Book Review: Shadows

 Shadows

by Robin McKinley

It's not just that Maggie misses her father, or understandably resents her new stepfather, Val. No, it goes beyond that: Val has too many shadows. Whenever Maggie looks at him, she sees him surrounded by wiggly shadow shapes with too many appendages. It can't be magic, because there is no magic in Newworld. Anyone with the potential for magic must have a procedure to snip the gene before they reach puberty, and even though Val is an immigrant, he wouldn't have been allowed in if he had any magic.

Maggie tries not to think about it, and avoids Val as much as possible by throwing herself into her work at the local animal shelter, which isn't hard, since Maggie loves animals anyway. Then a cobey — a "coherence break" in the universe — opens nearby, and with one revelation after another, Maggie begins to discover that the world — and Newworld specifically — is full of surprises, among them that Val is not such a bad guy. When the situation goes from bad to worse, Maggie and her friends set out to set things right, accompanied by five very large dogs, a cantankerous Maine Coone cat, a friendly shadow named Hix, and one stubborn algebra book.

Shadows is a fun book with loads of teen appeal. Maggie's voice as the narrator is authentic and entertaining, if a bit rambly in parts, and there's gentle humor woven throughout the book. The pacing is excellent, perfectly balancing character development, excitement, humor, and reveals. All of the characters are interesting and well-developed, including animals, shadows, and semi-animate objects. Even the dogs each have distinctive personalities. Although Maggie finds she has some unusual abilities, she can't do it alone - it takes the combined efforts and abilities of everyone to succeed. There is romance, but it's not overdone and I like the direction that McKinley went with the it.

There are dystopian elements, such as soldiers in the streets with scanners, roadblocks, and forced genetic manipulation, but I wouldn't call this a dystopian book. The focus is not on fighting against a dystopian government, although there is certainly some of that. Instead, it's more about finding yourself and discovering that the world is a different place than you thought.

Shadows is a 2013 Cybils Awards Finalist in the YA Speculative Fiction category.

Who would like this book:

Readers of both traditional fantasy and dystopian stories will enjoy this, as it has elements of both. Dog lovers, cat lovers, and origami artists will also find a lot to appreciate.

Get it from:

• Amazon.com
• Your local independent bookseller through IndieBound
• Barnes & Noble

FTC required disclosure: Reviewed from library copy. The bookstore links above are affiliate links, and I earn a very small percentage of any sales made through the links. Neither of these things influenced my review.

Book Review: Conjured

Conjured

by Sarah Beth Durst

Synopsis: Eve remembers nothing. No past, and not even any recent memories. Eve isn't even her real name – she has no idea who she really is. All she knows is that she's in the witness protection program, and that she can do magic. Any use of magic, though, causes incapacitating visions of a strange carnival, and a Magician and a Storyteller. Eve begins to suspect that the visions are actually memories, but who are the Magician and the Storyteller? And more important, who is Eve?

A magical serial killer is on the loose, and Eve may be the key to finding him, if only she can remember in time. As Eve tries to unravel the mystery of her life, it becomes increasingly difficult to know who she can trust. The Witsec agents? Patti, the library manager? Zach, the boy in the library that she wants to kiss? Or handsome, cocky Aidan, who has magic of his own? It seems that everyone has their own idea of what Eve should be doing. But in order to decide what to do, Eve must first figure out who she is.

Review: Conjured is an exquisitely crafted book that stands out for its tight writing, unique story, and intriguing character arc. Durst obviously spent time and care on the writing: every word is carefully chosen and rich with meaning, from smells, sounds and colors, to the use of point of view.

It must have been exceptionally difficult to write a character who is essentially a tabula rasa at the beginning, and do it in an engaging way, but Durst succeeded admirably. Eve is engaging, and the reader becomes her as her character journey unfolds. An important theme of this book is defining who you are for yourself, rather than allowing your past or other people to define who you are.

Conjured is mysterious, suspenseful, and oh so creepy. The descriptions are evocative and convey a strong sense of atmosphere, whether the deliciously comforting atmosphere in the library where Eve works, (obviously written by a book lover!) or the bizarre and creepy atmosphere in her visions.

Put this in the hands of anyone who enjoys the creepy, mysterious, and atmospheric books, or someone who is just looking for something a little bit different.


Get it from:

• Buy Local through IndieBound
• Amazon.com
• Barnes & Noble

FTC required disclosure: Review copy sent by the publisher to enable me to write this review. The bookstore links above are affiliate links, and I earn a very small percentage of any sales made through the links. Neither of these things influenced my review.

Book Review: Skin Hunger

Skin Hunger
A Resurrection of Magic: Book One
by Kathleen Duey

Skin Hunger is a 2007 Cybils finalist.

Sadima has a special ability: she can understand animals. But Sadima doesn't dare tell her father or her older brother. When Sadima was born, her mother had a difficult birth. A charlatan magician, hired to help her, let her die instead, and stole the family's possessions. Sadima's father, left angry and bitter, hates all magicians and would never understand her abilities. Her brother just doesn't believe her.

Sadima lives a lonely life, isolated from the community and with only her brother for companionship. Until one day, she meets a man who not only understands her abilities but tells her that she is not alone. This man, Franklin, is a servant to a magician, Somiss, who is trying to restore magic to the world. As soon as Sadima is able, she travels to the city to live with Franklin and Somiss and help them with their work. But Somiss is very different than the gentle Franklin, and her life and work there turns out differently than she expected. What will be the price for restoring magic to the world?

In a story that alternates with Sadima's, a young man named Hahp is sent by his father to an academy to study magic. His father doesn't care if he learns magic; he just wants to get rid of Hahp. Hahp learns that there's definitely a steep price for magic, as life in the academy is harsh. The boys are given nothing to eat, and told that if they don't learn to make food by magic, they'll starve. Some may even die. Only one of the new students will become a magician, if any of them do. Will Hahp be the one? Does he even want to?

The two alternating stories seem to have nothing to do with each other, but as the book progresses, the link between them becomes apparent. More than that, each story reveals things about the other story. It's an incredibly compelling book, tightly plotted and well-written. It's dark and edgy; it draws you in and won't let you go.

Its compelling nature, though, creates a kind of a problem: every time it switched between the stories, it frustrated me because I wanted to stay with the story I was on and find out more. And when I turned the last page of the book and saw there was no more, I wanted to throw the book against the wall. If you like your stories wrapped up and self-contained, this isn't the book for you. Not only does it not wrap everything up, but the book ends just as you begin to have a creeping dread that you know where the story is headed.

Still, this is an indication of just how good the book is. If it weren't, it wouldn't be so hard to let it go. Dear God, Ms. Duey, how can you torture us like this? Please don't make us wait long for book 2!