In Which Our Heroine Reviews SISTERS RED by Jackson Pearce

Today I am reviewing SISTERS RED by Jackson Peace. SISTERS RED is her second novel (her first is AS YOU WISH), and it is delightful. :-)

Thank you first off to Little, Brown's booth at ALA MidWinter for providing me with this advanced copy. This book is not a final copy, and the official release date is June 7, 2010.



The summary of this book comes from Amazon.com:
Scarlet March lives to hunt the Fenris--the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls' bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax and Scarlett's only friend--but does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they've worked for?

SISTERS RED is an urban fantasy retelling of the fairy tale, Little Red Riding Hood. Told in interchanging point of views from both Rosie and Scarlett, it is the story of two sisters, who hunt the Fenris (or werewolves). The novel is well paced, and the reader learns about the world throughout the story.

Both sisters are distinct in their personality, and it was never an issue or too confusing as to who was speaking (even when I didn't look up at the chapter change). Scarlett is the older, more protective sister, who is constantly obsessed with the hunt for more and more Fenris. Rosie, on the other hand, wonders about what it would be like to do things on than hunt the Fenris and stay out of town -- what it would be like to have a life. The sisters are wonderfully drawn, and to be honest I do not recall ever reading such a wonderful sibling relationship in recent urban fantasy YA.

I'd have to give this book 5 out of 5 stars because SISTERS RED stole my heart with it's retelling and the sibling love. Please read this when it comes out. I found it EVEN BETTER than AS YOU WISH. :-)

In Which Our Heroine Reviews MISTWOOD by Leah Cypess

Woo hoo!!
My second book review!!

MISTWOOD, a high fantasy young adult novel, comes out from HarperCollins/Green Willow on April 27, 2010. I am very, very thankful for the HarperCollins booth at ALA Midwinter 2010 for giving me this advanced copy. It is not a final product.



MISTWOOD's summary comes from Amazon.com:
The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwood. But when she is needed she always comes. Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.

Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty—because without it, she may be his greatest threat. Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court...until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.

MISTWOOD is a high fantasy novel that reminded me a lot of GRACELING by Kristin Cashore. Both books have rich settings that I was immediately pulled into.

Without giving anything away, MISTWOOD tells the story of Isabel, a supernatural, immortal creature that can change shape (from animal to nature), who is found in the woods by the current prince, who is about to take the throne as king. But the thing is Isabel doesn't remember any memories of her past. In fact, it seems she can't even Shift.

While Isabel struggles with her memory, she is confronted by the prince's sister, who doesn't trust her, a few suspicious court sorcerers (and sorcerers in training!) and trying to not stand out during court dinners. Murders, kidnapping, attacks and spells are just a few of the things seen in MISTWOOD.

Leah Cypess does a great job of having Isabel learn about her past at different times, and I loved that there was hardly any romance in this novel. I know thats strange (I do love a good romance), especially since this is a female dominated novel, but it was a really nice change of pace. I was waiting for some kissing and may or may not have gotten any, but I have heard Leah is writing a second MISTWOOD book so I am hoping for more action in the coming year(s).

Overall, I'd have to give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed MISTWOOD, but felt that the last 100 pages were by far the best and most enticing pages of the entire novel. Nevertheless, I thought the world that Isabel lived in was fascinating and I can't wait to read the next book.

In Which Our Heroine Reviews LINGER by Maggie Stiefvater

This is my first book review and I am going to explain this WITHOUT spoilers since the novel doesn't come out for a while. *takes a deep breath* Okaaaaaay, here we go...

LINGER (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #2)'s summary comes from Amazon.com:

In Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in LINGER, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past and figuring out a way to survive in the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, who own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabel, who already lost her brother to the wolves, and is nonetheless drawn to Cole. 

First off, thank you to the amazing Scholastic booth at ALA MidWinter 2010 for giving me this novel. This is an advanced reader's copy, which means it is not a final product. The book's official release date is July 20th, 2010. 

Without giving any spoilers, I want to say that LINGER was 200% better than SHIVER. It was told from the point of view of not just Grace and Sam, who were the narrators of SHIVER, but also Isabel, Grace's friend, and Cole, the new wolf in the pack.

 The characterization in LINGER was stronger then in SHIVER, and I really got to know all of the characters better. Maggie writes beautifully and every time I reread SHIVER and this time that I read LINGER, I truly felt like I was in Mercy Falls, Minnesota. I felt cold when the characters were feeling chilly and warm when they felt warm. 

I did think that this book needed more action. While Grace's difficulties with her parents continued, I didn't feel that this conflict was big enough to carry the story. I was on the edge of my seat with Grace's dangerous secret and I am rather eager to see what will happen in the third book, FOREVER. 

In all, I'd give LINGER 5 stars out of 5 because I felt that the writing and characterization was stronger than the previous book in the series and because I. Love. Cole.

That's right. Move over, Sam. For me, you've been replaced by Cole St. Claire. <3