Fury of the Phoenix – Cindy Pon (Review)

Hardcover, 362 pages
Published March 29th 2011 by Greenwillow Books (first published March 10th 2011)
Source: Library

Synopsis:

The sequel to the epic, romantic, and action-packed fantasy “Silver Phoenix” continues the sweeping quest of Ai Ling, a young woman with astonishing powers granted by the gods.

 

 

 

 

Review:

This book explained why Silver Phoenix did not contain all the details that I so needed. This one was slower in its pace and plot and there were moments when the switch from the present to the past was jarring. However, I appreciated that Pon took the time to return to Zhong Ye and tell his story and let us understand  the man behind the villain.

Even in the first novel, I got the sense that Pon was a lot more sympathetic to Zhong Ye than I felt he was created to be and I wondered why. Fury of the Phoenix tells his story and juxtaposes that story with the present happenings in Ai Ling’s life. The novel reads much more smoothly than the first installment in the duology and the pacing and plotting are tighter. I liked the new characters that were introduced in this installment and I was happy to observe that Pon is becoming much more adept at character development as several of her characters, despite their relative importance in the novel/narrative, are in possession of actual personalities and not cardboard stereotypes.

Pon succeeded in making me see Zhong Ye in a different light and though I cannot deny that he was a villain, I begin to understand and perhaps pity him just a little bit. Pon was most successful in depicting the amount of love Zhong Ye felt for Silver Phoenix and his devastation at her apparent suicide on their wedding night. The novel is a discourse on human greed and addiction. The mythology remains engaging and new and I think I ended up liking the second installment in this duology a whole lot more than the first. I can’t wait to see where Pon takes us next.

 

May Round Up, Checked Out and New On My Shelves: Massive Post is Massive

So May, thou hast past and we are still reeling from your passing. May was certainly chockful of happenings and I shall endeavor, to my best abilities to recount them before I move on to the normal stuff.

Some personal stuff that happened in May:

1. I moved to a different city, ran into computer problems which are still lingering.
2. I graduated from UBC with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and a minor in Asian Languages and Culture emphasis Korean. It was very cool.

Some things that rocked the book blogosphere:

1. TheStorySiren is proved to have plagiarized. Chaos ensues, feelings are betrayed, there’s anger and a lot of hue and cry. I have already said all I am going to on this matter.
2. An author who shall not be named for I do not want to direct traffic to her blog sinks to the lowest low one can sink to. She reveals personal details of a dearly beloved blogger to the general public because said blogger is honest in her opinions about the books she reads. Matter is not yet contained but things look up as we book bloggers when we are not being part of the YA Mob are a classy lot and know not to give in to what is bullying.

Moving on to the matter of books read in this month of May. The list:

1. Pale Demon  - Kim Harrison
2. Perfect Blood – Kim Harrison
3. Pippi Longstocking – Astrid Lindgren
4. The Fine Art of Truth or Dare – Melissa Jensen
5. Love Berrish vol 1-5 – Nana Haruta
6. Circle of Cranes – Annette LeBox
7. The Better Part of Darkness – Kelly Gay
8. Gakuen Alice vol 1-10 – Tachibana Higuchi
9. Freud’s Alphabet – Jonathan Tel
10. The Isis Collar – Cat Adams
11. Worldsoul – Liz Williams
12. The Oracle’s Queen – Lynn Flewelling
13. Mind Games – Carolyn Crane
14. Lunar Follies – Gilbert Sorrentino
15. Kindling the Moon – Jenn Bennett
16. My Life in Black and White – Natasha Friend
17. Mogador: The Names of the Air – Alberto Ruy Sanchez
18. Shadows Cast by Stars – Catherine Knutsson
19. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble – William Stieg
20. Where the Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak
21. Rosie’s Walk – Pat Hutchins
22. Orange – Benjamin
23. Nightshifted – Cassie Alexander
24. A Letter to Amy – Ezra Jack Keats
25. Skim – Mariko Tamaki
26. Zoom at Sea – Tim Wynne Jones
27. Fox – Margaret Wild
28. Ballet Sisters: The Newest Dancer – Jan Ormerod
29. Arlene Sardine – Chris Raschka
30. Snow White in New York – Fiona French
31. The Seven Chinese Brothers – Margaret Mahy
32. Solomon’s Tree – Andrea Spalding
33. Habibi – Craig Thompson
34. Willful Creatures – Aimee Bender
35. Pride and Prejudice (Graphic novel) – Nancy Butler
36. The Arrival – Shaun Tan
37. The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Eric Carle
38. Mangaman – Barry Lyga

As you may notice, my May was heavy with graphic novels, picture books and manga. I was a bit weary of the heavy reading and have been on a graphic novel binge recently. And short stories too. Aimee Bender is my new hero. 

