Title: Mr. Darcy Vampyre
Author: Amanda Grange
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Source: Purchased
Parental Warning: violence

“He looked as though he was about to say something more and suddenly she felt a sense of dread, as though there were something dark lurking beneath the surface of her life, something which threatened her world, her security, her happiness.  But then he stroked her hair and everything was as it should be.  He relaxed, and she relaxed as well.”

Summary:
Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy are recently wed and embarking on their honeymoon.

Touring Europe should be a happy and exciting time for a young couple in love but theirs is filled with complications.  First, Lizzie is concerned by the fact that Mr. Darcy has not yet made any overtures of intimacy.  In fact he overtly declines and avoids them.  Further, his attempts to be a loving and supportive husband (in the non-physical sense) aside Lizzie finds his behavior as they travel to be quite odd.  Add to this the various family members and acquaintances they encounter through their trip and Lizzie is a muddled mess of confusion.

Wondering if she’s made a mistake, or worse that Mr. Darcy believes they have made a mistake, in getting married Lizzie writes letters to Jane in the hopes of feeling a miniscule of relief from the stress. Sending them via a maid and courier she believes to be personally vouched for by her husband and his close relations she doesn’t realize that perhaps more nefarious goings on are occurring. Only small clues and strange happenings here and there provide her any inkling about something being wrong.

On the last leg of their trip Mrs. Darcy is finally faced with answers to all of the questions she has and resolutions to all of the different situations she perceives to be filled with conflict.  Unfortunately she is quickly overcome with the reality of her situation.  Mr. Darcy is a vampyre.

Opinion:
This definitely wasn’t the book for me.  I’ve never been one who reads classics well but I’ve wanted to expand my reading in that area and thought that this book would provide me a happy medium — a classic with a twist.  While it did provide the latter it was still just too much for me. I’ve always liked a good combination of show and tell with perhaps a bit more on the telling side and this book was a lot more of the show.

The plot was interesting enough and honestly it’s what kept me from completely abandoning the book when I was struggling to keep going.  The history of how Darcy became a Vampyre was compelling and plausible given the supernatural circumstances.  The other item in the pro column was the setting.  Dark and mysterious there was a certain degree of gloom over the entirety of the story.  To me, this added to the creepy vibe that one would anticipate accompanies the focus on the vampirism.  Lastly, I’ll add that the location and time period also went a long way in setting a tone that was befitting a plot of this nature.

I will say the end, which I will not spoil here, seemed awfully qick and not as satisfying as I would have liked.  As a reader I went through all of this trial and tribulation for an extended period of time just to have it answered in a matter of pages.  It just seemed a bit off in timing for me personally.

Kudos to the author for infusing the elements of Austen’s characterizations into this story.  Both Mr. and Mrs. Darcy remained true to their original forms.

While I personally didn’t enjoy this book I don’t think it was a result of it being poorly written or plotted.  Perhaps it’s more an issue ofmaking a poor selection on my part.  If you like vampire books and are a fan of Austen’s work then definitely give this one a try.

Title: Magic Under Glass
Author: Jaclyn Dolamore
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Source: Provided by Publisher
Parental Warning: none

“His clothes concealed the winding mechanism — his vest had a full front, but no back.  Pins secured it to a shirt of fine white linen, which had an open slit down the back from the neck to waist, displaying the clock work man’s innards.  I could see the heart of him, a golden drum stacked with rings of metal, each cut with grooves.  Surrounding the drum was a tangle of thin metal rods, thinly jointed pieces, and wheels and gears, some silver and some a duller, brassy sheen, all constructed with great delicacy.  Although I knew nothing of the workings of automatons, I had never seen a machine that came so close to art, and I started to run my fingers along the metal parts, only to snatch my hand away in surprise.  I had not expected them to feel warm.”

Summary:
Young Nimira, a singer from Lorinar, lives the life of a Trouser Girl.  Her profession, akin to burlesque, requiring her to show her legs and sing for leering men and a small bit of money in return.  That is until a fine upstanding gentleman by the name of Mr. Parry landed in the audience looking for a young woman to perform in a different kind of side show.  Hoping that she’ll be successful where others have failed Parry wants Nimira to sing with his automaton.  Desperate to get out from under the thumb of her current employer and hoping for a better life Nim agrees to Mr. Parry’s offer and travels beyond the land she knows so well to live in uncharted territory.

Upon her arrival Nim encounters a series of house workers and government officials — some attempting to make her comfortable others to intimidate.  It is through her interactions with each of these new people in her life that she quickly learns more of the automaton.  Hearing stories about those who performed with him prior to her employ Nim is conflicted about her decision.  In the end, duly warned of the failures of her predecessors, Nim vows to keep from being spooked by the mechanical nature of the automaton.

Though Nim is slightly tentative at their initial meeting the two immediately form a secret and lasting bond. A bond that lands Nim in the middle of political upheaval.    Working against time, mystical forces, war mongers and any number of evil doers seeking to control anything and everything they can Nim and the automaton fight side-by-side to bring about a peaceful resolution for them both.

