Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter

I’m slipping, saying too much; in a night this deep and strange the boundaries start to blur.

Wow. Would you look at that, here's me, finally back with more reviews, for arcs of books that already came out. Oops.

I love Weird Books.

I love books with worlds so unique that they stick in your brain, with villains so confusing that you squint and wonder, and plots so odd that you’re thinking about them for days after finishing.

This, this here is one of those books. I was super excited to review it before it came out, get the Excitement all ready, but alas, it already came out five days ago. You all should still be excited. It’s an exciting book. Now you don’t have to wait for it to come out and you can go buy it right away, amiright?

But first, I should warn you before you read it. You’ll need a fully stocked Vassa In the Night survival kit.

Genre: Magical Realism

Feelings: ??

Cuteness: There's romance, but it wasn't stand out to me
Fast pacing: Slow paced.
Series: Porter has said it's not, but could potentially change
Read if you like: Weirdness. A lot of bizarre things.
Content: Some unpleasant things along the lines of violence.
 In summary... Vassa has been sent to BY's for lightbults, the walking store, but instead of the in and out trip she plans on, she ends up trapped for three nights in the little store, which doesn't intend on making her life any easier.
Thoughts: Creaking floors..
Trigger Warning: Really it's just the icky bloody things.
Messages: Hope. What will we do with the power we obtain?

Rating: 4/5 maybe 3.5 because while I loved it, I'm still SO CONFUSED.

The Vassa in the Night Survival Kit:

A Warm Hat

Keep cozy while reading this book. At first glance it seems a bit odd. Immediately after reading the first page you’ll notice that. Talking wooden dolls tend to make it pretty clear that this isn’t a normal book you’re about to read. It’s going to move slowly. Not going to lie, I was pretty bored at first. Intrigued, but a bit bored. Give it time. Vassa will lead you right into danger and darkness, you’ll just have to move slowly at first. Keep warm. It’s about to get dark and cold very soon.

A flashlight

This book has a lot of shadowed corners. Magical realism is one of my absolute favorite genres, and this one was done so well. It was perfectly normal for shopkeepers to behead shoplifters. And for stores to walk? Hands moving around (nothing else--just hands) are perfectly normal. There’s plenty to look at here, so make sure you bring a flashlight to keep safe. It’ll get dark. Quickly. The story world is plenty normal. Brooklyn. Teens partying, going about their lives. But there’s also mysterious motorcycles, magic hidden around corners that will take careful eyes and a bit of light to find. There’s nasty fey deals, fences with heads on spikes...surrounding a shopping story dancing around on two giant chicken legs. Nothing normal about this book, so for god's sake...bring. A. Flashlight.

Snacks to share

You’ll meet some great people in this book. Vassa has ended up being one of my favorite characters in YA. I loved her wondering at the oddities in the store, not taking too much time to panic. I loved how she put up with Erg (The smol angsty wooden doll), how she was selfless, and brave, a bit salty and snarky, but in the end a realistic and caring character. Erg, she’s a dear. A spicy little talking wooden doll, but a loving lil thing. Also. So. Very. Hungry. So bring plenty of snacks to share with the people you’ll meet, because there will be plenty.

A Compass

I’m preparing you now, there’s a chance you’ll get lost in this book. It’s a weird one. A complete and utterly weird one. The ending is almost unresolved, rugs being yanked from under you, spontaneous twists and turns, and a lot of close encounters. There’s a lot of hope, as well. Underneath the ,layers of what the actual hell and I’m so very confused, there’s themes of how far we'll go, of how much power we have and what will we do with it? It’s a coming of age story, but filled with disembodied heads, hands, monsters and the Night. You’ll be lost by the time you reach the last page, either loving it or hating it. Either way you’ll need a compass to find your way out again.

At the end of the day, this was one bizarre book. This is for people who like dark, weird fairy tales, magical realism, characters and settings that barely make sense. This is for lovers of strangeities. And this is definitely for people who are prepared.

Furthermore by Taherah Mafi

Alice lived in a time before proper maps, before street signs and numbered homes. She lived in a time when leaving home meant saying good-bye and hoping you'd be able to find your way back. 

Hope, you see, was all she had, and she would hold on to it, come hills or high water.

