Mara, Daughter of the Nile - Eloise Jarvis McGraw

****1/2 - an amazing story, and one that captures a lovely sense of ancient Egypt - the court life, the lives of the less fortunate, politics and danger. I love anything to do with ancient Egypt, and this was no exception. I love that Mara is smart and infinitely competent, and Sheftu is pretty darned cool himself. The whole thing is nigh-perfect - and yes, I just used 'nigh'.

Mara is a teenaged slave girl in ancient Egypt, but she yearns to spend her days doing something more interesting than ironing and often slips out to explore the town - regardless of the consequences. On one such escapade, the beautiful and quick-witted Mara catches the attention of two rival spymasters, and she soon finds herself under the employ of both.

Clever Mara determines to earn her freedom, and extend her current life of luxury, by playing both sides against the middle until she can determine who will be the ultimate winner in the struggle between Queen Hatshepsut and her half-brother Thutmose III. But she finds herself more and more drawn to the rebellious aristocrat Sheftu who is using her as the very messenger she is employed to discover and thwart. With the growing impatience of her master goading her to action, she soon finds herself in the middle of dangerous betrayals and distrust - but which side can she choose? And will either side let her live?

Personally, I didn't much care for the portrayal of Hatshepsut - she's always been a figure I rather admired, and the situation with her half-brother doesn't quite accord with my memories of Egyptian history [ETA: turns out this was the accepted historical interpretation when this was written. Only later did evidence of Hatshepsut's beneficial rule come out]. My main quibble, however - which is easily explained by not wanting to bog the story down - is that there didn't seem to be enough detail about the intrigue within the palace walls. Too much time seemed to be spent sitting in the inn rather than outwitting those who might find her out.

Other than that, this was a highly entertaining story. Mara relies on herself - her own bravery, and her own intelligence rather than waiting around to be rescued. Her strength is beautifully juxtaposed with the clinging insecurity of the Canaanite princess; but Mara also learns about the Canaanites different culture and grows to appreciate their differences - and to bring out the strengths of the princess as well.

A wonderful spy and romance story set in ancient Egypt that is sure to entrance young adults - with the romance, danger, and Mara's cleverness this should appeal to girls and boys alike. The author presents an interesting view of life at court, glimpses into both Egyptian and Syrian customs, and compelling portrayals of one of the more controversial eras of Egyptian history. This is certain to spark greater interest in a fascinating civilization.

Interested in other opinions?

The Book Smugglers (a great review!)

The Affair at Greengage Manor - Mona Gedney

**1/2 - This was very sweet, but there wasn't enough romance for my taste, and there were too many kids. Kids in romance are always problematic for me, but these aren't even particularly charming. And, let's face it, the entire thing is lifted from Rodgers and Hammerstein.

It's not often that a governess on holiday finds herself being held up by highwaymen, and it's even less often that highway robbery leaves such a governess in charge of five impetuous, travel-weary children searching for a new home. But that is exactly Alexandra Lytton's situation. Caring for her young robber's wounds, she soon gains the trust of the children and determines to see them safely home to their uncle.

Richard Browning has finally gained some stability in his life. He is well-to-do, newly affianced to a beautiful woman, and happy in his ancestral home Greengage Manor. The last thing he wants or expects is an invasion of five dusty, ragged children, and a prickly governess who takes him to task for his chilly reception of his kin - and who is determined to protect them from the machinations of his fiancee to pack the children off to work or boarding school as soon as can be arranged.

The story certainly contained a fun premise - the hijinks the children got up to were entertaining, but it seemed that the book focused primarily on the children and not on the romance supposedly brewing between the hero and the heroine. Every time they spoke, she was taking him to task for his treatment of the children - high-spirited little hellions who never did seem to apologize for the trouble they caused, regardless of how probationary their stay at their uncle's home was supposed to be. I would have expected them to try a little harder to either behave or make amends.

With the children coming to adore and trust their governess, their tricks, and the evil fiancee, this was drawn straight from The Sound of Music - just without the singing, or the Nazis of course. Even the waltz under the trees seemed familiar. But the romance just never took off. There seemed to be less affection and tension than a whole lot of child-rearing advice. A pity - this tame little story could have used a little stirring up.

Tiger Eye - Marjorie M Liu

***1/2 - fun and original, it avoided most of the pitfalls I expected. I love the strong heroine, but was a little weirded out by some of the shape-shifting. Personal preference. Would nonetheless recommend to all paranormal enthusiasts.

