: Rick Riordan

Publication Date: 2008

Pages: 220

Genre: Children's Literature / Fiction

How I Found It: I can't remember

Date Completed: 11/27/16

Summary: Amy and Dan Cahill are orphans in the care of a horrid old aunt and a carefree nanny. On weekends, they visit their charming, mysterious grandmother - at least until she dies and they find themselves among a cast of quirky, distant relatives at her enormous mansion, hoping to be included in the division of her assets. What they don't expect is to be launched into an international scavenger hunt with ancient family power on the line.

What I Thought: I heard of this series ages ago and had put it on the back burner of my mind, thinking it would make a good listen for Kevin and I on a car trip. Well, this Thanksgiving, I timed the library reservation correctly and got it for us as we drove to and from the Midwest for the holiday. 

As I've discussed before, Kevin has high audio book criteria, Mostly, it has to be interesting and exciting enough to keep him engaged and every moment. No lulls in the action. Hence, why I picked out a children's book for us to listen to. Haha. I don't mean that as harshly as it sounds, just that kids' books don't often have the long descriptive passages or focus on internal character development. Kids, like Kevin on a car trip, want to be entertained and have a short attention span.

But What If We're Wrong? - Chuck Klosterman

But What If We're Wrong?

Title: But What If We're Wrong?: Thinking About the Present As If It Were the Past

Author: Chuck Klosterman

Publication Date: 6/7/16

Pages: 272

Genre: Nonfiction

How I Found It: I can't remember, but I'm so glad I did.

Date Completed: 11/17/16

Summary: We like to think we are the zenith of human civilization. More likely, however, is that we are yet another step in the progression of human progress. So how will our descendants look back at the twenty-first century? Klosterman has set out to answer that question - or at least ponder its possible answers.

What I Thought: When the first chapter focuses on exploring the idea of what contemporary books will one day be considered classics, I know I'm in for a treat.

Klosterman has really put together a series of essays - although he expressly denies that qualification in the introduction. Each chapter looks at a different issue (books, television, gravity, football, etc.) and imagines how our descendants will think similarly or differently from us on these topics.

Klosterman does a nice job of blending academic, high-brow thought with a conversational tone - and not just because he includes "curse" words in the text. Rather, he makes complex issues and ideas understandable and something about which you could genuinely see yourself having a dinner conversation. It's rare that a book both expands my vocabulary and is something I bring up in conversation with friends. This one did. 

Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel

Wolf Hall

Title: Wolf Hall

Author: Hilary Mantel

Publication Date: 2009

Pages: 653

Genre:Historical / Political / Royals / Fiction

How I Found It: It's been around and popular for a while.

Date Completed: 11/15/16

Summary: Thomas Cromwell played a huge role in shaping English history as we know it. He was an advisor to Henry VIII at the time when he was seeking a way out of his first marriage. Mantel's book examines the famous historical events from Cromwell's perspective.

What I Thought: Y'all, I know people love this book. People love it. People also love the TV show based on it. 

So....is it awful to say I found it terribly dull?

That Times quote on the cover seriously made me laugh. This book was far from gripping - at least for me.