Middle grade is hard. Growing up it was all I read, seeing as I was in the (surprise!)...middle grade. But as I drifted over into young adult, it became harder and harder to go back to middle grade. The concepts never were delved into enough. The characters seeming more like cartoons, or cutouts. 

I went into Furthermore with high hopes. I haven't read much of Taherah Mafi's work, but from what I heard about her writing, I knew that if anyone could make middle grade amazing, it would be her. 

This book is released on August 30th, 2016

Stats:

Genre:  Middle grade fantasy

Feelings: I felt, but this isn't written to be an emotional disaster

Cuteness: ...middle grade. so like. no romance 

Fast pacing: Not quite an action filled book but I personally never got bored.

Series: .............yes. 

Read if you like: Alice in Wonderland, quirky writing styles, bizarre worlds 

Content: Very limited. Middle grade perks!

Trigger warning? Um. Aggresive paper animals? Missing father, harsh mother, prejudice and vague themes of discrimination.

In summary... Alice wants few things in life: Her father back, and to have a true talent like all the other kids. Instead what she gets is some weird boy showing up and dragging her into another world completely, where hopefully....the truth about her and her father will lie.

Thoughts: Thickly embroidered fabric, layers upon layers of threa and stitching until it's almost too heavy to wear

Messages: Purpose

Overall

Rating: 4/5

FURTHERMORE: A recipe

1: One cup of The Phantom Toolbooth for the aesthetics

The Phantom Toolbooth remains one of my favorite middle grade novels. It's witty, clever, full of odd tidbits and things that are taken Very Literally. When you "jump to conclusions" in this world you literally go flying over to the island of conclusions. 

Furhtermore has that element. Everything has that vibrant feel, the colors and cleverness in simply the way things are named and done. It's very different then The Phantom Toolbooth, but reading it gave me that nostalgic feel. 

2: A pinch of Harry Potter and The Sorcerors Stone, (be sure to remove the Wizard schools) for the story worlds.

The first Harry Potter book has this magic feel to it. The way everyone interacts with eachother at the train station and specifaclally on hogwarts express and diagon alley sucks you in and leaves you smiling simply because it feels so real and so magical. Harry Potter is written in a way that never feels like a book, but a recording of actual places, actual events.

Reading the pages of Furhtermore was like boarding that train one more time because everything felt like a real place. Never did this feel like a poorly developed middle grade book of Concepts. It was a real place. Real people. 

3. A few slices of Alice in Wonderland  for the characters

Lewis Caroll was a crazy maniac. Everyone tries to pick apart Alice in Wonderland but let's be real it's basically just the equivelant of a bunch of random ramblings that were made artsy and clever. Furhtermore's characters specifically made me think of Wonderland. 

Furthermore's Alice has a whole lot more of a personality than Wonderland Alice, but all the characters in Furhtermore had this almost ultra-color sheen over them. Like they all represented odd traits and concepts of a child's imagination. Like Wonderland, all the character's weren't just there as characters, they were there as concepts in and of themselves. They set new definitons and examples for fiction. Every character you met in Furthermore was Big and Bright and had a Reason for being there. And I really appreciated that. 

Everything in Furthermore was strange. And slightly disturbing. Like Wonderland. But better and brighter.

4:  A generous sprinkling of Terry Pratchett  for the writing

Terry Pratchett is pretty much one of the greatest writers I have yet to discver simply because of his prose-work. 

The voice in Furthermore was so distinct and witty, that while it wasn't a Terry Pratcheet exact voice, it was the perfect voice for the story. Just as Terry's dry prose was perfect for the Discworld books, Taherah's prose and voice is so perfect for the world of Furthermore. Her random inerjecations and comments as the narrator make you grin, her descriptions make you swoon, her humor makes you love every second you spend in these pages. Basically, Taherah has acheived something Terry acheived and I, as a writer, deeply wish I could acheive. She has made a voice her own and made it work so impossibly well for a story and concept that you couldn't imagine the story told my anyone else.