Despite her psychic talents (an affinity for metal), the last thing Dela Reese expected when she opened a riddle box was a seven-foot-tall shapeshifter required to fulfill her every command. Full of hatred and distrust after having spent the past several centuries enduring every torment known to man, Hari finds Dela's determination to help him mystifying but welcome. Soon the two of them find themselves working together to thwart two separate sets of assassins out to kill Dela and to lift the curse on Hari.

I don't usually read urban fantasy/paranormal romances, but this series came pretty highly recommended, so I decided to give the whole shape-shifter thing a try. And I was definitely not disappointed by this book. I was (pleasantly) surprised that the entire 'slave'/command thing didn't happen at all. Dela absolutely refuses to command him to do anything which both demonstrates her strength of character and avoids the resentment and weird power relationship that would have happened otherwise - big points for the author there. As it was Hari was just alpha-male enough to be believable, and Dela was both insistent AND capable of taking care of her own self, thank you very much. There's nothing like a kick-ass heroine who DOESN'T collapse into damsel in distress mode for the hero to save her (even if she could kick the hero's ass in the early chapters). More points for keeping both of the characters strong.

We're also introduced to a whole host of secondary characters - members of the psychic/magical detective agency Dirk & Steele - in what is obviously set-up for the rest of the books in the series. But the other characters are thoroughly charming and necessary - somebody's got to help ward off different groups of assassins, so the world-building/series set-up wasn't so obtrusive as to be preposterous. I'm really looking forward to getting to know more of these guys. Not to mention Dela's friend Kit and the fantastic Dame Rose from the club. Yay!

While I liked that the hero and heroine didn't pull insta-lust/love, most of the focus was on the action - not the romance. Or maybe I was just dissatisfied with the way the sex was handled. I like mine a little smuttier than that at this point. Plus there was a bit where I was just a bit weirded out.

The pacing at the end went a little wonky, but all told, I thought this was great fun. Flying daggers, swords, telepaths and shapeshifters - on top of a believable slowly-growing romance. The dialogue between the main characters really made the love story work, and I really liked both of them - and the secondary characters. Liu won't go on my auto-buy list (I still don't think paranormals are really my thing), but I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

Master Rosalind - John and Patricia Beatty

*** 1/2 - I think this one shows its age somewhat - it's written in a way that to me seemed to be purposefully didactic rather than effortlessly teaching the reader. While I didn't feel like the authors were actually talking down to kids, it could have flowed better.

Rosalind Broome, a girl of gentle birth, has no desire to become a lady - instead she prefers to dress as a boy upon her errands for her grandfather. On one such occasion, Rosalind is kidnapped and taken into the underworld of London. But her failure as a pickpocket soon leaves her free to try her hand at the theater. Her talent for acting shows itself early as she manages to convince even accomplished players that she is a boy. But far more than the wrath of her grandfather rests upon her head if she is discovered - a relative seeks her death to secure his title, and females on the stage are strictly forbidden by law.

This plotline is one of my favorites - girls dressed up as boys playing girls on Shakespeare's stage. And this one is certainly enjoyable, but it doesn't hold up to my favorites. On more than one occasion I felt like this was a shadow of a mixture of King of Shadows by Susan Cooper and A Murder for Her Majesty.

This was written in that 'children's historical novel' style where there's snippets of history worked clumsily into the narrative. The sentences often seem crafted to explain too much rather than letting the sense of the unfamiliar words flow naturally. But I will grant them that there were interesting tidbits I didn't know before both about the thieves' world and the theater. The mystery didn't work particularly well because of the inclusion of scenes from the villains' points of view - I think it would have been more effective if the readers knew as little as Rosalind. The plot isn't bad, and at times there was a sense of the spirited girl Rosalind was supposed to be, but it didn't capture the spirit of the theater like other books on this subject I have read, and Rosalind seemed to worry precious little about being found out.

Not bad, and I'll probably keep it in my collection, but I'd recommend King of Shadows for the theater aspects. And probably My Father Had a Daughter for the cross-dressing player bits.

The Sea of Trolls - Nancy Farmer

**** - a good solid adventure story that explores Celtic and Norse mythology. There's a big quest, magic, beasts and bards. It's a really good read - although Lucy is one of the most irritating younger sisters ever to exist. Still, it's an entertaining adventure and quite exciting. A definite read for kids and, I think, entertaining for adults as well.

Farmboy and Bard's apprentice Jack is eleven years old when he and his sister Lucy are kidnapped by berserkers during a Viking raid on their village. When Lucy is given to the half-troll queen Frith as a prize, Jack must use all of his talents and all of his wits to travel through Jotenheim to save her.

