Pretty Monster

Sorry about the lack of post yesterday.  Everything came crashing down at once and I had to spend the day in bed thinking unpainful thoughts.  Plus side is I finished up the book I am rambling about today so there is always that :-).  On with the rambling.

I had reread Graceling in preparation for reading Bitterblue knowing it was more or less a direct sequel.  I had not intended to reread Fire right away as there was not to much of a connection between it and Graceling. However after rambling about Graceling I decided that for Bitterblue to make sense I should go ahead and ramble about Fire first.  Ok I know that was all very confusing, but by the time I'm done rambling about all three books it should hopefully make some sort of sense.
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

We start our story with a prologue about a man and his strange son who live in Monsea of the Seven Kingdoms.  The young boys eyes change colors settling into gray and red marking him as a Graceling.  Larch, the boys father does not want him to be taken by the king, and decides to run and hide with the boy.  The odd thing is that Larch is continually in a fog, doing whatever it is the young boy wants him to do.  The child convinces his father to give him most of the food and sacrifice his comfort and well being to protect him.  The two end up stumbling through hidden tunnels in the great mountains and come out the other side in the Dells, a country that is more advanced then the one they came from.  Here the boy sets up a small reign of terror, constantly recruiting weak minded people to help take care of him and further his goals.  His father, after too much time in the brain fog his son produces, has a moment of clarity and realizes that his sons

Grace is essentially mind control.  The boy kills his father for the discovery and taking the name Leck, continues his pursuit of obtaining greatness.  This in general is our only link to the Seven Kingdoms and the first book.  Moving on to the main story we meet Fire.  Fire is a monster, which is to say she is a special type of being that only exists in the Dells.  A monster is a fantastic version of a normal being, they are characterized by intense, unusual coloring, possessing powers of mind control, and an insatiable hunger for other monster blood.  Every type of living being has monster versions of it, cats, dogs, insects, rabbits, horses, and humans.  At this point in time Fire is the last human monster in existence.  She possess a face and body that drive people to distraction with longing, and when she lets her hair (which has glorious shades of pink, orange, red and gold in it) be seen few living creatures human or otherwise can resist her.  She is the daughter of Cansrel, a male human monster who used his influence to bring the former king Nax and his kingdom to the brink of ruin.  Both the king and his monster advisor have died, leaving the kingdom in the hands of the young king Nash, his spy advisers his brother Galen and sister Clara, and the military in command of his youngest brother Brigan.  The country is holding together and preparing for a war against two lords  Mydogg to the north and Gentian to the south.  Sheltered from all this by distance, Fire lives near her best friend and sometimes lover Archer and his father, the former military advisor Brocker.  Archer and Fire have an unequal relationship.  Fire lover Archer as a best friend, and respects his incredible skill with the bow.  Archer is desperately in love with fire and jealously guards her, to the point of obsessiveness, going as far as to fire on of her guards because she like the color of his hair.  Fire puts up with the excursiveness of Archers jealousy and love, in part because he is one of the few friends she has that is not wholly controlled by her appearance.  Fire and Archer travel to the