Combine these elements and bake over a multicolored fire, add in a few sprinkles and measure with a yard stick to make sure the product is exactly the size it needs to be. If you followed this recipe correctly, it will have been much too short. Which means, you'll have to tune in next time for the second addition to this recipe. (hint: there is a sequel)



In short, Furthermore is one of the more fun books I've read this year. It's defintely the best middle grade I've read in a long time. It's rich, colorful, dakr, distburning and whimsical all at once. I don't have a whole lot to complain about it, to be perfectly honest. If you're a fan of middle grade or a fan of any of the books listed above, check this one out. 

Get lost in Furthermore. Never come out, if you so please.

The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee

Hello everyone. It's me. The super productive blogger. Who's ten books behind on reviews.

BUT. Good news. I am going to start scheduling reviews this summer and hopefully year. From here on out, a new review will be posted every Monday and Thursday. I really do hope to be able to turn this blog into a real thing with real followers. And so hopefully a bit of structure will help me get there. 



The Thousandth Floor is not my type of book.

The character’s weren’t the most well thought out characters. The prose was quite nice at times, but never blew me out of the water. The plot itself was pretty much nonexistent, instead it was 400 pages of subplots and chaos spiraling out of control. (That being said, I was intrigued from page one. Because right from chapter one you know this book is going to end with someone falling off the building. But who??)

So why did I end up NOT hating it?

Well. Isn’t that quite the story. 


This book comes out August 30th, 2016

Stats:

Genre:  Futuristic 

Feelings: Not for me?

Cuteness: I shipped like...no one. That being said I really liked Watt. Lil bean.

Fast pacing: there is like...no plot arc. But it's a quick read. Despite being 400 pages

Series: .............yes. Which I didn't know going in.

Read if you like: Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars

Content: A lot of kissing. A lot of aggressive cuddling but none on-page. Drugs, partying, cursing, the works.

Trigger warning? Drug addiction, parents cheating, relationships cheating, suicide.

In summary... Set in a futuristic Manhattan, where the Tower looms a thousand floors tall, home to teens of all ways of living...and all full of secrets

Thoughts: Glass

Messages: .....this book is like cotton candy. Enjoyable, but not much to it.

Overall

Rating: 2.5/5

Note: This isn’t a conventional review. Objectively speaking, I wasn't a fan of this book. It had some great character conflicts, but besides that....I wasn't a fan. But in this review, instead of picking it apart, I want to talk about Bad Books...and how there's no such thing.



I honestly don’t remember how I started watching the show Gossip Girl, but I did. Instantly, I knew this was Everything I Normally Dislike About Television. Melodrama, nasty people doing nasty things, and just overall “what are you doing with your life”. Like I needed more drama in my life?
Emma and I started watching it around the same time and went through the same cycles. The initial repulsion…and then…the slow…slow…descent…into obsession. 

Yeah.

Let’s just say this show kind of hooks you and all of a sudden you’re three seasons in, munching popcorn, gasping in horror because oh MY goSh NO HE diD nOT!!!! Second guessing your life because what happened to actually watching all those thought provoking television shows you used to watch? Why are you spending so much time with this?

And then you realize because despite the drama and un-relateable circumstances…this story has done One Big Thing right. It made you care about characters, the worst kind of characters. 

This book is like that. 



“Let me know what you think.” I was told when given this ARC. 

Distinguished-Reader inside of me adjusted my hypothetical monocle. “But of course.” 

(That can be read in a British accent.)

Right off the bat I knew this book was going to be a futuristic Gossip Girl. “Let’s see how long I last,” I said, casting a knowing glance at all my “distinguished reader” books, all the classics on my desk. 

 I scoffed. Laughed. Rolled my eyes. Because of course the hugely fancy book blogger I am, I would only appreciate quality young adult fiction.

Because, from what it looked like, this book was not for me.

Anyway. So the next day I dove in. And the book reviewer inside of me inspected every sentence, grumbling when descriptions were cliche or characters irrational. 

But there I was, after getting home that night, staying up till the crack of dawn because OHMYGODWHAT does she KNOW that she’s actually HER HALF SISTER????  What if she finds out that he’s been SPYING on her BROTHER??

It was the type of book that every bit of the Distinguished Reader inside of me wanted to loathe. And yet somehow I ended up enjoying every second of reading this. 

Why?

Well. I call it the Gossip Girl Effect.