The Sea of Trolls is a well-researched adventure story that combines English and Norse mythology with historical details from the 8th century AD. And if that sounds dull, think again. Jack goes up against trolls, dragons, and berserkers with an incomplete knowledge of magic at best. His companions on his quest have a completely different outlook on life than he -and at least one of them delights in needling him.

The characters were interesting and well-fleshed out, although both Thorgil and Lucy got on my nerves at times. Thorgil I could understand, but I just wanted to smack Lucy on several occasions. I enjoyed the quest and the interweaving of mythology, even though I'm not usually a Norse mythology fan. I liked that Jack actually needed (and used) the help he got from others. Everyone makes mistakes, has to pay for them, and then has to figure out how to make things right. I liked his growing bond with Thorgil despite their differences.

Parts of the book felt more sketched than anything, and I wasn't as invested in the story as I would have liked to be. I had one of the bigger plot twists figured out at the beginning, but it's a good solid adventure story for young adults, and one I would recommend.

Interested in the sequel? You can find my review of The Land of Silver Apples here.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead - Tom Stoppard

**** 1/2- A performance would bring this up to full star-level. It's a matter of director's choice. Fantastic possibilities.

This Stoppard play is an old favorite. I first devoured it in high school when the copy of Hamlet we were given to read included the snippet where they play the 'Questions' game.

The premise is quickly explained. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern find themselves travelling to the court of Denmark with very little idea of who they are and what they're doing - and they want to find out. While the play Hamlet marches toward its bloody end around them, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern do their best to fulfill the only role they've been given - to 'glean what afflicts' Hamlet. In between scenes in which they interact with the characters in Hamlet, they struggle with a no longer existing law of probability, their own existence and purpose, and whether they have any choice in their actions or in their fates.

The play (even just reading it) is gloriously funny, but also quite poignant towards the end. My family and I still play 'Questions' to this day. I did think there was a bit of a weakness as Rosencrantz is 'only good for support' and had little original to say, but it was clearly a conscious choice of the author's and it still leaves room open for Rosencrantz to shine in other ways (as ably demonstrated by Gary Oldman in the movie version).

As with most plays, of course, the true genius is sure to come out during performance, and while no one was staging it around here, I truly enjoyed the Gary Oldman/Tim Roth movie. While it didn't use the same bare-bones staging that the play's script suggests (and thus avoids some of the Waiting for Godot similarities), it helped to put some of the scenes more in perspective by including more snippets from Hamlet.

A great read, a great movie, but I suggest brushing up on Hamlet before reading - you'll get more out of it.

Private - Kate Brian

*1/2 - there wasn't much of anything to like about this. It was part Mean Girls - but without the fun friends, the charm, or the nice protagonist. It was a heap of Pretty Rich Kids with Problems being cruel to our disadvantaged protagonist who just couldn't lick their boots fast enough. Let's not even get started on her (SPOILERIFFIC: drug-dealing, alcoholic) boyfriend. Or on the fact that she jeopardizes her entire academic career to be popular. There's just nothing here that's remotely redeeming. Which isn't to say that there won't be plenty of fans... I'm sure it's all the rage in the 'tween set.

Fifteen-year-old Reed Brennan wins a scholarship to the prestigious Easton Academy - a move that will take her away from her cruel pill-popping mother and into a life of glamor. But Reed soon realizes it will take more than attendance to be accepted at Easton - she struggles in her classes, with her wardrobe, and with the other students. And soon she realizes that the key to acceptance at Easton lies with the Billings girls - the smartest, most beautiful, most powerful girls in school. And Reed will do anything to join their inner circle.

This is fairly typical teen chicklit fare. Reed will do anything to be accepted by the popular crowd, and they soon put that to the test through a series of hazing rituals from the demeaning (maid work, fetching them food, etc.) to the more sinister, not to mention breaking up with her new boyfriend of whom the Billings girls do not approve. I was disappointed in Reed. I understood her need to get away from her mother, her need to be popular, but for me she certainly went too far to get it. She was downright cruel to her parents and to other kids at the behest of girls who couldn't even be bothered to be somewhat nice to her. Even when she stood up for herself, she soon slid back into toady territory with the explanation that she 'needed' their approval lest she end up a nobody from this prestigious school. All told, I didn't much approve of the message or the main characters, so I didn't see much to like here. Absolutely nothing new or special about it. Just a lot of nasty girls behaving badly. Protagonist included.