Queen mothers fort and meet the king Nash (who behaves horribly in the presence of Fire) and Brigan who is incredibly cold towards her.  Fire risks herself to distract a huge group of monster raptors, earning some trust and respect from Brigan and his army.  Brigan asks Fire to come to the capital city to try and use her mental powers to get some information from some prisoners he has.  She agrees, much to the displeasure of Archer, who cannot go with her until he has finished taking care of his estates.  Fire is assigned a guard and is escorted to the city.  Along the way she discovers many things, her love and skill at music helps her cope with things, her guard, in particular Musa and Mila are willing to also be her friends, and Brigan is much kinder then she ever imagined.  At the palace king Nash declares himself in love with Fire and she forbids him from being in the same room as her until he can learn to guard his mind.  She makes friends with Garen and Clara and helps them try and infiltrate the minds of the prisoners.  Fire also meets Hannah, Brigans young daughter with whom she bonds with quit nicely.  Archer arrives for a visit and Fire tells him that they can no longer be lovers, that she does not love him the same way he loves her and that it is ruining their friendship.  In retaliation Archer (who is a lady's man at the best of times) sleeps with both Clara and the young guard Mila, impregnating them both.  Furious with her friend the two of them fight and Archer decides to leave and search out a mysterious archer who has what Fire describes as a "foggy brain" that is wreaking havoc in the country.  With two of her friends pregnant, and bonding with the young Hannah, Fire's resolve to never have children starts to weaken.  Fire does not want to have children,
because a monster will always bear a monster, no matter who the mother or father is.  She does not want to bring a person into the world who can be so destructive as her father was.  She ends up taking a medicine that will leave her barren, ensuring she will never succumb to her temptations.  The group eventually stumbles upon a plot and a plan is formed during a party to try and assassinate a few key players.  They succeed in killing Gentian and his son (the real brains), but not before they learn that they are actually allied with Mydogg and his sister.  Fire is kidnapped and taken north.  She learns that her kidnapper is none other then Leck, the boy who controls people with his words.  He wants Fire to join him and between the two of them they can take over the kingdom by using the rulers as puppets.  Fire of course rejects his proposal and makes good her escape.  While escaping she finds the body of Archer, who was killed by Jod, the foggy brained archer that he set out to find.  Out of her mind with grief she stumbles back (with the help of a wild river horse) causing Leck to fall down a crack in the mountain at some point.  She eventually makes it back to the fortress where her friends help take care of her.  She slowly heals in body, but her mind remains pretty shattered over losing her friend, and the potential loss of her friends to war.  It is especially difficult with Brigan, as she loves him so much, but he is always in danger.  She starts helping in the hospital, easing the pain of injured and dying soldiers, and subsequently helping herself as well.  In the end after a fierce battle and some plots gone awry king Nash wins the war and a sort of peace settles over the kingdom.  Fire and Brigan end up together, making a little family along with his daughter Hannah.  King Nash rules much better then his father ever did, and everybody pitches in to help raise the two children born to Archer after his death.  There is also a sub story of how Brocker had an affair with the Queen, and King Nax shattered his legs and sent Jod to rape his wife in revenge and that is how Archer was conceived.  Brigan was the result of the affair between Brocker and the Queen.  It is all very twisty and a bit convoluted.

Whew, on to my impressions and arbitary thoughts about this book.  I liked it better then Graceling and I liked that book alot.  I think I like the country of Dells better than I like the Seven Kingdoms and that has a lot to do with it, world building has always been a big part of stories for me.  A lot of people found this book to be more violent and distasteful than Graceling, while others liked it much more.  I agree that this book got pretty dark in places, and the whole Archer/Brigan being the result of affairs and rapes was not only a bit uncomfortable, but it seemed unnecessary as well.  I think the author put it in to a)illustrate just how twisted Cansrel had made Nax and b) how even good people (like Brocker) can do bad things.  I just did not find it  necessary and even a bit distracting.  I like the character of Fire for the most part.  She is capable of taking care of herself, yet constantly finds her self surrounded by people who desperately want to protect her.  I

find her emotional state to be fairly believable, especially for a 17/18 year old.  She spends a bit to much time angsting about things, but is called out on it most of the time.  I got frustrated when she let Archer bully her, but even that at least made sense.  He was her only real friend and she did not want to lose that, she understood that even though it did not make it right, he did his bullying out of love, and never ever ever tried to hurt her.  I liked that she eventually stood up to him, growing up and realizing that it was harmful to allow him to continue to try and run her life.  After reading  Bitterblue I can see how much more this story ties in to the overall "long story" and actually kind of like that while it is tied to the first and third book, it is also it's own story, not dependent on any other.  I loved the concept of monsters and think that between this and the Graceling concept you could probably write a thousand stories.  I also like how Fire has to come to terms with her "beauty", at one point she is frustrated that even with all of the scars and mud and dirt and whatnot, people still find her physically irresistible, she is not capable of not being beautiful.  She even startles herself with her beauty.  She is not vain about it, trying to dampen it down every chance she gets (unlike her father who reveled in it), but to no avail.  This beauty is portrayed as dangerous, not only to others, but to herself as it makes her a target. The best part though is that it is not limited to humans, other monster animals are attracted to her, and normal humans are attracted to other non-human monsters, if your not careful even a hairy tarantula can entrance you if it is monster version.  Over all this book is definitely a bit darker than the first one, but also a fairly realistic one (as much a fantasy book can get).  There are frustrating parts, and roll you eyes parts, and uncomfortable parts, but even on the reread I found it a very intriguing, well written, worth the time book. Between this book and Graceling it sets us up perfectly for the next book.  I give it 8 out 10 monster feathers.