There are characters. Characters who overreact, characters who are spoiler or privileged, characters who do really dumb things. Characters who you should dislike, especially if you’re a character-first writer/reader. But for some weird reason you just want to know what happens to them.

In Gossip Girl, this is because the writers use a lot of sneaky methods of t r a g i c b a ck s t o r y (which is a dangerous method but somehow works). Blaire is not just a mean little jerk, she’s just trying to get some control over her life after being driven to bulimia years ago. Serena used to be an even worse person and she’s trying to turn her life around. 

We’re literally seeing these characters in their worst and their best. I didn’t relate to barely any of them in their weird situations they got themselves in.  And those idiots made me care. These character dynamics made me care. That awful show somehow snuck up on me.

And then there’s that epiphany where I realize that I may not be a drug addict or teen drinker, but I’m still a pretty awful person myself. I make loads of mistakes...so who am I to complain about a character making their own?


The Thousandth Floor is like that. These characters are n o t good people but neither are we. I think a lot of readers are really closed off to bad characters. 

From a writers standpoint I can roll my eyes and say “They really react too much and that was super unrealistic” but…there comes a point when I treat these characters as actual people doing things actual people do. They might not meet my standard…

But would I meet my standard if I was a character? 

So that’s why books like The Thousandth Floor are important. They’re there for enjoyment and you’ll probably forget them in about 10 years and most likely never actually give it as a solid recommendation. But they’re important reminders of characters who are realistically awful. 

And also, they’re reminders that it’s OKAY to read a book just because you enjoy it. It’s OKAY to tell Distinguished Reader/Blogger/Writer to shut up and just read a “bad” book. 

Because if you like it, if you maybe get the tiniest thing out of it…then is it really bad? 


I just got back from a writers conference I go to every year. The most important thing I got out of it, was the story told by one of the speakers about something he was told once about the book Twilight.
But basically, he was told by this man that Twilight was not a bad book, but “It just wasn’t written for me.”

And that stuck with me. Because it’s easy to go into Distinguished mode and say “No that’s a bad book.”  When really it wasn’t a You book. But it was a Them book. It was a book that touched that kid in the back of the room. A book that helped some girl through a tough time. A book that made that boy laugh, that girl feel like she could write a story one day. 


Basically there is no such thing as Bad Books. There IS such things as “Bad for you” books, books that weren’t written for you.

The Thousandth Floor is not for everyone. It’s not quite for me, despite the fact I enjoyed it. But, this is not a Bad book. Because I still cared. Not enough to rate it higher then three stars. But this book is going to find its Readers, its People. The People who DO care more. And if some Gossip Girl addict finds this and declares “THIS IS THE BOOK I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR…”


Then this is definitely not a bad book. 



Alright. To finish this, I want to return to something I used to do. I did this for Kill me Softly, and The Darkest Part of the Forest.

I am going to make a diagram for the relationships in this book. Be prepared. Also. Complete spoilers. So if you intend on reading this, go read it FIRST, then return. 

You're welcome

And so, overall, this book is a book of good twists and turns, writing and conflicts, but weak plot arc. But I do think a lot of people are going to really love this book. And that'll be cool to see.

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

"And which am I?" Asked August, pulling away. "Your weakness, or your strength?" 

Emily's warm brown eyes went wide and flat as the truth spilled out. "Both."

MONSTERS.

Amiright?

Monsters.

There's some books that stride into your life and then beat the crap out of you. This is that book. And if
 you stay tuned, I can show you just how this book found all my weakness and left me in a little puddle of nothingness.

This book releases on July 5th, 2016

Genre:  Post apocalyptic paranormal horror

Feelings: Did I mention this book slapped me in the face repeatedly? 

Cuteness: -clear throat- This ship. I will go down with it. [Insert that captain jack sparrow gif. you know the one]

Fast pacing: Yes. Things keep happening, even if this is a plot-light book

Series: Two book series

Read if you like: Supernatural. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Tuchlocke. Shallow Graves. The setting of Legend.

Content: Violence, mainly. There blood. The killings of monsters and humans. Blooood. That's all I remember.

Trigger warning? Family members loss. Touches of abusive relationships. 