Now, on to the stuff I borrowed from the library and bought/received. The most expensive item I received was my camera, a Canon EOS Rebel T3i. The following pictures were taken by that same camera. I’m still in the beginner stage of photography though. If anyone knows as tricks etc, please be sure  to let me know. (My photoblog is: visualentropy.blogspot.com)

New On My Shelves

Masque of the Black Death – Bethany Griffin – purchased. Sole purchase of the month! Yay.
Tiger Lily – Jodi Lynn Anderson. Requested review copy. Thanks Shannon from Harper Collins Canada.
Between the Lines – Jodi Picoult. Thanks Simon and Schuster Canada.
Royal Street – Suzanne Johnson. Thanks Alexis from Tor.

Bitterblue – Kristin Cashore. Thanks Penguin Canada.
Etiquette and Espionage – Gail Carriger. Thanks Kaitlin from Hachette Canada.
The Diviners – Libba Bray. Thanks Kaitlin.

The Cats of Tanglewood Forest – Charles de Lint. Thanks again, Kaitlin.

Checked Out

Well then. Okay, I will not be writing down the names of the books I have checked out from the library cuz there are too many. If you’re very curious, you are welcome to ask me.

2012 Reading Challenges and My Holiday Reading List

So three hours ago I finished my last final exam (it was very difficult, I am still in shock) and what better way to cheer myself up than indulge in what I love most (after reading, pineapple and my mother, not necessarily in that order, hur), yes! I’m talking about making lists. I love making lists, I have a weakness for them and you probably don’t really care that I do but just in case I am fighting you, all you need to do is mention lists and I will be distracted enough for you to beat me and win. I’m just saying. It’s nice to know stuff like this. Anyway. Reading challenges. I’m participating in four. And only one is the official kind with badges and everything.  You will be able to find all my challenges on the Challenges page which is called Challenges. Hur.

The Debut Author Challenge with emphasis on books being released by first time authors in the YA genre. I’ve read a couple of books already and let me tell you, they are fine. I think 2012 will be a much more rewarding year where debut authors are concerned. Not that I am diss…well okay, I am. I liked the books released this year, a selection of them but I can’t say I was bowled over by them all. Right now most of the 2012 debut novels I have read have been good so I’m hopeful.

The second challenge is the Literary Challenge which is a name I made up about five seconds ago. Do you ever feel that you read too much YA? Because I do. And there are other good books out there in the literary genre that I aim to read. Okay fine, there are only ten on my list so far but that’s a respectable number, right?

The third challenge is The Global Challenge. I love reading books by “foreign” authors. Or rather translated books. And I have read quite a few already but I came across some really promising ones so the challenge will give me the push I need to go and just read them.

The fourth one is an ongoing on. It’s my Haruki Murakami challenge. I aim to read all the books he has written. One day! I will do it!

You can see the titles on my reading challenge lists on the Challenges page. Do you have a book to suggest? Please do so.

Now, as I said I am officially on break and I aim to read, watch Asian dramas, sleep and then read some more. I might even watch Lord of the Rings (for the millionth time) or probably watch Shahrukh Khan become The Don (again, it’s a weakness, don’t hate me). My list of books to read these two weeks are:

Diamond Eyes – A. A. Bell
The synopsis of this made me swoon. And I book swapped with Glazer for it (it’s an Australian title) so it’s been on my shelf for a while now. But I can finally read it!

Cold Fire – Kate Elliott
Andevai is the boss. I think this is the first time I’ve ever liked a love interest as much as I like him. And the story is obviously out of this world. It leaves me a breathless, the worldbuilding. You forget what real fantasy is when you read the YA versions because while YA fantasy (not all, mind, I’m generalizing) (okay fine, let’s see Rae Carson’s novel would be a good example) is compelling, they lack the exquisite detail that is found in true high fantasy. You think I’m on crack, don’t you? You should just read Cold Magic and then we’ll see who’s laughing (Croggon’s Songs of Pellinor series and Goodman’s Eona duology are notable exceptions which have detailed worldbuilding and compelling heroines).

Cast in Ruins – Michelle Sagara
Sagara is a Japanese Canadian fantasy author who rocks my socks off with her Chronicles of Elantra series. She has this subtle romance thing going on and there’s this triangle which could go either way and you wouldn’t mind whichever way it goes… well, let’s just say that Chronicles of Elantra is awesomesauce and I’m going to have fun glomping it.

The Vanishing Game – Kate Kae Meyers
This is a Net Galley review copy that is being released in February and since January is going to be a crazy month for me, I figure I’ll get this read and the review written so, you know, I don’t feel too guilty.

Pure – Julianna Baggott
Also a Net Galley title that sounds awesome and I want to get read. Also being released in February.

All Men of Genius – Lev AC Rosen
I am SO excited to be reading this and I’d tell you more but my fingers are getting tired of typing so you’ll have to wait until I review it. Hopefully it doesn’t disappoint me.