Interested in the others?
Book 1: Private
Book 2: Invitation Only
Book 3: Untouchable
Book 4: Confessions

The Wreck of the Medusa - Jonathan Miles

**** - Good reading, very interesting. Sometimes wanders a bit from the point and the illustrations weren't very well chosen.

In The Wreck of the Medusa, Jonathan Miles deftly interweaves the story of the ill-fated shipwreck, its survivors, and the life of Theodore Gericault who rendered the famous painting of the ship's raft.

The story of the raft's unfortunate fate is the most sensational aspect of the shipwreck as it combines the injustice of the captain abandoning hundreds, mutiny, and cannibalism. But Miles resists the temptation to descend to lurid descriptions of the horrors. Nor does he shortchange the sufferings of those in lifeboats who had to trek through the unyielding desert. Instead Miles' descriptions are evocative with many sections drawn directly from first-person accounts.

The author lends depth to the reader's understanding of Gericault's painting by describing the painter's artistic development, the influence of his personal life, of survivor Alexandre Correard, and the implications of Gericault's political leanings - particularly concerning the abolition movement.

While certainly engrossing, Miles' account of the shipwreck is a confusion of names. It was difficult at times to tell who was on what craft, who landed where, and in what circumstances. Given the importance the raft would later take, that section also seemed a bit brief. Furthermore, a few incidents were included that seemed to have little to do with the overall point of the work (the Fualdes incident). The placement of the plate of the famous painting renders it useless as the main focus of the canvas (and many of the details the author analyzes) are hidden in the fold of the pages. Luckily the painting is easily found online.

Aside from these few quibbles, Miles has written an informative and thorough book examining the causes and the influences (artistic and political) of the famous wreck of the Medusa. Well worth reading.

-For a better look at the painting: http://www.abcgallery.com/D/david/gericault4.html

The Arthurian Omen - G. G. Vandagriff

*** - When I saw this on the Early Reviewers list, I was completely psyched. I love all things Arthurian, and I was looking forward to a Da Vinci Code or Labyrinth-style puzzle thriller, possibly with parallel storylines. I was SO excited when it came in the mail - look at the cover! The COVER! Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this. Not that it was bad, but it just didn't deliver what I wanted out of it. I didn't much care for the main character, especially when she ran around emoting about her guilt all the time rather than doing any police work. Then again, I have a very low threshold for guilt in fiction. (ex. The Kite Runner drove me crazy).

I received a free review copy of this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.

When Maren Southcott's estranged sister calls her to ask for help, Maren knows she must have stumbled onto something spectacular. And she has - Rachael claims to know the whereabouts of a priceless manuscript that proves that the legendary King Arthur was real. But when Maren's sister is brutally murdered for the secret, it is up to Maren to search through Welsh castles and monasteries seeking the manuscript before it can fall into the wrong hands, to dodge drug cartels and murderous Welsh nationalists - and to save the life of the person she loves most.

I found the title a bit misleading. Apart from a brief description of the manuscript and what it was supposed to prove, there was very little in the way of references or explanations of Arthurian legend or Celtic mythology. I didn't want Da Vinci Code-style infodumps, but a little more background would have integrated nicely, I think.

All told, there are too many plot points and too few clues to make this really work as a mystery novel. At times it seems that the author is trying to set up an Agatha Christie denouement - all the many varied characters in a room to discover who the murderer is. To this end, as the investigation goes on, more and more suspects are invited along in the search through Wales. Of course, the police inviting potential murder suspects along with them is a bit ludicrous, and so is the idea of Maren Southcott as an Agatha Christie detective. Despite her much-emphasized legal training, Maren does very little investigating or solving of clues. She googles on occasion, but mostly - she faints, leaving it to one of the five or six men in love with her to care for her. The main problem with this as a mystery novel, though, is that the author leaves practically no clues for the reader to puzzle out.

But the novel also has gripping thriller moments full of blazing guns and motor vehicle chases. I, for one, did not guess the identities of the major bad guys (always a good sign), and it certainly kept my attention riveted until the final scene. The descriptions of the Welsh countryside were lovely, and some of her references to other works were very insightful and helped set the mood. I'm thinking about the comparison to Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey in particular.

Despite all the nit-picking, I liked the book well enough. The story is fast-paced and engrossing, which makes it a fast read. Once into the book, I had real trouble putting it down before I reached the end. So, I would recommend it as more of a 'beach-read' - or rather something to devour on a rainy day with hot chocolate. Fast-paced and exciting, but not a lot of depth.