In summary... He's a monster. She hunts them. They both are monstrous, they both live in a monstrous world. And it's crumbling. 

Thoughts: The pluck of violin strings. Hard stone and flickering lights.

Messages: Differences between two humans, identity not defining identity.

Rating: 4.75/5 Very close five stars. PRACTICALLY five stars

-The Characters-

I'm calm. I'm calm. I will calmly express my love fore these characters. Oh who am I kidding. I will screech it from the rooftops. 

AUGUST! KATE! 

First punch to the face: Identity. I love characters who struggle with their very identity. I love characters who want something even if they're aware that something is probably not good for them. I love characters with good hearts but bad experiences that have turned them cold.

August and Kate were those characters who were so similar even though they were so different. They each struggled with the same things more or less, but from their different lifestyles and personalities they went about it so differently. But worked so well together. 

Reactions to the first meeting of Kate: Yes. Yes yes, go burn down that church lil' anger bean

Reactions to the first meeting of August: Little rapunzel music-bean. 

Kate. How she tries so hard to be tough, cruel, and pulls it off but at a cost. And August. August is a little violin playing doughnut. 'Nuff said.

Swift kick in the shin: THEY WERE SO SAD. They hated and loved and wanted to be so much better.

Oooh my. And side characters. No one seemed underdeveloped to me. There were some we didn't see enough of to see their souls, but everyone was clearly depicted. I'm so excited to see where this story goes.

-Plot and Writing-

Aggressive pummeling to the nose: AESTHETICS.

Can we just talk about the aesthetics of the story? The violin strings, the metal nails, the darkness, street lights, stone steps, charcoal eyes and shadows. Everything fit together, everything melded into it's own song. 

I do wish there had been a bit more explanation early on. It was confusing, seeing as Chapter one made it seem like modern day, kinda supernatural-like, but then chapter two was clearly a different world. The world is clearly well-developed, but I didn't get it explained soon enough. And while sometimes that's done on purpose, in this case I was left confused. I had to go back to the blurb a few times, check the genres on goodreads, to kinda place myself a bit more so I didn't get too out of it. 

I don't have much to say about the plot. Partly because there wasn't much? Like, there was plot. But all the "OH THIS IS A PROBLEM" type things came much later in the book. In this case, this is a duology and I think it works, but if it hadn't been for my love for the characters right at page one, there wouldn't have been much for me to keep reading for.

Elbow straight to the stomach: Writing. Victoria can write. Her words fit this setting so well, painting this picture of blood and stone and claws. Writing was on point. Setting was on point, I just wanted to see more of it. Visuals were so clearly depicted I wanted to paint them on my walls.

-Messages and Others-

This book took a lot of tropes that I adore, smooshed them into a book with the types of aesthetics and moods I adore and baked it on high for a couple hours to make this beautiful song that I thoroughly enjoyed.

 It also got in a couple punches, left a few bruises, but I forgive it.

Good books that beat you up are easy to forgive. 


Overall, this is another solid book, another to go on the list of favorites, another to anticipate the release of, another to fling at all my horror-lovers. 

Wow look at this handy dandy link to it's amazon page. Only 10 dollars to preorder the hardback? Wow! You see that add-to-cart button?

Click it. Do the thing. 

Did you do it? Good. 

Outrun The Moon by Stacey Lee

I don't believe in fate or destiny, but somehow, I will change ours for the better, even my inauspicious Ma's. I simply must catch the phoenix feather

I'll scream it from the rooftops. READ THIS BOOK. 

Sometimes you just find that book, that you feel like you should find something wrong with. You know it's probably not perfect, and you don't feel the need to curl up in a ball in a bout of reading slump depression, but somehow THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BOOK.

And so then you just stare at that last page for way too long, then flip back to the first because "Noooo it's not over it's not it's too good to have an ending." 

That's this book. 

This book releases on May 24th, 2016

Genre:  Historical Fiction 

Feelings: .......I have a lot of rage

Cuteness: YES. There's barely any romance, but when there is, it's adorable, and also siblings.

Fast pacing: Slower style of pacing but it worked

Series: Nope

Read if you like: History, bro. San Francisco? 1900's. Fancy prep schools. Racial issues, Chinese culture in america. Friendships. It's got some vague A Little Princess vibes somehow, even though the stories couldn't be more different. 