Opinion:
Fantasy has never been one of my genres of choice but I have to say that I really enjoyed this book.  It was a very quick read and loads of fun.

The fairy world Dolamore created seemed to be just within the readers grasp yet still so far away in time.  It most definitely had an Asian vibe for me, kinda Memoirs of a Geisha lite, which made it feel more exotic and mystical.  A definite asset to the story for sure.

Nimira and the automaton were both extremely compelling characters.  In fact, for a virtually inanimate object the automaton was the most animated of them all.  He seemed to be so much more alive and outspoken than Mr. Parry and in many cases Nim herself.  His personality shone despite the rigid circumstances of his body, making him a really complex and dynamic character.

Dolamore also did a spectacular job relationship building.  Nim was the center of everything.  In particular, I liked the way Nim’s relationships with both Mr. Parry and the automaton developed and how Dolamore kept the reader guessing about where her loyalties ultimately lied. I’ll add in here that I have to admit I was worried about how the relationship between she and the automaton would develop and expand but was pleasantly surprised by their interactions and the ultimate outcome.

It’s difficult to really speak to some of what happened in the book as I am not a fan of spoiling twists and turns.  I will say that there were some interesting aspects to the story — some I anticipated and others that caught me off guard.  A fun and interesting ride with lots of great twists and turns I would advise people to definitely pick this one up. It’s an excellent book to dip your toe into the realm of fantasy.

Title: Crazy Beautiful
Author: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Source: Provided by Author
Parental Warning: violence

“Entering the bus now is perfection.  And it’s not just the clothes and accessories, which make her look as though she just walked out of the pages of the coolest back-to-school catalog in the world.  It’s not that in a world that mostly always looks like black and white to me she’s like this shocking blaze of color.  It’s not any of that.  It’s that with that cloud of long black curls, she’s like some sort of dark angel.  And it’s that when my eyes meet hers, eyes that are the color of a serene ocean, she gives me a quick smile, a nervous smile.”

Summary:
Lucius has made one large overwhelmingly tragic misstep in his life.  A misstep that has disabled him and caused great torment in his life and the lives of those he loves.  Aurora having endured a tragedy of her own endures the loss of a loved one.   In a moment of silent connection the two become bound by their respective traumatic pasts to start building a tentative friendship.

Both now living in the same new town and going to the same new school they’re experience traditional high school experiences from different ends of the spectrum.  He being an outcast because of his disability and she being the cute new girl instantly catapulted into the poplar group.  Each feeling a magnetic pull towards the other both are hesitant to make any real connection.

Many would think this is because of the high school caste system but in reality it has more to do with each of their inner demons than anything else.

Opinion:
I adored this book.  A unique love story that provides the reader not only the expected romance but also teaches a good many lessons about acceptance and individuality.

I also enjoy when a book allows me to not only see emotion but  feel them.   In this way Lucius jumped off the page for me much more than Aurora.  We felt her loss to be sure, but I felt it more so through her interactions with her father.  Lucius, on the other hand, was all feelings and turmoil.  In every interaction he had with people large and small in his life and even in his own internal dialogue you could feel the torment, conflict, longing and love.  Genuinely regretful of the circumstances that led him to his disability he continually struggled with how to adjust to the reality of it’s consequences.

One of the greatest strengths Baratz-Logsted wrote into the book was portraying the story in alternating point of view.  The recounting of events from both Lucius and Aurora gives the reader a well rounded perspective.  I believe it also gives us the ability to root for the two of them to find a way to be together despite the obstacles of popularity, disability and emotional turmoil.  It was extremely well done.

I have to admit I had read the back of this book in the bookstore multiple times and was extremely skeptical of a love story where the popular girl falls for the boy with such a visible and pronounced disability.  But in the end watching these teenagers attempting to overcome that adversity is what made the story for me.  I appreciated the struggle as they worked to get together, that the author didn’t make it easy peasy, and I liked that nothing about the journey was cliched.

Definitely take the time to read this book, it’s so very worth it.

Title: Candle Man: The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance
Author: Glenn Dakin
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction
Publisher: Egmont USA
Source: Provided by Publicist
Parental Warning: dangerous situations

“Theo ignored the rain and peered around, his heart racing.  He hadn’t been out of the house for a year.  He hadn’t see another person — outside of his household — for three hundred and sixty-five days.  Theo’s predictable routine meant he always saw the same three: Mr. Nicely the butler, Clarice the maid, and Dr. Emmanuel Saint, his guardian.  No one else was allowed to enter his circle of misery.  Just in case.”

Summary:
Theo has lived his entire life shut away from the world that surrounds him.  He’s told it’s for his own good, for his health, but slowly he comes to realize that this may not be entirely true.  Living locked away in Empire Hall by his guardian Dr. Saint the only interaction he has is with Saint’s lackey Mr. Nicely and the chambermaid Clarice.  Convinced by all parties that he wouldn’t survive a day if he were to leave the premises and that learning of the world outside his room would only make him long for it more Theo lives in true and complete isolation.