Fever – Lauren DeStefano
Yes, well, it’s a review copy and I have to review this so…I’m reading it. Hopefully I will get through it.

Shatter Me – Tahereh Mafi
I’m about halfway through this and it’s taking every single atom in my being to continue reading this. I would have given up but Rida said I need to review this so I shall plod on. Sigh.

Alias Grace – Margaret Atwood
So I’m taking this English class next term. It’s about homicides in North America as portrayed by (in?) literature. And the prof “loudly encourages” us to have two books read before the term starts. So there you have it.

George and Rue – George Elliott Clarke
Oh hey, I didn’t know this was a Canadian lit class disguised as world prose. Hmm. Oh well anyway, this one is for the class as well. My library has it, thank goodness.

And this is about it for me, folks. I aim to read a lot of shoujo manga too cuz I’m girly like that. Did I  mention sleep and probably reading of books that are nowhere close to this list. Hur. What challenges are you doing? Anything interesting I should check out?

In Lieu (Hey Kettle!) of an IMM/Checked Out this Week!

I present to you pictures of my TBR pile. Exciting, I know. And one picture of two of my bookshelves. They’re pretty full. I spent the entire day writing this impossible paper so I’m a bit stuck for words…and for some reason I have Britney’s “I’mmma slaaaaaveeee for you” in my head. Anyway. Pictures. Yes.

My To-Be-Read Pile. And I suspect it will grow before the official arrival of summer. I'm esscited!

 

The first thing I see when I open my eyes in the morning. Heh.

Prophecy of the Sisters – Michelle Zink

Published August 1st, 2009 by Little, Brown Young Readers

Synopsis:

In Michelle Zink’s debut novel, orphaned twin sister Lia and Alice Milthorpe are yoked together in an ancient prophecy that makes them enemies and could destroy them both. If Lia can break this familial curse, she can not only save her relationship with her beloved boyfriend; she can finally resolve the mystery behind her parents’ death.

 

Review

I was really hesitant to read this book. If you were to ask me why, I’d tell you that the idea that two sisters who shared a womb, who are ultimately two parts of one who whole, not being together, of being against each other…that works but it’s not the kind of story I’d want to read. My curiousity got the better of me however, so I picked it up from the library. I don’t mean to be unnecessarily critical of the book. The following are just some of the observations I made about it while reading.

The story opens with a funeral and immediately sets the tone of the novel. It has a somewhat Gothic atmosphere (not black eyeliner, mind you) but there is a pervasive atmosphere of stillness, of anticipation of some new horror. Lia and Alice are twins. At least superficially. They look absolutely the same. And this is my greatest complaint with the novel. Not that they look the same but I just don’t feel their “twinness” for lack of a better word (that was not made up). They are already estranged at the beginning of the novel. We don’t see them being together, loving each other so despite Lia saying they did so, they do so, the words ring hollow and unconvincing. I think, from an objective stand, that the way to convince readers of the love between them would have been to show it and then show their gradual estrangement – if emotions had already been invested in the two girls, the readers would be much more empathetic with the resulting separation of both ambitions and ideologies. Lia is well developed – Alice, not at all. You are cut off from her side entirely and I can’t help but feel that she was being a disservice. For the book to work for me, I need to understand the antagonist. If she is as much an important character as the author would have us believe, I need more than I was given to understand her.

And then there are some points I really can’t ignore. It is because of (spoiler warning here) Alice that Henry dies. In fact, it is directly caused by Alice. Henry, poor helpless Henry who died so that Lia might get a list. And what does Lia do? Forgive her sister. The lack of emotion, the lack of blame – it again feels contrived and unrealistic. These are teenagers we are dealing with here. I know Lia talks about the “rage” in her more times than necessary but honey child, you ain’t showing that rage enough. I need the passion you don’t show. Oh, I understand that it’s a historical novel and passion in women is looked down upon but that doesn’t stop Lia from showing passion where James is concerned. So why, when her sister kills their younger brother, is there no railing, no shouting, nothing? I was very dissatisfied with that. There was barely any mourning.

James. Lia loves James. Or so she says. And you are tempted to believe her. But Alice wants James. And what does Lia do? Leave James behind while she goes off to England. Um hello? Did you forget that your evil twin sister, the one who looks exactly like you, is waiting in the eaves to swoop down as soon as you leave? And you don’t even trust enough in him to tell him what’s really going on. Do you really love him?

I liked the whole sisterhood thing (which ironically enough happens with girls who are not Lia’s sister). But at the end of the novel, I’d say that I don’t like Lia. I really don’t like her. She was eager enough to believe in Alice’s evilness and did not show enough courage or spunk to go and confront her initially. She pushes her sister away ostensibly because she fears her but come on. There is an almost tangible thread between siblings who are not twins so imagine what it must for twins and I don’t feel that. I don’t think the book was done all that well but it wasn’t done too badly either.  I was left very dissatisfied and annoyed.