Pictures Make Everything Better

I am a sucker for picture books.  I love graphic novels, adult/YA/MG books with the occasional drawings, and I love children's picture books.  As much as I adore the written word and don't need visuals, I have to say almost every book I have read has been enhanced by them.  Here are a couple of my favorite illustrated books.

Stardust

I have read this novel both in it's illustrated and unadorned form, and as fabulous as the story is, Charles Vess really adds an extra touch of awesomeness with his illustrations

The Lord of the Rings trilogy 

Alan Lee created such iconic illustrations for this edition of these beloved books that he was one of the lead concept artist when it came time to make the films!

The Chronicles of Narnia

To this day, even a glimpse of the illustrations of Pauline Baynes takes me straight to the happiest times of my life.  They are the perfect, simple yet expressive type of drawings that fit the story style like a glove.

Leviathan Series

Here is a wonderful author who can create intensely detailed world with just his words, but the addition of Keith Thompson's illustrations put it over the top in terms of a steampunky atmosphere. 

The Guardians Series

One of the great appeals of these books is the amazingly detailed illustrations by William Joyce (who also had a hand in writing the stories).  The pictures are a part of the story, not just mere decorations which makes you feel you may be reading a true story, not just a made up one.

How do you feel about illustrations in your books, distracting or enhancing?  What is your favorite illustrated book? Which book do you wish was illustrated?  Is it a bad idea to add your own illustrations with markers to you Mamma's favorite books?

Knitting And Dancing

Flipping through my reading list and my to be reviewed list and realized I had not done a post about Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George yet, which would make it a little awkward to do a post about the sequel when I finish it shortly.  Anyways here we go.

As always SPOILER ALERT SPOILERS AHEAD

I initially picked up this book as it is a retelling of one of my absolute favorite fairy tales Twelve Dancing Princesses  which sounds about perfect.  Our story starts with a creepy prologue with a Queen begging a favor from the inhuman King Under Stone. He agrees to a bargain to grant victory to Westfalin in a war that has been going on for years.  Fast forward several years later and the war is finally over.  A young soldier by the name of Galen is making his way towards Westfalin to hopefully find a job with his Uncle, the head gardener in the Kings gardens.  On his way he encounters an old woman with whom he shares his meager store of food.  He also gives her a scarf he knitted, as all soldiers learn to do.  In return for his unusual

generosity the old woman gives him an old cloak that makes him invisible.  She also hints that the Princesses of Westfalin may be in a bit of trouble.  Galen is taken in by his Aunt, Uncle and Cousin, all of whom see a bit of resemblance to there own son who is presumed dead in the war.  Galen becomes his Uncles assistant in the what is known as the King's Folly, which is the name the towns people give to the elaborate time and money consuming garden that the king had built for his wife, to remind her of home.  After she died he has still maintained the garden in memory of her.  We head to the castle where the eldest Princess Rose and her sisters Lily, Jonquil, Hyacinth, Violet, Daisy, Poppy, Iris, Lilac, Orchid, Pansy and Petunia (there mother was very fond of flowers) are being berated by dear old dad the King for wearing out there dancing slippers yet again.  Everybody is frustrated because the girls, who are normally very good, are unable to tell anybody what is happening.  The King tries every method he can think of, locking them in their rooms, guards at ever door and window, maids sleeping in the same room, but to no avail, every third night the princesses shoes are found worn to shreds.  Back in their rooms we learn that after the death of their mother, the girls have taken on paying for their mothers bargain and are compelled to go dance for King Under Stone.  Rose heads to the garden to try and think and is startled by Galen, she falls into the fountain and as a result of her frigid dunking catches a nasty cold.  This does not prevent the girls from dressing up and dancing, as any deviation from the payment schedule results in sever punishment. The other girls end up sick as well, their immune systems worn down by the constant dancing and worry.  Galen does his best to make them feel better, sending them bouquets of their names sake tied with chains he knitted himself. He has taken to Rose in particular, especially after many conversations in the garden.  He knits her a beautiful shawl as a gift, which she takes to wearing constantly.  