That is until one day intruders invade his home and the first nefarious goings on start to trickle glimmers of information through formerly impenetrable walls.  Theo is quickly presented with a series of further clues until one day he is set free to live in the wild.  Fearful of his surroundings he latches on to a young girl Chloe and her compatriots as he is pushed to discover and navigate the previously unknown maze his life truly was.

Investigating his past Theo encounters mystical creatures, learns about the notorious Candle Man and ultimately expands his wings in an effort to take his place as the true and rightful leader of The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance.

Opinion:
Candle Man is a great adventure book for young boys and girls alike.  Though there are a bevy of characters to wade through and a few are a bit more cliched (at least for the adult reader) than others it is a fun and thrilling ride from beginning to end.

In speaking of the characters on in particular, the main foe of the story, Dr. Saint reminded me of the cartoon character Dick Dastardly.  I half expected him to twirl the ends of a mustache (which he doesn’t have by the way) and cackle “mwuahahahah!”.  He was, however the right amount of evil for this type of book.  His cohort in crime Mr. Nicely was just the right combination of clueless and frightened in order to be appropriately manipulated by his master.  Clarice, on the other hand was a surprise.  One that I’ll refrain from sharing with you so it doesn’t spoil the story.

The combination of mystical creatures, folklore and Theo’s history as well as the use of advanced technology for the time gave this book a very steampunk vibe.  I think it will certainly open the eyes of any child who reads it to that particular category of books.  There was a definite dark, murky and foggy feeling to the book though it was not depressing.  It certainly lent itself well to the air of mystery.  For that reason, even though it got slightly predictable (again for the adult reader), the twists and turns were enjoyable and certainly well structured for the target audience.  There was definitely plenty of action to be had.

Having a strong boy and equally strong girl as main characters will make this a book that both genders can enjoy.  I do, however, think boys will enjoy it more.  The first in a series, Candle Man was an enjoyable read, one that I think middle-graders will want to read through until the final chapter of the final story.

Title: Beautiful Dead: Book 1 – Jonas
Author: Eden Maguire
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Source: Provided by Publisher
Parental Warning: violence, sexuality

“It was the last clear thought I had before the pounding of wings grew louder still   and filled my head.  Hunter stared and the wings beat, like a force field battering me back the way I’d come.  A smothering sensation came over me, and then a panic.  The invisible wings were all around, forcing me to fight with my fists at thin air.  I punched but there was no enemy.  Breathless, turning this way and that, I yelled for Jonas to hep me.”

Summary:
PhoenixRohr was the love of Darina’s life.  When he suddenly dies at the hands of violence she is immediately catapulted into a life of devastation.  Lost in her grief, Darina wanders into a most surprising situation.  As it turns out Phoenix isn’t as dead as one might think.  In fact, he’s undead.

Known as the Beautiful Dead, Phoenix and three other recently deceased classmates — Jonas, Summer, and Arizona — must find closure to unspecified events that leave them hanging in a sort of limbo between true death and life.  Sent back from beyond to their small town the foursome are protected by an overlord by the name of Hunter.  When Darina stumbles upon the group performing some sort of ritual Hunter does everything in his power to scare her away. After she continues to return, proving him unsuccessful in that endeavor, he is convinced by the group to allow her to remain aware of their presence and to help each of them seek the truth that holds them back from moving to the after life.

Opinion:
A short quick read this book kept me entertained.  Despite an underlying tone of sadness there was still a general feeling of hope throughout. Particularly in the romantic areas involving both Darina and Jonas.

I have to say that what made this book the most for me was how the undead were portrayed.  These zombies weren’t shuffling, mindless, flesh dripping brain eaters.  They were angelic and human and supernatural in nature.  Not to be feared in the traditional sense they were, however, quite powerful.  Able to exert mind control and invade the personal space of of our thoughts and emotions.

The love story between Phoenix and Darina is as tragic as one would expect but the love they shared in his after life was equally endearing.  At times I could feel the longing between them jump off the page.  The same hold true for Jonas and the young girl he let behind.  Both bursting with love for each other but unable to act on it.  It was heartbreaking yet inspiring at the same time.

I found the story of Darina been the human connection that allowed the Beautiful Dead to properly investigate the circumstances surrounding the reasons for remaining in limbo to be an interesting take on the zombie story.  It made complete sense and it tied her to the group realistically.  Sadly, this made the ending somewhat predictable (mainly because we know there are more books to come).  Thankfully, for me, the story is much more about the journey to get to that end than what the actual ending was.

It was a journey that I enjoyed.  It was emotional and loving while still somewhat thrilling and in some cases surprising.  It’s certainly a journey I’m interested enough in taking again in book two.

[This review is part of a blog tour arranged by Sourcebooks Fire where you can view a list of the participating blogs]