Content: Nothing I really remember. Some b a r e l y suggestive things, but this book would be completely safe to hand to younger readers.

Trigger warning? Loss of family members for various characters 

In summary...Through much bargaining and some slight bribery, Mercy has gotten herself in one of the best most prestigious schools in San Francisco. Except, the school is for rich white girls, and she is a poor chinatown girl. It's gonna take a lot of sneaking to survive....but the earthquake could potentially get in the way.

Thoughts: Creaking floors, and crumbled bricks
Messages: Forgiveness, dedication, resilience.

Rating: 5/5 

-The Characters-

Once more I will reference that little fact about Me: I have a Insane amount of trouble relating to first person characters. It's a struggle.

Well, here comes Mercy. Mercy made me care. Why? I think it's because Mercy was a real person. And that stands out to me among the Females of Fantasy Badassary that I have become accustomed to. 

She kicked butt, but in her own way. She said things that she then regretted, she acted on impulse, but the entire time she tried. She was relate-able. Now, she's a Chinese born in america, treated cruelly by everyone. I'm biracial, so I can begin to relate, but unless you've been in a similar situation, it's challenging to get someone to connect to a character in such a different situation. 

Stacey Lee nailed it.

And the side characters. I could write long paragraphs on the side characters. They made me care even more. This whole cast, no matter how few pages some characters got, they came to life on the page. All the threads and characters just came together, weaving into something magnificent. 

ALSO A QUICK NOTE. Can I just say how pleased I am that Stacey had the cutest romance ever but she didn't even have a romance. They were a vague thing from page one, they skipped all the dumb angst, he wasn't even there for half the book, but somehow you still loved them.

-Plot and Writing-

I started Stacey's other book, Under a Painted Sky, but I never was able to finish it due to chaotic life things. That being said, I got far enough into it to be able to see the contrast of voices in these two books. This style of writing worked so well, but what I'm most impressed with was how unique Mercy's voice is. Everything fit together, like you were getting to know the way someone thought. And I loved it.

I'm a description lover, so I do wish there had been some more descriptions of certain places, but that being said there were so many good sensory details in everything that each scene I could place so well in my brain. I could feel everything that was happening to these characters and I loved it. 

This isn't a book with a Huge Overwhelming Villain of Death. This book starts out with the big Question of "Will Mercy make it in this school?" And then once the earthquake happens, it's more of a string of events. That style still worked really well for me though. That's because, that first chunk of the book where there wasn't and earthquake, and you were reading to find out if Mercy could survive a school, that was necessary. Because then in the latter half, you're already attached.

A+ plotting. Can I write like Stacey Lee please and thank? Can I MEET Stacey Lee please and thank?

-Messages and Other-

Alright. So. Stacey wrote this amazing authors note that I want to discuss further here, especially for those who tend not to read authors notes. This is something I think is important. 

In this note, Stacey points out some of the unrealistic things in her book, some of the things I was noticing. Things like the fact that a Chinese girl could probably not actually get into an american school, or that Chinese girl most likely would not have a boyfriend in a hot air balloon and so forth. But then she says this:

"However, history is a general overview, and overlooks the story, the possibility of the individual. If we are confined by the strict margins of what is "known" to be true, we would never explore the possibility of what could be true. We would deny our ability to create our own stories, to make our own magic."

This is a solid point in regards to historical fiction. I've had this discussion with my mom countless times. When it comes to historical non-fiction, or pieces like Downton Abbey which are made to accurately show lifestyles in a certain era, I think historical accuracy and realism are vital. But, I also do like that books like Outrun The Moon can exist, books where stories you wouldn't hear about in history books can happen. 

I think there should be some stretching of what is truly known in historical fiction. As long as those things are written with accuracy, then why not have a boy come save you in a hot air balloon. Stacey takes some unlikely events, but she makes the realistic enough that you're siting there thinking.. "Why Not?" 

And that, I think is the most important thing for writers and readers. Why not write the story you want to write?

Overall, this was a delightful book, and an author I will return to. And, at the end of it, I was left a bit starry-eyed, not quaking in my boots in the style of some books, but somehow...enchanted.