Meanwhile the King is trying to find a way to solve the mystery of his daughters dancing and proposes that he will allow any noble who can find the solution to marry one of his daughters and inherit the kingdom.  This is actually the solution to several problems.  One, he can hopefully solve the mystery, two, it may be a way of re enforcing allies now that the war is over, and three, since he has no sons the husband of one of his daughters will inherit the crown.  King Under Stone is not happy about this, as he intends for the 12 Princess's to become the mortal brides of his creepy half mortal sons.  He ensures that none of the foreign dignitaries ever get a glimpse of what the girls are up to, and even worse, he arranges for a deadly accident to befall them after.  After a couple of the Princes die, the other countries start calling for an investigation, saying that the King and his daughters are using witch craft to kill off all the Princes. The church sends a Bishop to get to the bottom of this problem.  Until the girls are cleared the whole country is placed under an Interdict, which places great strain on the kingdom. Meanwhile Galen, with the help of the mysterious Walter who also works in the gardens has convinced the King to let him try and solve the mystery.  He uses a combination of cunning, knitting and his magic cloak to follow the girls.  He sees them get all dressed up.  After a while an enchantment puts everybody except the Princesses (and Galen who has a sprig of nightshade in his pocket) to sleep.  A rug in their room becomes a staircase and the Princesses descend.  They pass through a gate into a forest of silver trees and into boats rowed by the Princes of Under Stone.  They are then made to dance with their assigned Prince all night and then head back up to the above world.  Galen works out that the King Under Stone is at some point going to keep the Princess's from leaving, forcing them to marry his sons. Galen takes a twig from a tree as proof.  He uses the twig to knit a magic chain that he can use to lock the gate.  Back at the palace the Bishop is busy terrifying the Princess's, locking up their tutor on the charge that she is a witch and threatening excommunication for the whole family. Galen goes back with the girls as they are now required to dance every night and takes a goblet as further proof.   On the third night the King Under Stone senses Galen and decides to keep the Princess's under ground.  Galen awakes above ground to discover along with everyone else that the

Princess's are missing.  The Bishop declares that everybody is guilty of witchcraft and that the King must abdicate.  Galen goes to the Bishop's rooms and finds the Queens diary where she details the deal she made with King Under Stone to have children and a later deal to secure victory for the kingdom.  The Queen did not realize that King Under Stone was using her to produce wives for his sons and that he would eventually ensure the countries victory, but not until most of the world was destroyed by it.  The Queen died before she could fulfill her end of the bargain, leaving it to her daughters to finish out the terms of dancing, just as the evil King wanted.  Despite this proof the Bishop is determined to see the King stripped of his throne and the whole family ex-communicated.  Galen finds a way to the underworld, and helps the Princess's to escape.  He shows the proof to the King and the curse is broken.  The Bishop does not care and still insists on punishment...until the priest of the castle discovers a letter stating that the Bishop was just supposed to assist the castle priest and has no authority.  It turns out that the King Under Stone is actually an ancient foe of the country and many powerful magician's gave up a lot, some even their lives to seal the King Under Stone into his underground kingdom.  Walter and the old lady who gave Galen his cloak are two of the surviving magicians. Galen asks Rose if she will marry him, to which she consents.  They marry and everybody lives happily ever until the next book.

I liked this book, it was a retelling of one of my favorite fairy tales, it combined magic with a more realistic world, it had a variety of believable characters and a knitting soldier which was just cool.  I love books that have an everyday talent, knittitng, cooking, metalsmithing, dancing, painting, writing, sewing, etc. and shows how you can make magic out of it.  I appreciated the fact that the author tried to give every character some sort of distinctive personality.  Obviously the book mostly focused on Rose and Galen, as it would be hard to have decent length book that focused on all 12 girls, but each Princesses still got a personality to set them apart.  I like how magic does not have a huge part in the above ground world, it is there, hidden and known only to a few, but by and large it is a representation of an Elizabethan era Europe, even the names of the countries are variants of real life places.  I like that religion came into play as it would during that time period and I liked that it was represented as both good, and when taken to extremes by certain individuals bad. I thought it was a bit of a risky decision to make their mother an unwitting "bad guy", being the reason the girls were cursed in the first place.  I loved that the author did not go with the perfect mother who the girls had to impossibly live up to. While pieces of this book were very original and fresh, the basic story and pattern were very familiar, not really deviating from the standard YA fairytale story giving a "have I read this before?" feeling on occasion. Overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anybody who likes fairy tales, knitting or a good story.  I give it 9 out of 12 dancing slippers.

What fairytale do you want to be retold?  Do you like it when they mix religion and magic?  What household art do you find magical?

As a bit of an extra, if you want to read the original tale with the most beautiful illustrations try and get your hands on this book

The Twelve Dancing Princesses

It is stunning and detailed and amazing and I love it so much!